Tavern Matt’s Tavern
Quick Facts
A rough, farmer‑financed drinking room inside a gutted stone watchtower; the roof still stands, the floors do not, and the spiral stair dead‑ends halfway to a dark, echoing void.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Rural tavern (co‑op) in a decommissioned watchtower |
| Owner/Host | Tavern Matt— nobody knows if “Matt” is his real name; the sign says it, so it stuck. |
| Patrons | Tenant farmers, carters, gleaners, and road wardens rotating through the fields |
| Location | Farm‑road crossroads, one half‑day from the nearest town in Chen. |
| License | Informal; paid up with the local tax clerk via a crop tithe |
The Building
- Old Watchtower: Circular stone tower with an intact conical roof. All intermediate floors are gone—just wall scars and a yawning shaft to the rafters.
- Spiral Stair: Original stone stair climbs half‑way and ends at a broken landing. Matt keeps a rope across it and a sign: “No, you can’t see the view.”
- Common Room: Ground level only—rough plank bar, kegs in a ring where the central pillar once stood, benches made from grain‑sleds and ox‑yokes. Arrow slits are filled with oiled cloth for windbreaks.
- Yard: Hitching rails, a cook‑pit, and a low shed for carts; rain‑barrels rim the base like a moat.
Services & Prices (simple)
- Fieldhand Stew (barley, root veg, fatty bits) — 2 cp bowl / 6 cp pot
- Millet Ale (cloudy, sour‑sweet) — 1 cp mug / 5 cp jug
- Salted Tea & Hard Cheese — 1 cp
- Bedspace — none; hay‑loft space in the cart shed (bring your own blanket) — 1 cp
Matt accepts produce or labor against the tab during harvest weeks.
Ownership & Backing
The tavern is mostly financed by local farmers who don’t have time to ride into town. A wooden tally board behind the bar tracks small investments—grain, fence posts, a day’s plowing—in exchange for drink credit and stew shares. Matt keeps the peace with a thornwood cudgel and the old watch‑bell still hung under the rafters.
Clientele & Vibe
Sweaty, blunt, and friendly unless you get between a teamster and his stew. Dice games happen on an upside‑down grain bin. On windy nights the empty shaft turns the tower into a low whistle that makes the mugs hum.
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