Brothels have been a standby of tabletop RPGs since the earliest editions of Dungeons and Dragons, and while they’re often relegated to the background of a cityscape, these bawdy houses can serve a vital function in your campaign; information gathering locations.

Whether it’s because clients are talking big trying to impress one of the workers after their session, or because those in the pleasure trade become strangely invisible to those who wouldn’t otherwise talk business in front of witnesses, there are all sorts of strange stories and interesting rumors that could be overheard in these places. And whether you simply need fodder for your setting, or if you want to use these rumors as full-on hooks for your campaign plots, the following are quite flexible in how they can be used!

To use the list, either roll d100 for a random result or select appropriate ones manually.

Here are some sample results:

23. The Dance of The Nine Veils is a well-known performance among the city’s brothels. This routine begins with the dancer so covered that none can see them, but as the crowd tosses in more coin, more layers are revealed until at the end the final bidder is allowed to see the dancer’s face in private. There are tales of one dancer who was so graceful, so hypnotic, that it drove the crowd to frenzy. Woe to the one who gave the final bid, though, for misfortune will find them once they gaze upon the dancer’s face. Though the deaths of these witnesses always seems to be accidental, too many people have died for it to be mere chance… or so the stories say, at least.

24. You can satisfy any desire you have in the city’s brothels, if you have the coin to pay for it. Some of these needs are rather plebeian and pedestrian… but others breach the bounds of good taste, common morality and even the more ironclad parts of the law. For the truly wealthy there is no experience that’s too taboo, and there are rumors of the fortunes that have changed hands to satisfy the appetites of monsters who wear guild rings, or tailored silks during the day, when they can hide their true selves behind masks of respectability.

25. If you’re on the prowl for an alley girl, never trust a soft and husky voice from down an alley under a new moon. As the story goes, there was a nameless girl working the docks some years ago, and she caught a handsome sailor’s eye. When the deed was done, though, and she asked for her coin, he was enraged because he thought she’d truly favored him. So he took his knife, and cut her face to ribbons in his fury. He cut her throat and left her bleeding out there in the back alleys, her teeth shining through the gashes in a grisly grin. It’s said that if you follow her husky beckoning that she’ll grab you round the throat, and pull you close, asking if you think she’s pretty before she does do you what was done to her.

Released: 16th November 2024 Pages: 21

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