Nestled in the rocky foothills of the snow-capped Sword Mountains is the mining town of Phandalin, which consists of forty or fifty simple log buildings. Crumbling stone ruins surround the newer houses and shops, showing how this must have been a much larger town in centuries past. Phandalin's residents are quiet, hard-working folk who came from distant cities to eke out a life amid the harsh wilderness. They are farmers, stonecutters, blacksmiths, traders, prospectors, and children. The town has no walls and no garrison, but most of the adults keep weapons within easy reach in case the need for arms should arise. Visitors are welcome here, particularly if they have a coin to spend or news to share.
Map of Phandalin:
Locations in Phandalin:
Stonehill Inn - The town's only inn. Travellers can find a good meal and a place to sleep in here - if they have the coin to pay for it. The inn is run by Toblen Stonehill - a short human male whom you've all met. A bed for a night costs 5 sp while a meal costs 1 sp.
Barthen's Provisions - A general store featuring normal adventuring gear and a few other miscellaneous items.
Lionshield Coster - This post of the Lionshields company is the only place in town to buy weapons and armour.
Phandalin Miner's Exchange - The exchange is the place you go to when you want to have your finds weighted, measured and paid out. Many people pass through here so it's also a great place to meet people.
Shrine of Luck - A small temple made of stones. It seems like it was under normal care for long, but it doesn't seem like anyone took care of it recently.
Townmaster's Hall - A building made of sturdy stone walls and a wooden roof with a bell tower at the back.
-- Umbrage Hill - Two hours walk from Phandalin, in a stone mill lives Adabra Gwynn, a midwife and apothecary devoted to Chauntea. She sells common healing potions for 50 GP each.
More information about the locations will be added when you visit them.
Job Posts:
“A clan of reclusive rock gnomes resides in a small network of caves in the mountains to the southeast. The gnomes of Gnomengarde are known for their magical inventions, and they might have something with which to defeat the dragon. Get whatever you can from them. If you bring back something useful and don’t want to keep it for yourselves, Townmaster Harbin Wester will pay you 50 gp for it.”
“Orcs have attacked Butterskull Ranch, five miles east of Conyberry along the Triboar Trail! Travel there with haste, assess the damage, and help any way you can. Ranch owner Alfonse “Big Al” Kalazorn is a retired sheriff who can reward you for your efforts. If he’s dead, return to Townmaster Harbin Wester with proof of Kalazorn’s demise to receive a reward of 100 gp.”
“Deep in Neverwinter Wood, along the river that flows west toward Neverwinter, is a logging camp. Every two months, Phandalin delivers fresh supplies to the camp, which is run by the half-brother of Phandalin’s townmaster, Harbin Wester. Barthen, the local provisioner, has prepared a new delivery. He needs someone to bear the supplies safely to the camp. Return to Harbin Wester with a notice of delivery signed by his half-brother, Tibor Wester, to claim your reward of 100 gp.”
“The Mountain’s Toe Gold Mine lies fifteen miles northeast of Phandalin. The new overseer, Don-Jon Raskin, just made the trip from Neverwinter to Phandalin and needs to be escorted to the mine. There’s no telling what dangers lie between here and there. Once you deliver Raskin safe and sound, return to Townmaster Harbin Wester to collect a reward of 100 gp.”
Thenmer and Barthrum:
Thenmer has been staying in Phandalin for a while now, but since the accident... he's not thinking as he did before. The folks of Phandalin don't like weird folks and they avoid him unless necessary. Thus, it was definitely strange to hear a knock on the door. When he opens it, standing in front of him is a Dwarf in weird, old-styled clothes. The new Dwarf presents himself as Barthrum Daerdahk, and Thenmer can immediately notice his speech is slightly weird, not impossible to understand but definitely different.
The two Dwarves stick together as the two odd-balls in town. They don't go out much, except for an occasional walk to move their muscles a bit. One of these walks was not an ordinary one. It is just a bit after noon when you both hear people screaming and shouting all around. As you follow the sound to see what all the commotion is about, you can see people looking and pointing up. When you look up, you can barely see a small figure very high in the sky. It seems to be grey but, from that distance, who could possibly tell what is the true colour of it. A few metres from the commotion, you can see a group of people standing around a young farmer who is sitting on the ground, burying his face in his hands, crying.
