Connects to: 18.07, 23.11.03, 26.02, 28.04, 41.02.
There are not many pleasant places to stop along the Welt Road, but among them the Sundial Inn must be one of the most popular. It is situated near the border of the night men’s domain, in a fairly well-ventilated section of the road. The Inn itself is excavated into the earth to one side, with only its ‘attic’ rising above ground. The Inn is owned by one Regulus Verlime, a bent- over scrooge of a man, but it is run by his wife Svetlana, whose generosity is as enormous as her bosom.
Most any day of the year, the common room of the Sundial Inn is brimming with joviality, stocked with travellers who prefer the depredations of the Welt Road to the mortal dangers of the country above. Some of the regular faces include: Bardock Flint, a mercenary who turned from guarding caravans to serving as the tavern’s bouncer; Jayla Mullard, a fierce young woman rumored to be the disowned daughter of Crossbow Henry; (41.02) and Elfard Gollens, a layabout who is rumoured to be infatuated with the expansive Mrs. Verlime.
The name of the Sundial is something of a joke. The only natural light in the place comes from a shaft that runs down through the attic and onto a slab of stone (the ‘Sundial’). The shaft is precisely vertical, so the light will only shine through it at noon; and where the light falls, some wag has engraved ‘NOON’, completing the jape. However, if pressed the Verlimes will admit that the sundial and the shaft were present before they began building the inn, and only the inscribed word is a new addition.
Subhexes:
- 25.04.01 (The King in Splendor): the previous owners of the inn worshipped a sun god known as the King in Splendor.
- 25.04.02 (Elfard Gollen‘s Story): Elfard gives a new spin to the story of Lisbet.
Connections:
- Many travelers to the Market Pits (28.04) stop by at the Sundial Inn.
- Regulus Verlime is a descendant of the Verlimes who once ruled as Duke to the west and southwest of the Kingswood (18.07).
- One of the most popular dishes at the inn are orc pies
Hooks:
- Why did Bardock Flint quit his job as a caravan guard?
- Is young Miss Mullard really the inheritor of Crossbow Henry’s legacy?
The King in Splendor
Hex 25.04.01
The hole that lets in the light of noon into the Sundial Inn was surely built by a devotee of the King in Splendor, no doubt Pork Pie Stannev, the previous owner of the Inn who was abducted by the Whispering Sisters (29.14.07) some years past.
Connections:
Hooks:
- How did Regulus Verlime secure ownership of the Sundial Inn after the abduction of Stannev?
Elfard Gollen’s Story
On the rare occasions when Svetlana Verlime has time to sit around the fire with the Sundial Inn‘s guests, Elfard Gollens tells the story of Lisbet (see Lisbet for more).
Connections:
- Some of the other stories that can be heard at the Sundial concern the famous rustler Drogo (29.01) and the sleeping lady (30.03).
Hooks:
- Is there anything between Svetlana and Elfard, or is it all wishful thinking on his part?
