Rusk & Nail

Shop · kept by Tovin Rusk

Rusk & Nail

Rusk & Nail smells of pine tar, smoked meat, wet wool, and lamp oil.

Stock

17 items · 159 gp

Other

13 items · 1 sp to 75 gp

Repair Nails, Bundle1d4 damage2 sp
Bedroll and GroundsheetA weatherproof bedroll with a dark green outer blanket,…1 gp
Hooded LanternBurns for approximately 6 hours per flask of oil.5 gp
Lantern Oil, FlaskFlammable.1 sp
Smoked Trail RationsDense trail provisions smoked over alderwood5 sp
Rainproof Fire KitA waterproof fire-starting kit packed in a waxed leather…5 sp
Dornruh Trail MapA practical route map copied from old foresters' notes2 gp
Small Game Snares, Set of ThreeLegal hunting snares sold with a quiet warning to avoid…1 gp
Discreet Delivery PackageA waxed black-cloth parcel for delivery beyond the forest10 gp
Black Iron CompassPrizedA black iron compass with a glass face clouded from withinNot openly for sale, but Tovin may demand 75 gp or a favor
Courier's Writing KitA cheap writing kit favored by couriers, traders8 sp
Camp Cookware KitCompact cooking gear that lets travelers prepare food…2 gp
Hemp Rope, 50 FeetFifty feet of sturdy hemp rope, coiled around a wooden peg1 gp

Weapons

2 items · 2 gp to 5 gp

Woodcutter's Axe1d6 damage5 gp
Trail Knife1d4 damage2 gp

Armour

1 item · 3 gp

Forest Traveler's BootsThick leather boots with replaceable soles, stitched high…3 gp

Potions

1 item · 50 gp

Potion of HealingHeals 2d4 + 250 gp

About

Rusk & Nail smells of pine tar, smoked meat, wet wool, and lamp oil. Every useful surface is crowded with practical goods, handwritten price tags, and bundles marked for travelers who may never return. Tovin Rusk is charming, quick with a joke, and always willing to offer a discount that creates a future obligation. He wants Dornruh to become a recognized stop on regional trade routes, which puts him at odds with locals who believe the settlement survives only because outsiders do not know where it is. The tavern sends travelers to him for supplies, while the Elder Council pressures him to stop advertising the settlement's location. Tovin knows that several missing travelers purchased goods here, and he has quietly kept their unclaimed deposits rather than report every detail. He is not eager to harm the characters, but he will lie about the vanished merchant until convinced that cooperation is safer than silence. The shop's locked cabinet contains confiscated goods from that merchant, including the black iron compass. If the characters treat Tovin respectfully, he may reveal the compass and ask them to investigate the buried ruin. If they threaten, rob, or publicly shame him, he hides the compass and directs suspicion toward the Elder Council. Cheap goods such as spare bootlaces, bent tent pegs, cracked cups, lamp wicks, empty sacks, bundles of kindling, and single smoked sausages can be purchased for 1 to 5 cp each.

Stash

6 items to steal

The stash · GM only

Rusk & Nail is a compact timber shop joined to the tavern by a covered passage and a shared rear cellar. The public room is cluttered with boots, axes, sacks, lanterns, rope, maps, and hanging bundles of smoked food. A narrow office nook and loft sit behind the counter. Tovin's money and personal effects are nearby, but the truly sensitive goods are kept in a locked cabinet concealed behind ordinary trade stock. The tavern's staff can hear loud disturbances through the shared wall, and the Elder Council occasionally checks the shop when rumors about missing travelers spread.

Security check: DC 13Dexterity with thieves' tools, or an appropriate Sleight of Hand or Investigation check
If they fail: A failed theft attempt may cause a hanging bell beneath the counter to ring in the connected tavern cellar. Tovin shouts for the tavern keeper and two nearby locals, while a member of the Elder Council is quietly summoned if the locked cabinet or delivery records are disturbed. If the black iron compass is touched without first disabling its hidden wire alarm, the needle spins violently and points toward the intruder, making concealment difficult until the party leaves the shop.
The whole haul: About 185 gp

Till Box18 gp
Kept: Locked beneath the main counter, hidden behind a stack of boot soles
The day's ordinary takings, mostly small coins from travelers buying food, oil, repairs, and maps. Tovin removes larger payments each night before sleeping.
Value: 18 gp, 47 sp, and 30 cp
Tovin's Signet Ring12 gp
Kept: Inside a loose-bottomed drawer in the cramped office nook behind the counter
A brass signet ring bearing the Rusk family mark and a tiny iron key that opens Tovin's private chest. The ring is sentimental rather than especially valuable.
Hidden Trade Ledger30 gp
Kept: Wrapped in oilcloth beneath the third floorboard of the office nook
A ledger listing purchases, unusual travelers, payments for discreet packages, and the dates when the vanished merchant and other missing travelers passed through Dornruh. Several entries are written in code.
Value: 30 gp to an interested merchant, investigator, or Elder Council faction
Confiscated Merchant's Valuables45 gp
Kept: Inside the locked cabinet behind a false row of lantern oil tins
A canvas pouch containing three small pieces of worked amber, a silver trade token, and a cracked gemstone taken from the vanished merchant's wagon. Tovin has not yet found a buyer willing to ask questions.
Black Iron Compass75 gp
Kept: Locked cabinet beneath a folded canvas map, protected by a simple wire alarm
The black iron compass that points toward the buried ruin rather than north. It may be the strongest physical clue linking Rusk & Nail to the missing travelers.
Value: 75 gp to Tovin, considerably more to someone seeking the ruin
Tavern Warning LetterPriceless as leverage, though dangerous to possess
Kept: Hidden inside Tovin's personal bedroll in the loft above the storeroom
A sealed letter from the tavern keeper to a member of the Elder Council, warning that Tovin is attracting too many outsiders and may know more about the missing travelers than he admits.