Dolgrim:
You have only just returned from a three-day journey to the Butterskull Ranch where you left your last beehive for Alfonse to take care of. You might not be great friends, but he has enough compassion in him to take care of it for the time being. You would have left them with your friend Daran but he complained that they make so much noise and, besides, he's better with plants than animals. Before going to the old Orchard where you're staying, you make a stop at Bathen's Provisions to make a delivery of some butter-shaped skulls that Big Al asked you to deliver for him on your way back. As you exit the shop, you can see people rushing around and some commotion in the distance. As you follow the sound, you find a crowd of people gathered in one place. The people in the crowd are pointing up and shouting some things. When you look up, you can barely see a small figure very high in the sky. It seems to be grey but, from that distance, who could possibly tell what is the true colour of it. A few metres from the commotion, you can see a group of people standing around a young farmer who is sitting on the ground, burying his face in his hands, crying.
Fastolph:
It took you some time, but you're finally here. It's true, you arrived without any of your goods, but at least you're alive. The town of Phandalin is unveiled in front of you as you get closer. However, it isn't quite what you expected. It's only a small town and it looks rather empty. As you walk into the town, the lack of people in the town seems rather suspicious. Perhaps that's just how human towns are, but you're smart enough to doubt that feeling. As you walk, you start to hear a faint sound in the distance. It sounds like a crowd screaming and shouting. You follow the sound - finally some living souls - and what you find in front of you is a crowd of people gathered in one place. The people in the crowd are pointing up and shouting some things. When you look up, you can barely see a small figure very high in the sky. It seems to be grey but, from that distance, who could possibly tell what is the true colour of it. A few metres from the commotion, you can see a group of people standing around a young farmer who is sitting on the ground, burying his face in his hands, crying.
The walk through the village was pleasant, Thenmer enjoyed picking out the little changes from the previous day and trying to understand from these changes the rules of behaviour that they implied. Buckets loosely piled against a house spoke to him of industry and effort but with a lack of order, or perhaps too much haste. He mused over whether he could conclude whether it was lack of time or caring which caused the poorly ordered pile.
The shouting and screaming dragged him out of his reverie. Something so much out of order, so much out of the ordinary, needed investigation. Whatever it was needed to be understood. He walked towards the centre of the commotion and observed as the people looked upwards afraid.
Thenmer squinted up at the vague shape in the sky, his eyes had never been that sharp and he was not surprised that he could barely make out the greyish speck against the sky.
"Can you make out what it is Barthrum?" He said to his walking companion.
He looked over towards the distraught farmer. In his mind he tried to draw a pattern of this that made sense; lines of causality from the indistinct spec to the man crying on the ground. Much as the gears of his mind spun he realised that he did not have enough information to complete this pattern, to join up the lines of causality to his satisfaction.
Turning to glance at his companion, he then started off toward the group around the farmer "Best find out what has happened here."
Barthrum looks out of place even in the company of another dwarf. He is clean shaven, his pants immaculate and his suspenders perfectly parallel. As they stroll then he keeps bothering Thenmer with questions about the names of plants they walk past. He has probably learned all that Thenmner has to offer, but doesn't really pick up on it just yet.
"And that one there? Was that edible? When does it bloom? I apologize, Master Thenmer, I must memorize these things and tell mom and dad about it!"
---
Once the screaming starts and he can see the shape in the sky he smiles broadly. He says very enthusiastically to Thenmer, "I KNOW WHAT TO DO!"
Barthrum steps forward and shouts towards everyone and nobody in particular, "I know what to do! Grab your family and things and follow me into the mountains!"
He takes the shoulders of Thenmer into his hands, still smiling ear to ear and repeats, "I KNOW WHAT TO DO!" and runs off.
Dolgrim, mid-aged dwarf, took a large sip from his skin. 'Better than nothing I suppose', thought he as he tied the skin back to his belt again. Suddenly, while wiping his beard some strange silhouette way up in the distance caught Dolgrim's eye. 'Must have been stronger than I Though. Those humans and their mead, only Moradin knows, what they put in there...'; Suddenly Dolgrim realized he is not the only one staring into the distance...
