There are four Inns in town:

The Black Stone--Along the North Wall, a low rent joint under new ownership after a poisoner killed 30 residents in a botched assassination attempt
The Chateau Elite--the locals whisper at what exotic things may take place on a nightly basis in this place.  A local Chauntean friar regularly refers to it as a decadent symptom degrading the moral character of the people. At 400gp per night, this probably isn't what you're looking for.
The Daggerford--Nearest the gate, located in the Caravan quarter, a workman's establishment
The Dragonback--Run by a former adventurer and caters to travelers of the wilderness.  According to rumor, the owner has a pet dire wolf that helps keep the peace.

There are a few other places that qualify not as Inns but as Tenements:

Bjorn's Tenement: A formerly grand private estate that's been carved up internally into low-rent housing.  Owned by a Waterdhavian who sends guards monthly to collect the rents.

Pascal's Tement: A ramshackle four story building renting 8 rooms per floor. It's a place that the Daggerford militia avoid. There's a general understanding that Pascal's residents aren't the sort that would be allowed to rent elsewhere.

So, you're heading directly to see Delfen Ondabarl?

Edrie places her fingertip on the side of her nose and smiles.  Then breaks into a bit of a giggle.

"I rent a room from Zeno when I'm in town.  He's a retired mercenary and rents rooms to young ladies trying to make their way in the city.  He charges little, but expects his hours and rules to be followed promptly. Celadhel, I could see if there's an opening? It's in the North East corner of town."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:21, Mon 15 June 2020.

In reply to Edrie Graf (msg # 8):

He could Kiss her... NO, wait, why did that thought...stop that he chides himself, the words remaining in his head.
I'll let him know you are in town and just settling up with the others.  I'll meet you at your place later once I've checked in.  I'll let the master know I have to meet this group too.
Heluvianal goes straight to his masters tower and reports in.  He doesn't go into too much detail but enough so that Master Delfen Ondabarl doesn't ask too many questions.  The once settled and eaten, he heads towards Edrie.

Heluvianal had spent many a night traversing the roofs and streets or Daggerford, some days too so he could get his bearings.  His master sometimes liked to know what certain people were doing, so the Wild Elf used the opportunities to train his other skills.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 23:03, Mon 15 June 2020.

Tolantra took a room at the Dragonback. As a place frequented by people who wandered away from the road, it was probably the best place to hear word of new threats arising.

"And I shall return to the Harvest House" he lifts Rewis' letter in his thick farmer's hand.  "Both my cell and my duty there lie. Tol, will you check with Sherlen as to the date of our next service?  And Celadhel will need to be added to the rolls."

Celadhel bows with the grace of a willow in the wind. "I'm honored, but I have several kinswomen here in town. Aswansea, Shalendra, and Kira.  I intend to inquire after Shalendra first.  Of all the three she is the most in touch with the world of men, though her father, my Great-Grand-Sire, does not approve of the manner in which she plies her trade."  She smiles slightly, and it causes the hearts of men to race, "I've never seen her in her plates and plumes with lance and shield." She touches a flawless finger to full lips to hide her mirth. "The sight of it will fill me with joy, I think!"

"Certainly." Tolantra said. She figured she would have some time between catching up with Dergal and hearing the latest gossip over evenfeast to find Sherlen and explain what happened.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:46, Thu 25 June 2020.

Delfen's Tower is built right into the North wall of Daggerford.  While in pattern it is clearly intended to be one of the watch towers that stud the defenses, this tower is much larger and ornate.  Delfen made a significant contribution to the wall's construction and swore fealty to the Duke in order to accommodate his tower.  You also know that there is a secret of the tower--a secret door that leads straight through the wall and into the tower.

You possess a key that enables entry, but does not unlock every door within. The bottom floor is a stable for his riding mule and storage rooms--a root cellar and larder, a hand cart and saddle, a silk banner with funny looking writing on it, and a few faggots of wood.

The second floor is where work and instruction takes place.  This is where you spend your time scrubbing floors in silence and where he and all of his carefully selected female apprentices practice their Art.

Finally there is the top floor which is the private residence of Delfen "Yellowknife" Ondabarl where you take your lessons long after the other apprentices leave. Here the floors are thickly carpeted with intricate wool rugs from the South.  Tapestries insulate the walls and depict a dozen lands from a dozen times.  Skulls, horns, banners, and blades hang, are displayed, or forgotten in various corners.

It is here that you find him reading a chapbook adventure romance from a series he follows that is printed in Neverwinter.

The middle aged mage smacks his lips, dog ears a page, sets it to the side, and takes you in from tip-to-toe in a glance.  "You're back."

