> [!infobox|wikipedia] > # The Gilded Crow > [![[Gilded_Crow_small.webp|cover hsmall]]](Gilded_Crow.webp) > ###### Location Information > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Type | Point of Interest | > Location | [[Val Miriel]] | > Defining Feature | High-end tavern concealing the Order of Ravens' Nest | > ###### Status > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Status | Active | The Gilded Crow is the most luxurious tavern in [[Val Miriel]], set in the heart of the [[Artisan Way]] on the eastern bank of the [[Luminor River]]. Behind its golden accents and velvet seating, the Crow keeps a second life: its cellar hides the entrance to the [[Order of Ravens - Val Miriel|Val Miriel Nest]], the thieves' and spies' chapter built into the [[Underrun]] beneath the city. ## Location & Geography The Gilded Crow stands among the finest shops and houses of the Artisan Way, the quarter of craft, wealth, and culture that runs down the eastern bank of the [[Luminor River]]. Within, it is the very picture of refinement — golden accents and trim, velvet seating, woven tapestries, and a grand chandelier hanging over a room filled with live classical music. It serves the finest food and wine in the city, and is a place to be seen for Val Miriel's nobles, wealthy artisans, and cultured elite. ## The Tavern The Crow is run by Lady Marielle, a former noblewoman, graceful and sharp, who presides over the room and trades discreetly in the gossip of the city's elite; she also keeps horses for hire, securing one for [[Eryndor]] when he needed to rush back to his companions. Its kitchens are commanded by Head Chef Tomas, a culinary genius from a distant land, friendly and fond of sharing tales of his travels. Between Marielle's table and Tomas's cooking, the tavern's luxury is no thin disguise — it is the genuine article, which is exactly what lets the Crow draw the right crowd and keep its other purpose unseen. ## The Hidden Nest Beneath the Crow lies the headquarters of the [[Order of Ravens - Val Miriel|Val Miriel Nest]], its entrance concealed behind a keg in the cellar and opening onto a warren built directly into the [[Underrun]]. Passage below is granted to those who give the passphrase — *"I'll have one of your sharpest drinks"* — spoken to the right ear at the bar above. From here the Nest Father [[Thaddeus Karr|Thaddeus "Ravenwing" Karr]] directs the Order's work in the city, and a concealed door in the sanctuary opens onto the Underrun proper, giving the Ravens a quiet way in and out beneath Val Miriel entirely. ## [[The Bloody Nails|Campaign: The Bloody Nails]] #### [[Session 23 - Ruby Falls Goldmine]] [[Trak Aeris]] led [[Eryndor]] through the Artisan Way and into the Gilded Crow, where the hidden door behind a keg opened onto the Ravens' sanctuary and the bedside of his dying father, [[Jarek]]. Eryndor also glimpsed the young [[Lia]] at her rapier drills before securing a horse from Lady Marielle to rush back to the party. #### [[Session 27 - The Wanted Dwarf]] Eryndor used the passphrase to pass through the Crow once more, entering the Nest beneath it on personal business. #### [[Session 28 - The Underrun]] Slipping out of Val Miriel, the party sought passage through the [[Underrun]] via the Gilded Crow, where they had a tense reunion with [[Lia]] in the Nest before [[Trak Aeris]] guided them into the ancient sewers below.