Shuttle's Shipyard

The Salty Wench

3 min read

The Salty Wench

A rowdy dockside tavern wedged between a rope-walk and a condemned warehouse in Edge Thread, just off Mooring Row. The sign depicts a mermaid with an expression of profound annoyance. Inside, the air is thick with pipe smoke, spilled ale, and the lingering promise of violence.

Location

Edge Thread district, three streets back from Fringe Walk. Look for the warehouse with the caved-in roof—the Wench is the building still standing next to it. A faded anchor is painted above the door, and on busy nights you can hear the shouting from the Silk Harbor.

Offerings

  • Cheap, strong ale brewed somewhere you don’t want to ask about
  • Salt-crusted fish pies of questionable freshness
  • Hard bread, harder cheese, and pickled things
  • A fighting pit in the basement (unofficial, denied by management)

Proprietor

  • Gurt Malley — A barrel-chested man with a face like a clenched fist and the patience of a frayed rope. Former edge-warden who lost three fingers to a thread parasite and decided pouring drinks was safer. He was wrong, but he’s committed now.

Atmosphere

The Wench attracts off-duty wardens, dock laborers, returning sailors with coin to burn, and anyone looking for a drink without judgment. The furniture is bolted down (learned that lesson years ago). A decorative moose head hangs above the bar—it’s been knocked off the wall seventeen times in brawls and always gets rehung.

Quirks

  • The house rule is “break it, buy it”—but Gurt adds a 50% markup for anything broken during a fight he enjoyed watching
  • A bell behind the bar rings once for “last call,” twice for “watch incoming,” three times for “everyone out the back, NOW”
  • Regulars know not to sit in the chair by the window; it’s cursed (or just has a wobbly leg—opinions vary)

Menu & Prices (gp)

  • Warden’s Draught (tankard): 0.3 gp
  • Bilge Ale (tankard): 0.2 gp (you’ve been warned)
  • Salt Pie (fish, allegedly): 0.5 gp
  • Dock Bread & Dripping: 0.2 gp
  • Pickled Eel (jar): 0.5 gp
  • “Captain’s Reserve” Rum (shot): 1 gp | (bottle): 10 gp
  • Bed upstairs (shared room, no questions): 1 gp/night

Staff

  • Gurt Malley (Owner): Keeps a belaying pin under the bar; uses it more often than you’d think
  • Rella (Barmaid): Black eye heals, winning smile doesn’t fade. Knows everyone’s secrets and a surprising number of caves in the area. Currently has opinions about a certain adventurer.
  • Old Tam (Regular/Unofficial Bouncer): Hasn’t paid for a drink in six years in exchange for “handling situations”
  • The Moose (Decorative): Silent. Watchful. Has seen things.

House Rules

  • No weapons drawn inside (fists are fine, encouraged even)
  • Tab limit of 5 gp; after that, pay up or get out
  • What happens in the basement stays in the basement
  • Banned patrons’ names go on The Plank—a board by the door listing those no longer welcome

The Plank (Currently Banned)

  • Declan (adventurer) — “The Brawl of Sevenday Eve”
  • Imedin (adventurer) — “The Brawl of Sevenday Eve”
  • “Handsy” Gren — self-explanatory
  • Three unnamed individuals described only as “the butter incident”