Oakblood Hearthsong
the mead hall of the solstice ring
A low, round hall built into the slope of an overgrown knoll, Oakblood Hearthsong smells of smoked honey, roasted roots and green resin. During the solstice the place hums like a beehive: drums and…
Wreath & Hearth
the solstice mead-hall of the circle-roads
Built from hauled timbers and woven boughs, the hall sits in a small clearing ringed by standing oaks. Inside, a low, roaring central hearth sends sparks up through a woven smoke-lattice; garlands…
The Painted Chain
the beer hall beneath the lantern sails
Lanterns drape in scalloped rows from the low ceiling, their warm glow bouncing off strings of mirrored confetti and the polished wood of long communal tables. Music spills from a raised platform of…
The Three-Colored Mask
the carnival-quarter beer hall where the city dances once a week
You push through a curtain of bunting into a long, low room swathed in paper lantern light. Laughter and brass seep from the far end, where a raised bandstand and a tumble of mismatched chairs crowd…
The Candle and Cloak
the pilgrim inn on the road to Saint Marn's shrine
Lanterns and bunting crowd the low beams, and the air tastes of spiced wine, roasting chestnuts and beeswax. The common room is a jumble of benches and rushes, pilgrims in mismatched cloaks trading…
The Brass Bell Pilgrim
the inn at the bend before Saint Halan's wayside
Lanterns and pennants ripple from rafters and pegged posts, the air thick with roasted spice, baking apples and the sweet smoke of mulled wine. Pilgrims in patched but carefully mended habits…
Netted Lantern Hall
the fishermen's hall at the first herring moon
The door opens into a low-ceilinged hall hung with wet nets, drying sardine ropes, and strings of shimmering silver fish scales that catch the oil-lamp light. Tonight every table is scraped clean…
The Three-Fold Lantern
the inn where the first herring night is kept
The room smells of brine, frying fat, and the sweet tang of pickled fish. Lanterns—some new, many patched—throw honeyed light across tables gouged with oar-marks; the air hums with the creak of…
The Jubilee Pick
the saloon where the first silver sleeps
Lanterns strung from rafter to rafter throw warm circles of light over a floor scuffed by boots and pickaxes. Laughter, stomping feet and a brass band in the corner compete with the metallic clink…
Pick & Perseverance
the saloon at the mouth of the first vein
A cloud of coal smoke and frying fat meets the sharp metallic tang of fresh silver the moment you step inside. Lanterns hang from rafters strung with miners' pennants proclaiming the lucky strike; a…
The Founders' Stoup
the alehouse at the mine's end
You push past a corrugated stone lintel and down three steps into a vaulted chamber that smells of hot grain, tallow, and wet stone. Strings of lanterns—paper replaced by mica thin as a coin—swing…
Founders' Final Keg
the alehouse at the mine's root on Founders' Day
You climb the last timbered ladder and step into a low-ceilinged vault hewn from coal-black stone. Lanterns strung from chains throw a warm, amber light on banners stitched with the mine's founding…
The Moth & Midsummer
the tavern where the revel never tires
Lanterns the color of ripe berries hang from woven vines and float an inch off the beams, casting warm, trembling light. Minstrels — human, fey, and things that look like both — trade songs with a…
Moonroot Carnival
the inn where midsummer never falls
Warm, shifting light pools from lanterns braided with living flowers; the air tastes faintly of honey and rain. Musicians circle the rafters on unseen platforms, their melodies looping in new…
The Sooted Oven
the inn where the village brings its pies
Steam and warm flour greet you before the door closes: the air carries cinnamon, baked apples, and the tang of cider. Strings of dried hops and strips of ribbon loop from rafters, and a crooked…
Copper Crust Inn
the inn on the green preparing for the harvest pies
Warm steam and spices hit you before the door swings fully open — cinnamon, nutmeg, and a heavy aroma of apples and roasting root vegetables. Strings of dried corn and paper bunting crisscross the…
By setting and mood
Every kind of tavern
Each setting and each mood has its own page, with a short guide to running that kind of tavern at the table.
