Tag Archives: #dnd

The Fate of Khazrik Cinderbrand and a Merciless Merchant Statement

Posted on by
1

Apparently, the ogre ladies and pregnant orc company did not leave….the party entered and took no prisoners. Hacking ogres and orcs alike…maybe they let one orc female go? I’m not sure as I was not there (as a player)…licking my own personal wounds of Covid. But I watched the stream…made comments when I could…and apparently, we won/or survived, which is basically the same thing in D&D! So that is always a good thing.

It sounds like Larvin still wants to claim this mine and the party is interested in that as well–as long as they get a cut….but myself, Khazrik Cinderbrand–well as you know, if you have been reading along here on my adventures on this blog—AND you have read all these posts right?!!!

Well then you can probably understand why Khazrik has a moment here and realizes a great opportunity—to step away from this adventuring group where he has almost died twice and join Larvin and claim this mine! Hints of coal are in this mine…and if there is a solid coal supply, well then I can enact the secrets of my Ash Brothers and create machines for mining and defense for this mine! This mine could be an excellent stronghold/outpost for my Axeholme kin who visit and it could help protect Farholme, our main supply chain to civilization.

I mean..the others are talking about tracking down the horse thief Draven and dealing with small creatures wearing red boots (The Willowmere Vagabonds adventure)….why the hell would I want to tangle with that when there is a GREAT source of profit and potential with this mine?! Larvin seems ok….perhaps I could become the miner foreman with a greater take on coal….this path seems to please my god, at least that’s how I feel.

So for those who read this blog—you know my character’s actions…before the rest of the party, for sadly–and seriously, it IS sad, I don’t believe they read this blog….But I guess they will realize soon enough when I introduce my new character (thanks for the magic items suckers!)

Khazrik has feelings don’t ya know!

So I shall bring in a new character. Hopefully, for you gentle readers, it will be someone as talkative as myself, Khazrik so you can keep reading this ill-tended blog….but no guarantees…If you want Khazrik to stay…say so in the comments!! Ill probably ignore them though.

THE LIGHT WE CARRY—AND THE PATH WE FORGE

I just watched an excellent video on the importance of light in dungeon exploration–how something as simple as a ‘torch’ defines tone, danger, and discovery.

It reminded me why I fell in love with 2nd Edition D&D—and why I’ve chosen to walk this different path.
Watch the short video here.

Resource management: torches, oil, rations, spell component–these have always been the heartbeat of tension. Modern systems, like 5e, often discard it as tedious bookkeeping, a chore if you will. But that slow burn of scarcity makes every choice matter!! And it’s part of the thrill of the game in my humble opinion.

The torchlight flickering low. The fighter debating whether to press forward. The cleric’s last candle sputtering in the dark….

That’s storytelling born from the mechanics themselves. This is why Dungeons & Dragons is not your ordinary ‘board’ game and why it has so much potential–creativity thrusted to the roof by talented Dungeon Masters.

2e understood that survival wasn’t just a rule–it was a language of fear, sacrifice, and meaning. Darkness wasn’t an obstacle. It was a stage.

Some call this the OSR ideal.
I call it 2nd Edition done right.

We’re planting our flag for For Gold & Glory and its compatible ruleset, Journals of Nevermore.
And yes–we’ve heard your statements—2e has been called the red-headed stepchild of the OSR. Forums, Reddit, threads. So be it!!
The Merciless Merchants embrace that exile.
We like orcs, goblins, traps, resource management, and terrible odds–because danger still matters and running away is always an option. We like THAC0. We like consequence!

While some have drawn their borders and turned their backs on 2e, that’s fine. Let them keep their line in the sand.
We’ll keep the torch.
And use that torch to light our bonfire.

For Gold & Glory and Journals of Nevermore aren’t asking for a seat at the OSR table anymore– we’re building our own!
Same roots. Different soil.
Where danger still lives, light still matters, and 2e still burns bright.

Several new books and adventures are coming in 2026–each carrying the grit, heart, and soul of 2nd Edition. Stay tuned!

#ForGoldAndGlory #JournalsOfNevermore #2eRevival #DnD2e #OldSchoolPlay #ResourceGame #DungeonCrawling #TTRPG

Deal of the Day!!! And the Ogre Situation–Finale??

Posted on by
1

Deal of the Day

If you’re like me, you can already feel the cold wind of fall and the faint kiss of winter creeping across the land. Seems fitting then that The Coming of Winter is tomorrow’s Deal of the Day (10/27) on DriveThruRPG!

We’re risking our very name — The Merciless Merchants — by offering a massive 60% discount!
What the hell are we thinking?! It’s unlikely this adventure will ever be cheaper.

Inside, you’ll get:

  • 3 full-length adventures
  • 9 mini-adventures for wilderness and short dungeons across the Dragonback Mountains
  • 9 new monsters and 8 new spells with a chilling winter theme
  • And of course… new magic items (because—that’s part of our reputation!)

This is an absolute STEAL for your collection.
Grab it tomorrow (10/27) before the snows — and this deal — disappear! The Coming of Winter!

*Sigh*…isn’t true human art fantastic?! All of this art shown here was done by Del Teigeler. The dude is amazing to work with, a real POWER-HOUSE! and really captures the vibe of old-school Dungeons & Dragons–can’t speak highly enough about him. It’s the correct path to take for illustrating old-school adventures as only human artists can capture the ‘vibe’.

Alright, well…now below…..we present pathetic AI art to cover the ill-fated adventures of Khazrik Cinderbrand.

Ogre Finale!!!! ?

Darkness…I think vision goes first…then your hearing. I felt like I could still hear the impact of weapon upon enemy, the sound of dripping blood, the cries, screams, and defiant battle cries of warriors…I still felt my pain….ugh….then finally silence….which started to emerge the great dwarven war engines!!! Graceful and sleek…powerful, blessed coal-powered machines and weapons of war. Imagine all the tools and materials you needed, right before you…and a design to create the most epic war machine. Ive never been so excited to start and….

