The Lazy Eye
by David Caraley
originally published in Earthdawn Journal #4

The Lazy Eye is located in a seedier side of Bartertown, down twisting side streets past numerous back alleys. As the party travels towards the tavern, they will be approached by women looking to sell their bodies for 5 silvers a night, young thugs offering various drugs, and if the party wasn't in a group, and carrying weapons, other thugs that would try to attack and rob the players.

There before you stands, or squats, the Lazy Eye. It is a rough wooden building, only one story tall, that has definitely seen better days. The boards are weather beaten, and a single rusty oil lamp illuminates the sign, a sign that shows a single eyeball with the lid half closed. There are a few figures hanging out by the alley near the corner of the building. They look up, and move a bit farther away from the light coming from the window and go back to talking to each other in whispers. There is the sound of raucous laughter coming from inside.

You enter the dimly lit common room. It has a hard packed dirt floor, and smoke from the lamps, from people's exotic pipes, and from the incense burners in the corners all serve to make it more difficult to see. The room is filled with tables made from barrels, and rough wooden chairs. And the clientele seems to be made up of Ork Scorchers, mercenaries, and others of the rougher trades. Everyone seems to be armed with some sort of weapon, and some seem to be wearing leather, or padded leather. They are sitting around telling stories, playing dice, arm wrestling, and latching onto the barmaids that pass by. A few of them look up as you come in, but they just go back to whatever they were doing. There are two Orks in leather armor at the door who watch you enter. A Human with a scarred face stands behind the bar, pouring drinks and passing them out to the barmaids. The barmaids are clad in flimsy silks or tight leathers. A drummer keeps a beat in the corner while an attractive dancer in very little clothes gyrates wildly for the amusement of the crowd. The crowd throws coppers every now and then.

The tavern serves ale (3 coppers), good ale (8 coppers), Dwarven stout (15 coppers), and Lightning (1 silver), a clear distilled liquor of great potency (for every drink, make a TOU test with a target of 7, or gain a -1 step modifier to any test involving DEX or PER. It also serves simple meals of breads, cheeses, and fruit (3 coppers).

The Lazy Eye opens at sunset when Tevis arrives to unlock the place and let the staff in. Tevis puts the cash box (containing 2D6 x 10 silvers in assorted coins) under the bar, and opens for business.

The tavern stays open until sunrise when the last of the patrons are thrown out, and clean up begins. Once the place is cleaned, the staff leaves and Tevis locks up and takes the cash box (now containing 3D10 x 10 silvers in assorted coins) home.


The Staff

Tevis - Human Tavernkeeper

DEX: 9: 4/D6 STR: 11: 5/D8 TOU: 13: 6/D10 
PER: 12: 5/D8 WIL: 9: 4/D6 CHA: 8: 4/D6
Initiative: 4/D6 Physical Defense: 6
Number of Attacks: 1 Spell Defense: 7
Attack: 6/D10 Social Defense: 5
Damage: 5/D8 Armor: 0
Number of Spells: 0 Mystic Armor: 0
Spellcasting: 0 Knockdown: 5/D8
Effect: 0 Recovery Tests: 2
Death Rating: 45 Combat Movement: 20
Wound Threshold: 9 Full Movement: 40
Unconsciousness Rating: 27 Legend Points: 50
Equipment: Bar things, dog
Loot: 3D6 x 10 silvers
Skills: Conversation 4: 8/2D6, Legends and Heroes 2: 7/D12, Local Lore 3: 8/2D6, Lock Picking 3: 7/D12, Music: Flute 1: 5/D8, Pick Pockets 3: 7D12, Speak Languages 8: 13/D12+D10 (Dwarven, Elf, Human, Obsidiman, Ork, Troll, T'skrang, Windling), Streetwise 5: 10/D10+D6, Unarmed Combat 2: 6/D10
Tevis was a minor thief that was caught after a particularly profitable robbery. He went to jail, where he received his scar. Still, he never talked, and when he was released five years later, his former partners set him up with this small tavern. He now runs the place and turns a decent profit. He is also well liked by the local underworld.

Grod, Nurg - Ork Bouncers

DEX: 10: 5/D8 STR: 16: 7/D12 TOU: 14: 6/D10 
PER: 12: 5/D8 WIL: 10: 5/D8 CHA: 9: 4/D6
Initiative: 5/D8 Physical Defense: 6
Number of Attacks: 1 Spell Defense: 7
Attack: 8/2D6 Social Defense: 6
Damage: 10/D10+D6 Armor: 3
Number of Spells: 0 Mystic Armor: 1
Spellcasting: 0 Knockdown: 7/D12
Effect: 0 Recovery Tests: 3
Death Rating: 36 Combat Movement: 29
Wound Threshold: 10 Full Movement: 57
Unconsciousness Rating: 28 Legend Points: 60
Equipment: Leather armor, club
Loot: D6 x 10 silvers
Skills: Melee 3: 8/2D6, Streetwise 3: 8/2D6, Unarmed Combat 3: 8/2D6
These two are best of friends and used to be street thugs, mugging people in back alleys until they got this more legitimate job. The still get to bust heads, but now the Watch doesn't arrest them for it. As many of the patrons are their friends and owe both Tevis and the two Orks favors, most of the clientele will fight to defend the tavern staff.

