"Dwarves?! Laddie, are you sure they weren't some pudgey haflings?"

Anton chuckles. "My friend, they must have been poor specimens of dwarves, knowing how formidable your people usually are in a fight. Surely a mere human such as myself, despite my years of combat training, could not have taken three dwarves so easily were they not unusually weak. Or could I?" He gives Ordrin a good natured jab with his elbow at the last sentence.

OoC: Since we are soon about to rest for the night, just wondering if there were any XP earned from dealing with Yeemick, et al. or escorting Sildar back to Phandelin. At least some of us are tantalizingly close to that level up, after all...

Ordrin reaches up and squeezes Anton's bicep a few times. "Heh. Hill dwarves, no doubt. Their hammers are light."

"That must be it."

Rin cackles, "That was a great joke Ordrin! Light hammers, I get that one, hammers are not light at all, they are metal!" and the laughs again.

OoC: Sildar is still with us, right?

OoC: Sorry for the huge time without posts, there was a variety of reasons for that, including being busy, being distracted, etc.

Leoneiros is sitting to one side of the party, quietly sipping on a cup of water, he wasn't interested in drinking anything else at that moment, nor was he too interested in participating in the conversation, in fact, he seemed even quieter than he'd generally be, probably the effect of the town on a Firbolg used to his outlandish life, far from the common population, and in the middle of the forest.

Rin changes sides of the table to sit next to Leo and says to him, "I too know what it is like to be different from the rest.  You and I and the rest are friends now, Lliira has made it so.  We do not need to feel alone."

DM Note: Defeating Yeemick and co, completion of Cragmaw cave and escorting Sildar earns the party 120 xp each. Proper update coming in 30 minutes or so

A map of Red Larch (Sildar has provided you with this map, complete with a rundown of relevant places in town)

Toblen laughs at the manic energy of Rin.  "Don't often see your furry kind around here friend, welcome!  2 ales and come stew coming up. Will ye folk ne needing rooms?   We've got 5 left after your friend there (pointing to Sildar) took one. 8 silver a night, and i'll provide ya a hot breakfast as well."

As he is talking to you a young barmaid approaches, with ale and stew in hand.  "Hello there fellas, me name is Elsa and i'll take good care of ya.  Oh dear, look at the muscles on this one (touching Anton's arm). You'd best keep yer eye out or 'Elsa' i'll sweep you away from here my lovely (She winks). Adventurers are ye?  You should talk to Daran Edermath, the orchard keeper. He's a former adventurer and has loads of tales to tell"

"A room, yes," Ordrin says to Toblen, handing him the coin. He downs his first mug of ale and seriousness falls over his face. While the barmaid flirts with Anton he nods at Rin and Leoneiros.
"Aye, it's true. Your bravery has shown Moradin that you are one his children... despite all your variousnesses, and we are all alone and also together beneath his shield." He picks something out of his nose and absent-mindedly wipes it on the bottom of his mug. "I am in debt to each of you for saving me hide and, by the tall Torgard, I will repay it. But I have some business with this Gundren and my clan is anxious that I talk to him. What can you tell me of this dwarf? He's wise, I take it true?"
Ordrin raises his mug for another slug of ale, and the nose-gem he placed there hangs plainly for all at the table to see.

OoC: Ordrin pays for the table's food and drink. How much?

Chiming in for Toblen, Elsa says: "Yer going to take care of the bill?  I do like me a generous lad (winking at Ordrin this time). Fer 3 ales and the stew it'll be 8 cp luv. Just be watching how flashy ye are with that purse with those Redbrand rif-raf around. They'll be shaking you down if they see yer full of coin. "

Anton shifts uncomfortably in his seat as Elsa touches his arm, smiling sheepishly back at her. As Ordrin offers to pick up the tab he is about to speak up to protest, but noticing the barmaid shift her attention to the dwarf decides against it, somewhat relieved to no longer be the center of attention.

"Indeed, Ordrin here is one of the most generous souls in all Faerûn," he says to Elsa. Then, turning to Ordrin, "Thank you my friend."

Then, back to Elsa, "Redbrand, you said? I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with the town. Who are they?"

Rin holds the mug if ale up to his face and peers into the cup, the with wide eys he takes a drink.  His nose sort of wrinkles and his ears go flat on his head...his tail, meanwhile swishes back and forth.  

He sees how Ordrin is drinking his and decides to go in for a second, longer pull.  He licks his lips and sets it back down, "This is...great...best I've ever had!"

Quote from Esker >>

Anton shifts uncomfortably in his seat as Elsa touches his arm, smiling sheepishly back at her. As Ordrin offers to pick up the tab he is about to speak up to protest, but noticing the barmaid shift her attention to the dwarf decides against it, somewhat relieved to no longer be the center of attention.

"Indeed, Ordrin here is one of the most generous souls in all Faerûn," he says to Elsa. Then, turning to Ordrin, "Thank you my friend."

Then, back to Elsa, "Redbrand, you said? I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with the town. Who are they?"

Toblen glances around to see who's listening, then says "No good ruffians who be putting the squeeze on everyone in town. I keep askin' the Townmaster to do something 'bout 'em but that yellow fool Harbin just pretends they're harmless lads having a bit 'o fun." Looking around again and confident of his inns current patronage, he yells "TRILENA ME LASS, CM'OER HERE AND TELL THESE GENTS ABOUT THEL"

A handsome woman of middle age appears from the kitchen, dusts off her apron and walks over, sighing, "Tobken, ye fool, keep it down unless you wanne start trouble for us." Now looking at the party, "You got him all worked up about those fool Redbrands did ye? Was it gossipy Elsa who started this mess?" Elsa blushes and disappears. "Sad about Thel it is. He's the local woodcarver. Stood up to the Redbrands he did, the dumb sod, a ten day ago when they came by his shop and leered at his wife. The ruffians murdered him. Flat out killed him! Several townsfolk saw it happen but useless teet Harbin blabbers on about no evidence. The Redbrands grabbed his body, and now his wife, daughter, and son have gone missing too. " Crossly looking back at Toblen, she says "Now shut yer trap Toblen, before we get our damn inn burnt down.".  Raising her voice for the whole inn to hear "I know every last one of you lot in here. If I find out ye said anything of this to those evil bastards you'll wish you were Thel Dendrar", smacking her rolling pin against her free hand.

A women's voice comes from another table. "Don't worry about us Trilena. They've been all over me too, and you know well they nearly had Qelline's boy's skin the other day (nodding to another man at the bar). They hassle everybody town except Halia for some reason. They don't seem to want no part of her or the Miner's exchange. Ain't nobody here want anything but rid of them"

Rin takes another drink from his mug, his nose wrinkling slightly less, and his tail swishing a little more, than before.

"Hello, I'm Rin." He says to Trilena, "The priests where I live use rolling pins like that to make sweet treats for Lliira's faithful...sometimes I take more than I'm supposed to, do you make sweet treats with your pin?"

Trilena smiles at Rin and raises an eyebrow. "I'm not sure if ye be flirtin' with me or just like sweets. I use this rolling pin for many things, from sweats to reminding Toblen who the real boss is around here." Turning to the kitchen, she hollars "Elsa dear, methinks this one may have had enough of the ale"

“I’m sorry, but you said that Thel stood up to the Redbrands. How exactly did he do so? If you don’t mind me asking.”