Wyrd of the Week: Mayfair Pub

 This time on Wyrd of the Week, we're going to explore the Mayfair Pub, a drop-in location that can be included in your legendarium. This cozy watering hole can be a place for heroes to relax, share a pint, some fellowship, and maybe get caught up in a new, unexpected adventure.

The Mayfair Pub

Looking for all the world like a cozy wooden cottage with an off-kilter chimney, log walls covered in ivy, and a small wooden door with a frosted glass window, the Mayfair Pub is a welcome sight to passing travelers and thirsty locals. A tiny lake, sometimes enjoyed by local children who fish or play in the waters is nestled on the path from the road to the Mayfair. Travelers who open the door and duck into the tiny, two room building are immediately greeted by a combination of raucous laughter and lively music mixed with the scents of home-cooked meals (try the mince pies!), dark ale, and a hint of pipe smoke hanging in the air. 

Unlike most pubs, the Mayfair doesn't have a bar. Instead, the proprietor, one Gilderoy Mayfair, pops in and out of a side door between the kitchen and the common room to hand out meals, meads, and good cheer. A scattering of tables surrounded by stools creates a cozy feel and a small corner stage hosts a performer or two on occasion. Rafters of wooden beams run barely eight feet from the plank floor with lanterns hanging from hooks to cast twinkling light about the place on even the coldest night with the aid of a large fireplace. The tables of the pub are old and well-cared, each featuring a small Tenstone set for patrons to play to pass the time.

Gilderoy Mayfair (2nd-level Human Bard) himself seems to operate the pub without assistance from additional staff, often to the amazement of his patrons. His flashing grin, perfectly kept facial hair, and the twinkling light that seems to catch on his spectacles combine with a simple style of dress to create a welcoming persona. Regular patrons of the Mayfair know that Gilderoy has a policy of offering the first drink of the night for free in return for a new tale of adventure for his ears. 

The tiny kitchen of the Mayfair has a small brick oven and a trap door to a chilled cellar where salted meat and wine are stored. Unbeknownst the patrons, Mayfair keeps the service of a Brownie (see The Hero's Journey 2e Core Rulebook, page 150) to help him maintain the establishment. The Brownie, named Crumpet, is quite friendly with Gilderoy and keeps a small bedroom in the cold storage basement. Gilderoy treats Crumpet as an equal and in spite of the former's encouragement, the Brownie refuses to let the patrons know of his presence. 

Gilderoy himself keeps humble quarters in a loft over the kitchen where there is little more than a straw mattress, stool with a writing desk and handful of books, and a wooden trunk.

The grounds outside the back side of the pub are speckled with opportunities for outdoor sportsmanship. Horseshoe pits for a friendly game, straw bails for archery contests, and even wooden target boards for ax throwing are all available for patrons to enjoy. 

A Night at the Mayfair Pub

Player characters who spend an evening at the Mayfair Pub receive Advantage on all roles to Relax Around the Campfire. In addition, if they become regulars at the pub (which takes about a month of regular appearances), Gilderoy becomes a bit of a patron to them and will provide them with news, rumors, and the occasional free meal. Though not a true inn, Gilderoy will sometimes allow regulars to sleep in the common room for the night.

Being a busy location, frequented by many travelers who might bring any manner of adventure to the very doors of the pub. On any given night where the players are spending several hours at the Mayfair Pub, the Narrator can roll on the table below to see if anything unusual happens.

A Night at the Mayfair Pub

Roll (1d12)	Event
1-6	No special events.
7	A Goblin Merchant (see THJ2e, pg 171) wanders in and tries to strike up a bargain with the player characters.
8	In the middle of a heavy rainstorm a scared child bursts in and claims their parents have been taken by an ogre who lairs in the nearby wilderness.
9	A group of 1d4+1 Robbers (see THJ2e, pg 126) stumbles into the pub, drunk and claiming that Gilderoy owes them 1d6x10 gold pieces and will get violent if not driven off or paid.
10	A strange hermit enters the pub, sitting at a table alone and speaking to no one. If approached, the hermit speaks cryptically that the player character is either cursed (1-3 on 1d6) or blessed (4-6 on 1d6). The character wakes up the next morning with a one-point increase to their Weal modifier for the next 1d4 days.
11	Mayfair regretfully informs the evening’s patrons that the beer has run dry. If the player characters are regulars, he pulls them aside and asks them if they can convince the Clurichaun (see below) that has taken up residence by the beer barrels to depart.
12	A troupe of baudy singers enters the tavern to provide a night of raucous entertainment. Everyone present automatically gains the benefits as if they had successfully Relaxed Around the Campfire (see THJ2e, pg 90), but has  horrible hangover the next morning, imposing Disadvantage on any Insight-based Attribute Saving Throws made that day..

Clurichaun (Fey)

Defense: 17

Endurance: 8

Reduction Value: 2

Attack Modifier: +1

Attacks: Brawling (1d6)

Special: Bless the Brew, Purse Keeper, Suckerpunch, Vanish

Move: 4

Saving Throw: 18

Despair Rating: 3

Rare cousins to Brownies and Boggarts, the Clurichaun are tiny fey standing no more than six inches tall with withered faces. Their eyes twinkle with mischief, they wear leather aprons, and have silver buckles upon their shoes. Tough in the fiber and stronger than they look, Clurichaun are most often found in the cold storage or beer and wine cellars, if they are found at all. Though they do not tend to household duties like a brownie, they do always ensure that the beverages remain of the utmost quality - usually through ample sampling. If they find the supply to be lacking in quality, they will secretly work to improve its quality through their magics, though only if the kegs, crocks, and bottles are well-tended, the taps kept clean, and the patrons treated honestly.

  If discovered, a Cluriachaun tends to be abrasive and belligerent. They will typically scream and yell and threaten whomever discovered them in hopes that the individual will simply retreat in shock and awe - or simply look away as a stream of obscenities pours from the tiny fey’s mouth. All it takes is an instant of being unobserved a Cluriachaun can completely vanish from sight and become totally invisible. Strong for their tiny size, a Chluriachaun’s punch packs quite a lot of power and if they are able to suckerpunch a target unaware, they receive Advantage to their attack roll and they ignore the target’s Reduction Value. Finally, if cornered and unable to defend themselves or escape, a Clurichaun will offer its captors the choice of between one of two purses it carries. It will reveal that one purse contains only a single copper piece, while the other is filled with 5d4 gold pieces. Whichever purse is taken, after the Clurichaun has escaped their former captors will find themselves holding the purse containing a single copper coin.

Clurichauns enjoy a good brew and if player characters can manage to calm one down and share a story or two over a pint, they may learn the location of a long forgotten treasure or secret heirloom hidden away somewhere in some far off land. They are always solitary and if the tavern is treated poorly or bad brew is served, they are known to drag the tavern keeper from its bed into the basement, beat them senseless, and depart forever. Like most fey they are immune to most weapons, save those that have been Blessed or made from Cold Iron.