An inn, a pub, and a restaurant all in one, the Ghostly Minstrel is the adventurer’s meeting place of choice. It has earned a reputation as the central feature of Delver’s Square and the focal point in the world of the delvers who plumb the depths below the city.
     On its second and third floors, the inn has a total of thirty guest rooms. A night’s stay at the Ghostly Minstrel costs either 5 sp, 7 sp, 1 gp, or 2 gp, depending on the room’s size and location. Keeping a horse overnight in the stables behind the inn costs an additional 5 sp.





This message was last edited by the GM at 03:19, Wed 23 Sept 2020.

Adora sipped her drink and called over to the bar keep.

"I'll take the cheap room, also add the stew and a loaf of bread and cheese." It had been a long day and she was hungry. She sat there, disguise gone, hood down, grim looking scars visible for all to see. As she waited and watched from her vantage point, she spun the gold coin the smith had given her on the bar in front of her.

And then she saw him enter. She didn't move, but she just watched to see what he did and where he sat.

The innkeeper eyed Trager. "What kinda room ya lookin' fer?" he questioned.

Trager sighed. "I just need a bed, a washbasin, and a chamber pot. Your smallest room with those will be fine." He looked over the menu on the counter. "And I'll take a plate of the haddock."

While he waited, he looked about the room, taking in the variety of people here - some were fortuneseekers, he could tell; others were merely travellers; some were down on their luck and hoping to reverse it.

And which group do I belong to now? he wondered.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:22, Wed 23 Sept 2020.

She noted what the smith ordered and requested, glad he'd have a roof over his head tonight and she hadn't taken his last gold piece. Adora slammed the rest of her drink and asked for another before walking over to the man.

"Hey, you a smith? A boy had a message for you. At least I think it's for you. He described you pretty well."

Trager turned toward the Elven woman as she spoke. "I am a smith," he replied, and paused. "Or was. I'm sorry, you'll have to tell the boy to find another smith."

Adora smirked. She knew. And she was having so much fun with this.

"Oh good. You are the right one. He said, 'Really, this is yours.' and he said to give this back to you." She plopped down a single gold piece in front of him. The same one he threw at her unknowingly.

The innkeeper looked at Trager with some smoke soot still on his face, "Trager I'm sorry to hear about your smithy, word travels fast. Food and room are on me for a couple nights." He then hands you a key to a small room with the things you requested, and a plate of food.

Trager gave a soft smile to the innkeeper. "Thank you," he said, shaking the man's hand. "I'll try to be out of your way quickly."

He heard the smack on the counter and looked down as the elf removed her hand. He let out his breath slowly. "That rascal," he chuckled, lifting the coin. He looked at the Elf and raised an eyebrow.

"This could easily have bought you several meals here. Several meals and a room." He cocked his head at her.

"A meal for her please," he said to the innkeeper, and raised the gold piece. "Whatever she'd like." He eyed her. "This boy has a keen nose for trust. Thank you for following through for him."

The innkeeper puts the plate down, "Don't say a good deed doesn't go unrewarded" and slides the plate to her.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:46, Wed 23 Sept 2020.

The man continued to be persistent! She rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Alright, fine! I can't win! Had you tried to return it, I'd have done the exact same thing." She sighed and threw up her hands. "Okay, bar keep,I'll cover my own if I keep drinking tonight. And let's face it, with a face like this I probably will!" She said, adding two gold to the one the smith offered. "And I'll buy his drinks. I think he need them."

She turned back to the smith. "I'm not a good person, but you could say that boy and I go way back. I'm Adora." She offered her hand to him.

Trager snorted a laugh and took her hand. "Trager. Pleasure to meet you, Adora. I'll take a glass of ale," he added to the barkeep, then raised the glass to Adora. "To faithful pledges," he toasted and sipped the drink.

He had gotten only a little lost as he tried to make his way towards the Inn that the constables had told him about. He was starting to worry a bit, but smiled to himself as he spotted another Inn instead. He supposed that it didnt' really matter what Inn he went to, as long as he didn't wander the streets at night, which was understandable enough.