I awake to see Ghemel’s ugly mug. “Fuck…my bones…did we win?” He nods quickly before running off to attend someone else.

Yurin…I mean…Joran…is that his name? All these humans look alike to me…he stares at me, talking excitedly about how he shot ogres with his bow….ugh…. read the room man, I’m in pain piss-ant!! His rambling gives me a pounding headache. I try to nod politely as I shift my weight to try and see the battle’s aftermath. Dead ogres…good. Vegie–still moving around…good…Some random human sitting by the fire…what the fuck?

I groan, roll to my feet and gather my items and senses…then wander towards the fire. I grit my teeth and deal with my pounding headache and I start to heal myself as well as my companions, while trying to get a feel for this new stranger. Thank Dhurn Kavok…the Black Blood of the Mountain!! such miracles being able to heal wounds of my companions. Truly Dhurn should be the leader of the gods and I….ok, I could talk about Him for awhile, but Ill try to stick to the summary…ok?

We heal up…we groan…we bitch…we speak vengeance…bitch some more…then decide to go front assault against the ogre cave like Rage Against the Machine!! I mean…how many could be left? Our new companion goes by the name of Bunnion…or Bannion, hell I dont know..why should I care? he may die within minutes….apparently he likes staves. The man is pretty ripped though, so not sure why he likes staves and not a true dwarf weapon like an axe…but he apparently was a prisoner of these ogres, is pissed off at them— so happy to have him. We will take what we can get.

Bannion did mumble something about seeing Draven…alive…and he shrunk or something. You know when you meet someone and they got the crazy eyes and start talking gibberish, but you are so involved in the conversation, its hard to leave, but you are like WTF?….It was kinda like that….but maybe Draven is still alive in there. He always gave me shit..so..I guess..uhh..oh joy that he is alive?! Bleh…ogres don’t like Draven…so he is ok in my book for that minimal regard…

We charge up the mountain ramp leading up the plateau that holds the cave mouth. Veggie gets excited and runs past the ogres and disgusting goblins to reach the cave mouth–preparing for any that come outside to join the fray. Ghemel rushes in and attacks a staggering goblin that entered one of the mysterious gnome Izzel’s portals, and so I rush in to the top of the plateau and quickly get skewered by an ogre spear..damn them…but I smote down an ugly dick-face goblin so all is not lost! I take time to heal my wounds after the ogre fell….

The ogre shaman appears….then…quickly falls from Veggie, Ghemel and Bannion. Pretty anti-climatic as I rushed up…BUT EXPECTED, since we are heroes!!

Ghemel charges some of the goblin archers who were shooting at Talon who was separated from us. Talon was shooting arrows at the goblins from down below…I know this as I saw most of the arrows hitting the cliff and landing harmlessly upon the plateau where I was fighting–with him nowhere in sight.

We all help as we can….but can we pause a moment and talk about the dwarven priest Ghemel. He worships Zilvren—The Shimmering God, The Gleaming One, Gemfather, The Facetlord…sure…I’ll pay respects to Zilvren, I like gems and stuff but he is no Dhurn Kavok!

Ok..ya, Zilvren, and probably a bunch of other titles that I dont give a shit about. I mean..have I talked about Dhurn Kavok, the Coalforger, the Iron Shadow.??.ok…*cough*, I think I have mentioned Him and his powers and how cool he is….and…err..ok, well anyways Ghemel…I mean..he is just a priest…not a warrior/priest like myself, but he has been a powerful force, standing up against two ogres and whatnot and surviving–much better than my luck I may add. No small amount of courage this one!!! He is my dwarven brother with this group, my only lifeline to sanity…..But anyways…he runs in to attack these pitiful, wart-skinned, sissy ass goblins….gods how I hate goblins…and maybe Ghemel had the bloodlust, the murder in his eyes made this goblin jump off the cliff to avoid the angry dwarf…but Ghemel swung….horribly….like, the worst sword swing imaginable….tossing his gleaming blade down the cliff.

I immediately focused on the cave mouth that Veggie was moving in so I was happy to move in to take a defensive position, quickly trying to forget the image I saw of a dwarf trying to attack a goblin….please don’t share this image…embarrassing to dwarves across the lands. Luckily the hero(?) Talon was down below from the major fight, doing something down there–maybe shooting arrows? not sure…I wasn’t really impressed but..oh right, back to summary— Talon might be able to retrieve Ghemel’s sword for him….hopefully he finds himself useful entering this cave with us–or better yet, taking care of the horses…

Veggie and I are ready to enter the ogre cave..I mean..the mine!! we came here because the miner wanted to lay claim to this place..but Bannion…hah..Bunnion?! ya, Im a jerk..Ill call him Bunnion until he really proves himself–but he did give helpful advice that there may be several female ogres inside….I hastily told Veggie that maybe we should wait for the others…

We held a defensive position…waiting for the others…which, honestly…might take awhile as Talon “quickly” retrieves Ghemel’s sword….It’s ok…take a moment…Check out Vlastimeel and Khazrik—we look badass and ready for hell!! Do you not agree!! Only positive comments allowed below…

THE OGRE SITUATION…

Posted on by
1

But first…a few quick updates…Death Maze!

I’m diving headfirst into layout mode for Death Maze of the Sorcerer-Kings by Ray Weidner. This thing is an absolute beast. We’re gearing up for a Kickstarter launch to help bring the adventure to life with all the grim, gorgeous art it deserves.

Keep an eye out in the next month or two as we lock in the campaign details. This isn’t your usual crawl—Death Maze is a high-level OSE adventure (levels 12–14!) and a true rarity: a sprawling city-based labyrinth of sorcery and intrigue.

The Contest is waiting. Are you ready to enter?

