Sitting three blocks from the waterfront, the Dead Dragon is possibly one of the best known and most famous locales in the city of Nyir. Formerly a military barracks, the building was stripped out after a fire ravaged most of it. While the stone walls survived, the wood inside was consumed in the blaze. Lord Bagoly of the Stone Bow decided to rebuilt a newer, larger barracks and left the old building to the city to deal with. The building was summarily purchased from the city council at a low rate, since it was still mostly smoldering ruin.
Enter the Dragon-Slayer
Teomin Nyirese served in the Black Wings, the Praxian contingent of Dragon riders for nearly a decade. He was most famous for facing and killing a rogue dragon in single combat during that term of service, which earned him the title of Dragon-Slayer, lamed him for the rest of his life, and gained him a discharge from the Black Wings and the Praxian army in general. Through a mixture of his service pension, loot taken in battle, and savvy loans from various backers he bought the barracks and worked to rebuild it.
It took a little over a year, but the old barracks was opened as The Dead Dragon. The new establishment was a mix of the standard brothel/inn/tavern affair, but it had large amounts of room as well as a large courtyard in the back and training grounds. Nyirese intended his bar to become a haven for the type of men he worked with in the military, namely mercenaries.
The Notice Boards
Seeing the number of mercenaries and bounty hunters who were drawn to the new bar, the local authorities petitioned Nyirese to put up a notice board. Here the locals could place their bounties in an area where they would be seen. Now there are a number of notice boards, some of which cost money to post on, others are free so long as you can find a place to hang your notice. Bounties range from finding missing people for rewards to hunting violent criminals who have eluded conventional persuit.
Sometimes You Want to Go...
It was not long before the Dead Dragon gained a solid following of bounty hunters, mercenaries and dragon-riders and slayers alike. Not only was the place a decent tavern and the whores were at least clean if not always friendly, but it was a good place to do business. Teomin didn't ask too many questions and as long as he got a bit of loot from placing things on the notice board he turned a blind eye to the other things that went on in the bar.
Once it became general knowledge that the Dead Dragon was the place to find the best mercenaries and bounty hunters, it was only logical for the people looking for those services started coming to the Dead Dragon as well. Lords, merchants, councils, and even things that were less than human have come to the Dragon to formalize contracts. Some whisper that even Sidious Praxingdrell herself has entered the bar incognito to place a contract with a known assassin. This is not whispered too loudly, or too often.
Plot Hooks
When in Need - The PCs have discovered that their ability to face a certain foe is lacking, but they have money. They might have the novel idea of hiring mercenaries, henchmen, or bounty hunters to aid them in their quest to defeat their foes. The best place to go and find this sort of help is the Dead Dragon.
Silent Assassin - Following several murders, the PCs have been tasked with finding the indentity of the Silent Assassin and either defeating them, or turning their identity over to those in power. It is known that the Assassin frequents the Dead Dragon, but other than that the PCs are on their own to find the killer before he kills them.
Hounds of War - Strapped for cash, the PCs can in turn offer their services as henchmen to other NPCs, and find themselves using the notice board to find a employer in need of guards, hired muscle, and the like.
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? Responses (7)
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villany... is actually about cities, neighborhoods, etc. But okay.
Added Tavern Free-Text
The Dead Dragon Free-text is normally for things made from Dead Dragons. You may or may not want to keep it.
A PC dive bar with an interesting origin and population with Plothooks.
Maybe they import and serve Dragon Steaks here :)
Good general location and excellent springboard.
Sideous? Isn't that a Sith character name?
You can never have enough detailed, flavorful, nicely developed inns!
And I think it does qualify for Dead Dragon free text, Moon. The interpretation is up to the particular author :)
MMmmm, dragon steak. Yummy.
Summary: The first three paragraphs give us a nice summary of a how bar that serves to match bounty hunters and targets could have form organically. Then we get the modern reputation, the real meat of the sub and then some plot hooks.
Thoughts and opinions: There is very little information here aside from the 'sometimes you want to go', everything prior justifies the existence of that section (which is fine). The plot hooks don't really expand upon the central idea, but they do look at it from several angles. It hints at a larger world though and offers many possibilities for new stories.
An interesting background story to a tavern that seems to hint at further development from an Inn where contracts are signed to the beginnings of a legal profession, a little like London's Gray's Inn. Or is this just a coincidence?
i think I was playing through FF12 when I wrote this, and the job board was likely inspired by the Hunting missions from the game. The rest came from tavern basics, and the guidelines from Dead Dragon freetext, and Moon's wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy. So, similarity to London's Gray's is coincidental
