The Bear Trap Tavern & Inn

[CheekyNolan 5420]

 

 

 

IN THE VILLAGE OF TARNAVON

- Duchy of Valwyck -

 

Nestled in amongst the largest forest of the Empire there is a warm and inviting place where one can seek respite from the beasts and dangers therein. In Tarnavon, a village at the heart of the Imperial highlands and the Duchy of Valwyck, lies a snug tavern where any law-abiding citizen is welcome and doubly so if they can keep up with the locals and their drinking prowess. Come and savour in a tavern like no other and without peer with specialty food and drink perfected over generations of Highlander peoples. 

 

Enjoy yourself in The Bear Trap Tavern & Inn, drink and eat your fill and utilise our top floor of fully furnished rooms available for rent when you inevitably never want to leave.  

 

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MENU

DRINKS:

 

BARDEN RED - A bottle of red wine but not a grape-based one as one might expect. Due to the climate of Tarnavon and the surrounding duchies, the brewers instead found a more ready supply of ingredients for wine in the forests around the village. Thus this wine is in fact a bramble wine. It has a tangy, fruity flavor similar to some lighter reds given that it is made from the local blackberries that grow at the foot of castle Barden. - 2 mina

 

CARRION BLACK - The principal drink amongst highlanders with its origins dating back nearly six hundred years ago to the Kingdom of Ruska. This dark ale-like drink is popular despite its strong taste and effect or perhaps because of it. Cheap, requiring an acquired taste, and alcoholic in the extreme. It is best drunk quickly and in great quantities.  - 2 mina

 

OTTONIAN HONEY MEAD - One of the oldest drinks in existence. This semi-sweet and naturally sparkling beverage can trace its origins back to the ancient north, before even the Atheran Nord Lords’ time. The version bottled herein has a particularly rich, almost smoky taste owing to the Ayrikiv heather honey used in the fermentation process. This product is made by the priests, monks and nuns of the Priory of Saint Otto in Tarnavon, a stone’s throw away from the tavern it was purchased from.  - 3 mina

 

PETYR PEAT WHISKY - A single malt whiskey containing a smokey, earthy, and maritime notes caused by the peat fires used to dry the malted barley and stored for a minimum of ten years. Brewed at the behest of the Dukes and Duchesses of Valwyck, it is widespread within their lands and is enjoyed by their family, friends and people far and wide. - 3 mina

 

ALE - It’s ale. Just ale. Bog standard run of the mill cheap ale. - 1 mina

 

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FOOD:

 

AYRIKIV PORRIDGE - Dating back centuries comes this hearty breakfast dish made from oats, milk, and a pinch of vanir salt. This meal is nuttier and chewier than other porridges due to the stone ground oats that are crushed between millstones rather than oat flakes. It also has fewer lumps owing to its careful and attentive stirring while it cooks on the stovetop. Filling and robust, it’s a cheap and tasty start to any morning. - 2 mina

 

CULLEN SKINK - A traditional Ayrikiv soup, one on the thicker side. Created initially by local fishermen as a way to use up their plentiful catches of fish it has since become immensely popular. Made from haddock cured with the smoke from peat, it also contains a healthy portion of potatoes and onions. This chowder-like soup is smokier, heartier and more assertive than your southern counterparts. - 2 mina

 

HAGGIS, NEEPS & TATTIES - Loved amongst the Ayrikiv and originating with them, haggis is a savoury pudding containing minced sheep meat and fat with chopped onions, oatmeal, local seasonings and vanir salt. Served alongside neeps, a type of turnip, and tatties (potatoes). Both of these are boiled and mashed separately before being added to the side of the plate. A hearty and rustic dish with a savory, peppery, and earthy taste. - 3 mina

 

MARIZBRUD or MARIAN BREAD - A traditional form of bread, tracing its roots to the earliest days of the bygone Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska. It differs from other variations for its distinct use of local honey and a pinch of vanir salt in the bake but is also served with a side portion of them too for making it more savoury or sweet to the person’s preference. - 1 mina

 

PERPETUAL STEW - A pot into which whatever one can find is placed and cooked continuously. The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as needed. Such foods can continue cooking for months upon months or years even. [The customer rolls and the number determines the quality of that day’s stew] - 1 mina

 

 

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EVENTS & TRADITIONS

 

 

The Bear Trap boasts a wide variety of traditions from northern taverns that have spanned and remained popular for centuries as well as newer ones that bring a liveliness and constant buzz to the atmosphere at the tavern.

 

Some of our more famous and frequent events are, but not limited to:

 

BARE-KNUCKLE BOXING - Whilst a perfectly legal sport it is certainly not a high brow one and often frowned upon. Here at the Bear Trap we see it for what it is - entertainment! Taking place in the fight pit beneath the tavern, wrestle and punch your night away for the chance to win a monetary prize and the admiration of your peers if you prevail in the much anticipated fight nights. 

 

COMING OF AGE DRINKS - Though we in the Empire do not have an official drinking age it is generally accepted as being in the 16-18 years old range. We Highlanders have long held the belief that the best way to celebrate it is with alcohol. When someone comes of age we offer a discount package of all our drinks so that the newly minted adult can test each and every one so they can determine where their tastes lie early.

 

[Roll when you try each drink and the result determines which drink is the favourite, middling or a down right terrible choice to your character]

 

DRINKING COMPETITIONS - A long standing tradition and popular event the world over. Competitors take part in the tavern run contest for who can finish their drink the quickest in subsequent back to back rounds. The slowest participant in each round is eliminated until there are only two left. From then on the final two will each drink from a coveted bottle of DUKE BARUCH’S BRANDY until only one is left standing. The drink itself is a devilishly strong apple-based fruit brandy aged in whisky barrels that gives it a unique Ayrikiv take. This bottle can only be obtained by winning an official Bear Trap drinking competition and comes from the local brewery’s private reserves ordinarily reserved exclusively for the Ducal family in the region. It is stamped with the year of the victory when presented to the victor.

 

PUB QUIZ - With the challenges of physical and drinking prowess also comes the nights where one’s knowledge and intellect reigns supreme. The self explanatory pub quiz is thus the answer! Join us on one of our quiz nights as a team with one or more of your friends or with complete strangers if you can blag your way into forming one with them. All topics will be covered from history to politics to the natural world. If you think yourself a smart one, prove it and join us at the Bear Trap Tavern.

 

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THE INN AND ITS ROOMS

 

 

The Bear Trap is aptly named as once you’re in it you’ll be stuck. Unlike with its namesake it won’t be because you can’t leave it’ll be because you never want to. We at the Bear Trap have just the thing to help with that little problem. Rooms! Come and stay as long as your heart desires by making use of one of our many rooms for rent. Fully furnished and comfortable. 

 

We also offer subsidised terms for renting if you are a new worker or citizen of Tarnavon where we offer a discount or even temporarily free lodging until one can find their footing and a source of income in the busy village. 

 

Feel free to contact any tavern employee or the tavern’s owners, the Baruch family, to arrange a stay in this picturesque place.

 

Spoiler

 

Contact Duncan Baruch [CheekyNolan], Duncan Baruch Jr. [garentoft], Constantina Baruch [Cheese1sgrater], or Ser Otis [Pureimp10] to arrange for a room, free or otherwise, or join our discord and arrange some time to roleplay with somebody in there.