Grinning Lion

The Grinning Lion was a tavern in the North Ward of the city of Waterdeep. In the, the proprietor was Unger Farshal.

Location
The tavern was located inside a commercial and residential block just off Golden Serpent Street, near the east side of the corner with Shando Street. It was just across the alley from the rear of the Gost Villa.

Structure
It was a noisy, raucous tavern with tattered shields on its walls and a variety of other weapons and armor from all over the Realms on display.It was rumored many of these "trophies" were fake.

The place was relatively small—being only wide by  feet deep with a  kitchen tacked onto one end. It had a large fireplace and the midden pile out back hid an entrance to the sewer tunnels.

Stairs of the Lion
Behind the establishment was a refuse dump of rotting food and trash that was regularly reduced in size by the trash collectors, but it never seemed to get completely removed. Unger Farshal arranged it this way because the smelly mound hid a wooden board that covered a stone staircase that led down (about 30 steps) to the east (beneath the Grinning Lion). The stairwell was finished with masonry and ended in a small alcove about on a side that contained a carving of a lion's head in bas-relief on the east wall facing the stairs.

A secret door on the south wall was added by Farshal so he or his client could easily get to a junction room of the city sewers for clandestine travel or a quick escape. A second secret door, known only to Farshal and the denizen of its destination, was built around the, by the Gost family to facilitate their smuggling operations in and out of Waterdeep. The bottom three steps of the Stairs of the Lion opened as a trap door to steps leading down to the west and eventually to the Fireplace Level, a complex of storerooms that was eventually abandoned and forgotten by the Gosts.

Services
The tavern served fried onions, eels, pitchers of wine, and zzar.

History
The Grinning Lion was built on the site of a former warehouse owned by the Gost family back in the 13 century DR.

Inhabitants
The proprietor of the Lion was Unger Farshal from at least 1367 DR to at least 1372 DR. Both male and female dancers performed to the music in mock armor. Most patrons were nobles accompanied by their personal bodyguards.

Patrons that frequented this establishment included:
 * Lord Orlpar Husteem, aristocratic drug dealer.
 * Hala Myrt, runner and go-between for Orlpar.