Tavern Time!

Autumn is almost over, and winter is on it's way. Let's gather around for a cozy and classic tale of fantasy fiction. Once again, it's *Tavern Time! , our semi-regular get-together for drinks, casual conversation, and general hanging-out. This time, we will discuss Lord Dunsany's 1908 short story, "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save For Sacnoth". In this and other writing, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany (yes, that was his full name and title) built a bridge between folklore and modern storytelling, influencing Lovecraft, Tolkien, and generations of fantasy writers. "The Fortress..." has an evil magician, a young adventurer, a quest of a magic sword, and other elements that have since become common to fantasy stories and games. It's also a quick, fun read! The short story is available in the [public domain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Dunsany_The_Fortress_Unvanquishable.pdf) and is fairly easy to find online, in [print](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Welleran_and_Other_Stories/The_Fortress_Unvanquishable,_Save_for_Sacnoth) or [audio](https://youtu.be/bORSLK4BRbo?si=sNh1ETCRTG-fL-KG)* form. Keith also has copies of it in short story anthologies that he can lend out.