Ramona's Pub

There's no pub in town quite like Ramona's-   Ramona herself, for starters. Belle of the town yet her token's still tucked in her skirt pocket-and Creator help any man that tries to take it against her will! She rules the pub like a queen, and you feel like a knight of honor every time you walk in-   If you could call her normal patrons 'knights'. 'Gentlemen' is a bit of a stretch for them on the best of days.

— A loving patron of Ramona's

  Ramona's Pub is one of the many pubs, alehouses and taverns that line the pier of Los Castelles. Owned by Ramona Croival, the propetieries, head cook, and head bouncer. While it doesn't always attract the best of clientele, it remains a safe haven against the worst of the storms that hit the coast; be they natural, or man-made.  

The Azure Fox

  Ramona's Pub started life many decades ago as the Azure Fox, a tavern owned by a now un-named man who wanted to open a seafood restaurant. While the seafood was plentiful, customers were not; Los Castelles was hardly more than a humble fishing village at the time, and there were barely enough people to keep the rent paid. It didn't help that, for all his talk of cuisine, the man himself was a horrible cook. Five years later, the Azure fox was lost in a bet to a traveling merchant who played the original owner in a round of poker. The merchant was Dominic Croival, Ramona's grandfather. He quickly turned the Azure Fox's fortunes around, providing not only what the local townsfolk wanted, which was good, hearty food, but ran a small merchant business out of the back of the tavern, keeping in touch with the trade merchants who rarely visited the town.   Word of the Tavern and its sudden change of hands spread, and soon Los Castelles was recieveing more visitors. A sailor's discovery of a marble deposit a short travel away made the town into a bustling trade port, as a marble quarry was opened. A variety of small trades opened up as more valuable mineral deposits were discovered, and the Azure Fox was in the center of it all. The Azure Fox was passed to Dominic's son Julio, who ran the business in joint with his father.   It was in 1918 that disaster struck; the Azure Fox, which had survived the The Night of Falling Crowns and multiple summer storms, burned to the ground one summer night. The reported source of fire was a cigar that had been left to smoulder in the wrong place. Julio, who suspected that one of his father's old trade rivals might be to blame, was doubtful. The investigation went on for far longer than anyone liked, or anticipated. Eventually, it was revealed that Julio himself had set the fire; the Azure Fox was struggling to compete with the slew of taverns and restaurants on the pier, and he hoped to recoup his losses. Instead he was sent to prison. His only daughter Ramona was left to pick up the pieces, her grandfather having died a short time before.   But never let it be said that Ramona didn't like a challenge.  

The birth of Ramona's

  Ramona set to work, clearing the destroyed tavern of the Azure Fox by hand. All her family's money had been taken or used up in the investigation, and she was left penniless. She worked in another tavern in the evenings, and during the mornings before the sun grew unbearable, she could be seen hauling wagon after wagon of burned wood and ash to the tanneries on the edge of town. Soon, the land was cleared and a new building could be constructed. She'd been approached multiple times about the land, both by well-meaning developers and greedy loan sharks. She had no intention of selling; the land had been in her family for decades. It was all she had left of her grandfather and Creator take her if she was just going to give it up for a jingling purse. However, there was still the lingering reality that, even with her tavern job, she didn't have enough money to rebuild on her own.   It was a curious twist of fate that an anonymous donor-although Ramona had a sneaking suspicion of who- provided enough money to begin the rebuilding process. The only caveat was that the pub be named for its propetier. Ramona set to work with glee, hiring a construction crew and a designer to rebuild the tavern. It was hard work, especially since the well-developed pier left little room to maneuver. But the art of construction had also advanced since the tavern was first built, and the new building was slimmer while still able to retain and move air as well-if not better- than before.   Ramona's Pub opened in 1920, to great fanfare all along the pier. Her previous employer shed a waterfall of tears at her departure; if only because she was taking a good chunk of his patrons with her. Ramona followed in the footsteps of her father, with a few twists of her own; hearty, quick food for the sailors and dock workers, more refined fair for the tourists.   Ramona's pub remains today one of the hallmarks of Los Castelles, and a worthy stop for any visitor. There have been rumors that wanted pirate Aramis 'Headwind' has frequented the pub, although these rumors are mostly unsubstantiated. This being said, a man matching his description has often been seen enjoying a meal, teasing the propetier, and later seen cleaning out the rain gutters above the pier entrance.  

Two Tiers, Two sides

  Ramona's is unique in that The pub technically has two 'dining halls', on different floors. The lower floor, facing pierside, tends to be for the dock workers and sailors seeking a warm meal without work. The dining terrace on the second floor is reserved for tourists, with airy ceilings, paper fans that turn in the wind, and lighter fare. While neither menu is as robust as other locations, the humble origins of the pub and the ability to see 'a true dock experience' from a distance draws people from all over Shimshar. And their tips help keep the pub fed, which is good as many of the 'lower deck' patrons often forget to pay their tab.