The Rumor Mill - Week 25

Let's dive into the annual Best of Fellport edition of the Dockside Rag for week 25 of The Rumor Mill, and we can all see what they lie about this year. They claim to poll regular readers, but we find no evidence of science nor votes involved in making these rankings. The editors and staff decide what they want to call out this year, and then they fabricate the "vote totals" appropriately. They mostly do a decent job of honorable mentions, not wanting to get on the bad side of any business, but every year at least one so-called "best" leaves the entire city population scratching their heads.

Onward to the Dockside Rag's Best of Fellport listings for Anno Urbis Conditae (AUC) 799!

1d8	Rumor	True?
1	The Sacred Squid wins best restaurant, followed by The Pacific and The Elm.	Yes1
2	Best healing services goes to Divinity Sanctum, an attempt to placate the clergy.	Maybe2
3	The College wins as best place to purchase magic items, just like last year.	No3
4	Finnegan's wins best bar, closely followed by Steinkellar and the Pennypint Pub.	Maybe4
5	Best entertainment venue goes to The Grand Odeon, followed by the Meat Locker.	Yes5
6	Best public smithy goes to Smythiel. The Fellport Watch Smithy isn't eligible.	Maybe6
7	Eventide Keelworks wins for best ship repair, with a full-page glowing review.	No7
8	Best clothing honors goes to Burberry & Haviland, followed by Mage Threads.	Yes8

1 - The Elmwood Lodge still has its devoted fans, but it's a shadow of its former self. Everyone in government loves The Pacific.
2 - Healing Draughts earned an honorable mention, a boon for this hole-in-the-wall potion shop. Oddly no mention of Camillians.
3 - No central market makes the College miserable to deal with. Better to shop at Adventure Exchange or Wildside Emporium.
4 - Everyone has their favorite bar, from the upscale Dragonskull to the Rusty Anchor dive bar. All are correct and valid.
5 - The Philosopher's Stone can't understand why they got snubbed this year, since their Lecture Hall is always busy. 
6 - Many smaller smithies should have had mentions, from the utilitarian Sticks and Stones to the wildly artistic Terra's Bones.
7 - They mostly build new ships and don't have time for repairs, and they've moved up the coast. Everyone uses The Sly Spider.
8 - Both provide excellent bespoke clothing. For something ready-to-wear, try Needlesong, Work Wear, or Driftwood Boutique.

Part of T.W.Wombat's Lore 24 project, detailing the world around Fellport.
For all city posts, see the Fellport Index. For posts about the wider world, see the Beneterra Index.