Barkeep On The Borderlands by WF Smith

The Keep once marked the lonely frontier of civilization. It is now the center of culture and commerce. Each year, the Keep celebrates the Raves of Chaos to commemorate the brave heroes who gave their lives to rid the nearby caverns of vile monsters. Their sacrifice cleared the way for the Keep to expand to its current size and scale. Today marks the beginning of this year’s week of festivities. But today, the celebration gives no comfort. A Monarch lies dying of a deadly but slow-acting poison baked into their morning cake. (It was still, by all reports, a scrumptious cake.) The Monarch drained the royal coffers to pay for a powerful antidote, but it never arrived. More accurately, it never arrived at its intended destination. The caravaners say it must have gotten mixed up in the deliveries to the Keep’s many pubs. Despite their illness, the Monarch was able to muster the energy to order the execution of every caravaner, ale draper, ale tunner and ale taster in the Keep. The Bailiff