Lauren Christ
Stories from the Axe and Thistle is a bi-monthly serialization that details the exploits of a D&D 5e campaign as they troll their way through an open-world wilderness. Often outlandish and good for a laugh, these vignettes are told by the Dungeon Master of said campaign, because sometimes humor is the only way to cope with tragedy!
Introduction:
“Welcome,” chimes the bartender, almost half-heartedly, as you step through the doorway and into the small pub room of the Axe and Thistle.
“Thanks,” you reply with equal enthusiasm, sliding up onto a barstool and surveying the array of liquor bottles on display behind the counter.
“What can I get you?”
You think for a minute, sizing the bartender up. She looks back impassively. “Just an ale, and maybe a story, if you have any.”
The bartender’s face shifts, and now she is looking at you curiously. Her hands work the taps from memory as she scrutinizes you. “Not sure I’ve seen you around town before, come to think of it, but you don’t look like the adventurers who come through here, either.”
You shrug. “Just passing through.”
“Hmm,” the bartender hums, spilling out the foam in your glass to make room for more of the good stuff, “Well, if it’s a story you want, I’ve got more than I can count. Y’see, I get a lot of the adventurin’ types come through here, and stories seem to stick to them like flies on a horse.”
“I hate that simile.”
“I didn’t ask your input, and besides, it’s meant to convey the rustic fantasy setting.”
“Alright, my bad.”
“Anyway,” she continued, sliding the glass across the counter to you, “You ever met adventurers before?”
You shake your head.
The bartender snorts and bends down to reach something underneath the bar. “Unpredictable idiots for the most part, but they’re good customers and they do some things you’d never believe, things us normal people would never even think of.” She straightens and places a tattered map on the bar. “Did you hear what happened with the ogres who moved in just south of here? Or the discovery of the Sunken Fort?” She unrolls the map and points to a messily-sketched mountain, crossed with dozens of “X” marks and stained with flecks of blood. “This is a good one, but it’d take a while to explain.” Her gaze flicks to the window. “How much time you got?”
You shrug and smile. “A while, I guess.”
To be continued…
Stay tuned as we upload a new chapter of the campaign every other week right here on DorkDaily.com!
