Alan Alyth

Alan Alyth, the tavern’s current owner and proprietor, is a neutral half-elf noble with darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. Alan recently turned seventy-five years old and has run the establishment for decades. His elven blood through his half-elf mother has kept him alive this long, and keeps him looking better than most full-blooded humans his age. He runs a moneylending business on the side, offering loans to customers he trusts. He rarely gives loans to adventurers, knowing how flighty they can be, but he might offer them a free glass of elverquisst wine if he thinks it’ll keep their swords sheathed (see the “Taverns in Baldur’s Gate” sidebar).

Alan Alyth tends bar while two young men (human commoners) named Falten and Yimiur take orders, deliver drinks and food to tables, and joke with the clientele. Flanking the entrance are two bouncers: a suit of animated armor called Klank and a gruff female half-ogre named Skoona. Both are here to protect the other staff members, not the patrons, and won’t break up a fight unless a staff member is involved.

Well-armed patrons (commoners and thugs mostly) huddle around tables in the main room and in private booths. Three padded chairs are angled toward a fireplace on the east wall, underneath the creaky wooden staircase that climbs to the second floor. Some drunk is usually passed out on the couch against the north wall. Next to the couch sits a wooden sea chest that contains an assortment of games (Dragonchess boards, well-used decks of Three-Dragon Ante cards, and so on).

 Alan’s Bedroom

Alan carries a master key that unlocks the door to his private bedroom. Picking the lock requires thieves’ tools and a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.

Alan’s room contains a bed with an ornate iron frame, a claw-footed chest, a night table, and a wardrobe. Splayed out on the floor in front of the wardrobe is a rug of smothering that attacks anyone other than Alan who steps on it or opens the chest.

Treasure. The chest’s interior is divided into three equal-sized compartments containing 91 gp, 176 sp, and 288 cp, respectively. Alan uses this money to pay his staff and maintain the tavern.

TAVERNS IN BALDUR’S GATE

No wise person walks the streets of Baldur’s Gate or enters one of its taverns without a weapon or an armed escort. Anyone who has lived in the city for more than a tenday knows this from experience. Taverns might appear safe at a glance, but they are among the most dangerous places in Baldur’s Gate — full of alcohol, tempting coin, and unscrupulous people. Volothamp Geddarm, a notorious raconteur known for his tavern reviews, encapsulates his Baldur’s Gate experience as “hard on the stomach, especially when someone sticks a knife in there.” Customers are expected to look after themselves when fights break out, and one shouldn’t expect any help or sympathy from the Flaming Fist. Tavern murders are common, and usually end with the poor victim being dragged away and either left in an alley (to be picked clean by urchins, then eaten by rats) or tossed in the harbor.

Baldur’s Bones. Baldur’s Bones is a popular dice game in the taverns of Baldur’s Gate. Each player requires several six-sided dice. The rules are as follows:

• Each player puts the agreed ante in the pot.
• Each player rolls three dice. Play then proceeds clockwise around the table, with the host of the game going last.
• On their turn, a player can choose to “stand” or “roll.” If the player stands, the next player can take a turn. A player who rolls takes an additional die and rolls it. If the total of their dice exceeds 21, they “bust” and are out of the game. Otherwise they can keep rolling additional dice until they either stand or break.
• After everyone has had a turn, the highest point total (excluding players who busted) wins the game and takes the pot.