Traversing the City of Taverns and Bards

A mysterious, robed figure walks the grimy streets of a dark city infested with secrets.
Image by 1tamara2 from Pixabay.

“Armoria was a city of taverns. A place fuelled by alcohol and song, by the beckoning warmth of hearth fires and the colourful stories told around them. How then, Vanth wondered miserably, had she ended up at the Star of Armoria, a place it was said even the parasite-riddled keuhogs avoided.”

Welcome to Armoria

Welcome, esteemed traveller, to Armoria, the foremost centre of music and performance in the known world (no matter what those uppity Jonickians may claim…) Perhaps you arrived by ship and have been left adrift amidst the hustle and bustle of our impressive docks, or maybe you traveled via the overgrown trails that dissect Nymed and now find yourself dusty, footsore, and in desperate need of pleasant diversion. However you came to us, we are glad that you (and your coin purse) are here. This short pamphlet has been designed to guide you during your stay, no matter if you wash up in the modest alleys of the Pinchpaw’s Quarter, or have more law-abiding business to attend to in the Silver Quarter.

Inns and Taverns

The Mermaid’s Purse

This inn and comfort house provides rooms with impressive views of the city on one side and the stormy waves of the Thet on the other. The house special is blackmead, a unique, pearly black concoction that hits like a punch in the head from a desert troll. Drink at your own risk.

The Leafling’s Half

If it’s simple food and good, plain drink you’re after, you could do worse than The Leafling’s Half (you could also do much better, but it’s not my job to mind folk’s business). The tavern boasts its very own leafling, displayed in a large cage to amuse and delight inebriated patrons. Pleasantly situated before the harbour, The Leafling’s Half is the perfect place from which to survey Armoria’s long miles of curving stone seawall. Thrusting from the ocean between these vast bulwarks is the giant serpentine statue of Thetia, one of the great wonders of the world.

The Star of Armoria

Don’t let the fancy name fool you. This inn has an unsavory reputation and a suitably drab facade, but if you get caught in the Pinchpaw’s Quarter after dark, they do have a few rooms available to rent by the hour. Beware of rats.

Entertainment

Two bards frolic like utter idiots.

Midnight Square

The home of Armoria’s famous bards. This is where you’ll find the stage that hosts a range of plays, dances, and frivolities, as well as the yearly Midnight Bard competition. Bards are known to overindulge and become rowdy, but I hear that some people enjoy that sort of thing.

Artisan Square

If you aim to shop until you drop, this is the destination for you. A huge range of stalls set up here daily, selling items as diverse as silk scarves and salted fish. Watch out for pickpockets and be prepared to haggle (our esteemed traders are quick to sniff out an easy mark). If you are a person of more refined tastes, you might prefer the jewel and glass shops of the Silver Quarter, or the many fine tailors to be found amongst the handsome redbrick buildings of the Crimson Mile. Be careful not to stray or you might find yourself in Furnace Alley, a place where the acrid smoke wafting from our many hardworking tanneries is said to peel the lining from your nostrils.

A Traveller’s Warning

While Armoria is a magnificent and prosperous city, there are some places that I would advise the wary traveller not to visit, and some citizens that I would urge them to avoid.

The Salt Swords

Our loyal Salt Swords work hard to keep the city, and our beloved High Lord Dewer, safe. They pose no threat to the innocent traveller, but should you find yourself in a compromising situation, they will waste no time in kicking you to the street and dragging you off for a nightmarish stint in the Pit of Thorns. Infractions include (but are not limited to) spitting at passing horses, urinating from high windows, starting brawls of any kind, making rude gestures directed at the Obsidian Citadel, and disposing of rank soup in the Thet. It goes without saying that magick of any kind is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN within the city walls. Moon-blessed individuals who are unable to restrain themselves will likely never see daylight again.

The Pit of Thorns

I include this here in case anyone arrives in Armoria with the misguided and rather foolish notion that our underground gaol is some sort of tourist attraction (however impressive its construction). Winding for more than five miles beneath the city and stretching out to bore into the rocky bed of the Thet itself, the Pit is a burrowing stone web that twists and splits into so many passageways, it's rumoured that even the Pit Masters get lost on occasion. Within the Pit are rows upon rows of heavily guarded cells, each one containing an insubordinate magick user or threat to the High Lord. Only a very unlucky or foolish traveller would slip past the guards and find themselves lost amidst this yawning dungeon of rot and screams.

The Obsidian Citadel

Beautiful to look at, but deadly if you get too close. The Obsidian Citadel is High Lord Dewer’s seat of power and is suitably guarded by his loyal Salt Swords. The immense tower is constructed from an otherworldly, black glass that appears to devour all light. It is mesmerising, but I encourage you to appreciate its dark beauty from a safe distance.

The Obsidian Druid, Book One of The Age of Aikana, is available to buy now.