The Riverview Inn

The Riverview is owned by the Muldoon family, who have been residents of Horizon as far back as anyone can trace their line. The 6 Muldoons and their hired help operate the Riverview as a perfectly ordinary Inn most of the time; however, every two months, when the twin Moons are full in the sky, tradition has it that the Riverview becomes a neutral ground, a place of truce where the various factions in the city may meet without fear. The truce was arranged by Jim "the Elder" Muldoon in the days of his youth, and has not changed substantially since then, even with the Last War and the coming of the embassies afterwards. It is respected by factions criminal, political, governmental, and esoteric, and the terms of the deal go something like this:

• The truce begins at sunset on the night of the full Moons, and ends at sunrise. Hence, it is called the Moon Truce. The truce covers both the tavern and people going to and from the tavern; waiting in ambush to attack someone before they enter or after they leave the Inn is not on.

• Mungo, the bouncer, will deal with any troublemaking during the truce. Now, Mungo's a big lad but he's not the greatest fighter in Horizon. However, trucebreaking is liable to earn you a fatal dose of street justice from every faction which respects the truce - often including your own. So people tend to listen to Mungo when he tells them to settle down.

• The only violence allowed during the truce is duels. There is a courtyard out back, enclosed by the tavern and the stables and the lodgings and the edge of the bridge, which makes an ideal venue for such things.

• The Muldoons are to be regarded as neutral and friendly to all, even when the truce isn't in effect. No firebombing the Inn the day after the full moons.

• The truce doesn't apply to Imperialists. Back in the day, the Imperial authorities were the only folk who didn't respect the truce, and hence the gatherings tended to be more muted affairs than they are today. Nowadays, they are universally despised; when the time came for the Elder Muldoon to renew the truce, just about every group involved said "We don't have to be civil to Imperialists, do we?", and the Elder Muldoon wasn't inclined to say "yes". If you are exposed as an Imperialist you are likely to get an unfriendly (potentially fatal) reception at the Riverview, and if the authorities raid the tavern in order to arrest Imperialists (and have decent evidence) the clientele will tend to be co-operative.

  Some OOC Comments:

  Costuming: Whenever a GM is wearing an apron over whatever other costume they happen to be wearing, they are playing one of the Muldoons. Whenever a GM is wearing a bow tie over whatever other costume they're wearing, they're playing Mungo. Mungo is present all the time, and the Muldoons are never far away; hence, we've decided that it'd be appropriate for us to have costumes for them we can change into swiftly.

  The Bar: There will always be a GM on hand playing a Muldoon behind the bar. The bartender is there to help you! The Muldoons know everyone who's worth knowing in the underworld; if you're not sure who to talk to if you want, say, a decent safecracker who's game for robbing a clockworker's shop, they'll be able to advise you.

  If, during the game, you're completely bored, confused, or isolated, or simply aren't having fun, come along to the bar and sit down. A person sitting down at the bar is the subtle, non-atmosphere breaking signal to players and GM that you aren't enjoying yourself. The GM who is tending the bar will be happy to help you with your issues, as bartenders in these things have done since time immemorial. ("Why the long face, Frank?" "Ah, Muldoon, nobody's in the market for a good thief these days/I'm new in town and I've no idea who to talk to/I've got this problem with ghosts and I haven't the first clue who can help me.")

  We'd also like players to help here. If you see someone sitting down at the bar, it means that they're at a loose end and aren't enjoying themselves; we'd appreciate it greatly if you could make an effort to talk to them and help them get involved in the game. If you are enjoying yourself and just want to ask the bartender (or the GM at the bar) a quick question, please stand at the bar rather than sitting to avoid confusion.

  Remember: if a player is standing at the bar they are just having a chat with the barman or some other character. If a player is sitting at the bar they are bored and would like other people's help in order to get involved with things.

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  GMly secrets:

  The Muldoon truce doesn't just extend to groups in the True Lands: there are also a number of trans-Wall entities and groups who have entered into the truce. There's always been a bit of fairy blood in the Muldoon line; the Elder Muldoon himself once visited the land of the Fae before the Last War, and sired a child there. Since the end of the Last War the Treacherous have been more inclined to try and visit Horizon; when the Elder Muldoon finds out from his fairy friends (who visit now and then) that a particular Treacherous group has discovered that the wards on the Wall are gone, he strolls down the fairy path, visits the Treacherous Folk in question, and brings them in on the deal. Only one condition, mind: they have to be subtle and keep their Treacherous origins quiet when they're visiting, and they have to be back beyond the Wall by sunrise. The Streetcleaners have realised what the Elder Muldoon is up to, but are inclined to turn a blind eye; so long as he doesn't let them stay in the True Lands permanently, the Elder Muldoon isn't causing trouble for them, and they're not inclined to breach the truce and have everyone else come gunning for them.

  Since the Kraeling homeland hasn't yet discovered that the Emperor is gone, the Kraelings don't know about the truce yet, but both Ghoul nations and the Fae do.