"Ship of Martyrs" Showcases A New Video Format (Should I Keep It?)

As a lot of regular readers here know, I regularly dramatize the introductory short stories from my TTRPG supplements on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, and those videos often show up on Drive Thru RPG as well. Recently I've been tinkering with some different effects, and I think I finally managed to really capture the feeling of an old-fashioned video game RPG, which I think really adds some strange elements to the latest story I put together, Ship of Martyrs from my supplement Beyond The Black: 100 Dread Scenarios On Stranded Starships.

My question for you all this week is do you find this format engaging? And if so, is it something you'd like to see me do in future videos?

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

How You Can Make Your Voice Heard

Generally speaking, when I try something new with a video format, I keep an eye on what the reaction is to that video. So if you're someone who enjoys this look who would like to see me make future videos with this kind of setup (whether you just find it visually more engaging, or you like following along with the dialogue), here are some simple things you can do to make sure that this format sticks around in future videos!

- Watch The Video: Views are hard to come by with YouTube's constant algorithm changes, and even breaking 100 views was tough to manage. Getting it up over 500, or even 1,000, would be a clear message!

- Leave Comments of 7+ Words: The algorithm, for some reason, likes longer comments. But if you want to see more videos like this, then the comments are one of the best ways to help. Also, more comments helps the video get seen by more people, so, bonus!

- Share The Video on Your Social Media Pages: While a lot of people are awed (or annoyed) at my ability to share my work as widely as possible, I really need your help on this one. If you like this video, please share it on your own social media pages so more folks can see it.

- Subscribe To The Channel: Any time there's a big boom in subscriptions, there's often a correlation to the latest video released when they happened. So, if you haven't subscribed yet, then please do so! And mentioning your subscription in the comments will help, too.

I am asking for a lot of feedback in this week's post because this is a format I had to tinker with for a while to get it to look good, and function right. As such, I want to make sure it's something you all enjoy, and that you think is neat, before I roll up my sleeves and put in the work to do it with future videos as well!

And, of course, the more views you all give my work, the more money my publisher makes, and the more they can afford to pay me for future projects... just something to keep in mind!

There Are Actually Two Previous Stories You Should Hear, Too

While Ship of Martyrs is the newest story out, I've actually written stories about Argent, Grady, and their ship's adventures in the black before! The first actually appeared in the supplement 100 Spacer Superstitions, and Voices in The Void deals with the rather rocky relationship the two spacers had with one another when they were first serving on the same crew.

And a follow-up story to the crew of this ice hauler was found in 100 Sci Fi Cults. In Saints Among The Stars, the crew has been boarded by the Star Breakers, a crew of space pirates. All seemed lost, until unexpected aid came from a single member of the Knights of The Void. One of the more popular stories on the channel, it was also the first time I experimented with the audio effects to create a space marine style voice for the crew's savior!

So, if you're looking for the history of Argent and Grady's adventures together, check these supplements and videos out (and leave some comments on them so that I know you found them via this post)! And if you want to see more of the things that lurk out in the black, let me know that too so I can return to these characters, and the things they've had to encounter on their runs through the emptier parts of space.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Table Talk. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

"Broken Heroes" Is Finally Available (And You Should Check It Out Immediately!)

For all the folks who've been awaiting fresh Warhammer 40K content from yours truly, you're going to have to wait just a bit longer... but I do have something that turned out phenomenally I want to share! Because a majority of my stories have been about space marines, ogryns, and the imperial guard, but I have had a single story that really stuck out for me as a writer. A story about a feudal world that had, once upon a time, been a knight world... and which might become one again!

A story about a one-armed smythe's apprentice named Renn who finds a weapon lost to time that is ready to get back into the fight against the insectoid creatures that have overrun the world, Broken Heroes has always had a soft spot in my heart.

Even better, it can now have a special place in your ears, thanks to Altered State Adventures!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

There's More To Come (But Only So Many Hours In A Day)

As I said late last year in Hungry For More Warhammer 40K Content? You're In Luck!, I've had a lot of plans for working on additional stories from the grim darkness of the far future. However, I've got a lot of stuff on my plate right now with running two blogs, needing to put out two RPG supplements out a month, working on at least one video per week for the Azukail Games YouTube channel, putting together a Chronicles of Darkness podcast, and dealing with other, miscellaneous projects... and there just isn't a lot of free time to pen more short stories with all of those plates spinning.

Doesn't mean I'm not gonna try, though.

Forward! For the Emperor!

