The Next Morning

The Three Picks Delving Co. is housed in a squat building built mostly of stone located a short walk from the Brawling Bard. Two larger buildings hem in the smaller building, obscuring it. Outside the Three Picks waits this morning a wagon hitched to two bored-looking oxen, loaded already with a couple kegs and what appears to be a dozen sacks of flour.

The five of you miraculously arrive at the same time. Entering the front doorway, which stands open, the five dwarves step up to a counter just a little too tall for dwarves, but not as tall as is usual in Neverwinter. They can hear some movement in the next room, accompanied by even-tempered mumblings. A quick knock on the counter is answered by a raspy voice, “Just a minute!” Not a long wait later, a stooped man wearing a white shirt and tan short pants shuffles through the curtain separating the front room from the next, a ring of keys jingling on his belt. This is obviously Raphlane. His face is extremely lined, and his dark eyes are almost slits, but his most striking feature is the tumbleweed of gray-white hair surrounding his head. He steps up to the counter, which is just the right height for his stooped posture. “Ah! Good morning,” he says with a collapsed mouth. It’s clear the man has little to no teeth. “You must be Gundren’s friends. He told me you’d be coming by this morning.” He turns to walk back through the curtain, one arm waving the others to follow. “Come, come,” he says.

Stepping around the counter and through the curtain, the five dwarves find themselves in a large, lantern-lit storeroom. All kinds of tools line the walls and sit upon shelves and cabinets. Maps adorn surfaces and lie rolled up in corners. Sacks of unknown items fill much of the center of the room — some stacked, some piled. Boxes, crates and barrels are grouped together everywhere. Raph shuffles down the right side of the room, speaking to the dwarves, but not looking at them. “The kegs of ale and flour sacks were delivered this morning. They’re already loaded on the wagon. We’ve got these things back here that still need to be loaded. I meant to get to it before you got here, but the pigs got out of the pen again this morning, and I had to round them up.” His thin legs, hairless and nobly, shuffle shuffle shuffle. He opens a door at the back of the room, hanging a lantern he picked up on his way through the room on a peg on the wall. Stepping back out of the room, he smiles at the troop. “Load all that up and then meet me in here,” he says, walking toward another door and pulling the ring of keys from his belt.

Looking in the first room, the dwarves see a large pile of items comprised of several casks of salted pork; about a dozen shovels, picks, and crowbars; and five lanterns with a small barrel of oil. In the opposite corner is a simple chair with a hinged wooden case sitting on top.

Karl looks around and not seeing any weapons says "hey Raphlane, before we load this lot," pointing at the stores "Gundren said we could possibly borrow some weapons, 'cos except for The Pacifier here" hefting the two-handed Great Club "we ain't got much!"

Bron looks over the goods, then at the case.

"Wha's in tha' case?"

Sticking a key into the lock on the other door and turning, Raph gives Karl a small nod. "Load that first, then come see me in here." The old man then walks into the other room, seeming not to hear Bron's question.

Einar will start organizing the supplies to be loaded by weight and bulk, likely making a quick trip back out to the wagon to see how best he could make things fit. He had learned long ago that loading a cart was like building a wall from loose stones and mortar. The heaviest and bulkiest items formed the base, and the rest filled in the gaps and stacked higher.

Bron sighs and helps Einar with the loading.

Athletics to do the job faster: 8

"Well mates, as they say many hands make light work" Karl says as he picks up one of the boxes and whistling carries it out to the cart. He yells out to Einar "where do you want this lot, Einar?" When he gets back he sees Bron struggling to lift a box - possibly because of the cut on his hand - and just as it looks like he might drop it he reaches out and grabs it. "You right there mate?" he says to Bron.

"Keep the heavier stuff low and to the front of the wagon. Lighter stuff high and to the rear. We'll tie it all down just before we set out."

Einar also starts hauling some of the heavier supplies.

Nif, being smaller in build compared to the majority of the party, climbs atop the wagon. (Acrobatics: 25)

"I will be up here, so if you guys want to pass the items up top, I will pack them nice an' neat."

"Will do, Uncle." Is Vondal initial reply to Karl as he made to assist with the heavy lifting. The dwarf had been a little out of it since everyone met up this morning. The look on Yemmi's face the evening before no doubt having obviously troubled him. But once he gets back the grove of menial labor, some vigor returns to him, and he is soon humming and whistling a tune. A tune all would be familiar with, as it became a habit over the years.

 Athletics: 21.

Performance: 19 to rouse the others into a rhythm. 

(Awww! That would've so cool! Do I get advantage dm? Pleassse?) 

After clearing the room of the supplies and getting them loaded and tied down to the wagon, the five dwarves step into the second room, the one in which Raphlane waits. They enter a kind of armory. A variety of weapons are stored here. “Gundren says you can borrow whatever you need," Raph says. "He knows you don’t have weapons of your own.” The old man looks about at his guests and gives a little shrug. “Well, not all of you.” He motions around the room. “Take what you need. Return them when you return the wagon. Oh,” he says, looking at the dwarves, “you’ve driven oxen before, I suppose.”

Einar will let the others pick first. If they remain unchosen, he will take one of the handaxes for a spare and the battleaxe to replace his club. But ONLY if no one else in the party claims them first.

Edit: 

In response to Raphlane's remark about Oxen, Einar says,

"I've worked with a fair share of them in the past to maneuver larger slabs for wall buildin'. A trek along the road should be nuthin' compared to that."

"My first pick is th' armour. I dinnae want anythin' else."

Karl turns to Raph and says "nuttin much good for me here - do you know if there is a two handed sledge hammer lyin round what I could borrow like?"

Nif has a quick look over the armory before walking over to the crossbows. Picks one up, holds it up and pretends to aim it, "Hmmmmm.." he says before putting it down and picks up the other one and does the same. "That's better!" he says happily before putting it away with two quivers of bolts. He then proceeds to inspect the the shortsword and daggers before taking one of each and strapping them on his hip. Finally if no one else goes for it, he will take one of the sets of armour.

"Weel, actually- er, I mean aye. I guess I'll take a shortsword."

"I'm sorry," Raph says to Karl with a single shake of his head, "this is what we got. There's this mace," the old man says helpfully.