The 252 Speakeasy - Pub

[Drífa]

Welcome to the 252 located near the East Gate of Khazad-dûm, where the ale is excellent and the pipe-weed fine. High ceilings and friendly cheer will greet you here. However, be aware that the speakeasy speech is short and sweet. Come, friend, enter.

Pub Rules:

• Post must not exceed 252 characters—the central theme of the Pub. If you are unsure of the character count, you can find many free word count editors online. For example: WordCount.
  Plaza RP Rules apply; please refer to the RP Code of Conduct if unsure.
  The Fourth Age dwarves of Khazad-dûm are still busy removing, restoring, and refurbishing their Mountain mansions. As you enter through the gate, you may hear workers hammering, chiselling, and pulling on pulleys, echoing off the rock. Most conversations revolve around this activity, although discussions about growing food are also a popular subject. And of course, there is always the usual talk in the Pub about what is going on in the wider world.
  You may ask for food, although cram is likely all you will get. Primarily, the pub is for drinking and engaging in short conversation after a long day.
  Please do not be alarmed by a dwarf drinking out of their boot. This tradition began back in Old KD when mugs and other drinking vessels became scarce due to brawling and excessive breaking of the pottery.

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe

Afird peeked around the pub entrance and quickly scanned the crowd, which included both bearded and non-bearded individuals. He saw no sign of a white haired, dwarf lady, and sighed in relief. But who else would recognize him? A stone city healer, oi?

[Ercassie]

Erfaron Sílûgnir


He was perhaps one of the last people anyone would expect to find in Khazad-Dum ? An Elf ? But this Elf had known dealings with Dwarves long before the wars which had torn their peoples apart. And he was here for perhaps an equally unexpected reason.

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe

Lurking beside two Beornings who smelt sweetly of honey, and shielded from the entrance way, but with the advantage of spying on it over one of the men's stomachs if he leaned back, Afird was relieved to see a tall Elf and not his cousin enter. 'Phew.'

[Pele Alarion]

It might be the most unusual thing to happen for Pele was far from home but here she came walking straight into the unusual environment.

[Ercassie]

Erfaron Sílûgnir


Erfaron dared to order a drink, just as his keen ears heard a 'Phew'. And when he was handed the ale-filled boot, he understood. 'Phew' ! what a smell ! The Elf was about to ask the woman if this joke was her idea, but the voice had sounded too gruff.

[Silky Gooseness]

Silvereye was starving. She could eat out of her boot. She could eat a boot… if it were well seasoned, and if there was plenty of ale to go with it. Fortunately ale-filled boots were plentiful here…

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe

Unsure why everyone was drinking out of pub boots, the custom being that it was usually your own boot, Afird leaned over and conspiratorially whispered to the Elf.
" Oi! I was never a boot drinker—nasty habit. Afird Splitaxe at your service," he bowed.

[Ercassie]

Erfaron Sílûgnir

More arrivals were arriving, and whichever bartender had pranked the Elf a boot-ale, escaped notice. Met with an 'Oi' and more courteous welcome, Erfaron lowered his chin reverently. "Well met Afird Splitaxe. I've known worse." He indicated the boot.

[Silky Gooseness]

Using one’s own boot for sipping was an unfair measure, Silvereye noted; the bigger your foot was, the more ale you would get, by such a standard: unless, of course, you wore clown boots in order to get more out of the tap…

[Pele Alarion]

Pele could not quite understand why boots would be used as beverage vessels, so she wondered if she should skip that option, as she observed other folks.

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe

He saw the Gondorian enter and wished to make his presence known to her, but was wary; for now, he wanted to stay hidden by the Beorns and whispered over the talk of clown boots to the elf. "What brings you to the Mountain at this time, if I may ask?

[Ercassie]

Erfaron Sílûgnir


While the womenfolk contemplated Dwarvish drinking customs, Erfaron considered the Dwarf, Afird. "What I seek is not within these halls," he confessed. "But the means to obtain it .. is. Not the boot."

