TANTILUS ISLAND: SEA OF FATE
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| Tantilus, Sea of Fate |
This small island (roughly 5 miles long and 2 miles wide) with high cliffs around it off of
Sesamar is the richest island in the entire sea. This is a well-known fact. Tantilus is known for its public baths, expensive items, and general opulence. It is home to the rich and artisans of textiles, painted ceramics, paintings, and sculptures.
The temperate climate makes it sought after as a place to live and retire, if one can afford it. Living in or near the city center of Nolos is extremely expensive, as is living in Tork to the south.
Considering the affluent shoppers who visit here and the wealthy people who on the island, it is a pickpocket's dream come true. However, the island is patrolled by a high number of guards. They abide by rules meant to dissuade such thievery: fines, public stocks, flogging, and worse.
If you want it, Tantilus will either have it or you can get it. Keep in mind, Tantilus is an extremely discrete trading zone for merchants.
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Appearing as if the island has been thrust out of the ocean, jagged cliffs, weathered smooth by salt and time, lead the eye upwards to a dizzying network of steeply inclined steps. Hewn directly from the rock itself, the lower steps are slick with the spray of crashing waves, a constant challenge for those laden with cargo.
Emerging onto the island plateau, a bustling marketplace unfolds. Opulent merchant shops line cobbled streets. Wealthy merchants in silks and satins mingle with weathered travelors in worn leathers, their pockets heavy with coin. The air thrums with a cacophony of languages, punctuated by the rhythmic clanging of coins and mercahnt's wagon wheels on stone.
A symphony of exotic aromas assaults the senses. The sweet, yeasty scent of freshly baked pastries mingles with the rich, savory fragrance of grilling meats, sending a delicious pang through the stomach. The tang of the sea and the earthy scent of spices carried on the moist air complete the intoxicating tapestry of smells.
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TANTILUS LOCATIONS
-- Karvelle --
Resting at the southern most area of the island, it is home to a few small pastoral estates. The view to the southwest is striking and very calming.
-- Tork --
This windy, hilly north of center area of the island gets a cross-breeze through a hill pass to its northwest. Many luxury estates are found here.
-- Vivelle --
This south of center area of the island is surrounded by hills, but the land is relatively flat here. There is a view to the east. Sites of many twisting water spouts can be haunting. This is the location where less than affluent workers live in humble, but sturdy stone homes.
-- Nolos --
The following information pertains specifically to the city of Nolos, which rests at the northwest edge of the cliffed island.
Notable Taverns/Bars/Inns: Grandeur (I), Purple Pegasus (I), Drop Some Coin (T), Splendoor (T), and Janith's Vine (T).
Grandeur (Inn)
The inn...? No. It is a hotel. It is hard to tell how many stories there are due to the complex exterior facade, but there are at least four stories. Each level has tiled floors, impressive tapestries, and personal rooms.
The rooms Grandeur has available are described below.
| | Description | Cost/Night |
Blue Gem
Rooms 1-14 | These small rooms. They contain a medium bed (sleeps two comfortably), chests with blankets, chamber pot, and bowl of fresh water for cleaning. | 2g pp |
Red Gem
Rooms 1-20 | These rooms are larger than Blue Gem rooms and they are considerably more lavish. These rooms are in a separate area from the other rooms. They also contain a large bed (sleeps three comfortably), fruit plate, writing materials, and an oil lamp. | 5g pp |
Purple Gem
Rooms 1-15 | These rooms are palatial. The rooms contain everything from the Red Gem rooms but are twice the size. They also come with a personal attendant who will care for the individual needs of all occupants (extra fees may apply). | 10g pp |
The managers, Garland Felstaff, Fa Turland, and Tythus Backbone, are notorious for getting people whatever they need, for generous tips, of course.
The Grandeur offers these specialty foods and drinks, as well as common foods and drinks.
| Item | Description | Cost |
| Island Allure | This is an exquisite red wine served in a brilliant painted brass goblet. | 5s |
| Sea Foam | This is a light ale. It has a soft taste with a lime and salt after taste (made in part from seaweed) and it is served in a hefty wooden mug. | 4s |
| Moribund Brew | This strong beer has a very strong hops flavor and it is high in alcohol. | 3s |
| Beef Ribs | From the finest Kornas calves, these ribs are cooked tender in a faint vinegar sauce. It is served with vegetables and a boiled potato. | 8s |
| Half Chicken | A chicken in simmered in a vegetable broth with marjoram. Then it is coated with oil and served with a baked potato. | 5s |
Purple Pegasus (I)
This inn is less elaborate than the Grandeur, but it overlooks a bizarre where many important transactions take place. This is the place to stay for wealthy merchants who want to make timely trades.
