Death's Head Tavern

Location Dossier

Location Tier	Macabre Border Tavern, Undead-Hunter Saloon & Reagent Black-Market
Location	Exterior boundary wall of the Necropolis, fifty yards south of the Gates of Lead, Ptolus
Proprietor	Garrick “Bone-Saw” Morvath (Grizzled retired mortician, battlefield surgeon & informant)
Clientele	Gravediggers, Embalmers, Pharasmin acolytes, Grim Delvers, Bounty Hunters, Black-Market Reagent Smugglers
Atmosphere	Gloomy, pungent with pipe-weed, formaldehyde, and dark ale; heated by a massive hearth burning dried peat and fragrant cedar
Specialty Brews	Gravedigger’s Stout, Embalmer’s Tonic, Ghoulsblood Mash (Fiery subterranean turnip brandy)

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💀 Overview: The Taproom on the Threshold

The Death’s Head Tavern is the infamous, grim tavern built directly into the exterior granite retaining wall of the Necropolis. While the taverns of Delver’s Square like the Ghostly Minstrel and Danbury’s Tavern echo with lively bardic songs, high-stakes mercantile deals, and bustling cheer, the Death’s Head is a quiet, shadowed refuge of low murmurs, clinking pewter mugs, and the heavy smell of clove tobacco and vinegar wash.

The tavern caters to those whose livelihood is inextricably bound to the dead: gravediggers who dig trenches in the mist, embalmers from the mortuary guild, silent couriers from The Forsaken, and battle-hardened adventuring mercenaries who specialize in hunting vampires, ghouls, and wights.

The interior decor reflects its morbid neighborhood: tables are fashioned from weathered granite sarcophagus lids salvaged from collapsed tombs, the chandeliers are constructed from iron-reinforced deer antlers and animal skulls, and behind the heavy oak bar hangs an array of silver stakes, consecrated garrotes, and vial racks filled with holy water and anti-plague elixirs.

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🍺 Offerings & Black-Market Reagents

Proprietor Garrick Morvath runs the establishment with dry, unshakeable calm. Beyond pouring bitter, pitch-black stouts, Garrick provides services tailored to the grim realities of the Necropolis:

                            ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
                            │    The Death's Head Services      │
                            └─────────────────┬─────────────────┘
                                              │
         ┌────────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┐
         ▼                                    ▼                                    ▼
┌──────────────────────────────┐    ┌────────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────────────────┐
│     Undead Bounty Board      │    │ Rare Tomb Reagents │    │     Emergency Sanctum        │
│ • Ghoul Ears: 5 sp each      │    │ • Grave-Moss: 2 gp │    │ • Safehouse Behind Bar:      │
│ • Wight Claws: 5 gp each     │    │ • Mummy Dust: 15 gp│    │   Iron-Lined Bunks           │
│ • Vampire Fangs: 50 gp       │    │ • Silvered Stakes: │    │ • Holy Water Font on Tap     │
│ • Pharasmin Certified Payouts│    │   1 gp each        │    │ • Anti-Plague Ward Inoculation│
└──────────────────────────────┘    └────────────────────┘    └──────────────────────────────┘

• The Undead Bounty Ledger: Garrick acts as an authorized collection broker for Brother Fabien and the Order of Light. Delvers who bring in verified trophies from dangerous rogue undead can cash them in directly over the bar counter.
• Alchemical Reagents: Under the counter, Garrick buys and sells rare components harvested from the Necropolis hills—luminescent graveyard moss, preserved mummy dust, and distilled embalming fluid used by alchemists and necromancers alike.
• Neutral Ground: By ancient tradition respected by both the City Watch and The Forsaken, the taproom of the Death’s Head is considered strictly neutral territory. Drawing weapons or casting offensive spells inside results in a permanent bounty and immediate blacklisting by every grave-worker in Ptolus.

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🧭 Story Hooks for Adventurers

1. The Missing Gravediggers: A crew of four veteran gravediggers failed to report back to the tavern after opening a forgotten family vault in the lower ridges. Garrick hires the party to enter the vault through a sewer entrance behind the tavern to find out what swallowed them.
2. The Midnight Messenger: While the party is having drinks, a pale, cloaked figure approaches their table and leaves a lead cylinder sealed with black wax—a message from Vamal Shard offering a private meeting in the Dark Reliquary.
3. The Poisoned Keg: A cell of the Fallen poisons the tavern’s cellar kegs with a distilled strain of Ghoul Fever, hoping to turn the tavern patrons into a ravenous horde on the eve of the Night of Dissolution. The party must identify the contaminant and locate the saboteur before midnight.