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The Stunned Acolyte

If the Truncheon is a dive bar, the Stunned Acolyte is a five-star resort. It is the premier inn in Gosterwick, catering to wealthy merchants, high-ranking clergy, and successful adventuring parties who have actually made it back from the Halls with gold to spend.

The Vibe: Elegance, luxury, and exclusivity. The floors are scrubbed, the linens are fresh, and the wine is imported from the Archontean heartlands.

The "Kind of People" Rule: The innkeepers are notoriously snobbish. If you walk in covered in dungeon filth and goblin blood, you will be turned away at the door. You need to look—and spend—like a professional.

Hirelings: You won't find desperate "meat shields" here. Instead, you'll find Specialists: master locksmiths, veteran mercenary captains, and scholars of Thothian lore. They demand high wages and a significant share of the loot, but they won't flee at the first sight of a skeleton.

The Information Hub: This is where you overhear the "high-level" rumors. While the Puddle tells you about goblin raids, the Acolyte is where you hear about the movements of the Green Lady or the secret expeditions of the Archontean Legions.

The Muddy Puddle

Simply known as "The Puddle" to its regulars, this is a tough tavern that serves as the heart of Gosterwick’s working class.

Atmosphere: While still rough, it is less "criminal" than the Truncheon. It’s a place for laborers, excavators, and local Thorcin husbandmen to blow off steam. It is loud, boisterous, and physically violent, but usually in a "friendly" competitive way.

Activities: The main attractions here are drinking, dicing, and wrestling. It serves simple bar food (mostly stews and hard bread) that is a step above the Truncheon’s offerings but miles below the fine dining of The Stunned Acolyte.

Hirelings: If you need "honest" muscle—men and women who aren't afraid of hard work and know how to use a shovel or a mace—this is your spot. The hirelings here (like Ulf the Excavator) are often more reliable than the thugs at the Truncheon, but they generally refuse to enter areas rumored to be "unholy" or "haunted" unless paid a significant premium.

The Bailiff’s Truncheon

This is the seediest bar in Gosterwick. It is cheap, dirty, and almost always crowded with people who don't want to be found by the local authorities or the agents of Lady Alexia.

Atmosphere: It is a low-ceilinged, smoky dive bar where the air smells of stale ale and unwashed bodies. It caters to the desperate, the thuggish, and those with very little silver to their name.

The Secret Fights: It is an "open secret" in Gosterwick that the Truncheon has two sizable basements. While the first is for storage and illicit deals, the second basement hosts nightly, high-stakes bare-knuckle fights.

Hirelings: This is the best place to find "expendable" help—torchbearers, thugs, and pit-fighters who are willing to enter the dungeon for a single gold piece because they have no other options. However, their loyalty is incredibly low, and they are likely to flee at the first sign of a Babau or a Setite cultist.