No problem, you’re thinking. They’re easy to threaten, yield basic information like which way the hero went, and can be dispatched by a few minions. Sure, you could stop there.
However, there’s more to them than that. As you may already know, an ‘innkeeper’ is a minor character, either friendly to the hero or neutral, who has a permanent dwelling place or refuge and does not travel with the hero. They have mostly separate goals from the hero and his group, although many are secretly sympathetic to the ‘good’ cause. They are important because of their assets, which vary widely. Sometimes they give the hero information, sometimes connect them with a source or give them a clue, sometimes give them a precious object . . . and sometimes just a place to stay (free, usually).
You’ve had dealings with this type, of course: most often when trailing the hero, but sometimes during one of those interesting chance meetings between the hero and your henchmen, when both sides were actually just getting a meal or a drink. You’ll have noticed that they tend to stay out of the way, not daring to take the hero’s side, but not willingly assisting you, either. Irritating, isn’t it?
You have two options.
First, you can get whatever immediate information you need from the innkeeper (namely, what they gave the hero and where the hero is going) in the usual way, then sufficiently threaten the innkeeper and burn their domicile. There are other ways of devastating them, of course, but burning is the traditional method, and for good reason. There’s nothing more threatening then the charred remains of everything they had. Plus, it forces them to change locations, making it harder for the hero to find them again and sending a strong warning to all involved.
(Note: When we say ‘sufficiently threaten’, we mean that you should be sure beyond a reasonable doubt that they will not help the hero again. You could always do a bit of maiming or killing, but we found that the best method is taking a family member hostage. It works like a charm.)
That was the usual method of dealing with innkeepers. For the second, we’d like to suggest something a little sneakier . . . something that will bring a smile to your face whenever you think about it. Think deceit.
Because innkeepers are much closer to being neutral than most characters on the hero’s side, they are more susceptible to being brought over to your side. Yes, it’s difficult. It requires a good balance of bribery and blackmail, but the results are worthwhile. We suggest you approach the innkeeper in a friendly manner at first, gradually building up bribes and threats, all the while making everything the hero’s fault. There are many good strategies for this: pretending you’re the hero’s friend and ‘revealing’ his ‘faults’, pretending to know the villain and pointing out that he’s really quite nice, promising power and wealth. . . we’ll leave it up to you. Seriously, you’ll be creating wonderful memories. When the hero returns for more help (or gets there for the first time, if you can manage it) he’ll find – hopefully in a most unpleasant manner – that he no longer has a supporter. Think of the tricks and traps you will set up with an innkeeper on your side! The information you’ll get from your new spy! The many heroic plans you’ll spoil! This is the perfect time for some creativity. Experiment, and have fun!