Heya Steve.
That elven chainmail +2 is a bit pricey for your limits. (6,500 single item max)
If you made it +1 it would work. It would also give you some money, maybe enough for a magic weapon, for example.
That hook won't work, for reasons that will hopefully soon be revealed. There is no specific reason for everyone to be at the inn, so why don't we use the notion that your character is travelling to Mt. Hollysun to study a rare tome on the undead. Elam's Cleft is just on the way. So, you'll start out upstairs in your room, where you were resting (or trying to), till the fighting started down below.