Shady Rest Inn



Shady Rest Inn (aka Shady Rest) was a human-built inn near the border between Dustwallow Marsh and the Barrens.

History
This inn was a welcome sight for weary travelers taking the Gold Road. Though no shade could be found there, a day's travel south of Ashenvale, the inn was built next to a deep natural well and was popular for its soft beds, warm meals, cold drinks (including the famous Shady Rest ale), and standing garrison of mercenary troops for hire that helped protect against centaur and quilboar raids, when not otherwise employed. Minstrels have immortalized the Shady Rest's proprietor in the chorus of a ballad:

"He'll bring you mead, he'll bring you beer; A grinning face from ear to ear; He's served us all from year to year; We call him."

In the years since the inn's construction, a small village had grown up around it. This town was named Shady Rest, after the inn at its heart, one of the best known on Kalimdor. The civilian and military communities of the village had labored together to build a jetty and pier that allowed merchant traffic traveling along the coast to stop and enjoy a night's hospitality at the Shady Rest.

Most of its visitors, however, did not know that the standing garrison is secretly Quarvel's Raiders, bandits who attack Horde caravans traveling on the Gold Road.

Some time ago it was mysteriously burned to the ground, apparently along with the village. Paval Reethe as well as possibly Lieutenant Caldwell were implicated by investigating agents, but both were killed before they could reveal the truth of who was behind the attack. James Hyal ran the inn at the time of the attack. His wife and child were killed in the blaze and James has been traumatized by the incident.

Fate
Players can learn the story behind the burning of the Shady Rest Inn by completing the Shady Rest Inn quest chain, learning that it was the Grimtotem clan who is responsible for burning down the Inn, and quite possibly the whole town.