The Lodging House

Many of the beings who come to Nal Hutta do so because they have business with the leaders of the various kajidics. Unless they are planning to stay in a given Hutt's palace for an extended period of time, most of them require only temporary lodging. Taking advantage of that need, an enterprising Whiphid bounty hunter who was approaching the twilight of his career—and who'd lost a leg in a run-in with a wild beast—decided to invest his earnings in an establishment that catered to such traffic. He gave it the somewhat uninspired name of the Lodging House, and now sells a new kind of service to the many beings who come and go on the planet.

The Lodging House

Haiuk's establishment is a squat, broad building, two stories in height. Broad double doors serve as the main entrance, while a smaller door provides a secondary exit in the back. The building is made of pourstone over a durasteel frame, making it very strong indeed.

1. Main Room

Twenty-five tables fill this area. There is also a bar along the wall opposite the main entrance. Stairways and turbolifts provide access from here to the upper level, and double doors behind the bar lead back to the kitchen.

2. Kitchen

While certainly not fancy, this area is quite functional, and Haiak and his staff use it to prepare all manner of dishes for their guests.

3. Pantry

This room is well stocked with nonperishable food items; what is more, a trapdoor in the floor leads to an underground vault in which fresh meat, ale and similar items are stored.

4. Private Rooms

There are two of these small areas, separated from the main hall and therefore providing a little more privacy for those beings who wish to conduct their business without drawing unwanted attention.

5. Refreshers

These small rooms boast all the expected features.

6. Sleeping Quarters

The stairs and turbolifts from the lower level open into this area. A pair of hallways provide access to more than two dozen rooms, each of which is equipped with a bed, a storage closed, a desk and a small refresher.

Haiuk the Whiphid (Rival)

Brawn 4 Cunning 3 Presence 2

Agility 3 Intellect 1 Willpower 2

Soak: 5

Wound Threshold: 17

Strain Threshold: 11

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Athletics 1, Brawl 3, Coercion 2, Cool 1, Medicine 1, Melee 3, Perception 2, Ranged—Heavy 2, Resilience 3, Stealth 2, Survival 3, Vigilance 2

Talents: Forager, Grit, Outdoorsman, Stalker, Toughened

Abilities: Claws: Brawl attacks do Brawn +1 damage and have Critical 3; Scent: remove a setback die caused by concealment for targets within Short Range; Insulated Fur: remove a setback die from skill checks caused by a cold environment.

Equipment: Padded armor, slugthrower rifle, walking stick (doubles as truncheon), obviously cybernetic replacement leg (right)

Haiuk has reached the twilight of his career, but hasn't lost his zeal for the hunt. To that end, he still loves to tell tales of past adventures, and to hear similar stories from his guests. One should not assume that he's completely past his prime, however; even with the limp that comes from a poorly matched replacement, he is still formidable in a fight. The Whiphid tends to cut his patrons a fair amount of slack, but those who cross the line with him or with other visitors are soon to learn better.

Whiphid Staff (Minions)

Brawn 3 Cunning 2 Presence 2

Agility 2 Intellect 1 Willpower 2

Soak: 5

Wound Threshold: 5 each

Strain Threshold: NA

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills (group only): Brawl, Melee, Perception, Ranged—Heavy

Talents: None

Abilities: Claws: Brawl attacks do Brawn +1 damage and have Critical 3; Scent: remove a setback die caused by concealment for targets within Short Range; Insulated Fur: remove a setback die from skill checks caused by a cold environment.

Equipment: Padded armor, vibrosword, slugthrower rifle

While the quality of their service certainly leaves something to be desired, there's no arguing the fact that these Whiphids help to maintain a peaceful environment in the Lodging House. Each is utterly loyal to Haiuk, and together they are a match for just about any unruly customer.

Using the Lodging House in an Edge of the Empire Campaign

This establishment can be incorporated into an Edge of the Empire campaign in many different ways; a few of the possibilities are detailed here.

• First and foremost, beings who have business with the Hutts on Nal Hutta might stay here during their downtime.
• Given the nature of the establishment's clientele, one could run into all sorts of unsavory (and potentially lucrative) business here.
• The PCs could be hired to steal an item or some information from a being staying here; alternately, they could suffer such predations if they possess something of value.
• Rumor has it that Haiuk is a spy for Lady Valarian on Tatooine, but most beings believe that to be an unfounded and rather speciesist rumor.