⚔ Aᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇ ⚔

Tucked just off the bustling trade arteries of Athkatla, the First Step Inn is known as the favored lodging for newcomers to the city—merchants fresh off the docks, caravan guards looking to shake the road from their boots, and adventurers eyeing Athkatla’s golden promises. Despite its modest size, the inn is efficient and hospitable, offering good food, clean beds, and helpful staff with an uncanny knack for reading a guest’s needs. It operates as a neutral ground, fiercely unaffiliated with guild politics or faction disputes. The innkeeper, a retired Halruaan named Basan Thorril, prides himself on offering refuge without judgment, making the First Step a popular stop before travelers declare their allegiances elsewhere. Its reputation for discretion draws those with secrets, though trouble is rare—Basan’s quiet gaze and the unspoken rule of neutrality seem to keep would-be instigators at bay.

The First Step Inn has a sloped red-tile roof and warm yellow plastered walls framed in dark wood. A faded sign showing a boot print on a cobblestone step hangs beside the entrance. Inside, the air is thick with the smell of baking bread and spiced wine. Low timber beams stretch across the common room ceiling, casting gentle shadows from lanterns hung between them. Sturdy oak tables host patrons of every stripe—mercenaries, traders, wandering priests—all tended to by silent, practiced staff. A narrow staircase near the hearth leads to tidy upstairs rooms, while a curtained alcove provides a private space for quiet meetings. Despite its humble appearance, the inn is impeccably maintained, a quiet promise that your first step into Athkatla need not be a dangerous one.