While I'm going to start working on the third story in the Waking Dogs series of tales about my renegade World Eater Crixus (Waking Dogs and Broken Chains are the first two stories that are already out), there is another, small achievement that I want to acknowledge in this week's update. Because now that Broken Heroes has debuted, that means there is only one original story of mine that hasn't been given an audio version yet; my Death Watch story, Blackest Knights!

(And technically my Leagues of Votann story Pyramid Scheme hasn't been dramatized yet, either, but that was a two-person job, so it gets its own category.)

So, if you want to stay tuned for more great audio dramas based on my work, definitely subscribe to Altered State Adventures, and dig through their archive of content! And if you're hoping to catch Blackest Knights when it finally comes out, along with listening to a lot of my older stories, you should also subscribe to A Vox in The Void if you haven't done so yet!

And in the event you didn't see the video about some of my other goals for 2025, please take a moment to check that out, too!

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, my hard-boiled noir series featuring the street beasts of NYC in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Bue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

Hungry For More Warhammer 40K Content? Well, You're In Luck!

It's time for another Table Talk update! And while I've got a lot of things going on behind the scenes, this week I wanted to draw folks' attention to a very specific plate that I'm spinning. Because I mentioned this a while back in Gathering The Grimdark (Tying My Warhammer 40K Shorts Together), but I wanted to give my regular readers an update on progress!

And if you haven't read any of my tales of the grim darkness of the far future, the full list can be found at the end of this article.

I've been waiting to start on these for a while, now...

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Expanding My Current Series Offerings (Ogryns and Renegades)

First things first, while I love the grim darkness of the far future (and adding my own little touches to it), one reason these stories come so slowly from me is that these aren't an independent endeavor. When I write one of these stories, it's because I'm working with someone else (usually, though not exclusively, the YouTube channel A Vox In The Void, whom you should follow if you haven't), so I have to take their workload and schedule into account. As a result, folks tend to only get these stories from me a few times a year.

But after some talks, I have the next two installments figured out, and I'm currently working on the first of them!

This tale is something that I'm sure regular readers will be excited for... a new Gav and Bob story! As we draw closer and closer to our own Winter holiday, we're also approaching Sanguinala. And since it's become something of a tradition now, both Paul and myself thought it would only be appropriate for Gav to have a new adventure during one of the holiest days of the Imperium's calendar.

And while I don't want to say too much about our boy Gav's latest adventure (though it is a Warhammer Christmas story, so be prepared for elves to be involved somehow!), I also got the greenlight for yet another tale which will mark the triumphant return of the Old War Hound himself, Crixus!

The third tale in what I guess I'm now calling the Waking Dogs series (the first two are below), this tale will feature Crixus in a fight for his life aboard a World Eater vessel. Turned loose in the gladiator pits, he will face trial by combat... but will he be fighting alone? And what horror awaits in the bowels of the ship that his erstwhile brothers will loose on him after all the death and destruction he has sown among their ranks? Stay tuned and find out in Waking Dogs: War Hounds!

And isn't THAT just a pair of tales?

While I still have quite a lot of other projects that I'm working on, these are the current pieces of fiction I'm planning on finishing up while I try to push the Azukail Games YouTube channel over the finish line to get it monetized. Once that happens it will be time for me to break ground on the audio drama series Windy City Shadows, which will take place in the world of the Chronicles of Darkness! If you haven't heard about it, I did an AMA for it a while back, and I could use all the help folks can give me to help make it into a reality!

My Grimdark Tales (Many of Which Have Audio Drama Versions)

- Waking Dogs- A World Eaters Tale: When Crixus awakens from the haze of the Butcher's Nails, he decides he has had enough of being a dog for one warband after another. The old Warhound is awake, and he means to put down the rest of the World Eaters like the rabid dogs they are.

- Broken Chains- A World Eaters Tale: Crixus settles a grudge with his former brother sergeant... and a part of him that he'd long forgotten is rekindled in the soul of this vengeful renegade.

- Blackest Knights: The debut tale of Kill Team Errant, this squad of Blackshields assists a captured inquisitor, only to find this situation is larger, and more dire, than they'd anticipated.

- The Final Lamentation: When the Black Legion takes a Lamenter prisoner, they quickly realize that the cursed luck of his legion is also their problem when he's present on their ship.

- Field Test: An inquisitor claims to have a secret weapon that can wipe out an entire ork waaaaugh... but no weapon seems to be in evidence. Just her retinue; a Catachan, a tech priest, and a hollw-eyed young man who may be far more than he seems.

