Well shit…I hurt all over, but at least the ogres are dead. We rested and futzed around camp. We were determined to go back to the cave and try to get our revenge on these ogres. It was about a mine claim anymore…it was revenge.
My companions were talking during our journey, but I was pretty lost in my own thoughts. Its not everyday you almost die. I constantly asked myself what the hell am I doing? but I know I’m about 38 gold from paying off my debt to Ghemel. Hopefully I will live long enough to be debt free.
We finally get to the cave and we send Izzy and Talon up to scout again. They were gone for a loooong time. We must be about 100 yards from the cave…surely there can’t be many more ogres!
Eventually Talon came back. He started mumbling that Izzy had been discovered and sure enough, we heard the banging of the shield and some faint shrieks and howls.
I looked at my companions raising up a finger to represent an idea. “Hey boys! Let’s do the fire trick!” Just like those ogres did to us the other night, we could get a raging fire going and hide on the outskirts. I mean surely, there can’t be too many ogres left…this could be our stand and then claim the mine for the miner. I quickly gathered some wood along with the others and soon enough we had a fire going…..and we waited….and waited. Still no Izzy.
Izzy was having his own adventure inside the cave. Stirring up trouble no doubt….
Finally, sick of waiting, I cursed and grabbed a torch. I bellowed into the sky, raising a torch in front of the fire…a battle cry. A cry of defiance and challenge. I roared to the heavens!
Ok…I get it…probably not as epic as this:
Predator movie with Arnold.
But I was trying damn it!
A few moments, it worked! Several ogres rushed through the woods and the battle was on! Or…the race was on..as most everyone was running and shooting their bows. I stayed back as long as possible, shooting my trusty crossbow. I was no dummy…I was sticking close to Veggiepeal because he was an ogre slayer extraordinaire! we are all pretty spread out at this point with all the running and shooting.
I could of been imagining things, but it looked like Yurin…bah, whatever his name is…was shooting better than Talon! I snorted a bit, but didnt really have time to enjoy it as the leader seemed to lock eyes with me and was heading my way–throwing head sized rocks at me while he approached.
Veggie screamed in pain and get got gashed real good from his opponent. I started making my way towards him to get closer for a strategic healing spell, but the leader was going to be on me at any moment. I finally shot my last bolt, dropped my crossbow and yelled “here I come!” as I barreled into the ogre fighting Veggiepeal. I gave him a few good hits but then the leader was upon us.
Meanwhile, Ulden had feathered several ogres with his arrows, but wasn’t quick enough to escape the clutches of two of them and he went down. Ghemel was holding his own against two of them, eventually slaying one. I mean…of course he did! he is a dwarf!
Yurin and Talon kept running further into the brush. When Yurin shot his bow, I heard a resounding ‘THUD’ as arrow hit flesh and the ogre grunting in pain. But when Talon shot….I heard nothing.
WHAM!! hooo boy, I got my clock cleaned by the ogre leader. I was as bloody as Veggiepeal at this point. And the ogre didn’t stop! I tried to call to my god quickly to heal my wounds, but the ogre was too fast. His moose antlered club came crashing down on me once more and I went down…vision going fast and blood everywhere. I laid there, unable to move, watching the half-dead Veggiepeal face off on the ogre leader by himself.
Veggiepe…no…I think his name is Vlastimeer or something! Funny, the ogre must of knocked some sense into me. Yeah, Vlastimeer held his ground and there was a series of brutal attacks. The ogre leader fell down. My eyes were closing and my body started to feel cold….I barely watched Vlastimeer kneel down by the ogre…and then he too collapsed into a bloody heap. I smiled weakly, mumbling “that will do lad…that will do…” and as I lost consciousness once more, my last thought was to take Vlastimeer with me to build some new dwarven war machines in heaven….it would…..be….grand.
A wise man told me I should put a disclaimer about using AI art on the blog. I’ll make some fancy disclaimer later, but look…we don’t use AI art for our adventures, that you can find and purchase at our store at DrivethruRPG. There is ONE adventure that uses AI art which is Prince’s Slyth Hive, but otherwise, for all of our other incredible adventures, we much prefer to use real, human artists for all of our adventures. But yes–I use AI art for the blog…ok? Cause I’m cheap, lack the art skills, and wish to have some images for our 4 readers.