This four-story building is built of chest-high fieldstone walls topped with wooden walls built of thick timbers and dark, small-paned green leaded-glass windows. A creaking sign of grayed wood hangs over the door. The first floor is a warm and cozy common room, marked by the fierce-looking dragon skull hanging over the fireplace and battered shields and banners hanging from the walls. A dozen plain wooden trestles are jammed in the room. The upper floors hold more than a dozen rooms, some of which are high enough to see the River Delimbiyr beyond the walls.

The taciturn innkeeper of the Dragonback Inn is Daurant “Dragonback” Ironstar¹, the heavyset second cousin of Derval Ironeater.

In terms of price, this would be a mid-range inn in a metropolis like Waterdeep.  In Daggerford it frequently seems high priced.  Wealthy merchants stay here when passing through, but the regular custom is rangers, trail masters, cartographers, prized hunters, and even the odd Uthgardt that drifts this far south.  Daurant likes having access to news, and likes the sort of folks that make a living on the road and not the cities at the ends of them.  You get a sense that they get a healthy discount depending on the frequency and reliability of their news.


¹There's dwarf related lore associated with Clan Ironstar.  We can start with a raw wisdom check, but if you have any associated knowledge proficienies, that would could modify the result in your favor.

Tolantra bought a room for a ride. It was pricy, but she was rolling in drow coin (not to mention orc, goblin, and priest coin), and she wasn't in the mood for somewhere with bugs and hard mattresses. She stored her pack and gear in the room, and changed into dry clothing. It had been a brutal couple of travel days, and she was looking forward to having everything dried out and warm.

Once she was changed, however, she put her armor back on and slid her warhammer into her belt. As a priestess of Haela she felt a sacred duty to be ready to fight at a moment's notice. One never knew when an ogre was going to break down the door of the tavern you were feasting in. And besides, it helped conceal her gender.

While there was still some daylight she ventured out to find Sherlen. Daggerford's military leader deserved to know of the nest they had rooted out to the south, and the change in her squad. She also wanted to swing by Garth's family and let them know where he was, since to the best of her knowledge he hadn't sent them any word.

Once that was done, she ambled her way back to the Dragonback and settled down at a table for some evenfeast. And if she could find a table where she could knock back a couple of pints and hear word of the road, so much the better.

((ooc: Not sure how much you want to rp the visit with Sherlen and Garth's folks. I'm up for as much or as little as you want.

Ancient Dwarven History check for Clan Ironstar. 1d20 = 15. Success.))
This message was last edited by the player at 02:23, Wed 17 June 2020.

Clan Ironstar is an a mythic clan that ruled a small but wealthy nation beneath four mountain peaks in the North.  The clan's fame is based on two equally impossible feats of smithing.  First, it was clan Ironstar that first mastered the making of Darksteel which imbues weapons with the essence of lightning, armor with the ability to resist acid, and which easily takes arcane enchantments. It is known by its silvery hue when polished or cut, but its exposed surfaces have a deep, gleaming purple luster.

The second feat was that Clan Ironstar mastered the skill of imbuing mundane items with arcane enchantments... dwarf wizards.

Because their wealth was so vast and their knowledge so coveted, few of the survivors of the Fall of Ironstar reveal their lineage.  It is said that a colony of the Ironstar dwarves dwells within the borders of the Elven land of Evereska.

((I'm totally fine Roleplaying those encounters.  Sherlen is a very good recurring NPC, and I believe Garth and the Delimbyr family might have good recurrences as well.  As both a DM and a player, I rather enjoy the intricacies and bonds formed within the campaign world and so I tend to want to play those.  But as a DM my game is for your enjoyment, so if you don't have interest in doing that (as with the roadside stops on the way to Daggerford), just let me know and I can move along.))

When she remembered why the Ironstar name was ringing bells in her head, Tolantra could feel her eyes widen. When there was no one else within listening distance, she went over to Daurant. "Moradin be praised. Ironstar? The Ironstars? The longbeards back in my clanhome said they were wiped out. Do they still live?"

((ooc: Okay, I'm happy to rp both Sherlen and Garth's family.))
This message was last edited by the player at 04:45, Thu 25 June 2020.

Some innkeepers were lively and folksy.  Not Dauraunt. He let his establishment--his craft speak for him. Flapping lips can put work to a stop in a hurry. Tending an inn wasn't the same as breaking a dragon for flight, but you put your all into it.  Make something.  Leave something.



Daurant closed his eyes and sighed.  That again. "Mount Ironstar fell, sure, but not every Ironstar went with it.  And who are these longbeards..." he turned to regard the speaker.  A dwarf.  Not one of Derval's.  Southern. Southern? This far North?

The Eyes.

There deep in the eyes of the speaker he saw the Bright Axe of Haela where none but a dwarf could see it.  His pause grew too long.

"Aye, we endure yet. Here and there." A priest of Haela.  He trembled.  He'd given up the road, the sword, but a priest of Haela must come for a reason.  "What brings you North, and from what hold do you hail?" What quest would he be challenged with?  How diminished would his honor be in refusing to care for his inn? Sigh.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 05:06, Wed 17 June 2020.

