Maerador House of Welcome

The Maerador House of Welcome was an inn, bathhouse, and brothel located in Khôltar, south Faerûn, circa the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR.

Location
This building was located next to Dubrinlar, the western gate through the double walls of Khôltar, where two of the main thoroughfares, Hael Way and Orntathtar Way, met and formed a huge, courtyard-like intersection before the gate. The Maerador House of Welcome was on the south side of the gate (and Hael Way), separated from the wall by an unnamed road that connected all the guard towers on the inner wall. Directly across the intersection was Darrusktraal, the duty house and garthraun (police) station on the north side of the gate. Across Hael Way (to the northeast) was Manycoins Hall and its neighbor, Malgart House, which both faced directly west out of the gate from the blunted angle between the two streets. Next to the inn on Hael Way was the popular luthdren (restaurant) Vandanamer's and then the juncture with Galaglavur Street. Across Galaglavur was Krostur's Forge.

Structure
The Maerador was built with brown stone to a height of about five stories. The top three floors were rooms for rent. Each room had at least one small balcony with a wrought-iron railing, known locally as a stand-and-stare because there was not much room on them to do anything else. Doors with glass panes allowed one or perhaps two guests to step out onto a stand-and-stare. Below the bevy of balconies was a row of unusually tall, narrow, arched windows, and below that was the entrance.

Interior
The lobby had an unusually high ceiling and was illuminated by the arched windows. All around the room, at various levels and connected by open stairs or spiral staircases, were more balconies that formed a tree-like mezzanine. These landings were more generous in size, allowing guests to sit and talk, have drinks, and/or conduct business. At the back of the lobby were three common bath chambers: one males-only, one females-only, and an often rowdy mixed bath between the other two. The rooms above the lobby were small and furnished only with the essentials, without much in the way of decoration or frills.

Services
The inn was kept reasonably clean and was moderately priced compared to other establishments in the Iron City. In addition to rooms and baths, the lobby was the place where a coterie of charming, appealing, and professional males and females of the four most populous races (human, dwarf, gnome, and halfling) were available for "social purposes".