- Broken Heroes: A scouting party is trying to recover an experimental piece of ammunition... but they find something far more dangerous when they're surrounded by a swarm of enemies, and they stumble upon an ancient bunker where a terrible weapon has waited to finish what it started.

- Gav And Bob, Part IV: The Emperor's Hand: An adventure of the Imperium's Bravest Ogryn, Gav Smythe finds himself on a world in the midst of a war. When he crosses paths with a strange, black sword, he hears the voice of the Emperor, and knows what he has to do.

- Gav And Bob Part V: Faith And Martyrs: Gav is brought to a shrine world where he speaks with a Canoness Confessor of the Sisters of Battle. She will be the one who weighs his sanity, and his soul.

- Pyramid Scheme- A Leagues of Votann Story (Part One and Part Two): When the Ironbeards hear of great wealth on a jungle moon in an uncharted corner of the sector, they rush in to try to earn a big payday... the danger that awakens, though, might mean they never survive to spend it!

- 50 Two-Sentence Horror Stories, Warhammer 40K Edition: The second installment of my 50 two-sentence horror stories project, this one was quite popular before the algorithm started excluding Vocal links from being shared. Still, check it out if you're looking for some short, snacky scares!

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, my hard-boiled noir series featuring the street beasts of NYC in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Bue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

Additional Audio Dramas (And An Update On Azukail Games' Goals)

As regular readers know, I make a lot of videos over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel. While I have shows like Speaking of Sundara (where I talk about my fantasy setting Sundara: Dawn of a New Age), Discussions of Darkness (where I discuss the World and Chronicles of Darkness setting), and Tabletop Mercenary (which covers the ins and outs of the job of creating tabletop RPGs), I also have a lot of audio dramas on the channel.

These are, honestly, some of my favorite projects to work on. It's hard to get ears on them, though, so I wanted to take this week to talk about some of my recent pieces, and what I'm hoping to do in the near future regarding this art form.

I've got plans... come along on this journey with me?

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Dark Dramas, Noir Mysteries, and One Comedic Sequel

For folks who aren't familiar with my audio drama projects on the channel, each of these little vignettes is a dramatized version of the introductory stories from my TTRPG supplements. So while they tend to jump around between genre and setting, they're meant to give folks a glimpse into the kind of game these splat books are here to help you run.

While most of the following audio dramas are unconnected from the existing series on the channel, consider giving them a watch. And, if you enjoy them, like the video and subscribe over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel.

#1: Dark Destinies of a Dying Day

The introductory short story for my first Mork Borg supplement 100 Prophecies and Proverbs of The Black Basilisk, this tale deals with a hermit trying to live out the rest of his days in a world on the verge of death. When a slayer with venomous eyes invades his sanctum in search of a dark prophecy, cold sweat runs down the hermit's spine... can this man prevent the end of the world? Or will he merely drive his blade into its heart that much sooner?

#2: Drinks With The Devils

The second half of a story I began a while back, this story starts off World's Oldest Profession: 100 Courtesans and Concubines. This tale picks up with our party cleric down in the infernal-themed brothel known as The Pit, when the rest of his companions kick down the door. And now he has to defuse the situation before they start lashing out, thinking this is a dark and corrupt cult, rather than a mere house of pleasure.

#3: Cloak and Dagger

The first tale set in the world of Army Men, this story kicked off Army Men: Medals of Honor. Set in the alleys of one of the biggest cities in United Polymeria, the section chief of naval intelligence goes to meet with a contact. Of course, as with any intelligence operation, there's a chance something goes wrong when you stick your hand into the shadows.

#4: Secrets of The Shadowed Heart

A grim tale taken from the supplement 100 Dark Secrets, this tale takes us inside the mind of a man who used to be a monster. A brutal enforcer for a regime of blood and terror, he has tried to leave that life behind him... but he cannot hide from his deeds in his dreams. A place where a mirror is held up to his memories, and he is forced to see them again, and again, and again.

#5: Born in The Boneyard

The story taken from 100 Effects of a Primquake, takes place in my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age fantasy setting. It deals with an expectant mother willing to do anything she can to ensure her son makes it into the world... but she hasn't asked what the consequences might be of the decision she's about to make.

How Your Views Will Help The Channel (And Me)

For folks who aren't in the know, I've been trying to get the Azukail Games YouTube channel monetized for several years now. And while we have the 500 subscribers that the platform requires, we've been roughly 200 hours short of the 3,000 hours of watched content we need for the platform to start sharing ad revenue with us. And, because you have to get those 3,000 hours of watched videos within the past 365 days, we've been struggling to make up for the views dropping off our record, while still trying to get enough fresh views to get us over that finish line.

