Lingering Shadows Part 5 - Campaign Stories

Read for fun, or for ideas in your own campaign!


This story comes from the community-created Share Your Campaign series, where the Eternity TTRPG community shares their games' stories. To see more from this series and others, visit the Share Your Campaign page.


Ekern

Ekern and Vatra had shared rumors about the Black Mist Forest. Having no concrete evidence or knowledge, they planned on the “what ifs” of a situation. They were about to discuss how to funnel opponents to slow their advances until Vatra noticed DroGi in the other room opening the drawers. Ekern grew concerned when he noticed a blemish on the floor that didn’t shine light like the rest of the surface did. If he could see it from a distance, DroGi would surely see it soon enough.

 

They watched as DroGi continued his detective work. Ekern reached for the handle of his short blade in anticipation. This house was no longer supposed to be a final resting place for anyone, but secrets must be kept in the meantime. Looking to Vatra for orders, Vatra signaled to wait. “What are you doing, friend?” Vatra asked. DroGi had traced his fingers along the floor, tried to pry the cabinet away from the wall, then rested his head against the wall looking for something. Ekern exposed the slightest amount of blade from his scabbard and rolled his shoulder to loosen the joint.

 

Frustrated, DroGi pushed away from the wall, turned and told Vatra to meet him at the estate. Ekern turned slightly, allowing the weight of his short sword to drop softly into its sheath. He opened the door to allow for a quicker exit for DroGi just in case he changed his mind and decided to reinspect the bedroom. DroGi left without a word of thanks, leaving only behind the sound of clanking metal as he dropped off the step and rolled over a compact dirt walkway. Ekern watched as he leaned forward with every propulsion and thought how sad it would be to be such a strong soldier bound to a chair with what others would consider false hope. “That one is impulsive,” he said.

 

“Yes,” said Vatra, “and there is no changing it.” Ekern closed the door and turned to see Vatra now standing facing the bedroom. He was thumbing a black ring around his forefinger, similar in design to the one DroGi had been wearing, but his was a faded charcoal gray. “We need to be more careful.” He walked to the room’s entryway. Ekern followed and looked over his shoulder. He couldn’t tell what DroGi had seen on the floor that made him so fascinated with the cabinet, but he knew his intrigue was dangerous. Vatra turned to Ekern. “This will be the last time I come here. I have too many people looking into my whereabouts now.”

 

Ekern agreed and added, “We should have someone come and blemish this house. Its cleanliness makes finding imperfections more noticeable and raises too many questions.” Vatra agreed to this. “You can have the servants hold a party here.”

 

“The servants?” asked Vatra. “Why not the other house guards?”

 

“Too strong. If they get drunk enough, or rowdy enough, they may decide to throw one another or the furniture. If they notice that the cabinet is not moving, they’ll make it move.” Vatra nodded. “The servants, for the most part, are weak and timid. They’ll see the house as a rental and do their best not to damage anything beyond disrepair.”

 

“What would the party be for?”

 

Ekern thought for a moment. “One of the housemaids is with child and should be delivering within the next few weeks. One day, they’ll celebrate and give gifts. On another day, you can offer the space for the delivery. The blood, sweat, tears, and other liquids will stain the air and the floors.”

 

Vatra seemed disgusted by the idea, but also acknowledged the sense it made. “And, on a third day, they will have the celebration of the child’s life.” Ekern nodded once. “This is why you need to stay and take the lead in my absence.”

Ekern dropped his gaze away and thought about the conflict. He had a strong desire to protect his friend, but he also knew that he was the only one who knew of Vatra’s plan and the tasks that needed to be done. If anyone were to hear word of what the two were planning, the entire plan would unravel and everything they had done so far would be for naught. He also began to wonder if he had grown dependent on Vatra, then considered that they were partners, not a child to a parent. He asked, “Should we go?”

 

Vatra nodded and grabbed his robe hanging from a rack. Ekern opened the door, stepped out to investigate the safety, then stepped to the side to allow Vatra to exit. He looked into the small darkening house once more before shutting and locking the door. Still uncertain whether or not his father had spent his last day here, he felt a hollowness when observing the eerie space. If he could have it his way, he would’ve burned the house down months ago with at least one body in it.

 

Making their way through the streets, the locals greeted both Ekern and Vatra. “Have they already forgotten?” Ekern asked himself. People were tending to their personal gardens, sweeping the dust out of the entryway, and feeding the chickens or goats they kept. Average people doing average things, absolutely clueless to the happenings behind closed doors. Ekern supposed everyone had their own secrets, varying in degree of darkness. He knew he couldn’t stop all the violence in the world, the lying, the cheating, or the wrath. Still, though, he wanted to find a way for people to not have to resort to such actions. He believed the majority of bad things that people do to one another is out of desperation. No one wants to steal, but sometimes they have to if they’re going to feed their family. No one wants to have to lie, but to get a need they must. It’s usually the ones who have too much that indulge in the darkness of man. Rich men were taking advantage of poor people’s desperation to put food on the table or to protect their own. If a man were to refuse, it wouldn’t be a big deal to the rich man. They could easily find someone the next street over.

