The Toppled Tankard Inn

One of my more popular posts recently was the simple map of the Village of Stillwater.  So I thought I would detail the village a little more. The most important building in the village is the Inn. It is called “The Toppled Tankard” by its current owner Waldemar. Walde bought the Inn from the original owner Chony Gysby who wanted to move on and retire in a bigger town. Stillwater barely meets the definition of a village. Chony built the Inn to service travellers on the main road between two mid-sized towns. Over the years some of the people who came to Stillwater started small farms or fished. Twenty years ago Braden the Miller arrived and built a mill.

All of the buildings in Stillwater are single story buildings constructed of wood and the Inn is no exception. The main building has a large kitchen and a common room. Out is the yard is a stable and a bunkhouse. Not far away is the Innkeeper’s cottage.

There is plenty of space in the common room for travellers and often 3-6 travellers can be found enjoying a meal during the day. In the early evening the number can often increase to 5-10. Walde or his barkeep Bricea tend the bar and serve the common room. The cook Byri can be found in the kitchen often with the pot boy Stub.

There are three beds in a nearby bunkhouse where travellers can spend the night for 3 sp per person. Also, for 1 sp the Inn will allow travellers to sleep on the floor of the common room.

The menu of the Inn serves food raised locally. Barley bread, porridge and biscuits, vegetable stew, walnut bread, fish and crayfish. Eggs from local chickens or venison from deer hunted in the local woods. Beef and chicken is not available. For drink the Braden Miller also ferments a stout ale that is available with every meal. Water is not a good idea as drinking the lake water can lead to dysentery. The ale is stored in barrels under the bar. Food is stored in the kitchen.

The Toppled Tankard Inn in Stillwater Village

Innkeeper Waldemar

A grizzled former caravan guard with an enormous mustache and powerful arms. Walde, as he prefers to be called, bought the Inn 10 years ago and has cleaned it up and brought in more business by hiring a cook and using fresher food. Walde can be found in the Inn during most daylight hours. He has a cottage nearby. He is also the leader (reeve) of the village.

Cook Byri

A large, jovial woman of middle age. She is a capable cook. Her skills might not match that of an Inn in a big town but her food is not under cooked or burnt which is a vast improvement on the fare in most competing trail side inns. She has a cottage in the village and raises some of her own vegetables in a garden near the cottage.

Barkeep Bricea

A thin, middle-aged woman with long black hair. She is plain but not unattractive. She serves food and drink to patrons and looks after the Inn when Waldemar is not around. She is surprisingly adept with a dagger and has put a few caravan guards on the defensive. Her past is a mystery but she seems to be a foreigner. She sleeps in the bunkhouse when it is empty or in the stables when travellers are using the bunkhouse. She always seems to have her few possessions packed in a single backpack ready to go at any moment.

Stableboy Carlow

A young man who is the grown son (early teens) of Bricea. He is a natural with horses and looks after the stables. On slow days he will wander off to the Talenwood to hunt. He is an energetic and restless teen who longs to join a band of adventurers. He sleeps in the stables.

Potboy Stub

A young, mop-headed orphan who was found sleeping in the stables. Byri took pity on him and convinced Waldemar to allow Stub to stay as a kitchen helper. He speaks in bursts of words without thinking and seemingly without taking a breath. Some see the hint of elvish blood in his slightly pointed ears and light blue eyes. His age is difficult to determine but certainly he does not yet look to be in his teens. He sleeps on a pallet in the kitchen near the fire.