The “Movement” grows

The “Movement” continues to take shape in the shadows. Pages are being drafted, maps marked, and strange ideas stitched together. Behind the scenes, Jonbar has been toiling away, knee-deep in manuscripts, and some say he hasn’t glimpsed daylight in months. He emerges only to mutter about “reviews” and “refinements,” usually in only a bathrobe and a horn full of ale…then vanishes again into his work. Stay tuned. The “Movement” is real, and it’s coming….2026!

NOW…..ABOUT THOSE OGRES…

The party has slogged through more of the forested wilderness, a few days from Farholme in search of this miner’s rumored mine that he wishes to claim. Larvin is dead set on finding it…..dead…set.

And…well…we did find it! But something found it first. We heard guttural speech and booming laughter. Now, being a bit pragmatic, I suggested someone stealth up and see what we are dealing with. Afterall, I’m the one that is usually in the thick of things along with Ghemel, shield vs claw and toothy maw, while others run around on the outskirts of battle doing…well..whatever they do. I was quickly called a coward and other rubbish by some in the party for sharing my thoughts. I’m too much of a gentle dwarf to mention names *cough* (Draven) *cough*.

Miraculously, they agreed with me (after a good 10 minutes of name calling and mockery), and Ulden and the strange gnome Izzel moved forward, scrambling through the brush and up a rocky cliff. The others grew impatient and started to move forward, while I stayed with the miner, Hayden, Jorn, the wagon, and of course, my bleating goat….which I put a hungry stare towards.

Eventually, the two scouts came back and reported what they saw….

AI art cause I’m cheap

Well now…suddenly people were getting a bit serious…I mean…OGRES! Nothing to trifle with!! Did anyone say thanks to my scouting idea? no?…maybe the crickets did as that is all I heard, and…well… my goat.

We hastily came up with a plan where the gnome would use his “spirit” power to remove the ogre weapons and he would make a KA-KAWW noise to let us know when to attack! Well he was successful, opening his strange doorways to teleport the huge clubs away from the ogres…one of the clubs being by the shield….which I thought might serve as a “gong” to warn others–but hells, I knew where my opinion stands with this group and didn’t want to hear another 10 minutes of blathering and name-calling for my thoughts. The wretches…the goat is much better company….ok blah blah..the gnome dropped a flask of oil through the portal engulfing the ogres in flames!!

We fight! We take the ogres down easily! Amazing when we talk and work together–we actually can fight well together…but then two mangy worgs entered the fray trying to slobber all over Ghemel. However, Grease spells and fiery oil was making quick work of our opponents, but still….more poured out through the cave. 3 more ogres! At this point, some of us were hurt…especially when a bigger ogre hucked a battle axe at Ulden almost splitting him in two!

Good thing fer that too, because that Eagle Clan warrior skewered me with an arrow while I was fighting an ogre. Only the dwarf gods know why he didn’t aim for the floundering ogre in the Grease spell…who was all by himself….no risk to hit his companions…No….The Eagle or whatever, told Ulden to just shoot the ogre that I was fighting. SCHBLAM! arrow right in my shoulder. Good times Ulden…good times….so ya, anyway, he got skewered by an axe and then hastily plastered against a wall…karma I say! I used my precious mana to heal myself, curing greater wounds caused by my companions moreso than the ogres. Ghemel moved to save Ulden with his healing power….pfft…why?

Things were looking a bit grim, as we had used up most of our tricks and resources….but then Vlastimeel? is that his name? Fuck it…Veggiepeal dances through the combat, wielding his huge 2-handed sword. Decimating the enemy with every blow, heads flying—the man was fluid and moved with grace between fiery grease and hairy ogres…I got to admit, it was pretty fascinating to watch him fight–almost like the God of Swords.

Draven, after all his helpful Grease spells, seemed he wanted to take the spotlight from Veggiepeal and tried to show off with an Acid Arrow…but it missed, burying itself into a bubbly mess as it ate through solid stone.

AI art again…look at that hair!

But from inside the cave, roars of rage echoed throughout the mountains. I put my back against the mountain cliff, just near the entrance. I was a bit concerned as I know our party used a bunch of resources and most were injured. Ya…injured— Did I mention my own companion Ulden shot me with an arrow? well, he did. Ghemel barely brought Ulden back to the land of the living and he took up a wavering stance, targeting the cave mouth…great..a bit close for comfort near his target range once more..sigh. I gave him a distrustful look, then called upon the gods to grant me the Strength of Stone. Hell yeah!! I was ready to start whoopin ass with my Forgecleaver! I was hugging the stone, knowin it would protect my back.

Then Veggiepeal jumped right in front of the cave mouth as if daring the ogres to emerge from the cave. I was about to call out ‘the stone protects…boy’ as my back felt the cold, comforting stone of the cliff behind me, but it was too late…

Look….this is AI and I lost patience after several tries…Veggiepeal gets impaled by the spear…ok? He is supposed to be facing the cave! ugh.

7 angry ogres emerged after a thrown spear impales Veggie and the fight was on once more. Veggiepeal did not look as graceful…blood was everywhere…and I lost sight of my brother in arms– Ghemel as 3 ogres surrounded him, trying to pummel him to a pulp with clubs. Luckily Ulden was aiming away from me, which gave me a small comfort. Draven cast Summon Swarm, and rats and bats hungrily bit at the ogres as they passed through, but it wasn’t enough to stop them….

Then Draven got a weird gleam in his eyes…ya know..most call it the “crazy eyes” when you know the man just isn’t right in the head. He gripped that beautiful dwarven mace and charged an ogre, his blood from his injuries leaving a trail behind him. I mean, the man looked like he was dead already, but I get it…wielding such a beautiful dwarven-crafted weapons…hells..would make me want to charge like that too!! He looked amazing, like the God of Battle, except in robes and…well he got struck down really fast, collapsing in a bloody clump and laid there in his own blood…dying.

