Bartenders
At some point, your PCs need to eat and rest up, and will inevitably stop into a tavern or an inn. These places of rest are often the only respite players get in a world of nonstop adventure, so it’s important that this little glimpse of downtime be special. One way to do that is to make the place they stop really interesting, with a complex history and a lot of subtle details. An easier way to make these places stick with the PCs is to have a strong face of the establishment that sets the tone for their experience and gives them someone fun to interact with, without having to worry about crossing blades. Today we look at ten cool personalities behind the counter at your local inn, tavern, or public house: use as you see fit!
1. Graham Fisher, the fat innkeeper. The jovial and honest face of the Harbor Inn, Graham Fisher is a rotund man with a clean and well cared for set of simple clothes. Locals and travelers often come to Graham’s inn to enjoy the simple pleasures he offers. A warm man with a lot of practical advice for living the good life, Graham spends much of his time chatting with patrons while they wait on his wife’s famous potato stew. He picks up a lot of rumors, which he is always happy to share with adventuring folks he thinks can handle it. Having a good eye for people, Graham can often spot trouble long before it comes to fruition, and uses his friendly demeanor to diffuse potential problems early on.
2. Kind Kwan, motherly café owner. An elderly half-elven woman and owner-operator of Kwan’s Seaside Café, Kwan Eristil appears far more fragile than she actually is, being both tall and thin with silvery hair done in a tight bun. She wears a heavy robe which makes her appear even gaunter, and a pair of large, round spectacles makes her emerald eyes appear unusually large. Kind Kwan has a protective and motherly personality, and she looks after everyone who comes to her café as though she had a personal stake in their successes and failures. She is especially revered by her regular customers, who count on her kind words and experience to get them through the day.
3. Jon Smite, the skinny innkeeper. The owner and face of the Lonely Tree Inn and Public House, Jon Smite is a short, thin, sour-faced man who owns a profitable establishment on an isolated stretch of road. His success has a lot more to do with his inn’s location than with the level of service people receive there, and Jon is known along the road as someone best not interacted with. A bitter and angry man, Jon is prone to flashes of an angry temper, especially in the presence of dwarves. Though no one really remembers anymore, Jon wasn’t always so unpleasant; a violent dispute over territory between local dwarves and the baron who claims the wild lands where the Lonely Tree stands claimed the lives of Jon’s family, and he hasn’t been quite the same ever since. Still, the beds at his establishment are always clean and drinks are cheap.
4. A’shari Al’Shar, enslaved genie. The proprietor of the Desert Oasis is anything but normal. A real life djinni, A’shari was deceived by a mortal wizard and forced to run his establishment for 1,000 years. She is currently in year 230 of her service, and tries to make the remote desert inn something special, but frankly she would rather be doing almost anything else. She serves magical food and beverages that excite customers, and is happy to exchange her extensive lore on the inner planes with anyone who has a good story to tell. Still, she is most interested in finding and destroying the wizard’s ring, which is binding her to his service. She has promised a wish to anyone who can free her from her current servitude.
5. Sir Roderick the Slayer, retired adventurer. Once a great knight who roamed the world righting wrongs and battling dragons, Sir Roderick the Slayer is a towering half-orc who strongly favors his human heritage and is very intent upon his retirement, though his skills are far sharper than most. Now he runs a large and well-kept tavern known as the Slayer’s Hub, where he has cultivated a clientele of skilled adventurers interested in work. He regularly posts jobs that need doing from around the local environs, and offers discounts to those who come back with the quest completed. Though committed to his retirement, rumors persist that Sir Roderick is planning a single expedition before his death, and that he will only take the most accomplished of adventurers with him on this last greatest adventure. Roderick always dismisses these rumors, but with a smile.
6. Grog, Og, and Log, shady goblins. At the entrance to a particularly dark forest stands a squat, round tavern built of wood. The Black Tree Tavern’s unlikely hosts are the goblin brothers Grog, Og, and Log, who, though far from polite, seem to lack the violent urge to destroy and consume that most goblins have, and instead have taken to running a very lively tavern, frequently filled with song and the sounds of crass laughter. The goblin brothers bob around seeing to the needs of guests, though with a slimy, dishonest feeling about them. Many assume that the goblins are up to no good, but no one can actually prove anything. For now, the little blighters continue to sell dog and horse meat to unsuspecting patrons who are grateful for the extremely cheap meat prices. The truth is that three goblins have been charmed by a mischievous fey and do his bidding, whatever that may be, using the tavern for cover.
7. Ox, the wizard’s golem. The mighty wizard Xui Challer inherited her father’s tavern immediately following his death, but was far too busy to run it herself. Not wanting to sell his legacy or see it fall into squalor, Xui left her mighty clay golem companion, Ox, to see to the tavern’s operation. Imbued with a limited sentience, Ox makes for a comical, though efficient, bartender, capable of processing most orders and handling security concerns. He has even been programmed with a limited amount of friendly advice, which he tries his best to use appropriately, but often simply lacks the means to be helpful. However, his “close enough” preprogrammed responses are usually good for a laugh.
8. Kylieh Morgan, nymph barkeeper. At the edge of a mighty old growth forest is an exotic-looking tavern which features a constantly raging party at all hours of the day and night. This is chiefly due to the encouragement of the nymph in charge, Kylieh Morgan, a wonderfully passionate creature imbued with her kind’s natural beauty and charisma. Kylieh is a wild girl who encourages her guests to let go. In her establishment, anything goes and the drinks run free. Though hardly a place to rest, Kylieh makes sure that those who come to her tavern have a good time and won’t brook any sourpusses, using her magic skills to force the boring and downcast to participate in her brand of wild debauchery.
9. Palio Hairfoot, proud halfling. Though the club itself is built low to the ground, chiefly meant to accommodate small characters, the proprietor of the Foothill Club has a larger than life personality. A graying halfling man, Palio Hairfoot once lived a life that, to hear him tell it, was far too full of adventure and excitement for him to want anything to do with it now. Still, he is happy to hear tales of others’ adventures, and has been known to offer bounties for the best verifiable stories. The food and drink at his establishment is top-notch, a fact Palio takes great pride in, more so than any of his past feats of derring-do, which include battles with hobgoblins, werewolves, and even a close encounter with a dragon turtle. After a little prodding, Palio will happily regale listeners with tales of his adventurers, but such listeners should be prepared, for it is a very long story.
10. Chesa Markesh, the devil behind the bar. At the Crosswinds Tavern, which stands pretty much alone in the middle of nowhere, the beautiful barkeep Chesa Markesh awaits fools, transients, and dreamers, who stumble into her tavern and treat with her. Chesa sells more than fine drink and excellent food: she sells dreams, wishes, and desire. Chesa is a devil of some kind, a fact she makes no effort to hide from those who are interested, and has a great deal of power to make things happen in exchange for certain favors from mortals. Usually, she is content to take the soul of another, but might be willing to accept other terms or demand additional services in exchange for her gifts.