The Dented Helm

The sword is mounted. The shield is hung. But the helmet still has one battle left.

Rorek "The Mountain" Cleave-Helm has finally mastered the art of the quiet life. He has a thriving inn, a brilliant Druid partner, and a staff of unionized Kobolds who have (mostly) stopped stealing the silverware. The wars of his past feel like a lifetime ago.

Until the past walks through the front door.

It starts with a mysterious crate left on the porch during a midnight thunderstorm. Inside isn't weapons or gold, but something far more dangerous: A Dragon Egg.

And it's hatching.

Suddenly, Rorek is running a nursery for a fire-breathing toddler that thinks Bean the dire wolf is its mother. But a baby dragon attracts attention. Soon, The Empty Scabbard is besieged not by armies, but by the ghosts of Rorek's old life. His former adventuring party-a dysfunctional group of legendary heroes-returns to Oakhaven to "handle" the beast.

They want to slay it. Rorek just wants to get it to eat its vegetables.

As the Ancient Mother Dragon descends from the peaks seeking her child, and the King's armies mobilize for a final war, Rorek faces his impossible "Final Quest." He must host the most dangerous summit in history, forcing Warlords, Wizards, and Dragons to sit at the same table and break bread instead of bones.

The yeast is rising. The stakes have never been higher. And Rorek Cleave-Helm is about to prove that the strongest weapon in the world isn't a blade... it's a really good Shepherd's Pie.