There was nothing I could do….I was going to heal Veggiepeal so he could keep working that magnificent sword of ogre butchering, despite a pissed off ogre on me, but suddenly he screamed “we must flee!!!” I kid you not, all I saw was a wing-tipped asshole flying down the rocky cliff, the human moving so fast there was no way I could keep up, leaving me to face a few ogres myself.

I set my jaw, knowing this was going to get bloody mighty quick. I was going to try and fight my way to my fellow dwarf Ghemel when I heard Izzy quip from behind me ” hurry…with me!” and he dove into one of his weird portals. I paused for a moment because I didn’t like leaving Ghemel behind, but I took one last mighty axe swing at an ogre, slaying it, as I leapt through the portal…now that’s an exit!

And then I was far away, but stunned….it was awkard….the gnome was dazed too but we had locked eyes, unable to move for a bit…staring at one another. I didn’t like that.

Luckily Ulden shot more ogres (that weren’t near me!), slowing them down and Ghemel and him were able to flee into the thick brush of the woods. We made our way back to the battle scene near the boar burial mound to regroup. I asked about Draven, but some mumbled he had fallen in the battle. A shame. We decided to rest…

Izzy the gnome asked if he wanted to port him and I back there to try to rescue Draven with another one of his strange portals while the others rested. The gnome did have a good heart! I smiled a bit, shrugged, and whispered “nah…I didn’t care for him all that much….”

Always be careful when you insult a dwarf….

An….Intermission….and…Update!

Posted on by
4

Oh…..hello there!!! Were you expecting a continuation of Aden’s journal? Hah! Well…as a DM…I fooked up! I had a player, my business partner Mr. Jonbar, writing a journal of his character’s adventures. Something that maybe any DM would hope for….but you see….the dice determine things..right? As a DM, you got to go by the dice!! No fudging…no bullshit…otherwise, things are cheapened…..at least, that’s my opinion, right??? and sure…. others may play differently–the gods bless their souls…Is Aden dead then? hmm…I’m not sure to be honest…perhaps you can all gather around and tell me what you think should be this Sun Priest’s fate……..but for now, I’m taking over the updates of this perilous journey as the party makes their way through the Icicles of the Cryoptera, found in the Coming of Winter: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/473203/the-coming-of-winter

Ok…you see…the party had arrived at the Icicles of the Cryoptera!! An enormous frozen waterfall, riddled with caves within the cliffs and treacherous, slippery paths, as well as huge icicles dangling from the frozen waterfall…thus, its name…..and well, perhaps you know of this already if you have followed Aden’s journal as they attempted to infiltrate this fortress, mostly with a hard-headed dwarf in the fore to destroy this area quickly….so they attempted to cross this 80′ long ice bridge….

But as you can see…from the great artistry of Del Tiegeler….the party met some frozen banngiests that impeded their journey….as well as a few patrols of cryoptera…but let’s refresh yourselves from Aden’s journal:

“We chose to retreat carefully back across the bridge, to find a place to heal and recoup for everyone was wounded and well spent. I advised that we do something with all the bodies, but no one wanted to bother.”

HAH!!! Part of the enjoyment of being a DM is when the party is at odds with one another….they mess up!!! Right?! They are assaulting a fortress but don’t bother with being sneaky??!!….no hiding of the bodies?! DELICIOUS I say!!….

Within a few hours….cryoptera patrols located the battered party and immediately sent someone for help….to arouse the entire hive!! Because….at this time, they are nurturing three elders…hoping they emerge from their icy cocoons to become demi-gods to lead them to glory! Any type of distraction is UNACCEPTABLE!!!

The party fought off the cryoptera patrol but realized they had pissed off the whole hive!! The cryoptera would have their vengeance!!!!

Swarms of cryoptera attempted to cross the ice bridge to tear apart the party…..Schlomo used his magical wand and blasted the bridge with Lighting Bolt. The whole bridge shuttered, but was not destroyed,…only cracking of ice leaving a weakened pathway. The party fought those that crossed as well as spell-casting insectoid men that threw harmful spells from their rune-engraved wings! Schlomo then gave the party some time, by unleashing a Solid Fog from the wand upon those on the bridge…blinding and slowing the enemy.

The battle continued…with Sonny, the powerful half-orc priest and fighter, being levitated and dragged through the air by a winged opponent to finally be ‘released’ to fall to his death to the icy river below…..but Sonny prevailed, barely surviving the fall, landing in the river and pulling himself from its icy clutches….he started to make his way towards the cliff where he felt he could maybe climb out of the chasm.

The mysterious gnome, Izzy, the murderous dwarf Mudreck and Valbryn, the leader of the party became holed up in one of the tunnels, trapped by vaporous fog, and a horrendous icy spike growth that impeded their movement. They watched in horror as Sonny fell….unable to do anything! They waited with baited breath as the gnome tried to rest enough for PSP’s to get them to safety with his Dimension Door ability. The enemy seemed to leave them alone…for now….

Meanwhile Schlomo and Aden fought off the enemy on the slippery slope leading out of the chasm….they howled in victory as eventually the ice bridge groaned and cracked…finally weakening enough to fall into the icy crevasse taking several of the enemy below….Most died upon impact, but some proved hardier, emerging from the icy river and started to trail Sonny…

The two priests fought valiantly against overwhelming odds and finally Aden fell. Schlomo became ignored as he was successful in casting Sanctuary upon himself. He managed to heal the heavily injured Aden before the cryoptera flew his body across the chasm. The cryoptera seemed excited, recognizing Aden’s holy symbol and clothing…perhaps Aden could provide some answers to some of the symbols and runes they found upon icy doors of this Shrine of Ardennor, Aden’s chosen deity….

The party eventually escaped and returned to the camp of the Beaver Clan. Gaining reinforcements in Wilma and Dayrll, both a warrior and ranger and a powerful archer named Skooz…as well as a mysterious Raven Clan shaman, Evara.

They went back to the fortress, eventually following a white manticore down its access point behind the waterfall…..

They fought it off, but it still survives, licking its wounds…its young unmolested for now…but most of its treasure stolen.

