The Herringcutters' House
The Herringcutters' House began as a guild mess for crews who cleaned and packed the enormous herring catches that once filled this harbor. When the shoals shifted and the packing trade dwindled, its last guildmaster sold the building to a retired sailor. The old gutting tables became benches, the smoke shed became a kitchen, and the guild's carved fish remains above the door. The pub has since outlasted two owners and a fire that blackened its seaward wall.
The Herringcutters' House
Overview
History
The Herringcutters' House began as a guild mess for crews who cleaned and packed the enormous herring catches that once filled this harbor. When the shoals shifted and the packing trade dwindled, its last guildmaster sold the building to a retired sailor. The old gutting tables became benches, the smoke shed became a kitchen, and the guild's carved fish remains above the door. The pub has since outlasted two owners and a fire that blackened its seaward wall.
Quirks
Every time the tide turns, the pub's hanging nets sway toward the door, even when the air is still. The keeper says it is a draft. Regulars tap the carved fish over the entrance before making a promise, and anyone who whistles indoors is promptly handed a mop.
Rooms and services6
- Tide StagesDock accessA broad, tarred platform extends over the water, with cleats for tying up small boats and a bell to summon a dockhand. At high tide, the boards flex beneath the crowd.
- Sail Loft RoomsLodgingSix plain rooms with shuttered windows, sea chests, and hooks for drying wet clothes. One has a narrow hatch opening onto the roof, a feature the keeper insists is for ventilation.
- Ropewalk StableStableA locked shed with stalls for four riding animals and a rack for oars, poles, and boat hooks. There is no space for a wagon.
- Net Screen AlcovesPrivate roomTwo felt-lined booths and a table screened by hanging nets are available for quiet conversations. The screens muffle voices, but do little to stop a determined listener.
- The Ballad BoardsPerformance stageA small raised platform hosts sea shanties, dice callers, and occasional plays. Performers are paid in coin, supper, or a share of the evening's hat.
- Wager BenchGamblingRegulars play bones, cards, or a local guessing game involving knotted cord. The house takes a modest cut, and a posted notice forbids wagers on ships currently overdue.
People
The keeper and 6 patronsKeeperSarn Human fighter, level 4
Sailor and occasional dock laborerToghrul A broad-shouldered human deckhand with a booming laugh. He is generous with stories and evasive about the ship he last served on.
Net makerSkeld Rusk A dwarven net mender who is patient until someone wastes good cord. He watches the door while pretending to nap.
Map seller and explorer, roughly equivalent to a 5th-level adventurerYelena Varg A half-elf cartographer who makes dry jokes and sketches the harbor from memory. She is cautious about showing her newest chart.
Kitchen runnerBatu A halfling cook's assistant with a quick grin and a quicker hand at cards. He knows which crews are short on coin.
Harbor chaplain, roughly equivalent to a 4th-level clericFarzaneh Daryan A human priest of a local sea-going faith, warm in company and stern when talk turns to needless cruelty. She carries a weathered holy symbol.
Shipwright and veteran guard, roughly equivalent to a 3rd-level fighterKjell A quiet dragonborn shipwright who measures every word. He has been asking pointed questions about old guild buildings.
Keeper's Species
Human
Intrigue
What locals say
Harbor folk say the old herring crews could read the weather from the behavior of gulls and the taste of the wind. A few regulars still use their sayings, including, "Three gulls inland, tie your lines; one gull silent, mind your dead." Whether the old guild ever had a formal secret code is disputed, though its surviving knot marks appear on a handful of waterfront buildings.
Plot hooks
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