 

Ekern was well aware of Vatra’s snakes. He helped come up with the idea. The children were well taken care of without bringing suspicion to anyone. Each child was paid for their truthful service regularly. They’d all report to Ekern and no one else. Ekern and Vatra had come up with a communication style that involved a sequence of blinks and eye positions. The eye version involved looking to the corners, sides, up and down. Using the directions and up to three blinks signaled a letter or sound. Words being relayed were signaled to be sounded out rather than be taken as literal translations. Using this method, vowels were seldom used unless it was of dire importance. A forward gaze meant “I’m done”. A long inhale meant “I understand. Anything else?” A long audible exhale meant, “That’s all, no further need to stay.” Only the older children were allowed to communicate with the adults. When they were in their last year before being taken in, they’d find someone to replace them. The older kids would be taken as squires for Vatra’s personal guard or had their way paid to become a squire of a town guard. A newer system, but Vatra had already established a good number of snakes within the town guard. Some were employed by Vatra, then brokered a few out to the more affluent families. These snakes of the street were now snakes within a den. Vatra had a quiet loyalty within multiple households and was able to manage deals that fit his plan. As of yet, there have been no defectors. That was the benefit of treating a snake like family, you’re less likely to get bit.

 

Vatra was kneeling to be at eye level with a little girl no older than eight. Out loud, she was telling Vatra she had to buy a new tray and how she sold out of her shellfish and mollusks. She must be one of the newer relayers based on how young she was. A prospect would normally train with an older kid for roughly two years before they were taken off the street. Secretly, her eyes darted around looking like a nervous child trying to tell a story that went nowhere. Ekern was only able to catch a few words from his heightened perspective. He was able to catch “B.O.T.” for “boat”, “L.F.” for “elf”, and “K.P.N.” for “captain”. There was no letter “C” in this version of the alphabet. It would be replaced with an “S” or “K” depending on its sound. “Q” was left in to create the “ch” sound. Vatra pretended to give the girl a high five, covertly giving her a griever hidden away by his thumb and palm. She giggled as Vatra stood and tussled her hair. She ran off with a “Bye, Mister!” Ekern wondered if he would have been smart enough to be a relayer at her age. He doubted it, but liked to think he was smarter than he thought he was. The thought of a child that young being in the streets almost brought a tear to his eye, but he understood that life wasn’t always going to be fair and from this situation she would learn how the real world worked. In a few years time, she’d be off the street and working indoors. The moment had Ekern thinking about his sister, and reminded him how because of greed he could never see her grow into an adult and have children of her own. Her life and youth were stolen from her, and no one offered her a chance. This is why the snakes were created. It gave purpose to those society had turned their backs to. Regardless of what the parents did, the child should not have to be punished for their wrong doing. One day, he was certain, the snakes would be running this town.

 

The Journey

Before leaving Murgana, the trio took enough esper from Vatra’s state to resupply and obtain new gear. They rummaged through Vatra’s family’s underground vault to find anything of use. DroGi got stuck in a Soul Mirror for a moment, and the other two took advantage of its force to have the inhabitant tell the truth. It was more of a way to poke fun at the situation rather than obtain any pertinent information, but it brought a much needed humor before the three traveled the wilderness.

 

Using their obsidian rings, the three teleported to the Shield’s location and hired him to modify their gear for the travels and potential dangers ahead. Shield Rayl was a burly man they had encountered in a dungeon near the Ward of Bastielle. Indebted for saving him from being stranded beyond a deep crevice he became their official armorer with, what he considered, a “discounted rate.” The armorer's own armor was evidence of his skill. Intricate filigree work embellished his plates, depicting horses, mythical creatures, and symbols of protection. Embedded gemstones, each with its unique magical property, were strategically placed across the armor, providing both aesthetic appeal and magical reinforcement.

 

Heading south, they stopped in a small town of Seorim known for its healing waters. Testimonials and vague promises enticed Drogi to attempt these waters to the point where he spent a full week submerged from the chest down, hoping his legs would heal. At an esper a day, the results were surely a gamble. Iceliat would join him for the comfort and the second hand result of having his newly acquired blisters and old scars form new skin. Vatra, on the other hand, traversed the streets recruiting new snakes and attempting to build business dealings with the locals. Borrowing Iceliat’s ring, he traveled back to Murgana to orchestrate the means to bring two of the older snakes and leave them as hired help for two of the affluent members of Seorim. It would be their duty to further train the “baby snakes” and establish a network of communication.

 

After a week of soaking, DroGi’s results did not meet his expectations. Both Vatra and Iceliat suspected that his inability to walk was from the atrophy and deconditioning. DroGi wouldn’t accept this. He was able to walk short distances with the use of an assistive device, but it did not provide him with the warrior’s body he had grown accustomed to. DroGi’s anger erupted to the point where Iceliat and Vatra had to restrain him and pay for property damage already done. DroGi was able to obtain his sensation which needed some getting reacquainted with. It started as a dull, numbing sensation not being able to discern sharp from dull. Eventually he was able to feel temperature and precise pressure. Though his normal function did not return, the ability to finally feel his pants on his legs, his boots shift against his heels, and the weight of the food he’d lay on his legs were a sign of progress to him. His legs could help him propel by pulling with his heels giving his arms and shoulders a break from pushing. If he needed to, he could also kick off to perform a tactical retreat. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was thankful the other two stayed with him during that week.

