JotansWatch Inn

About a day's ride west of Steinwark is a lone steep hill. On it sits a fallen ruin perhaps built as a watchtower or simple defensive structure by Giants is the far past. When Steinwark was young it was occupied for a time by a tribe of warlike Orcs and Ogres seeking to plunder the lands of Esterreach. The orcs were eventually defeated and driven off after a series of pitched battles, the final taking place within the walls of the ruin itself. Now the place has been converted to a roadside Inn with a nearby hamlet called WatchShade. The last rest stop on the long road called the beltway before travellers arrive at Steinwark.

The outside of the JotansWatch Inn is defined by the large circular wall of the ruin, though it is jagged at the top. The original doorway has been bricked in somewhat but still is wide and tall by the standards of normal inn doors. And it is covered by a small, thatched gable. Similar gables appear at a few places up around the sides of the inn where they provide cover for windows that have been converted from old existing holes in the walls with some bricking in to make them square, or where they have been cut through the stone. The top of the outer wall is uneven, only suggesting how tall the tower may have previously been. In places wooden or cast-iron bracings have been added to ensure parts of the ruin are safe. Within the tower itself the bottom is a wide common room. Though, across from the entry, two levels of rooms have been built within the old Giant's structure, old giant's stairs have been adjusted with brickwork to make them navigable by even small folk like halflings and gnomes. Some rooms extend up through the structure of the old tower, allowing the inn to accommodate many more people than are here on most nights. To the left of the main door of the Inn is another doorway shaped by a deep gash in the outer wall that has, again, been bricked in to shape it into what is essentially a wide barn door. This leads to a portion of the inside of the tower that has been walled off from the common room and lodgings that dominate the bottom levels of the tower. This area has been built out with stalls and a high roof to create a comfortable and functional stable.

At the rear of the common room there is also access to a cellar of the original tower that has been converted into two layers of underground rooms and a comfortable foyer with internal stairs that provides rooms for travellers that prefer underground lodgings.

The sign for the Inn hangs from the gable above the front door, and as well as the name of the Inn includes a depiction of a giant enjoying a tankard of some beverage while leaning on the outer wall of the tower itself.

Notable Staff and Patrons

Mara Greenleaf

Mara is an Elven barmaid who is friendly and efficient. She moves throughout the bar with ease and has a well-practiced ability to know when her attention or assistance may be needed by any of the Inn's patrons.

Eldan Hearthfire

Eldan is the middle-aged Human who serves as barman of the Inn. Relatively quiet compared to the charismatic and friendly Mara, Eldan is an efficient and skilled barman with a good sense of what his patrons want and need.

Tavin

Tavin is a Halfling musician from one of the nearby settlements that can often be found performing in the common room. He likes to perform a mixture of songs and more subtle instrumentals depending on the feel of the evening and the moment. Tavin travels throughout the Esterreach region but regularly returns to JotansWatch as it lies adjacent to his home.

Jess

Jess is a young and pretty human girl with a long blonde braid that sometimes attends the tavern to meet and socialise with others of her age from several of the nearby settlements and farms. Jess is friendly and pretty, if a little shy. Her hands show signs of farm work, as does her fairly athletic build.