34. Old Mavreks Bakery
The Hollow Hearth – Bread for the Damned and the Desperate
Wedged into a leaning corner near the market square, Old Mavrek’s Hollow Hearth Bakery is a collapsing relic of the old Nulb — yet every morning, the smell of baking bread drifts through the streets. In a village where fresh food is rare and most kitchens lie cold, this single oven feeds pirates, bandits, cultists, and ordinary townsfolk alike. In 579 CY, its flour-dusted counters are more than just a shop front — they’re a strategic supply point fought over quietly by every faction that needs to keep its men fed.
Description
The Hollow Hearth is a ramshackle structure, its walls leaning precariously as if they might collapse at any moment. The soot-streaked chimney, belching smoke from its great clay oven, is the only sign that the place still functions. The bakery’s interior is little more than a fire-warmed chamber filled with stacked flour sacks, wooden racks of hard, flat loaves, and a single, battered counter where Mavrek works in the dark, kneading dough with practiced hands.
- Cracked wooden beams groan under the weight of time.
- The massive clay oven, built into the back wall, glows with an eerie warmth.
- A scent of burnt flour and old spices hangs thick in the air.
- No tables, no chairs, no service—just bread.
"Aye, lad, I may not see, but I know the weight of a silver and the smell of a liar."
Operations & Trade
Mavrek bakes just enough to stay afloat, selling to local taverns, the market, and even Temple suppliers who prefer the discretion of an old blind man.
- Supplies the Waterside Hostel, Boatman’s Tavern, and Temple caravans.
- Grain and flour deliveries come irregularly, usually from 26. Valegrave's Farmstead
- Rumored to still know smuggling routes—a secret he guards closely.
"You think I don’t know who you are? Hells, boy, I hear the way you breathe. Now tell me straight—why’ve you come sniffin’ round my oven?"
Political and Factional Interests (579 CY)
Master Aldren Valegrave (26. Valegrave's Farmstead )
- Sole grain supplier to Mavrek’s Bakery. Valegrave’s wagons bring flour from his farm directly to the oven, controlling both volume and timing.
- Uses his position to prioritize Temple orders first, civilian sales second.
- Occasionally slips coded Temple messages into flour sacks for delivery with bread shipments.
Madame Selentis (Nysera Krivaltis)
- Coordinates Temple-bound bread orders through Valegrave, ensuring Feldrin’s convoys receive Mavrek’s hard loaves for long-term storage.
- Uses bakery shipments as discreet cover for light contraband.
Feldrin (Temple Logistics Commander)
- Considers Mavrek’s durable travel bread essential for Temple garrisons, particularly at the Hunting Cottage and in the lower Temple halls.
- Pressures Valegrave to guarantee consistent output, especially before major troop movements.
Romag (Earth Temple Prophet)
- Attempts to bypass Selentis by commissioning side orders from Mavrek via Valegrave’s supply chain.
- Pays in coin or favors to ensure his Earth Temple outposts are provisioned without Belsornig’s interference.
Belsornig (Water Temple Prophet)
- Relies on the bakery for river journeys, with pirate captains like Tolub collecting sacks of bread at the Wharf.
- Sometimes diverts loaves from Selentis’s counts, forcing Valegrave to quietly replace the shortfall.
Waterside Hostel & Boatman’s Tavern
- Daily buyers for their patrons, feeding mercenaries, pirates, and visiting smugglers.
- Serve as secondary distribution points for bread that has already passed through Temple hands.
Key Relationships
- Mavrek & Valegrave – Business tied by necessity. Mavrek’s oven goes cold if Valegrave chooses to delay grain.
- Valegrave & Selentis – Joint control over Temple orders from the bakery.
- Valegrave & Feldrin – Close coordination to ensure bread shipments match troop and supply schedules.
- Mavrek & Belsornig’s Crews – Mutual respect from Mavrek’s pirate past; he prioritizes their needs when possible.
Current Tensions
- Supply Chokehold – Any disruption to Valegrave’s farm directly starves the bakery’s production.
- Faction Poaching – Romag and Belsornig both try to pull bread orders away from Selentis’s official control.
- Quiet Defiance – Mavrek favors supplying river crews and Romag’s men over Selentis’s quotas when he can conceal it.
Secrets & Hidden Lore (DM Only)
Mavrek’s Past & Hidden Stash
- Beneath a loose floorboard in the bakery, Mavrek keeps a chest of old pirate loot, including a map leading to a lost river treasure.
