Book 1 - Prologue

    “Pete, dish ta’ table four!”

    “Got it!” I took the plate, heaped tall with steaming goat meat and roasted root vegetables, and walked into the pub. I tucked my beard into my belt to keep it from dipping into the food and looked for table four. My destination was a single customer in a well-lit corner, but first I had to navigate the zoo. It was time for the dinner rush, and the pub was full to the brim with excited dwarves of every shape and size and even a few adventurous gnomes. I dodged some tables as they exploded with laughter and merriment and waved down a few invitations to join in.

    “Here’s your food! Braised goat with roasted vegetables and mashed erdroot!” I presented the meal with a flourish to the dwarf seated at the table before me. He wore a set of rather conservative chainmail barding, with the barest hint of silver ornamentation. His beard was long and scruffy, a dark brown mixed with black, and his hair was cut short to fit beneath an armoured cap. It was a sight I’d grown used to over the past year.

    “Thank ye! Barck’s Beard, this looks amazin’! An adventurin’ buddy wouldn’t stop talkin’ about this place, so I had to try it meself!” He rubbed his palms together with glee and stuffed a napkin down his gorget. His stained and calloused hands spoke of a labourer, likely fresh from the mines and hankering to try some food from the city’s most notorious and popular new establishment.

    “Glad you could make it! Can I get you anythin’ else?”

    He took a big bite of tender two-day braised goat and grunted with pleasure. Juice dribbled into his beard and he wiped it away with a leather vambrace. “This is amazin’!!”

    “What?”

    “Never mind. One ale coming right up.”

    He stopped me as I turned to go. “Do folk ever get upset about all this? Tha’ new beers I mean?”

    “Sometimes, but I’m not concerned. This isn’t just a game – we’re serious about improving the brew. Besides, not even death could stop me from brewing.”

    We laughed together, but the laughter didn’t quite reach my eyes.

    After all, it wasn’t a lie – even if I was a human on earth when I died.