The Black Rat Inn

[-Sunder-]

Across Avalonia, disagreements are traditionally solved in duels if words do not prove enough. In Mitgardia, the equivalent is usually drinking contests, and in Kaliphlin they often use the strategic board game Jeddar to settle disputes. However, in the wild lands of Nocturnus, it is not uncommon to see arguments solved the old fashioned way. No finesse, no wit, and certainly no rules are involved; in Nocturnus, they prefer to brawl.

Of course, brawling is more than just a way to settle arguments nowadays. In fact, many consider it a sport (of course, many innkeepers who have to break up the brawls would argue otherwise). Drunken or otherwise, brawling is a part of Nocturnian life in many areas.

In Rockwail, they do it differently. Across the sprawling city exist several buildings marked with red rings above the doors, telling those in the know that the building is home to silent brawlers. One such building is the Black Rat Inn.

Silent brawlers do it differently to most- instead of stopping when the opponent submits, the fight stops and the winner is decided when someone makes a noise. Most claim to fight for pride and glory, but it does help that winning a silent brawl can yield a good deal of prize money. Red ringed buildings- usually taverns- also feel the benefits of hosting the brawls, as many customers flock to watch and bet on the fights; and, of course, drink.

Two fighters stood on a raised wooden section of floor by the bar. One was a snarling red orc with tied back hair and fists wrapped in bloodied rags. He was huge by human standards (though terribly average amongst orcs), and covered in muscle. Broader than the door to the inn, his opponent wondered how he even got into the place. The red skin on his bare chest seemed to be scarred and mottled, in some places discoloured, due to a skin condition. His opponent was a heavily tattooed Kaliphlinian man of medium height with wide shoulders and toned body. Though he looked strong, he was not nearly as fearsome as the orc. His hand wraps were crisp white- they had not yet seen a fight on that day, whereas the orc was on a long winning streak.

"Go on," one of the onlookers hollered, "hit him!"

"Alright, silence now!" yelled the barkeep, and quickly the audience's murmuring died down until the Black Rat was silent.

"Begin!"

The orc moved fast despite his size, but the man had been watching his previous fights and knew to expect it. Smoothly, the underdog feinted to the left then strafed to the right, avoiding the huge, scarlet fist of his opponent, then swiftly jabbed at his stomach with his fist. The orc smirked ravenously, and the underdog knew this would not be easy. He swung again, but all his fist hit was air as the Kaliphlinian ducked under his punch.

The only way to beat someone bigger than you is to be faster, this the Kaliphlinian knew, but it was proving difficult to dodge the swinging hammer arms of the orc. As he swung again, he scraped the face of his opponent, who glided towards him and landed a strike on the orc's shoulder. Without so much as a grimace, the orc shrugged off the hit and used his newfound nearness to his adversary to his advantage, forcing his arms under the human's shoulders and clamping his hands onto his head, then lifting him from the ground. The Kaliphlinian winced, but knew better than to make a noise, and drew his legs upwards, then kicked back into the orcs knees.

The titan's legs buckled and he fell backwards, releasing the human from his grasp. With a slam he hit the floor, and the Kaliphlinian grinned broadly. He raised his leg above the orc's head, preparing to stomp him, but the orc grabbed hold of his foot. The man kicked back against the crushing grip, hitting the orc in the face with his own hand. With a snarl, he then fell onto the bloody-faced orc, landing elbow-first onto his heaving, scarred ribcage, which let out a dreadful crack and caused the orc to grunt in pain.

"That's a noise! The challenger has won," the barkeep announced, to the roaring cheers of many amongst the crowd.

Figless

The figures.

[Henjin_Quilones]

This is a lovely little pub room, with all the things one would expect to see, food, drinks, and fights. I love the story and the exposition of the style of brawling. The minifigures look good, and it is clearly a rough crowd with all of those knives held behind backs. My favorite part is the rough stone of the lower walls and the peeling plaster of the upper, as it gives the place a feel of dinginess and age. I could wish for more of a roof, as I always love seeing those, but the rafters give a fair approximation of what to expect (and allow for better light for photos). Good work!

[Sorrelon]

Nice pub with shelves full of spirits strong and light alike. I like how you used hinge plates as ordinary 1x4 plates and used their hinge parts to add texture to walls.

I also like the story. I don't know how good is Remington in brawling, but given his current condition, he might make lots of gold in those silent brawls.

[-Sunder-]

This is a lovely little pub room, with all the things one would expect to see, food, drinks, and fights. I love the story and the exposition of the style of brawling. The minifigures look good, and it is clearly a rough crowd with all of those knives held behind backs. My favorite part is the rough stone of the lower walls and the peeling plaster of the upper, as it gives the place a feel of dinginess and age. I could wish for more of a roof, as I always love seeing those, but the rafters give a fair approximation of what to expect (and allow for better light for photos). Good work!

Thanks! I agree with you about having a roof, next time I do an interior scene like this I'll make sure to include one :)

Nice pub with shelves full of spirits strong and light alike. I like how you used hinge plates as ordinary 1x4 plates and used their hinge parts to add texture to walls.

I also like the story. I don't know how good is Remington in brawling, but given his current condition, he might make lots of gold in those silent brawls.

Thank you for the kind words! I imagine if Remington entered a silent brawl, he'd soon wish he could make a noise even more, considering how brutal some of the brawlers are (and how badly he fights XD).

[Littleworlds]

Lovely built scene. Very atmospheric your short story js gritty, but pretty cool. Both goes very well together

[BrickJagger]

Very nice build. I like the cozy atmosphere you've created.

[BrickCurve]

Nice one. I think it would look better with a 3/4 view as the main photo though.

[soccerkid6]

Great barroom interior with excellent storytelling I like the wooden rafters and shelf full of odds and ends

[Captain Braunsfeld]

Excellent narrative and fine bar!

[Blufiji]

That little streak of sand green is a nice touch. Great scene!

[bricklover]

Great interior and fight scene!

[Exetrius]

A build with much character, great atmosphere! Once again, your storytelling is excellent, Sunder! The concept of the silent brawl is great, I might want to use it later on.

[Tezclatipoca]

Nice build ! Even if the bar doesn't seem to be a high standing establishment

Great story ! I like the concept of your story.

[TitusV]

lovely MOC, the walls are very Nice, I really like the furniture and the wooden tiled floor!

[LittleJohn]

Fabulous work here, and excellent story! The sand green and dark bley stripe looks really nice, and I love the wall texturing

Those printed tiles for the counter and table work well here too

[MassEditor]

Awesome scene here! The story is very fun too. I agree, quite cozy, and excellent use of those printed tiles for the bar counter.

Rough looking group of bar-goers there! Still, wouldn't mind grabbing a pint or five from this hole in the wall!

[Mpyromaxos]

Very hostile Inn..

[Jacob Nion]

Ridiculous story! You definitely have a sense for what being a member of Nocturnus is all about.

The tavern itself is well done. The only thing you might could improve is to build a dark coloured wall behind the visible wall to hinder the light from shining through the gaps. But that's just something about photographing.