ALRIGHT—-Anyways, we licked our wounds at the battle field of some Verloren barrow mound. It was nice and quiet and I was able to check out this battle axe…yes, the one that smeared Ulden against the wall. It had runes on it, VERY balanced….and…well I love it. Turns out it’s magical with the inscription of Grathor’s Gift upon it. Double-headed axe suggests maybe Forest Dwarves made it. It can chop wood, but more importantly, it can cleave skulls!!
Thanks to Jonbar for getting this picture…the axe is a beauty!.
We started the discussion of what we planned to do…go back to see if Draven survived and try to do a rescue mission, or Veggiepeal wanted to go back to town. He seemed to like the idea of a bunch of Coppercore Oil (like Greek Fire) to use against the ogres. There is so many different types of oil out there though that would probably work better…I mean, there is Stonefire, Emberbane, Blazeblood, Hellpitch….ahh, just thinking about them all makes me miss Axeholme. The dwarves do so many things right…sigh.
Suddenly, a figure was noticed on the edge of the forest by my more perceptive companions. We hailed him, and it was a young lad by the name of Talon. I offered him drink and food and we shared news while we broke bread. We told him our story and he seemed interested in helping us! Seemingly having found a new companion, we decided to go back to the ogre cave.
Along the way, we heard noises and Izzy and Ulden went to scout. They reported back a camp of 5 ogres, apparently who were trying to track us. I wanted to move on to the cave to find Draven so we didn’t get hurt or use up resources, but the others wanted to take them out. So be it.
We set ourselves up, with the idea of using missile weapons before engaging. Sounded good to me! I got my trusted crossbow out and when we were ready, I started firing as fast as possible! The dim-witted ogres didn’t know what hit them…well, I mean I hit one, but the others were having some challenges (there were 3 rolls of a 1 on a d20 for attacks…ouch). I was content to just keep firing my bolts so I didn’t get hurt, but everyone rushed in. Even Yurin…Urine? I can’t remember the youth’s name, not even sure why we brought him, but he usually does decent taking care of horses and whatnot….but hells he was excited to fight. He used his bow next to Ulden and Talon and once the ogres got organized his group got charged. Ulden and Talon swiftly took off running to keep distance and to use their bows effectively. Yurin did not….the young lad stood there facing the charge of a fierce ogre!!
Ya…basically Ulden and Talon ran away, leaving poor Yurin to face the ogre alone…
Well, Yurin got clobbered (don’t worry…he survives)….Ulden kept running and shooting, but he eventually got clobbered as well, but he lead another ogre towards Team Dwarf….and Talon, well…he can run well and sure, a few of his shots hit. Ghemel and I worked as a team, ya! Team Dwarf!….because we are dwarves and that’s what we do. We easily took down a few ogres and we were mighty proud of ourselves, until we saw Veggiepeal wiping his great 2-handed sword of ogre blood with 3 corpses around him…..show-off.
We did well! and we moved onwards to the cave. Izzy and Talon went off to scout. Izzy used his Dimension Door portal trick and kept throwing rocks at the dented shield near the cave…the ogre’s alarm system. Several ogres came to investigate, confused…and irritated. They seemed to discuss tactics with some strange looking ogre. Izzy said he looked like a witch doctor or something.
Yes….ogres are ugly.
Talon searched for another entrance and climbed up into the cliffs. He had no luck.
With Izzy’s antics, the ogres started searching the forests and we decided to bail. We headed back to the 5-ogre death camp, eventually all of us catching up and we debated on what to do next.
Late that night though, our companion on watch spotted a torch in the dark through the forest. I can’t remember who woke me up, I was tired…but we decided to investigate.
As we bumbled our way through the dark…well…I should say everyone except Ghemel and I since we can see better in the dark…we finally found a small clearing with a raging bonfire. No sign of anything else. I signed “It’s a trap!!”
and my companions nodded…and then Ulden pointed out an ogre and suddenly there was a burst of action as ogres attacked and we scrambled in the dark.
Izzy was doing weird shit with his portals, fucking up ogres that were half-way through his magical doorways…Veggiepeal was doing the usual–laying the smacketh down! Ulden was moving and shooting as well as our new companion Talon. I shot an ogre as it closed on me with his HUGE spear. Alright boys, I ain’t going to lie….that spear impaled me something fierce and I could feel my life slipping away. Ulden came in like a raging…eagle? I mean, he is of the Eagle Clan…he squawked and stood beside me in defiance towards the ogre. I told him to get out of there…but he was all fired up and said something like “for honor!” I don’t get it…but got to admit, I was happy he was there because this ogre brought on the pain on both of us.