That's where you all come in!

My audio dramas tend to run between 8 and 10 minutes long, meaning that if someone watches all 5 of the videos I shared above, that's less than 1 hour of content added to the channel's running total. However, every view, every comment, every like, share, and subscriptions adds up over time. So please, check out the channel, and if you enjoy my audio drams, check out the full Audio Drama Playlist which currently has 49 videos on it!

Now, if you're a fan of audio dramas, but you want to see me do something bigger and more involved than these short pieces, you're in luck! Once we get the channel monetized, my plan is to start work on a long-running audio drama podcast for the Chronicles of Darkness titled Windy City Shadows. Every episode should be between 30 and 45 minutes, taking listeners deep into the shadows as we begin exploring the dark side of this strange and horrifying version of Chicago.

If you're curious about this project, please check out my original pitch "Windy City Shadows," A Chronicles of Darkness Podcast Proposal, as well as the Ask Me Anything video I did on the Azukail Games channel a little while back:

My hope is that we can reach our goal in the near future, and then I can really get cranking on the scripts and recordings. I've also got some previews and trailers ready to record as a juicy little reward for folks who help us get to that 3,000 hour mark. So please, if you want to help push us over the line, consider checking out the channel, and sharing around your favorite audio dramas on your own social media pages so that other folks can give them a listen as well!

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, my hard-boiled noir series featuring the street beasts of NYC in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

My Latest Cyberpunk Audio Drama Series, "72 Hours" Is Now Complete!

If you've picked up any of my TTRPG supplements over the past few years, then you've likely noticed I like to include a little piece of flash fiction in the front of the books to kind of set the tone, and to show at least one of the creations from the supplement in action. Several years ago I started turning these little vignettes into audio dramas on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, and as I got really stuck-in with this project it changed the way I started telling the stories. At first I started having recurring characters, such as the Hedge-diving ogre Jacoby in my Changeling: The Lost supplements, but then I started turning these sections into little series of short stories so that folks who bought all the supplements could get the story from beginning to end as a kind of collectible extra.

I completed the first of these series last year around this time, detailed in My Sci-Fi Audio Drama Series is Now Complete!, and it was last Fall when I followed that up with My Cyberpunk Audio Drama Series is Now Complete! I've completed a third series, and this time I went for a quadrilogy, giving you all a series of 4 stories instead of the previous sets of 3!

So what are you waiting for? Check it out below!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Installment #1: Ordered Arms

The first short story, Ordered Arms, was the introductory fiction for the TTRPG supplement 100 Secret Societies For a Sci Fi Setting. In this story we find an ex-military operator just trying to live his life in one of the city's most corrupt districts. He's got information on all the dirty dealings all throughout this part of the city, but when he tried to take it to security services they threw him a beating, and told him to stay out of it. Someone was listening, though, and they offered the former Captain Masters the tools he needed to get the job done himself... assuming his conviction was strong enough, of course.

Installment #2: Blood In The Water

The second part of this story takes us to Detective Johnny Denton. Denton has been following a series of hits that have been going down in the district for the past several days... in 72 hours there have been dozens of casualties, if you count the gangs, vice cops, and organized crime squads who've wound up dead. He's digging into the cyberpunk version of the darkweb called the DrekNet and trying to find answers in Blood In The Water, the intro story from the supplement 100 Resources and Rumors to Find on The DrekNet.

Installment #3: Conspiracies and Crosshairs

In the third story, Conspiracies and Crosshairs which comes out of the supplement 100 Rumor Mongers and Information Brokers, Denton manages to find a shred of evidence to substantiate the existence of this so-called Angel of Death that's cleaning up the streets. He doesn't know what it means, though, so he seeks out the infamous net diver Simon Sez to get some information. While he gets something, as soon as Denton's back is turned, Simon sends out an SOS. Whoever this mysterious vigilante is, he knows somebody's onto him... and how to find Denton in turn, as the hunted becomes the hunter.

Installment #4: Safeties Off

With a real, solid lead, Denton races through the city to recruit someone else who might be able to help him wrap this case up before anyone else gets hurt. Dwight is a bounty hunter with a bit of a reputation, and the two of them have history. Of course, Denton has barely gotten a chance to explain to Dwight what it is he needs him onboard for, when the Angel of Death himself makes an appearance. Is this curtains for Denton? Or is there some way he can convince the vigilante to stop his killing spree, even while he's under the gun?