- He also possesses a single black pearl, a token from his past worth 500 gp.
- He recognizes many pirates and smugglers who pass through Nulb, though he pretends not to.
Potential Hooks & Encounters
- The Whispering Pearl: A pirate from Mavrek’s past comes looking for the pearl, leading to a tense confrontation in the bakery.
- Baker’s Debt: A Temple enforcer demands increased tribute from Mavrek, forcing the players to intervene.
- The Old Smuggler’s Route: Mavrek offers to reveal a hidden river passage to avoid Temple patrols—for a price.
- The Blind Witness: Mavrek overhears a crucial plot by Temple agents and must decide if he trusts the party enough to share it.
Conclusion
The Hollow Hearth Bakery stands as one of Nulb’s last vestiges of normalcy, a fading memory of a time before the Temple’s influence spread. Whether the players see Mavrek as a valuable ally, a reluctant informant, or just an old man with a knack for bread, his story and presence add depth to the desperate, struggling village of Nulb.
"Fingers got the memory, see? A blade, a rope, a lump of dough—ain’t much different once you've held 'em long enough."
Old Mavrek, the Blind Baker
Background
Once known as Captain Mavrek "Two-Sails" Dorn, he was a feared smuggler who ran goods along the Velverdyva River and beyond. After a near-fatal betrayal left him blind and adrift, he washed up in Nulb and found himself in the care of an old woman who ran the bakery. With nowhere else to go, he learned the trade by memory and touch, inheriting the Hollow Hearth upon her passing.
Personality
- Gruff and sharp-tongued, but not unkind.
- Speaks in riddles and sailor’s jargon, making him hard to understand.
- Has a keen sense of smell and hearing, making up for his blindness.
- Harbors no love for the Temple, but keeps his head down.
Quirks
- Still bakes bread in the shape of daggers, anchors, and skulls—a relic of his past.
- Always wears a thick leather apron, its pockets hiding old pirate keepsakes.
- Keeps a wooden cutlass within reach, though he hasn’t drawn it in years.
- Mumbles to himself constantly, reminiscing about his old crew.
Nulb Bread & Grain Logistics – 579 CY
The bread and grain supply chain in Nulb is tightly controlled, feeding both the Temple of Elemental Evil’s war machine and the village’s underworld. Every loaf begins its journey at Valegrave’s Farmstead, the only grain supplier to Old Mavrek’s Bakery. From there, the bread is divided into two distinct streams — the Primary Temple Supply Chain and the Independent Supply Lines — each serving different masters.
Primary Temple Supply Chain
- Valegrave’s Farmstead – Operated by Master Aldren Valegrave, an agent of the Temple, this farm produces and mills the grain that sustains both the Temple’s garrisons and the village.
- Old Mavrek’s Bakery – The sole large-scale bakery in Nulb, transforming Valegrave’s flour into durable hard loaves.
- Madame Selentis – Oversees the collection of Temple bread orders and arranges their transport alongside recruits, prisoners, and loot.
- Commander Feldrin – Receives Temple-bound shipments from Selentis and ensures their movement through the supply chain.
- Gefreid Patris (Hunting Cottage) – Acts as gatekeeper for all goods entering the Temple via the secret tunnel.
- Greater Temple – Final destination for bread and other supplies bound for the Temple’s stores and lower halls.
Independent Supply Lines
- Waterside Hostel – Controlled by Wat and Dick Rentsch; purchases bread directly from Mavrek for resale and covert provisioning.
- Romag (Earth Temple) – Uses the Waterside Hostel to receive bread outside Selentis’s oversight, feeding Earth Temple outposts.
- Boatman’s Tavern – Controlled by Skole and Captain Tolub; buys bread from Mavrek to support Water Temple operations and pirate crews.
- Belsornig (Water Temple) – Relies on the Boatman’s Tavern to provision his forces and river expeditions.
- Pirates & Smugglers – Supplied through the Boatman’s Tavern, often taking bread aboard for long voyages.
Flow Summary
- Valegrave’s Farmstead → Old Mavrek’s Bakery – All grain originates here before baking.
- Bakery Output splits into:
- Primary Temple Supply Chain: Selentis → Feldrin → Gefreid Patris → Greater Temple.
- Independent Supply Lines: Waterside Hostel → Romag; Boatman’s Tavern → Belsornig & pirates.
- Control Points: Valegrave’s Farmstead (grain control), Old Mavrek’s Bakery (production), Madame Selentis (Temple coordination), and the taverns (factional distribution).
Comments