Roadside
Cosy
Modest prices
Three-Stone Kennel
the windshelter for weary travelers and wagging paws
Warm smoke curls from a low stone chimney into the hillside breeze. Inside, sun through shuttered windows falls on braided rugs and racks of leashes; the air holds roasted root vegetables, rosemary, and the sweet musk of many dogs who regard newcomers with keen, unembarrassed interest. Travelers settle into mismatched armchairs; lanterns glow amber, and a low, steady hum of contented growls and occasional snuffles fills the spaces between conversation. The hearth is ringed with boot racks and maps—some pinned, some thumbed—while hooks along the walls hold coats, cloaks, and carefully labelled dog collars.
A weathered wooden plaque carved with three stacked stones and a sleeping dog curled on the top stone; the paint is flaked but the carving is clear, no words.
Bran Hest and Marli Hest
human
Manner
Quirk
Stats
Hearthbound Toddy
5 spA warm mix of local spirit, honey, lemon, and a sprig of rosemary; drinking it soothes chills and grants a traveler a moment of calm focus (advantage on one Wisdom (Perception) check made within the next hour, once).
Modest (5e lifestyle: about 1 gp a day)
Tess · barmaid
A quick-footed halfling who pours ale with one hand and untangles dog leashes with the other, humming an old road song.
Old Jor · stablehand
A slow-speaking ex-caravaner who grooms horses and mediates jealous glances between two alpha hounds.
Kest, the trailwarden
A wiry tracker who asks about every missing courier and is looking for the ruined watchtower where something valuable was buried.
Mira Fenlock
A merchant's scout who leaves cryptic notes with Bran and is saving coin to buy a pup she saw here weeks ago.
Patch
A grinning mutt—adopted unofficially by the house—who won't leave a stranger until they promise to tell a story.
1
The ruined watchtower of Blackfen keeps a sealed cellar; a brass token with its sigil was once used by a relief party—Kest says it might still hide a chest of caravan notes and a 'compass that points to memories'.
2
A courier named Nella never reached the next crossroads—her last known stop was the ford near Windmarsh and she carried a sealed letter for a noble in the valley; her hound was seen running toward the hillside.
3
A reclusive forester called Old Garr has been paying coin for wolf-pelt collars; he claims beasts in the northern gullies are behaving like they're being herded by someone human.
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