[Silky Gooseness]

Shamelessly eavesdropping as she contemplated footwear, Silvereye could hear someone speaking. Was that a quest they had in mind? How intriguing, even more so than the mystery of what had gone into this ale

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe

"Hm", said Afird, taking a moment to wonder what was meant by 'not the boot'? He was uneasy, hiding from Drifa, and had no idea, but he did discern that the Elf was seeking something. "Oi," he said, catching elven ice blue eyes, which made him wonder.

[Pele Alarion]

Wanting to avoid any drinking-from-the-boot experiences, Pele set about drifting quietly among all the folks as if looking for a lost treasure.

[Ercassie]

Erfaron Sílûgnir

If the pair of odd sounds which fell from the Dwarf's mouth were means of communication, the Elf could not interpret any meaning from them. "Few alas have mind to demonstrate their skill," he remarked, with an eye to the hovering ears.

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe

"Skill, you say? As in axe crafting? That is my specialty. At the moment, I am trying to master the skill of being invisible, as I am running very late for a rendezvous. But look, I see a Gondorian among us." He gazes knowingly at Pele. "A healer."

[Silky Gooseness]

“A healer!” Silvereye sat upright, sloshing some of her ale out of her boot. Although her sight might be poor, her hearing was top notch. “Do ye think you might do aught for my poor eye?” She tapped the patch that covered her right eye.

[Drífa]

A dwarf cried suddenly, above the din of the pub, "Orange gourds are upon us! They fill the land a mile below the East Gate. They speak, cursing our very beards!" The din ebbed a bit, and patrons eyed the dwarf, then began to laugh. "In his cups, oi?

[Ercassie]

Erfaron Sílûgnir

He already had an axe, and wasn't sure how being invisible would help timekeeping. "Your skill at identifying others may prove well ?" he mused though, as Silvereye looked for the healer Afird named. A new din drew his glance.

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe

He looked at Erfaron, finally taking in that the elf's air was serious. Or so it would seem. Unsure if he should continue talking with the elf, a cry from the crowd diverted him for a moment. Then curiosity got the better of him. "What help do you seek?"

[Pele Alarion]

It seemed that even here Pele could not escape healing duties, and approaching the small company of patrons she studies Silvereye. "What happened?" she asked, and paid no heed to outcry about orange gourds.

[Silky Gooseness]

“Well… my eye, it don’t work,” said Silvereye plainly. She took off her patch and glowered at Pele meaningfully. The orb was indeed completely milky. “Don’t suppose you know the magic what might cure it?”

[Ercassie]

Erfaron Sílûgnir

The din saw the Elf lower his own 'cup', as though the boot-brew would lead him to similar foolery. Such as actually asking for help. "I came to exhume Eregion," he eyed the drink. "Or rightly forget it."

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe

"Exhume Eregion?" Afird suddenly felt for the elf. "Only the stones of then lamented the Elves, so say the tales that have passed down from my kin. Is this the truth? And if an excavation is on your mind, any dwarf would be willing to dig, for a fee."

[Ercassie]

Erfaron Sílûgnir

The Dwarf had taken him literally. The Elf actually smiled. “It was no doubt a fool notion,” he considered. “You will forgive my wasting both our times. Though you have cheered me immensely." Dropping his chin in respect, he left.

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe

The elf's exit left a sense of regret in the dwarf. He undoubtedly was a being full of adventure and worth getting to know. Alas, his concealment (the elf) now gone, Afrid felt exposed, yet silly too. It was time to seek out Drifa - and make amends.

[Pele Alarion]

Pele looked at Silvereye's shown eye and shook her head ruefully. "No, I have no magic abilities, I am just a usual healer," she said, wondering if there was anything that a simple human could do about that eye.

[Drífa]

Afird Splitaxe
But first, he saw the healer who saw a patched-eyed female of unknown descent. Risking a chance that his cousin might walk in, he moved towards the two females, bowed low and said. "Greets! We meet again, good healer! Afird Splitaxe at your service!'

[Aerlinn]

Talen was dwarven height and beardless, apart from a few scraggles of horse hair still glued to his face. Still, he wasn't the oddest sight in the pub. The boy's stomach rumbled as he found a seat in the middle of things. "What's to eat 'round here?"

[Pele Alarion]

Distracted from the would-be patient, Pele turned to Afird and bowed slightly in return. "And I'm at yours." Another, young sounding voice nearby called her attention then and she glanced at the lad.