The Chestnut Stallion
The Stallion is a solid middle class establishment that caters mostly to local villagers and the trappers and miners who stay overnight. The innkeeper, Hergen of Lorn, is a goodnatured man in his early forties who runs his inn with his wife and two daughters. He is a half-brother of Sir Lardis, being one of many bastards of the notoriously womanizing lord Barian. While never acknowledged, Hergen managed to convince Sir Lardis of their relation and got his support to open his establishment in 717 TR. The inn has the problem of not being directly located on the Genin trail. Since passing travellers are rare, Hergen has to be creative to keep his business running. He brews an excellent cider and mead, both of which are sold in the surrounding villages, in addition to a strong ale for the locals. He tries hard to establish and keep the monopoly on brewing in the village against the local alewives. Since the manor cannot afford a bonded cellarer, Hergen practically fulfills this function too. Hergen is on very good terms with the lord and keeps an ear on the village talk for him. The adjacent stables are rarely . The lord's bonded master ostler, Carl of Dall, is allowed to run the inn's stable since this requires only occasional extra work.
Since both the trappers and miners use Shenadun as base for their business operations, the inn functions as a hostel for both groups. The inn also provides quarters for manor guests at need, since the manor has no guest house. Additionally, Hergen serves as the chief butcher and salter/pickler of the whole village for the surplus of the large summer herd, part of it he sells in Burzyn. For this he worksclosely with the herder Fnorrek of Ganze.
Services and Prices | |
---|---|
Room and board | |
Place in the stable (for horses only) | 2d/night |
Bed in the guild dormitory (members only) | 1f/night |
Bed in the dormitory | 1d/night |
Single Room | 6d/night |
Meals | |
Soup (usually cabbage, pea or bean) | 1f |
Cheese & bread | 2d |
Meat (pork or beef) | 5d |
Roasted duck or chicken | 9d |
Goose & fruit sauce | 18d |
Drinks | |
Mead | 2f/pint |
Small Ale | 1f/pint |
Strong Ale | 2f/pint |
"Stallion's Foam" (strong beer) | 2f/pint |
Wine | 3d/pint |
Cider | 1f/pint |
Ground Floor
The main room is a cozy place with clean benches and tables, a warm fire and the smell of food from the open kitchen. The room tends to get crowded towards the evening when most villagers gather here for recreation. While not all villagers can afford to buy a drink every evening, the poorer locals also come here to socialize. Strangers will find an eager audience if they have news from the outside world or can tell a good story. A wooden stair leads up to the guest rooms and the private quarters for Hergen and his family.
Hergen prepares all food for his guests here. The kitchen is open to the common room so that customers can seet the cooking and wet their appetites by the smell and the sizzle.
All provisions for the kitchen are stored here. Hergen's gray tomcat, Miffles, usually sleeps on a bundle of haversacks here.
These stables are rarely used, as few guests have horses. They are mainly an expression of the rather optimistic view that Shenadun might once become a central village rather than a frontier settlement.
Second Floor
This has a trapdoor in the ceiling from where the attic (not shown) can be reached. It is occasionally used to station a guard if important guests reside in the adjacent room.
This room is reserved for members of the trappers' association who use it as a hostel. Hergen charges them only hostel prices. Many trappers refer to The Stallion as their of home.
The dormitory is far better than most of its kind tend to be.
Hergen and his wife, Vinedia, and daughter, Biselda, use this room as their private quarters. The small chamber is used to lock up weapons that guests bring to the inn, as foreigners are not allowed to carry weapons in the village. Guests may also have other things locked up here by request.
This room is reserved for guests of the lord but may be rented to customers if no manor guests are present.
Quarters for the ostler, Carl of Dall.