[center][h1]Whiteside Village[/h1]
[h3]Bertram's Lodge[/h3]
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Packed snow trailed in to the building past the threshold, leaving the foyer floor somewhat slippery and wet. The ground floor was spacious and cozy. A series of walls sconces, each holding a dim orb of magical light, cast a warm orange glow across the room; the light glinted off the lacquered wood furnishings. A long counter occupied one corner of the room; the older, mustached gentleman with rugged features standing behind it, gave the impression of an open bar, but the shelves behind him were filled with scrolls and other miscellany. He was tending to a heavy ledger with his pen, and paid the group no mind. Many of the patrons didn't share his disinterest and blatantly stared at the cadre of elves in favor of continuing whatever conversation they might have been having. All the idle chatter died in an instant.

There was furnace at the far end to the left, and its chimney had room enough to accommodate four grown men to stand shoulder to shoulder. Behind the brazier, a massive fire roiled atop a small pile of jagged stones reddened with heat. A hound dog with thick, ragged fur and lazy eyes was sprawled out on the floor near the fireplace; it perked its ears and quickly twisted its head to catch a glimpse of who entered the door.

The creak of a door broke the silence as a monstrously sized man squeezed through the threshold into the common area. Easily three heads taller than the tallest man in the room, and with arms the size of tree branches, a few of the stares flickered to him and then quickly resumed whatever it was they were doing before. 

The barrel-chested goliath of a man seemed too big even for this spacious lodge. Short wavy hair hung from his scalp in messy rivulets and the rest of a face was framed by a prodigious beard and bushy sideburns. Small thoughtful eyes peered from beneath thick brows. In one hand he held a mop and in the other a wooden bucket, and he seemed distracted and didn't notice the newcomers until he was only a few feet from them. He cocked his head questioningly.

[b]"Oh shi- Uh..."[/b] He sounded confused. [b]"Hey Bertram, we have guests!"[/b] He bellowed at the man behind the counter.

[b]"Can't you see I'm busy, Mahon?"[/b] He replied immediately, and sounded perturbed. [b]"Deal with it."[/b]

[b]"Ah, right. Uh..."[/b] Mahon looked at the elves, then at the mop and bucket in his hands, and sighed. [b]"Are you folks here for lodging or did you have some business with the Adventurer's guild?"[/b]