EACH STORM THAT RAGES The bard trailed off, as it was quite apparent that the children were no longer paying much attention to the story. He was just getting to the good bit, too. But the family had obviously not been to Archet recently. “What happened here?” whispered one of the mothers in shock. Her husband held her hand, while the other parents...

AND SO THE WHEEL TURNS The wagon clattered over the cobbled streets of Bree, heading toward the dirt trail which led to Combe, and further on, to Archet Dale. The kids peered over the sides of the wagon, looking at the shops which lined the thoroughfare. The effects of the War of the Ring were still visible; a few broken windows were boarded up, and some folk...

RUN OUT OF TOWN Two men were standing over a map, carved wooden figurines on the table with them. One of them had a (relatively) straight edge, and was marking out paths on the map. They seemed to go far in one direction, then would suddenly turn around and go far in the other direction. The bard looked over their shoulders for a brief moment, then realized...

RECAPITULATION The Prancing Pony was relatively quiet the next morning. The raucous revelry of drunken guests was not to be heard, replaced with the much lighter sound of children at play in the stables while their parents finished a somewhat awkward breakfast indoors. There had been a minor dispute the night before over who would get to sleep in the bed the...

FOUR MINUTES LATER “Were there really that many goblins in the goblin camp?” asked the eldest girl, a little bit skeptical. The bard paused mid-sentence and winked. “I may have exaggerated just a little bit,” he admitted. “I thought they’d never be done with that camp!” The older of the two boys shifted position. “I want to know more about the Halfling, but...

The bard paused, taking a sip from a tankard he had left at the feet of his stool. The children’s eyes were wide. “They broke out of jail? This is a story about criminals?” One of the little girls asked. “That’s what makes it interesting!” retorted a boy. “No, littl’uns, weren’t you listening?” cut in...

The bard strummed absent-mindedly on the lute. It was an old, familiar tune that served as the melody for a number of popular ballads. Like most such songs, it only required three chords…or was it four? The others in the inn paid him little mind. It was one of those days where everyone just wanted to be normal and to be surrounded by normal. There had...