Chapter #244

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                                  +
                                +   +
                              +       +
                            +           +
                          +               +
                        +                   +
                      +                       +
                    +      THE ADVENTURERS      +
                      +                       +
                        +      Epic II      +
                          +               +
                            +           +
                              +       +
                                +   +
                                  +

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+    Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells, and      +
+  other terms used in these stories are the property of TSR, Inc.  +
+  However, this does not mean that TSR in any way endorses or      +
+  authorizes their use, and any such items contained within these  +
+  stories should not be considered representative of TSR in any    +
+  way, shape, or form.                                             +
+    Due to the nature of the Internet, these stories have been     +
+  widely available since 1991.  I have given them to the world     +
+  freely, and have never intended to market them or in any way     +
+  make money.  However, due to TSR, Inc.'s copyright restrictions, +
+  old episodes of the Adventurers are no longer being archived on  +
+  any ftp site, anywhere.                                          +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+    The player characters contained in these writings are copy-    +
+  right 1995 by Thomas Miller.  Any resemblance to any persons     +
+  or characters either real or fictional is utterly coincidental.  +
+  Copying and/or distribution of these tales is permissible only   +
+  under the sole condition that no part of them will be used or    +
+  sold for profit.  In that case, I hope you enjoy them...         +
+                                                                   +
+                                  Thomas Miller                    +
+                                  tmiller@cimmeria.oit.gatech.edu  +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+  THE PARTY (or more accurately, a fragment of it):                +
+                                                                   +
+  Peldor       19th level human thief                         (N)  +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+   Date:       7/4/574 C.Y. (Common Year)                          +
+   Time:       midday                                              +
+   Place:      the Green Dragon Inn, on Blue Boar Street, within   +
+                 the Free City of Greyhawk                         +
+   Climate:    warm                                                +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+   "All this wheeling and dealing around, why, it isn't for        +
+    money, it's for fun.  Money's just the way we keep score."     +
+                              - Prince Keheldar aka Silk,          +
+                              the Begariad by David Eddings        +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++





                     CCXLIV.  Remodeling





  Soon after the most recent party split, in mid-574 C.Y., Peldor
has set about his own plans.  He and his right-hand woman, Tanya,
are conferring in Peldor's own suite inside the tavern.

Peldor:  -so Bosco went off with Ged, in search of some fabled
  treasure.  How about that?!?
Tanya:  Ah, it'll be good for the little guy.
Peldor:  Of course, he should donate some of that loot - if they
  ever find any - to my tavern fund.
Tanya:  Should he?
Peldor:  Well, in a way, I'd be happy if he did.  However...I think
  I'd actually be prouder of him if he _didn't_.
Tanya:  Hmm.  So, let's get down to business.
Peldor:  (eyeing his large, cushion-covered bed)
Tanya:  Not that!  (she grabs some rolled parchments and spreads
  them out on the table)  Where will you add the expansions?
Peldor:  (sighs)  Here.  That's the casino part of it, anyway.  I'm
  figuring we'll just make it one big room, basically.  And here, on
  the other side, I want to add an annex - eight more rooms.
Tanya:  How will these additions rank the Green Dragon against some
  of the other inns in the city?
Peldor:  Well, I've done a bit of scouting.  We'll never have the
  sheer volume of rooms that, say, the Black Dragon Inn, within
  Clerkburg, has.  Not with this property, anyway.  But I think we
  rival the expensive places - the Golden Phoenix, the Gold Dragon
  Inn - with regard to number of beds.  And I _know_ that we offer
  a better deal - our prices are half what theirs are.
Tanya:  (reciting a list of the city's inns, both nice and otherwise)
  Silver Dragon Inn...Blue Dragon Inn...both in the River Quarter.
  Then there's the Wizard's Hat Inn...
Peldor:  I suppose that could be considered a competitor, since it's
  right here in the River Quarter with us.
Tanya:  The Barge Inn...the Whitehorse Inn...the Brass Dragon Inn...
Peldor:  Hey, if you're going into the Old City, you'd better not
  forget about the Hanged Man or the Left Hand Inns.
Tanya:  Slaughterhouses.
Peldor:  Yes...which is what the Green Dragon will never be.  Not
  that it ever was, of course.  Old Ricard ran a pretty smooth boat,
  here.  The inn is well-known to locals and travelers alike, and
  fights - real fights - are few and far between.
Tanya:  Where _is_ Ricard these days?
Peldor:  Oh, he's long since retired.  I have a feeling he's happier
  than ever nowadays.  Anyway, I'm not really concerned with how much
  money we make here.
Tanya:  (gives him the look of one who knows better)
Peldor:  Well, I am, I mean.  But my main reason for all of this
  isn't money.  It's legitimacy.
Tanya:  (knits her lightly-reddish brows)  Meaning...that you want
  to be well-known here?  Respected?
Peldor:  Trusted, even.
Tanya:  Why?
Peldor:  I'm not sure even _I_ know that, yet.  I do have a few ideas
  in the back of my mind, though.  (he makes some notations on the
  plans)  We'd better get started hiring stonemasons and the like.

