Alice and her dwarfen companion Geradin had been heading to Riverhope for about half a year by now. The reason the journey took so long was because they were travelling adventurers (or vagabonds as the less savoury types shouted.) When your life was on the road at your feet travelling from A to B was never just a simple journey. Still, here they were now and Alice's heart was warmed by the sight. 

From a hill to the east of the city the pair had a clear view of the curved walls and delicate architecture. The midday sun seemed to stop being so bright and annoying and instead became warm and welcoming, and even from here every house seemed unique in its design, and yet the whole picture never stood out as garish or varied. It was truly a wonderful place to live and retire. She knew that Geradin would hate it and spend the entire time grumbling

They headed down the road and over the famed Riverhope bridge, of which Alice had seen paintings of in various places over the world. It was so odd to be crossing such a large bridge made out of wood. Such a delicate building resource was intricately carved along every centimetre, if not by elven hand at least in elven design. It quite a sight to see, and Geradin seemed to complain for every centimetre of that famed mile.

"Why did they make it out of wood? This will hardly last a few centuries! Shows what happens when you don't hire a dwarf to work on a grand project. And look at this silly design over it, pfft, you can hardly notice it! Where is the jewels and gold? All these designs are pansy elven work, you can tell because it's overly-pretentious shite! Alice you know I won't insult the race of elves as a whole but their building work practically insults itself. To call it building 'work' is an insult to other different race's architecture. And honestly, where are the braziers along the side? How's a drunken dwarf supposed to find their way along here at night?"

Alice looked aside from the bridge over rolling countryside and responded mainly in nods and sounds of agreement to Geradin's 'critique'. She did respond to the last one, "Are you going to test that theory? Drunken dwarfs over the bridge, I mean." she interrupted his flowing speech

He seemed to ponder the question, before responding "Too early to tell, we'll have to see if they have some good dwarfen brew around here first! I tell you Alice, I'll live in an elven house, defend a human castle and eat gnomish food for the rest of my life. But if I have to give up dwarfen booze..."

"I'll pray to Ragnarok for deliverance." they finished together, she'd heard the saying from several dwarves before, in every variation in every state of sobriety. To be honest, she could see where they're coming from

Walking down the main street they were shouted at by a dwarf from across the quiet road. Needless to say it was like a thunderclap in the calm place. "ROCKHAMMER!" Geradin turned beaming, "AYE!" he cried back, "THAT IS I! WHO ADDRESSES ME!" 
"Do you need to shout a response when we could just go over and talk to him?" Alice asked Geradin as they headed over
Geradin laughed heartily and endearingly "My father always said if a conversation is important enough it should carry for miles, Alice, and he was a wise Dwarf he was, long of beard and brain." Alice had been in the middle of some very important dwarfen meetings before and their shouting carried for miles, though nobody was listening  to each other

The Dwarf who had shouted across was a friend of the Rockhammer clan, and had recognised Geradin from years ago. He was a hero of human lands, and had finally retired to this place. "Last week I got a letter from the queen, asking me to meet in a tavern and alluding to a quest. Alas, I am too old and committed to such a task, but I bet this would be your kind of flagon. Go in my stead, if you have no other commitments, please. I'm sure it'll be easy for you even with a frail human at your side."

Geradin became more and more excited through the whole conversation, in response to the  last comment he turned to Alice and said "She isn't that bad, she drinks and fights like the best of the dwarves, and that's good enough for me. Though a quest from the queen, hey? Aye, we'll make short work of it I'm sure! Thank you friend!" and with that they headed off to this tavern, [i]The Hearth and Flagon[/i], Dwarven customs never demanded idle chatter or even politeness of the same sort of level as human interaction. It was quite normal for someone to just walk away in the middle of a conversation, and the other dwarf would normally stand there talking to the empty space (whether out of pride or failing to notice the other person having left). "Perhaps we'll be lucky and this place will have dwarfen brews." Alice said half to herself