## THE IRON KEEL TAVERN _Underlook, Middle Dura, Sharn_ ### Exterior Description: The Iron Keel occupies the ground floor of a soot-stained warehouse converted to tenements. The building leans slightly, propped against its neighbor by iron girders that were "temporarily" installed forty years ago. A faded sign hangs above the entrance—a ship's keel wrapped in chains—creaking on rusted hooks. Through grimy windows, you see the amber glow of everbright lanterns fighting a losing battle against the gloom. The smell hits you before you enter: machine oil, cheap tobacco, and whatever Cog worker Mela is calling "stew" today. ### Interior: The common room is long and narrow, following the warehouse's original dimensions. Exposed pipes run along the ceiling, occasionally hissing steam. The bar itself is built from salvaged airship timber—actual Lyrandar oak, though you'd never know it under decades of burn marks and drink rings. Mismatched tables crowd the floor. Most are bolted down after the "incident" three years back. The clientele is 40% warforged fresh off shift from the foundries, 30% shifters and half-orcs, 20% humans too broke for better districts, and 10% "don't ask." A narrow staircase in the back leads up to eight rooms for rent. The walls are thin. The locks are thinner. But it's 3 silver a night and Mela doesn't ask questions. ### Key NPCs: **Mela Tannoch** (middle-aged human, proprietor) - Missing her left hand (foundry accident, decades ago) - Wears a simple prosthetic hook - Knows everyone's business, shares none of it - Makes terrible stew, adequate ale - "You cause trouble, you leave. You clean up your trouble, you can stay." **Rust** (warforged, regular) - Sits in the same corner every night after his Cog shift - Doesn't speak, just listens - Order him an oil flask, he'll remember - Knows the Cogs better than anyone alive ### Atmosphere: This isn't where adventurers drink. This is where Cog workers collapse after 14-hour shifts. Where warforged who can't afford the Cannith enclaves come to _not_ be reminded they're constructs. Where shifters feel less stared at than in Upper Dura. The Keel is loud—conversations about union disputes, gambling debts, and who's hiring. It smells like sweat and industry. The ale is watered. The food is questionable. But it's honest. No one here pretends to be something they're not. %% ### Why It Matters: **Perfect location for:** - Lhara meeting the party for debriefing after the laboratory disaster - Overhearing rumors about Cog activities - Meeting contacts who work in industry/foundries - Recovering in a place no one looks for adventurers - Warforged PCs feeling at home **Encounter hooks:** - Mela knows a Cannith artificer who's been asking about "old schemas" - Rust saw something strange in the Cogs three nights ago, won't talk about it - The room next door is occupied by someone who really doesn't want to be found - House Cannith goons show up looking for the party ### Pricing: - Ale: 4 copper - Stew: 3 copper (don't ask) - Room: 3 silver/night - Asking Mela a question: Free, if you're polite - Getting an answer: Depends on the question %%