  And he did, leaving Tanya in charge of the inn while he spoke with
the city's land commission (ironically, the same body that had caused
Belphanior so much trouble, not too long ago.)  Within the week, the
additions were underway, for Peldor was a man of no little means.
When he wasn't overseeing the construction (which was often, for he
had very little interest in the details) he was roaming the city,
searching for people capable of dealing cards and dice once the
casino section was complete.  Of course, he was also casing the
competition, watching their methods of operation, their odds, how
many bouncers they had, how much money they seemed to be losing -
things like that.
  The construction went on, and at an exceptional pace; Peldor had
offered rather attractive bonuses for a timely, well-done job.  In
the space of two months, in fact, it was done, as was the new wing
to the east.  Peldor now had a place to be truly proud of, for the
Green Dragon Inn was now inn, tavern, and casino, all rolled in one.



                       THE GREEN DRAGON INN
                         (newly expanded)

general knowledge:
    The Green Dragon Inn is located in Greyhawk's River Quarter,
  east and south of the Garden Gate.  Built on the upper side of
  an embankment, it overlooks almost everything in the southern
  two-thirds of the city, save the Moneychangers' Guildhall, that
  ancient, oversized structure housing one of Greyhawk's less
  popular establishments.  Of course, directly to the north of
  the inn, perhaps fifty paces, looms the massive Nobles' Wall,
  fully thirty feet in height.  This granite wall's sole purpose
  is to divide the High and Military Quarters of the city from
  the rest.  In any case, the three visible stories of the Green
  Dragon Inn place it at an equal height to the wall's top walk-
  way, where guardsmen sometimes march to and fro.  The Nobles'
  Wall is just high enough to prevent those in the Green Dragon's
  top floor from seeing into the northern third of the city, and
  vice-versa.
    The inn's nearest neighbors are the City Watch station to the
  east and the Low Seas Tavern to the southwest.  Both buildings
  are separated from the Green Dragon by trees and at least a
  hundred paces.  While the watch station ensures a steady supply
  of hungry and thirsty guards, perhaps freshly off duty or on a
  break, the tavern is somewhat of a rival establishment, though
  it tends to draw more riverworkers.
    One who wished to partake of the Green Dragon's delights would
  approach from the south, specifically Blue Boar Street.  This
  slightly less-traveled road (as opposed to the Strip, where the
  bawdier elements wander freely) ensures that the Green Dragon
  stays a bit quieter and less rowdy than other River Quarter inns
  and taverns.  Exiting Blue Boar Street to the north, the hungry
  wanderer would then walk up the embankment, via the paved stairs
  cut into its side.  After about a hundred paces (though only a
  slight climb) the Inn's front door is reached, and verily, music
  and laughter can be heard beyond, beckoning adventurer, guardsman,
  and noble alike.
capacity and prices:
    The Green Dragon Inn, once one of the smaller establishments of
  its kind, has undergone two expansions since the adventurer known
  as Peldor took over.  The place now has 24 large rooms (10 on the
  ground floor, none on the middle floor, and 14 on the top floor)
  and 2 suites.  On the middle (first) floor are no rooms; this
  whole floor houses the entry door, armor and weapons check and
  bouncers, and all dining facilities.  Besides a huge, common
  dining room, with several dozen tables and two bars, this floor
  has twenty private booths, two large private booths, a private
  dining room, the kitchen, all food & drink storage...and, of
  course, the casino.
    Lodging is somewhat higher than average (1 gp/night for one of
  the basic rooms, 5 gp/night for one of the suites) but the rooms
  are clean, quiet, and well-provisioned.  In addition, food and
  drink can be ordered and brought up to the rooms.  A staff of
  six cooks, four bartenders, eight bouncers, a dozen serving
  wenches, four card dealers, and seven maids works at the inn.
  The place is open all day and all night, and business rarely
  dies down.
other, less public information:
    The top floor houses Peldor's suite, as well as the quarters
  of Bosco, Vinnie, and Tanya (who doesn't often use hers), and
  a currently-vacant room.  In addition, one of the normally-for-
  rent suites is currently being occupied by two drow friends of
  Peldor's.
    There is no doubt much of interest in the northern half of the
  ground floor, for Peldor must presumably have somewhere to store
  his treasure.  However, nobody but the rogue knows for sure.



