A grumpy Malchus came with heavy steps down from the dormitory to the tavern and made his way to the bar counter, behind which Rose, the innkeeper, was already diligently at work, preparing breakfast for her patrons.
"Hiho! Hihi, you sure aren't a morning person, are you," she remarked with a jolly smile as she served her dowsy guest a steaming cup of strong, dark tea. Malchus took a sip and sighed.
"At least not when I can't get a good night's sleep. You're runnin' a fine tavern 'ere, Rose," Malchus spoke with an almost consoling voice. "Yer drinks are good 'n' yer prices fair. There's always a fire cracklin' inna chimney 'n' ya keep everythin' neat 'n' tidy. But that dorm upstairs... don't cha halfers enjoy sum privacy? Sharin' a room with five strangers is awful! What if sumone wants t' spend the night with sum company? No rooms, no double beds — by Sirani, is this an inn or a monastery?
Even when I'm alone I can hardly sleep; drunken, noisy students bargin' in, people gettin' up t' go t' the latrine inna middle o' the night, travellers checkin' in late, others leavin' before dawn. And who can tell who enters whenever that darn barn door creaks open — is it you, or that drunkard Dion, or a thief who's out for our bags, or an assassin sent to settle a score? And don't get me started on that snoring dwarf who slept last night inna bed next to me! I'm sure un' night he'll lure a dragon 'ere that thinks this awful noise is a mating call. I can't believe others can find restful sleep 'ere."
Having thus vented his frustration for Rose and all other patrons to hear, Malchus emptied his tea cup and slapped some silver coins on the counter.
"There's a lot o' talk 'bout buildin' projects, y'know. Maybe Runewick's council could chip in 'n' help ya upgrade that shabby dorm t' a proper inn, like those inna other towns. That might even attract more, better-payin' guests. Givin' yer inn a memorable name might also help. Cadomyr got the Unicorn Lion Tavern 'n' Lakeshore Inn, Galmair got the Winged Sow Tavern 'n' Sleepy Bujhaar Inn. But what' o' 'Wick? All we got is "the tavern" 'n' "the dormitory". Maybe ya should dub this place the Double-Headed Eagle Inn or sumthin'..."
A sketch of a possible expansion of Runewick's inn is submitted for public review.
The Double-Headed Eagle Inn An expansion of Runewick's inn designed by Artimenus of Albar, chief architect of Anthil Manor and the Chamber of Commerce Guildhall.
The herein proposed design seamlessly expands the inn's top floor by taking advantage of the currently unused space above the inn's bathhouse, aiming to enhance guests' comfort while preserving the building's core structure and distinctive Runewickian aesthetic.
A new wing would be added, housing two spacious guest rooms, furnished with comfortable and elegant furniture made by Runewick's renowned carpentry guild. The new guest rooms would be accessible via a balcony, granting guests a nice view over Runewick's green landscape and the sea. A verdant, rose-dotted balustrade with potted plants and a pair of small tables provide guests with a pleasant and somewhat private place to relax at.
The public dorm is preserved, though reduced in size. With three single beds instead of the current six, it continues to offer decent lodging to travellers without overcrowding it. Some minor tweaks include the replacement of the unnecessarily large barn door, replacing the main balcony's exterior, blazing torches (a dangerous fire hazard to a building largely built of wood) with more sophisticated and weather-proof lanterns, and cleaning the tables of forgotten mugs and cups, so that guests have enough space for their own meals and drinks.
I for one am in full support of having the town invest in better lodgings for our inn, as someone who resided there for some time myself before being able to rent a place of my own.
My only concern the sacrifice of cheaper lodging in the common dormitory to make room for perhaps a little too extravagantly sized private rooms.
If this remodeling did not reduce the amount of common beds available, it would have my wholehearted support.
First of all, I would like to thank Malchus for his initiative. I think the idea of extending the upper floor is very good.
However, during a personal conversation with Malchus, he emphasised that he is particularly bothered by the shared accommodation.
In his proposal, however, he has not yet gone so far as to include a few single rooms. Perhaps this initial draft is still based on a miscommunication with the architect. Basically, I consider this idea to be an improvement and look forward to its implementation.
