Overheard by the Hearth
[ LIVE TAVERN CHATTER ]
[Patron]: "I swear the North Road was three miles shorter yesterday..."
[Barkeep]: "Drink your ale, Silas. The cartographer hasn't had his tea yet."
The Hearth Hall
[ PUBLIC IDENTITY ]
The central common room, where the fire is always lit and the mead is always warm. It is known as the safest place to sleep in the Respite. By entering, you enter the hearth-contract: break the peace here, and the roads will swallow your name.
The Room of Thin Alibies
[ Just a regular billiards room ]
The room one goes when they need to be vaguely accounted for. We know everyone by shape. You definitely, had those one clothes on and you were playing cards with three other people, or perhaps there were six of you. Couldn't quite say, but an amount of people were here and you were with them. Go on in and grab yourself a drink. Say hello, to Joan for me, she's mediating downstairs today.
The Back Kitchen
[ COMPACT EYES ONLY ]
A braided hearth-cord hangs near the pantry door. This is where the Hearthbound Compact meets, where rumors are traded like currency, and where the real drama unfolds over simmering stew. If a traveler's name is missing from the ledger, this is where they are hidden.
"How's the road singing?"
"How's the road singing?"
The Unmapped Market
You have descended beneath the law. Welcome to the silent exchange, where fences trade contraband, pre-Treaty relics, and shadow-binding inks. The Gendarme do not look here, and the mediators above pretend they cannot hear the clinking of illegal Echo-Marks beneath their feet.
All sales are final. We are not liable for any curses acquired.
The Official Mediation Room
[ NEUTRAL GROUND ]
An officially recognized neutral space for mediations. Mediators from Giltway sit here to enforce joint liability under the Hearth-Cord Protocol. The floorboards are impeccably maintained, and absolutely nothing untoward happens here.
Move your candle closer... Click to slip through the boards.