The Gull's Cough
The pub began as a net-mender's shed beside the quay. After a storm drove a mooring post through its roof, the owner kept serving from the wreckage rather than close for repairs. Sailors began calling the place the Gull's Cough because a loose roof slat made a sharp, squawking noise whenever the sea wind blew. The name stuck, and the slat remains in place, carefully patched but never replaced.
The Gull's Cough
Overview
History
The pub began as a net-mender's shed beside the quay. After a storm drove a mooring post through its roof, the owner kept serving from the wreckage rather than close for repairs. Sailors began calling the place the Gull's Cough because a loose roof slat made a sharp, squawking noise whenever the sea wind blew. The name stuck, and the slat remains in place, carefully patched but never replaced.
Quirks
Whenever the sea wind comes through the warped roof slat, it makes a loud, gull-like squawk. Regulars pause to listen, then declare whether the wind sounds like rain, fog, or trouble. The keeper will not replace the slat, claiming the pub would lose its best weather reader.
Rooms and services5
- Tide roomCommon roomA long, low room with tarred beams, tide marks on the walls, and tables bolted to the floor. The windows are small but give a clear view of the piers.
- Upper bunksLodgingSix narrow rooms with sturdy locks, dry blankets, and hooks for wet coats. A watchful house hand checks the hallway through the night.
- Stable yardStableA sheltered yard with three stalls, a hitching rail, and a locked shed for carts. The ground is sandy to keep it from turning to mud.
- Screened boothPrivate spaceA curtained booth with a table for cards, dice, or quiet negotiations. The house rule is that no blade is drawn over a wager.
- Singers' boardsPerformance spaceA plank platform beside the hearth, used for sea shanties, notices, and the occasional auction of salvaged cargo.
People
The keeper and 6 patronsKeeperBoro Human fighter, level 5
Tavernkeeper, a 5th-level fighter who once worked as a shipboard guardBoro Gentle-voiced and patient, but with the steady attention of someone who has broken up too many dockside brawls.
Net-mender and regular patron, a commoner with a sharp eye for harbor trafficNell Aru Plainspoken, practical, and unwilling to let anyone call a poor catch bad luck when poor knots are to blame.
Ship's lookout, a 2nd-level rogue who spends between voyages ashoreDaisuke Talks in quick bursts, laughs at his own jokes, and watches the room whenever a stranger mentions cargo.
Traveling healer, a 3rd-level cleric seeking passage to a fishing villageQem Soft-spoken and unfailingly courteous; he remembers every face but claims to forget every name.
Dock runner, a young commoner who carries messages between vesselsTavi Restless and blunt, with a talent for spotting lies and a habit of tapping rhythms on the table.
Retired pilot, a 6th-level veteran who knows the harbor channelsYorren Careful with his words and generous with his coin, though his questions about tides sound a little too precise.
Keeper's Species
Human
Intrigue
What locals say
The Gull's Cough is a working dockside pub, not a polished inn. It caters to net-menders, sailors between voyages, porters, and travelers waiting for a berth. Its regulars treat harbor weather as common conversation and keep an informal eye on one another's gear. The map hidden behind the hearth is a custom local mystery, not an established D&D artifact or official setting detail.
Plot hooks
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