Crossroads Tavern, Pit, Theatre, & Casino

The Crossroads is the new name for a business once owned by a loving Halfling Mother of four. When Madam Bambano (Bah - mm - bah - no) passed away she left the property to her children in equal parts with the hope that they would share the responsibilities and benefits. Unfortunately, each of her children had a different prospect for what they should do with the deed and could not come to an agreement

Instead of selling the location, the siblings metaphorically split the building into quad-sections and painted a line down the centers. The original doorway was removed and replaced with new entrances on each cardinal direction of the building as to not show favoritism to one business over the other. Separately, the four siblings have curated average to lackluster operations. But to the unknowing customer, it is very easy to enter and think they are simply particular with their layout scheme. If the four would pool their efforts and earning together, instead of harassing one another from their side of the line, they would have a thriving go-to spot for anyone looking for a night of reprieve and entertainment

Tavern

The tavern portion is in the northwest corner and operated by Bordo (Bore - doh) the eldest son. Having worked as a cook, he helped his mother care for his other siblings and found that he quite enjoyed being a host and caregiver. When the matriarch of the family passed, he failed to convince his siblings that they should continue her business as a tavern and make it better than ever. He envisioned people traveling from far and wide just to visit their tavern, to continue cooking their mother's recipes and improving on them when needed, packed nights, they'd invent new drinks and recipes that would be their signatures

When the Bambano family was going through "the divide", Bordo requested the northwest corner specifically so that he would have access to the basement for storage and space to prepare the meals. There is a bar that takes up the corner and he has as many tables as he can squeeze into his quarter of the space. He is jovial and hospitable to his guests, often seen with a smile and happy to serve and converse with hungry travelers

Fight Pit

The portion occupying the Southeast corner is the "Pit" operated and owned by Bestale (Bes - tah - leh), the second oldest and the first daughter of the family. Inspired by her mother's "no backing down" attitude and watching her have to throw out rowdy patrons on occasion, Bestale became a brawler of sorts. Bouncer by day for the family, back alley bet fighting by night. Although she often came home with bruises, she never lost her determination or smile thanks to her mother's encouragement. When Mama Bambano passed, Bestale wasn't seen for weeks which left her with the last claimed corner

When she did return, she did so with broken bones, bloody knuckles, a sack of gold, and a grin. She had fought enough to make enough gold for renovations and claimed she was retiring and got to work. She had the windows removed, the center space lowered a couple of feet, and tiered seating installed around the pit. She hired a bookie to help run the ring and manage the numbers for her. Although officially retired from fighting, she has been known to jump into the pit on special or drunken occasions

Theatre

The third child and second son, Vogire (Voh - guy - rr), immediately wanted the Southwest portion because it had an open spire tucked away in its corner. He grew with a true sense of flair and wonder which his mothered entertained to no end by feeding him a constant supply of fairytales and story books. So sure she was that his little heart would take him far away to travel and adventure and as any mother would be, she was proud yet sad. However, he did not travel far and had never left his home country. Instead, he had fallen in love with the performative arts, singing, dancing, music, plays, and clownery. He had never forgotten his home and wrote every week, sending what little coin he could spare as well

When his letters stopped receiving responses, he knew something was wrong. He eventually got a letter written by Bordo telling him of their mothers passing. Young Vogire rushed back home as quickly as he could afford. Although he had set himself up with a charming life where he was, he did not have the heart to leave his home and family again. He claimed his section of the property and returned to what he knew best, he used the money he had earned and saved to build a stage along his walls, creating a rounded center in the corner, he filled the rest of the room with pews facing the stage, and used the open spire so he could add elevation to his performances. It was an open stage where anyone could come up and expose their hearts to the crowd be it song, music, poetry, dance, plays etc. as long as they agreed to giving a minor percentage of their earnings for using his stage

Casino

The youngest of the brood and the second daughter, Truffa (Truff - uh), grew to be the black sheep of the family. Maybe it was being the youngest of the bunch, maybe she felt that she had too much to live up to, or maybe she was just built different. No matter the cause, Truffa couldn't help but get herself into trouble. It started innocently enough by misbehaving and not following their mothers house rules. As she grew older though she started getting into more and more serious trouble with the local authorities. No matter the danger, trouble, or wrong crowds that she fell into, she knew she always had a home and bed to come to when she could

In either an act of irony or long game deception, Truffa was the biggest advocate for all the siblings to run one business together and to pool their efforts. However, with the inability to come to an agreement due to management styles and preferences, Truffa had made the offer to buy out her siblings for their portion of the property. Upon her offer being denied, she turned her quarter into an area that she felt most comfortable in, a gambling den designed to make her money. She rotates her casino routinely with different games and events to draw in crowds, always keeping the environment new and exciting. She also takes advantage of the layout of her other siblings quite well. Those that have had a nice meal and a few drinks from Bordo. Those that have lost money on a fight "have a second chance to win it back". And of course, the variety of free entertainment while they play from the stage