The Pickaxe Inn and Boarding House

[Firebird]

Many dwarves and halflings who live outside the Cities of Dargis and Zerdargia prefer to stay in the modestly priced Pickaxe Inn and Boarding House. The Inn has been carved into the floor of the manmade cave so that it contains two stories. The walls have been plastered with cement and whitewashed. The bottom story can be reached by a wooden staircase. The bottom floor is usually used by boarders who stay for at least a week at a time. The rooms are 12'x12' and contain a simple iron bedstead, either a single or a double bed. A small wood stand holds a large bowl with a pitcher of water that is filled by the maid each morning. There is also a small cupboard where the tenant can store some simple food stuffs like bread and dried or fresh food. There is a lantern hanger on the wall where guests put the lantern they carry at all times when they are walking through the dark halls.

The main lobby is extremely small. The desk is manned by an old female dwarf, named Brundil, and her fat lazy son, Grunddil. They are about the same size also. She is about four feet tall and four feet round. She's usually wearing old ratty slippers and a semi-clean faded cotton dress.

Grunddil is usually seen with a greasy roasted turkey or chicken leg in his hand, and mosttimes only grunts when someone asks him something. He wears cotton overalls with several days' food stains on them.

The halfling maid is the only person who is half-way clean, and she cleans the rooms at least twice a week for boarders and every couple of days or at checkout for hotel guests. She is very small only 2'10", but strong for her size. She is a young adult with dirty blond hair which she wears very short, like a cap on her head. Her name is Madelyn and she will make sure you are comfortable and run errands if you pay her a generous tip.

The prices posted above the desk are simple and non-negotiable.

Single daily rate - 2 crowns
Single weekly rate 10 crowns

Double daily rate - 3 crowns
Double weekly rate 15 crowns

[Coulter Minith]

Timestamp: The First Brightening, in the Month of Pontius, in the Season of Winter, Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum.

The ancient Dwarfen City of Dargis was located underground beneath the surface Aelyrian City of Zerdargia. Being underground the likelihood of it raining, or snowing as it was winter upon the surface, upon the bearded occupants of Dargis was virtually next to nothing. Combined with this none-existing chance of rain or snow was a naturally accruing heat source from underground rivers of magma, had resulted in Dargis being neither hot nor cold, but always a comfortable warm environment, or so Coulter Minith thought.

With these apparent advantages over the surface world and its unpredictable weather, you wouldn’t think it beyond the imagination of visiting dwarfs to simple save a few gold coins and sleep in the street, or in some abandoned hole in the ground. However things in this world were never so simply, and although this course of action was free for all to try, the odds of being attack were the same in the underground as those on the surface; perhaps greater. The dwarfen race were not the only race to see the advantages of living underground within the deeps of darkness, and it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility for an unaccompanied dwarf to be assaulted and perhaps even killed in the darkness of the underground.

Therefore like many visiting dwarfs with spare gold within his pocket, Coulter Minith upon gaining entrance to the City of Dargis began to enquiry from the native of Dargis a suitable inn in which to stay. With the help of his fellow kinsmen the black-bearded dwarf male soon found himself in front of the modest Pickaxe Inn and Boarding House. Looking upon the whitewashed and plastered walls of the Inn, Coulter Minith could not help thinking he had stayed in better inns during his short five decades of life, but than equally true the young dwarfen adventurer had stayed in a lot more worst inns as well.

Hence with no where better to ‘setting up camp’ as his military trained mind thought, Coulter Minith walked into the Pickaxe Inn and Boarding House, and instantly when to the desk manned by an old female dwarf. Upon gaining her attendance with a few rattles of his purse, Coulter Minith would place the sum of ten gold coins upon the desk. While paying the sum for a week stay at the inn the unusually unarmed dwarfen male would make a few inquires towards his latest landlord.

Speaking in his usual low rumbling voice Coulter Minith would say, ‘Serale Kinswoman aye hope Cetheron has smiled upon ye this brightening. Aye be Coulter Minith of the Clan Minith how goes things within the home city?’ Having finished, the young dwarfen male would wait patiently for his elder to speak.

[Firebird]

When Coulter arrived, Brundil had just finished yelling at Madelyn for spending too much time talking to the residents. Coulter heard the end of the argument, "Yer a lazy wench, ye are, you lazy girl. You think you're sly, courting the gents for crowns, well, from now on I catch you, ye'll be fired, I mean it, fired. This was a ritual which took place quite regularly and Madelyn just stood there and looked at her feet. Her bare feet were quit lovely, she thought. and she never tired of looking at them. They were large and covered with dark brown hair. She always kept her toenails clipped and as clean as she could in this dump. When Brundil first saw Coulter standing there she frowned, but on second look he looked quite prosperous, however, and Brundil immediately pushed the tiny maid aside and shuffled forward, grinning with a greedy smile. "Well, its a gentlemen is it, she touched her dirty frizzy hair and flirted with Coulter as if she were a girl. Yes, I recognize a gentleman when I see one. She greedily grabbed up the 10 crowns. "Yer going to stay a week, I see. Well, we have a lovely room downstairs. If ye'll jus' sign the book, that is if you can write, I can't but the guard wants a list of all tenants, security you know. She shuffled to her desk and opened a drawer. Here's your key, its room 12. Looking over at Madelyn who was still looking at her feet, she yelled, well what you standin' there fer, grab a lantern and show the gentleman to his room.

