9. Phanadlin: The Stonehill Inn

As we rode down the rutted road, I turned and took in Phanadlin in all of its underwhelming glory. It was obvious that this town hadn’t been here long. It had a newness about it. There were roughly fifty log houses scattered about and here and there, old, ivy covered stones protrude from the ground. I guessed that the town was no older than five years, noting older ruins here and there and I made a mental note to find out what I could about the town’s past.

It was late in the evening when we arrived and well past sundown, and though most people had gone home for the night, there were still a few individuals strolling about town. I noticed that a few wore red cloaks and traveled in groups of three or four. They glared at us as we rode by but I paid them no heed. As we rode, Sildar pointed out several landmarks.

“This building is Barthan’s Provisions. I believe this is where you are supposed to deliver this wagon of supplies. Unfortuantely, they are closed for the evening. I suggest you come back tomorrow. Oh and if you take this road until it splits, you’ll run into the Lionshield Coster. I’m sure they’ll be happy to have their crates returned.” He pointed to the right. “This here is the Town’s Smithy, if you find yourself in need of any smithing.”

In the distance, highlighted by moonlight, I just could make out a large building. It sat separate from the town, elevated on the top of a hill. “What is that building?”

Sildar glanced in the direction I pointed. “That’s the old manor. It’s fallen into disrepair and no one currently resides there. Maybe one day the town will get around to repairing it, but with no local government official overseeing this town besides the Town Master, there’s no need for it.” He went on. “Friends, I suggest we stay at the Stonehill Inn tonight. I’ve heard the rooms are nice and the wait staff agreeable. The owner is a friend. What say you?”

“Any room with a place to wash up and a bed sounds fine by me”, I replied and the others echoed my words.

“Good. It’s settled then.” Sildar gave Vaneiros directions and before long, we found ourselves outside of a large, two story building. It was relatively new construction, built from stone and timber and light shone in the windows. I climbed down from the wagon, thankful the bumpy ride was at an end. A groom came out to greet us and Vaneiros handed over the reins. With a snap, the horses lurched forward and the wagon turned the corner for the stables.

“Follow me.” We trailed behind Sildar, allowing him to lead the way. As I entered the Inn, I noticed that there were several patrons nursing mugs of ale and a lower murmur as people conversed. A few called out greetings to Sildar as he entered. However, all conversation abruptly stopped as Xarus lowered his head and stepped through the doorway, followed by Vitarri, who also had to stoop to enter. The patrons eyed us with open curiosity. I smiled back in return, hoping I appeared friendly and non-threatening.

A young man, in his 20’s, approached us. “Ah, Sildar! I’m glad to see you’ve returned to us. How are you?”

“A little less fair than usual; however, thanks to my companions here, I yet live, Tolben. I’d like to arrange for a meal and rooms for the night, if you have the space.” Toblen’s eyes glanced at the group, lingered on Xarus, Vitarri and Scuttle, then back to Sildar.

“Friends, you say? Well, for friends of yours, I certainly do.”

“I’ll cover the cost for tonight’s stay. Now, would you be so kind as to bring us out whatever you have ready in the kitchen? It’s been a long few days and I could do with a meal and rest.”

“Of course, of course. Take a seat and I’ll have Elsa fetch ale and more.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Tolben called out, “Elsa! Come here, girl!” A pretty maid turned as her name was called and she rushed over to where Tolben stood.

Turning away, Sildar made his way over to a table and settled into a chair. Vaneiros, Scuttle, Redium, and I took the remaining seats. Xarus walked over to a nearby table, where a lone man was drinking from a mug and asked, “May I borrow these two chairs?”

The man glanced from his cup, up at Xarus and his eyes widened. He sputtered a nervous, “Y, y, ye, yes…whatever you want….”

“Thank you”, Xarus replied, already turning away with the chairs in hand. He tossed one to Vitarri and sat down.

“Sildar, I know that you are eager to locate Gundren. You mentioned a map?”

“Yes. Gundren recently came into possession of a map of the Way Echo Cave. Look, I’d like to tell you more but I need to check up on a few leads first. Let’s meet up again tomorrow after we’ve had a chance to rest and recoup.” As he said this, Elsa, the barmaid, brought over seven mugs of ale. As she sat them down, I noticed her eyes lingered on Redium. They exchanged a smile and she left. The table fell quiet as we drank. A moment later, Toblen brought out a tray of meats and two loaves of bread.

