My illusion yon dragon is not beguiling
Not judging by the glee-fanged way it’s smiling
Into solid stone its talons it’s gently sinking
As away from it I’m oh-so-idly slinking
And it my tombstone is merrily styling

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 21, 2019

Archmage dire he’s known to yore
Yet seen around here nevermore
For a dragon with many a mighty roar
Wizard tore
Into four
All his gore
To outpour
Now he lives only in bardic lore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 22, 2019

I wanted the treasure, and got it
By killing monsters galore
Any menace that arose, I fought it
Only to face many a menace more
It was some time ere the truth I thought it:
Of days, every adventurer hath a limited store

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 25, 2019

Dire spell is uttered
Another life is horribly shuttered
To the watching witch it hath the seeming
Of a drunken murderer’s fondest dreaming

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 23, 2019

Hear now the harpies cry
See now the heroes die
Never ask the reason why
Gods have motives dark and sly

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 23, 2019

Gallant adventurer, I
Flamboyantly buckle my swashes
And am never long annoyed by a fly
For that foe most satisfyingly squashes

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 24, 2019

“Wolf! What was THAT?”
“A creature of the night, hunting.”
“Well, yes, obviously, but WHAT?”
“Us.”
“Eh?”
“It’s hunting us. As for which particular creature…well, there you have me. I fondly hope yon creature won’t.”#epic fantasy

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 24, 2019

1)
“It’s REALLY dark now.”
“Yes. Damn it. Light these lanterns. Two for us, and one for Palonder.”
“Won’t that make us targets for the wolves and bears?”#epic fantasy

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 23, 2019

2)
“Yes, but the lights make it possible to send Palonder ahead again. I think if we do it thrice more, we’ll be out of the woods.”
“Then we look for a good place to camp, yes?”#epic fantasy 3)
“If we’re not running for our lives because an encamped invading army is right there on the other side of the forest and has seen our lights.”
“Wolf, are you TRYING to get us all killed?”#epic fantasy

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 23, 2019

4)
“Oh, no. Hardly ‘all.’ I’m far more selective than that.”#epic fantasy

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 23, 2019

1)
“So now what?”
“We keep walking along the Scarp until it sinks down into the ground. There we stop.”
“And?”
“I send Palonder ahead into the woods as far as he can go and still see us, and we him, and I direct him to move…#epic fantasy

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 22, 2019

2)
…back and forth until he’s right in line with the route of the Scarp. Then we all go join him, and repeat the process.”
“Hmph. Sounds slow and complicated.”
“It’s faster than getting lost in the heart of this forest. Trust me.”#epic fantasy3)
“I never thought I’d agree to do that, but…it sounds like I should. Just this once. But I’m not making a habit of it!”
“Lady, if you did, whatever would I for entertainment?”#epic fantasy

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 22, 2019

Late at night I hear the din
Of skeletons dancing (macabrely) in
Their suits of armor, that around them rattle
Far more than when they were sweating meat in battle
Long ago they did decompose
Denying them the pleasures of the flesh, I suppose

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 5, 2019

See you yon dread dragon? And how his snout doth glow?
They get that way when they’ve eaten three tons of dwarves at one go

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 5, 2019

The problem with befriending dragons
Is that your average wyrm, on a whim
Can without a belch drain a year’s worth of flagons
And with one chomp rend you limb from limb

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 7, 2019

1)
Once amid a haunting dreary
I by corpse-candle pondered weary
Eldritch enchantments in curséd tomes of forgotten lore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 20, 2019

2)
As I yawned, nearly napping
There came an ominous tapping
As the ghoul that collects heads
From all the recent local deads
Began to tear down my chamber door 3)
“Away!” I cried and pulled the lever
To send it plunging through the opening trapdoor
And yes, then heard its wail of sorrow
Proceeding down, down to crash somewhere in tomorrow
Hopefully every bone to shatter so it’ll trouble me nevermore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 20, 2019

1)
“Palonder, can you see the Scarp of Skulls yet?”
“The what?”
“An overgrown cliff face in the forest. With human skulls placed on various ledges all over it. As if the King had appointed the Royal Headsman exterior decorator…#epic fantasy

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 20, 2019

2)
…for this forest.”
“Oh. No. Er, wait, YES! Our ridge ends at it. It’s barring our way.”
“Not really, because we’ll be changing direction and walking along it in THAT direction.”
“But isn’t that deeper into the forest?”#epic fantasy 3)
“Yes. But it’s also heading closer to Thulwell—remember?—and farther away from a killing drop that we’d walk over if we went along the scarp in the other direction.”#epic fantasy

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 20, 2019

4)
“Wolf, how do you know all this? If you spent all your time in the Castle, running the realm behind my back?”
“There are spells, Elvar, that let one see through the eyes of others. So they can tramp around this forest—and…#epic fantasy 5)
…the Dire Swamp, and the Haunted Keep, and the Dark Vale Of Dragons—and I can go along for the trip without departing your halls.”
“Ah. And stay safe, hmm?”
“I did not say that.”#epic fantasy

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 20, 2019