As Barthrum shouts, many turn their faces to look at the peculiar Dwarf that, to them, looks mad more than anything else. As he starts to run, Barthrum collides with one of the humans. The human is short, for a human anyway, but sturdy. It seems like the hit didn't move him at all. He puts a heavy hand on Barthrum's shoulder. His face seems friendly, considering the situation, and he speaks in a friendly-yet-rebuking tone. "Could you stop making such a fuss?" He asks. "People are stressed enough as it is, they don't need any mad dwarves running around spreading panic." As Dolgrim approaches, he continues: "These attacks are getting more frequent. See that poor fella over there?" He points at the crying farmer. "He had just spent all the money he had on three healthy cows. Now he lost the third, he'll have to start all over. And he was so eager to prove himself..." He pulls both dwarves closer and crouches so that their heads are close, then proceeds in low voice: "Personally, I don't believe the rumours. I know it couldn't be the orcs, they wouldn't take one cow and run, but there are many other monsters around. Some folks claim to have seen a dragon flying through the high clouds. At that distance, it's hard to gauge the creature's size, so people make many things up. Some say it's big as an elephant, others say it's even bigger. Some claim it has gleaming white scales, others claim it's black. Imagine! A dragon, here. The last one was a green dragon, and he's been slain long, long ago. Hopefully, we won't see another one before it's forgotten completely. A few said it's much smaller - closer to a lion in size - with spiky tail and wings. "So as you can see - there are many rumours. Folks are scared and worried, the rumours spread and fewer people come to the town. It's bad for business. So just... be careful with what comes out of your mouth."
Thenmer listened carefully to the words, his eyes glinted as he sensed the purpose of the words. The man was using them almost like a lever against a toppling mass, to shift things in the direction he wanted and away from the edge of something dangerous where people could fall apart. The dwarf had to admire the craft of the man using his words as tools for a purpose.
He nodded in affirmation to the man "Agreed, words can be like the blows of a pick in a mineshaft. Used with skill they open up new possibilities, used carelessly they can bring the roof down upon us." After thinking for a moment he turned to his walking companion and continued "Barthrum, how can you know what to do if it is not known what the cause of this is? To not know an action and yet to know what reaction is needed does not make sense."
Fastolph stumbled into town. It was not quite the glorious entrance he had in mind, what with his entire livelihood missing. What kind of merchant does not have any wares? 'Twas just his luck. Barely a tenday out on the road and he had already been accosted by a band of Orc marauders, his cart stolen and his body bruised. He should count himself lucky that he got out with his clothes relatively intact, though his favourite green and brown jacket and pants were significantly streaked with dirt, and as much as he could quickly stuff into his backpack before the Orcs had a chance to shake him down the hard way. The only thing more broken and battered than his wares was his pride. In hindsight it would make a good lesson on never travelling without guards but right now, Fastolph wanted nothing more than a flagon of ale, a cozy bed and a soundproof door to disguise his angry sobbing.
That would have to wait however. Something strange was afoot. Fastolph had next to no experience with human settlements but even he knew it was odd that there was no one in sight. He was about to head towards what he presumed to be the tavern when he heard some murmur in the distance. A crowd stood pointing and gesturing at the sky. Fastolph looked up. Up there, outlined against the blue grey sky, was something flying though it was too far up to clearly see.
The crowd had shuffled around a bit. A gap appeared between the bodies, allowing Fastolph a glimpse into its centre. The people had gathered around a young man - boy? - who was crying his eyes out. Fastolph would feel empathy towards the young one but he was distracted by every muscle in his body aching.
He turned around and left for the tavern when something else caught his eye. A huddle of Dwarves, three in total, and one human stood a bit apart from the crowd. They had a conspiratorial look to them but Fastolph would take three Dwarves over a crowd of humans any day of the week. He walked over to them.
'Mind telling what's going on over there?' Fastolph asked with his thumb towards the crowd, his question directed more to the Dwarves than the sole human.
Barthrum closes his jaw with an audible click as he starts to calm down and the words of the man reach him.
Then Thenmer questions his logic and he gets a new focus for his energy. "The reaction is always to hide away and let it pass, whatever it is! There is no logical fallacy here! Or if there is then figuring it out while safe under the mountain is much preferred to being eaten by whatever that is."
He looks at the fourth dwarf approaching and straightens up. "If you decide to stay then I decide to stay! Comrades, right?"
"My name is Toblen Stonehill. I'm the owner of the Stonehill Inn right over there," he replies as he points toward the direction of the inn. When he looks at Dolgrim and Fastolph, he adds: "You two look like you can use a good rest, and maybe a meal. If you want to, you can always find me over there."