 

Iceliat was able to conduct his business dealings with the local riverfront dock workers and his constant shipment of humans. The captain he met with was one he had grown to know well over the years, which made the exchange of information much easier and less time consuming. The less time he used to speak with a ship captain he, presumably, didn’t know, then the less suspicious it would seem. The lands around his home were still unaffected by the Phoenix and business continued to prosper. He informed the captain to relay the fact that he was heading to the Black Mist Forest as a precaution. He doubted anyone would come looking for him if they hadn’t heard back anyways.

 

Vatra

The three stood at what could be considered the entrance of the forest. It consisted of the clearest path of lightly compacted dirt to allow a smoother ride for DroGi and highest head clearing to prevent the need to duck as much as possible. As they pressed forward, the tracks left by a wheelchair and feet lasted only a moment before the dirt and moss leveled itself off again. The air was damp and humid making cooling off by perspiration impossible. Everyone’s clothes were holding water and sweat breaking down the integrity of their skin. A thickening fog grew in intensity the deeper they trekked. What was once a clear, noon day, had now been enveloped by a milky white vapor as clear as a dead fish’s eye. The trees, when they could see them, were too wide and unstable to attempt to climb. The canopy didn’t allow for light to shine through, not even enough to taunt them with illumination.

 

Making their way through, observing the ominous trees that seemed to stare, Vatra thought of the Treant, BloodRoot. “He knew,” he thought to himself. Vatra and DroGi had sought out BloodRoot during their first meeting and subsequent departure. Beyond the wizards at the university up north, he heard a rumor that BloodRoot would be the closest to know something about all artifacts and relics with magical properties. While DroGi questioned the treant, he couldn’t take his eyes off of him. Calm and precise with his wording, he pointed to Vatra and almost outed him. “How could he possibly know,” he thought. BloodRoot told him the trees spoke and shared secrets beyond any human’s, or human descendent, reach. This made Vatra realize he’d have to be more cautious than he thought was enough. Darkness and disguise would be his friend from now on. But first, he’d need to learn the most efficient way to practice these methods. Vatra considered taking care of BloodRoot as a loose end, but he also knew that treants tend to keep to themselves. His pointing Vatra out was more of a matter-of-fact rather than an accusation or judgment. Knowing this, however, if someone were to still question Vatra’s innocence, they would only have to pay him and visit and give him something he found precious or rare. DroGi attempted to offer BloodRoot water to get the information about the mirror they sought, but this only made him give his equivalent of a guffaw. Eventually, a mixture of threats and griever was enough to get the information DroGi needed to move on. Vatra didn’t want to be the cause of such a respected being’s death, but he also knew he couldn’t take any chances having gone this far in his plan.

 

The party reached the remnants of what they assumed was an old stronghold. Scattered wood planks used for scaffolding and a perimeter of shaped stone littered the area. Nothing man-made higher than chest height remained. Everyone picked a spot as theirs and proceeded to drop their gear. “Any idea what we’re looking for, DroGi?” asked Iceliat.

 

DroGi was removing his boots and stripped his wet socks off. He looked at his toes as if he were trying to willfully wiggle his toes, but nothing visible to the others was noticed. “Nelvis told me there was a lake, and in the middle of it should be what we’re looking for.” He wrung his socks creating a little pool to the side of his wheel.

 

Vatra didn’t expect much more than that to come from DroGi. Nelvis was pretty vague and distracted the last time they asked him for help, and Vatra had a weak moment of throwing a few books and papers into a fire trying to strongarm information from him. Vatra was certain if he were to be present in asking Nelvis for details they’d most likely be led astray. He leaned forward stretching his lower back, came back up and leaned side to side with his arms held high. Opening his eyes after the muscular release he saw in the distance what he thought was a clearing. It was obscured by the fog, but what he could make out was a tall, narrow darkness. Pointing, he asked, “You guys see that? Might be a clearing.”

 

“I don’t see shit,” responded DroGi eyes squinting and strained.

 

Iceliat, with his honed elven eyes, similar to Vatra’s, was able to see the darkness in the distance. His eyes were more attuned than Vatra’s, so he was able to make out a little more detail. “It seems to be swaying,” he said. “Not just swaying. I believe it’s moving toward us.” Vatra, now standing next to Iceliat, attempted to observe what Iceliat saw. As the figure grew closer and larger, they noticed that it was levitating. DroGi pulled forward, now also able to see the figure. They continued to watch as what looked like a long, dark robed essence approached. A skeletal frame was outlined and a skull could be seen when its body swayed softly into the little amount of light available. “Wraith,” Iceliat finally said in a silent surprise. Backing up and already calling upon his summon, everyone followed suit and prepared for an expected fight.

 

“Sword. Right hand,” DroGi reported. The wraith was holding a standard length sword with a bright, crimson blade. It was made of a metal unfamiliar to the crew and its characteristics seemed to shout that it was no ordinary sword.

