u/ExchangeWide

One of my favorite monsters from The Netherwood is the Hollent, a towering undead tree filled with the whispering voices of its victims.

Its call lures prey close. Its hollow trunk swallows the unfortunate. Those who die within rise moments later as Resonants, their own voices becoming part of the creature's haunting chorus.

Adventure Hooks

• The Silent Grove. Lumberjacks report hearing the voices of their missing companions calling for help from deep within an ancient stand of dead trees.
• The Last Pilgrimage. Every spring, mourners visit a forgotten shrine. This year, the dead have begun answering them.
• The Whispering Road. Travelers vanish along an old forest trail. At dusk, their voices beg passing strangers to come closer.

If your group crosses paths with a Hollent, I'd love to hear how they survived... or didn't.

The Netherwood & The Verdant Vault is now live on Kickstarter.

Nearly 100 pages of Shadowdark content featuring a complete dungeon adventure, a wilderness hexcrawl, new monsters, factions, and the strange influence of the Primordial Seep. Fully written, laid out, and proofed. The forest is waiting.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jokerandthief/the-netherwood-and-the-verdant-vault

UPDATE: Funded in under 8 hours and Stretch Goal #1 (Frontier Engines PDF) has been unlocked.

It's been awhile, but I'm back at the blog. After rereading the PRINCIPIA APOCRYPHA, the ideas of "Combat as War" and the, oft given, advice (warning) that combat is a "fail state" in OSR kept nagging me. I mean, sometimes, players want heroic combat situations. And it's not always "new players" or "power gamers" looking for the fight; it's the veteran old schoolers. I know my players do, and they're friggin' old like me!

https://jokerandthief72.wordpress.com/2026/06/02/combat-as-war-starts-before-initiative/

In anticipation of the launch of my first Kickstarter, The Netherwood & The Verdant Vault, here's a free supplement that will fit right in.

Mother Murk, an ancient Bog Mother, watches from the reeds. She rules the Crooked Fen with a brood of pale-eyed Boglights, lurking Mire Toads, and the restless Drowned Dead. Strange lights flicker through the fog, travelers vanish without a trace, and those who return never look too long into torchlight.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/569494/the-crooked-fen-bog-mother