Confusion ran through his mind at the welcome he received, was it because as the apprentice he should have knocked first? He then realised, he never had needed to knock, he just sonehow knew when it was ok to enter, maybe that was his keen hearing!

Yes Master Ondabarl, said with respect and a familiarity that spoke of feeling like family rather than Master and Apprentice. A wayward child Elf raised partly by, on the outside, a taciturn and stoic Human, on the inside and in his private lessons, a caring and kind Uncle figure.

I found her as the group she is with were finishing an Adventure, she is finishing her dealings with them here in town before coming to see you. She has grown in knowledge but still has some of her playful side. I find that endearing.

He watched his master watching him, listening, taking in every word he said, it was another reason Heluvianal stayed, he wasn't being judged, or if he was, it was more of a kind teacher than a strict father, not that his father was strict.

Dhalcun, of the house of Melandrach the King of the Woods, he lives. Edrie's group appeared to have found him, possibly rescued him. His manner is more curt than courteous. I'm sure Edrie will tell you more when she returns here. She said she would show me, teach me things as you said she would.

Do you have more need of me this night? Heluvianal's words she such respect, it is hard to see how playful he was when first taken in, it is as though he was feeling he owed this human much, and you would be right. How the Yellow Dagger stood up for him in their first encounter, even though the human hadn't known who he was at the time, it showed the Wild Elf that some towns folk just 'knew'. It made him smile each time he recalled, because he also 'knew' this man.

He stood respectfully silent for his masters response, ready for whatever came his way.

At the Dragonback

"They call the clanhome Aebarak, but if we ever had the Strength of Gold it was squandered by fearful greybeards who thought they could close the doors of the hold and thus bar everything they dislike of the world from their reality. I am not so blind. I left to learn what I can of the world they so despise, and to follow Haela's call into battle." She bowed to Dauraunt. "And she has brought me to one marvel already, that the lost are not entirely lost. Should you need my aid, you need only call."

Seeking Sherlen

Tolantra enjoyed stretching her legs in Daggerford. The cool air was crisp upon her tongue, and there was the promise of a warm bed and warm food near at hand should the weather turn nasty again. It wasn't as pleasurable as a good brawl, but it was nice. It made searching for Sherlen almost fun, especially after several days of getting stiff in the saddle.

When she found the head of Daggerford's militia, Tolantra gave her a quick salute. "Calm earth and clear tunnels, commander. My group's returned from Bowshot. We were investigating rumors of drow in the hills outside of town. We found them, along with a couple tribes of orcs and goblins. A temple of human clerics were trying to weld them into an axe against this part of the coast. We killed most of them, drove off some others, and freed several people who had been taken captive.

"All of us survived. Garth remained behind in Bowshot, using part of his share of the treasure we took to become master of Bowshot's inn and expand his family's business. An elven woman we rescued, Celadhel Floshin, agreed to join us and came with us north. We also were joined by another elf, Heluvianal Oakseer, who I gather is an apprentice to the same wizard as Edie. Our group therefore stands at five, and we are ready to take our turn of militia duty when it is assigned."

Talking with Garth's Family

((ooc: I'm going to need an intro to this one. I assume I seek them out at their inn?))

In reply to Heluvianal Oakseer (msg # 20):

"Mmmmm... Yes. Edrie.  So long since my eyes have seen her."  The old mage reached for his cup of tea, a white porcelain cup with infinite blue lines tracing back and forth and forming the shapes of creatures full of long cooled liquid.  As his hand grasps it lightly steam suddenly rises from its rim.  "Yes, you can likely study under her for a time.  Your elfin lack-of-commitment to a discipline will ensure that you are ever her arcane inferior--at least for the remainder of her life. What you may achieve in the meaningless eons thereafter will trouble neither she nor I." Thin whiskers revealed a sneering smile.  You've never met a human that was so consciously jubilant in their humanity.

To the last question he chuckles and responds, "What need has a master for students? For their coin, of course.  But need of the student?  No, Heluvianal-" he says the name with impeccable elven pronunciation which disjoints it from the cadence of his speech, "-it is you that need me. A teacher is a servant to those less fortunate.  How may I enlighten you this evening?"

The River Shining Tavern
(#43)
This is the main entertainment center for the nobility of the surrounding lands and the major notables of Daggerford. The duke and his sister have been known to eat here, and the main hall of the tavern doubles as the meeting room for the Council of Guilds. By choice, some townsfolk only see the inside when coming to council meetings.

The Delimbiyr family took their name from the river and named the tavern after it, too. The River Shining Tavern is the longest established tavern still operating in Daggerford and claims to date from the town's founding. Certainly, the wooden building’s architectural style matches that of the oldest buildings in town.

