Info About The Wayfarer's Inn

Some Questions Answered

The Wayfarer's Inn is situated in the midst of Evelogue Woods, near the capitol city of Gandle, on Earth. Evelogue Woods has a magical grove in its center, which not only gives those who have the knowledge an almost limitless supply of power, but also draws many unusual magical creatures to the Inn. The magic makes it possible for dragons to live well, and increase in number ...for human wizards and sorcerers to achieve legendary results; and for even the common people to have just a bit more 'luck' than might exist on 20th century, technological Earth!

Let us begin by saying that you do not have to have a character to be welcome in the Inn. But if you wish to, here are some ideas for you.

The group is oriented towards swords-and-sorcery, with touches of technology. Peasants, knights in armour, dragons, evil sorcerers, good wizards and so forth populate the area.

Creating A Character
Super powerful characters with limitless ability can become tiresome to those who try to interact with them. This is surely not to suggest that your character shouldn't have some strengths. Reading existing posts is a pretty good guide to this; as you'll see, the best characters have weaknesses, faults, some good qualities and some rough areas.
First, then, decide on what sort of being you want to use. A human, perhaps? Or an elf? Half-Orcs can make very interesting characters... as can Dragons! Then, you'll want a name; these can (and do!) range from the mundane to the colorful. Next, determine what you want the character to be like...a fighter? A thief? Someone running from a past they want to forget? Now add a bit of color; some eccentricities, if you will. Define appearance, such as clothing, facial expressions, and so forth. Finally, add a touch of personality..gruff, trusting, suspicious....paranoid, perhaps...or, stern, with a soft heart. You've now created a very viable character! You need not define every nuance or detail; you'll find these are best developed within the context of interaction with other characters. The very best characters aren't static; they evolve, grow, and change.

Perhaps you'd like a more creative way to appear than merely showing up at the Inn. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with that! You could have a series of postings that outlined the character's past leading up to their appearance at the Inn. This is an outstanding way to get some interest from other players, since they may well perceive your background as the seed of an exciting future adventure.

The Inn, Gandle, and surrounding areas:
A variety of terrain surrounds the area (beyond the woods), including mountains and cliffs, rivers and streams, open fields and forbidding forests. Weather is generally temperate, with an occassional storm to add variety. Activity centers around a tavern (famous in the area) named The Wayfarer's Inn. It has a large common room where meals and a great variety of beverages are served, some private dining rooms, a number of sleeping rooms available for rent, and horse stables for the traveler's convenience. The Inn's goods and services are of fine quality, and reasonably priced. Local law and custom and a number of magical spells inhibit fights and attacks inside The Wayfarer's Inn. The hostess and her associates don't like trouble (it's really bad for business), and are not above using a bar mallet on those who tear things up at the Inn! On a positive note, news, rumors, employment, and just about anything else are here in abundance! The Innkeeper is Lady Cat, and the barmaid is named Alara.

The Inn is well protected with magic, and starting fires to destroy the Inn just won't work. About all that happens is that the fire sputters and goes out.

Gandle is the capitol of the country of Avonel. Avonel is bordered on one side by the Blue Sea, where you can find the port city of Fairview, and on the other side by the country of Entonne, with whom Avonel seems to be in constant treaty negotiation.

Goods of every description can be obtained in Gandle...for a price! One of the locally famous areas is the Wayfarer's Inn. In the same room, one can find the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Entonne Ambassador, and the King's Man discussing court intrigue at one table, and a group of adventurers whispering about evil spells and wizards' gold at another.

Crime in Gandle comes in many sorts. Street crime is rather uncommon, the King's Guard keeps a good watch over the common folk. There is also, however, court crime and intrigue, secrets and danger, of which all who are involved in the court in any fashion can become involved in and need to be aware of.

