I dearly love +Emily Dresner-Thornber's Murder Hobo essays, where she takes real (well, our) history and economics and extrapolates it out against standard fantasy tropes. Hilarity oft ensues..
I particularly like her use of the term "Murder Hobos" for your standard D&D style adventuring group (what else would one call itinerant adventurers who make a living killing creatures and taking their stuff?).
Of her recent material, I also heartily recommend http://www.critical-hits.com/blog/2015/08/10/murder-hobos-and-empire/ (on the rise and fall of the Eternal Empire) and http://www.critical-hits.com/blog/2015/05/18/the-king-is-dead-long-live-the-king/ (on dynasties and resurrection spells), though, honestly, it's all a wonderful rabbit hole to crawl down into.
The Druid, the Murder Hobos, and the Coffee Bean
These weren’t any normal berries. They were magic berries! Later, he gave the leftovers to the Druids. They popped the berries in hot water and made a drink. Coffee was born.