The Dancing Bear The Known World & Raging Swan Press The current year for our homebrewed campaign setting is set during 672 CY (Common Year). Inspired By Gary Gygax

The Dancing Bear is a rambling, three-storey inn and tavern on Steel Street in Dulwich, popular with adventurers, travellers, and off-duty guardsmen. Its cavernous common room displays the ageing, mounted heads of wild beasts and monsters—trophies from its proprietor’s former adventures. These reminders of dangerous expeditions give the establishment its distinctive character and provide visiting adventurers with plenty to discuss over a drink.

The proprietor, Nurlon Rekunen, is a retired half-elven adventurer who purchased the inn more than a century ago. A respected local figure, he knows much about the southern forests and sometimes shares stories of his travels with customers he likes.

His twin sister, Nalthra, runs Dulwich’s renowned jewellery business, and Nurlon readily directs customers with gemstones to sell toward her shop. Despite his comfortable circumstances, Nurlon carries the sadness of someone who has outlived generations of relatives. Raised by his human mother and her family, he has watched his siblings’ descendants grow old and die while he remains. When deep in his cups, his welcoming manner sometimes gives way to melancholy. Those who befriend him may hear stories that reveal the personal cost of his long life alongside its adventures.

Much of the inn’s daily business is handled by Liekko Unaja, a trusted employee who has worked there for two decades. Nurlon relies on her to keep things running smoothly, and she is deeply loyal to him. Liekko possesses an excellent singing voice and sometimes joins visiting entertainers during their performances. These appearances bring her pleasure, although she regrets never having had the opportunity to pursue a singing career.

Nurlon’s sixteen-year-old niece, Sanni Rekunen, brings youthful enthusiasm to the establishment. She loves meeting people, welcoming guests, and being surrounded by entertainment. Already convinced that she is an excellent host and practically in charge of the tavern, she approaches her duties with considerable confidence. Nurlon indulges her ambitions, allowing her to enjoy a sense of importance within the family business.

During the day, the Dancing Bear is usually quiet. Overnight guests linger in the common room nursing hangovers while the staff clean, tidy, and replenish the bar. This quieter atmosphere gives visitors an opportunity to speak with the staff or discuss their plans without competing with an evening crowd. Travellers preparing to leave and guests recovering from the previous night account for much of the daytime custom.

After dark, the inn becomes a lively gathering place where bards, storytellers, and travelling actors entertain an appreciative crowd. The Dancing Bear has a reputation for wild nights, attracting people eager to celebrate, drink, and forget their troubles. Raucous songs and animated conversations frequently fill the common room. The tavern remains open into the early hours, although the noise generally subsides after midnight. The Dancing Bear offers large, plainly furnished rooms for 2 sp per night, making it a practical base for companions exploring the surrounding wilderness.

The establishment serves breakfast, lunch and even supper. Its varied clientele offers opportunities to hear local rumours, meet potential companions, and find employment guarding merchants on dangerous roads.

(All full meals served with bread and honey, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, cabbage, carrots, or spinach)

BREAKFAST
Peppered Bread: 7cp
Oatmeal: 3cp
Boiled Goose Eggs: 4cp
Chicken Eggs: 2cp
Fruit and Cheese: 3cp
Beef Steak: 2sp
Fried Potato Wedges: 2cp
Pork Sausages: 1sp

AFTERNOON MEALS
Beef Stew: 1sp
Boiled Crawfish with Drawn Butter: 1sp
Poached Salmon: 8cp
Spiced Sausages: 9cp
Stuffed Pork Chops: 1sp
Stuffed Black Trout: 1sp
Steak and Kidney Pie: 2sp
Venison Steak: 2sp
Stuffed Pheasant: 1sp
Roast Duck with Apples: 1sp
Roast Goose: 1sp
Cheese rolls with a Filling of Nuts, Honey and Vegetables: 9cp
Smoked Salmon Salad: 9cp
Apple Stuffed Mushrooms: 5cp
Roast Beef with Cranberry Sauce: 9cp

BEVERAGES
Whiskey: 6cp
Rum: 7cp
Beer: 2cp
Heavy Beer: 3cp
Ale: 4cp
Spiced Ale: 7cp
Mead: 9cp
Local Wine: 9cp
Fireamber Wine: 1sp
Local Brandy: 1sp

On any given night, 1-5 of the private rooms are rented, and 1-4 of the beds in the common room are occupied. The upper rooms are very clean, and all of the rooms are heated and with the inn only having seven standard rooms and seven private suites, they are easy to maintain and keep comfortable for the guests. Each room has a bed, many covers & blankets, a wash stand, chamber pot, towel, pegs for garments, and several chairs and stools.

ROOM NIGHTLY PRICES
(12) Standard Suite: 1gp