The Mermaid is known up and down the Coast lands as a meeting place in which to conduct special business for folk who are lawless or...seeking anonymity. It is a noisy, brawling establishment. recommended only to those who go well armed, know how to use their weapons, and bring lots of loyal friends with similar skills.
The Mermaid is a long, low, ramshackle place with a confusing maze of wings, outbuildings, stockaded enclosures, and stables surrounding it on three sides the better to give cover to those trying to approach or leave unseen...most Baldurians are rumored to say. It has at least four levels of cellars many more, some say and rumors abound of secret passages, or even connections to an underground stream or sewer connecting with the harbor.
Rooms at the Mermaid are low ceilinged, dingy, and apt to be furnished with mismatched pieces that have seen better days. In general, they are loot-and-salvage pieces that have seen heavy use since their installation here. The overall effect is of a rather dangerous but endearingly cluttered cellar, decorated with the flotsam of a hundred shipwrecks.
The Mermaid is apt to be noisy throughout the night. Those who aren’t sound sleepers are advised to seek lodgings elsewhere. All rooms have iron bar shutters if they have windows at all and heavy wooden beam double bars on the inside. The lobby is the only high ceilinged room in the place, except the stairwell to the two upper floors.
A life-size and crudely carved wooden mermaid hangs overhead above the reception desk. The nearly nude mermaid’s body is covered with a score or more shriveled and blackened severed hands. If asked about them, the staff will smile and tell you that they were — er, donated by folks who forgot to pay their bills. It is rumored these hands are used in defense—or offense—against those that would disturb the house clerk.
The desk has its own trophy — a huge broad axe buried deep in the wood. Be warned that the axe can easily be snatched up out of the deep cleft it caused long ago and hurled with speed and accuracy across the lobby by the balding, bearded, hairy-armed clerk.
It is rumored to find in the Mermaid an astonishing collection of smooth-tongued, scarred old sea dogs nursing drinks at all hours. Some say each one is a contact person for this or that cabal, thieving brotherhood, smuggler, mercenary band, fence, panderer, or other shady professional interest...but none are willing to say this to their face(s)...usual straight forward negotiations with such individuals consists of a nasty grin and a case of temporary deafness.
Staying at the Mermaid is known to be quite safe, so long as one avoids outright fighting and does nothing overly insulting...or stupid. From time to time, a sharp-tongued brawler is like to taunt and goad other guests to see if they can get a fight out of them. The proprietors, who are unknown and never seen, have instructed their staff to make the House a relatively safe, neutral ground for all patrons, whatever their race, past, or profession. It’s better for business that way.
The Menu
The Mermaid served a variety of drinks, including sea ale, stout, a light, golden lager from Mintarn, and several kinds of strong whiskey. No wines were available. Food came in two varieties: Food ordered from nearby establishments and food prepared on the premises. The Mermaid had arrangements with several close by eateries for the former. This food was excellent and more elaborate, but tended to be lukewarm or cold by the time it got to a diner.
Some of the more popular items on the menu included:
- Salted small-fish stew (rotting baitfish boiled with sea salt and seaweed)
Bread with drippings (hard-crust nutbread rolls covered with a thick organ meat gravy)
A variety of cheeses (sold by the hand wheel)
Pork, thyme, and mushroom platters
Ale, bread, and fish (meal)
Small pickled squid
Whole roasted pigs
Oysters, mussels, and other shellfish (sold by the heap, cooked or raw)
Boiled flounder (house specialty)
Rooms are 2 gp per night, stabling included. Food for mounts is an extra 3 cp each. No tenday room rate or bathing facilities are available. All food and drink is extra. A platter of fish, bread, and drippings is 2 cp, and meat dishes are all 3 cp per platter. Heaps of shellfish are 1 gp per serving, and whole roasts are 3 gp each. Ale is 3 cp per tankard, and whisky is 1 sp per tallglass (with no larger measure prices).
Travelers Lore
Predictably, fourscore rumored tales of treachery, hidden treasure, secret passages, and trapped chests swirl around the Mermaid. It’s impossible to tell how many are pure fabrication or have grown wildly in the re-telling. Whatever rumors illicit items are said to be dealt in the backrooms and deep booths of the Blushing Mermaid, they are definitely hidden quickly and well...and most likely, for a hefty for a fee.