The party has explored this new area of the fortress, more like a tomb….but perhaps stumbling into parts of the ancient shrine of Ardennor…Their intention is to save the sun priest Aden…but hell….they had already forgotten his name!! LOL!….and now they stirred the lair of some sort of white snow pile….a white pudding!!!. Will they figure out how to work together to survive?

And Aden….heavily injured, barely clinging to life….wakes momentarily to see the insectoid creatures thrusting symbols of his god in front of him…but he can barely understand…the buzzing of death overtakes his mind….and yet…later he sees a face of a wild, crazed Verloren asking if he is ok!….but he passes out. Somehow…that grizzled face gives him a little hope and strength.

But that sense of dread lingers…perhaps the cryoptera will sacrifice this sun priest in an attempt to give power to awaken their sleeping elders—who may be the only ones powerful enough to waken the sleeping ice-devil, demi-god…the one known as Gwerendok!

Should Aden survive or be sacrificed? Post your vote below in the comments (no Jon…I’m not counting your comment)!!!

Beware the Cannibals…..!!!

In other news, Ray Weidner “Edgewise”, author of Peril of Olden Wood, is hard at work on an exciting adventure for Beware the King of the Cannibal Cult!. A huge city adventure for high level characters that surely will challenge their mettle! Keep your eyes and ears open in the next few months as we wait for art to pile in so we can attempt to bring this exciting adventure (100+ pages) to life…its fruition will need a successful Kickstarter attempt for the rest of the art pieces!! Ill sneak in some of the initial art pieces soon….they are amazing!! (Shh..don’t tell Ray.) We could really use your support to get this adventure out there so keep an eye out and we will be throwing in some deals for Merciless Merchant adventures into the mix!

Do the Gods even care?!

Need some flavor for your campaign??! Jonbar and Malrex are working on the Pantheon of Yulara, a book of the deities in the world of Yulara which includes the Dragonback Mts and Vermilion Sea. Each deity has a specialty priest and there are several new spells to explore and use for your own campaign! Coming soon to DrivethruRPG!!!

The Bone Toilers Return!!!

Malrex is slowly working on a Part 2 of the Bone Toilers of the Tar Pits! This 7-10th level or so adventure has the party competing with others to enter a crazy, dying dimension to find out where the bone toiler threat comes from…and perhaps save a goddess?

The Green Light….

I’m also giving Jonbar the green light to take a break from the HUGE Coppercore campaign and come up with a new adventure of his choosing. Yes…we are still working on the Coppercore campaign and WILL release it, but still play testing it…tweaking it….etc….will be throwing out the nets soon for a series of artists soon to help get this project done. It’s been like 7 years in the making so far, and still needs work….This is a very exciting project and has soaked up most of our time. Curious? then check out our stream every Wednesday! https://www.youtube.com/@TheMercilessMerchants-yx8pd

2 Page Adventure Contest–Delightful Dungeons

Posted on by
1

Hey All–

Thought I would pass some information on about a new contest: https://delightfuldungeons.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-first-delightful-dungeon-competition.html

A 2 page adventure contest, click the link for all the directions, rules, prizes, etc.

I’ve done a few contests over the years and I always think they are a great exercise to practice writing and flex your creativity muscle. It’s also a great way to get feedback–which is gold if you are trying to improve and publish on your own.

Anyways–we have nothing to do with this contest, but wanted to pass along the info of the opportunity and encourage everyone to submit an adventure!

Deity Contest Results

Posted on by
5

We received a few cool submissions for our Deity Contest and I’d like to announce the winners!

First Place

Author: Siddharth Singh

Second Place

Author: Derek Miller

Kurunnitu

(Lesser) Goddess of Beer, Mother of Civilization

Portfolio: Death, decay, fermentation, alcohol-related insights

Holy Days: Equinoxes

Symbol: Ceremonial cup

Alignment: True Neutral

Worshiper’s Alignment: Any

The first human to truly study fermentation, Kurunnitu — upon brewing a nourishing substance that was part beer and part bread — ushered in a change from hunter-gatherer wandering to agriculture in what became mankind’s first city, and learned how alcohol could spark insights that may never occur to a sober mind (such as seeing if alcohol, the result of decay, could work as a preservative against decay; and as a pesticide and a sedative and a disinfectant and a painkiller and so on).  Celebrated by name whenever drinks were poured for a wedding or a wake — or any other social occasion — she was honored for each innovation that followed at that settlement (even down to potters placing her petite-and-dark-eyed image on fire-hardened clay, to store everything from pickled vegetables to concoctions that helped embalmers curb decomposition). As a result, she eventually found herself figuratively and literally deified.