Safeties Off is the last installment of the series (for now, at least), and it comes from the TTRPG supplement 100 Professions For a Sci Fi Setting!

Would You Like To See More Series?

While the reaction to the various series I've been putting out seems to be positive overall, some folks have asked when I'm going to make longer, connected episodes to tell bigger, more involved stories. Well, once the Azukail Games YouTube channel gets monetized, that's on the docket for projects to discuss with the publisher. So if you want to see bigger projects, like I talked about in Windy City Shadows: A Chronicles of Darkness Podcast Proposal, then help us get the watch hours we need to get past that 3K minimum (which should only be about 500 hours and change at time of writing).

So if you want to see bigger, more involved audio projects from me, this is the fastest way to make it happen! So share this blog to make more folks aware of my projects, share the videos around on your social media pages, and leave some comments on the videos to let me know which sorts of things you'd like to hear more of! Anything that helps us get a little closer to our goals makes a big difference... and don't forget to like and subscribe if you haven't already!

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, my hard-boiled noir series featuring the street beasts of NYC in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

"Blight Bane's Gambit," A New Story From Sundara, Is Finally Out!

Folks occasionally ask me when I'm going to put out new content for my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting. While I've been working on a lot of stuff for other properties for the past few months, Isaiah Burt's second story has dropped for the setting! So if you enjoyed Legacy of Flames, a tale about an unusual lizardfolk sellsword on a hunt for a deadly creature in the hills outside of Ironfire, then you are definitely going to want to pick up a copy of Blight Bane's Gambit for yourself!

A unique little story, to be sure..

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

What Is This Story About?

Despite the story being named for one of the Founders of Hoardreach, the tale follows a story of a squad of orc mercenaries. Drawn from across Sundara's various clans, this squad came to Hoardreach in search of fame and fortune... and what they found was a unique opportunity from an unexpected patron. Blight Bane is well known for his tricks, but the green dragon also gives rewards to those who serve him. And if the squad can find the item he seeks, they may find that their fortunates will rise higher than they've ever thought before!

That is, of course, assuming the infamous green dragon isn't sending them on a wild wyrm hunt...

I told you not to trust anyone, didn't I?

For those who really want to check out this novella (and I urge you to do so), I wanted to also remind you to check out some of the source material in order to get yourself a little more familiar with this corner of Sundara as a setting first. It's not necessary, but it will help put things in context.

For coming to grip with our protagonists, consider picking up a copy of Species of Sundara: Orcs for either Pathfinder Classic, or DND 5E, whichever version you're more likely to use at your table!

Also, if you want to know more about Hoardreach, the City of Wyrms, it was the 4th of my Cities of Sundara to get a release! So check out this supplement for either Pathfinder Classic or for DND 5E, again, based on whichever one you're more likely to use at your table.

Lastly, for more information about how dragons work in the Sundara setting, and what makes them unique, consider checking out the following video I made about these amazong creatures! Also, while you're there, consider subscribing to the Azukail Games YouTube channel to help us keep the wheels turning!

Who Would Like To See Me Expand Sundara's Stories?

At the moment, Isaiah has written the only two novellas that take place in Sundara. Folks who know that I started out my career as a novelist might find this a little weird... after all, if I put so much effort into bringing Sundara to life as a setting, wouldn't I like to tell some of my own stories in it?

Yes, I would... but so far I've limited myself to the vignettes in the supplements, and the audio dramas that I've made from them.

The main reason that I haven't cracked open a fresh word document to write a novella or two of my own for the setting is, honestly, the same reason I haven't put together any adventure modules for Sundara yet... return on investment. It might sound crass to say, but these are (historically) the formats that sell the fewest copies, and which are hardest to make any kind of money from. This is the main reason I've consigned my fiction to the introductions of the supplements, and put it up on the company channel for free... I feel people are far more likely to come across it that way than they are to buy a full story by yours truly.

But tell me, is that true? Do you want to see more stories from Sundara? And if so, would you prefer them in text, in audio format, or something else entirely? Please, comment below, reach out on my social media, or leave comments on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, because those are the best ways to make your desires known!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Getting Better At Your Craft (A Small Retrospective)

I spend so much time plotting, working on, and releasing new content that I sometimes forget to stop, take a breath, and look at just how far it is I've come in execution and skill level in some aspects. This is something that I think a lot of folks deal with in creative fields, especially those who haven't "made it" to the point that they have name recognition, and the sponsorship checks to go with it.