“Enjoy and if you need anything else, just let me know.” With that he turned away and went back to the bar. Sildar gathered a portion of meat and bread, picked up his mug and excused himself. “I believe I will retire for the evening. I’ll see you all again tomorrow. Good night.”

As we dug into the food, Vitarri asked, “So what do we do now?”

Vaneiros said, “We were contracted to deliver the wagon and its goods to this town. I suggest we complete this contract and collect our earnings.”

Scuttle added, “Don’t forget about the crates. We should return those as well. More coin for us, I’d imagine.”

“Both solid ideas”, I replied. “And after that?”

“A moment”, Xarus said, stood and walked over to the bar. Leaning down, he said, “Excuse me. Toblen? Are there any jobs in this town? Anybody in need of a sword for hire?”

Before Tolben could reply, a woman spoke up from the other end of the bar. “If you are looking for work and want to be of help, you could do something about those awful Redbrands. You can tell them by the red cloaks they wear. Just the other day, Thel Drendar, the woodcarver, stood up to them and no one has seen him since! At first, they were just a nuisance. But now, they’ve grown bold, causing trouble wherever they go! More than that! They walk around town, acting as if they own the place. The only place that they don’t seem to bother with is the Miner’s Exchange. Someone needs to stop them. Put an end to their harassment and possibly even find the woodcarver and bring him home! That’s what you can do, if you want to help. You might even be able to get that spineless acting Town Master to pay you for your troubles.”

Toblen broke in, apologetically. “My wife, Trilena. She’s easily excited, but what she says is true.”

“Thank you. We will look into these…Redbrands.”

“Good!” Trilena exclaimed.

Xarus sat back down at the table. “Well, in addition to locating Gundren, we can deal with these Redbrands threatening the town.”

Vitarri spoke up. “Just a minute. I’m all for doing good deeds but I prefer to get paid for them. I don’t work for free.”

Scuttle nodded in agreement. “I like coin.”

A voice spoke up from the next table. I glanced over and saw the man that Xarus had gotten the chairs from earlier. Apparently, he had found his nerve. “Well, if you are looking to get paid for doing good deeds, you can tackle the Orc problem at the east end of the Triboar Trail. There’s a reward offered by the acting townmaster, Harbin Wester. Good deeds and coin. Sounds like a win-win situation for you if you are tough enough.”

“What’s your name, friend?” I inquired.

“Lanar…”

“Thanks for the tip, Lanar. I think we’ll check into that.” I motioned to Elsa and she walked over.

“Yes, did you need something?” Her eyes strayed away and she glanced at Redium.

“Ahem, yes. Lanar’s next drink is on me.” I pulled a silver piece from my pocket and handed it to her.

“That’s mighty kind of you, sir”, he said.

“I appreciate the tip. Anything else going on in town that you think we might be interested in?”

“Well, you know about the Redbrands. I heard Pip saying something to his dad about seeing them while out with a friend. Something about…oh, I can’t recall what he said. I wasn’t really listening. You should ask him about it. That’s him over there, next to the fire.”

I glanced over at the young boy who sat playing next to the hearth. I stood, pushing back my chair and I walked over to the small boy. Scuttle stood and followed. “Excuse me. Pip?”

The boy squinted up at me. “Yes?”

“I was told that you and your friend saw the Redbrands going in the old manor. Is that correct?”

Shame clouded his features. “I’m not supposed to talk about that. My daddy said to keep quiet.” He glanced at the bar and then lowered his voice and the shame turned to defiance. In a whisper, he said, “Carp did. Carp saw them. They were up at the old manor.”

“The old manor? Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.” I patted the boy on the head and Scuttle and I returned to our table. I shared what the boy had told me with the others.

Elsa brought over another round of drinks and as she set them down, she said, “You might also consider visiting the Edermath Orchard. Its north of town. Daran might be in need of help around there. Just a thought.”

Redium stood up. “Excuse me, Elsa. Would you please show me to my room? I’m ready to retire for the evening.” He smiled at her and she blushed.

“Right this way.” Color rose in her cheeks and she led him upstairs.

“I’m ready for bed as well. Let’s meet for breakfast tomorrow and then we’ll decide what to tackle first.” With that, I pushed back from the table and headed for my room, leaving the others to their own devices.