Wing-Ling's Coffee Shop
Throal
4 out of 5 grimoires

The pastries here are excellent, perfect flaky crust, and an ideal ratio of filling. They offer a good variety of flavors, mostly seasonal fruit, but also an excellent cheese and a sweet mushroom filling good enough for any dwarf grandma.

The coffee is also good, though not remarkable, they don't have the widest selection of varietals, though they do a good job of brewing.

I highly recommend this place for any informal meetings or get-togethers. It's run by windlings, and they keep the atmosphere light and fun. If you have problems getting along with windlings, just relax, take yourself less seriously, and take any pranks they might pull on you as an opportunity for laughter. The pastries are huge and delicious, I've always wondered how they manage to make them so big, but I haven't seen the inside of their kitchen. Judging by the end result, whatever they do works. The first time I came here was actually on my first job, and the food and laughter filling the room helped to cut down on the awkwardness one always experiences on meeting strangers.

Spicyz
Sosanopa
3 out of 5 grimoires

A decent place for a quick bite. The portions are very large, which this dwarf never complains about, but the sandwiches lacked a certain refinement. I'll never say no to a pile of meat on bread, but we strive for something elevated, between these covers. But if what you want is a full belly late at night, you can't go wrong here. They do specialize in a side dish of fried vegetables, which aren't to everyone's taste, but they are so proud of them you'll feel obligated to eat them, unless you want to take the risk of offending an Ork chef. (I don't recommend this).

My first time here was on a caravan from Throal. The long journey with nothing but trail food provided countervailing biases; on the one hand, I was starving for meat, and this sandwich hit the spot, on the other hand, I was tired of stew and beans and boring trail food, and the simplicity of the sandwiches left me wanting something a little more creative. I did eat the fried vegetables, which gave me terrible wind, it wasn't really a problem for me, but everyone who spent the night in my barrack gave me some frightfully dirty looks in the morning.

Nettle Bank Farms
Via Triolvi
5 out of 5 grimoires

This is truly spectacular. If you get the chance to visit, you must. One way or another, you need to try their melons. If not, get your hands on some of their liqueur, it's not the same as eating the fresh melons, with juice running down into your beard, but it's a close second. The fruit is like sunshine made flesh, with the sweetness of a summertime romance, no description I could give you would do it justice. It's worth a multi-day trip just to try it, and if you haven't, you should. You can try to find it in the market, but be warned it sells out the day it arrives, everyone who's tried it will pay almost any price for it. My recommendation would be to hit every produce seller that has a good relationship with House Mikul, when the melons come in season, if you join the end of a long line, you'll be a dipper with a hole in it.

The liqueur is even more expensive, but easier to come by, as it's not perishable, and the merchants have found the right price point to balance demand. Be warned, though, it is eye-wateringly expensive. Your best bet, as I said, is still to take the trip to the farm, at harvest time, and offer them a helping hand – no farm in the history of Barsaive has ever turned away help at a harvest – and if you work hard, and don't steal any melons, they'll take care of you, and you'll be glad you made the trip. One warning, though – be careful of Blood Bees. The first time I encountered these melons, I learned not long after just how much Blood Bees love them, the hard way. Fortunately, this old dwarf's hide is tough, so I survived the experience to write about it. Frankly, the melon is so good it's worth getting stung for, if necessary.

House Mirkul
Throal
5 out of 5 Grimoires
Rules, paperwork, lots of forms, and straight-shooting traders. I'm not a bureaucrat, but I appreciate what they do. If you work for Mirkul, you'll need to keep your nose clean, and do a good job, but they pay well, they're reliable, and they'll never screw you over or keep you in the dark on important details. To this day I still have my Mirkul pendant, though its been years since I rode along on a caravan with them, but I know I could walk into their office tomorrow, and I'd get an assignment, with no secret hooks and good pay, but if I slacked off they'd still dock me, no matter how much my legend has grown. Underneath all the bureaucracy, and the sharp-as-razors trading practices, these are good people, and they provide a valued service to Barsaive.

The Via Triolvi
Bartertown to Sosanopa
A relatively safe and easy road. It's quite idyllic, with charming farms all along the way, interspersed with occasional woodlands. My first time along the route I did encounter Blood Bees, but I think that was an anomaly, and normally the road is so well-traveled that such dangers get eliminated pretty quickly – in fact, if you're the first to run across such a danger, it's likely you can make a quick payday taking care of it. Just report it to your favorite big trading company, and make them an offer, you'll get sorted out pronto.

The Serpent River
Lake Vors to Lake Ban
If you travel to the Cliff City of Syrtis, you'll probably pass along this stretch of the great river. It's changed, now, but once this was a very dangerous place, crawling with slavers, so that nobody was safe, ships were taken, and even whole villages were destroyed, their people enslaved. Near the edges of the river, one might run into some nasty predators, too, I once got chewed up by a pack of crocodiles passing through here (though I did put myself in harm's way, chasing the beasts after they'd purloined some of our goods.) I was saved from certain death by a beautiful elf, and I got my revenge on those wretched lizards.

It's not so bad now, a lot of people were (obviously) really unhappy about the blatant slavery, and we got together and did something about it. See other entries in this book for more on that. You're welcome, younger generation.

Sosanopa
This is a very dangerous place, though the nights are no longer stalked by slavers, there's something in the air here that inflames tempers and encourages subterfuge. Superstitious people say that people in the city are driven to murder, I can neither deny nor confirm, I've never made a close study of it. See the bibliography, where I reference a few scholars who have. You'll probably have to pass through here at various times in your life, as it's the gateway from Throal to the Serpent River, so just keep your wits about you and be cautious of dark alleys, and you'll be fine.

Throal
It's Throal. There's not much to say that hasn't been said. Check the bibliography for references on history and architecture and mind-numbing studies on ethnography and anthropology.

The Cliff City of Syrtis
A fascinating, beautiful place. I made friends here, and even studied wizardry from some T'Skrang; I believe a diversity of education is valuable. Anyway, if you're able to be open and accepting of other cultures, and expand your own preconceptions a bit, I highly recommend spending some time here. The place is a work of beautiful architecture, and its chock full of fascinating secrets and ingenious magical workings and engineering.