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The Smoldering Corpse Bar was a tavern located within the Hive Ward district of Sigil. It was named after the body engulfed in flame and suspended in the air in the middle of the drinking area.[1][2]
Location[]
It was located within the Hive Ward district of the city of Sigil. It was down the street from Fell's Tattoos parlor, and not too far from the Mortuary.[1][2] The part of the Hive that the bar was built in became frequently referenced to just as the "Smoldering Corpse Area", for ease of navigation.[1]
Structure[]
The walls of the building were made from wrought iron and, from the outside, it gave the slight impression of a dilapidated ruin. Likewise, the tables, chairs, and taproom counter were made from rusty and dented metal. The roof above the main drinking area was domed. The floor was tiled and generally untidy, frequently covered in dried blood. There were numerous vents emanating heat in the floor, above the largest of which a perpetually burning human corpse hovered.[1][2]
Atmosphere[]
Sigil was widely known as a melting pot of all the various races of the planes,[2] and the Smoldering Corpse Bar was the prime example of that. Arguably no other establishment in the multiverse had a more diverse clientele—a devil could be seen drinking and chatting away happily with an angel, mind flayers and other Far Realm aberrations could play a friendly game of cards with the gith, or even various divine beings could appear for drink and conversation.[2]
The Hive was home to the seedy underbelly of the Sigil, and this extended to the Smoldering Corpse. It was easy to bump into all sorts of criminals in the bar as many shady dealings were done here everyday.[1] The tavern keeper Barkis was sometimes involved in them himself—he would let anyone use the bar's services and indulge in the "bub" (a local name for cheap alcohol) as long as they paid and would not cause trouble to others. When somebody failed to pay their tab in coin, he would take their personal belonging as collateral until they returned with enough to buy it back. The backroom of the bar was filled with items that were never re-purchased by their previous owners, and Barkis would let people peruse them as reward for doing him a favor.[1][2]
History[]
Some time after the building was constructed, a powerful mage by the name of Ignus became hellbent on trying to burn down the entire Hive Ward. Soon after he went on a pyromaniacal rampage, a group of local magic users banded together to stop him. With great effort they were able to defeat him, and as a punishment he was transformed into a living portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire. Surprisingly, Ignus survived the transformation, and became stuck in a partial coma, joyously reveling in the pain of never-ending flames. He was afterwards magically suspended in the middle of the drinking area of the tavern, and thus the Smoldering Corpse Bar was born.[1][2]
Around 1354 DR, one of the incarnations of the Nameless One got drunk beyond control in the bar and in a fit wrecked the interior of the tavern. Afterwards, he tried to pay back Barkis for the damage done, but did not have enough coin on him at the time. As a collateral, for the value of 200 cp he plucked out his own eyeball and gave it to Barkis, who put it in a jar with preservative fluid, for the Nameless One to buy back later.[1]
Inhabitants[]
- Barkis, the experienced and jaded proprietor of the establishment.[1][2]
- Ignus, a cursed wizard that became the namesake of the bar.[1][2]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Video Games
Gallery[]
External Links[]
Smoldering Corpse Bar article at the Planescape Wiki, a wiki for the Planescape campaign setting.- Smoldering Corpse Bar article at the Torment Wiki, a wiki for the Planescape: Torment game.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Black Isle Studios (December 1999). Designed by Chris Avellone. Planescape: Torment. Interplay.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Justice Arman, F. Wesley Schneider (October 2023). “Sigil and the Outlands”. Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6904-3.