Shortshanks was a dwarf and the owner of the Bold Bard tavern in the town of Ghars in Cormyr in the mid-to-late 14th century DR.[1]
Personality[]
Bad tempered and humorless, given to making sour comments under his breath or above it, and answering greetings with a grunt or nothing at all, he made a poor host,[1] but a better bouncer, thanks to his trusty mallet.[3][4] He was disinclined to talk, unless his pride or his temper were stung.[1][5] Nevertheless, he would apologize for his more poorly behaved patrons.[6] He didn't like being addressed as "dwarf" or as anything else (and he probably didn't much like being called "Shortshanks" either).[1]
Activities[]
Nevertheless, Shortshanks ran the Bold Bard quite ably, and didn't water down the drinks or skimp on their quality. He was aided by long-suffering barmaid Sunfirth.[3][4]
Possessions[]
He broke up brawls with the aid of his oak mallet, which weighed some 20 pounds (9.1 kilograms).[3]
Abilities[]
He had a good memory, which he was proud of and ready to show off when challenged.[5]
History[]
Shortshanks inherited the Bold Bard from a jovial gnome who, on his passing, bequeathed it in his will to the decidedly non-jovial dwarf, for the sole reason of trying to make him smile at last. In this, he completely failed.[1]
When a rival tavern, the Swamp Rat, opened outside of Ghars in the Year of the Shield, 1367 DR, it immediately stole customers and business from the Bold Bard. This angered Shortshanks, who complained of the Rat's poor-quality, watered-down drinks. However, sightings of the ghost of the bandit chieftain Fastred caused the Swamp Rat's business to drop off sharply as customers went back to the Bold Bard.[1] So Shortshanks thought this was all great for the Bold Bard.[5] In Eleint, the merchant Barthelm Meadowbrock arranged with Shortshanks to supply drinks for the upcoming Grand Council of the Merchants' Guild, including a butt of Westgate Ruby for the welcoming dinner.[1]
The night of Eleint 16 proved a busy one for Shortshanks. First, Jasper visited to purchase a cask of clarry for his master Benelaius.[1][3] Barthelm Meadowbrock, his daughter Mayella Meadowbrock, and her little dog Muzlim came for a meal; Barthelm nagged Shortshanks about the butt of Westgate Ruby and then enraged him by threatening to take his business to the Swamp Rat. Next, Mayor Tobald and king's envoy Grodoveth arrived, though the latter made a crude advance that upset Mayella and angered Barthelm, not to mention the dog.[1] Then blacksmith's assistant Dovo tried the same, this time angering Rolf, a roofer and friend of Mayella. A brawl ensured, the Meadowbrocks departed, and Shortshanks threw Rolf out by his ear.[3] The next notable arrival was the adventuress Kendra, and when Dovo and then Grodoveth tried it on with her, she drove them off herself, with Shortshanks ordering Dovo out.[6] Such events might be an unremarkable evening, but they would lead to a series of deaths—Dovo's and Grodoveth's.[7]
After Dovo was murdered and exposed as faking the ghost sightings on the morning of Eleint 17, retired War Wizard Benelaius bade Jasper pass another evening at the Bold Bard to begin his investigation.[8] Making use of Shortshanks' prodigious memory, Jasper spoke with him to get a list of dates of the ghost sightings. Shortshanks feared people would go back to the Swamp Rat, but was optimistic that they'd fear the murderer more.[5] Jasper later discovered Dovo's cloak and hat stashed in the cleaning closet, and stole them. When Jasper threw a piece of cheese at Rolf and triggered a fight, Shortshanks tossed Rolf out of the Bold Bard and yelled at Jasper. Finally, Jasper released some mice he'd found in the cleaning closet for a distraction and, while Sunfirth and Shortshanks hunted mice, he stole the tavern's accounts book for the investigation.[4] Unfortunately, this stunt drove the customers out and to the Swamp Rat and elsewhere for the evening.[9]
Examining the evidence later, Benelaius, Lindavar, and Jasper theorized that the presence of Dovo's clothes implied he'd been using the Bold Bard as his base for posing as the ghost, and furthermore that Shortshanks was in on it, for the purpose of driving business away from the Swamp Rat. From the accounts book, they correlated Grodoveth's visits and the ghost sightings, but found nothing shady in Shortshanks's dealings.[10][11] They later discounted Shortshanks from their investigation; most likely, Tobald or Grodoveth had planted Dovo's clothes in the tavern to shift focus to the Bold Bard and away the Swamp Rat, which they were using for their spying ring.[12]
After the Merchants' Guild's welcoming dinner, in the small hours of Eleint 20, Shortshanks was forced by the Purple Dragons to go with other townsfolk to Benelaius's cottage, where he would expose the murderer of Dovo and Grodoveth. Shortshanks was outraged to be missing a night of good business, but Captain Flim intimidated him into complying.[13] Shortshanks was cleared of involvement, but Benelaius revealed a plot by the Iron Throne to poison the Grand Council, and even the whole town, with blackweed put in the water supply by Mayor Tobald. It left Shortshanks feeling queasy until it was revealed the plot had already been foiled.[2]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 5, pp. 27, 30–33. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chaps. 30–31, pp. 194, 196–197, 200, 201, 206. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 6, pp. 34–39. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 15, pp. 89–95. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 14, pp. 83–88. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 7, pp. 40–43. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 31, p. 204. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 12, p. 72. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 16, p. 96. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 18, pp. 112–114. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 30, p. 197. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 35, p. 230. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.
- ↑ Chet Williamson (July 1998). Murder in Cormyr. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 29, pp. 184–188. ISBN 0-7869-0486-0.