Inn of the Sleeping Bull

Inn of the Sleeping Bull
Location of the Inn of the Sleeping Bull
Located in:	Serpent Isle
Type:	inn
In the inn

The Inn of the Sleeping Bull is a place of lodging on Serpent Isle, located a short distance northeast of Monitor along the Serpent Highway. It stands on the site of the former settlement of Bulldozer, which was founded prior to the continent's sundering from Sosaria. It appears in Ultima VII Part Two.

Description

The Inn of the Sleeping Bull was a major way point on Serpent Isle, serving as a port at which travelers would hire ships between the Isle of Beyond and the mainland. While travel had largely ceased at the time of the Avatar's arrival on Serpent Isle, owing to the teleport storms, the inn was still home to a number of individuals either recently come from or intent on going to Moonshade. By examining the inn's basement, a shrewd observer could find a maze of tunnels created by the establishment's founder, the pirate Silverpate. These passageways would lead to a small prisoner's cell, a series of magical levers allowing one to teleport into the inn's guest rooms, and one of the Serpent Gates created by the ancient Ophidians.

Inn Register

Looking at the register at the Sleeping Bull yielded the following names of previous travelers:

• Rodolfo of Moonshade
• Nakholy of Fawn
• Ensorcio of Moonshade
• Rishar of Monitor
• Batlin of Fawn
• Palos, manservant of Batlin

History

Legend holds that the land upon which the inn was built was once owned by a misanthropic mage who created a magical stone bull to kill trespassers. A local noble's son eventually made the claim that he could defeat the bull, and the mage welcomed his challenge, saying death would be the reward for failure and that the youth should win ownership of the property should he succeed. That night, the boy stole the ring from the bull's nose, turning it back into inanimate stone. The village that was eventually formed in the area, Bulldozer, was named for the huge stone bull that stood in the village square, although by the time of the Avatar's adventures on Serpent Isle, all trace of this statue had been lost.

The pirate Silverpate later built the Inn of the Sleeping Bull in the area, allegedly using the fortunes he had made during his days at sea despite rumors that he had secreted his treasure elsewhere. The property later fell to his son Donal, who passed it on to his own son Angus. At the time of the Avatar's arrival, however, Angus had mysteriously vanished, leaving his wife Devra and his son Argus in charge of the inn.

Later, after the three Banes of Chaos were loosed upon the realm, the majority of the inn's inhabitants were slain in the upheaval.

Lore

“

As icy temperatures have claimed more than one traveller’s life, especially during extremely cold evenings, several individuals have chosen to offer houses of safety and comfort for those on the road. The price is sometimes expensive, but to those making long journeys, it is often worth the charge. The Inn of the Sleeping Bull, located along the ancient Serpent Highway, is an excellent place to rest a weary body for the night. It once belonged to an enemy of mine, but he is long dead now, and the inn has passed on to more hospitable hands. – from Beyond the Serpent Pillars (Ultima VII Part Two)

“	Just before Bull Tower, guarding the road north from Monitor, I reached the Sleeping Bull Inn. It is known to all of Serpent Isle as a place travelers may find a soft bed, good food and a cheerful fire to warm themselves by as they rest from their journeys. – from Balancing the Scales (Ultima VII Part Two)

Inhabitants

Map of the inn proper

• Argus: innkeeper
• Byrin: bard
• Devra: innkeeper, mother of Argus
• Ensorcio: exiled mage
• Captain Hawk: sailor
• Wilfred: knight, brother of Argus

Temporary inn guests:

• Flindo: Moonshadian merchant
• Kane: shepherd
• Miggim: Xenkan monk
• Selina: mage

Disappeared:

• Angus: innkeeper

Goods and Services

Prices in Ultima VII Part Two are as follows:

Food Cost (gp) Min* Max† Ham 12 20 Mutton 14 22 Trout 6 10 Cheese 7 12 Pastry 4 8

Drinks Cost (gp) Min* Max† Wine 5 8 Wine decanter 9 15 Ale 2 5

*	Minimum price.
†	Initial asking price.

Room prices in Ultima VII Part Two are as follows:

Services

Lodging	Cost (gp)	Unit
Rooms	8	Each party members

Places of Interest

• Some distance to the north lies the exploded powder mill.

Trivia

• By picking the lock on the chest in the small room adjacent the kitchen and Devra's sleeping quarters, one may find a cache of 100 monetari, 45 filari, and 65 guilders.
• In the "Wardrobe Room" in the passages beneath the inn, one may find four fountains. The one in the northwestern corner grants the drinker invisibility; the one in the southwestern corner poisons the drinker; the one in the southeastern corner induces sleep; and the one in the northeastern corner cures poison.
• The upstairs rooms of the inn are all locked, but all of their doors can be picked except room 3. Furthermore, there are switches in the closets of all the rooms that result in whomever pulls them being teleported to Silverpate's hidden caves under the inn, providing that the teleporters have been activated.
• According to Spektor, the Inn pre-dates the founding of Serpent Isle's three cities. This seems to stand in contradiction, however, to the assertion that the Sleeping Bull was originally built by Silverpate, who is only three generations removed from Argus, the proprietor of the inn at the time of the Avatar's adventures on Serpent Isle.

References

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Geography