Stonepan Hall

“If ye can’t stand the heat, you’re not even worthy of the coals.”

— Gord Rammson

Stonepan Hall is no tavern. It is a hardened culinary fortress, carved from obsidian flowstone and run under the iron ladle of Gord Rammson — Largitas' most feared and revered chef.

What began as a private kitchen for experimentation is now a Dwarven rite of passage for serious cooks, smiths-turned-chefs, and desperate warriors in need of a second trade. Those who train (and survive) here often go on to become royal cooks, Bloom-provisioners, or open their own flame-fed kitchens across the continent.

“Ye don’t train at Stonepan. Ye survive it. If yer lucky, ye learn too.”

— Brenka Saltspoon, retired sous-flame from the Fourth Pan

Structure & Layout

• The Black Oven:
  The centerpiece — a four-flame, rune-inscribed, coal-fed monster oven surrounded by thirty stations, each with its own forge burner, iron griddle, and sinkstone. Said to be hot enough to cook meat and ego alike.
• The Ember Pantry:
  A vault of rare ingredients, from sun-dried lava thistle fruit to fermented mushroom bricks and freeze-smoked cave eel. Access is granted only by Gord — and only with a very good reason.
• The Ash Steps:
  Tiered observation levels above the kitchen floor where students are allowed to watch (but not touch) until they earn their apron. Often littered with stunned or singed wash-apprentices.
• Trial Chambers:
  Small sealed kitchens used for cook-offs, Bloom-preservation stress tests, or the infamous “Solo Sear Challenge,” where chefs must cook a perfect dish with a single coal and one knife.
• The Wall of Shame:
  Plastered with failed recipes, cracked pans, and pictures of chefs who stormed out. Gord adds to it weekly.

Daily Life in the Hall

• Sunrise Wake-Up: First bell. Prep begins with scrub-duty, knife-sharpening, and heat-checks.
• Midmorning Slating: Gord inspects breakfast service. Mistakes result in verbal immolation.
• Flame Trials: Midday sessions where students are forced to cook under wild or changing conditions (tilting stoves, no salt, erupting yeast jars).
• Evening Reflection: Apprentices are given exactly five minutes to write what they learned. Some just write apologies.

Reputation & Culture

• Feared and Respected: Even nobility hesitates to question a cook who’s trained at Stonepan.
• Zero Tolerance for Pretense: Arrogance is burned out, one scorching at a time.
• Recognized by BRASC: Stonepan Hall is unofficially recognized as a Bloom Prep Facility — its preservation training and alchemical safety have saved more than one expedition.

“There’s no such thing as under seasoned here. Only undeveloped character.”

— Gord Rammson

Secrets & Whispers

• Some believe the Hall was built over an old Forge Heart vent, and its intense heat isn’t entirely natural.
• Gord occasionally speaks to a blackened old pan kept in a shrine alcove. Some say it once belonged to his mother. Others say it talks back.
• One pantry door has been sealed with an iron chain and Gord’s personal rune. When asked what’s inside, he mutters: “Flour that knows too much.”