------------

This is the tavern Garth always made so much of and caused him to despise the Inn of Bowshot.  The waitresses all wear a kind of uniform apron that is echoed in the dress of the bartender and maitre'd and host.  The people here are a who's who of the young upwardly-mobile professionals of Daggerford and their parents.

"There are passing strange sights in these lands. Many to despise, but a few to love to.  A fair warning--what you take from the North must be both taken and made.  It is a hard place, and it rewards a hard folk.  Every time the folk lose their strength, their empire falls and the Orc trods it beneath their feet." He snorts bitterly, "But we always rise again, though the rise be centuries in the making. I've not heard of your home, but ponderous empires that spread across the South seem more myth and magic to me than the working of any court mage I've seen."

"Everyone here needs aid eventually.  Suren you call for me when the time comes."  He extends a hand in friendship.



Sherlen grunts and sets down her stylus to take in what was said.  Her thick red braids trailing down either side of her head seemed out of place--normally she had them pulled back to ride under a helmet.  Her famed spear sat in a corner and she started to look at it longingly while Tol spoke.

"You're good Tol.  Don't get too good or they'll take it away from you and sit you behind a desk like this one." She made a disgusted sound and added, "Maybe this one. There's some at court that would see this post out of a woman's hands. I've never seen any dwarf maidens--few seem to--but you treat them right, Tol.  You don't tell them what they aren't or shouldn't be or can't do."  Her blood seemed to be up.  Sherlen had a renowned temper--but at least her spear was on the other side of the room.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"We're going to need a more formal action report from you.  More on the human clerics--the powers behind it all. That's the sort of thing the Duke likes to hear about. Goblins and orcs--well enough.  Someone trying to revise the power in the area?  That's Duke business."

--On the roster updates--

"We'll need to process the new ones.  You seem to have taken charge of this lot, so I'll leave it to you to document their lodgings and skills.  Garth's a loss. Helps morale to have the city's favored sons fight in the lines instead of buying their way out."

She reaches in a drawer, takes something in hand and walks over to you. "I've been meeting with advisors from the Lord's Alliance on how to formalize our troop structure. Make deployments easier.  Know who's in charge at a glance."  She shows you a piece of paper with a drawing of a Tabard--Blue on bottom, Yellow on top, divided by a white dagger.  "We're all going to wear them now.  Your dagger will have blood on it, Sergeant.  You're also getting five more raw recruits to break in."

She smiles broadly.  "Promoting good men is good for morale too."

Heluvianal was in agreement with his master, something that happened often as much as he may want it to not be the case on occasion.  If it pleases, I seem to be having trouble learning some spells.  I know that as I get more experience with the ones I know and understand the outside world better, that I will learn them, yet I think I need to learn more for the tasks we are doing.  Like being able to open locked entrances or being able to get better knowledge of what is ahead of us.  He wasn't sure what spells these would take the form of, but being able to help the group better, would make him feel more in place, and as a bonus, show Edrie that he was more than even she realised.

"Are these spells you have failed to learn previously, or do you merely require access to make the attempt?" He raised his hairy eyebrow quizzically.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 26):

Others, yes I failed to learn and these new ones, yes master, I wish to learn.
He had failed to learn some but he also wanted to learn new ones.

"I have such spells.  I also have potions to temporarily enhance your intellect to facilitate the mastery of such spells.  If they are essential, there is no better way of guaranteeing your chances of mastery."  Yellowknife paused as if lost in thought.  "Your apprenticeship fees and services are, of course, sufficient to access my books.  But if you additionally want access to my potion, I will require a specific service. Edrie and Tol, your traveling companions, avenged the death of Baron Crom Redhand and earned the favor of his widow.  I wish to have her favor as well. Discover for me what baubles and feminine fancies may attract her interest.  If your information serves me well, my potion will accordingly serve you."

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 28):

There was no reason in Heluvianal'a mind not to accept this challenge, this mission from his master.
I shall get on it straight away master, I'm sure Edrie will know something.

Finishing the milk and bread he had been imbibing without even realising, head headed out of the building and to the Tavern he knew the others had gone to.

At the Dragonback

Tolantra took Dauraunt's hand. "It will be an honor. But for now, I'll stop embarrassing you and go back to my meal."

Sherlen

"Your desk is safe from me," Tolantra said with a grin, touched at the other woman's words. "Maybe I'll settle down in a century, but for right now the road dust is too new. I've never been much of one for reports, but if you want me to sit down with someone I'll be happy to answer questions."

When Sherlen said she was getting additional recruits, Tolantra's eyes widened. One of the reasons she'd left the clanhome had been that the elders didn't just refuse to let women fight, but also lead. She had been luxuriating in just leading an adventuring band, but this was different. This was military, however brief their watches might be. "I'd be honored," she choked out, fighting a throat that wanted to close. "Who are they, and when do I meet them?"