 

Vatra and Iceliat positioned themselves equidistant from DroGi, to be within attack range and have a clear view of the creature. DroGi began his charge and performed a double swing. The wraith swiftly moved out of each blade's arc uncharacteristically for how slowly it approached them. With a low, guttural roar it raised its crimson blade and struck down onto DroGi. A blast from Iceliat was able to deflect the blade. Without looking, the wraith raised his sword once more and slashed downward. DroGi was able to perform an x-block with his blades, in time to prevent a devastating wound but still able to cut into his right trap. The exposure and contact with the blood made the blade glow brighter. DroGi’s eyes widened as his energy left his body.

 

Obviously not a mortal wound, the other two knew he must have fainted from whatever power the sword possessed. The wraith turned its attention to Iceliat and his summon. Vatra ran to DroGi’s side. He lay slumped in his chair, eyes closed. Vatra checked the cut to see that it had left what looked like an ordinary cut. It was deep enough to require stitching, but didn’t hit anything life threatening. He thought the sword itself must have drained his energy directly from his blood. His pulse was beating at a normal rhythm and his breathing was steady as if he was sound asleep. Vatra turned to Iceliat, still distanced from the wraith being held back by his summon. They made eye contact and Vatra signaled to retreat with a head jerk to the side. Vatra began to run pulling DroGi by the back of the chair, castor wheels raised, and DroGi reclined to prevent falling forward during the departure. Iceliat understood and released a blast at the ground near the wraith resulting in a large plume of dirt, debris, and smoke engulfing the creature’s sight. Iceliat tactfully retreated and circumnavigated the woods until he intercepted the others.

 

Iceliat took a rear guard position as everyone left the scene. “He’s waking up,” Iceliat said aloud.

 

Vatra scanned the area and noticed a more intact, small fort, “There.” They entered what was once a room, now only having three of its walls remaining and sky exposed. As the two runners caught their breath, DroGi regained full consciousness. “Any idea what happened,” Vatra asked.

 

DroGi, blinking hard and shaking his head, said “No. I felt the blade cut me, then a jolt went through my body. It felt like someone was sitting on my chest. I must’ve passed out immediately.” He looked at the cut on his shoulder, “Well, shit,” he said. He looked the others over and said, almost upset, “Not even a scratch on you fuckers, huh?” They shook their heads and looked around. “Still alive?” he asked.

 

Iceliat mentioned how he was able to strike the wraith a few times with his blasts, but they seemed to dissipate upon contact. The wraith seemed to hardly notice the impacts from both Vatra and Iceliat. “Maybe we teleport out of here, to Nelvis, and regroup. Try to figure out what we’re up against.”

 

Vatra, uncertain about the location, hesitated briefly before nodding in agreement. All three clenched their fists tight and thought of Nelvis. Marcelle Rasler, the advisor to the King of Kel-Nagrand and the one who gifted them rings, instructed them in the use of these rings and explained how they could only teleport to others wearing the sister rings. Marcelle, Nelvis, Shield, Old Briar, and the trio each had a ring. The group were offered six in total, but after news of Vatra’s warrant, he requested to have one back. Marcelle and Nelvis already had their own, so the two remaining rings were given to Shield and Old Briar. Before opening his eyes, Vatra heard DroGi say frantically, “The fuck?” He opened his eyes to see that they had not moved. He looked at the ring and noticed it had grayed as if it were depleted of charge. “What’s going on?” DroGi asked, confused and angry.

 

“The forest,” Iceliat said, biting his bottom lip quizzically. “Something dark is keeping us here.”

 

Vatra, peering around the wall, noticed the wraith slowly approaching as it had before. “It’s coming back.” Iceliat came to his side to confirm. “Any ideas?” Iceliat shook his head, pointed to his side and readied another summon with a flick of his wrist.Vatra saw this and wondered if he could learn this. He already had ideas for how something like this skill could be useful. Vatra shook his head back into the present, stepped back and said, “We don’t die today.” Closing his eyes, the color from Vatra’s skin began to disappear. His hair went translucent reflecting a blueish-white glow. The skin around his mouth began to wrinkle like old leather. His cheeks sunk in and his frame became more slim as if his body had been degrading for weeks in that single moment. Vatra’s eyes reopened exposing grayed irises and a deadpan stare. Taking his Lich form, Vatra now had a limited amount of time to aid in this situation. In a new, hollowed tone, he said, “Go.”

 

Vatra led the way pointing his staff at the wraith and unleashing a volley of fiery blasts. The few that did make contact dissipated as it had a few moments ago. Iceliat did the same and sent his summon to attack and halt its progression. The wraith’s sword was no longer as bright as it had once been and presented like an imperfect ruby. As the wraith forced the summon away, it gave its low roar and raised its arm to swing at Vatra. DroGi came from the side, one weapon blocking the blade, the other hooked between the grip and the wraith’s boney palm. Iceliat’s summon approached from behind and grabbed the wraith around its hooded head and pulled backward. A simultaneous blast from Iceliat and Vatra jerked the wraith backward resulting in DroGi being able to pry the sword from its hand. The wraith fought as it was dragged backward from the party. The crimson sword clanked as it hit the ground and rippled in a lightning of bright red.

