Tavern Crawler

1st Place finisher in IFComp 2020!

Most fantasy stories are about slaying the dragon. But this one is most about what happens after that.

When you and your companions are approached by a man in a tavern who offers you more gold than you could spend in one lifetime to slay a dragon, you're torn. The money would buy you out from under the boot of the tyrannical queen. You'd never want for anything again. But do you schmucks really stand a chance against a dragon? And what did this dragon do to deserve being slayed, anyway?

Your instructions are simple. Travel to the cave. Chop off dragon's head. Bring it to Akema, the village at the base of the mountains. Meet your patron in a tavern to collect your spoils.

If only you hadn't been too drunk to remember exactly WHICH tavern you were supposed to meet him in.

Now, you'll have to journey from tavern to tavern looking for him. An inn full of yearning hearts and true believers. A burlesque house full of cutthroats and intrigue. A dive bar where you're likely to walk out with fewer digits than you walked in with. As you uncover the strange secrets of Akema, you begin to realize you've been lied to, set up. Can you unravel the mystery and get out from under before last call?