Blood Beneath the Smokes! Sword & Sorcery! Short arc or Campaign
The Thieves Guild & the Beggarsâ Court are locked in a shadow conflict that threatens to ignite the city. Gold changes hands. Knives are drawn!
$27.50
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Tuesday - 4:00 PM UTC
Feb 24 / Session 2
Session Duration / 3 hours
1 / 5 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
1/5
About the adventure
Blood Beneath the Smokes can be played as a Short arc campaign or come play for the long haul in Aereth, the world created by Goodman Games for Dungeon Crawl Classics Urban Sword & Sorcery đČ Game Type Levels: 3â13 (hardened survivors welcome) Tone: Gritty, lethal, and morally compromised đ The Hook The privateer Crimson Tempest slips into harbor under false colors. Its captain, Verek Duskthorn, replaced the dread pirate Quennâand some say the ship itself still remembers those crimes. Now Verek walks the knife-edge streets of Punjar, the Tarnished Jewel of the Southlands. A war is coming. The Thieves Guild and the Beggarsâ Court are locked in a shadow conflict that threatens to ignite the cityâs slums. Gold changes hands. Knives are drawn. Secrets rot beneath the streets. Verek was hired for one simple task: Kill the Beggar-King. It did not go as planned...đ©ž What Went Wrong... Deep within the Beggar-Kingâs fortress, a slaverâs trap snapped shut. Chains. Darkness. The stink of the undercity. Verek escapedâbut escape is never free. Now, beneath the choking ash clouds of the Smokes, steel rings in forgotten tunnels. Slavers die screaming in the dark. Old routes awaken. And something ancient stirs below Punjar, hungry for the blood already spilled. âïž What Youâll Play Players step into a living urban nightmare, fighting through: --The Undercity Beneath the Smokes â slave pens, forgotten sewers, charnel tunnels --Criminal Factions at War â beggars, thieves, fences, and worse --Hard Moral Choices â who deserves saving when everyone is guilty? --Classic OSR Lethality â traps, corruption, desperate heroics, sudden death Expect: --Brutal close-quarters combat --Social intrigue with knives drawn --Slavery rings, black markets, and guild politics --Consequences that echo through Punjarâs streets đ§ System & Style --Adventures written for the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (Goodman Games) style of Sword & Sorcery --Luck burns, mighty deeds, spell corruption, zero mercy --Old-school rulings, cinematic violence, fast pacing --Characters matterâbut the world does not care if they live đŻïž Content & Tone Notes This adventure includes dark fantasy themes: crime, slavery, poverty, corruption, and violence. Handled seriously, never flippantly. đ„ Players Wanted Fans of Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser, Lankhmar, and Southlands grit Fans of Conan the Barbarian Players who enjoy agency, danger, and consequence No DCC experience requiredâonly courage to face a hard world â Final Word Punjar is bleeding. The Beggar-King still breathes. And the undercity knows your footsteps. Come see if you and the crew of Verek Duskthorn can survive.
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Theater of the Mind
West Marches
Sandbox / Open World
Dungeon Crawl
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(20)
2 years on StartPlaying
423 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Storytelling
Average response time: 9 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
I run story-rich, player-driven adventures. You bring the charactersâIâll bring the worldâwe will make it ours together. My GM style is relaxed, story-rich, and collaborative. Whether you want kick-down-the-door dungeon crawls, exploration, westmarches, horror, or mysteries in the dark, Iâll tailor the game to your players. One-shots are brisk and punchy, delivering a complete adventure in a single session. Campaigns are dynamic and sandbox-style, shaped by your preferences, backstories, and play style. Iâve run many games and campaigns across a variety of systems: âą D&D âą Dungeon Crawl Classics âą Mutant Crawl Classics âą Call of Cthulhu âą Traveller, âą Top Secret âą Shadowdark âą Mörk, Cy_Borg, Pirate Borg My shelves are stacked with classics and modern gems alikeâIâve got you covered. If not, I can run it. Iâve run games for everything from bachelor parties to birthday surprises, corporate team-building events to reunions. My tables are welcoming, flexible, and focused on making sure everyone has fun. The best games are forged in shared challenges and the camaraderie that comes with them. Letâs tell some amazing stories together!
View Profile âCharacter creation
Creating your character
Character creation will be on D&DBeyond and Discord. Pre-made characters are available or can also be made with me on Discord (scheduled live session or via message) using D&DBeyond. I will send you an invite to the campaign on D&D Beyond and Discord.
The next session will be 10 February. The party is currently comprised of a 3rd Level Tiefling, split class as a Rogue/Wizard.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
The Theater of the Mind (audio portion of the adventure) will occur on Discord supplemented by images and battle maps as needed. You will need an account on Discord. Access to the dedicated server will be open prior to the game. Owlbear Rodeo may be used. No subscription is necessary. Characters will be made or provided on D&DBeyond. Pre-made characters are always available. Players will make characters during session zero; or, we can make one prior to the game session.
What Mark brings to the table
I am bringing decades of games experience, a robust community, in depth characterisation and the flexibility to adapt to player styles and choices. I will provide free access to a rules and guide you through character creation on D&DBeyond. Tthe narrative will be supplemented with images and maps on the Discord Server. Access to Battle maps and tokens will be open on Owlbear Rodeo. No account is needed by the player.
Homebrew rules
We will craft the house rules we want to play in the first session...or play by the rules as written. You decide! Sword & Sorcery games are fun with luck, fleeting luck and modified critical hits...but we can play they way you want!
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Mark creates a safe table
Each player will be provided with a private Discord channel for the discussion of issues or concerns before, during and after sessions. The content warnings will vary depending on the game choice, but it is highly likely the game will have levels of violence involving player characters and non-player characters, with death always being a possibility. SAFETY TOOLS ă»During Session 0 we will discuss Lines and Veils. ă»A 10 minute break will occur roughly halfway through the session. Additional breaks are always available on request. ă»Further details of all tool implementations are provided within the discord server. Feel free to ask any questions for clarification. Nice statement on lines and veils. Thought about plagiarizing⊠Many games includes dark and potentially disturbing themes. While the setting can be grim, my goal is for play to be safe and enjoyable for everyone. Please direct message me anything youâd like veiled (using âfade to blackâ mechanics popular in movies) or set as a hard line. During play, if something feels uncomfortable tell or message me. If needed, ask me to check my DMs. We can pause or retcon anything to restore positive play.
Content warnings
Safety tools used