The theme is of course purple with Pegasus.
Rooms are comfortable, clean, and cost 6s per night per person. The place is run by a militant man, Hal Hawkson. Here are the foods and drinks it offers.
| Item | Description | Cost |
| Winged Flight | This is a fortified white wine that is initially sweet, but a strong dry after taste lingers. | 6s |
| Flared Nostrils | This ale has a peppery taste. Like a horse at full gallop, an imbiber of this brew with flair their nostrils, too. | 6s |
| Purple Grouper | Resting on a bed of its own purple scales, this fish is cooked with leeks and served with butter and lemon. It comes with a side of carrots, green beans, and small, boiled potatoes. | 7s |
Splendoor (T)
The entrance has a distinctive black iron fortified huge double wooden doors. Within one of the doors is a smaller door that opens to allow patrons to enter, one at a time. Beyond the door is a passage that leads to an open courtyard for patrons who wish to eat at large tables. On the far side of the courtyard is a door that leads to the bar area. The bar contains long tables with bench style seating. The wooden bar is long and intricately carved. It contains jewels and reliefs. The reliefs depict mermen, mermaids, and hippocampi.
| Menu Specialties |
| | Description | Cost |
| Merm Ale | This is a robust ale made from seaweed and tarragon. | 5s |
| Ocean Nymph | This mead has a strong honey taste that is balanced with some indescribable flavor to soften it. It is as delicate as a gentle mermaid. | 6s |
| Maximum Muscle | Mussels are extracted and cooked with cream, marjoram, and pepper. Then, the pasty mix is placed back onto the shells and served with bread. | 8s |
| Crab Cakes | This is a mix of crab, onion, mustard, and egg. It is breaded and pan-fried in butter. It is served as three large, but delicious lumps with corn on or off the cob. | 1g |
Drop Some Coin (T)
Like everywhere in Tantilus, this place is richly furnished. One 20-foot wall is covered with platinum pieces -- floor to ceiling! This establishment is open from noon to 10 pm.
| Menu Specialties |
| | Description | Cost |
| Grape Flutone | This red wine is super smooth and is server in an intricate chalice. | 8s |
| Coin of the Realm | This is a sudsy, Dwarf-influenced ale with thunderous affect due to its high alcohol concentration. | 7s |
| Blued Fin | This is freshly caught fish (halibut, tuna, yellowtail, cod, sea trout), usually served with toasted bread and a sweet, blueberry marmalade. | 7s |
| Cheese Plate | Four cheeses from Kornas, three bread slices, warm goat milk (beautifully laden with a mysterious alcohol), and tender cuts of salted ham from Astor. This is an appetizer for three people. | 8s |
Janith's Vine (T)
This is a typical type of tavern, but no tavern has quite the same view. The tavern literally has an open section that extends over a cliff. While the structure is very secure and it is angled in such a way as to make it difficult to stumble over, the drop would certainly be one no normal person could recover.
Ropes that have been dyed green to resemble vines hang over the structure and can be seen below by passengers aboard ships.
The name of the restaurant refers to an old tale about a rugged seagoer whose boat crashed on the rocks. The man climbed up vines to navigate up a cliff face. Long story short, Janith, being distraught that his son died an untimely death, threw himself over the cliff to the rocks below. The legend goes on to say that the sea did in fact claim the man's life the day his boat ran on the rocks, but the man simple did not know it.
This tavern is more about the view than it is about drinks and foods.
| Menu Specialties |
| | Description | Cost |
View of Heaven
or Hell | Drink enough of this strong red ale and you will depart this world for your end journey. It tastes divine (no-nonsense blast of mild alcohol made from cinnamon and cloves), but the hangover is like a devil smashing a rock on your skull (so rumors say). | 8s |
| Lamentations | This is a nutty flavored mead. It contains several spices said to bring melancholy. | 6s |
| Seaweed Salad | It comes with pan-fried chicken, pine nuts, (White Cliffs) honey, and drizzled with sweet vinegar. It is wonderfully balanced and surprisingly filling. It is likely not enticing cuisine for a barbarian, but Tantilus is not tolerant to such riff-raff. | 6s |
Rumors
- A huge laundering scheme exists in Trofi. It involves slave trade money to Joria and assassins who are paying for armaments to Hob'goroth.
