Tales of the Mountain King

By Patrick Bowron

He’s a fat, smelly, stupid dwarf. But, will he be king? This is an exciting collection of adventure stories that are a satire of classic fantasy role-playing games.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Patrick Bowron
• Release date: Jul 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310249815

Patrick Bowron

About the AuthorPatrick lives in Brownsburg, Indiana with his wife, Sarah, and is a stay-at-home Dad to their daughter, Irene. Before this he had an array of time-passing vocations, including high school history teacher, banker, laser engineer, hearing aid technician, car wash supervisor, and library assistant. Pat received his Bachelor’s degree in History from IUPUI in Indianapolis. His hobbies include living and breathing Notre Dame Football, Star Wars, reading Tolkien and other fantasy authors, researching ancient astronaut theories, and the Indianapolis 500. He enjoys spending his time outdoors with his family, including grilling, hiking, kayaking, and captaining his father-in-law’s pontoon boat.Other books by this author available now:Tales of the Mountain KingBook One of the Chronicles of the Ball of Light - The Story of Faded StarsElm: The Tale of the Tree of SleepThe Adventures of Koril Icebane: The Relic of the TombThe Shimmering KnightA Drunk Dwarf Inn ChristmasComing Soon:Book Two of the Chronicles of the Ball of Light - Upon the Bridge of Falling FrostBook Three of the Chronicles of the Ball of Light - LaevindalPrologue to the Chronicles of the Ball of Light- The Box of Stories

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Tales of the Mountain King

A Collection of Short Stories

Patrick Bowron

Tales of the Mountain King

A Collection of Short Stories

Published by Patrick Bowron

Distributed by Smashwords

Copyright 2016 Patrick Bowron

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Cover artwork by Rebekah Crowmer

Maps and editing by Sarah Bowron

Map of Fogsdale

Prologue: Fogsdale

The rain fell heavily down on the small village of Autumn’s Rest. The village was the main hub of the ancient segregated land of Fogsdale, given the title long ago due to the constant rainfall and clinging mists. To the north and west were the insurmountable peaks of the curving chain of the Mountains of Hidden Stars, home to the dwarves. To the east were the thick Elven Woods, a mystical land not open to the inhabitants of Fogsdale that were born without elfish blood. Also, the Gorge of Darkness and its now absent bridge cut off travel eastward. To the south lay both the Battle Hills and Dreadwood Forest, homes to monsters, or at least myths of monsters.

The land that lay within Fogsdale’s boundary was a flat plain, known simply as Open Field. There at its center of Open Field was the aforementioned Autumn’s Rest, with the Eastern Road stretching from it connecting it to the farmlands of the small country. Other monuments and fortresses rested in semi-ruin throughout the land, a testament to older days when the country was connected to the larger world, but alas, that was long ago.

Thus, mostly simple folk took up residence in the land of Fogsdale. Trouble sometimes showed its ugly face with bandits and thieves taking up in ancient dungeons and strongholds, or masquerading as monstrous villains coming out of the south, preying mostly on outlying farms and single travelers on the road. But, most of the folks were peaceful, and if it may be said, not very smart.

This brings us back to the small village of Autumn’s Rest saturated with falling rain and causing many residents to place buckets around the confines of their homes to stop the spread of water on their floors because of leaking roofs. Those that cared not for leaky roofs, or those that wished to get out of their homes made their way to the social escape of the village, the Drunk Dwarf Inn. It is here that our tales begin, centered on a highly unlikely character, the proprietor of the inn itself, the overweight, bad smelling, schizophrenic, ugly, and not very smart dwarf, Denk Dinglestuff.

Tale One: Ruins of Elithcazr

Rain came heavily down on the rooftops of the village as early evening set in during the middle of the month of April. Two men, hiding the best they could under rain cloaks made their way to the Drunk Dwarf Inn. It stood tall in the center of the village, with the cobbles of the road worn thin due to the heavy patronage. Its three stories were topped with a shingled roof, rare for the village, and it had three tall chimneys that billowed out welcoming smoke mixed with the scents of burning woods and roasting meats.

The men came to the door and pushed it open. The outside miserable world of fog and rain dissipated as they stepped through the open portal. Their reality was replaced with raucous laughter and clinking glasses, and the heavy scents of food and pipes. The scents of ale and wine also were noticeable from those that consumed the beverages at the many wooden tables and booths spread about the welcoming room of the village’s famous inn. Towards the back of the room was the bar and kitchens. Tavern wenches scuttled here and there bringing more drinks and food to those villagers that had braved the elements on that evening. The two men found an open table