Specialty Priest

  • Titles: Brewmistress (Female) or Brewmaster (Male).
  • Requirements: Wisdom 10
  • Weapons: Blowgun, club, dagger, hand axe, knife, lasso, net, scourge, sling, staff, staff sling, whip
  • Armor: All non-metal armor; wooden shields
  • Required Proficiency: Brewing
  • Bonus Proficiencies: Agriculture or Herbalism (player choice), Pottery or Reading/Writing (player choice).
  • Duties: Kurunnitu is different from the other deities of nature and natural forces, in that she represents the elements of growing that people utilize and can control.  Kurunnitu’s priests therefore work to keep the flock appreciating, and emulating, her virtues: promoting sensible solutions and actions on the part of the flock, but with the twist of preaching that, sometimes, it’s wisest to put in the work — for example, by researching new recipes and uses for everything from ammonia to vinegar — but, sometimes, the only reasonable thing to do is knock back a strong drink and see if inspiration occurs.  What her priests do with any knowledge they thereby acquire — outside the context of helping their temple — is up to them, as long as they take care to participate in semiannual events where fermented goods of all sorts are displayed and promoted (before the throne or in market).
  • Major Spheres: All, Creation, Elemental, Healing, Necromantic, Thought, Time
  • Minor Spheres: Animal, Charm, Plant, Protection
  • Brewmistress/Brewmaster Spells:
  • Level 1
    • Elixir of Age
      • Sphere: Time
    • Range: Touch
    • Components: V, S, M
    • Duration: See below
    • Casting Time: 5
    • Area of Effect: One pint of water
    • Saving Throw: None
    • This spell permanently transmutes a pint of water into an Elixir of Age, a beer that — when imbibed by a person — grants the drinker, for one hour per level of the caster, the effects of an age category selected by the caster at the time the drink is prepared.  So it can serve as a potent restorative (letting an aging warrior briefly regain a measure of youthful vigor, while somewhat impairing his judgment) or enable a temporary state of heightened understanding (while somewhat impairing the drinker’s physical abilities).  The material component is a berry soaked in alcohol.
  • Level 2
    • Metamorphose Liquids
      • Sphere: Elemental (Water)
    • Range: 30 ft.
    • Components: V, S, M
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Casting Time: 2 rounds
    • Area of Effect: 2’-cube/level
    • Saving Throw: Special
    • This spell, except as noted above, is the same as the first-level wizard Metamorphose Liquids spell.
  • Level 3
    • Cakes & Ale
      • Sphere: Creation
    • Range: 10 yds.
    • Components: V, S
    • Duration: Special
    • Casting Time: 1 turn
    • Area of Effect: 1 cu. ft./level
    • Saving Throw: None
    • This specialized variant of Create Food & Water, known to Brewmistresses and Brewmasters — for whom Create Food & Water is only a second-level spell — creates sustenance that, while equally nourishing, appears as whatever nonmagical fare the caster has previously sampled and selects at the time of casting.  Brewmistresses and Brewmasters often opt for choices that showcase fermentation (be it beer and pretzels, or sausage and cider, or wine and cheese, or anything else from pickled eggs to sourdough bread).
  • Level 4
    • Fermenting Ideas
      • Sphere: Thought
    • Range: 0
    • Components: V, S, M
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Casting Time: 1 round
    • Area of Effect: Radius 10 feet around caster
    • Saving Throw: None
    • Identical in function to Idea, this spell affects everyone within 10 feet of the caster who drinks a beer served to them by the caster that round (with the service and the beer being the somatic and material component).
  • Level 5
    • Golden Dream
      • Sphere: Time
    • Range: Touch
    • Components: V, S
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Casting Time: 1 day
    • Area of Effect: Special
    • Saving Throw: None
    • Golden Dream transmutes an Elixir of Age into an Elixir of Youth.  The priest can use this spell but once per season.
  • Level 6
    • Corpse Reviver
      • Sphere: Necromancy
    • Range: Touch
    • Components: V, S, M
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Casting Time: 1 round
    • Area of Effect: 1 person
    • Saving Throw: None
    • As Raise Dead, though not reversible and with no need for a resurrection survival check; the magic will be effectuated 24 to 48 hours thereafter. The material component is an especially smooth honey-based beer personally brewed by the priest.
  • Granted Powers:
    • 1) Cakes & Ale once per day; 10) Commune with Kurunnitu once per week; TU Command
  • Followers and Strongholds: The followers are received at 7th level, and consist of one fifth-level priest, three third-level priests, and sixteen first-level priests of the same order. The priest may take the following on adventures: Three priests (only one of whom may be third level) of his choice. The priesthood will pay for half of the cost of stronghold construction at 7th level. Part of the stronghold must be a tavern where visitors may meet with the priests (and where drinks can be brewed on the spot).

I’d like to thank both Siddharth and Derek for sharing their creativity and taking the time to put these excellent deities together! I’ll be contacting you both to see what prizes you desire:

First Place: Siddharth— Ill add your name to the credits for your creation in The Marrow Ravine, AND I’ll give you a copy of our newly released The Coming of Winter (PDF AND pay for cost POD) OR 3 adventures (PDF and at cost POD) of your choosing.

Second Place: Derek— will receive The Coming of Winter PDF OR 2 adventures (PDF only) of your choosing.

I also talked it over with Jonbar and we decided, with Siddharth’s and Derek’s permission, we would add both deities to our growing Pantheon. Also with their permission, I’d like to add components of their deity to the new adventure I’m working on–The Marrow Ravine (Part 2 of Tar Pits of the Bone Toilers). I haven’t started this adventure yet so may be awhile, but I have 90% of the ideas in my head, just need to find some time….

–Malrex

Deity Contest is Closed….

Posted on by
3

I wanted to thank everyone for their deity submissions! The judges will be checking out the entries and discussing/deciding the winners soon. Will hopefully post results this weekend!

Artist: Enmanuel Martinez “Lema”

Random

What else is going on? It’s freakin hot outside and its melting my brain! And human rogues just have a huge disadvantage over demi-human rogues…mainly in the case of infravision. How is my human rogue supposed to sneak ahead and scout if I can’t freakin see?

This is what my character…Dubs Bollocks faces right now deep inside the War Tunnels under Coppercore. We got trounced by numerous goblins, kobolds, and even 1 troll. We had a little help from an NPC party of dwarves, but it was a slugfest–and we survived. But now we aren’t sure what to do…if we rest where we are at, we will probably get attacked. If we rush for the surface, we have to go through the kobold tunnels again and they always have some ambush/trap going on….and we all have 1-2 hp each.

So the decision was to have all the Level 2-4’s stay put and send my 1st level rogue and one of the sneaky dwarves off to find this crazy dwarf who has sealed himself off from all the danger…and attempt to ask him if we can stay inside his little domain or if he has healing potions…or something…..what’s the worse that could happen? Not many in the party trust the dwarf, and some don’t like him at all, but Dubs is also a river fisherman and that seemed to click with this ol dwarf, as they had discussed fishing stories so he is hoping for the best. But of course…he has to make his way over there safely first.