Madelyn grabbed two lanterns, one for herself and one for Coulter. She motioned for Coulter to follow her down the dark staircase and through the halls. After they were out of earshot, she laughed. Don't worry about me, she'll never fire me, she's too lazy to do my work. My name is Madelyn and if you need anything, I'll be happy to help you with it, that includes information. My brother runs the general store, so we manage to hear all the local gossip ... so just enjoy yourself and forget about old grumpypants, and you should see her son, two of a kind they are. Yeah, but he's even worse, than she is, he's a slob. I'm the only one around here who does anything.

She showed him to room 12 and taking the key from his hand, opened the door. "Just hang your lantern on the hook and you can see you're room. I fill your water jug for you to wash if you're a mind to, dwarves don't like baths, but there are public toilets and baths next door. You can go up the back staircase which is down the hall if you want to avoid Brundil or her son Grunddil.

She turned down his bed and he noticed that the sheets looked clean. "I'll only clean your room twice a week, but if you want to pay me a little extra, I'll do it daily. She showed him the little cabinet. Like I said, my brother owns the general store so if you want to keep some food in here, there's room in the cabinet."

She gave him back his key and then stood there alternately looking at him and looking at her pretty feet. She was waiting for a tip, he finally got the message.

[Coulter Minith]

Having only had the pleasure, or discomfort maybe, of meeting a few members of the Halfling race during his six short decades of life, Coulter Minith had prayed to Cetheron that these few he had met where the exception that explained the rule. However it seemed that in general Halflings where the rule and each was crazier than the last, but remember all the same. Madelyn being the latest of a short line of Halflings looked crazier than most being half the size of an average dwarf and shaven feet.

Never one to judge a book by its cover, Coulter Minith believed that was the way of the high and mighty elves whom seemed to believe themselves to be the superior race within the world of Aelyria. Having himself been judged numerous times by his own book’s cover and labelled with terms such as short-tempered and angry; both of which happened to be true, the black-bearded dwarfen male decide to wait awhile and get to know this particular Halfling before making a decision on whether or not she was a crazy as she looked.

Therefore knowing what it was like to be judged by one’s appearance, the mature beyond his eras dwarf decided to see what he could learn about Dargis from his fellow undergrounder. Speaking in his usual low rumbling voice Coulter Minith would ask his newest hired help a few questions before given her a tip. ‘Daily would bee welcome and I’ll pay ye to do it...So ye hear all the local gossip do ye...tell mee what happening out there in the underground, anything unusual happening or strange happening out there that a newcomer should know?’ While asking this question, Coulter Minith would produce a couple of gold crowns for Madelyn precious time, and for her more importantly knowledge.

[Firebird]

(It would be an insult for you to say Madelyn shaves her feet, in fact, she is quite proud of her hairy feet.)
Madelyn listened carefully to her customer. Good business manners made her a prosperous little halfling, that and hard work. She didn't mind working at all, but she appreciated te fact that Coulter produced two gold crowns and could hardly restrain herself from grabbing them out of his hand. "Yes sir, I will be happy to clean everyday, though it is impossible to get clean sheets every day. I'll try to get you some clean ones twice a week. I'll make yer bed, take out your trash and sweep and dust everyday. She wondered if he was going to give her both crowns and rummaged around her mind for some tidbit worth that huge amount of money. "Well, there is a rumor that something happened in the Dolwoods not long ago. It seems that there was something about all four Studdard Brothers, you know the mine owners, well it seems like they were all seen in the woods together, of all things, and being that old Nightstalker himself never has been known to leave Dargis since he was a boy was with them. Right after that, part of the Dolwoods just disappeared, like magic. Oh, sorry, shouldn't have said magic around a dwarf. She hoped this wouldn't affect her tip. She tried to think of something else. "Anyway, the brothers is all looking like they's got a big secret and plotting and planning something."

She shut up then, that was enough information for the tip, if she knew any more she was saving it for another crown.

[Coulter Minith]

Hearing rumours that part of the Dolwood had vanished and a tale of four brothers acting strangely were not especially the most interesting rumours Coulter Minith had ever heard in his short six decades of life. The young dwarf couldn’t help thinking obvious reasons to explain these rumours. Perhaps someone had came along and cut the trees down for lumber and firewood, or perhaps even the trees themselves had just decided to leave on there own accord; this was the Dolwood after all. As for the four brothers acting strangely, brothers always seemed to act strangely around each other, or at least that was Coulter own experience when dealing with his own siblings.

