RPG Campaign Tour Challenge 2026, Day 6 - Where shall we start? (I mean really start this time...)

Problem #1: Attempting a daily blogging challenge when you're not a very consistent blogger is bound to put you way behind.

Solution #1: Just keep track of the ones you miss and post all of them at once to catch up!

Problem #2: The longer you wait to catch up, the more effort required in the catch-up post, and the less likely you are to actually finish it.

Solution #2: Ignore Solution #1!

So, here's my next entry for Adam Dickstein/Barking Alien's excellent RPG Campaign Tour Challenge...which I am thoroughly enjoying despite my involvement gaps...!

Day 6 - Where shall we start?
Where did the campaign begin and/or where should a traveler to the region start their journey through it?

We meet in a tavern!  Seriously...I knew I needed to go in the classic fantasy direction as soon as I saw that Tim's Day 6 entry over at The Other Side is a take on this RPG staple...and on the same day that Dyson (over at his Dodecahedron) shared a map of the Flying Swine.  I will admit that I really like this naming convention...that classic [Adjective][Creature] scheme...for inns and taverns.  Masters of the Universe media have even gotten in on the fun (the naming and the adventure kickoff) at least once, with Adam and Cringer meeting Bow at the Laughing Swann Inn in She-Ra's very first episode...

A view of the Laughing Swann, from Wiki Grayskull

So...where did this naming scheme come from, exactly?

(No, really...I'm asking.  If you're reading this and know the answer, I'd love to be let in on it!  Can it all be traced back to the Prancing Pony in The Lord of the Rings?)

Whatever the overall origin, I'm going to reach back to my early DMing days, to a name I relied on back then for this role...the Dire Goose Tavern.  It's a watering hole on Elysia's fifth moon that is well-known as a key gathering place for the many anti-Corporation insurgents and anarchists that gather on that world.  Of course, this also means that it attracts plenty of Corporate spies looking to infiltrate the rebellion and secure victory for The Corporation.  You can find food, drinks, rooms for rent, and some pretty big screens to watch the Staveball matches going on that day.  Just be sure you pay attention to that hooded figure over in the shadows of the corner table...

Oh!  It's also pretty famous for its faux-dragon 'wings', which regularly earn The Most Powerful Compliment in the Universe™ for consumables free of animal products: You can't even tell it's vegan...