My apologies for how this project is falling by the wayside as I get crushed at work! This week was actually inspired by a book I recently covered for CriminalElement.com, the brutally honest Philanthropists by Rozlan Mohd Noor, a former Malaysian police officer who now writes police procedurals from his home in Thailand. Set during COVID-19, it showcases the specific challenges of Malaysian policing during the pandemic and amid ongoing tensions with Rohingya refugees. It's a great book that really lays out what life is like in Kuala Lumpur, warts and all.

This week's Floating City entry revolves around the Golden Eel tavern, located near the entrance to the Public Docks from the Sea Merchants' District. It's the nicest sit-down dining establishment in the district, and provides lodging as well to rival its neighbor, Cintra's Inn. It's a prime place to meet and gather information and, perhaps, jobs for NPCs new to town.

I did use the first two entries to continue discussing the food and eating habits of Atasiar before plunging into the details of the Golden Eel tavern itself. Part of this was because I wanted to help solidify the setting as being one that's both very Malaysian-influenced as well as environmentally-conscious, continuing with the solarpunk Southeast Asian theme.

While I knew before setting pen to paper that I wanted to make this a family-run business, I didn't know exactly who this family was until after Philanthropists had simmered in my brain for a bit. There aren't any spoilers here for the book, tho anyone who's read it can see how sentimental I've been in reusing some of the names here.  I also wanted to take the time to color in the illustration a bit, tho this is hardly my finest work. I did want to make sure to throw in a little Jawi as well, as seen in the plaque over the pass-through window to the kitchen, as another nod to the setting's Malaysian heritage. It reads The Golden Eel in the old Malay script, tho whether Jawi is used as anything but decoration nowadays is likely up to the GM.

I definitely feel like I'm slowing down somewhat with these entries, due in large part to the fact that I simply don't have the time for them! Hopefully, my schedule will open up soon, but in the meantime, it's apologies to all the endeavors I haven't been able to find the time for lately.