Manners:
No, nobody cares whether you use the correct fork during your meal at the Inn! But some things do matter. Until you get to know know someone pretty well, don't write up something that will affect their character especially if it is at all adverse, without their prior agreement! To say "The thief picks Sir Whatsis's pocket, takes everything he's got, and runs off into the night" is rude; and most of us can get enough rudeness on the expressway without logging on to get more! Indeed, it can be a lot more fun for all involved to say "Sir Whatsis decided to attack the evil thief, drew his sword, and swung at the miscreant's neck....", thus allowing (dare we say encouraging?) the other player to post "The thief ducked just in time to avoid the loss of his head, and ducked into the shadows...he pulled a knife, in the event he was followed...". Notice that nobody is determining what someone else's character does or suffers; each person determines only what their own character is doing!


Details on the Inn
I sit in a corner waiting to chat on any subject, answer any question to the best of my abilities, and keep an eye on what goes on in my Inn.
Tamara (pronounced Tam-mer-ra) has recently become my assistant manager or assistant Innkeeper, for which I am most glad, for I am often away from the Inn for stretches of time and was hoping someone would be willing to take on some of my duties here.
Alamanara is your barmaid, she will be rather busy running between the bar and the tables so we hope someone volunteers to be bartender before things get too hectic (of course any who work for me will get a fair wage, as well as room and board).
Let me tell you what I see as I look around the room. A big fireplace is the center focal point, to keep the customers warm on those chill nights.
The floors are hardwood, sprinkled with sawdust to soak up any spills and encourage dancing. There is a stage at one side of the room, and we have a few flute players who play for us when the mood strikes them, and a funny fellow who is a sort of jester, who keeps us laughing with his silliness.
The tables are oak, finely sanded and lightly polished, and for seating we have both benches and cushioned chairs.
The bar, which runs along the length of the room on one side, is of oak also. There is a door behind where I sit that leads to the kitchen, and our staff is back there cooking day and night. We have daily specials and also will fix whatever you may ask for, if it is available to us.
We have a cellar, where we keep our wine, ale, and stronger things. We have, or can get, any vintage, unusual brew, or anything a patron could want.
The kitchen is large, and has a huge pantry and cold storage area where things are kept fresh, dry, or cool, as needed. The staff cook a large breakfast, with everything--porridge (oatmeal), bacon, eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, toast, juices, milk--no cold cereal though, except perhaps granola. For lunch and dinner, they fix a daily special, which can be from a simple but filling shepherd's pie to a turkey with all the fixings to steak and mushrooms and baked potatoes to..... (I seldom bother to post the special, though perhaps I should), and will also fix a special request, if they have the ingredients (which they usually do). I know we have some special needs here, such as the unicorns eating fresh vegetables, but we have plenty of anything that is needed of that sort.
I still need to work out the exact plans in my head, and as I said hopefully get a friend to create them for me, but the kitchen is at the back of the common room, and has a door leading out to the back. There are stairs out back that lead to the second and third floors (Warsel and I snuck up and down them a few times when we wanted to be together, just he and I, before he left for his home world).
There is a large stable on one side of the Inn, and I have a head groom and several stable boys who will care for our patrons mounts as if they were their own.
There is a meadow and a lake out back, and the edge of Evelogue Woods is not far, perhaps a hundred yards from the back of the Inn. Once you have entered the woods it is as if you are in another world. There is much magic and mysticism at work there....and a grove in the center that I think much of it spreads out from.
Out front, there is a hard packed dirt road that leads into Gandle, the capitol of the country of Avonel. There is more on Gandle and Avonel above.

