POXMUTH (PAKSMUTH): EASTERN LANDS OF SESAMAR
| Socioeconomics: | Large Poor Class, Medium Working Class, and Small Affluent |
| Ruling Body: | Yet to Be Determined |
| Maps: | Eastern Lands South |
| Rumors: | See below |
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The Fighting Pits of Poxmuth
©Scott Hibberson, Posted with Permission |
This grimy city is a one of ill repute. There are thieves, bandits, and cutthroats that thrive here. It is the home of crooked politicians, thieves, assassins, misdeeds of the night, and general mayhem.
The slanderous name of the city is based on a disease. The disease caused a ring around the affected person's mouth, hence "Poxmouth." The disease has since been eradicated but the nickname lives on. Most people no longer call it by its proper name, Paksmuth.
It is rumored that Paksmuth participates in slave trade with Joria. Some people say slave traders work with gnolls, lizard men, and hobgoblins. Regardless, unsuspecting travelers, city dwellers, and rural townsfolk routinely disappear. Due to the constant pressure caused by orcs and hobgoblins, the light of Kornas has been unable to clean up this city.
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Poxmuth's welcome is a cold one. The guards at the city gates, clad in mismatched armor that gleams with a dull menace, scrutinize every visitor with suspicion. Their questions are curt, their gazes lingering just a beat too long on any sign of nervousness. Resistance here is a fool's game; fear hangs heavy in the air, a thick fog that chills even the bravest soul.
Beyond the gates, the stench assaults the senses. It's not a single, identifiable odor, but a noxious symphony of decay -- rancid milk curdling in the sun, the acrid tang of cat urine, the unmistakable reek of rotting meat, and a pervasive layer of sweat that speaks of unwashed bodies crammed into too-small spaces. The citizens of Poxmuth navigate the uneven cobblestone streets with a haunted look in their eyes, each step a testament to the city's weary resilience. Poxmuth isn't a place you visit; it's a place you endure, a city where survival seems the only remaining industry.
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The city of pain and pleasure: it is known for its fighting pits and its house of courtesans.
The pits are used for both sport and punishment for crimes. The pits are brutal and the red-stained sand remains after the bodies are hauled away. Travelers either bet on the games or get caught up in the local politics and become forced participants in them. Some fights are to the death.
The Wild Nymph is a pleasure palace. Visitors can partake in a variety of indoor activities. While this business markets mostly to those who hold deep pockets, no visitor goes away unhappy.
Poxsmuth has an issue with half-orcs. Since orcs are a constant threat to existence here, anything orc-related results with strong feelings. Yet, the innocent half-orcs that are created by marauding orcs need a place in society. This dilemma causes a huge problem for the half-orcs in this region and elsewhere in the realm. It is an ongoing issue that leaders have to solve. Many half-orcs feel forced to live in Joria where they are treated only moderately better than they are in this city.
Notable Taverns/Bars/Inns: Inn and Out (I), Dee's Is Its (B), and Potty Mouth (T).
Inn and Out (Inn)
This inn is simple. Get a room. Sleep. Get the heck out. There are no frills or excitements to be had here, except maybe a case of bed bugs.
The inn is run by a skinny, mild-mannered guy, named Florus -- hardly the guy for an innkeeper at a rough town. It is a shock that he is still in business.
Here are the rooms it has available.
| | Description | Cost/Night |
Mouse Hole
Rooms 1-15 | These are tiny rooms. They contain a medium bed (barely sleeps three), chests with blankets, and a chamber pot. | 1s pp |
Squirrel Nest
Rooms 1-10 | These rooms are a bit larger than the Mouse Holes. They are large enough to hold a large bed (sleeps three), a large chest with blankets and a chamber pot. | 2s pp |
King's Rooms
Rooms 1-5 | These rooms are larger than the Squirrel Nests. There is a very large bed (sleeps three comfortably), a large chest with blankets, a chamber pot, and a desk with parchment, ink, and pen. | 4s pp |
This is the food and drink specialties it offers.
| Menu Specialties |
| | Description | Cost |
| Good Mead | This is a sweet honey mead. | 1s |
| Good Ale | It is an ale. Nothin' special... | 1s |
| Chicken | It is cooked. It comes with soggy vegetables. | 1s |
| Pork | It is cooked. It comes with soggy vegetables. | 1s |
Dee's Is Its (Bar)
This bar is run by women. The job requirement is that they be busty and willing to respond to the name "Dee." At least two women always work the bar at any time. It is open for business all day long, every day of the week. It is a rowdy crowd; so, the bouncer always has his hands full. The bouncer has a job description, too. He must be huge -- the uglier the better. Half-orcs are always welcome in this regard.
This is a list of the drinks it offers.
| Menu Specialties |
| | Description | Cost |
| DD | This is a large tankard of acceptable ale. This is the standard drink served here. | 1s |
| Make it Milky | It is a mead made with milk. It is decent, but garners chuckles from the locals. | 2s |
| Bottom's Up | This is an ale. It is not the drink that is special, however. It is the method in which it is served. It tastes like DD, but there is less of it. | 1s |
| Parody | It is a warm ale that is rarely ordered. No one understands why it is still offered. | 1s |
Potty Mouth (Tavern)
The only thing that is interesting about this tavern are the people who come here. It is a motley crew of business people, thieves, sailors, and people who are looking for a brawl.
This is the drink specialties it offers.
| Menu Specialties |
| | Description | Cost |
| Black Eye | Some of them come for free, but this ale is cold and dark. It actually tastes good. | 1s |
| Sea Legs | This is a mead made with sea weed that is said to pack a punch. Several of these drinks and the imbiber will be wobbly-legged and on the floor. | 2s |
Soap in
the Mouth | This is a pun because everyone swears in this place. This is usually ordered for someone else who told a good story or joke and swore. It's an ale. Nothing more than that... | 1s |
#$*^ on
a Shingle | It was an honest attempt at a sausage, but the casing was thrown away. It looks nasty and it tastes a little better than it looks, if one holds one's nose. Street food looks better than this and those venders may be using rats. | 1s |
| ½-Chicken | It is probably chicken. It smells better than everything else. "What do they do with the rest of the chicken?," asks Vlaruuk, the half-orc. | 1s |
Rumors
- Guards are bringing false charges on those who they dislike. They get sentenced to time in the fighting pits.
- The Hacked Hand raiding party (see Orc Lands) is frequently mounting assaults on local farmers.
- The Wild Nymph (see above) is said to be run by a regent who has ties to an assassin's guild.
- Villagers are complaining about the river water (from Dreadwood). It is darkened, smelly, and tastes strange. Crops that are irrigated with the water are growing differently.
