"Yes, I am."

She lowers the lantern a bit. "I've got room, then. It's two silver marks for a night."

She reaches into her pocket and pull out two silver coins. They're embossed with the face of an elf that will mean nothing to the people here, but they're the pure metal.

The woman accepts them after a glance.

"Let me get your key, then," she says, stepping back and reaching over to retrieve a key. "Leaving the kitchen - turn right, to the door on that wall. You're up the stairs, second door on the left in the hall."

She takes the key. "Thank you."

Yawn. "You're welcome. And thanks yourself - don't get too much in the way of customers, this time of year."

"When is your peak season?"

She snorts. "Winter. More disgruntled lovers getting into fights when they're all cooped up - my beds see more haggard husbands than travelers. For visitors? That's the spring, elves and some rather stupid merchants, but the mayor hosts them."

"The dragon does not deter them?"

She sighs. "The elves live not much farther, and we're about the only ones who'll trade with them. And merchants can get real dumb if you sprinkle some coin on a trail. We don't get near as many as old Dale did in her height, though. Probably for the best - dragon's not interested in cloth and wheat."

"I see. Well, good night."

Another yawn. "Night." And the woman steps back, into her room, closing her door.

And Ellisaria goes up to her room.

It's rather plain, a small wooden bed with a thin mattress, curtains that likely won't block much sunlight, a small table with a washbasin, and an unlit lantern on the table. The window looks out through the rickety town - towards the mountain, in fact.

She's unlikely to miss the dawn, at least. A few hours' sleep would not be unwelcome, and then she can see what the town looks in the morning.

The town wakes up soon after dawn - not on a farmer's schedule at all, but the weak light is still enough to rouse people. Most of the noises are those of a small fishing village. There seem to be only two other rooms occupied, in this hall, of people who wake with the dawn - she didn't hear the reading man come up, though.

The town looks poor. Still, it's solidly constructed. Used to be bigger, too - there's a field of stone pillars peeking out of the water at the edge of town.

Is a breakfast included with her room?

A simple one, of bread and cheese and watery ale or tea. It's another few copper if she wants something fancier, though 'fancier' doesn't mean much out here.

She'll make do without spending the extra money.

After eating, she explores the town a bit. Are there any common gathering points, markets, places where she can pick up some gossip?

There's three main markets - one for fish, one for food brought in from the mainland, and one for other goods - wooden items and soaps and necklaces - which seems to meet less often. There's a square in front of the town hall, where people seem to gather to gossip.

Most of the gossip's on the usual goings on of a small town. Who's sleeping with whom, which kid's been obsessed with talking to elves, which barge-elf was drunk on the job, a handsome new guard, harsh training under the guard captain, worries about crops and fish yields - a lot of the fish have been sickly lately - and weather... The mountain hasn't had any activity in a short while, and that's always worrying...

What sort of activity is typical for the mountain?

Oh, sometimes there's shakes - sometimes there's fire, whenever green things dare grow - sometimes they see that foul beast, wheeling in the distance. That last hasn't happened in a time, but - they know when the dragon shifts, and when he settles, and when he dreams. You can feel it in the water, you know, and the sensitive have a dream or two.

Does the dragon cause much direct harm?

No. Not to them, not anymore - he burned Dale, and the Dwarven kingdom in the mountain, but that was before their oldest elder's great grandmother was born. Indirect - he poisons the waters, he drives away the animals, his Desolation claims the best farm land... But that's an old wound, now.

These people are unlikely to be much help tactically. Strategically, they're likely to want to move back when she has corrected the Desolation. Something to bear in mind, as that could lead to complications. They don't seem to have the military strength to contribute much to Smaug's defeat, though they might be able to serve as a minor distraction if such a thing is necessary and pitched to them correctly.

She doesn't think she'll get much more useful out of them now, so she'll make her departure.