Embers and Old Names: Tales of the Alderveil

Before there was an inn full of found family, there were journeys.Long before they gathered around the hearth at Alderveil, each of its residents carried a different story.A dragon searching for sanctuary. A baker walking away from grief. A dwarf who spent centuries following the roads. A courier learning that kindness can be more enduring than duty. A greenwarden listening to the ground. A lantern-keeper, a stone mason, a wanderer, and others whose quiet choices would one day shape the place they all called home.These ten interconnected stories reveal how the residents of the Alderveil Inn became the people readers first meet in the trilogy. Each tale stands alone, yet together they form a portrait of a world quietly forgetting its magic-and of the ordinary acts of care that keep it alive.Warm, hopeful, and quietly magical, this companion collection is filled with found family, gentle wonder, healing after loss, and the kind of courage that grows one small kindness at a time.Whether you're returning to Alderveil or discovering it for the first time, these stories invite you to step inside, warm your hands by the fire, and stay awhile.Perfect for readers who love cozy fantasy with heart, memorable characters, quiet magic, and the comforting worlds of Travis Baldree, Becky Chambers, T. Kingfisher, Katherine Addison, and TJ Klune.