The Guttered Lantern
The Guttered Lantern predates the paved lanes around it, its lowest stones laid when this part of Kingsport was still a rough track down toward the docks. Its name comes from the soot-blackened lantern over the door, whose wick has reportedly kept burning through years of hard rain and sea wind. The building has changed hands often, though its narrow cellar and alley exit have made it useful to the same sort of business for generations. The current keeper bought it from a creditor who would not say how the debt began.
The Guttered Lantern
Overview
History
The Guttered Lantern predates the paved lanes around it, its lowest stones laid when this part of Kingsport was still a rough track down toward the docks. Its name comes from the soot-blackened lantern over the door, whose wick has reportedly kept burning through years of hard rain and sea wind. The building has changed hands often, though its narrow cellar and alley exit have made it useful to the same sort of business for generations. The current keeper bought it from a creditor who would not say how the debt began.
Quirks
The lantern outside gutters hard in the wind but has never, according to the regulars, gone out. Its cracked glass gives off a faint metallic tang when rain strikes it. Inside, stale ale, pipe smoke, and wet cobblestone cling to wool and hair; beneath them lingers the clean, sharp smell of iron. The barred windows admit only strips of violet lanternlight, while silhouettes shift behind their grime. Whenever a deal is struck in the alley, the tavern's front door creaks open once, even if no one touches it.
Rooms and services6
- Curtained BunksLodgingA narrow counter runs beneath a rack of mismatched keys. The keeper rents curtained bunks by the hour or night, and the doors are watched from the bar.
- Second-Floor ParlorPrivate RoomA cramped room on the second floor can be booked for private talks. A speaking tube in the wall carries sound to the kitchen, a fact the regulars know and visitors rarely do.
- Dice TableGamblingA scarred table, a cup of bone dice, and a house rule against drawing steel make this a favored place to settle small debts. The rule is enforced by the door staff.
- Alley Cellar DoorConcealed EntranceA rear stair drops to a brick-lined cellar with a low door opening onto the alley. It is used for deliveries, quiet arrivals, and exits when the front door draws too much attention.
- Wash BenchServiceA soot-stained bench and a kettle of hot water sit behind a screen. Patrons may clean up before a meeting, though the water is not enough for a full bath.
- Notice BoardInformationThe keeper posts paid notices on a board beside the bar. Most concern missing cargo, discreet errands, or people who would prefer not to be found.
People
KeeperKravis Human fighter, former soldier; level 0 civilian npc with custom veteran combat training, level 6
Keeper's Species
Human
Intrigue
What locals say
The Guttered Lantern sits in the Nightmarket, where House Ebonfang's influence reaches through bargains, favors, and carefully kept secrets. Its clientele includes dockhands, smugglers, information brokers, and the occasional noble's agent struggling to look ordinary. Deals are usually made in the alley, beneath old posters for bounties, fight nights, and vanished neighbors. The house keeps no formal allegiance to a guild or noble family; its best protection is that nearly everyone has something to lose by burning it down.
Plot hooks
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