Marn's Crossing

The Inn

“He’s a cheat!, Get him!” The man yelled to the other men in the small back room of the Tavern. Myro looked about nervously. As a stranger in Marn’s Crossing the room looked to be siding with this dumb oaf. Best to get out of here with my winnings Myro thought.

I have made a small map to show the locations that appear in my previous few posts of fiction. Marn’s Crossing is an old stone bridge that spans the Croydes Stream. The stream is dry throughout the year except in the Spring. Snow meltwater turns the stream into a raging river and blocks travel. A few hundred years ago a stone bridge was built to allow year-round travel.

A few carpenters and stone-workers were settled near the bridge to help maintain it. One of the more enterprising carpenters expanded his cottage into a simple Inn. The Inn at Marn’s Crossing has had several expansions in size since then.

The current Innkeeper is Lars Montefelo, a middle-aged, heavyset man. Lars brings in extra coin by hosting dice and card games in the back room of the Inn. The games draw in the usual local rabble and travelers.

The Inn and cellar map

Tavern Area

There is a mud porch outside the door to the Inn and a nearby outhouse in the yard before the river road. The tavern has a bar stocked with local ale a little else. There are six wooden tables surrounded by stools and chairs. No two alike. Three doors exit the tavern to other rooms, Lars room, a sleeping area and the door to the kitchen.

In addition to finding Lars working behind the bar, he has two maids/helpers who work the tavern. Sisters Jona and Caelia serve drinks, make beds, clean and do just about any other odd job around the Inn. They sleep in the loft above the tavern. It is accessible by a ladder against the wall.

Owners Area

Lars and his wife Marion live in this simple room. There is little more than a bed, table, and a few chests of clothes.

Sleeping Area

For a pair of silver pieces, a traveler can purchase one of five beds in the sleeping area. The tavern and the sleeping area are kept warm in the fall and winter by a large fireplace.

Kitchen Area

The kitchen has a cooking fireplace, preparation tables and crates and barrels of food. Marion, the wife of the Innkeeper, does the cooking. She is a passable cook but is often let down by the scarcity of fresh ingredients. A wooden door leads to a rickety wooden stair to the cellar. A young boy lives in this area, sleeping near the fire on a bundle of wool blankets. Roald is an orphan that Lars has agreed to look after in exchange for work gathering firewood and tending the fires in the four fireplaces.

Back Room

In the back room, there are three tables that can be used for drinking, eating or gambling. A game of cards or dice can usually be found here once the sun goes down. Aside from a few local toughs, most of the gamblers are travelers on the river road passing through.

Occasionally, a lone traveler will go missing after winning one too many hands at cards. Whether it is at the hands of a local tough or passing mercenary. Lars can be counted on to dispose of the body for a share of the winnings.

Beneath the Inn.

Lars uses the cellar beneath the Inn to store non-perishable foods and supplies for the Inn. For some reason, the cellar is always very damp. Lars is unaware that the Inn is built over the ruins of an old temple to a forgotten god. Previous Innkeepers many years ago used the crypts beneath the Inn to hold smuggled goods.

Marn's Crossing