I called out to my god, Dhurn Kavok and I…what? you haven’t heard of Dhurn Kavok? The Black Blood of the Mountain? The Coalforger? The….ok..I could go on and on, but maybe easier for you to check out our Dwarf book we are creating for the Dragonback Mountain region full of kits and gods…should be done in a few months…and it’s very handy and helpful and…ok! whatever! I heal myself! Just in time because that ogre skewered me again!! I saw Ulden scream with rage as he attacked trying to defend me!
Ya..Ulden is from the Eagle Clan..but not sure he wears that helmet…or even looks like that..at all, and usually takes 2 hands to use a bow and arrow?
I started to collapse, darkness clouting my vision. Last I saw was Ulden attacking the ogre, defending me fiercely…perhaps he is an ok guy….and then I saw….the most magnificent forge!! A war machine was there half-built. I was so excited to work on it!!!
Awww….heaven!
I woke up a few moments later the vision of glory and heaven rapidly fading, only to be intruded by Ghemel’s ugly mug….He healed me back to life….I think we won!
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….”
What in the black hells? Moving rocks?…..ok, let me back up…
My name is Khazrik Cinderbrand, proud member of the Blackfume Brotherhood in the great mountain hold of Axeholme. Aye, that’s right, I’m a Great Mountain Dwarf and proud of it. Blackfume Brotherhood you ask? Well, most of it is a secret, and we are its guardians–the black blood of the mountains, the power of coal. But I’m bound to the Oath of the Black Breath, so shall not share more (although, all will be shared in our upcoming Dwarves of the Dragonback Mountain book). Nevertheless, this is me! Ya, I carry a lasso…my pops was a renowned rope user–don’t worry about it!
AI image
I was ordered to travel to Coppercore, with several of my brothers and sisters. Our goal was to harden and forge special chains. Ya see, there is a great trap door below the human town of Coppercore that leads to the “unknown”. Ahh, you caught the quotes, eh? well, so most of us dwarves know a little what’s below there….a great dwarven temple and city….but as most dwarven establishments, it was overrun. So yes, we want to help open the trap door to regain a foothold, but at the same time, some dwarves want to keep it closed to keep the horrors within. Its a long feud.
But I didn’t even get to work on it. Ya see, my traveling band was ambushed by damn bandits along the Trade Way. I barely escaped, with just my rope, forge cleaver (battle axe) and a random shield. I wearily made my way to Coppercore, only to find myself in the midst of a great debate. Should we help with opening the trap door? We got too many working on the chains? We got….bah…its all boring. To sum up, I was out of a job because of waiting and I spent my last copper. Luckily, I made a friend of Ghemel…or at least enough of a friend that he was willing to buy me some chain mail armor if I was to join him on a quest with some strange folk.
I accepted of course, as I was low on coin and mayhaps this would lead me to finding these bandits that ambushed my initial group on the road. Our quest was to follow some boy…Jorn, or Yorn…bleh, the humans all look alike, but for whatever reason, Ghemel and gang wanted to follow this boy to a cave that had ‘moving rocks’ within….uh…ok.
Well, we explored the place. Evil dripped everywhere. I mean, our theory was that some poor sap warlock dwelled here and summoned some sort of banngeist, ya know–an evil ghost demon thing…and well, we found the warlock impaled by a spear of stone. Of course…this was discovered after fighting some crazed rock demon that ambushed us as a cloud of dust with pebbles pummeling us before it formed into a rocky humanoid creature with baleful eyes. I was a bit surprised….errr, not at the demon of course…I have hardened instincts for survival and danger don’t ya know…but was more surprised that most of our party fled and scattered. Ok, maybe not that surprised..they are humans after all, but Ghemel and I held our ground. Some type of wizard…or warrior? I don’t know, he carries a shield, but he cast some sort of inky substance that made the creature slip, and then he threw a torch and made it burn. Strange fellow…but sorta useful? Anyways, the creature fled and then we were left with finding the other teammates that had ran off in different directions to explore the cave. Feels like a solid group!!!
After finding the others and exploring the cave, we met the rock creature once more. It was on a cliff, throwing rocks…as well as creating these stony hands to erupt from the earth to grasp us and hold us fast. I was lucky as I got close enough without getting held. There we were, trying to figure out a way to get up the cliff to fight this thing and no one had any options…until I thought of my Pa….I grabbed my lasso and with a VERY lucky…err..skillful throw, I was able to trap the creature and pull him off the cliff!
ya….another AI image…and I know the dude is holding a bow and sword with an arrow…..Just trying to provide visuals for God’s sake and low on coin, as I stated above!