However, it's still a good idea to look back at the stuff you're making, and to acknowledge how far you've come, even if you're not quite where you want to be just yet.

It all comes back to drawn blades, and a little blood.

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

A Year Or Two Can Make A BIG Difference

I have always enjoyed audio dramas. I grew up listening to them, and back when I was still earning my degree I dabbled with making an episode or two. It was an overall rewarding experience, but at the time I simply didn't have access to the tools and materials I needed to make things happen. Fast forward to not quite 2 years ago, and Adrian Kennelly at Azukail Games was looking to some ways to expand the content available on the company's YouTube channel. Since I was one of the major contributors, he asked me to talk about Sundara, my plans with it, and where I was going with the setting. That did pretty well, and he wanted to keep expanding... which gave me the idea to dramatize the short fiction from the supplements we already had on the market as a way to draw listeners into the worlds we were creating!

The Duel was the introductory fiction from Cities of Sundara: Ironfire, the first supplement from Sundara: Dawn of a New Age, which is still available for both Pathfinder Classic as well as Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. I wanted to start the setting off with an engaging story, and though it was originally split into two parts, the audio drama put them both together.

For what I was capable of at the time, this wasn't bad. I was recording off of a very small mic (the Samson SAGOmic, which is a fine piece of portable equipment or for virtual tabletop play, but not amazing for dramatic recording), I was using the free version of Wondershare Filmora (hence the watermark), and while I could competently clean up the vocals and add some sound effects and background music, there was definitely a lot of room to grow.

Compare that with the most recent tale told in Ironfire that came out a little over a week ago!

Swords and Sand is the opening story for the most recent supplement Merchants of Sundara. This supplement brought 3 years of releases full circle, and gave us the second installment of the tale of our mysterious outlander, and why he's returned to Ironfire. And if you watch this video you can hear the upgrade in my mic (I now use a Blue Yeti microphone, which I'd highly recommend), but it's more than just the tech that's improved. I've learned a lot of new tricks for cleaning up tracks, adding effects and voices, and I knuckled down and learned how to make an actual video using Shotcut to go with the audio drama (even if it is really more of just a slideshow to follow the main beats of the story).

It's not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. However, I feel that it does show the improvement one can make if they regularly put in the time, energy, and effort to get better at something. and I wanted to take a moment to remind folks out there that, whatever it is you're doing, ask if you could have pulled off what you did today 2 years ago. A lot of you probably couldn't, which means you're doing better!

Coming Full Circle

Before I go today, I wanted to draw readers' attention to another video that recently went up on the Azukail Games YouTube channel. Because my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting is in something of a unique place right now. I don't want to stop expanding it, but at the same time I want to poll the audience to ask what they'd like to see more of.

I've gone through three phases of releases for the setting thus far, and I'd like to know what it is that readers and listeners are most interested in out there. Do you want more audio dramas? Novellas? Setting books? Factions? Species? Would you like to see small towns, plot hooks, or full adventure modules?

Everything is on the table right now, but I need to get feedback from folks to make it happen! And if you enjoy our audio dramas, and want to see more of them, go back through the archive, and leave comments on your favorites that you'd like to see expanded! Then, before you click away, make sure you subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel to help us get monetized so we can afford to keep making things!

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, my hard-boiled noir series featuring the street beasts of NYC in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

Stories of Sundara, Tales of the World of Darkness, and More!

Folks who are regular readers of this blog probably know me best for my work on various tabletop RPGs. However, as I mentioned back in I Just Want To Write... on my sister blog, I sort of fell into writing for games by accident. When I started this leg of my career, I was actually focusing on writing short stories and novels. While I haven't stopped writing fiction, it's been tough to work it in around the edges because it just doesn't move the kinds of copies (or get the kind of attention) that even my less popular gaming supplements do.

I have pulled a bit of a sneaky trick recently, though. And my hope is that if folks enjoy it enough that it might lead to some new and interesting projects!

Step through the door and join me, will you?

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

An Ogre's Bargain, A Changeling Drama in 3 Parts

Since the start of this year I've been making videos for the Azukail Games YouTube channel, which belongs to one of my publishers. While a lot of these videos are just talking about the Sundara setting I've been working on, a lot of them are miniature audio dramas taken from many of my gaming supplements as a way to get listeners interested. And while a majority of those stories are disconnected from one another, I tried a behind-the-scenes experiment that I wanted to let readers and listeners know about.

