Griffon's Nest (inn)
| Griffon's Nest (inn) | |
|---|---|
| Error creating thumbnail: File missing The Griffon's Nest interior layout, from City of Peril (2007). Art by Jason Engle. | |
| General information | |
| Type: | Inn |
| Location: | River Quarter, City of Greyhawk |
| Floors: | Two + basement |
| Demographics | |
| Owner: | Undiscolosed |
| Proprietor: | Curain Nyie |
| Staff: | Cook, food servers |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Services: | Rooms, food, beverages, stables |
The Griffon's Nest is an inn and tavern in the River Quarter of the City of Greyhawk.
Not to be confused with the Griffon's Nest fort in the Abbor-Alz.
Description
"This small, two-story inn stands in its own walled compound on The Strip in the River Quarter opposite McGloogan’s Warehouse (R6)†. A gaudy picture of two griffons roosting in what appears to be a gigantic bird’s nest decorates the street-facing compound wall."[1]
The Griffin's Nest is a very good source of rumors and information, and people "spending the evening drinking at the inn"[1] are more likely to hear rumors and such. The innkeeper, Curain Nyie, will offer his knowledge of the City or ask around on others' behalf, if he is amenable with the individual looking for the information. "While he does not charge for this service, he does expect the PC to buy several drinks and to tip his staff heavily."[1]
An attached stables is accessed through a large barn-style door adjacent to the main inn entrance. It's technically wide enough to fit a carriage, but only just barely and would impede access to the stalls.
Atmosphere
"The Griffon’s Nest is a boisterous (but generally safe) place; the proximity of the Nightwatchmen’s Guildstation (R5)† ensures that any trouble here is relatively low key (and that such trouble generally comes to an abrupt halt shortly after starting). Occasionally, a pickpocket or filcher ventures here in search of drunken adventurers with too much coin, but violent crime (except for the odd brawl) is rare. The Griffon’s Nest is popular with adventurers as well as travelers, thrill-seekers, and mercenaries. Many members of the city watch and the Guild of Nightwatchmen drink here as they receive special, discounted prices."[1]
Though the inn does have seven rooms for rent, "it can be hard to get much sleep before closing time. The rooms of the ground floor particularly suffer from this problem."[1]
First floor
The interior of the Griffon's Nest has extraordinarily vaulted ceilings. Each floor is as tall as two typical stories (apx.20')[2]
There's an exceptionally large common room, with various tables, benches, and bar. There is a small stage and an audience area set up at one end of the common room, overlooked by the high, horseshoe-shaped balcony. The vaulted ceiling above the stage reaches a full 40ft "with rafters all along the top 10 feet."[2]
"The corner bar area consists of a solid oak bar about 4 feet high (there are step-stools for smaller customers) in front of shelves containing various drinks.... The bottles on the shelves are glass or clay."[2]
"The guest rooms on the first floor contain bunk beds."[2]
The kitchen is at the opposite end of the building from the attached stables.[2]
Second floor
"The larger rooms on the second floor are furnished with single beds and some better furnishings."[2]
Cellar
"The cellar is filled with supplies. The smaller casks and the hanging meat are difficult [to walk through], while the large crates near the sewer grate are 5 feet high and can be climbed upon but not moved through. The sewer grate leads down into the city's sewers and can be opened [normally]."[2]
History
"A mysterious lady ... purchased the inn several years ago with a fistful of precious stones."[1]
People
Notable individuals
- Curain Nyie (N male half-elf bard 8)—manages the inn on behalf of the undisclosed, non-present owner.[1]
- Rendal Kerath (N male human sorcerer 2)—cook.[1]
"Several down-on-their-luck Grey College students also work here tending bar or waiting on tables. At least three are present during any given evening. Such individuals have normally won a scholarship to the college but must still cover their daily living expenses. A few, however, work here for the fun of it. Either they get a thrill mixing with adventurers or they plan to become one after their studies are complete."[1]
Services
"The Griffon’s Nest tends to open around midday and close several hours after midnight (given the nature of its clientele, these times are approximate).[1] "Residents, of course, can expect breakfast and can come and go as they please."[1]
In the stables, there are four stalls large enough to house a mount, and "even a druid’s animal companion is welcome here as long as it behaves itself."[1]
Though the Griffon's Nest itself does not deal in magic items, "occasionally, adventurers drinking in the Griffon’s Nest try to sell off their minor magical booty" and will approach other patrons to "politely enquire if they are interested in buying it."[1]
Rumors and legends
The inn has a reputation for being haunted, though the innkeeper dismisses it as drunken ramblings, though astute observers note that it is an uncomfortable topic.[1]
Publishing history
The Griffon's Nest originally appeared in City of Peril (Apr 2007) a supplement for the D&D Miniatures game. The following month (22 May 2007), as was common at the time, supplementary material was published for how to use the sourcebook in the World of Greyhawk. The supplementary material ("The Griffon's Nest" article) was published on Wizards.com (see External links, below).
"This article provides more detail on the Griffon’s Nest inn detailed in City of Peril by Ed Stark. Use this article to provide greater flavour and depth for PCs adventuring in the free city of Greyhawk."[1]
External links
Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.
- The Griffon's Nest at Archive.org. (Originally at wizards.com)
References
Notes
† — Location notes (for example, R6) refer to places located on The Adventure Begins map. Additionally, Living Greyhawk Journal issue 2 included a large poster map of the city by Denis Tetreault that shows all the locations mentioned.
Citations
Bibliography
- Broadhurst, Creighton. The Griffon's Nest. Wizards.com. WotC, May 22, 2007. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved on 17 November 2024.
- Stark, Ed. City of Peril. Renton, WA: WotC. (2007) ISBN 978-0-7869-4320-3
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
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