The small bits of loose pavement stones gritted beneath his heavy metal frame and weight as he stepped up to the main doors of the establishment. The light from inside was in far contrast to the darkness of the night. He hoped that no one saw him waiting outside the door in nervousness. _{"Well, time to make my entrance. Just like the stories."}

He used his right hand, palm side to the door, to push the door open slowly just as a very slight lull in the interior conversation hit the room. The old hinges from the door let loose a ^{Squeeeeeeeaaaaaaak}, a long piercing noise as EDi's poncho covered form filled the doorway, barely illuminated by the light from the Inn. He ducked his head a bit, to allow for the tattered bowler hat to slip under the top of the door. A step or two inside, and he let the door swing slowly shut behind him, another long ^{Squeeeeeeeaaaaaaak} before it closed finally.

Few, if any of the patrons inside even cared to notice really, busy with their readily returning conversations, or to their food and drink, all of which smelled very nice to EDi. The lackluster entrance disheartened him only the tiniest bit as he moseyed over to the InnKeeper, tipping his hat politely.

"Evening Sir! Might I inquire as to the cost of a table for the night? Or I could offer trade with some work around the place, if you was willing." He propped one elbow up on the edge of the bar, and went to rest one heavy foot on the footrest near the floor, but there wasn't one in this particular spot, causing him to catch himself and hope that no one noticed the little faux-pas.

The innkeeper, a bald, skinny man said, "Well if you're not going to order anything then 5 silver pieces."

Trager turned his head at the familiar voice. He had heard the sounds of someone walking across the room - someone heavy. He is heavier than I expected, he thought. The thinness of his frame hides his true weight.

"Are you following me, EDi," he asked, voice low and full of gravel. He paused a moment before grinning. "How did I end up beating you here? You left well before I did. This," he gestured, "is Adora. Adora, EDi."

He sipped his ale and swept the room with his eyes, checking out the patrons, noting exits - hard habits to break even after his years away.

"I haven't met two new people in years," he mused. "And now two in one day? Mayhaps fortune tries to balance my loss."

He nodded to the InnKeep and reached down, untying his belt sock full of ammo and dumped it all onto the counter. In addition to the scattering of bullets of dubious quality, were a scarce smattering of coins, and a few mildly interesting rocks. He dutifully slid over a few silver, and enough copper pieces to make up the difference and scooped the remainder back in to the sock, resecuring it at his belt. He turned as he heard his name, and was a little surprised to see the old soldier/smith from before. Apparently he had had the time to find an Inn, and earn himself some company as well. Plus, he was actually calling EDi over for introductions, maybe he was wrong about the old man? He approached friendly enough, the floorboards only complaining a little, and tipped his hat at the duo.

"Salutations, Old Timer! Yeah...I took me a bit of a meandering, but some of the local constables suggested I make myself scarce for the night time."   He turned to the female elf sitting next to him, and nodded to her as well. "Ma'am." He stood nearby, striking what he hoped was a friendly pose.

EDi noticed how the old mans eyes swept the room every few moments, though he seemed at ease, he was much more wary that he had been earlier. He supposed it might be justified, considering he had just had his home and business burned down.

Adora shook his hand firmly and met his toast with her own fresh mug of ale. By the time the metal man made his way into the room, she was dunking her bread into her bowl of stew. She watched his awkward entrance, pausing her eating to observe. A bit of onion fell off the bread she held and plopped back into the stew as her mouth hung open.

She snapped her mouth shut and shook her head. Ducking her head back to her meal, she fully planned on ignoring him until Trager introduced them. Choking down her mouthful of food, she waved at him.

"Hi, EDi. Trager, here, was just being way too generous tonight. What brings such an... interesting person as yourself to NeverWhere?"

She felt awkward being social without her illusion to cover her appearance and make her beautiful. They seemed alright being around her, ugly as her scars made her.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:50, Wed 23 Sept 2020.

"Well...I was wandering around, largely aimlessly mind you, and heard that NeverWhere was the biggest city around. Also heard tell that there are several adventuring guilds here, and I was looking to see if'n I could join up with one...if they take us 'Forged Folk that is."   He stepped over to the neighboring table and grabbed a chain, spinnig it around and promptly setting himself down on it backwards, resting his arms on the tall back of the chair.

