Beds & Brews Inn

What's the purpose of this building?

It used to only be a place to have some drinks, but when Willowmoor started to make friends with other settlements, the pub's establishment offered to expand into an inn.

How does this building look and feel?

The lower level feels like an old-timey tavern with thick wooden posts placed strategically throughout, long wooden tables for enjoying some food or drink, and a broad stone fireplace as the centerpiece holding the room together. When you first walk in, though, you'll see the bar directly across from you, the wider part of the room with tables opening up to your right. On your left, there's a staircase.

The second floor has as many rooms as it can, which is a mere ten, making the inn a commonly booked place. The rooms are small with a single sturdy bed in each and a communal bathroom at the end of the hall. On the way to that bathroom door, you'll notice the ladder fixed to the wall on the right, though it doesn't seem to go anywhere at first glance. That's because it leads to a trap door with a sturdy lock, the quarters above taking up the small third floor and belonging to the innkeeper.

His name is Brewster, and even though his job is exhausting, he misses Bed & Brews when he's away. On his return, he'll smell the place before he even gets there because his chefs are always cooking with onions and garlic - usually a big stew that can be easily served to a crowded dining hall when residents of Willowmoor mingle with the inn's guests to enjoy some food, drink, and company.

Brewster walks inside, now overpowered by the smell that he'll soon get used to. No matter the time of year, if there's enough people in this room, it's warm from the heat of their bodies and the fire burning on the opposite side of the building. Windows are kept open year-round except in adverse weather, but the air is often stifling anyway. It's easy to forget after a couple of the inn's signature ales, at least, and especially with the sounds of laughter and conversation and sometimes a musician or two striking a merry tune on a guitar or fiddle.

Upstairs, the sounds from below are muted, but they come through and hopefully not to too many guests' annoyance. There's always a time Brewster calls off the musicians and tells everyone to settle down for his patrons' sake, so no one has complained yet... On this floor, he might catch sight of a strange-looking outfit from a foreign guest or even hear a language he doesn't understand. The smells change, too, as different perfumes, spices, and natural body odors come and go with room holders.

Finally, upon climbing the ladder at the end of the hall and unlocking the trap door with his personal key, Brewster arrives on the top floor where it's cold until he gets a fire going in his own little fireplace, wherein it becomes a presence in the room, bringing light and warmth, uplifting his spirits, and chattering with its inconsistent crackles. It's a small room with a bed tucked in one corner, a washroom hidden away by a dark curtain (the toilet will be accessed on the second or first floors if needed), and a living space with a tiny corner set aside with a counter, wash basin, and ice box - the kitchen, essentially.

Brewster might find a book from the small shelf at the foot of his bed and sit out on a small porch with a cigarette in the summer, occasionally watching the town if his book doesn't suck him in adequately enough. If it's too cold for that, he's more liable to settle in front of the fire with a glass of wine or forego solitude to return to the main floor to either sling some drinks or join in the revelry.