Overview

The Hotel stands as a shadowed monument in Shadewood Hollow, its two stories of timber and stone worn by rain and coal dust. Built in 1828 by Albert Mercer, it was once a grand promise of prosperity. But ambition in Shadewood Hollow has a cost.

Albert Mercer built it with his own wealth. It became a place where miners and loggers were treated like kings. But pride draws attention, and Monaghan doesn’t like things he can’t own. It started slow — supply delays, lost workers, and a small fire that blackened the parlor wall. Albert scrubbed it clean himself. Witnesses saw him standing on the porch every morning, hands on his hips, daring the town to break him.

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Then one night, Albert vanished. No struggle. No sign of where he went. The last person to see him was the night watchman, who said Albert was "counting coins" in his office. When the door was opened the next morning, the chair was empty, his coat still hanging, and on the last page of the ledger, scrawled in unfamiliar handwriting, were the words:
"Everything owed, in time."

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With no heir, Monaghan quietly took control. The velvet stayed. The iron keys stayed. But the heart of the hotel was gone. And in Albert’s place came Clayton Niles.

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Clayton Niles isn’t a big man, but he doesn’t need to be. Lean, sharp-eyed, and sharper still with his words, Clayton runs the hotel like a man sorting cogs in a machine. Every guest, every coin, every room key is accounted for. 

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Room 2C is the one room no one rents. It’s always “under repair,” but locals know the truth. Guests say the latch clicks on its own at night. Click-click-click. Like someone checking if it’s locked. Footsteps follow, soft and slow, but when they open the door, no one’s there.

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​​​​Secrets & Lore

• The Front Desk: Manned by Clayton Niles, this carved oak desk has seen every deal, argument, and secret bribe in the hotel’s history. 

• Room 2C (The Ghost Room): The most infamous room in the hotel. Guests report waking up to find the closet door open after closing it the night before. On foggy nights, townsfolk have seen a shadowy figure pacing in front of the window. No one admits to staying in the room, but the window is always clean.

• The Parlor: The hotel’s heart for business and backroom deals. This common room has seen labor discussions led by Nellie Daws, secret meetings with Monaghan’s "business associates.” Often visited by the more upscale visitors of Shadewood Hollow, like those that come from long lines of money. 

• The Grand Staircase: This central staircase creaks more than it should, even when no one is walking on it. Housekeepers report hearing phantom footsteps heading up, but no one ever comes down.

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Hotel Roles

• Housekeeper – Cleans rooms, changes linens, and handles general upkeep of guest areas. 

  • Weekly pay: $3.00

• Desk Clerk – Manages guest check-ins, room assignments, and front desk operations. 

  • Weekly pay: $6.00

• Hotel Manager – Oversees all hotel operations, manages staff, and ensures guest satisfaction (or compliance). 

  • Weekly pay: $12.00

• Hotel Owner – The ultimate authority over the hotel, controlling guest policies, room rates, and behind-the-scenes dealings. 

  • Weekly pay: $20.00

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Services

• Guest Rooms: Single, double, and "luxury" suites available for travelers, traders, and Monaghan's associates. 

• VIP Room Packages: Higher-paying guests receive luxury perks like reserved access to bathing tubs, and in-room amenities.

• Laundry: Clothes are washed, dried, and minor repairs are done for small tears or rips.

• Bathing: Shared bathhouse access, with water heated from the kitchen boiler. Soap and towels are provided for a small fee.

• Travel Supplies: Combs, soap, candles, sewing kits, shoe polish, and other essentials for travelers.

• Cooling: Stone-cooled water basins and shaded fans are provided for higher-paying guests during warm months. 

• Warmth: Staff pre-light a guest’s fireplace before arrival.

• In-Room Amenities: Wax-sealed candles, mosquito netting, hand fans, and lavender satchels for troubled sleepers.

• Winter Blanket Rentals: Thick woolen blankets provided for an extra fee.

• Private Meetings: A secluded part of the parlor for meetings, card games, and “private discussions.”

• “Quiet Guest”: For a premium, a guest’s stay is kept off the ledger with no official record of their arrival or departure.

• Food Delivery: Private meals delivered to guest rooms. Discreet service can be requested for no-knock delivery.

• Card Table Rentals: Portable card tables are available for guests to gamble in private rooms.

• Trunk Drop-off: Trunks and luggage dropped at the train station are delivered directly to guest rooms.

• "Night Watcher": A night watchman can be hired to guard a guest’s room overnight.
  
   

Dining & Beverage Services: 

• Breakfast Service: 

  • Fresh bread, eggs, wild ramps, wild berry preserves, strawberries, blackberries, and gooseberries in the spring. 

  • Fresh bread, wild berry preserves, eggs, and fruit from local harvests in the summer. 

  • Warm grits, porridge, and bread served with honey or preserves in autumn.

  • Warm oatmeal, cornbread, fried eggs, and sausages in the winter.

• Lunch & Dinner Service: 

  • Stews (wild greens, root vegetables, and smoked meat) and trout from local streams in the spring. 

  • Game meats (wild turkey, rabbit, and deer), summer vegetables, and fresh berry pies in the summer. 

  • Heartier meals like venison stew, rabbit pie, and root vegetable mash in autumn. 

  • Meat pies, lamb stew, and root vegetable soup with cornbread or biscuits in the winter.

• Seasonal Drinks: 

  • Moonshine flavored with wild strawberries, elderflower, and early-season berries in the spring. 

  • Punches, lemonade, and chilled ales in the summer. 

  • Cider (fermented and non-fermented) and mulled whiskey served hot in autumn. 

  • Hot mulled cider, and strong-brewed black coffee in the winter.

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