The human raises his head and sees the crowd scattering away. The young farmer is still sobbing and few folks are still there, comforting him. "Well, I better get going or all my Ale will be gone before I'm back. Stay out of trouble and watch what comes out of your mouths. If you ever want to talk - I'll probably be at my inn." With these words, he departs from the group and goes to his inn, leaving them behind.
"Underground is not always safe. There is a fallacy in your logic Barthrum"
He turns to the others, mentally fitting them into his model of the world although he did not yet know what part they played in the Great Machine. He considered that speaking with them would be the most efficient way to discern this.
"Hello fellow dwarves. My name is Thenmer, currently an inhabitant of this village. Things are not normally this disorderly here."
He pauses to consider the proper use of the rules of hospitality in this situation.
"We could go to the tavern as suggested by its keeper or if you have any food with you I could welcome you into my cottage and cook a meal for us."
You walk for a bit until you reach a modest two-story roadhouse. When you go inside, the lower floor has a bar and a couple of tables. Behind the bar is a closed door, and across the room, you can see stairs leading up. The tavern is mostly empty - except for you four, the only people inside are two human women sitting across one of the tables and Toblen, coming from behind the bar to greet you.
'Ay, I could go for a pint.' Fastolph replied. Any imprompty dwarven meeting was bound be better with a flagon of ale, every dwarf knew that. He already planned on visiting the tavern anyway so he was not about to turn away company. He followed the others towards the town's watering hole.
Once he was inside the tavern, Fastolph felt more at ease. Though man-made, it was similar enough to the mead halls back home for the dwarf to lower his guard. He spotted the two women at one of the table and Fastolph's mind nearly jumped into merchant mode when he was bitterly reminded that he had nothing to sell. His mood soured.
'A bottle of mead and a cup.' Fastolph grunted at the bartender, 'And leave the bottle.'
"Alright. That'll be..." he thinks for a moment. "Tell you what, I will make what you orders and when I come back, each of you will tell me what they're doing, their goals... If I hear something interesting, I might give you a discount." he winks.
He leaves your table and goes to the back room to prepare your order. As he goes, one of the women calls after him: "Hey! You didn'a give me dat offa, why don' you give me a discount too?" Only to get shot down by his response: "That's because you talk so much I already know everything!" to which both he and the other woman burst in laughter.
When he comes back, he lays on the table what each of you have ordered, though he mistakes Barthrum's order with Fastolph's. "Well, did you consider my offer? Otherwise, it'll be eight shining silver coins."
Nestled in the rocky foothills of the snow-capped Sword Mountains is the mining town of Phandalin, which consists of forty or fifty simple log buildings. Crumbling stone ruins surround the newer houses and shops, showing how this must have been a much larger town in centuries past.
Phandalin's residents are quiet, hard-working folk who came from distant cities to eke out a life amid the harsh wilderness. They are farmers, stonecutters, blacksmiths, traders, prospectors, and children. The town has no walls and no garrison, but most of the adults keep weapons within easy reach in case the need for arms should arise.
Visitors are welcome here, particularly if they have a coin to spend or news to share.
Map of Phandalin:
Locations in Phandalin:
Stonehill Inn - The town's only inn. Travellers can find a good meal and a place to sleep in here - if they have the coin to pay for it. The inn is run by Toblen Stonehill - a short human male whom you've all met. A bed for a night costs 5 sp while a meal costs 1 sp.
Barthen's Provisions - A general store featuring normal adventuring gear and a few other miscellaneous items.
Lionshield Coster - This post of the Lionshields company is the only place in town to buy weapons and armour.
Phandalin Miner's Exchange - The exchange is the place you go to when you want to have your finds weighted, measured and paid out. Many people pass through here so it's also a great place to meet people.
Shrine of Luck - A small temple made of stones. It seems like it was under normal care for long, but it doesn't seem like anyone took care of it recently.
Townmaster's Hall - A building made of sturdy stone walls and a wooden roof with a bell tower at the back.
--
Umbrage Hill - Two hours walk from Phandalin, in a stone mill lives Adabra Gwynn, a midwife and apothecary devoted to Chauntea. She sells common healing potions for 50 GP each.
More information about the locations will be added when you visit them.
Job Posts:
Thenmer and Barthrum:
Thenmer has been staying in Phandalin for a while now, but since the accident... he's not thinking as he did before. The folks of Phandalin don't like weird folks and they avoid him unless necessary. Thus, it was definitely strange to hear a knock on the door. When he opens it, standing in front of him is a Dwarf in weird, old-styled clothes. The new Dwarf presents himself as Barthrum Daerdahk, and Thenmer can immediately notice his speech is slightly weird, not impossible to understand but definitely different.