In short, the introductory stories from 100 Gateways Into (And Out Of) The Hedge, 100 Ensorcelled Mortals, and 100 Frailties, follow the story of a Summer Courtier named Jacoby. A one-eyed ogre who lives primarily in the Hedge, he tries to keep his busted nose out of other people's business. But when a fellow Summer named Wolfe comes asking for help, Jacoby feels honor and oath-bound to help... which puts him squarely in the sights of Lucius Frakes, an Autumn Court power broker who's pulling the strings.

All three parts of the story are dramatized below!

The full tale is about 22 minutes or so in total, and it took quite a number of hours to get it done from start to finish. However, it's definitely something I'd like to do more of... but I'm going to need help from my readers/listeners to get there!

Potential Plans For The Future

So what's the plan for this going forward? Well, I'd like to write and publish some tie-in short stories, audio dramas like the above tale (without breaking them up into bite-sized pieces), and possibly even writing some novels if that's something folks would like to see. I have ideas for several spheres of the World of Darkness (including Vampire, Werewolf, Changeling, and Geist are currently leading the pack), as well as additional stories for my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting. Both of these setups would likely come with additional gaming content in the back (write-ups for characters, magic items, spells, and so on) as a bonus, too, if that would interest some folks.

But it's going to depend on numbers. Because the publishers I work with look at what an audience responds to, and the more traffic something gets, or the more sales something earns, that's a project they dedicate more time, energy, and money to.

So if this is something you'd like to see happen in the future, all you need to do is follow these simple steps:

- Subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel. It takes 1k subscribers to get a channel considered for monetization, and if the channel tips over that level, it would allow projects like this to act as their own source of income/funding going forward.

- Watch the videos on the channel, and share them on your socials. The other half of YouTube's requirements is that a channel must have 4k hours of watched content in the past year, which boils down to about 11.5 hours of content per day.

- Leave comments. Comments on the videos, comments on this blog, and on whatever social media platform you saw this link on help boost the signal and spread the word.

- Check out/get copies of existing content. Whether you're in the market for books like the Werewolf: the Apocalypse anthology Tales From The Moot, or you want to check out some fantasy fiction like my Silver Raven Chronicles, anything that boosts the figures on this work makes it more likely to get sequels, audio adaptations, and more.

My hope is that if I can find enough listeners/readers that I'll be able to convince some of the folks I've put out content with to let me take a risk with stuff that leans more into the fiction side of things. Not only that, but I have several performers (including a few who've already helped out on several of the smaller audio dramas) who are ready and willing to step up to the mic and give listeners a full cast experience.

But, as with everything else online, you have to prove to the folks who cut the checks that there's an audience big enough to warrant the investment. So whether you're just hearing about this project, or you've been waiting to see where things were going to go with my updates, consider lending a hand and helping me make this happen!

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

"Almost" A Warhammer 40K Short

Flick on the safety, flick off the juice, then you can pull the power pack loose.
Pop out the bolt, unhook the grip, put pressure on the barrel and out it will slip.
Remove the coils, and scour them clean, then wipe the auspex till you've made it gleam.
Oil the rails, turn the screws, then run your fingers over the grooves.
Only after you've scrubbed every piece, part, and grain.
Can you throw your hands in reverse, and put it together again.

The old rhyme went through my head, the way it always did when I took apart a weapon. My grandfather taught it to me and my sister when we were still years shy of becoming white shields, and our brains were soft enough that it just got lodged in there. It didn't matter where I was, or what was going on, the old man's voice was always ringing in my ears.

"You were born with a skull, boy. The wings you've got to earn."

As I moved from my rifle to my sidearm, an old autopistol that I'd kept in my duffel for years, I thought back to those days. Looking up at the towering emplacements and the sweeping battlements, the ugly, brutish hard points, and thinking how strong they looked; just like the old man's hands whenever they taught me one of his tricks. They were old and scarred, but they looked like they'd stand forever.

It wasn't until I grew up that I realized just how frail they actually were.

It didn't scare me, finding that out. It lit my fire, as he said. Meant I was going to have to do more, be more. So I ran further, pushed up faster, swung harder, and shot straighter. Most important, when somebody knocked me down, I got up, and I got up quick. On the ground is no place to be when you're in a fight, and when you were born on Cadia you were always in a fight.

Even if you couldn't see it at that precise moment.

"That feeling you get when you look at the stars? That's because something's watching you back."

