(Yeah! What do you think they are? Snobby elves?!)

Vondal meets her coldness with warm and apologetic smile. "Thank you for your time." He says passing her back the coin. All of it, if she seemed to imply as much. "May the stone bless your feet, and your days be full of honest toil." He bows formerly to her before following along after the others to Halia's store next. Only once the group were well on their way does he say, "We will need to be mindful with Brom if we are to leave him at Inn. Nif. Use my blanket back there to wrap him up, if you would." 

Nif agrees and he will point out the way down the road to Miner's exchange. He will then climb into the cart and carefully wrap up Bron's body with Vondals blanket.

OOC: Who's going in the Miner's Exchange?

(@DDP Vondal will for sure.)

Nif is but true to his word he will stay outside for this one.

"Hang'on a minute there young'un" Karl says to Vondal as Vondal sets off inside the Miner's Exchange "I'll come with ya" as he follows Vondal into the Miner's Exchange. 

As Karl and Vondal enter the Miner's Exchange, they are immediately reminded of the Three Picks, only this place is cleaner and more organized. Maps hang on the walls. There are barrels full of random equipment. A counter runs across the center of the room. Behind the counter is a sturdy-looking human woman. Her hair is light brown threaded with gray and braided into several skull-hugging braids running from her forehead and temples over and down the back of her head. She looks to be a little older than middle aged. Her dress at first looks like maroon work clothes, but, upon closer inspection, are actually semi-ornate and decorative. She is bent over a stack of papers and a map. She stops working when the dwarves enter, and she watches them as they take in the interior of the building. When they make eye contact, Halia gives a slight grin. "Where's your friend?" she asks. "I suppose you have more trinkets you want to try to sell for more than their worth?"

(@DDP Sorry for the delay! I thought I already entered this post.)

"Perhaps if you are interested in some of hobgoblin make. Arms and armor, I mean. Otherwise... no." He says, looking up to her with a broad smile. "Though on his behalf, I do apologize for any overzealousness on his part from your last meeting. My brothers have been rather excitable today, to say the least." Vondal lets out a genuinely mirthful chuckle. Wiping a budding tear from his eye, he carries on by clapping his hands together and rubbing them together.

"The name is Vondal, of the Stormfist Clan. This here is Karl." He gestures over to the taller and burlier dwarf. "And the one before was Nif. *clears throat* For we get too off track. We were informed you may know something of a Cragmaw castle? Specifically, what you know about the location? And also, would you or a... associate of yours know of a Nundro and Tharden whereabouts. Gundrun's clan mates -- mn, brothers, if that helps as far as  familiar sounding name. Last we heard is that they are supposed to be camping in the outskirts of town some where. But if you can help us narrow things down there, it would be much appreciated."

(Sorry Orileo, Still not the Orc Person)

((*Long... exasperated... sigh*))

Halia's grin widens a little as Vondal waxes poetic. Toward the end, her eyes begin to widen in mock surprise. "My, what a mouth there is on this one," she says. "I've never met a dwarf who knew so many words." Before either Karl or Vondal can argue, the woman holds up a finger. "I apologize. A little of my father just escaped me. He had little appreciation for your race, and I have had so little interaction, I haven't been able to purge myself of his prejudice." She turns her eyes — now soft and still slightly apologetic — back to Vondal. "I'm afraid I have no market for goblin-made armor, so I can't help you there. We do have a smithy in town, and they might find use for it in some way. It's on the north end of the main road headed back toward the Triboar Trail.

"I know of the Rockseeker brothers. And I know they've been spending a lot of time between here and the Sword Mountains, but they've been very tight-lipped about what, exactly, they're doing. They haven't registered anything with me." She looks frustrated by this.

"As for Cragmaw Castle, I have heard that the Redbrands have a goblin minion serving them. The goblin might know the location. The Redbrands are a problem here in Phandalin — a bunch of thugs that need to be dealt with, but no one is willing to take up the task. They loiter around the Sleeping Giant and have a base under the ruins of Tresendar Manor." She looks at the two dwarves, her eyes narrowing. "I'd be more than happy to pay 100 gold to the individual or party that eliminates the Redbrand leader and brings me any correspondence found in their quarters."

