The House of Swords

Here, mercenaries, sell-swords, bounty hunters, treasure-seekers, guides, itinerant wizards, bards, and explorers meet to drink, swap stories, find employment, hire trainers, barter goods, buy rations and equipment, and seek medical attention (a cleric is usually on-call here and can offer basic healing spells in exchange for a hefty donation). The owner is Thoros Bloodbeard, a one-armed dwarven warrior who was forced to retire from adventuring after an encounter with a vicious manticore (its head is mounted in the common room). The House of Swords turns no profit for Thoros, but he made a small fortune in his adventuring days and is happy to spend the coin for a chance to swap stories with a variety of adventurers. He’d never admit it, but it is obvious that he opened the House of Swords so that he could vicariously experience at least some of the camaraderie and zest of the adventuring life he once knew. It has become a tradition that every band passing through Penhaligon sign their names or leave some small memento on the walls of the common room, and the names of many famous adventurers can be found here. Some of the adventuring bands currently in town who frequent the House of Swords include: the Bloodbrothers, Swiftblade, Underhand, and the Sisters of Steel. Local heroes Sharrlaya Dancingblade and her partner Keio Ohara come by often, as do their more sinister counterparts, the bounty-hunting duo Mara Pike and Bryar Cobb.