The sneaky dwarf is fine…he can SEE. So he can be all sneaky and whatnot…but not my guy…and since he is a fisherman, he has self-proclaimed his new nickname for this venture as “Bait” as he lights a torch. I’m not sure he is going to make it or not, but I do know that he would try. Not because he cares if the party lives or dies (they are a bit of a snotty lot, don’t ya know…I think I can get away with saying that as none of them read this blog, I don’t think?…) BUT, because the party has picked up a bard or skald in the group and he can’t go back with his tail between his legs—the bard would destroy his reputation with his stories! So off he is going….

So cheers to the human rogues out there….they live a tough life! You can bet 5 gold on Dubs living…he’s good for it!

Kickstarters?

Beware the King of the Cannibal Cult!: I just got another email from Ray…author of Peril in Olden Wood. He is ready for another round of editing….he also claims he has 3 pieces of art so far and he is trying to get a few more before the well is dry and we go for some support. Ray has been working diligently on his new adventure–Beware the King of the Cannibal Cult! It’s only about 218 pages so I guess my next few weekends will be busy….and it’s for high levels! Level 10-12 for OSE. I must say–it’s quite good and I’m excited to see it go out there. It’s a city adventure with a ton of things going on that will test any high level group. I’m sure Ill be talking about this more later on.

Slyth Hive: A few people have asked if a POD will ever come out for this adventure, which is currently just a PDF on Drivethrurpg. I believe Prince is adding to the adventure a bit and hoping to do a Kickstarter for more art at some point. But I’m waiting on him to make the call. This is also a high-level adventure…levels 14+ for OSRIC.

Exclusive

The Merchants had a discussion about being exclusive with DrivethruRPG. There are a few benefits of doing so. We have had a few of our adventures up on Lulu and Itch.io, but they haven’t received much traction. For example, with Itch.io, I think in 5 years we have made about 20$ in sales. I thought about expanding to Amazon and a few other places, but we are such a small, mostly unknown outfit, that I’m not sure it’s worth the effort. And it’s a ton of effort to put our stuff (33 or so adventures) up on multiple storefronts. So we may only have our stuff up at Drivethru in the near future, fyi.

That’s it for now…stay tuned for the Deity results coming soon!!!!

The Best—Slyth Hive

Posted on by
1

The PrinceofNothing, master of word and prose, has received ‘The Best’ from Bryce Lynch over at the 10 Foot Pole: https://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=9160

There are not many high-level adventures out there….actually…GOOD high-level adventures. Usually I see instead of 1 dragon, they add 3 dragons to make things more difficult. While that can certainly make the situation more difficult, I always felt it took away from the awe and savagery of the dragon–I guess I’d rather see a ramp up of a single dragon’s abilities and power rather than just slapping in 2 more.

Another challenge is why are the characters going on an adventure when they are that high of level? Wouldn’t they be defending and ruling their own keeps and they send their minions to do the dirty work? Do all high-level adventures have to involve saving the world to make it feel epic? I think setting up a good adventure hook would be challenging.

Personally, in all my years of playing D&D, I’ve never really played a character much pass 9th level or so. I think it’s because I like the struggle of the low levels…the danger…and once my mage gets fireball at 5th level, for whatever reason, I feel like I won the game or something. So there are a bunch of spells and abilities I’ve never used except maybe by the monsters as DM. So I don’t want to appear like I’m bashing published high-level adventures out there–I think they would be very challenging to write, but I do give a sigh when I see the usual (adding more monsters of the same kind, preventing spells/abilities from working, etc.).

Anyways, I didn’t write Slyth Hive but I did work on the layout. I remember one of the first encounters is a shitload of animals and I thought, here we go again–just adding numbers to make something more dangerous for high levels….but as I delved deeper into the adventure, I became pleasantly surprised. Complex environments and interesting foes as well as ever-changing/adapting enemies to keep players on their toes…(sorta rhymed there…). I don’t know if as a player or DM, Ill ever run through a high-level adventure, but if I did, I would be down for going through or running Slyth Hive as it has the type of challenges I would be looking for with a high-level character. Another would be Geir Loe Cyn-crul by Andrew Huso. It’s a bit combat heavy with some additional monsters–but I liked the vibe when I read it.

Anyways, you can purchase Slyth Hive at DrivethruRPG. Prince has hinted at a Kickstarter to get more art and at that point we would offer a POD version (buyers of the PDF now would get the updated PDF).

Deity Contest

We have had a few submissions trickling in….the deadline–June 4th approaches!!!

The Dragonback Mountains – The Beginning of an Entire World

Posted on by
1

This is a map that Jonbar drew up which includes the Dragonback Mountains (north) and the Zontani Sea region (south). The Zontani Sea holds the City of Vermilion and we have recently put out a bunch of adventures in that region, as well as playtesting the City of Vermilion. The giant empire of Rhone lays between the Dragonback Mountains and the Zontani Sea.. But we will focus on the Dragonback Mountains for now:

A closer view of the Dragonback Mountains that Jonbar drew a long while back. The darker etched mountains in the middle are the Dragonback and its name comes from the region looks like a dragon with arching wings and a long tail. Building a world like this is a giant task, so we started with the Dragonback Mountains but eventually broke it down to Drachenvale.

This Drachenvale map was generated by Grutzi who does a lot of great map work (and possesses an astounding creative mind)! It is a living map that is constantly expanding and becoming more detailed as we publish more old school modules. In its current state it shows the location of some of our already published OSR Adventures including The Willowmere Vagabonds (near Willowmere), the Nevermore Mine, Trollback Keep, Of Beasts and Men (north of Oakvale near the Elvish Ruins), and the Dragon’s Gullet. Winter’s Feast is not shown but is up past Mammoth Lake in the Mammoth Glacier area!

Within Drachenvale sits the city of Coppercore, the main human town in this region that we started with. From Dragonback, to Drachenvale, to Coppercore.

