Tavern

Taverns (also known as pubs and public houses) are establishments where patrons gather to socialize and to partake of alcoholic beverages, and in some cases prepared foods. Such establishments have been a presence in the lands of Lord British since the earliest days of Sosaria, and have long served as avenues for storytelling, gossip and good company.

Age of Darkness
The earliest taverns, featuring from Ultima I through Ultima III were commonly called pubs, and catered only to those in search of strong drink. These older establishments often proved a font of information for those with loose purse-strings, and numerous barkeeps would let slip important and interesting pieces of information if tipped handsomely enough. Such clues could prove invaluable in the wild world of early Sosaria, as danger then was omnipresent and knowledge a particularly precious tool for survival.

Ages of Enlightenment and Armageddon
After the establishment of Britannia some time before Ultima IV, many pubs and alehouse came to also serve food to their guests, becoming bustling urban hotspots where many citizens took their meals. Such centers of daily life were often rife with travelers, adventurers, and minstrels wishing to catch up on or contribute to local gossip. While barkeepers during the early age of enlightenment would still provide a canny tipper with relevant information, the taverns of the civilized age came to serve numerous functions outside of rumor-mongering, and were often central to the social life of the city they served.

Notable Examples

 * The Blue Boar Tavern: an alehouse in Britain which holds the distinction as being the oldest tavern in Britannia.
 * The Cat's Lair: a drinking establishment run by the esteemed Dr. Cat; a popular hotspot for gamesters and gypsies in later years.
 * The Fallen Virgin: a tavern which operated for several centuries in Buccaneer's Den.
 * The Keg Tap: while not of great importance in its in-game appearance in Ultima IV, the Keg Tap is the site of some markedly humorous misadventures in Ultima novelizations and comics.
 * The Sword and Keg: a pub in Jhelom in which the Rune of Honor was once lost to a marauding rat during a bar room brawl.
 * Blue Boar Inn: a tavern run by Rocco and his automaton companion, Petra. This is the only tavern in Moonshade on Serpent Isle, doubling as an inn with several rooms for guests. It shares its name with the original Blue Boar Tavern in Sosaria and Britannia.