City Guide I
Blithe Spirits gathered there, allowing all and sundry to sample the latest wares from Blithe Spirits. One favored ploy is to have the bards recite the songs and stories they know about a given locale and then allow those gathered to sample the fine wares from that locale.
Blithe Spirits
There are several entrances into the offices and warehouses of Blithe Spirits. The first of these is the elegantly carved walnut and brass double doors that serve as the entrance into the winery shop proper. The brewery entrance is a stout walnut door accessible from the alley which leads to the back of the warehouse, where two more sets of large wooden doors are used to load and unload the casks of spirits that are stored at the warehouse and used as trading goods along the Blithe Spirits caravan routes.
So, lad, what’ll it be? Oh, we’ve got a fine selection to choose from – we’ve elven dawn-wines, and dwarven beetle-honey mead. We’ve frost brandy from the tops of icy mountains and desert khour’iss, made from cacti by the nomadic peoples of those hot lands. River-beer, oaken wine, walnut ale and even orcish blood mead. What’ll it be, then? All courtesy of Blithe Spirits, of course, lad – me tavern’d be quite bare without it. Taverns, inns, restaurants and noble homes all know that the best purveyor of alcoholic spirits from far and wide is Blithe Spirits. Originally a small ale brewery owned by a family of halflings, the Blithingsfords, Blithe Spirits has become very stable and profitable since Faranith took over. But it was the contributions of Corinn, Faranith’s younger brother – an irresponsible wanderer and hedonist – that has made Blithe Spirits the traders to find the best spirits from.
1) Shop This shop is certainly the heart and soul Blithe Spirits. The floors here are well swept and covered with deep wine-toned rugs which almost match the reddish wood of the shelves. Upon the shelves are flasks, decanters, small hand-kegs and bottles, all filled with a vast profusion of alcohols not to be found locally. The majority of the spirits available are Blithe Spirits’ own ale. However, the biggest draw is invariably the exotic brews brought from far-off places that most folk of the city have only heard tales about.
Shop Exterior Blithe Spirits maintains a large set of warehouse offices near the city’s main marketplace. The street-facing part of the building houses the business offices of the brewery and trading house. Above the main entrance is the plaque bearing the company’s symbol – a laughing theater mask surrounded by a wreath of lashed tree limbs heavy with walnuts.
There is always an employee in here, ready to tend to the needs of their customers, whether those customers are here to purchase a single bottle for a special evening, several tuns for a large party or a season’s worth of spirits for an inn or tavern. The sales staff often arranges to have orders delivered. Such orders are usually a carts-load or more of goods, though recently, they have taken to hiring entertainers and bards to make special deliveries, complete with songs and sonnets of well-wishing or love.
The building itself is built of a stone foundation. The walls themselves are stone along the bottom three feet; the rest of the wall is crafted of sturdy walnut, stained a deep red-brown hue. The roof of the building is made up of blue-grey shingles that match some of the stones that make up the foundation. A massive awning of colorful patchwork hue that stands out for quite a distance covers the front of the shop.
Walnut & Brass Double Doors: Hardness 5, Hit Points: 22, Break DC 24, Open Lock DC 40. The Blithingsfords encourage bards and other entertainers to take up spots beneath this awning, in order to attract people’s attention to the establishment and its shop. Several times a day, employees circulate among the people
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