Your party trudges through the through the welcoming doors of The Tavern Games, eyes cast down from your perilous journey. You quickly pick one of the numerous tables to place your gear, before allowing exploratory glances to this new space.

Among the first things you notice is the buoyant tune that pervades the space, low in volume to converse easily, yet present enough to set the mirthful tone. The space is ample and well decorated enough for a grand ball, but today is a much more pedestrian affair. Art from across the land hangs upon the walls and splashed murals lift the room to livelier spirits, and you note prices and contact details beside each of the works.

The counter is alight with bright colors and fanciful cards of all varieties, from pocket monsters to pirate kings, and gathered magic to dueling masters. Packs of these mystical trinkets are likewise available for purchase, alongside beverages and rations to refuel from your travels. You overhear a patron selling their own cards to the store itself, at rates quite unheard of at this type of establishment.

On shelves scattered across the store, you find baubles and ornaments in diversity to stimulate the fancy of any patron. Board games stand alongside model paints, and source books alongside plush creatures. Blind box collectibles seem to be of special interest to some weighing boxes in their hands while others pick out the perfect soldiers to crush their opponents in their war games. And naturally to go along with the cards, you find a vast array of accessories for such, sleeves, boxes, and playmats enough for anyone to find what they’re looking for.

And finally, you return to your table. A drink in hand as you begin to excitedly unpack your gear as the members of your party does the same. The weariness you once felt fully reinvigorated and replaced with excitement. All the same, something twinges at the very back of your mind. A dissonant note in the song overhead, a peculiar twinkle in the eye of the bartender, an odd discoloration behind the shelves. You quickly shake the feeling though. Surely there is nothing strange about this place. Surely there is no mystery to be solved that requires a keen eye and keener mind. Surely there is nothing sinister behind a local game store. Surely. Surely?