 

“Ooh. Dibs!” DroGi declared. Vatra and Iceliat being distanced fighters paid no mind and watched as the summon continued to drag the wraith away. “Ho ho ho ho!” DroGi laughed as he picked up the sword. “This thing is swe-,” DroGi stopped speaking. Like before, his eyes went wide before he slumped into his chair unconscious. Contact with the sword, itself, drained him, not the cut. Without thinking, Vatra grabbed the sword, knelt, and shook DroGi. DroGi gingerly reopened his eyes looking at Vatra, “Oh come on. Again?” He shook and straightened himself up. “Well? The fuck?” He up-and-downed Vatra. “Why aren’t you passing out? You’re a little bitch.”

 

Vatra, still a Lich, stood and finally noticed he had been holding the sword for longer than DroGi could. In his hand the blade began to glow to a brightness similar to the moment DroGi had been cut. Vatra raised the blade, pointing it to the sky. “Well,” he began, then enunciated the next few words, “this is interesting.”

 

The sound of Iceliat’s summon and the wraith struggling had intensified then ceased. Looking over, the wraith had wrenched itself free and destroyed the summon. At its normal slow pace, the creature, again, approached the trio.


Author Credit

Sean Kuttner

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Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Author - Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


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A high-angle shot of a crowded Gen Con event

Does DnD Actually care about Gen Con Again? Return to DnD's Roots

By Jacob Tegtman • April 5, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvxI1GXJerE Transcription Dungeons & Dragons is finally returning to the convention that made it famous… Well, to be clear – D&D has been at Gen Con. It’s just, they haven’t really had much of a presence there in recent times, have they? Even small indie games have had substantially larger booth space than D&D, which I saw last year basically tucked into a back part of the convention, with pretty much only like a 20ft by 10ft space, or so. If even that, to be honest.  And, I don’t know for sure if D&D hosted many events even at Gen Con while we were there last year. Maybe a few intro games? But if I had to guess, I would’ve said that third parties may have run more games of D&D than Wizards of the Coast D&D actually did. But, after years of near silence… Wizards of the Coast is planning to go all-in on Gen Con again. The real question is—why now? We’ve seen a lot of relatively big moves from D&D recently, back towards its roots. So, what could this move mean for the future of D&D? Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to news channel for all things D&D and tabletop roleplaying. Today we’re diving into some pretty cool news, hopefully a big positive for the direction of D&D: Wizards of the Coast is officially heading back to Gen Con with D&D in a big way. And honestly… it’s kind of a full-circle moment. Let’s rewind for a second, because – as I’m sure you know – Gen Con isn’t just any convention. Gen Con was founded back in 1968 by Gary Gygax, which to be honest, I didn’t know prior to researching for this video. If you aren’t aware, Gen Con is now the largest convention for tabletop gaming, I believe in the world. It pretty much takes over Indianapolis for, what I can confidently agree, is probably indeed the best 4-days of gaming each year. At the time they started Gen Con, it was just a small gathering of wargaming fans in Wisconsin. But in 1974… Gygax and Dave Arneson released Dungeons & Dragons. And, of course, Gen Con became ground zero for spreading the game. People would attend… pick up a copy… and bring it back to their hometowns. That’s how D&D went viral—before the internet even existed. It turns out, hanging out with cool people in person and telling them about cool things – in person – was the OG way to go viral. Go figure! So, fast forward a few decades… Gen Con became the D&D event, and the tabletop gaming event. We’re talking massive tournaments, huge reveals… Even a life-sized castle built on the convention floor. Yeah. That actually happened. But then something changed. In recent years, Wizards of the Coast has been… mostly absent. No big booths. No major announcements. Just a quiet, minimal presence—if anything at all. I can tell you, seeing them last year, like I mentioned, was not only unimpressive... it was actually even a bit sad. I remember thinking like, “why are you guys even here? Why bother with a booth like this, it just makes D&D look bad.” And other fans have definitely noticed, as well. At this point, you might be wondering: why did D&D pull away from Gen Con, anyways? Well, a few key things: First—vision. Wizards started treating D&D less like a game… and more like a global entertainment brand. You’ve seen the somewhat recent movie, and then they’re pushing hard towards digital tools now, trying to make D&D more of a money-making tool, and truthfully, less like the D&D we all grew up with. Second—control. Instead of third-party events like Gen Con, Wizards of the Coast has focused more on their own events. Things like MagicCon – for Magic: the Gathering. And third—cost. Giant booths and live events are expensive, and brand-awareness is not the same as actual sales. In the past, the cost of large-scale live events like Gen Con was a no-brainer investment for D&D. However, with D&D moving towards online income, live spaces didn’t fit the online vision as much. So, for years… Gen Con became more of a community-run D&D space rather than an official one. But now—that’s changing. Wizards vice president recently confirmed that Gen Con is about to become a major part of D&D again. Starting this year: Annual D&D product roadmaps will be revealed at Gen Con They’ll have more organized play events And there will be more direct and “official” community engagement Like so many of the things Wizards of the Coast is doing to push live community spaces for D&D again, this could be a big deal – but it will depend on how well Wizards follows through. Still though, this is the first time in years that Wizards is showing up where the players are. And this could be a great sign for the game. With all of this in mind, we now finally come to the question: “why is this happening now?” There are a few clues. First—D&D has lost major momentum in the TTRPG space, let’s be real. Wizards is, perhaps, finally recognizing the loss of their community, and is trying to reconnect with the people who built the community to begin with. We’ve seen: The return of classic settings – which is ok. I’d rather see – as one recent viewer put it – new stuff. Done in the classic way, but some actual new content would be x1,000 times better. And they are creating new seasonal content, with a return to D&D modules and “official” weekly play at local gaming stores. Second… Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The OGL controversy. You may remember: The Open Gaming License controversy, when Wizards of the Coast tried to change D&D’s open license in a way that would restrict creators and potentially take a cut of their earnings—sparking massive backlash and boycott calls from the community. That moment seriously damaged trust with fans. And while things have cooled down… This Gen Con push feels like a very intentional move to rebuild goodwill. Because if you want to win back hardcore players—You show up at Gen Con. That’s all there is to it. Show up, and make it fucking awesome. Make your audience actually want to play D&D again. For a lot of fans, D&D skipping Gen Con has felt… weird. It’s the place where the fire started. It’s been the biggest name in tabletop ghosting the biggest tabletop event in the world, in favor of creating online subscription models that very few people actually want. But now? This feels like a return to D&D’s roots. A reconnection with the community that built the game’s legacy in the first place. So the real question is—Is this just good PR… Or the start of a new era for D&D? What do you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments. And if you enjoyed this coverage, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and roll for initiative on the next video. See you next time!
Map of the Tomb of Horrors dungeon on aged parchment

