Rubens
To refer to Rubens a inn is an insult. There are no battered bars, or heaving bosoms, or the scent of stale beer and tobacco smoke. There are no crowded common rooms, or cheap entertainment. The flooring is plush, the rooms are exquisite, and the bill is out of this world...
Rubens was established three generations ago by the elder Fontino Rubens, a worldly and well invested merchant. Once the traveling life became to wearying, Rubens sank a large portion of his funds into building a large, lavish inn, the likes of which had not yet been seen. Inspired by the grand palaces of the nobility, he designed, and built for three years before opening.
He called in every favor he had to draw in the famous, and the powerful to his establishment. To his credit it worked wonderfully. Now, Rubens is now associated with wealth and power. The most sought after musicians, and bards leap at a chance to play at the inn. The food is considered to lead trends in it's host kingdom, as well as in several neighbooring areas.
The establishment was passed to Fortino's daughter Charlotte Rubens, who expanded the rooms, and stocked them with antique furniture, classical and very tasteful artwork, and designed the uniforms/livery of the inn staff. The staff is chosen for loyalty, good appearance, and demeanor, as well as discretion.
Currently is is run by Charlotte's second son, Julien Rubens, as the elder son, Fabian has taken up the sword and the shield as an adventurer. Julien has increased the inn to higher standards. There is pile carpeting and foreign rugs, exotic spices and incenses in the air, and the entire facility is meticuluously clean. He added a large marble bath house onto the rear of the inn, lining it with polished marble, basalth, and green veined limestone. The water is heated and treated with tinctures of aromatic herbs and oils, and masseuses are available at all but the most extreme of hours.
Deals are made in the various great rooms of the Inn. Power brokers, magi, nobles, and merchant lords gather and wheel and deal in the halls and rooms, money flows like water, and the elite of the elite show they know how to kick back and enjoy the good things in life.
Beyond the immediate inn, there is a manucured garden with benchs and tables, a concourse for outside events, as well as a spacious and well equipped stable, and carriage house complete with all of the craftsmen who are needed to keep such contraptions and devices in good working order.
The next time the PC's have too much gold burning holes in their pockets, perhaps a few days at Rubens, hobnobbing with the snobs could lighten their monetary burden as well as bringing them in contact with powerful outside factions, possibly getting them into some serious trouble, or landing them one heck of a windfall.
- Oh, you don't have the money to pay for this, we'll see that you are blacklisted from every two-bit inn and tavern in the kingdom, until you pay us in full, my debtor friend. Perhaps a few months mucking out the stable...or doing X for us would settle the matter. Or let someone with money and an agenda spring the PC's in exchange for a favor.
- Oh, them, they saved the King of Pompeii's life when he started choking on that piece of Lobster Elvenesse. I heard he's going to knight all of em, even that twitchy fellow and the mage guy.
- Oh, guess who we walked in on in the bathhouse...
Not every inn has to be the fantasy equivalent of crashing at the local Super 8, or other $19 a night dives.
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? Responses (10)
A unique idea indeed, my friend. Youv'e just given this place it's first Hilton.
Updated: Added Freetext
Sounds like the kind of place a person from a higher tech civilzation would be found on a fantasy world. (assuming they budgeted for it.)
Not every establishment has to be a dive indeed. I'd wager there are many accompanying services to be had, with absolute discretion of course... at least until one of the girls gets pregnant, and someone starts to blackmail several men of power at once. Rubens will want to do something about - enter the PCs.
I'm gonna run with a idea from Moosehead back when Capone was running around it...possibly. But iif you know what I'm talking about (not secret tunnels), run with it too.
Sweet idea! I can imagine such a place in huge commercial towns, maybe with a seaport, where merchant guilds have replaced nobility in power and need new places to show off their power and wealth, instead of the traditional castles and courts.
Very Nice. I've honestly never thought that there might be real hotels in a fantasy world.
Top notch location with a lot of possibilities. The owner and employees can be used as a non-trivial faction for many things.
Mm, of course there'll be really fancy inns in any world. Feels a little short to me: for a single-location sub, I'd want a couple more personalities (say, the regular customers, if it's pushing it to create more featured staff) and plothooks.