The two Dwarves stick together as the two odd-balls in town. They don't go out much, except for an occasional walk to move their muscles a bit. One of these walks was not an ordinary one. It is just a bit after noon when you both hear people screaming and shouting all around. As you follow the sound to see what all the commotion is about, you can see people looking and pointing up. When you look up, you can barely see a small figure very high in the sky. It seems to be grey but, from that distance, who could possibly tell what is the true colour of it.
A few metres from the commotion, you can see a group of people standing around a young farmer who is sitting on the ground, burying his face in his hands, crying.
Dolgrim:
You have only just returned from a three-day journey to the Butterskull Ranch where you left your last beehive for Alfonse to take care of. You might not be great friends, but he has enough compassion in him to take care of it for the time being. You would have left them with your friend Daran but he complained that they make so much noise and, besides, he's better with plants than animals.
Before going to the old Orchard where you're staying, you make a stop at Bathen's Provisions to make a delivery of some butter-shaped skulls that Big Al asked you to deliver for him on your way back. As you exit the shop, you can see people rushing around and some commotion in the distance. As you follow the sound, you find a crowd of people gathered in one place. The people in the crowd are pointing up and shouting some things. When you look up, you can barely see a small figure very high in the sky. It seems to be grey but, from that distance, who could possibly tell what is the true colour of it.
A few metres from the commotion, you can see a group of people standing around a young farmer who is sitting on the ground, burying his face in his hands, crying.
Fastolph:
It took you some time, but you're finally here. It's true, you arrived without any of your goods, but at least you're alive. The town of Phandalin is unveiled in front of you as you get closer. However, it isn't quite what you expected. It's only a small town and it looks rather empty. As you walk into the town, the lack of people in the town seems rather suspicious. Perhaps that's just how human towns are, but you're smart enough to doubt that feeling.
As you walk, you start to hear a faint sound in the distance. It sounds like a crowd screaming and shouting. You follow the sound - finally some living souls - and what you find in front of you is a crowd of people gathered in one place. The people in the crowd are pointing up and shouting some things. When you look up, you can barely see a small figure very high in the sky. It seems to be grey but, from that distance, who could possibly tell what is the true colour of it.
A few metres from the commotion, you can see a group of people standing around a young farmer who is sitting on the ground, burying his face in his hands, crying.
Varielky | Emma
The walk through the village was pleasant, Thenmer enjoyed picking out the little changes from the previous day and trying to understand from these changes the rules of behaviour that they implied. Buckets loosely piled against a house spoke to him of industry and effort but with a lack of order, or perhaps too much haste. He mused over whether he could conclude whether it was lack of time or caring which caused the poorly ordered pile.
The shouting and screaming dragged him out of his reverie. Something so much out of order, so much out of the ordinary, needed investigation. Whatever it was needed to be understood. He walked towards the centre of the commotion and observed as the people looked upwards afraid.
Thenmer squinted up at the vague shape in the sky, his eyes had never been that sharp and he was not surprised that he could barely make out the greyish speck against the sky.
"Can you make out what it is Barthrum?" He said to his walking companion.
He looked over towards the distraught farmer. In his mind he tried to draw a pattern of this that made sense; lines of causality from the indistinct spec to the man crying on the ground. Much as the gears of his mind spun he realised that he did not have enough information to complete this pattern, to join up the lines of causality to his satisfaction.
Turning to glance at his companion, he then started off toward the group around the farmer "Best find out what has happened here."
Barthrum looks out of place even in the company of another dwarf. He is clean shaven, his pants immaculate and his suspenders perfectly parallel. As they stroll then he keeps bothering Thenmer with questions about the names of plants they walk past. He has probably learned all that Thenmner has to offer, but doesn't really pick up on it just yet.
"And that one there? Was that edible? When does it bloom? I apologize, Master Thenmer, I must memorize these things and tell mom and dad about it!"
---
Once the screaming starts and he can see the shape in the sky he smiles broadly. He says very enthusiastically to Thenmer, "I KNOW WHAT TO DO!"
Barthrum steps forward and shouts towards everyone and nobody in particular, "I know what to do! Grab your family and things and follow me into the mountains!"
He takes the shoulders of Thenmer into his hands, still smiling ear to ear and repeats, "I KNOW WHAT TO DO!" and runs off.
