Rings of Honor

- A FreeForm Roleplaying Community  

Harper's Hearth rests on the edge of the vast dark tangle that is the Deep Wilds. Two Waystones on the path offer a two-way portal to the much thinner and tamer woods across the street from the Golden Perch Inn. Trails of smoke from two chimneys, one large and one small, let you know when you are close.

The thatched roof of Harper's Hearth is nearly as old as the forest itself, wound through with moss and vines and more alive than dead, sloping gently beneath the boughs of towering oaks. A stream winds its way past the stables where patrons water their mounts, ordinary and strange. Eerie yet strangely inviting light spills from a number of pale green glass windows on the face of the peak-roofed building, welcoming visitors up the ramp over the water and through the claw-scarred door to the tavern over the stables.

Chandeliers formed from horns and antlers dangle from timbers that run the length of the common room, bathing the interior in golden light that forms a hazy border with the green glow from the enchanted windows. Two long, low tables lined with hand-carved chairs fill the center, with two smaller tables near the door for those who wish to keep an eye on who’s coming - or be nearer the exit.

The bar on the right-hand side is made with polished, pitch black wood. The shelves behind it are stocked with the usual fare and more than a few bottled treasures that find their way here from Faerie. To either side of the bar is the kitchen, with the sound and smell of bubbling stew and warm bread, and the stairs down to the stables, with the heavy scent of hay and livestock.

On the left are stairs up to a number of modest but comfortable rooms, most with an angled ceiling; and along the back wall is the hearth, with a few small stools for those who wish to warm themselves, and a single chair for a bard.