The Return of Official D&D Modules in 2026 - The Future of D&D

By Jacob Tegtman • April 2, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r1xrclddMg Transcription A piece of classic D&D is coming back… but just not in the way you’re probably expecting.  Wizards of the Coast just announced something that could completely change how many people play D&D—short, fast, old-school adventures are officially returning. And yeah… I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that – as so often, depending how well Wizards of the Coast can execute this – this might actually be the biggest shift in D&D storytelling in years. Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to party member for all things Dungeons & Dragons. Today we’re breaking down the return of adventure modules, what they are, why they disappeared, and whether this is actually genius… or just another attempt at recovering a piece of D&D that’s already forever sailed away. So this all dropped at Gary Con in Wisconsin, which was March 19-22 nd , just a couple weeks ago. That’s where the VP of D&D, confirmed that modules are coming back. If you’ve only played modern D&D, where campaign books are pretty lengthy and involved, this might not sound like a big deal. But it kind of is a big deal because this isn’t just a new product… it’s a return to D&D’s roots. If you aren’t familiar though, you may be wondering – what even is a module. Back in the early days of D&D, adventures weren’t the massive 300-page books we often see now. They were short, self-contained stories. Think quick, punchy adventures you could finish in a session, or a few sessions. They’re basically the ancestors of modern one-shots. These official D&D modules, which many people absolutely loved, were: Compact Easy to run And perfect for drop-in play, for someone who was a more casual gamer, or for someone visiting, etc. But when 3rd Edition rolled around, D&D itself changed. The game shifted toward long-term campaigns, deeper character progression, and structured storytelling—and short, standalone modules just didn’t fit that vision anymore. This brings up a whole order of interesting topics, but in older D&D (like Basic and Advanced D&D), the game assumed: That you’d jump between adventures Characters might not persist long-term – character death was super common, and almost even encouraged And the game world was only loosely connected Modules fit that style of play perfectly, where you can do a quick story that is compelling, engaging, and action-packed, but doesn’t necessarily try to stretch that narrative further into a larger context. 3rd Edition D&D, however, introduced: Strong character progression systems Feats, skills, and long-term character builds And most importantly, a focus on ongoing story arcs Suddenly, D&D became about one continuous campaign , not disconnected adventures. So instead of a: “here’s a dungeon for the weekend” vibe, the design officially shifted to: “Here’s a story that takes your party from level 1 to 15.” It’s also worth mentioning that with 3rd Edition, Wizards of the Coast introduced the Open Game License . This license meant: That third-party creators could make adventures freely Which inevitably led to the market becoming flooded with small modules. So, Wizards of the Coast didn’t need to focus on short adventures anymore. Instead, they could focus on: Big flagship campaigns that had a longer shelf life, and felt like “premium products” With lengthier and more involved Core rulebooks While letting the community handle smaller content. To summarize the history, D&D once offered “official” short, adventure modules. That module model shifted towards third-party creators with the advent of 3 rd edition. And now, 26-years later, third parties are still creating modules, but we’re also making a return to “official” D&D modules. Moving forward, the big question is: what’s different this time? According to D&D, these new modules will tie into something called D&D Seasons, which we’re already getting a taste of now. Think of themed content sets that last 3–4 months. The idea is basically what Magic: The Gathering does with Card release sets. Every 3months, they roll out a new set, where players can access new content. In this case, with D&D, it’ll be a new module, or new modules, based around the current set’s theme. Examples could include what we’re seeing with D&D Seasons for 2026, which will each be three-month series: starting with the Season of Horror followed by the Season of Magic And then finally into the Season of Champions with this year’s last quarter. These modules will also connect to organized play programs—in-store sessions of quick weekly games, for those local gaming stores that want to host these kind of events. Overall, D&D is aiming for: · Faster games available to more people (meaning like 1-2hr adventures, rather than the 3-4hr sessions many longtime players often get into, with their friends) · Easier prep for DMs · And more accessible D&D overall We don’t know yet if these will be physical books… or digital-only releases on D&D Beyond. My guess is there will be both available. Modern D&D campaigns are a big commitment. Oftentimes you’re talking months… sometimes years. And I love that, personally. Probably, anyone who’s ever been part of a long-term successful campaign, does love that style of play. However, I think we can all agree that not all campaigns make it very far, at all. I’ve heard the average number of sessions for most campaigns is 7-usually before they fall apart because of scheduling conflicts, lack of player interest, etc. So, modules are intended to flip the current long-term D&D campaign dynamic, not by replacing them, but by giving players another choice. Modules aim to be: Easier for new players to get into D&D, Create less pressure on DMs/ less requirement for preparing a long-term campaign And provide alternatives of play that could be perfect for people with busy schedules This might be what the D&D community needs right now. At the end of the day, these modules coming out will essentially be one-shot sessions that D&D provides for anyone who’s interested. My take is that Wizards of the Coast has made some tremendous mistakes with D&D. However, I do think that an attempted return to D&D roots is move that makes a lot of sense. The real test will be in the execution. If Wizards can make this new generation of D&D modules feel fresh and meaningful—then they may be onto something. If, however, they feel like recycled content with a new label… Players will notice, and probably resent the effort a little bit. I’m just saying, we don’t need more content on Strahd, Tomb of Horrors, and many other adventures Wizards has been putting out. I’ve been playing those adventures since the original modules and content on them. Personally, I’d be looking for something new, and that means Wizards of the Coast would have to get creative and take some content risks. Which... is something big companies don’t often like to do. That’s why we see so many remakes of movies, rather than exploring new ideas. Corporations often prefer “safe money” over true art. But, what do you think? Are you looking forward to trying these new modules… or will you stick with longer campaigns? And do you think D&D will create some awesome new concepts, or try to rehash the same adventures people have been playing for years, in hopes of relying on past success? Drop your thoughts in the comments. And if you want more D&D news, updates, and tools to make your games smoother and more enjoyable—hit that like button and subscribe. I’ll see you guys in the next one.
Josiah Mork: Creator of Starset RPG and Pen RPG

