"Soar Jestalle, is my full name. What's yours, if I may ask?" she says, sincerely curious. "What god or goddess do you follow? I would love to hear more about your life. But our friend's name is Leosin Erlanthar, and he was coming here to see a friend who is a paladin of Torm. These horses actually belong to Leosin, so we need to return them to him. Does that help send us in the right direction?"

OOC: I'd forgotten that Leosin is from Berdusk, whoops!

Welcome Elspeth.  My name is Kanna Juliss, a loyal follower of the Loyal Fury.  Welcome to fair Elturel.  Leosin Erlanthar?  I do not recall the name, but there are many guards on duty; she points around at various other guards with similar books of names, taking notes as people come and go - this is a busy gate, as people enter and leave the city to the neighbouring towns and villages, not just the kind of long-distance travellers you've encountered on the road.  And each name is meticulously recorded in one book or another, every time someone enters or leaves.  If your friend came seeking a paladin of Torm, then he has come to the right place - we have a great many of them.  If you recall the paladin's name, that would help greatly.  

She waits patiently for Nate's full name, pen poised over the book.  After a moment, she clears her throat.

(You would all know that the Loyal Fury is Torm, god of duty and loyalty)

Ouf. This isn't the first time Nate has forgotten to introduce himself, and he replies in his typical shy way "Oh! Ahem... sorry, Ma'am. I am Nathaniel Rose. But you can use Nate for short. But you probably should write down my full name. Anyways.... I'm not from around here... you probably haven't heard of me. It's nice to meet you."

(sorry I referred to the guard as a 'he' earlier)

"Erlanthar!! Leosin Erlanthar! That's it!" Nate BLURTS out when Soar mentions the name. lol

"Do the paladins of Torm generally stay at a chapterhouse, or are they spread throughout this wondrous city?" Soar asks Kanna, still speaking dreamily, mostly looking at The Companion. "I don't know if we ever heard the name of the one Leosin was seeking here. It was a Hellrider who knows a lot about dragon cults. We've just come from Greenest, fighting off a very bad one that sacked the city. It's now... operating without a few key members. Have you seen anything about it moving north? Also did you see the large green dragon flying north earlier today? Does that happen often around here? That's why we are here looking for Leosin and his Hellrider friend." Soar probably shouldn't be disclosing this information in public to someone she just met, but she implicitly trusts Kanna, she's distracted by the bright light, and she's as previously established wildly optimistic.

Soar, you are able to glimpse the Companion from time to time, but looking at it for more than a moment is painful - it truly does burn as bright as the sun.  Nevertheless, this just increases your fascination with it, and Kanna smiles as she sees you.  It is a marvel, is it not, His gift made manifest upon this Holy city.  As for your question, Torm's faithful warriors are found in many locations, but you can ask at High Hall; the record keepers there can also confirm the arrival of Leosin Erlanthar, and perhaps assist you in locating him within the city.  I cannot say I have heard of dragon cults being more active than usual; they are often a menace in neighbouring lands, though they find little purchase in Elturgard, I can promise you.  If you have news of trouble down south, I would ask you to make a report to High Hall, where the information will reach the ears of those who need it.

Kanna notes down Nate's full name, and waves you into the city.  The towers of the High Hall, a massive castle, loom above you and it is strange, knowing that it is now evening but the city is as bright as noon under the Companion's light.  You notice as soon as you enter the city that most buildings have thick curtains and thick wooden shutters to keep out the endless light and achieve some darkness during the hours of sleep.

You are leading your horses - Leosin's horses, in fact - down a paved main street up and into the city.  You see signs that the city is packing up for the 'evening'.  Where would you like to go?

Soar thanks Kanna for her help, and when she blinks, she reacts to the phosphenes burned into her retinas as the Companion leaves its mark on the paladin. She will try to look at the Companion in reflection, no longer attempting to see it directly.

"Should we find our own place to stay, or try to track down Leosin? High Hall's right here, so maybe we can find out quickly." Do people seem to be going in and out of High Hall now? Does it seem open still?"

Soar, you are still a long way from the entrance gate to High Hall; you don't know the city well, but you can see its high walls in the distance, perhaps an hour's ride through the city.  In any case, despite the confusion of the hour due to the Companion's light, you know this is evening and people are shutting up shop.  The High Hall might still be taking visitors, but probably not, and it seems a good idea to find a place to spend the night.

Ah, got it, I thought they loomed close, but they loom far!

"Jalt, should we seek out your blacksmith friend? Maybe he will know the city better, and have an idea of where we can stay, and even a clue of where Leosin might be." She'll seek out another guard or two to ask about the smithy and also Leosin, in case Kanna just wasn't as well-informed as others.

Elspeth, as you were leaving Kanna's post she mentioned a popular spot in the city for travellers to find lodgings, and suggested that you might find Leosin there and you would also find an inn for yourselves if you needed one.

