Big Dreams

We were walking to the Mountain after a hard day's work, good work, just like we liked it. I could never go very far from my life source but I always found a way to help. My dwarf friend, Spud, worked as hard as he could to build something new, something good. After the war that had just come to pass,we needed some good in our lives. A nice safe place a place to recover from the many blows we were dealt and to call our own. As we walked back through the dense forest, my vial of source water in my pocket, permitting me to move a little further in the woods, we talked about how we could end the war between the dwarves and the other creatures that lurked in our world. We started dreaming, dreaming of a better place, a better, a safe place to be who we are really are, without any fear or discrimination. Suddenly, we came to a stop. We both saw an old decrepit building in need of repair. We stopped to look at it, wondering if we could build something good out of something old and broken.

He spoke first, cautious but with a note of excitement in his voice. He wanted to open a Tavern.

"A tavern? How about a café?"

"Coffee is not good and is addictive."

"Is mead any better?" I should have known...I was talking to a dwarf, of course mead was better to him...

"Yes!" he answered happily.

"Of course. How about a Hotel? Everyone needs a place to rest."

My new friend, Spud, wanted something a bit more convivial. We settled on the Tavern. I say settle because our tavern would also have accommodations. one with accommodations. That brought a smile to my lips.The challenge was to find the perfect place to satisfy a dwarf's love for things well built and a naiads love of water. The first building had to be rebuilt from top to bottom, it wouldn't work, the ground was unstable, it was out of the way and in elf territory. We kept walking until we came to the foot of a mountain, near a forest and I could still feel my life source near enough so that it wasn't uncomfortable. That is when we saw the perfect place.

It was old and abandoned and was in need of a lot of work but seeing as we both were not adverse to hard work, we started building. First in our minds, comparing what our dreams looked like and then putting everything into a plan. We had to start with making sure it had a solid foundation. The perfect job for a dwarf. I would make it softer, give it flow and encourage people to drop in, stay for a drink, entertainment and perhaps even stay the night. We set to work, planing everything out, leaving nothing to chance. Many blueprints were drawn and thrown into the garbage can but we finally settle on the S&P Tavern. There were issues in the structure and framing so we called our mutual friend Samirah to the rescue and we were very happy she accepted to help us. We were an odd bunch. Imagine a goddess, a demigod /nymph and a dwarf, all working together toward the same goal. A place for people to relax and spread kindness and joy. Once the foundations were fixed and the building started looking good, we invited another friend to have a look. A first guest, I should say and he immediately took a liking to our concept.

.Day in and day out, one of our dwarf friends would gt to the front to battle the enemy but he always made time to answer questions, give feed back and offer help with building the Tavern, until one day, he came back late. He had been gravely wounded by a pair of magic wielders. He needed to rest in order to heal. The time would come when the battles would end and our Big dream would come true. Every day, we checked on him, made sure he was healthy and healing well.His body would mend but his anger welled up inside him. We could see that something had changed. We tried as best we could but we were unsuccessful at bringing back his good nature. Maybe if we finished fixing up the Tavern and opened it for business, maybe that would make him happy again, so Sam and I set to work, determine to make our dream come true. Show him that he could be happy here, happy again. This is a safe place for all who need rest, healing and just want to have fun.

Patrons trickled in slowly to our new establishment. Our friend had confined himself to room 8 so we decided to open room 9 as a portal to another Universe. We hoped that the sounds of success would rouse him and make him come and have a look around. Success tended to make people happy.You see, this is not a normal every day Tavern...No, that would be too boring, especially for a naiad like me. This Tavern has been imbued with magic properties. You could walk in and introduce yourself then go to the Inn keeper and ask for a room. The room could be either accommodations or a portal into any world of your liking. Room 9, leads to the Republic, after the death of Potatocis, where Emperor Frankus and his wife Mia rule the Republic together and a resourceful book named Seth is creating chaos in Erilea and the Republic. Portals are granted by the Inn Keeper but you also have the opportunity to just sit around and chat with friends or to listen to our resident Long Beard friend tell stories to other patrons

Written by: Mia Pallas

Inspired by the writtings of : Emperors Potato, Lord of Dawi and Spuds