Interview with Game Designer Josiah Mork: Creator of Starset & PEN

By Jacob Tegtman • March 27, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9In5gaz65s8 Transcription Jacob Tegtman (00:01.848) Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, where we cover really everything tabletop gaming related, Dungeons and Dragons. Now we're finally jumping into some of my favorite topics, which is game design and getting to spend some time with great game designers up and coming, people who are established. And today we're interviewing Josiah Mork, who is the owner and lead designer for Hoodwink Gaming. So welcome to the show. Thanks for being part of the channel. Josiah (00:33.142) Thanks, it's my pleasure. Yeah, it's been great working with you on eternity and getting to swap ideas. So I'm really looking forward to being able to talk through some of that process with you. Jacob Tegtman (00:44.478) Awesome, Ben. Yeah, I've been looking forward to talking with you. We always have a lot of fun when we catch up. I think this will be a really good conversation. There's so many parts of your mini games that I've wanted to ask you about for really such a long time. And it always felt like we were working on some project or discussing something. But now I have a really good excuse to just nail you down for maybe about an hour-ish and hopefully die. Josiah (00:50.028) for sure. Josiah (01:04.972) There's always something. Jacob Tegtman (01:14.352) dive into what you've been doing and why you've made some of the decisions you've made, which I think are really interesting. I'm sure, yeah. So do you just want to maybe start by introducing yourself more, know, who you are, what you've done, and yeah, where you're going? Josiah (01:20.968) Yeah, well, hopefully I've got good answers for you. We'll see. Josiah (01:32.756) Yeah, absolutely. yeah, like you said, I'm Josiah. I'm from Michigan, living just out of DC now. I've been designing and playing board games since my early teen years, I guess I would say. I love creative writing and storytelling. That's just been an amazing way that I've found to connect with people. My actually my undergrad and my grad degrees were in communication and looking at how communication connects us and strategies and stuff behind it. And so I find a storytelling a really compelling way to do that. But before I had gotten into school and whatnot, you know, I was homeschooled. I was in late middle school and I was reading this cartoon. Maybe you are some of your viewers have seen it. Foxtrot comics. And there are some. Have you seen it? Highly recommend, highly recommend. It's really funny. But there are these two characters, they're really nerdy middle schoolers and they were playing Dungeons and Dragons in the comic. And I just thought that was the coolest thing. But my parents, know, I'm a Christian, my family's Christian, fairly conservative. And so my parents were more familiar with like the 80s, like D &D scare, very like Stranger Things season four. And so they were not really like, yeah, not really D &D fans. And so I was like, well, okay, I'll create my own. And that's how it all got started, you know? And then it was a great way to make friends in my Boy Scout troop. You know, we would play, would swap ideas, we would... Jacob Tegtman (02:51.202) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (02:55.042) Not too far ahead. Sure. Yeah, that's awesome. Jacob Tegtman (03:08.12) time. Josiah (03:09.972) you know, go on crazy adventures with rules that didn't quite work. And then over time, you know, I just realized that there were all of these cool avenues to explore and storytelling that D &D didn't necessarily do. And so I just felt really passionate that this is my way to connect with people and connect people with each other is through writing games. Jacob Tegtman (03:30.508) That's amazing, man. Yeah, it's funny, like the ways that we get into gaming too. Like you mentioned those comics. you ever see Dexter's Lab? Okay. Okay. Yeah, was probably a little bit before. Yeah. There was like an episode that was kind of based on Dungeons and Dragons and I saw it when I was like six and that's what got me into it as well. yeah. Josiah (03:39.616) Yeah, well, I've heard of it. Yeah, I've seen clips from it, yeah. Josiah (03:52.972) It's so funny how it seems like every show, know, Community, Gravity Falls, like, there are all these shows of every different genre, and they