Nevia, Enya, Fiani - Human Barmaids / Dancers

DEX: 11: 5/D8 STR: 9: 4/D6 TOU: 10: 5/D8 
PER: 11: 5/D8 WIL: 10: 5/D8 CHA: 14: 6/D10
Initiative: 5/D8 Physical Defense: 7
Number of Attacks: 1 Spell Defense: 6
Attack: 6/D10 Social Defense: 8
Damage: 4/D6 Armor: 0
Number of Spells: 0 Mystic Armor: 0
Spellcasting: 0 Knockdown: 4/D6
Effect: 0 Recovery Tests: 2
Death Rating: 31 Combat Movement: 27
Wound Threshold: 8 Full Movement: 45
Unconsciousness Rating: 22 Legend Points: 50
Equipment: Clothes, smile
Loot: 2D6 silvers
Skills: Bartending 2: 7/D12, Dancing 3: 9/D8+D6, Flirting 3: 9/D8+D6, Singing 1: 7/D12, Unarmed Combat 1: 6/D10
These girls serve drinks when it is not their turn to dance. They are all flirts, and their favors are for hire if the price is right. They generally charge 1 silver per CHA step below 10 (for example, someone with a Charisma of 14, with a Step 6 would be charged 4 silvers). They also charge Orks and additional 2 silvers. They won't go off with Obsidimen or Trolls.

Scarlet - Elven Barmaid / Dancer

DEX: 13: 6/D10 STR: 9: 4/D6 TOU: 8: 4/D6 
PER: 12: 5/D8 WIL: 11: 5/D8 CHA: 17: 7/D12
Initiative: 6/D10 Physical Defense: 7
Number of Attacks: 1 Spell Defense: 7
Attack: 7/D12 Social Defense: 9
Damage: 4/D6 Armor: 0
Number of Spells: 0 Mystic Armor: 1
Spellcasting: 0 Knockdown: 4/D6
Effect: 0 Recovery Tests: 2
Death Rating: 28 Combat Movement: 33
Wound Threshold: 7 Full Movement: 65
Unconsciousness Rating: 19 Legend Points: 55
Equipment: Clothes, smile
Loot: 4D6 silvers
Skills: Bartending 2: 7/D12, Dancing 4: 11/D10+D8, Flirting 3: 10/D10+D6, Pick Pockets 3: 9/D8+D6, Singing 1: 8/2D6, Streetwise 4: 9/D8+D6, Unarmed Combat 1: 7/D12
Scarlet is a beautiful elf girl with flowing red hair who grew up an orphan on the streets of Bartertown. She had no money or family, and rapidly learned that there was more money to be made with seducing than with stealing. She generally will not make passes at anyone under a CHA of 13, and only seduces Humans and Elves. Though she isn't any type of Adept, she has learned to spend Karma on Seduction. She charges 8 silvers.

Norvan - Human Musician

DEX: 12: 5/D8 STR: 11: 5/D8 TOU: 11: 5/D8 
PER: 13: 6/D10 WIL: 10: 5/D8 CHA: 13: 6/D10
Initiative: 5/D8 Physical Defense: 7
Number of Attacks: 1 Spell Defense: 7
Attack: 6/D10 Social Defense: 7
Damage: 8/2D6 Armor: 2
Number of Spells: 0 Mystic Armor: 0
Spellcasting: 0 Knockdown: 5/D8
Effect: 0 Recovery Tests: 2
Death Rating: 32 Combat Movement: 29
Wound Threshold: 8 Full Movement: 57
Unconsciousness Rating: 24 Legend Points: 50
Equipment: Craft tools (including something used as a club), padded cloth armor
Loot: D6 x 10 silvers
Skills: Appraise Music 3: 9/D8+D6, Melee 1: 6/D10, Play Instrument 4: 10/D10+D6, Streetwise 3: 9/D8+D6, Trading 3: 8/2D6
He is an old drummer who has seen too much and worked too hard. He now sits back and takes a quarter of the tips thrown to the dancers. He overhears a lot, though, and might be willing to exchange information if the price was right.


Adventure Seeds

  1. Tevis hid his share of the loot from his last mission before he was caught and sent to prison. Since he was released, and gifted with this tavern, he has never gone back to get his loot. He knows where it is, he hid it in the floor boards of an abandoned house. The problem is that the house isn't abandoned anymore. It is now the home of a powerful Nethermancer Adept. And he values his privacy. Make the loot contain something of interest to the players, a magical amulet, or a book of some sort that has information that they need.
  2. Scarlet is being stalked by a jilted lover and she attempts to seduce a player in order to get him to protect her. Of course, the jilted lover is a Swordmaster Adept of violent temper. He will view any interference in his pursuit of Scarlet as an insult.

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