Sod and Hearthbound

Frontier

Cosy

Modest prices

Sod and Hearthbound

the homestead inn at the edge of the scrublands

You duck beneath a low lintel into warm, straw-scented air. Light filters through smoke-darkened rafters and a line of clay lamps, illuminating braided rugs and a patchwork of quilts hanging to dry. The crowd is small and friendly: callused hands, a muttered joke, the scrape of a spoon on a wooden bowl. From the open doorway you can see the sod roof bulging with grass and herbs; inside, the hearth is the room's heart — three boys tend the fire while warm steam and the scent of thyme and roasted root rise around you. Conversation drifts between weather, wagon repairs, and a cautious laughter that sounds like defiance against the hard country outside.

Over the door

A weathered wooden plaque edged in sod, painted with a stitched hearth and a small sprig of heather; the paint is cracked but the hearth's coals are still visible, no words, just the symbol

The keeper

Milda Underbrow

Halfling

Manner

She runs the inn with practical cheer: brisk, no-nonsense hospitality and a soft patience for lingering patrons. She knows every customer's needs and will prod stubborn folk toward chores or beds when dawn approaches.

Quirk

Milda keeps a small carved whistle on a string and taps it three times whenever she wants silence or attention.

Stats

Use the Veteran stat block; AC 14 (studded leather), carries a shortbow stashed behind the stove and a kitchen cleaver at her hip.
House special

Hearthspice Toddy

5 sp

A steaming mix of spiced apple, a dash of local honey, and a measured pour of clear frontier spirit; after one mug you feel warmth that steadies your hands — once within the next hour you gain advantage on one saving throw vs. exhaustion or cold effects, but the drink clings in your breath.

Prices

Modest (5e lifestyle: about 1 gp a day)

The menu
Food
Stewed root and barley with thyme
3 sp
Blackened meadow trout on oatcakes
3 sp
Roasted turnip and cheese pie
3 sp
Hearty bone broth with dumplings
3 sp
Drink
House ale
4 cp
Hard apple cider
4 cp
Warm herb tea (mint, thyme)
4 cp
Cold spring water
4 cp
Rooms
Loft bunk (shared)
5 sp
Private thatch room (one bed)
5 sp
Corner cubby (small private sleeping alcove)
5 sp
Staff

Gib Underbrow · stablehand

Milda's eldest son; quick with a rope and slower to speak, he watches newcomers with steady, assessing eyes.

Pell Underbrow · barmaid

A quick-footed teen who serves bowls and mugs with a grin and a short, biting laugh that breaks tension like a snapped twig.

Tinn Underbrow · cook

The smallest son with the largest appetite; he tends the pots and will swap a story for an extra spoonful of stew.

Regulars

Bran Rusk

A grizzled freighter who wants information on the sinkholes near Wren's Hollow — and will pay for it.

Saela Kett

A retired ranger who once worked the frontier's watch routes and still watches the lanes with an uneasy hand on her bow.

Old Mirn

A cantankerous tinker who claims the Green Knot is a piece of a larger device buried beneath a fieldstone cairn.

Rumours
  1. 1

    Wren's Hollow: farmers whisper that a sinkhole opened last autumn and something pale with a faint green glow now stirs beneath the old stone circle.

  2. 2

    Marshal Hargett: the local marshal failed to collect a toll six weeks ago and hasn't been seen since; his cart was found abandoned near Pine Crossing.

  3. 3

    The Green Knot: Old Mirn says a knot-shaped iron charm stolen from Milda's late husband's pack can neutralize blight if returned to the fieldstone cairn east of the inn.

Look out for
Sod roof herb garden: patrons can ask Milda for fresh herbs used in food and simple poultices (free, small healing narrative).Hearth games: nightly storytelling and a simple dice game where winners get a mug or a bowl off the house (GM may award 1 gp in local favors or a minor clue).

Made with the free LoreKeeper Tavern Generator · Free to use at your table · Licence

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