The Black Dragon

The Black Dragon is a small inn and tavern in the village of Podran in the Kitei Valley, on the sunny Island of Alomir. The tavern became mightily famous during the War of Liberation, which saw the Fastodan leader Endi'e , supported by the Hifrists and by Damaschini and his party, fight against the royal family and then against the invading Vormiolese, who wanted to avenge the death of the consort-king of Alomir, Mardon Lofkia, who was a Vormiolese count.

The tavern is poised on the side of the main road running through Podran village, its back facing the Iznil river. A small footpath leads down from the backisde of the tavern to the river, and is used by Amoh and his staff to carry fresh water for the animals lodged in the stable or the pen.

Weary travellers coming from the north cannot miss the weird wooden sign hanging from the side of a tall mortar wall reinforced with wooden planks, a sign on which someone (quite sloppily) drew the countours of a black, dragon-like creatures with wings and a scythe. Beneath it you can read, in plain red letters, the Black Dragon.

Near the sign, travelers will find a tall unpainted wooden fence, with a rounded gate, which is quite heavy and often gets stuck if you push it too hard. The double gate is wide enough for you to get your horse in the court within, which, as Amoh himself would put it, is a fancy word for a patch of dirt. To the right are the stables, a small wooden shack, which is older than the tavern itself, and in front and to the left is the main building itself.

The tavern, like many poorer buildings on Alomir island, has a slate stone and rubble base, and mortar walls reinforced by wooden frames. Amoh would have liked stone walls, but those are usually found in houses of the richer cities of Alomir. Still, the tavern looks sturdy enough, its first floor only very slightly slanted.

Inside, the tavern itself is a wide room, with a hearth pouncing its fire in an opening in the farside wall. Around the hearth lie various small tables and chairs. Not a single pair can be found, as each chair and table comes from different homes and even regions of Alomir. To the left of the room, travelers can hang their weapons, luggage and coats on various overhangs. To the right lies the counter, a long wooden table behind which Amoh keeps some old shelves which always seem on the verge of breaking off, filled to the brim with dusty wine bottles.

The kitchen lies behind the counter, and is quite a messy place, with shelves interlocking with barrels of God-knows-what, tables used to prepare the food, and a wall of hooks on which a truly formidable amount and variety of knives hang.

In a darker corner of the main room, a very steep staircase can be seen, leading up to the first floor where Amoh's twelve rooms lie. The rooms, while a little cramped, are always surprisingly clean. Their wooden floors are often scrubbed, and the white cloth sheets are washed in the river after every customer. Each room looks the same, or at least Amoh would have willed it so: a bed with hay-filled sheets, wide enough for two people to sleep in, a small round table, two very short chairs, and a big chest to put your stuff into. But Amoh's wife Nezi added a splash of variety to each room, hanging coloured cloth sheets on the walls of one room, the fine leather of a deer on the walls of another, or equiping rooms with pots of clay she herself made and painted.

No one knows when the tavern was built. The village Elders tell tales of the small, cozy tavern that go way back. Some even say the legendary Hugort the Wise, founder of the first Kingdom of Alomir, visited the tavern on his way to slaying the Rakaton the Tyrant, some 900 years ago.

What is known is that Amoh's family had been running the tavern for decades, if not centuries. Amoh's father Tral-man had lived a soldier's life for a while, but he returned to take over the tavern from his late father, and raised Amoh to be a people's man: always friendly, always open, always willing to go the extra step for the travelers that stopped at his tavern. Tral-man knew from experience the harshness that many endure on the open road, for he had fought as a mercenary in the Izdrian war against the Orcs, and had also helped fight the cannibals in the forests of Kitei as part of the royal army. His Fastodan blood ran strong, but his fighting skills did not transfer to the peaceful Amoh.

After he took over, Amoh tried his best to further his family's standing legacy, fixing and repairing what he could, even rebuilding most of the roof, and trying to forge friendships with as many people as possible, building up renown as the owner of the best quiet corner you could find between Alomir and Sairo.

The tavern is manned by Master Amoh, his wife Nezi, as well as by their son Umin, his wife Ladime, and the two young brothers Tulnak and Rikor.

Amoh serves as the "headmaster", but also loves to serve drinks, takes care of the cellar, buys whatever the tavern needs, and generally looks after everything. His smile is almost unbreachable even at his 55 years, unless you bad mouth his friends. He's always quick to enter into conversations with people, which usually sits well with his norml customers - Hifrist shepards walking their sheep from the mountains to the sea, petty merchants and peasants seeking to sell or buy stuff, as well as Fastodan day-workers trying to find a place to earn some coppers for a cup of ale or a good portion of chicken with chickpeas. But he may come as too obnoxious to the less talkative royal officers and soldiers travelling from and to the fort in Tohn. Amoh lived in the tavern all his life, and taking care of customers was all he ever knew. Now that the royals are gone, Amoh himself has changed his sodded apron for some better clothes and oftimes goes to the capital of Alomir, to the great gatherings there, to speak as member of the Assembly he was voted into and which now rules over Alomir. Not knowing how to read or write might be an issue there.

The 50-year old Nezi is less talkative than her husband. Perhaps it's because she usually works in the kitchen, or cleans the rooms. She's always very well disposed. Small of frame and thin, she may be unnoticed by some, but she's always busying herself with something. A cook by calling, she carefully instructs her husband to buy new produce for each week's menu, which she usually keeps in her mind. She doesn't know how to read or write, but she learned enough to help Amoh spell "the Black Dragon" on the entrance sign.

Umin is the errand boy of the tavern. He always goes with his father to buy what is needed for the tavern, especially on Saturdays, in preparation for the feasts on Sunday, when many come to Amoh's tavern to taste from Nezi's special roasted mutton. He fought in the War of Liberation under Endi'e's flag, where he wielded a bow. Like many boys from his village, he was wholly unpepared for the hardships of war. He lived, though, but lost a lot of his previous carelesness and aloofness. He now keeps to himself, is hard-working but quiet and only really smiles when around his wife.

Ladime is 22 years old, two years younger than Umin. She's the round-faced, almond-skinned and always tempered waiter of the tavern. After giving birth to a son that did not survive his first year, Ladime lost a bit of her old enthusiasm, but she still has a spring in her step every time she weaves round the tables carrying plates and cups full of wine and beer. Ladime was a wiley 16-year old sheperd's daughter when she met Umin. Her father was a long time friend and customer of Amoh, and the two were finally planning to seal their friendship through marriage: Ladime was promised to Umin's older brother Tarkin. But Tarkin died before the two could get married, struck by fever, and Ladime found herself married off to Umin. Still, the two became very close, all the more so after they lost their son, and many call them the happiest couple in all of Podran.

Tulnak and Rikor are two miller's boys from Podran, who were left without a home when they were only 15 and 16. Amoh took them in in exchange for work, and they became asisstants of sorts, helping out in the kitchen, or with carrying things, or with the luggage and horses of travelers. Rikor especially is very good with horses. The two are 22 and 23 now, they both plan to get married, but they wish to continue working for their (now "politician") benefactor. Tulnak, while younger, is the serious brother, and he'll often greet travelers at the door with a polite and neutral voice, help them with their coats and seat them. Rikor likes to crack jokes by the fireplace, with whoever wants to listen, takes care of the chicken Amoh sometimes keeps around, washes and feeds the horses, and usually horses around the tavern.