Key:
                   __
     N            |__|       = 10'
    W+E            : or ..   = door
     S             $         = secret door
                   =         = window



GROUND FLOOR
                          ________________________
                         |                        |
                         |                        |
                         |                        |
       __________________|                        |____________
      |                                                        |
      |                                                        |
      |                U N E X C A V A T E D ?                 |
      |                                                        |
      |                                            ____      __|
      |___________________________________________|    |    |
      |    :_..___..___..__ |              |^|    |    |____|
   -> |    |    |    |    | |    wine      |u|    | <-
  |   |    |    |    |    | |    cellar    :p|    =    \
  |   |    |    |    |    | |______________| |__..|      \ north of
  |   |_  _|_  _|_  _|_  _|..___..___..___..____..|    this line is
  |     ==   ==   ==   ==|    |    |    |    |    |    underground
  |                      |    |    |    |    |    |
  north of this          |    |    |    |    |    |
line is underground      |_  _|_  _|_  _|_  _|_  _|
                           ==   ==   ==   ==   ==



FIRST FLOOR

                          __==____==____==____==__
                         |                        |
                         |                        |
                         |b|     C O M M O N      |
       __==____==____==__|a|        R O O M       |_____==_____
      |                  |r|                      |  weapons&  |
      |                  |                         \   armor   |
      =                  |                           \  check  |
      |                  |      ~~~~~~__..__._.___|\   \   _   |
      |    C A S I N O          ~bar |     |d| |  $__\_     |_ |
      =                   __ __ |__./      |o|u|  |    |    | =
      |                  |__ __ __| ktchn. |w|p|  |    |_  _|
      |                  |__ __ __|        |n|_|  |     /  \
      =                  |__ __ __|__  ____|_|    |  front door
      |                  |__ __ __|               |
      |__  ____  ____  __|__ __ __|    storage    |
         ==    ==    ==  |__ __ __|_______________|
                         |__ __ : private dining  |
                         |     |       room       =
                         |__|__|_  ___________  __|
                                 ==           ==



SECOND FLOOR

                          ___===_____==___==___==_
                         |      |  |    |    |    |
                         = suite   |    |    |    |
                         |  (drow) |    |    |    |
       _==___==___==_____|_..___|__|_.._|_.._|_.._|_____==_____
      |    |    |    |    |                       |            |
      |    |    |    |    |   _______________     |  Peldor's  |
      |    |    |    |    |  |       |       |    :   suite    =
      |_..___..___.._|_.._|  | Vinnie| Bosco $____|            |
      |                      |___..__|__..___|d|__$____      __|
      |                      :___.._____..___|o|s |    |    |
      |_..___..___..______   |       |       |w|t |    |_  _|
      |    |    |    |   |   | empty | Tanya |n|o |      ==
      =    |    | suite  |   |_______|_______| |..|
      |    |    |        |                        |
      |_  _|_  _|_  _|___|_..___..___..___..___.._|
        ==   ==   ==     |    |    |    |    |    |
                         |    |    |    |    |    |
                         |    |    |    |    |    |
                         |_  _|_  _|_  _|_  _|_  _|
                           ==   ==   ==   ==   ==



  As of 9/3/574, the new Green Dragon Inn was open for business;
all new staff members, carefully lectured and trained by Peldor
and the more experienced inn staff, were quickly brought up to
speed.  Judging by the first day's business, the renovations and
improvements were a smashing success.





next time :  some adventures

notes     :  Whew.  These ASCII maps tire me out.  It's a good
  thing I was in the mood to make one.
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