The Broken staff is a tavern in the Foreign District of Redmark.
The sign over this inn depicts a large staff being snapped in half and releasing a brilliant firestorm (in fact, the illustrated flames glow brightly at night). The Broken Staff caters to wizards, sages, and academics. During certain times of the day, after classes break, the inn can suddenly become quite busy, and hence chronically understaffed. Some of the employees are students, and jokingly refer to themselves as the "broken staff of the Broken Staff." The tavern is well-maintained and service is good. There is an interesting tradition among regular patrons that serves as a most unique form of entertainment for others at the tavern: wizards sometimes enjoy duels of illusion magic, trying to best each other with illusion musicians, actors, kinetic art, beasts, gladiators, and other displays of arcane skill. The common room's very high ceiling allows not only large illusion monsters, but also aerial displays.
The ground floor of the tavern has a large common room with a bar counter and several tables. In one corner there is a "performance area" that is normally kept clear for the illusion-based entertainment, although periodically there is live entertainment. Sometimes the tavern hosts academic lectures on special occasions. Down a hallway lies the tavern's kitchen, pantry, ans several rooms that can be rented out for private functions. At the end of the hallway is the office of the tavern owner; Telander. Through the office is a door that leads to an adjoining building, Telander's personal residence.
Stairs down lead to a cellar beneath the western half of the tavern. Here is stored various bulk supplies for the tavern (barrels of ale, sacks of grain, etc.). Stairs up lead to the second floor. Doors lining the second floor hallway all lead to rooms for rent. Three large rooms can accommodate small groups of people. Four smaller rooms are furnished as more luxurious accommodations for one or two people (often used by visiting sages). One large bunkroom usually has several people at any one time, often the apprentices of wizards, sages and other academics from other cities visiting Redmark's famous libraries or one of its many educational institutions. At the end of the hallway is a large balcony that overlooks the common room, a prime viewing area for lectures and performances.
