Blushing Mermaid (Waterdeep)

The Blushing Mermaid was a tavern, inn, and festhall in Waterdeep circa the. It was well-known for its luxurious atmosphere, privacy, and unique dining with merfolk servers.

Location
This establishment was located on Net Street in the Dock Ward, just one door up from Dock Street.

Structure
The Blushing Mermaid was a converted villa  that consisted of three two- and three-story connected buildings. The lowest level was connected to a series of well-secured secret tunnels once used for smuggling. The merfolk staff used these to commute to work, swimming in from the harbor and exiting the same way when their shift was over.

Interior
The rooms were luxuriously appointed and each one was a suite composed of a reception area that could also be an office, a private bedroom, and a private bathroom. The common areas were partitioned with thin curtains and had many cushions for comfortable lounging. The carpets were thick and sound-absorbent. The main attraction was a large heated pool filled with scented water where guests could soak while being served food and drink by mermaids and mermen.

It was a well-known fact that the Blushing Mermaid was riddled with secret passages. Nearly every room had a sliding panel in the wall, but they were spell-locked so only Lady Alathene or a trusted staff member carrying one of four enchanted silver hands could operate them. Guests seldom if ever managed to circumvent Lady Alathene's spells.

Atmosphere
The Blushing Mermaid was a refuge from the loud and noisome harbor. Many hanging lamps gave off pleasant scents and warm amber glows. The plush carpets and gauzy curtains made cozy nooks for socializing between guests and escorts. All the waitstaff, maids, and escorts (and even Lady Alathene herself ) wore black masks made of thin, light metal with black veils to hide their faces, adding an air of mystery. Even more macabre was the spiral staircase that wound from the main dining pool room up to a rooftop greenhouse or garden under a glass cupola. The railings and risers were decorated with human bones affixed by thin wire.

Services
As of 1367 DR, a typical room at the Blushing Mermaid rented for 5 gold pieces per night, but the rate varied by size and the distance from the ground floor, ranging from 3 gp for a small upper room to 9 gp for a large room lower down. The tenday rate was anywhere from 10 to 50 gp, but a typical room was 20 gp. For this price, the scents in the room were adjusted to the renter's choice, fresh linens were provided for the asking, and a seemingly unlimited supply of clean, scented bath water was available.

The kitchens specialized in seafood and whole roast pig. Volothamp Geddarm, the author of many guidebooks, noted that the food was too lightly seasoned for his taste and fairly expensive. A meal ran 1 to 3 gp per person and did not include a drink. Beer could be had for 2 copper pieces per tankard, zzar was 1 silver piece per glass, and wine from the extensive cellar ranged from 1 to 22 gp a bottle.

The service at the Blushing Mermaid was excellent. The staff received a percentage of the profits and often gave guests personal attention. Tipping was a common practice here, and individuals got to keep their tips. Some regular customers gave the establishment extra funds (a gold piece per day was typical) and asked that it be shared with all the staff members.

Activities
The Blushing Mermaid was known for its "Hour of Darkness" when all lights in the common rooms and hallways were extinguished, requiring guests who were still up and about to navigate by feeling their way around. Many pranks, a few frights, and much laughter ensued. This occurred every night in the early morning hours and the only source of illumination outside of private rooms was the soft blue-silver glow given off by the enchanted hands carried by certain staff members.

Defenses
The flammable fixtures and furnishings were all protected from fire, magical or mundane, by powerful and expensive enchantments. In the 1367 DR, security was provided by a barbarian from the North named Reetha and a Chultan woman covered in oil and tattoos named Leilatha Subraira. A 4-person City Watch patrol passed by the establishment about every twenty minutes. A 12-person detachment of the City Guard could be summoned by the Watch using a warning horn and usually arrived in eight minutes or less.

Lady Alathene Moonstar was an archlich masquerading as an elderly human matron that maintained her beauty by magic. Few outside of her family and the Lords of Waterdeep knew her secret. She was a wizard of great accomplishment even before she transformed herself and did not fear the occasional drunken mage or anything else. She did not hesitate to defend her staff and her home with all the spells and magic at her command.

History
The Blushing Mermaid was originally a villa owned by the Moonstar family. In the, the Moonstar clan joined the growing number of nobility that were constructing bigger and more unique domiciles north of the city. They retained ownership of their first villa through proxies and turned it into an inn, tavern, and festhall under the proprietorship of Lady Alathene.