Hello everyone! “Ha find a seat if you can!”
Hearthstone has been around for a while, since 2014 to be exact, and in that time we have
met heroes and minions in all shapes and sizes. You may not know all of the cards in the game,
and that’s fine because there are over 3,000 of them, but today we’re going to talk about
somebody who sometimes may get a little overlooked. Somebody that everybody can recognize, regardless
of when you sat down to your first game: The Innkeeper.
“Welcome to my inn!” Greeting all that arrive at his cozy little
tavern, sitting you down to your first game and talking you through it, or just finding
you a seat in the corner to sit down and unpack your cards, Harth Stonebrew has what you need.
Hearthstone boards can be found throughout Azeroth, but it is the games set out in the
inns and taverns that really make Hearthstone what it is, a game that brings people from
all walks of life together. “Ugh”
There is something about The Innkeeper’s tavern in particular that seems almost magical.
Most visitors can’t tell you exactly how they ended up here, sitting around the fire
with a mug of ale and a deck of cards in their hands. A squad of orcs once said they stumbled
in off the streets of Orgrimmar during a storm, and a caravan of Gnome traders found their
way inside after wandering lost through the Swamp of Sorrows for days on end, only to
find the tavern in the middle of nowhere. One thing is for certain though; Everyone
finds the tavern when they need it most, and everyone will meet The Innkeeper.
“Oe, welcome! Come warm your frozen boots by the fire”
With a twinkle in his eye, and often accompanied by his white rat Sarge, Harth will guide you
to a table and put a drink in your hand before you can even take off your coat. If you’re
just here to watch a game he’ll bring you to a table with a view, if you want to practice
he’ll sit across from you and play a game or two with you. This wide grinned, orange
bearded dwarf may be small in stature, but don’t let that fool you. Nobody who enters
the tavern dares to cause too much mayhem. From giant behemoths like The Ancients, to
the tiniest murloc, they all know not to cause trouble, and if they did? Well let’s say
that he is stronger than he looks. It is said that if you start a fight in his fine establishment
you will find yourself flying out of the door, faster than you could land a blow, and you’d
be very lucky to find yourself laying crumpled up on the street of a city you knew.
“ROAAAAR!” “Ah, ah! Play nice”
“Zug zug”
Innkeepers in World of Warcraft come in many different shapes and sizes. When asked, they’ll
use their powers to bind your hearthstone to their inn. Each player spawns in to the
world with one of these rare artifacts in their possession as lorewise, the hearthstone
is truly rare. One is known as the Innkeeper’s daughter. Not the daughter of Stonebrew, instead
according to legend, the daughter of Bryher Stoneekeper. He ran a prosperous tavern near
Loch Modan. Life was good for the innkeeper, but he couldn’t get over the fact that his
daughter Keelin loved to travel and developed the kind of reputation that embarrassed her
father. “I’ll have you know I can flatten steel
with my thighs!” Seeking a way to keep his daughter close to
home, Bryher struck up a deal with a gnome warlock. The devious creature turned Keeling
into a hearthstone, so that she would always return to the inn…
“Its like my father always used to say. Shut up and get out.”
Going back to Harth in hearthstone, as magical as his tavern is, Stonebrew seems just as
fascinating, and we don’t know a whole lot about him. His appearance may seem a little
familiar though, like you’ve seen him before, and you might have if you’ve ever played
the Warcraft Trading Card Game. He doesn’t mention it himself, but Harth Stonebrew is
seen on the quest card ‘The Perfect Stout’. The innkeeper is an enigma, somebody we really
don’t know much about, and honestly that seems to be the way he likes it, not because
he likes to be elusive or mysterious, but his role, as he puts it is to “Serve the
drinks, give good advice when needed, and make sure everyone leaves with a few stories
to tell their friends”.
Harth wants everyone who finds their way to his tavern to leave with a smile on their
faces and stories to tell. Although he is a laid-back sort, who understands that a tense
game can leave people a little rattled, he does have some strict rules about the behaviour
in the tavern. Sure fist fights can break out now and then, but don’t pull out any
weapons. No blades, clubs, axes or magic used with ill intent. If you cross those lines,
well remember the people we mentioned earlier flying through the door? His pet peeve though
is cheating. “But of course you could forget all that
and just have fun!”
The Innkeeper knows how invested we all get in our games, and how tense it is when you’re
teetering on defeat and you’re hoping your opponent is in as helpless a state as you
are, but the game is only fun when it’s fair, and Harth absolutely hates cheating.
If he catches you cheating it is said that the poor fools are doomed to forever draw
nothing but Magma Ragers and Angry Chicken for the rest of their days.
Although as we mentioned earlier we don’t know much about him, we do know that Harth
is just as extraordinary as his much loved tavern. There are even tales that when people
set up their own little group a familiar ginger bearded Dwarf can appear, putting a drink
in your hand and laughing with you as your opponent clears your board with a lucky move.
You won’t see him arrive, and you won’t see him leave, but that’s not unusual, a
night of fun is a powerful thing after all.
As otherworldly as Harth can appear, he always seems to know what is happening outside of
the tavern doors, and he likes to mention it by changing his greetings depending on
the situation. During Whispers of the Old Gods, if you wandered up to the inn Harth
may have said “Do you hear whispers? Och, let me shut the windows!” and during Knights
of the Frozen Throne he may have told you “There’s a deathly chill in the air! Come
inside where it’s warm!” to name but a few. It just goes to show that Harth knows
more than just the goings on of his lively tavern.
“Busy night but there’s always room for another”
Whoever you are and whatever you are, Harth Stonebrew will always have a place ready by
the fire for you, a tankard with your name on it, and time to play a few games with you.
He was made to be a physical embodiment of the game, and he is just that. Warm, Friendly
and inviting, Harth wants nothing more than for everyone to enjoy companionship, a few
laughs, and a good drink over a game of Hearthstone and at the end of the night, when people are
slowing down he may hand you your coat as you walk out of the door, and you might find
a Hearthstone board tucked under your arm. As you turn back you may realize the tavern,
and its affable Innkeep have disappeared, but don’t worry. Whenever you need a game
of Hearthstone to lighten your spirits, to spend a lazy afternoon, or you just want to
watch some games Harth will be right there welcoming you back, just as he always has
since the very beginning and will be for as long as we can tell. Afterall, it wouldn’t
be Hearthstone without Harth Stonebrew. “Alright last call. Got to close the tavern.
Jobs done!” Thank you very much for watching everyone!
If you have any suggestions for cards to cover in the future, by all means let us know in
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