The Lone Inkeeper

The Lone Innkeeper

“Innkeep. That was one crazy night last night, you had a hull house huh!” A loud man bellowed, eating eggs and mutton served him for breakfast.

The Innkeep stood silent grimacing as he cleaned the many dishes strewn about from the night before.

“For having some of the best ale this side of the far long, you don’t seem pleased to have so many customers huh” the man spoke while picking at his teeth. Glancing across the hall of the inn at the still silent Inn Keep.

The Innkeep finished his pile of dishes and bowed his head and spoke in a hushed tone.

“I only wish people would stop bothering this inn…”

“No need to be humble. Everyone knows this place is famous for the ale and the crazy stories that pass through these rickety shutters”

The Innkeep came over to the table with a wet rag. “You’re just the unlucky one to have heard them all..” He proceeded to wipe down the table and take away the empty plates of the traveler.

“Ha, Best ale with the worst hospitality, perfect match in my wee brain. I’ll be sure to tell everyone about it when i finish my delivery” the traveller dropped a coin on the table grabbing his bag and a curious box and pushed open the Inn door making the loudest creek that could be heard across the hall. The morning sun spilled in, lighting up the hall almost as if the light itself whisked like the wind making the inn tremble.

“Please don’t come back” the Innkeep muttered to himself as the man left, leaving him all alone.

He sat on a chair resting his tired legs from all the cleaning from the crowd from the previous night.

The chair buckled under him contorting to his form snuggly.

“A quiet morning of another feast” he solemnly exhaled.

The drapes over the windows rippled at his exhale as it whispered through the empty Inn.

After a short nap the Innkeep went about cleaning up the various traveller and adventure gear left behind in the various guest rooms.

He hauled the accumulation of what could have been the spoils of a dungeon in a large bag to an exceptionally large room stacked with rusted and tarnished valuables from countless guests before.

He poured out the contents onto the pile building up against one of the window shutters of the room blocking the afternoon light from glistening on the relics of others adventures.

As the final piece fell out of the bag it fell open, a locket with a lock of fine red hair blown onto the floor.

He gave it a tired look, bowed his head in acknowledgment. Then turned.

His boot brushed across the locket kicking the hair fibers into the accumulation as the Innkeep left the dim room closing the door.

The walls creaked a wail of old times, a dreadful ambiance of the many memories in its walls.

The creaking piched the door shut as the frame bowed into the door.

The Innkeep trudged back to the hall where he splayed himself on a stool, laying his tired head on the bar top and resting once again.

“Barkov!?! Rough day huh?” A man cloaked in white gambison and chain mailed stood before the Inn keep looking down on his tired form.

“Tresh… stop coming back here please”

“OH come off it my man, its rude to say such things to a frequent customer”

“Only if you bear the pain I bear every night” Barkov poured a mug of ale from a keg and handed it to Tresh.

“Oh the bard’s song and the singing of happy drinkers can’t be that painful can it?
Tresh grabbed the mug making 3 large gulps before laying down the half drunk mug then laughing at himself over the wet ale in his mustache.

“Its more of the creaking of this…” the inn keep paused as he looked down at the rug hugging his boots.
“Inn… old walls hold many mysteries”

“I love your solemn poems, its like a song to my ears”

“Only a paladin would think my words as a song, where is the rest of your party?”

“Coming shortly, we vanquished the mightiest of dragons so you best have an extra keg ready for our celebrations”

“I’ll check the back to make sure we are stocked” Barkov round the back wall of the bar and opened the pantry.

The pantry lay stocked with an assortment ofl fine foods.

He grabbed a keg and rolled it around to the bar.

“Stocked like always I see” Tresh joyfully sang out. “Never cease to amaze me how this establishment has the finest of ale and never runs dry”

“Amaze?” The Innkeep raising his brow in question.

“Yes, it’s a mystery how you never run dry after the nights I’ve stayed here. You have one great supplier to feed us greedy adventures every night”

“My supplier is a greedy one, a real dreadful one to work with.”

“If it’s such a dread, why don’t you join us for an adventure some time. Get out of this creaky inn and see the sun for once. You look like you haven’t seen the sun in years.”

“That would be a fantasy”

“But my dear Barkov, its no fantasy, I am serious, join my party just for one outing. We could go do some harmless scouting of the westward plains, just enough to get you out of this dim creaky mansion” the floorboards above creaked as if in response to Tresh’s words.

A twinkling gleamed in Barkovs eyes “Really… I can AHH” Barkov pulled his hand back from resting on the bar top looking at a gnarly splinter in his palm.

“Let me get that for you” Tresh said taking Barkov’s hand and chanting like a poet as his hand forced out the splinter and the Innkeeps skin fused back together”

“I think those adventures are best kept a fantasy,” Barkov said grimly, pulling his hand away, grabbing a rag from a water pale and dashing it across the table.

The door of the inn burst open echoing the arrival of Tresh’s party,

“There we are, you two get along fine in the market?” Tresh said bounding over to his 3 party members with a gnome bard in tow.

Barkov rested once again on his stool staring at them blankly. He looked down and kicked the rug back from his boot and prepped food for the night of customers to come.

As the sun set, travellers and locals came in, coins dropping as ale flowed through the horns and mugs.

Above it all a small gnome stood on a table and began to sing,

“Let me tell you a story, A valiant one,

‘Bout a dragon that terrorized

From the dawning of the sun

But a rabble heard its roar

they burst the dragons door,

Come meet the bravest of the land!”

Everyone burst out in a cheer and started beating the tables

“Tresh the holy, cast his lightning stones,

The dragon spit fire that melts your bones.

But Randolph the Wise sung his spell

the fire had no way to break this tale

Vivian the sly leapt with her might

the dragons hide pierced with arrows light!

Volrick then block the dragons rebut,

And I sung a song with my bardic touch!

Down with the dragon

Block his breath

Down with the dragon

Refrain from death!

Down with the dragon!

Sing our mighty tale!!!

For volrik the enchanted,
pierced the dragon’s scale!”

“Down with the dragon!!!” Everyone in the hall sang, joining in the celebration of the adventure’s latest escapades.

The night grew dark and the locals returned home and travelers booked rooms. And the night creaked on in the shuttered inn.

“Barkov, crazy night last night huh?” Tresh said, stepping to the counter while the rest of his party came up hauling their packs.

“I hope this is your last night.” The Innkeep replyed, sweeping away the pile of dishes from the night before.

“Well yes, we are off. I do hope to come back one day and taste this ale again. And who knows maybe we can take you on that outing”

“Maybe, I’d be the lucky one if I could get out of here.” The Innkeep said glaring around the empty hall.

“Just takes a few steps out the door and a new adventure could start, my friend” Tresh said grabbing his bag and followed his party leaving the empty Inn.

Barkov followed to the threshold but as he got to the frame, the rug gripped at his boots.

‘Your just the lucky ones to have survived this adventure’ he thought to himself kicking the rug aside returning to his duties.