• Lore • [Rharne] Tavern Guide

[Rumour]

A Guide to Taverns in Rharne

Some Rharnians claim you can’t throw a pebble in Rharne without hitting a tavern, and they wouldn’t be wrong. Taverns of all varieties are littered throughout the city. Some have specific themes that appeal to niche members of the populace, while others are exclusive or are intended to attract a certain type of crowd. Whatever experience a tavern-goer is looking for, they will no doubt be able to find it in Rharne.

As a result of their patron Immortal ruling over the domains of alcohol and brawling, the city has a long history of both drinking and fighting. These activities are most frequently enjoyed at the same time, and so there is an abundance of taverns with fighting rings located within every Quarter. This practice has spawned a variety of traditions, including tavern tokens, the Trial of Ten, and tavern sponsorship.

Tavern Tokens

Tokens are coin-like objects that every tavern has. Depending on the tavern and the amount of nel the tavern invests in the token, they can be anything from clay or wood to gold or marble.

Tokens are most frequently given to the winner of a tavern-hosted tournament, though sometimes they are also given out for other good deeds and such. The giving of a token is always at the tavern owner’s discretion.

It is considered wise to store one’s tokens in a safe place, as there are those who would rather take them than earn them. Though this practice is highly frowned upon, it has been known to happen. Tokens from the Glass Quarter can often be sold for a handsome amount of nel through the Shadow Market (though for some reason, tokens never seem to appear for sale within the shops that buy them…).

Trial of Ten

The Trial of Ten is a rite of passage started by the Lightning Knights many arcs ago as a way for those too old to be squires to prove their worth and be able to join the ranks of the Knights. The task is a simple one: collect ten unique “tokens” from the taverns in Rharne and return to the Sky Quarter. This is typically completed by participating in unarmed tournaments at fighting rings, though can sometimes be accomplished by completing a particularly good deed. A more unsavoury character might buy, bribe, steal, or otherwise coerce their way to a token. This behaviour is strongly discouraged and, if discovered, will result in disqualification from the Trial of Ten and a permanent blacklisting from the Lightning Knights faction.

Rules of the Trial: At the start of the Trial, the participant is marked with a thin metal bracelet shackled around their wrist. They are then escorted to the entrance gates of Rharne and exiled from the city. They may not re-enter the Earth Quarter until they have claimed two tokens from within the Dust Quarter. To advance to the Glass Quarter they must present three tokens from establishments in the Earth Quarter at the gates of the Glass Quarter. Again, before the participant can enter the Sky Quarter, they must present four tokens from the Glass Quarter.

Upon entering the Sky Quarter, the participant must win their final token from a Lightning Knight Officer. The final token can only be earned in a fight, though the participant does not necessarily have to win. Given the skill of the Lightning Knights, this token is more often given out on merit and skill rather than victory.

Sponsorship

Taverns are frequent sponsors of unarmed combat fighters. Fighters may be sponsored by a tavern for a tournament or match at a fighting ring or at the Lightning Dome. There is often plenty of competition between taverns to sponsor strong fighters, as a fighter’s win often results in a surge of business for his or her sponsor.

Fighters who win tournaments and matches at a tavern’s fighting ring will often find themselves approached by the hosting tavern for a sponsorship deal, though sometimes a tavern owner will offer a sponsorship based on word of mouth or skill shown at the Lightning Dome. The length of sponsorship is entirely dependent on the tavern’s trust in the fighter’s skill and attitude, which means that sponsorship can last for a single fight, for a season, or for an arc.

In order for a player to be sponsored by a tavern, they must, at minimum, have a Competent Unarmed Combat skill. Additionally, they must either win an unarmed exhibition, title match, or tournament in-thread or persuade a tavern owner to sponsor them in-thread. All players who choose to go the tournament/exhibition match/title match route will start with a sponsorship from a Dust Quarter tavern. The progression is as follows:

Dust Quarter Tavern Sponsorship: First season
Earth Quarter Tavern Sponsorship: Second consecutive season
Glass Quarter Tavern Sponsorship: Third consecutive season
Sky Quarter Tavern Sponsorship: Fourth consecutive season

Should a player choose to go the persuasion route, the following skill levels are required in order to successfully convince the tavern owner to sponsor your character:

Dust Quarter Tavern Sponsorship: Novice Social Skill (Socialization, Intimidation, Seduction, etc)
Earth Quarter Tavern Sponsorship: Competent Social Skill (Socialization, Intimidation, Seduction, etc)
Glass Quarter Tavern Sponsorship: Expert Social Skill (Socialization, Intimidation, Seduction, etc)
Sky Quarter Tavern Sponsorship: Master Social Skill (Socialization, Intimidation, Seduction, etc)

There are many benefits to sponsorship. Taverns will pay the entrance fee to all unarmed tournaments during the sponsorship period, along with the cost of all alcohol purchased by the fighter at the tournament. Additionally, sponsored fighters are eligible for a +5 renown bonus per season of sponsorship and an additional +5 renown bonus for each fight won (on top of the regular +5 renown bonus).

