Credit for this idea goes to Ben Robbins at Ars Ludi, in particular a series of blog entries about his sandbox game, West Marches. The tavern in his game was called the Axe & Thistle, and I've kept that as a tribute.

The map is not my creation. I've emailed the artist for proper attribution and permission.

Artwork is by Erol Otus and Jeff Dee, used without their permission underfair use.

The whole thing is a homage to my early days playing AD&D, especially B2: Keep on the Borderlands, and to a lesser extent, Hackmaster's version. Players from those days will recognize the names of certain places and NPCs.