A1a. Ordering Breakfast
This scene takes place in the Taproom
As the scene begins:
Gundren Rockseeker is asleep at the bar.
Renna Goresy is in the kitchen (soon to arrive behind the bar)
Rubyis asleep by the fireplace
Cakeis waking up on the bar.
When the adventure begins, read or paraphrase:
A distant bell tolls eight times, its sonorous chime rolling over the stone cottages and wooden palisade of the small port town of Leilon. Its sound finds fishermen hawking the day’s catch, wagons trundling through the muddy streets, and children shouting and playing in the town square. Above it all, the morning sun bathes the small town in golden light, burning off the early mists and leaving the air pungent with the rich, briny odors of the settlement’s neighboring mudflats.
Such sights, sounds, and scents, however, are subdued within the comfortable confines of the Green Goat Inn. The Green Goat is not Leilon’s most raucous establishment, nor is it the most expensive. It is, however, a welcome watering hole—and resting place—for those who have come to seek their fortune on the rugged frontiers beyond.
It was this call to fortune that led you to rent rooms here, hoping that fame and glory awaited beneath the shadow of the taproom’s mounted giant goat skull—but thus far, you’ve had little luck finding work. Now, down to your last few gold pieces, you sit upon one of several sturdy stools lining the taproom bar, the tavern’s jobs board seeming to taunt you with its emptiness.
For now, however, there are more urgent matters than finding work—namely, finding breakfast.
Ask the players to introduce and describe their characters. Then, read or paraphrase:
A crackling fire blazes in the hearth behind you, over which a large, green goat skull hangs. A dwarf, the other sole occupant, sits at one of the tables arranged around the center of the room. He lies face down in his bowl of porridge, snoring loudly.
A door swings open from behind the bar, and Renna—the inn’s orcish owner, with whom you’ve now become well-acquainted— strides in, a calico cat close at her heels.
Renna smiles warmly, her well-trimmed tusks poking above her green upper lip, as she leans over the counter of the bar, her ravenbone necklace clattering around her neck. The cat—a proud creature you’ve come to know as Cake—leaps up onto the bar, strutting by with languid grace.
Renna absently runs her calloused hand across Cake’s back as she says, with gravelly cheer: “A thousand apologies for the wait! Now, what would you fine folk like me to fix you for breakfast?”
If the players ask for a menu, Renna shares that she can cook:
a bowl of oatmeal for 3cp
scrambled eggs and onion with a slice of bread for 1sp
a side of bacon for 1sp
any other improvised dish (e.g., an omelette or pancakes) for 1 to 5sp, depending on the complexity
If the players are interested in a conversation, Renna is happy to answer their questions, gossip about Gundren Rockseeker, and/or reassure the players that they’ll find work soon.
If the players finish ordering, Renna promises to return shortly and invites them to explore the taproom while they wait, suggesting that they check out the books and games on the shelf in the corner or the dartboard along the left wall. She then departs into the kitchen, Cake following close behind.
Proceed to A1b. Waiting for Breakfast