I had a shot, and I took it. Notations for marksmanship, exceeded expectations on physical trials, and I managed to make it past the psych battery. I made my first jump with a grav chute, even though I nearly pissed myself. After the fifth, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. When the time for trials came around, I was on the line with everyone else who wanted the right to call themselves Kasrkin.

I wanted it more than anyone else there. Wanting something don't mean you get it, though, and that's a bitter bite to take.

I didn't wash out. According to my official jacket I got stamped with something called Tempus Deinde. My high gothic is shit, but the designation mostly meant I was right on the line. All it would have taken was one person getting sick, getting slapped with insubordination, or missing a step, and I would have had their place. I got sent back to my unit with a salute, and a well done from the commissar who ran the selection process. It was the only praise he'd given me, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it.

"172, When The Sky Comes Looking For You"

I'd earned a short leave to put myself back together, and I spent most of it drinking a cocktail primarily used in the motor pool for lubing tank treads. I didn't have some kind of epiphany that made me realize my true purpose. I didn't hear any dark whispers coming out of the void. I just drank till I puked, slept until I couldn't anymore, then picked myself up and got back on the firing line.

There was still work to do.

I got promoted, then promoted again. Not because I was the best there was, or because I had some special insight, but because I knew how to show my troops how to do something. Sometimes I only had to show them once, and sometimes I had to go through it half a dozen times, but they always got it in the end.

When part of my regiment got sent off-world to offer airborne support to a world that had been hit by a rock, we were all too happy for the chance to fly. Even after an engine malfunction that led to a crash landing where we found ourselves in hostile territory surrounded by hordes of greenskins, we still had a job to do. Our V-birds made it in one piece, as did most of our jump gear, and we were good to go. I made a dozen air assaults on that posting, every one of them past speed freaks juiced out of their minds on going fast, with my team following along behind like raptors on the hunt. I picked up two commendations, and a dozen scars, and the horde's charge to fill the world broke. There were still orks, there would probably always be orks now, but we'd helped hammer them back underground for the time being.

I was in the med center when the message came about the assault on Cadia. All able-bodied troopers were being recalled. I tried to go with, and the captain told me if I could get out of the cot and walk to the bird under my own power that I was free to ride with them to the fight. I made it to my feet, and out into the plaza. I had one step to go before my legs gave out, and I crumpled. I don't remember being carried back into the center, but by the time I was coherent again I was told my unit had left. The medic patted my shoulder, and smiled at me. She told me Cadia had stood for centuries before I'd been born, and whatever came out of the Eye this time would break just like all the times before.

I wish she'd been right. Holy throne do I wish that.

I didn't believe it when I heard. Despite the red chaos washing over the sky, and the reports of madness throughout our area, I couldn't believe it. Every bastion I'd ever walked, and every wall that had stood sentinel was gone. Guns that had fired for centuries, that had turned back black crusades that would have smashed any other world, had fallen silent. The gates of hell had been kicked open from the inside, and the darkness that had been held in check was spilling across the stars like overturned ink, seeping into every corner it could reach.

If I'd been a grenadier, I would have been on the planet when it broke. If I'd been a little faster, I would have dodged the wound I'd taken. If I'd been a little slower, it would have killed me. If I'd been a little tougher, I'd have been there. Almost. The word echoed in my head like the crack of a bolt pistol. Almost, almost, almost.

The light was fading... but it wasn't gone yet.

I checked my magazine, and holstered my sidearm. I slapped the power pack back into my rifle, and slung it over my shoulder. Transport was leaving in half an hour, and I had a berth to fill. The enemy thought their victory was within their grasp. They almost had it.

I had one more lesson to teach them. Almost wasn't good enough.

Hope You Enjoyed!

So, for the past week and change I've been working on that little art project above. The jacket is something I had hanging in my closet for a while, but with a friend helping me locate the proper symbols, a little bit of time wielding an X-acto knife to cut out the stencils, and a can of Tulip Color Shot spray paint meant for fabric, and I think it turned out pretty well.

I wanted to offer a little more than just a couple pics of my end result, though, so I thought I'd dip my toe into the grimdark and see what folks thought. Did you enjoy this little tale? If so, is it the kind of thing you'd like to see me do more often?

And for those who aren't big fans of Warhammer 40k, or don't know exactly where to get started with the lore and setting, I highly recommend checking out the YouTube channel Baldermort's Guide to Warhammer. Lots of engaging fiction, a lovely voice, and fun to keep on in the background!

Lastly, A Vox in The Void has made an audio version of this story! So give it a listen, and subscribe to the channel if you haven't done so yet.

  

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!