The Old Country Inn

"Timber, fieldstone, and yellowed plaster walls decorate this two-story motel. Its office, on the ground floor, rests just slightly to the right of the building. Fieldstone sidewalks give access to iron stairs, leading to the second floor. The place looks old but sturdy."

As many who have adventured in Halifax, New Hampshire already know, there aren't many places you can stay when visiting the smaller, stranger town. Many visitors stay with friends, family, magical allies, and during the winter when the ski lodges are open, throughout the surrounding countryside. There is one place that occult-minded visitors always find open and, strangely, vacant - the Old Country Inn. 

Run by Jeremiah Oldman, Jr., the Old Country Inn is a roadside motel that his father built, against the better judgment of the town, just south of Halifax in mid-October 1952, just days after Stalin died (it opened on the 19th). With McCarthyism in full swing in America, no one in the town was keen on the ideas Elvis was promoting, much less any wild ideas outsiders might bring. Jeremiah's father acknowledged their concerns and soothed them, promising to be very selective of his clientele while pointing out a secondary, important factor; if the town was concerned with visiting guests, Jeremiah could act as an early warning system for the town, informing them of any trouble he witnessed before it came into town.

His proposed relationship worked, too. In the early 1990s, the town changed. As members of its older generations died off, outsiders moved in, purchasing large plots of land and effectively dividing the town for nearly a decade; Jeremiah was able to help redirect the 'wrong types of investors,' effectively paving the path for both Karin Martin (1992) and Jonathan Thatcher (1994).

Today, the remodeled Old Country Inn serves in largely the same role, although it is officially sponsored (and owned) by Jonathan Thatcher through one of his many subsidiaries. 

Occult Lore: Although several mysteries orbit the Old Country Inn, the longest-running oddity about the place is something even Jeremiah Oldman agrees is uncanny; the motel has never had all of its rooms open at the same time. In fact, the motel once celebrated this fact and made the attempt to 'challenge fate', working diligently to open all of its rooms in the fall of 1967 for a special event. That October, the motel caught fire and Jeremiah abandoned all hope of diverting the motel's strange fate.

Today, the motel ceremonial keeps one room closed at all times, hoping to avert a far worse fate.

Using the Old Country Inn

The Old Country Inn isn't intended as an adventure site, but instead as a sort of universal gateway to adventure. For anyone using it in Bloodlines & Black Magic, this motel is the perfect place for PCs to rest and relax while they explore the town to the north or the massive forests all but surrounding it to its south.

A family-owned business until 1997, the Oldman family agreed to stay on as its full-time staff when Jonathan Thatcher purchased the failing business in the late summer. Although he made the purchase through a subsidiary, he made a point to keep the senior Oldman in the loop throughout the process and ensured his families' interests and needs were all sated, eventually earning the man's loyalty.

Today, Jonathan Thatcher uses the roadside motel in much the same way, making it available to guests at his expense. When Jonathan isn't using the motel in this capacity, Jeremiah Oldman, Jr works the front desk, vetting potential guests with a simple, old-world charm.

"Well, it seems we're booked..."

:: phone rings ::

"....oh, I see. That is unfortunate. Well, I hope it clears soon. ... Yes... Yes... we'll refund your deposit."

:: puts down the handset from an older, 1990s-style telephone ::

"Well, it would appear we've had two rooms open up. Your names again?"

This free map intentionally lacks a scale, although the 1-inch squares work best as 5 ft. increments.