====== Troll's Head Inn ======

===== Summary =====
The **Troll's Head Inn** is a high-quality hostelry and fortified outpost located on the [[:skyss:places:drovers_way|drover's way]] between [[:skyss:places:riggin_dale|Riggin Dale]] and the city of [[:skyss:places:dacidade|Dacidade]] within the [[:skyss:places:cottalem|Kingdom of Cottalem]]. It is owned and operated by [[:skyss:chars:eskil|Eskil]] and [[:skyss:chars:arinhildr|Arinhildr]], two retired [[:skyss:chars:heroes|Heroes]] from the [[:skyss:chars:silent_service|Silent Service]] faction. Beyond its function as a transit hub for discerning travellers, the inn serves as a clandestine operations centre for those opposed to the [[:skyss:chars:godbloods|Godbloods]] and the ambitions of the renegade [[:skyss:chars:rojden|Rojden]].

===== Description =====

==== Architecture and Layout ====
The inn is easily distinguished by its namesake: the severed head of a troll mounted upon a pole as long as a spear and thicker than a man’s wrist, situated on the near side of the bridge leading to the hamlet. The main building is a large, three-storey structure with a steep roof, constructed in a style reminiscent of the northern halls of [[:skyss:places:skyss|Skyss]] but featuring multiple stone chimney breasts. The interior is a complex maze of dark wood-panelled corridors and linked rooms.

The wider complex includes:
  * A well-equipped forge and stone-flagged anvil area.
  * Four terraced cottages for staff and long-term guests.
  * Two open-sided wood stores and extensive stabling, which is significantly larger than the inn itself.
  * A perimeter defined by a wire fence with waist-high posts and four strands of wire. This forms a contiguous boundary, with the wire running under the bridges over the stream at the entrances, which enables Eskil's wards to work effectively. 
  * A row of privies located at the downstream end of the encircling stream.

==== The Bath House ====
A notable luxury of the establishment is its advanced bath house, situated adjacent to the forge. Using a system of water wheels and pipes wrapped around the forge’s chimney, the facility provides a constant flow of hot water into an azure-tiled pool set into the floor. The hot pool is stepped for comfort and features roof shutters that can be opened to view the sky. A second, cooler pool is fed directly from the stream through wire filters to exclude flotsam.

==== Security and Counter-Intelligence ====
The inn is one of the most secure locations in the southern continent. [[:skyss:chars:eskil|Eskil]], an adept in the mysteries of [[:skyss:pantheon:jorunn|Jorunn]], maintains a permanent ritual ward that makes the site impossible to scry for all but the most powerful practitioners. 

Furthermore, the establishment is equipped with specialised arcane detectors crafted by [[:skyss:chars:eskil|Eskil]]. These "geas detectors" are mounted above all doors and along the perimeter; they are attuned to rattle or vibrate in the presence of anyone under a magical compulsion, bearing enchanted items, or possessing significant divine blood. This ensures that the proprietors are immediately aware of any potential agents or hostile [[:skyss:chars:heroes|Heroes]] entering the area. These also act as a deterrent for the wrong sort of people, making them feel uneasy about the Inn. 

===== Political Significance =====
The Troll's Head operates as a safe haven for members of the [[:skyss:chars:covenanters|Covenanters]] and the [[:skyss:chars:silent_service|Silent Service]]. Entry is not predicated upon wealth but upon the guest's political alignment regarding the [[:skyss:chars:schism|Great Schism]]. The owners maintain an active vendetta against the [[:skyss:chars:godbloods|Godbloods]] and provide intelligence to the [[:skyss:places:bot|Board of Trade]] when it aligns with their mission to neutralise Rojden’s influence.

In late 774 AM, the inn provided critical sanctuary to [[:skyss:chars:yngvild|Yngvild the Fierce]] and [[:skyss:chars:noren|Noren]] during their flight to the coast. It was here they ditched their overland cart to make a final dash for the sea fort at [[:skyss:places:ocaso|Ocaso]].

===== Relationships =====

==== People ====
  * [[:skyss:chars:eskil|Eskil]]: Co-owner, master of enchantments and [[:skyss:pantheon:jorunn|Jorunnist]] ritualist.
  * [[:skyss:chars:arinhildr|Arinhildr]]: Co-owner, a formidable warrior and descendant of [[:skyss:pantheon:meniaxter|Meniaxter]] and [[:skyss:pantheon:aeolf|Aeolf]].
  * [[:skyss:chars:alfinna|Alfinna]]: A daughter of [[:skyss:chars:alfarinn|Alfarinn]] and former apprentice to [[:skyss:chars:eskil|Eskil]].
  * [[:skyss:chars:yngvild|Yngvild the Fierce]]: Hero who sought sanctuary at the inn.

==== Places ====
  * [[:skyss:places:riggin_dale|Riggin Dale]]: The agricultural region to the north-east.
  * [[:skyss:places:dacidade|Dacidade]]: The capital and terminus of the [[:skyss:places:great_west_road|Great West Road]].
  * [[:skyss:places:ocaso|Ocaso]]: The coastal extraction point for which the inn is a staging post.
  * [[:skyss:places:campedra|Campedra]]: The nearest major settlement.

==== Concepts ====
  * [[:skyss:chars:silent_service|Silent Service]]: The faction to which the owners belong.
  * [[:skyss:chars:godbloods|Godbloods]]: The faction hunted by the inn’s staff.
  * [[:skyss:chars:geas|Geas]]: Compulsions that the inn is specifically designed to detect.
  * [[:skyss:chars:schism|Great Schism]]: The historical conflict that defines the inn's patronage policy.
  * [[:skyss:places:great_west_road|Great West Road]]: The continental trade artery serviced by the drover's way.

^  [[:skyss:welcome]]  ^  [[:skyss:characters]]  ^  [[:skyss:places]]  ^  [[:skyss:pantheon]]  ^  [[:skyss:other]]  ^


{{tag>fantasy world-building Skyss Trolls_Head Inn Cottalem Places Fierce 2026 james}}