Anyways, with a few powerful blows with my forge cleaver…and sure..some help from the others, we were able to take this creature down. We found a valuable ore vein, and Ghemel and I set to work while the others continued to explore the cave and get into trouble.
A successful quest and I was able to pay Ghemel back most of the coin I owed him. But I still owed 40 gold…so I had to keep tagging along. A short stop at Farholme before the group decided to go to the Willowmere and seek out some rumors of bandits wearing red boots? Sounds bizarre to me. I don’t really want to go…but I owe 40 gold! We were about to set off, but some miner named Larvin or Marvin or something asked if we would guard him as he set claim to a mine. I love mining!! 2 gold per day! Well, the group decided that since it was along the way, that sure, why not!
Imagine trying to get a wagon and a donkey up through the mountains. It sucked. Wagon kept getting stuck, we had to keep blazing a trail….and it was raining!
Bleh…well after the 2nd day or so, we did get some excitement! The Crimson Legion attacked us…a ragtag group of orcs, hobgoblins, and other ugly creatures. We fought hard, and I was tagged several times with arrows. I barely saved Larvin…Marvin? who knows…I healed him quickly as Draven set fire to his greasy spells and one of our warriors…I forget his name..Vegiepeel or Vegiemeal or something? Anyways, he is pretty skilled with a 2-handed sword…and we fought them off!
Yes…another AI picture…how do I know? because I ain’t bald!
We found a magic shield off the leader, but our wizard friend, Draven argued with Ghemel as he wanted the shield. Shield and quarterstaff…eh? I guess Ill be hiding behind our mage from now on.
As our journey progresses, we come upon a battle scene. Dead corpses of the Boar Clan as well as the Fenrites. The battle seemed to be over one of the Boar Clan burial mounds. Ghemel, prayed to his gem god, and was able to find a beautiful dwarvish crafted mace…which he promptly traded to the wizard so he could get the shield…WHAT? I’m not happy about that…nor am I happy that our archer in our group wields a dwarven forged hammer. These weapons will probably lose their luster in a human’s grip. But hey…I still owe 40 gp..err..38 gp, as one day has passed.
Hopefully we can find Larvin’s mine, then go beyond to Oakvale, and finally into the Willowmere on our important quest of finding those that wear red boots. Honestly, not sure if the chain mail and debt were worth this quest…
Taking a slight break from the harrowing journeys of Wytt…poor fellow. I enjoy reading his adventures and feel pangs of guilt sometimes as GM…but then that goes away…
ANYWAYS! Can we talk about the Death-Maze of the Sorcerer Kings for a moment?
Death-Maze of the Sorcerer Kings
Steel your nerves and sharpen your blades… it’s coming soon!!
Ray Weidner—designer of Peril in Olden Wood and purveyor of finely-honed OSR mayhem—has been deep in the dungeon mines, hammering out every twist, trap, and terror for his latest adventure. Every encounter is polished. Every room was scrutinized. Every sentence… sharpened to a razor’s edge.
I may have mentioned it before, under its working title, Beware! The King of the Cannibal Cult! But now it returns to its roots: Death-Maze of the Sorcerer Kings
Does that name ring a bell? It should—this was a standout entry in Prince of Nothing’s No Artpunk III contest, where it turned heads and earned high praise. Now, it’s bigger, deadlier, and more refined—ready to hit your table and test your players! Complete with a huge sprawling city surrounding the legendary Death-Maze, full of trouble for your PCs.
Classic swords & sorcery vibe? Check. Lethal dungeon crawl? Absolutely. Twisted factions and ancient sorcerous evil? You know it.
Keep your eyes peeled. The doors to the Death-Maze creak open soon… and few who enter will ever see daylight again.
Like the art? Well, there is tons more, thanks to the talented Angus Wood of Jantiff Illustration. I’m excited to layout this beast with these spectacular art pieces. Did I mention this was for OSE and for levels 12-14??!!! Coming soon to Kickstarter….
In Other News…
Every so often, Jonbar escapes to chase his stories across the table onto the blog (poor Wytt)… but lately, the lash has been steady. Old projects—some forgotten, some merely dormant since 2017—are stirring again. Soon, new works will emerge, threads woven together to form the first glimpses of something larger. The shape is still in shadow, but the foundations are settling. I’ll say no more… except this: by 2026, the quiet will end and a new Movement will begin.
The Merciless Merchants 