However, although there wasn’t no apparent connection between the two tales that the black-bearded dwarf could see, something just didn’t seem right to the former Prefect of Daltina. Something, and Coulter Minith wasn’t too sure what, about Madelyn’s rumours had sent goose bumps running down his muscular hairy arms, and the inquisitive mind of the four-foot tall dwarf began working overtime trying to discover what actually had effected him this way.

It was true, no truer words had ever left the lips of a Halfling, the dwarfen race were not the most magically inclined race upon the face of Aelyria and had been created by Cetheron with this very advantage in mind. However just because dwarfs didn’t like magic didn’t mean they were total idiots in its use, and the advantage gained by their enemies in it use. The only problem was that Coulter Minith was as dwarfish as they came in magical regards, however, there was something about a mystery and a good old adventurer that the young black-bearded dwarf couldn’t pass up.

However the simple fact of the matter was that the young would be adventurer needed more information if he was going to try and solve this mystery. Therefore going with the theory that something was up, bit needing more information Coulter Minith produced another gold crown and flashed it towards the female Halfling. ‘Tell mee of these brothers of Studdard please Madelyn. Why would it bee strange for them to bee in the Dolwood together at night, and where may aye find them?’ As he was asking his questions Coulter Minith would toss the three coins in the direction of Madelyn paying her in full for her present and future services.

As the last gold crown was flick towards his gossip hunger Halfling, the naturally gifted dwarf’s mind came upon another question that need answering. ‘One last question, and have aye said your feet look lovely, where did ye hear about the Dolwood disappearing from, and from who?’

[Firebird]

Madelyn stood there quietly while Coulter processed the information she'd given him. She was afraid she hadn't given him enough information for the two crowns. Then he went into his purse and pulled out yet another crown and threw all three to her. She grabbed them and quickly put them in the pocket of her apron before he had a chance to change his mind. Then he told her what so many young halflings had always told her about her feet. "Thanks for the compliment, she blushed, I've been told I have the prettiest feet in Dargis, but all the men say that. She laughed a little, then started gossiping again, Well, the thing is those brothers act like they hate each other most of the time, so that's why there's been so much gossip going on about seeing them together. And in the Dolwoods. You know a lot of dwarves hate going into the Dolwoods cause they're magical they say. Well, anyway even old Night stalker, that is, Judd Studdard was there and he never goes topside, and there was Evan, who runs Evan's Fine Jewelry in Zerdargia, and Jiggs whose also in Zerdargia, but he won't talk to you. So I think if you want to talk to one of them, you have the best chance to talk to either Evan or Gard, who runs the Studdard Brothers Mining Company here in Dargis.

She really had no further information to give him on this subject, so she shut up. The only other interesting tidbit of gossip probably wouldn't interest him. She giggled a little thinking of it herself, it seems Owen and Julsia Stepladder had carried on a very loud vocal battle about who needed a bath the worst. Madelyn figured they both needed one and she remembered Julsia grabbing Owen's beard and because he was so drunk, she hauled him down to the baths and threw him in, clothes and all. Upset some dwarves who were there, miners cleaning up before goin' on a date. Seems she saw them naked as the day they was born. She giggled a little then looked at Coulter. She hoped he didn't think she was laughing at him.

[Coulter Minith]

A giggling Halfling whom seem to find smelly people funny was the least of Coulter Minith problems, and to put it kindly the battled harden dwarfen warrior didn’t really care what Madelyn thought about her employers or what was so funny. Quickly sorting through the newest information procured from his cleaner, the worldly dwarfen warrior began to form a picture in his mind’s eye of the four brothers, and a possible line of investigation he could start down in the next brightening, if he wished to.

However, what the black-bearded dwarf really needed was time to think, and having a giggling female, no matter their race or age, in the same room wasn’t the best environment to start an investigation in, and certainly not to think in. Therefore not wanting to hurt her feelings, Madelyn had after all been helpful; Coulter Minith would turn to the female Halfling and say in a voice which showed his pleasure of the level of cooperation from her. ‘Madelyn thank ye for ye help, but aye need time to unpack and make other arrangements for me stay in Dargis, so if ye wouldn’t mind…’

Hopefully having not hurt her feelings with her such a dismissal, the black-bearded dwarfen male would turn his full attendance towards the problems he would face the next brightening. While thinking things through Coulter Minith would unpack his belongings were it was apparent, still thinking about the four brothers and the connection between them and the disappearance of part of the Dolwood.

After several candlemarks, and with a basic plan thought out in his mind, Coulter Minith picked up his heavy purse and set out to investigate the atmosphere of Dargis leaving things for the next brightening.