We realized very quickly that Coppercore itself was getting big, fast, and so we decided to break the map down even further! There are several adventures the party can follow that surround the city proper that include its three wayhouse settlements (Ersten, Mittelholme, and Farholme), as well as locations underneath Coppercore!

Further still are three fully fleshed out adventures that we’ve decided to combine into one singular production for a Kickstarter in the works called the Coming of Winter. If you want a quick bundle and want to support us, amazing artists we work with, and kick us some beer money then we’d appreciate it! It really goes right back into creating more adventures and breaking-even on commissions paid to (very talented) artists.

This entire region is also currently the setting of our live stream on Twitch. If you want to poke your head into our adventures every so often, the stream is every Wednesday with recordings posted to Youtube by the following Sunday.

This map shows Coppercore’s location and how close those three adventures are: Ice Needles of Cryoptera, the frost giant and wolf lair (Winter’s Grasp) and ice troll cave (Winter’s Blight).

We continue to delve into creating our own lore, deities, and other aspects that make this a living, breathing, world. This is nothing new as I believe a lot of GM’s enjoy world-building and all the little details, but I wanted to share what our own flavor or ‘world’ looks like.

If you have ideas for adventures that might fit in our world and want to try your hand at publishing, reach out to me through email themercilessmerchants@gmail.com or on our Discord (link on the homepage)! There are several continents and hundreds of ideas we haven’t come up with yet!

Kickstarter: The Coming of Winter–3 OSR fantasy adventures, PRE-LAUNCH HYPE

Posted on by
7

The Coming of Winter contains three OSR adventures set in the cold reaches of the Dragonback Mountains. The adventures are located near a town called Coppercore, known for its rich copper mines. Primarily inhabited by humans, there is also a dwarf quarter, while numerous beast clans known as the Verloren roam the expansive wilderness.

The adventures are modular and can be used separately or together and easily inserted into any GM’s campaign setting that has a snowy mountain wilderness for D&D 1E/2E games. The adventures have been written, edited (2/3 finished), and currently going through layout mode and finishing art pieces, which may change the approximate page numbers below.

You can join our pre-launch page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mercilessmerchants/the-coming-of-winter

Ice Needles of the Cryoptera

Eons ago, in a battle of the gods, the Sun God, Ardennor cast down the God of the Cryopteras, Gwerendok, from the heavens, entombing the ice devil inside an amber prison, deep within a mountain. A shrine to Ardennor was built to guard the imprisonment of the devil, but in the harsh and unrelenting wilds of the Dragonback Mountains, the priests and denizens eventually perished, and the shrine became forgotten behind a frozen waterfall for hundreds of years.

A variety of adventure hooks send the party through snowy mountainous terrain to a massive frozen waterfall. The frozen waterfall has been chosen by the cold-dwelling insect race, the cryoptera, as a suitable location for three of their elders to attempt their fifth metamorphic stage. Elders who are successful are elevated to almost demi-god status among their race! While waiting, their pupas have dug deeper tunnels inside the mountain, accidently discovering their entombed god, Gwerendok! The cryoptera hold a fervent hope that their awakened elders will be powerful enough to release their god upon the world where they can pillage all resources and thrive. Enter, the adventurers.…

An expanded adventure from Patreon in 2017, Ice Needles of the Cryoptera includes:

  • Original art by ScorpyDesign and Del Teigeler
  • 3 maps: (Waterfall Base, Shrine of Ardennor, Upper Waterfall Cave)
  • Approx. 35 pages

Winter’s Grasp

Lady Attya, a druidess, bursts through the tavern doors, calling for help and urges heroes to quickly follow bloody tracks into the snow-laden mountains and forests in search of her niece, Tonya. She claims Tonya was abducted by a hairy, monstrous creature! Wintery skies threaten to bury the tracks in snow if not followed immediately….Time is running out!

But it is well known that ravenous worgs and humanoids prowl the lower forests this time of year for food and resources as well as the different clans of the rough Verloren and even monstrous man-eating giants! Tall tales and boasts have grown suddenly quiet as nervous looks spread across the cozy inn. Who will stand and answer the call to take on this daunting task..?

Winter’s Grasp is an adventure through the wilds of the Dragonback Mountains that ends up with a lowish level party facing the likes of a frost giant to save a girl and possibly explore a cave lair that houses an old burial mound of the Verloren Cave Bear Clan. Will the party use their wits and apply trickery? Negotiate? Use stealth? Or bravely (foolishly?) attack a frost giant in its own lair?!

  • Eric Hunt provides the art in this adventure as well as the cover for The Coming of Winter.
  • 2 maps (Worg Den, Frost Giant Lair)
  • Approx. 12 pages

Winter’s Blight

Various adventure hooks lead PCs to a glacier that has eroded the mountain valley, exposing a cave entrance resembling a mountain tiger’s open maw. Most believe the entrance leads to one of the numerous Verloren clan burial mounds in the area. Its discovery is ripe for those brave enough to face its guards and wards for looting, or to protect the burial for the Mountain Tiger Clan. In either case, the locals also believe it’s become a new lair for a bloodthirsty group of ice trolls who have recently terrorized the roads and nearby human settlements. The locals express whatever the adventures find can be theirs….but of course, they don’t speak for the Mountain Tiger Clan.

An expanded adventure from Patreon in 2017 known as the ‘The Ice Troll Cave’, Winter’s Blight includes:

  • Art by Del Teigeler
  • 3 maps: (Ice Troll Lair, Ice Troll Floating Iceberg dungeon, Smilodon Tomb)
  • Approx. 26 pages

The Coming of Winter Package:

  • All adventures are organized with bullet points and bolding for ease of scanning while playing at the table.
  • Wilderness map of the region
  • 6 New Monsters including the cryoptera, banngeists, and the monstrous glyptonia!
  • 7 New Spells, most with a snow/ice theme.
  • 15+ New Magic Items

Our Kickstarter launches Nov. 13th, 2023. Thanks for your consideration and support, hope to see you there!!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mercilessmerchants/the-coming-of-winter