Northern Gate Plaza
By the time an acolyte from the Temple of Tymora arrives at the northern gate plaza, the young priest can't find the injured man locals had mentioned coming through the gate earlier. The Tymoran wanders back to his temple when he finds no one to heal (for a fee...).
Before that, the waitress Bess brings some dumplings, stew, and mugs of ale for Abrielle's companions, then retreats to let them talk in private.
Western Gate Plaza
Niles and the boys from Shadowdale are busy unloading goods, while Evanar and Storn are left to take a break like the other caravan guards. A few mercenaries head for the nearest tavern together, the Treehouse Tap, while the other two mercs wander off towards other taverns they must know of.
Fayne follows the group of three mercs into the Treehouse Tap, a two-story elven-style tavern built around an old tree, the branches of which spread out just over the roof. The mercenaries sit down at the bar, hailing the bartender and ordering mead.
Inside, the Treehouse Tap is half-filled with customers, mostly human Dalesfolk but also a few elves, half-elves, and foreigners. The tavern is well-lit by many windows and a few Everburning Torches in wall-sconces, and a stairway on either side of the common room leads upstairs. The tree trunk rises through the middle of the tavern and is used to help support the second floor, with what looks like magically-reshaped wooden braces fitted tightly against the trunk. Rows of wine and ale kegs are stacked up against the far wall, each tapped with a nozzle for dispensing myriad drinks, and the bar encircles this arrangement. The bar is run by an elven couple, moon elves with pale blue-tinged skin, green eyes, and black hair.
One merc is a tall fellow of Cormyrian appearance and accent, wearing a well-made breastplate and an old shield with faded Cormyrian army markings, a longsword sheathed at his waist. He slings the shield over his shoulder before entering, and talks idly in Chondathan to his comrades about the easy coin they just earned and their plans for the next job. His fellows are another fellow that looks and sounds like someone from Cormyr or the Dalelands, wearing studded leather and a sheathed rapier, and a bearded half-elf of wood elven descent based on his coppery skin; he wears a chain shirt, with a pair of longswords sheathed at his hips, and composite shortbow of horn, wood, and sinew hanging over his left shoulder, a quiver behind the right.