Soar, you stop a passing pair of guards walking in brisk military fashion down the street.  They seem untroubled and happy to help answer questions.  There are many smithies in the city, milady.  If you are looking for the best, then the forge of Kaerus Thambadar lies within the High Hall; they take work from guests and citizens as well as from the paladins, have no fear.  But the hour is late; I doubt you will find them open this night.  They smile; you are new to the city, and the Companion's light can confuse you as to the hour, but be alert to the rhythms of the city and you will learn soon enough.  Though there is no darkness here, we do mark night and day, sunrise and sunset, as any other city in Faerun. 

They don't recognise the name Leosin Erlanthar, and only suggest the same as Kanna, that you ask in the High Hall.

Nate keeps quiet while the guard and Soar discuss matters, especially about the dragon cult, and is happy to learn that Leosin is here. He will say goodbye to the guard as they leave. 

As they proceed into this wondrous place, Nate, while certainly intrigued by the massive light within the beautiful city, is more annoyed at how bright it is, and how it lights up the night time. "Honestly guys... this "companion" or whatever it's called is kind of annoying. It's not... natural. The normal cycle of day and night has been torn apart in this place."

Looks to Elspeth "You must understand what I'm talking about? Like it just feels... off." 

Then to Soar: "How can you look at it like that? Doesn't it hurt your eyes? What the hell is it even???"

Nate agrees with Soar "Right I bet Jalt's smith will know where Leosin is. Shall we go forth on this beautiful evening, I mean day...? Or maybe by the sounds of it, no one will be open right now."

The best course of action is to seek a place to stay for the night. Jalt adds In the morning we can seek out the smith and then Leosin. We have been fortunate on our journey from Greenest so far. I suggest we rest and prepare ourselves for whatever Leosin may need of us.

"the morning.... do they even call it morning here? But yeah that sounds good. We've had a long journey!"

(Soar's fine heading to the place Elspeth heard about and getting rooms and asking about Leosin there, and waiting for tomorrow to go to High Hall to see Kaerus.)

You walk about fifteen minutes further, and come upon a street with several tavern, all filled with patrons of many diverse races and styles of clothing; you see humans, halflings, dwarves, gnomes, dragonborn, tieflings, and more.  The atmosphere is pleasant and relaxed; there is little rowdiness, though people are enjoying their drinks on large rooftop terraces and in gardens; there are colourful umbrellas to shade the patrons from the light of the Companion.  You have a great choice of inns to choose from; the largest building in this street is The Loyal Hearth, the nearest to the main road back to the gate is The Gnome and Halfling's Rest, and further down the street and seemingly quietest is an inn called A Large Pair of Black Antlers.  A large sign down the road towards High Hall proclaims the inn's name as Halfway to High Hall, and opposite it through an open iron gate is Valour Past and Present, surrounded by a tall stone wall.

As far as you can tell, any and all of these and the other taverns have stables for horses.  To which, if any, of these places would you like to go?

"I don't know. It certainly seems a little jarring for us, but perhaps people adjust eventually. It's certainly beautiful, at least." Elspeth sighs, still looking around the city, radiant despite the late hour. "Let's get to the inn and rest early, then. Big day tomorrow."

Soar looks to the druids with a grin. "Antlers?"

Nate responds back with a smile. "Oh yes, that one sounds perfect! Seems it's the quietest one around too."

Nate will bring Hunter around to the stable and then head into the "Large pair of black Antlers" Inn with the others. 

"Sounds like a nice place. We'll head there then."

Elspeth will follow Nate on Netta, leading her to the stables and making sure her horse as well as the other horses are well taken care of before entering the inn.

You all find a rather burly stablemaster back behind A Large Pair of Black Antlers, wearing a shirt with a prominent antler motif.  He bows, takes your horses and promises to care for them well.  The stable appears well maintained and comfortable, and the four horses seem very comfortable there.

You circle round to the front again, and enter the tavern through the main door.  The atmosphere inside is friendly, noisy and boisterous, but good-natured.  There's a lot of conversation, but no argument.  There doesn't seem to be any gambling, but for entertainment there is a small group of bards sitting in one corner playing merry folk tunes.  A few people are listening to them, and the music is not bad.  The tavern is lit by torches along the wall; they give off little heat and no smoke, and they draw your attention to the closed shutters and thick curtains that line the walls, creating a reasonable semblance of a normal night-time tavern space.  The tavern is organised in three long rows of tables, like a feast hall, and would accommodate over a hundred people - there are perhaps over sixty there now, so there is some space.  You can order drinks and take a seat at one end of the long centre table.  A young human comes over to bring you your drinks:

Here you are.  You folks look fresh from the road - might I ask where you've journeyed from this day?  It is your first time in Elturel?

You can deduct your expenses using this list: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/equipment#FoodDrinkandLodging  The inn has all kinds of food and alcohol, and a choice of modest or comfortable rooms for the night.