Tag Archives: #dwarf

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

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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…

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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….