The common room of the Inn is quite large, though when there are few in it it can seem cozy as well. The bar runs the whole length of one wall, and the hearth is on another wall. Next to the hearth on one side is the stack of firewood brough in daily by the stableboys, and on the other side is what we call the Portal, it is a creation that was dreamed up by Carathrius and others, and if you are brave enough or foolish enough, you can close your eyes, imagine where you want to be, step through, and be there. The third wall has the door to the kitchen and a broad staircase that leads to the second and then the third floors. And the fourth wall is the front of the inn, and has the great double doors that I often leave open on sunny days for the light and on nights of gentle rain, for the sweet smell of the earth it brings.
Warsel and my room is on the third floor, as well as the attic storage area where we keep things that we aren't currently using....extra furniture, whatever is not needed at present.
The hall of the second floor, where the patrons and staff stay, runs north to south, with the nursery at the south end so it gets lots of sunshine, and a large closet (though not as large as the nursery) at the other end, where linens are kept.
The rooms run down both sides of the hall, and as I said there are never too few. The way we manage who gets what room is that we tell our patrons to go upstairs and choose a room with an open door. If the door is closed, we explain, the room is taken. I do allow my returning visitors to keep the same room, so if they plan to be away a while we keep the door closed, and just be certain that the staff dust regularly and keep everything in order. possesions can be left with no fear of being stolen (at least by our staff). Of course a room could be in use and the door open, if the patron using it is inside and wants to have the fresh air from the hall coming through, or for whatever reason they wish. Each room has a window of its own, and the nursery has several. Each room also has its own 'bathroom', though this is some magical thing brought from a place called 'the 20th century'. There is, in each, a sink, a large deep clawfoot tub, and a 'toilet'....though why they call it that I just don't know! Running water, one of the other amazing things this Inn has!


LadyCat's pet dragon, Glacier
(a gift from Alisandrea)
For me, it had always been a dream to have a dragon of a size to ride upon my shoulder, so it was with great pleasure I accepted this gift. Let me tell you a bit about him.
Glacier is about 36 inches from nose to tip of tail, his body is about 16 inches. With his wings spread fully they measure about 18 inches wide, but he can fold them close up to his body.
He is very fast, in flight or afoot, he moves so quickly when the need arises that he seems to be a lightning bolt. In fact, as you may notice in the picture of him, he has the ability to send bolts of lightning with the claw tips of his wings. He uses this ability for my protection, and also in fun.....he rather likes to show off.
You might think because he is cool bluish white and his name is Glacier that he is cold blooded, but that is not so. He is actually quite warm.
He communicates with me with telepathic powers. He says that he can talk with anyone he wishes to, so do not be surprised if a strange voice pops into your mind while you are visiting the Inn. When coming in from flight his preferred place to land is my left wrist; he will brake with a whir of his wings and plant himself feet first. He then either perches there on my outstretched arm or strolls up my arm to seat himself on my shoulder, where he can wrap his tail around my neck or drape it over my shoulder, and can snuggle up with my bright red hair if he so wishes (which he loves doing!).
His emotions can be read most easily by looking at his eyes. If they have a cold hard stare he is angry, but this doesn't happen often. They seem to whirl if he feels joy or pleasure (ummm, like when Warsel and I...), and the rest of the time he just has a satisfied, content look about him.
The reason I rarely mention him is because I have gotten so used to him riding my shoulder, its almost like he is a part of me when he is there. He has a perch in my room that he rests on when I am not able to carry him, and a soft cozy nest in a basket at the foot of my bed to sleep in at night.
So now you know a bit about him, let me show his picture.



He is my companion, and says he is not yet old enough to go off and seek a mate, and won't be for many years. He is mostly a carnivore, though he will eat porridge in the morning.....if it has plenty of butter on it! Kind of a pig sometimes, but he must use it all up in energy to fly, for he hasn't put on any weight, except I've noticed his muscles are tighter and he is stronger. He tries to be careful but I'm getting to where I need to wear a quilted pad on my shoulder to protect me from his grip and his sharp claws.
He is fast, and he was given to me as a means of protection....and he can read minds, if he wishes. So if someone wishes me harm he could claw their eyes out before they could take two steps towards me.
But anyway, he's just a sweetheart really....and no one here would ever want to hurt me, anyway! (Right??)

We'll look forward to seeing you soon!

Come to Wayfarer's Inn

Return to Lady's Chamber