Post by soaringraven on Aug 31, 2019 5:05:54 GMT -9
Rainrun Street Tenement
Rainrun Street is a busy thoroughfare in Waterdeep's Castle Ward famous for one landmark that almost every Faerûnian has heard about: the Yawning Portal Inn, the most infamous entrance to Undermountain below the city. The street is partly gravel and partly cobbled, at least at the eastern end where it intersects Belnimbra Street. This is also where this large tenement house stands, right opposite the Red-eyed Owl tavern. In 1370 DR, the Year of the Tankard, it is owned by Mirt the Moneylender and the six individual apartments are rented out to an eclectic mix of characters typical for southern Castle Ward – all of them well-off enough so they can afford the rent, but not yet powerful or notorious enough to make it to Sea or North Ward.
The ground floor left apartment is rented by a couple of hardworking Waterdhavians: an ostler who runs a livery stable on nearby Snail Street and his wife who helps out in the Red-eyed Owl's kitchen. He has inherited the stable from his father but due to trouble with his former master he has yet to earn his master's rank in the Stablemasters' and Farriers' Guild – a disgrace his wife constantly nags about, irritating the neighbors. The right-hand apartment is rented by a duo of independent thieves who run the knife’s edge trying to outfool both the ever-vigilant Watch and their criminal rivals in Xanathar's Guild and the syndicate of elvish crime lord Elaith Craulnober. They use their apartment primarily as storage for their ill-gotten gains and to set up meetings with independent fences working the caravan routes. They try to keep a low profile within in the house, especially since a prominent member of Elaith's syndicate has begun visiting one of their neighbors on the third floor.
The second floor left is rented by a master of the Fellowship of Salters, Packers and Joiners who runs his business out of a large warehouse in South Ward. A drunkard who tends get quite loud when imbibing he provides unwanted entertainment for his neighbors by regularly breaking out in Tethyrian opera arias in the dead of night. An avid singer, his skill and voice unfortunately do not match his ambition. The right-hand apartment is rented by an Amnian merchant who works as a factor for an undisclosed Athkatlan merchant house. A secretive fellow who avoids his neighbors, he is taken for a rather incompetent spy by them. In truth he is spooked by the wizard living directly above him and keeps looking for affordable lodgings in another part of town. He often entertains other expatriate Amnians, some of whom are actually spies for their southern homeland.
The third floor has the nicest and roomiest apartments. The left suite is rented by a young bard from the New Olamn bardic college who is a gifted harpist. She is mentored by an unusual patron: Elaith Craulnober who feels honor-bound to provide her with a good start in life since her parents were killed while working for him. She has recently begun a dalliance with Ninefingers, the roguish right hand of Elaith who occasionally visits her in her apartment. The right-hand apartment is rented by an elderly wizard of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors. An evoker of quite some skill he used to patrol with the Watch for over forty years and knows most of the crooks in Waterdeep's six wards better than most of them realize. Retired from active duty for more than 10 years now, he likes to reminisce at every opportunity and is thus a good source of information on Waterdeep's seedier side for everyone who manages to endure his rambling manner of speech and slipping memory.
The Rainrun Street Tenement serves an important function is one of my D&D campaigns as it is the home of one of my PCs and gives me a welcome chance to inject some mundane life into the adventurers' day through interaction with the colorful neighbors.
This kitbash is basically one of Dave Graffam's models, the Townhouse, which we enlarged by doubling its footprint and provided with interiors. The furniture is a wild mix of models by World Works Games, Kev's Lounge, Lord ZseZse Games, eddnic and soaringraven.
A large house like this is perfect to use in a wide range of scenarios from B&E to social calls to storming the villains' lair. It's also great to meet unusual NPCs who often get short shrift in many campaigns – the little people who run the city proper: the laborers, craftsmen and guildsmen.
We're curious – which apartment would you want to live in? Take a moment to let us know and make a short post telling is which flat you prefer and why. Thanks!