Dolgrim, mid-aged dwarf, took a large sip from his skin. 'Better than nothing I suppose', thought he as he tied the skin back to his belt again. Suddenly, while wiping his beard some strange silhouette way up in the distance caught Dolgrim's eye. 'Must have been stronger than I Though. Those humans and their mead, only Moradin knows, what they put in there...'; Suddenly Dolgrim realized he is not the only one staring into the distance...
D:Hey, Lad, what is all this fuss about?,
approached Dolgrim the nearest villager.
As Barthrum shouts, many turn their faces to look at the peculiar Dwarf that, to them, looks mad more than anything else. As he starts to run, Barthrum collides with one of the humans.
The human is short, for a human anyway, but sturdy. It seems like the hit didn't move him at all. He puts a heavy hand on Barthrum's shoulder. His face seems friendly, considering the situation, and he speaks in a friendly-yet-rebuking tone. "Could you stop making such a fuss?" He asks. "People are stressed enough as it is, they don't need any mad dwarves running around spreading panic."
As Dolgrim approaches, he continues: "These attacks are getting more frequent. See that poor fella over there?" He points at the crying farmer. "He had just spent all the money he had on three healthy cows. Now he lost the third, he'll have to start all over. And he was so eager to prove himself..."
He pulls both dwarves closer and crouches so that their heads are close, then proceeds in low voice: "Personally, I don't believe the rumours. I know it couldn't be the orcs, they wouldn't take one cow and run, but there are many other monsters around. Some folks claim to have seen a dragon flying through the high clouds. At that distance, it's hard to gauge the creature's size, so people make many things up. Some say it's big as an elephant, others say it's even bigger. Some claim it has gleaming white scales, others claim it's black. Imagine! A dragon, here. The last one was a green dragon, and he's been slain long, long ago. Hopefully, we won't see another one before it's forgotten completely. A few said it's much smaller - closer to a lion in size - with spiky tail and wings.
"So as you can see - there are many rumours. Folks are scared and worried, the rumours spread and fewer people come to the town. It's bad for business. So just... be careful with what comes out of your mouth."
Varielky | Emma
Thenmer listened carefully to the words, his eyes glinted as he sensed the purpose of the words. The man was using them almost like a lever against a toppling mass, to shift things in the direction he wanted and away from the edge of something dangerous where people could fall apart. The dwarf had to admire the craft of the man using his words as tools for a purpose.
He nodded in affirmation to the man "Agreed, words can be like the blows of a pick in a mineshaft. Used with skill they open up new possibilities, used carelessly they can bring the roof down upon us." After thinking for a moment he turned to his walking companion and continued "Barthrum, how can you know what to do if it is not known what the cause of this is? To not know an action and yet to know what reaction is needed does not make sense."
D: You don't have to lecture me about Orcs, lad! They already took everything from me.
says Dolgrim angrily, and spits on the ground in disgust.
D: And that thing over there? That's no Orc for sure.
'As if the orcs were not enough, now also some flying beasts' thought Dolgrim.
D:If it really is a dragon, you should hope that it has no lair nearby.
Fastolph stumbled into town. It was not quite the glorious entrance he had in mind, what with his entire livelihood missing. What kind of merchant does not have any wares? 'Twas just his luck. Barely a tenday out on the road and he had already been accosted by a band of Orc marauders, his cart stolen and his body bruised. He should count himself lucky that he got out with his clothes relatively intact, though his favourite green and brown jacket and pants were significantly streaked with dirt, and as much as he could quickly stuff into his backpack before the Orcs had a chance to shake him down the hard way. The only thing more broken and battered than his wares was his pride. In hindsight it would make a good lesson on never travelling without guards but right now, Fastolph wanted nothing more than a flagon of ale, a cozy bed and a soundproof door to disguise his angry sobbing.
That would have to wait however. Something strange was afoot. Fastolph had next to no experience with human settlements but even he knew it was odd that there was no one in sight. He was about to head towards what he presumed to be the tavern when he heard some murmur in the distance. A crowd stood pointing and gesturing at the sky. Fastolph looked up. Up there, outlined against the blue grey sky, was something flying though it was too far up to clearly see.
The crowd had shuffled around a bit. A gap appeared between the bodies, allowing Fastolph a glimpse into its centre. The people had gathered around a young man - boy? - who was crying his eyes out. Fastolph would feel empathy towards the young one but he was distracted by every muscle in his body aching.
