Adventure of Elen

At dusk, Elen reaches the village inn as benches scrape across the floor and fists crash against the bar. Lanternlight wavers over overturned cups and spilled ale.

A lean, weather-browned young adult man with tangled black hair, a narrow scar cutting through one eyebrow stands amid the wreckage, wrapped in a green-hide mantle and facing three furious villagers, including a broad young adult man in a mud-stained blue tunic with a flattened nose. Behind the counter, a stout middle-aged woman with silver-streaked brown hair, wearing a russet wool dress and a cream apron, with a small gold hoop in one ear grips the edge, trapped by the crush.

The other villagers shove closer, boots striking the boards. One overturned bench blocks the door, while the innkeeper watches the druid with alarm and silently mouths a warning.

Elen lifts two fingers and whistles, sharp enough to cut through the shouting. From beneath the inn's side awning, his tawny forest hound Bracken, a large adult male hound with a broad muzzle, dark eyes, and a white chest blaze springs forward, ears flat and paws silent.

Bracken darts between the villagers, clamps his jaws onto the druid's green-hide mantle, and hauls backward while Elen advances with the whistle's final note.

The mantle pulls the wild-born druid off balance without tearing. He drops to one knee, palms open, while Bracken holds him firmly against the boards and the villagers recoil.

Elen's voice holds, though the last words scrape against a thinning reserve of composure. Bracken keeps the druid's mantle pinned and watches the villagers for any renewed rush.

The villagers' anger falters beneath the certainty of the order. One gathers the overturned bench, while the others begin collecting splintered boards and scattered crockery.

Bracken gives one final steady tug, drawing the druid away from the villagers without tearing the green-hide mantle, then holds him safely in place as the work begins.

Elen signals Bracken to release the mantle. The hound obeys at once, then noses a fallen plank toward Elen while Elen lifts its other end and carries it to the shattered bench.

The wild-born druid rises and braces the bench while Elen fits the plank into place. Nearby, the Angry Villagers sort usable boards from splinters, their muttering reduced to the scrape of work.

Bracken carries a scattered length of timber from beneath the counter and lays it beside the innkeeper's boots. Elen takes it, and together the workers begin rebuilding the cask frame.

The broad villager disappears through the rear door, and the inn's harsh silence changes into purposeful noise: wood joins wood, crockery gathers, and Bracken waits for the next piece to carry.

Elen retrieves the tools, then lays the straightedge across the cask frame. He tests every joint twice before setting the first nail, while the wild-born druid braces the wood and the Angry Villagers sort the remaining pieces.

A warped length will not sit flush, so Elen draws his Falchion Sword and uses its machete edge to shave the high grain in controlled strokes. He checks the fit, cuts again, and checks it once more.

Bracken noses loose nails into a small pile, then carries a fallen rail clear of the work. Elen measures the brace against the frame, finds it true, and hammers it firmly into place.

Mara tests the repaired bench with both hands. It holds without a groan, and the cask frame sits square beneath the counter as purposeful work continues around it.

Elen circles the common room with the straightedge in hand, studying walls, benches, shutters, and the hearth while Mara watches from behind the counter. Bracken ranges ahead, sniffing loose boards and pawing at anything that shifts.

Bracken noses beneath a table and pulls out a splintered support, then pads to the west shutter and scratches once at its lower hinge. His alert posture confirms both faults.

Elen marks the shutter hinge and the settled hearthstone, then finds two loose roof slats above the counter. The Angry Villagers gather the needed timber while Mara clears the work area.

Elen sets the straightedge against the west shutter and trims its warped edge with careful strokes. Bracken holds the loose brace steady while Elen drives nails with the hammer.

The shutter settles square. Elen and the Angry Villagers lift the roof slats into place, while Mara steadies the ladder and the wild-born druid braces the counter below.

At the hearth, Elen wedges the settled stone level, checks it twice with the straightedge, and packs the seam firmly. The repaired roof now sheds rain toward the inn's collection barrel.

Elen makes a final circuit with the straightedge. Bracken paws one uneven floorboard near the pantry, revealing a loose nail that Elen sets flush with the hammer.

Mara points out both places. Elen finds the gutter's blocked mouth and the pantry hinge immediately, adding two clear repairs to the work list as the villagers bring more tools.

Elen climbs to the north gutter with the Hammer, while Bracken braces the ladder below. The hound’s steady weight keeps it firm as Elen clears leaves, mud, and packed moss from the blocked mouth.

He works the debris free with the hammer’s blunt end, then uses the Straightedge to check the gutter’s fall. Water from a bucket runs cleanly toward the collection barrel instead of spilling beside the foundation.

At the pantry, Elen lifts the sticking door and steadies its hinge with the Hammer. He sets a few Nails flush into the loosened wood, then applies oil along the hinge pins.

The hinge turns, but the door still drags against the frame. Elen lays the Straightedge along its edge and finds a slight warp where dampness has bowed the lower rail.

He shaves the swollen edge with careful strokes, checks it again with the Straightedge, and tightens the hinge with the Hammer. The pantry door swings freely and closes square.

Bracken noses beneath the pantry threshold, then settles beside the repaired door while water patters neatly into the barrel. The inn’s remaining work list grows shorter.