Innkeeper Bill
Bill is a fictional character in the Sword of Truth series of books by Terry Goodkind.
Description
Bill is the proprietor of an Inn and dry goods store in the town of Southaven in Westland, near what used to be the King's Port. He is a stout man with a shiny, shaved head, curly eyebrows, and curly black hair on his thick, husky, muscled arms that seem to compete with his beard. He typically wears a shirt with no sleeves and an apron that looks like it could never have been white. He often has a dry voice and a toothpick rolling around in his mouth. Unlike the other men of Southaven, Bill keeps his eyes where they belong when he looks at women. He is tough and hardened but doesn't appear devious (although appearances are deceiving). His son, Randy, is a lanky young man who helps him run things.
The inside of his Inn reflects the condition of Southaven as a whole. Oil lamps light the main room, which is usually filled with a fog of pungent pipe smoke. The tables, all arranged in a haphazard fashion, are rough, some no more than planks and barrels. There are no chairs, only benches. A door leads to the kitchen, and on the other side of the room, in the shadows, a stairway (minus the handrail) leads up to the guest rooms. The floor is mottled with dark stains and spills, with a series of paths through the litter.
Most of the guest rooms are windowless and feel bare and [...] and have a rank smell to them. The ceilings are lower than what is comfortable. The walls next to the bed are covered with years of spit. The only furniture is typically a 3-legged table and a small, short bench. A single oil lamp usually sits on the table, glowing weakly and providing the only light for the room.
Bill is an approved supplier for government officials needing supplies while near Southaven, and is reimbursed from Hartland. Although most of the residents of Southaven disliked the boundary wardens, Bill appreciated how they kept some of his other customers at bay and brought an income from the government with their business at the Inn and the dry goods store. He is a close acquaintance of Chase.