Although originally described as a “New England Bed and Breakfast”, the reality of the setting is that the layout is much closer to a public house/tavern. Perhaps it has adjusted itself over time to suit the needs of it’s patrons.
As visitors walk in to the freehold, a row of windows facing out to the garden is on your right, with several tables and chairs arranged for the view. To the immediate left is an alcove with your generic “place to stuff things we need now and then” closet, plus a weapon’s locker for those who either don’t want to haul their gear around, or understand that there is no sensible way to peace-tie a warhammer.
The door to the infirmary is immediately available when you walk in, handy for those who barely make it through the door. Where the alcove ends, the bar begins, and runs half the length of the common room on the left wall.
Well-stocked is an understatement. There’s an antique cash register there for looks and the ever present Bar Gauntlets, rest beside the register, awaiting the orders of the patrons. At the end of the bar there’s a door in the left wall leading into the Kitchen, which in turn has a staircase down into the Cellar. The room then expands off to the left to create a wider area.
Tacked to the wall behind the bar is a piece of parchment labeled “Laws & Regulations“. It has faded over the years, and scratches and blots of ink have erased some of the entries – a close inspection can see mentions of “Parliament Rep” this or “Protector” that in the scratched off entries.
A shaded, secluded nook includes private booths for conversation not intended for prying ears. A tickle of glamour brushes over folk entering each booth. Anyone outside of the booth trying to listen in will hear just mundane conversation – the weather, local sports team, dinner plans – allowing a precious bit of privacy in a public ‘hold. Past the booths is also a doorway into the Library for those seeking quiet contemplation or just a good read.
There are a number of tables and chairs on the floor which can be moved for dancing purposes. The door to the bathroom is in the middle of the left wall back here, and the door to the library is on the rear wall, each door standing in a break between two booths.
The front part of the common room has cathedral ceilings with chestnut beams. Where there were once exposed beams, now there is a layer of plywood that provides a flooring to the Rafters, though there is no obvious way up to the platform. It seems odd that the room could have both vaulted ceilings and rooms upstairs, but sometimes it’s better not to think too hard on these things.
In the center of the common area, is the hearth with the Balefire. There is a slight platform in front of the hearth, which makes it into sort of a dais. There are some comfy chairs and a coffee table there, and a red-toned oriental rug. In the corner near the bale fire stands a three-foot tall granite statue of a a female Troll, known to the occupants to be “Brekke”, often accompanied by small items of tribute.
Comfortable couches line the walls, providing additional nooks to relax in, and windows variably let in light from the Garden, or are curtained to block the view from the streets. In the open area in the front part of the common room there is a piano. There’s also a Jukebox on the back wall near the couch, often playing tunes – some requested, some volunteered.
The stairs to the second level wind up from the back of the room, stretching up to a landing and then extending into a corridor to the sleeping quarters.
A doorway near the stairs leads out into the Garden, though common sense would remind one that an alleyway should lie right outside that wall. It seems that this area exists outside of the mundane.
Known Trods:
- Garden
- Cellar
- Closet
- Bathrooms
Floor plan created by Arkane, Description liberally updated from Description of Firnost
Sample Imagery:
Bed & Breakfast
Tavern