In order for players to retain their sponsorship, they must have at least one thread per season in which they compete in a tournament (either at a fighting ring or at the Lightning Dome).

Tavern List

Location	Tavern	Description	Token
Dust Quarter	The Copper Prince	Has a growing reputation among the circuits, as a place where up-and-coming fighters start their careers. Some of the more famous and infamous brawlers came up in the Copper Prince, or at least start their careers there.	The token is a coin of wood or clay, stamped with a crown depression.
Dust Quarter	The Pit	Less publicised than other taverns and fighting rings, nevertheless the Pit sees a lot of action among the lower classes.	The Token is a coin of pine wood, with a chicken embossed on it.
Earth Quarter	The Bronze Boar	Has a fighting ring on its second floor and hosts an event almost every night.	A bronze token with the raised outline of an Ivorian boar in the middle.
Earth Quarter	Harlot ‘n’ Hound	Well-known for sponsoring its own employees in unarmed combat fights.	An ebony token with the face of a dog carved into its center.
Earth Quarter	The Harpy Inn	Does not discriminate between fighters and will always give out a token to the winner, regardless of who they are.	A copper token with a harpy carved into its center.
Earth Quarter	Blackwood Bar	Has an outdoor fighting ring behind the bar. Impressed by fighters with good technique and clear skill.	A token made from the rare wood of a blackcore tree. The letter ‘B’ is inscribed in its center.
Glass Quarter	The Flying Moon	Prefers fighters who can wow the audience with flashy moves.	A gold token with a crescent moon-shaped hole in the middle.
Glass Quarter	The Turning Wheel Inn	Prefers fighters with great technique and fresh fighting styles, but will reward the winner even otherwise unless unfair means are suspected.	A silver token etched with a ship's wheel.
Dust Quarter	The Painted Swine	Often draws fighters from less affluent areas, who are tricksters and enjoy pulling low blows and dirty tactics.	This token is crafted of Idalinium, depicting a pig with the word 'Mum' printed upon it.
EarthQuarter	The Queen's Court	Preference for female representation among its fighters, although the odd male can represent them. They prefer fighters that are good-looking, for the most part, and can taunt well.	A flower stuck in a Queen's Circlet on a pewter token
Sky Quarter	The Barracks Tavern	Prefers Lightning Knights and Priestesses from the Cathedral as champions.	A copper token with a lightning bolt in a fist drawn in gold leaf upon its face. On the other side of the token, a silver mug is drawn in silver leaf..
Glass Quarter	The Dizzy Wizard Tavern	Prefers scholars and more esoteric champions and patrons who understand the finer points of alchemy. Champions often benefit from their alchemical brews during challenge matches.	A floppy wizard's hat with a flask painted in gold leaf on a silver token.

Note: This list will be updated as more locations are developed and added to the lore.

Credit: Rumour & Zenith

[Pig Boy]

The Tavern Excerpt Library

The Dizzy Wizard

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[get-post=196188 excerpt=The Dizzy Wizard]The Dizzy Wizard[/get-post]

The Barracks

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[get-post=176964 excerpt=The Barracks]The Barracks[/get-post]

The Queen's Court

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[get-post=176961 excerpt=The Queen's Court]The Queen's Court[/get-post]

The Painted Swine

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[get-post=177062 excerpt=The Painted Swine]The Painted Swine[/get-post]

The Turning Wheel Inn

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[get-post=77511 excerpt=The Painted Swine]The Turning Wheel Inn[/get-post]

The Flying Moon

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[get-post=23397 excerpt=The Flying Moon]The Flying Moon[/get-post]

Blackwood Bar

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[get-post=17952 excerpt=Blackwood Bar]Blackwood Bar[/get-post]

The Harpy Inn

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[get-post=22497 excerpt=The Harpy Inn]The Harpy Inn[/get-post]

Harlot 'n' Hound

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[get-post=18464 excerpt=HarlotnHound]Harlot 'n' Hound[/get-post]

The Bronze Boar

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[get-post=17708 excerpt=The Bronze Boar]The Bronze Boar[/get-post]

The Pit

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[get-post=21382 excerpt=The Pit]The Pit[/get-post]

The Copper Prince

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[get-post=82902 excerpt=The Copper Prince]The Copper Prince[/get-post]