Karl turns to Vondal and says "gettin paid ta fight - sounds like my kinda deal!"

"More importantly uncle, it confirms that the redbelly may be more deeply involved with our missing friend than originally thought." Vondal reminds in an exasperated tone. "In fact, when we visit Inn again soon, we can confirm with Carp -- Toblen's son, in case you don't remember -- and his friend about a secret hideout, I think he called it." He looks back to Halia. "I think it goes without saying that we're interested. But on the subject of Redbellies. Do you know why the Mayor is allowing them to run roughshod on everything? Or at least theory? Also, you wouldn't 'appen to 'ave map of surrounding area?" 

"Psh!" Halia says. "While we don't have a mayor per se, we do have a yellow-bellied banker calling himself Townmaster: Harbin Wester. The pompous windbag holds up in the Townmaster's Hall and does nothing about the Redbrands. All he seems to care about is orcs. No matter how many times people have complained, he refuses to stick his neck out. That's why I'm trying to solve the problem myself. And while I'm not the kind to do the dirty work, I'm certainly willing to fund those who can." During the last sentence, Halia moves to a shelf in a corner behind her and retrieves a small, rolled up piece of parchment. She unrolls it and shows it to Vondal. "Here is a map of Phandalin. Is that what you're looking for?"

"It is good we have plans to speak with him already then. Could be he might listen to some outsiders, or provide further insight on the problem." He said as she began unrolling the map of Phandalin. "Hm. Not quite. Though if you have spare copy we can at least borrow, that would be appreciate. But to be more specific, I meant the surrounding area. Any -- mmm... Elven ruins or the like along the main trail to the Neverwinter Woods."

(@DDP I assume the map she shows is the one from the spoiler here:)

OOC: It is. And since I never posted a map with all the names of the buildings, you must have found that yourself. :/ Metagame much? :)

Halia grins at Vondal. "I'm not a library. If you want to take something off my hands, you must buy it. As for other maps, let me know what you're looking for, and I'll let you know if I have it. And as for elven ruins ... I don't believe I've heard of any near Phandalin. The only ruins here are, well, Phandalin, and Conyberry up the Triboar Trail. But both Phandalin and Conyberry were human settlements."

(@DDP I'll swap it for the ones without the names. Honestly wasn't even full cognizant of the fact it had names. Just grabbed the 1st one that said Phandlin.)

(Icly though, what time is it at this point?)

Vondal glances away sheepishly. "How much for one on Phandalin and Cona.. Conhee.. CON-EY-Berry. Yes, that place as well if you have them to spare. It seems we will be having business there soon enough. Though, perhaps not prior to settling matters with the redbellies. So long as their causing the main ruckus around town, it will make it difficult for us to operate around here, I would think."

Halia replaces the Phandalin map and moves over to a barrel, from which she draws a larger map. "This one shows from Neverwinter in the northwest to Kryptgarden Forest in the southeast." Looking at the map herself, she says, "Hmm. It seems I did forget another somewhat nearby ruins: Thundertree. I don't know much about that place, though. It might have been an elven city at one point." She squints her eyes a little in thought. "It seems like I might have heard someone mention Thundertree recently. Who was that? It might have been Qelline Alderleaf."

Map she's offering to sell you for 10 silver:

Updated Phandalin map:

While she spoke, Vondal starts fishing out the coin from his own personal stock. "Interesting. It is a ways out of any personal business affairs, but... who knows. Perhaps after we have finished the rest." He says, though without much conviction in the idea. Despite their plans and "adventure" so far, they were still technically unemployed dwarfs and former city dwellers. Unlike Vondal's sister....
"At the very least, where might we find this Qelline Alderleaf in town?" He asks as he hands over the ten silvers. 

Halia hands over the map, pockets the silver, then turns around and takes up the smaller map again. Unrolling it on the counter, she points at the location of the Miner's Exchange. "You're here." She moves her finger and points out a farm to the right (12). "Qelline lives here with her son, Carp." She moves her finger up the map to the next street and taps it twice (on 9). "This is the Sleeping Giant, and this," she says, moving her finger to the right-most building (8), "is the ruins of Tresendar Manor." After she sees that Vondal and Karl have committed the sites to memory, she rolls up the map again.