Eel’s End Board
A sprawl of light and sound marks the first (or last, depending on your orientation) pier of Old Korvosa. Glowing lanterns in the shape of dream spiders and coiled eels hang from pilings or lampposts, flickering through all hours of the night. During the day, Eel’s End is quieter, yet the place never truly sleeps, catering to the vices and base needs of Old Korvosa at all hours.
The pier itself is 70 feet long, although its last 30 feet widen into a large square platform on the water. A ship and four smaller vessels are permanently moored to the pier; the ship is the Eel’s End, a warship that serves as the stronghold of Devargo Barvasi and the administrative center of his entire operation. The four vessels are owned by various peddlers and captains, and they pay regular rent for the honor of attaching to Eel’s End. Those who fail to pay or abide by Devargo’s laws find their ship cut loose in the middle of the night, often in flames or infested with deadly spiders.
Eel’s End (the name applies both to the warship and the entire collection of moored ships) is open and welcoming of nearly everyone. The enforcers and merchants here are naturally suspicious of well-dressed visitors, but their suspicion quickly caves to greed as they try to fleece these hopefully naive patrons. Only characters who are obviously affiliated with the Korvosan Guard, the Hellknight Order of the Nail, or the Sable Company (or, in short order, the Gray Maidens) aren’t welcome on Eel’s End. Since Devargo pays his vice taxes and polices Eel’s End well enough that trouble here never impacts the city at large (including a strict policy of handing over anyone he realizes is trying to use Eel’s End to hide from the law), the Korvosan Guard rarely has any cause to send members out to visit Eel’s End. As a result, the PCs should find little problem entering.
Ironically, Eel’s End is actually one of the safer, more stable locations in Korvosa these days. The riots haven’t touched the place, and in fact, the increased need for escapism from the horrors of reality means that business is booming.
** Special thanks to Elmdor for his tireless efforts! **
