The Beer Golem
This cheery tavern fronts the corner of Slop Street and Snake Alley, its sign visible on both. The heavy wood sign depicts a keg tap emitting an amber-colored elemental beer suds for its hair and beard-who raises it's drinking horn to potential patrons. The outside walls are soot-stained granite blocks, the upper story of timber with a slate roof.
Inside, the taproom is open and welcoming, warm wood paneling covering the stone walls and floor (though some areas toward the back wall are pockmarked from past dagger-throwing competitions). The front of the tavern is dominated by a large, well-polished ironwood bar, a well-used footrail carved directly out of the rich wood. The walls are lined with booths and the main floor has eight large common tables with chairs for fifty patrons. The hearth and fireplace encompass nearly half the back wall facing the bar, and two smaller tables with chairs are set by the fire for important persons or performing bards. The main entrance is flanked on the right by a cloakroom for sodden or muddied cloaks and outerwear (theres also a hidden entrance therein to get behind the bar) and on the left by a small privy.
All entrants in the Beer Golem Tavern are greeted with a hearty bellow from Quallos Myntion, the tavern's voluminous owner, who's always found bustling about the place, polishing tankards or sweeping the spotless floor. Quallos makes it a point to greet all patrons who enter his establishment, "a courtesy of us Southerners that many in the North ingraciously omit." His habit of seating customers himself is well known and endured, if only to humor the aging man. Quallos never seats known rivals or enemies near each other and he (and his sons) are always vigilant in keeping any troubles (and potential brawls) from getting out of hand.
The kitchen is the domain of Miri Myntion, Quallos wife and the Beer Golem's chief cook. Though the fare is limited (as many of the locals eat at The Safehaven), it is rich and flavorful. Of the few hot meals served here, Miri's specialty is Owlbear Stew, a hot, spicy stew of beef, sausages, onions, potatoes, and a healthy variety of spices to give it a fiery, biting aftertaste. Other menu items include biscuits, cheeses, roasted chickens, and baked or roasted potatoes.
The only other employees at the Beer Golem are two of the Myntion children, Tomed Myntion and Cial Myntion. Tomed acts as a bartender, a stableman, and general taproom peacekeeper, being more than strong enough to handle skittish horses and drunken troublemakers alike. Cial, Quallos' and Miri's eldest, acts as the barmaid and waitress.
What brings patrons into the tavern, aside from the typical draws, are the rare ales and beers Quallos acquires through Aurora's wholesale business and other sources. While Quallos provides a heady beer of his own making, he also keeps such rare southern drinks as Luiren's Best and Old One Eye on tap-brews that not even The House of Good Spirits keeps in stock!
There are no rooms for rent at the Beer Golem Tavern, as the upper floor contains the living quarters for Quallos, Miri, and Cial (Tomed rents a room a few streets over and Branta has rooms at the Towers).
