Book IV Prelude Challenge: Category A: The Travelling Bard Tavern

[SimWies]

The Travelling Bard Tavern

In the oldest parts of the city of Everwater, built even before the city walls surrounding today's Everwater, stands the tavern The Travelling Bard. Built in a time where there were no city walls yet, the tavern has thick and heavy doors and no large windows on ground level, which is entirely built out of stone and features arrow slits to defend the tavern. Just a few steps outside the main castle gates, but nowhere near today’s large town square at the centre of the city of Everwater, it has become a far less frequented address to the common traveller. 

But for those that know the reputation the tavern has, it is a must visit location in Everwater. The wooden outside-stage, which is accessible via a second door from the tavern, has seen many rising stars among the bards of Everwater and beyond. There is a simple saying among the older generations of bards of Everwater, that: “If the travelling bard has approved of you, you are ready to travel beyond the city walls.”

Today is a special day, Cyrill Waterbend has returned to the tavern after completing his recent travels throughout the county of Everwater and other, neighboring counties. Once a year he travels beyond the city walls, but his true home is the city of Everwater. It is the place he grew up in. The son of an unknown sailor of one of the merchant ships that regularly lay at the piers of the port, he lived large parts of his youth with his mother in a small chamber in some shabby house down by the port. This all changed, when his mother met the owner of the Travelling Bard, the two became a couple and she also started to work in the tavern.

From then on, Cyrill’s life was filled with music, stories and people from far away carrying news from everywhere through the heavy doors of the tavern. Naturally, Cryill picked up an instrument, the lute was his first choice and he started to write his very first songs. This was eight years ago and since, Cyrill has become a local celebrity among the bards of Everwater, not for his skills with the lute, but for the stories he brings home from his travels that he weaves into his songs. His mom and step-dad still own the tavern, allowing Cryill to freely use his time to travel around and gather news, someday he might take over as the owner of the Travelling Bard, but until then, he enjoys his freedom.

The story he is telling today tells of the peace that has been built throughout Historica, how this peace brings freedom to grow and to develop. But his story also tells of the blood that was shed to build this peace and how it has to be protected, he tells of the fallen heroes and those that have endured and remain. His story now changes, starts centering more around Everwater, how the city had to endure difficult years, but he also tells of the hope their recently killed Lord Ellerion instilled in the people of Everwater. He mourns the dead soldiers from the skirmish within the castle and city walls and he closes his story with the news that the rightful heir to the county, Alric Ellerion has been seen crossing the border of Everwater together with Sam Weatherstone on their return to Everwater.

Not only the people around the stage are happy about this news, Cyrill himself is a close friend of Alric and his friends. A certain person in the audience is also really happy about this message. Cyrill expected this shadow in a green coat already.

We meet Cyrill late after his performance in the upper room of the tavern, where there are two beds available for travelling bards, stopping by. The shadow in the green cloak has revealed herself, it is Anna Ellerion, the sister of Alric Ellerion. Cyrill already expected her, they have been close friends since Cyrill made his first steps as an upcoming bard and Anna invited him to the Everwater castle to perform at a small  reception they had for a guest.

…
A: “Is it true Cyrill, has my brother been seen at the border?”
C: “Yes, Anna, he took one of the small paths through the hills and came by one of the southeastern watchtowers. I met a horse courier this afternoon at the city gates, the news should by now have reached the castle and you, had you not been at my performance”, he winked at her, “he will soon be here, and then this madness with your father and your uncle will hopefully find an end.”
A: “I hope so yes, thank you for the news Cyrill, and for being the friend you are to me and my brother.”
…
They kept talking long into the night, of their friendship, of the turmoil the death of her father had brought to Everwater and how Historica on the contrary was starting to enter into an era of hopeful peace and growth.

 

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This is my entry for the Prelude Challenge Category A of Book IV and I had great fun building this.  The build originally was planed to be a bit bigger and include a large audience and the possibility to also have a look into the ground floor, but as the build progressed and time got a bit short I had to replan, notheless I am very happy with the result. I even managed to get some glimpses of my main Everwater story into the Challange, which I am especially happy about. Below are some more pictures to the tavern and its features. The roof, as well as the walls of the upper floor (in segments), can be removed to have the upper floor accesible.

Spoiler

 

  

Edited 3 hours ago by SimWies