The Crow's Nest

The boarding house is much like any average-sized hovel in the middle-to-poor areas of Othery, closer to Runner's street side of the Docks than the wharf, almost sitting in a bit of a twilight zone between the two wards. The wooden building has three floors, a basement and a batch of inner yard at the back, nestled between the neighboring houses, complete with a well of its own.

The floors aren't tall, but do stretch wide, to better house any wandering travelers looking for a place to rest, and the establishment as a whole has recently undergone a major work of renovation - The roof has been fixed with fresh timber and rows upon rows of shiny new tiles; the windows have new frames and clear glass, a considerable improvement from the stained look of before; and the wall on the outside has new timber struts replacing old broken ones, with as-of-yet unstained batch of daub, clay and paint pasted between them.

Above the entrance hangs a wooden sign to denote the bed and rest establishment, likewise painted with a fresh new coat, depicting a bearded person sleeping in half a barrel, with a traveling cloth bundle next to them, while a considerably more recent addition sees a wooden carving of a crow sitting on a nest placed on top of it.

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**The Vagrant's Rest**

Heading inside from the street, the first room is a large common hall, and is certainly warmer than the outside thanks to a sizeable fireplace at the back right, where flames flicker in the hearth during colder months. Beyond that, it can come off as rustic yet humble - simple wooden benches and sturdy, but bland tables are arranged about the room, the floor made from flagstones (some old, some very new), with a few wooden pillars and beams here and there to support the ceiling and upper floors. A couple of shelves have been added to the walls, showing a number of different items on display, each with a short description of **Corvus Vectis**' exploits related to that particular object on a plaque underneath. Regulars of the establishment would recall the stories previously told about each during the slower evenings, back when the Rest was still half in shambles.

Directly across from the entrance is a countertop and bar, where the co-owner of the establishment - **Esther,** a fierce-looking older woman, stocky in build and rough in appearance, suggesting to dwarvish descent - can commonly be found. The heavy oak counter-top, with shelves lining the walls behind it, seems to have seen it's share of "eventful" times in the building, considering the cuts and scratches lining it and seems to be about the only piece of furniture not inherently replaced by something new. On the largest shelf behind it sits a large warhammer, Esther's favored "peacekeeper", along with a slightly smaller one just beneath, a framed dungeon pass next to it.

For the time being, the establishment is mostly vacant of guests, as parts of the kitchen and second floor continue to be under renovation by an army of carpenters and masons. A few of the street urchins - some regular, some temporary - can none the less be found helping out here and there.

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**The Crow's Nest**

Where the first and second floor serve as the basis for the business side of the building, the third floor is exclusive to the adventuring group Corvus Vectis and their personal operations, thus being generally off limits to tavern customers - It's not unusual to see Basarab stand guard at the entrance to the stairs, when he's not performing bouncer duties below.

A third of the floor is undertaken by six bedrooms, three to either side of the hallway. Currently there's four that are actively occupied while the remaining two see occasional use.

The hallway continues towards a large set of double-doors, tinged with the scent of fresh timbre and construction work. Previously this was the attic space for crates and clutter, but has since been cleared out to form a war room of sorts, with a table in the middle and a fireplace in the back. It is here the crew of crows can come to relax or discuss future plans.

**A few features are specific to the space as well:**

On the back wall sits a grand and intricately sewn **Vortigen banner**, depicting the coat of arms of House L’Anguis. Beneath sits a few weapon racks, some with real steel, some only training wasters.

To the left side is a series of shelves and a small work desk, cluttered with various tools and scraps of paper, **a few maps and a compass**. The tools seem similar to that of a jeweler's although in truth their purpose lies more in archeology. On the shelves sit a number of items on display

* A gold coin from a previous era, snatched from a screaming statue.
* Another shinier coin of unknown but important origins, snatched from the floor of the dungeon.
* A book of Vaadite Inscriptions, old and dusty, but readable (With illustrations).
* A rusted metal bowl with a six dragon motif.
* Strange dead bugs preserved in small clear cases.
* A fairy tale book.
* A handful of black tiles broken off from an octopus construct.
* A dry rose, caught from a tavern celebration, pressed and dried.
* A rusted ruler.
* A rusty old helmet.
* Two scrolls of John V's history, parts I and II.
* A skull from a Dragon Room.
* The skull of Basarab VI.
* A twig from an emperor's birthplace, preserved.

To the right side of the room is a door that leads to a small separate room behind the back wall, where several bookcases line the walls. Most of them are filled with books and scrolls, but there's a few oddities here and there as well, such as **preserved remains**. At the back of the room is a study table filled with all sorts of materials needed for scrollwork, while there's space left in the middle for a wizardry circle, for the practice of magic and spells.