He turned around and left for the tavern when something else caught his eye. A huddle of Dwarves, three in total, and one human stood a bit apart from the crowd. They had a conspiratorial look to them but Fastolph would take three Dwarves over a crowd of humans any day of the week. He walked over to them.
'Mind telling what's going on over there?' Fastolph asked with his thumb towards the crowd, his question directed more to the Dwarves than the sole human.
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
Barthrum closes his jaw with an audible click as he starts to calm down and the words of the man reach him.
Then Thenmer questions his logic and he gets a new focus for his energy. "The reaction is always to hide away and let it pass, whatever it is! There is no logical fallacy here! Or if there is then figuring it out while safe under the mountain is much preferred to being eaten by whatever that is."
He looks at the fourth dwarf approaching and straightens up. "If you decide to stay then I decide to stay! Comrades, right?"
Looking at the human, "What's your name, friend?"
"My name is Toblen Stonehill. I'm the owner of the Stonehill Inn right over there," he replies as he points toward the direction of the inn. When he looks at Dolgrim and Fastolph, he adds: "You two look like you can use a good rest, and maybe a meal. If you want to, you can always find me over there."
The human raises his head and sees the crowd scattering away. The young farmer is still sobbing and few folks are still there, comforting him. "Well, I better get going or all my Ale will be gone before I'm back. Stay out of trouble and watch what comes out of your mouths. If you ever want to talk - I'll probably be at my inn." With these words, he departs from the group and goes to his inn, leaving them behind.
Varielky | Emma
Thenmer blinks his eyes exactly on schedule.
"Underground is not always safe. There is a fallacy in your logic Barthrum"
He turns to the others, mentally fitting them into his model of the world although he did not yet know what part they played in the Great Machine. He considered that speaking with them would be the most efficient way to discern this.
"Hello fellow dwarves. My name is Thenmer, currently an inhabitant of this village. Things are not normally this disorderly here."
He pauses to consider the proper use of the rules of hospitality in this situation.
"We could go to the tavern as suggested by its keeper or if you have any food with you I could welcome you into my cottage and cook a meal for us."
Barthrum nods enthusiastically at Thenmer's suggestion. "We should eat. Lets go and see what Master Stonehill has to offer. It's my treat!"
D: Alright, I was gettin hungry anyway
Thenmer tried to consider whether that had actually been his suggestion, he concluded that it was a logically sound interpretation of his words.
"Agreed, shall we go?"
You walk for a bit until you reach a modest two-story roadhouse. When you go inside, the lower floor has a bar and a couple of tables. Behind the bar is a closed door, and across the room, you can see stairs leading up. The tavern is mostly empty - except for you four, the only people inside are two human women sitting across one of the tables and Toblen, coming from behind the bar to greet you.
"Hello, friends! I'm glad you came!"
Varielky | Emma
D: Good day Toblen, I'd like the usual. And something to eat too.
Walks in and sees that it is very quiet and orderly.
"I will have some food please. Soup and bread will be adequate"
Goes to sit down at an empty table.
Barthrum imitates Thenmer and orders the same stuff.
'Ay, I could go for a pint.' Fastolph replied. Any imprompty dwarven meeting was bound be better with a flagon of ale, every dwarf knew that. He already planned on visiting the tavern anyway so he was not about to turn away company. He followed the others towards the town's watering hole.
Once he was inside the tavern, Fastolph felt more at ease. Though man-made, it was similar enough to the mead halls back home for the dwarf to lower his guard. He spotted the two women at one of the table and Fastolph's mind nearly jumped into merchant mode when he was bitterly reminded that he had nothing to sell. His mood soured.
'A bottle of mead and a cup.' Fastolph grunted at the bartender, 'And leave the bottle.'
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
"Alright. That'll be..." he thinks for a moment. "Tell you what, I will make what you orders and when I come back, each of you will tell me what they're doing, their goals... If I hear something interesting, I might give you a discount." he winks.
He leaves your table and goes to the back room to prepare your order. As he goes, one of the women calls after him: "Hey! You didn'a give me dat offa, why don' you give me a discount too?" Only to get shot down by his response: "That's because you talk so much I already know everything!" to which both he and the other woman burst in laughter.
When he comes back, he lays on the table what each of you have ordered, though he mistakes Barthrum's order with Fastolph's. "Well, did you consider my offer? Otherwise, it'll be eight shining silver coins."
Varielky | Emma