The motion caused some of the dust from his ragged poncho to fluff out a bit, though he didn't really seem to notice. The rug was a thick one, and long enough that it draped down both his front and back all the way to belong his waist, while still leaving his metal arms free. The bowler hat atop his head sat at a bit of an angle, and there was a large hole in the side...likely caused by something biting and tearing at it. There was the tiniest bit of grass sticking out from the hole as well. It had once been black, but was now simply dirty and faded. He had a good stout strip of rope tied round his waist, and attached to it was his coinpurse holster, containing a rather poor looking little palm pistol one one side, while the other side had a sock tied to it, that clinked and jingled a bit as he sat. Other than that, he was completely unclothed, though he didn't really need anything, since he had none of the human parts that they liked to keep hidden.

"How about yourself? Are you new here as well, or are you one of the local townsfolk?" EDi leaned forward on the back of the chair, looking quite interested as his almost shiny brass eyes stared at the elf womans face, unblinking.

Adora nodded as EDi told about why he was here. "I mean, yeah, there are Adventurer's guilds here. I tend to shy away from them mostly. I don't like organizations." She looked the warforged over and shrugged. He (or was it... well, it?) wore his strange rug and had a peculiar look about him that she hadn't really focused on before. She had to admit it to him, she wouldn't have tried to pick that sock off him. It was an interesting place to keep money. Safe-ish too.

"As for myself. I'm from far away. I stay here sometimes, but I like being on the road instead of cooped up in a city. I'll admit, it's nice to have a warm bed and hot food I didn't have to kill myself every once in a while. NeverWhere... is peculiar. I don't like things I can't predict and I can't predict this place."

EDi appeared to perk up a bit, brightening. "Oh! Are you a traveler then? Like me? A vagabond with no place to call home?" He start to talk, having clearly romanticized the idea of it already in his head. "Moving from place to place, whereever the wind and our whims can take us...the life of freedom....just like in the stories." He leaned back in the backwards chair, holding on to the wooden bit before him, seemingly lost in a daydream momentarily.

He snapped back to himself after maybe only a few moments longer that what might have been not awkward, and sat back up like he had been...arms folded on the seatrest, himself slightly hunched over. His head tilted slightly as he watched his two new acquaintances chew their food.

Trager internally chuckled at the conversation going on between his two table companions. We must look like the premise to a joke. "A golem, a codger, and an Elven maid walk into a bar..." He actually laughed aloud then, and waved a hand at the two as they looked at him.

"I need something watered down," he told them, standing. "Good ale parches me." He approached the same barkeep as before and asked for a mug of weak grog to wet his lips. He grabbed the mug when the man returned, and slowly spun it between his hands on the bar for a few long seconds before he sighed.

"Know any place that would hire an old man?" he asked the barkeep. "Without my smithy..." The sentence remained unfinished, but the ending was obvious.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:38, Fri 25 Sept 2020.

Adora arched an eyebrow as EDi drew his conclusions about her occupation. "Erm. Yeah. Vagabond. That works. Sure." She shifted a little. He probably came in on a caravan. He would probably call her something else if she had raided his group instead of the courier.

At Trager's question she looked puzzled. She didn't really know honest work well, having never been any good at it. "I mean an adventurers guild would probably pay well for a smith to help with their weapons and armor. Unless you still got some fight left in you. Then you might want to consider adventuring. Its said to be lucrative. I'd have done it, but my life seems to have gone a different direction. Plus you have to be around the same people all the time... Anyway, theres a pretty well known guild here that Adventures. Dunno if they are hiring. Ragtag Problem-solvers Guild. They are by one of the gates. I forget which."

Trager gritted his teeth. "Blasted sellswords," he growled, then chugged the glass of grog, slamming it down on the bar. He sat there, grinding his teeth for several long seconds.

"Whiskey," he finally said. "Two shots." He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Gods save me," he muttered.

EDi watched...fascinated as the two went back and forth, conversing. He was learning so much! Adora seemed to like the idea of the adventuring guild, if not thinking it the best for herself, while Trager seemed to dislike the idea entirely.  His head swiveled back and forth between the two as they spoke, like a spectator at a sporting event.