all have like a D &D episode for some reason. And I love it, you know, but it's so random. Jacob Tegtman (03:58.679) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (04:05.302) Yeah, like all of them. Me too. Yeah, it is. Yeah. I also like the takes that different shows have on like nerdy board games. I think was like Parks and Rec had, I forget what the game was called. Yeah, you remember it. Yeah. Yeah. That's so cool, man. Josiah (04:20.81) The Cones of Dunshire, yeah. Love that, love those episodes. Jacob Tegtman (04:29.646) So I want to dive into really all of those things more, but what games do you currently have available then? And your website will post it in the show notes as well, but it is hoodwinkgaming.com for anybody who's interested. But yeah, tell us about some of your games. And again, I feel like I want to go into all of these in more detail, but yeah, give us the summary version at least for now. Josiah (04:55.05) Yeah, so it's a little deceptive at the moment. My original titles and kind of most of the games that I do are under the pen brand. So play easily now is the acronym. We have war game and role playing game. But actually neither of those are on the market at the moment. If you go to my website. Yeah, we've got a landing page for the war game and we've got a preview for the RPG. And I've actually I've got. Jacob Tegtman (05:12.95) really? I was actually, yeah, I was checking it out like yesterday, so. Josiah (05:24.422) know, prototypes of both of those here. But they are still in development because of various different reasons of wanting to refine some ideas or just kind of ended up having to move to other projects. So they're almost launch ready. But those are the ones that they're working on for the longest, just the newest editions aren't quite together yet. Jacob Tegtman (05:29.506) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (05:39.96) Yeah, nice. Jacob Tegtman (05:46.04) Very cool. Josiah (05:46.164) And then the one that I've been working on most recently, and that we actually have a new project launching next month for, is Star Set. So that's a grimdark survival-oriented tabletop role-playing game that we launched initially a couple years ago, and then just did a relaunch for the second edition for, which is much more crunchy, much more mechanical, and much more narrative-based. So really looking forward to building that out. Jacob Tegtman (06:14.542) That's exciting. Yeah, I can attest that game is great. I really enjoyed reading through it. Everything from the design of the book to the art to the way that you have, especially character building in that, I find super fascinating. You can just tell, yeah, the amount of attention to detail in there is like out of this world. It really feels like you guys... Josiah (06:27.148) Well, thank you. Josiah (06:34.966) haha Jacob Tegtman (06:38.478) You took the lore of the game and you baked it into every part of the game. Whereas I think a lot of games like, you know, we'll talk about D &D later. D &D is like the game that's everything. So it's like if it's in a fantasy book or movie or anything, like we'll just jam it into D &D somehow. And, you know, that kind of has its place, but for building characters and stuff, you know, like you don't, I don't know. It's supposed to be able to fit many different genres and you're Josiah (06:42.72) Mm-hmm. Jacob Tegtman (07:08.612) I think what's so cool about is that when you're playing Star set you're playing Star set Because from the very first thing you do with your character and their background and their skills even it's all based on the lore of this whole universe so Josiah (07:19.902) Mm-hmm. Well, I really appreciate that. mean, that's really the heart behind it when we were working on it is, we had a story that we wanted to tell and really created the universe to tell that story. And one of the things, you know, that I picked up studying communication is that, you know, we are attracted to details. And even if it's details that, we haven't necessarily experienced in our own lives. Jacob Tegtman (07:24.963) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (07:33.324) Yeah. Josiah (07:45.324) hearing vivid details or strong emotions in other people's stories lead us to be more connected with them. And so that was something that we really trying to flesh out in Star Set. hopefully, from the sound of it, it hopefully worked pretty well. Jacob Tegtman (08:00.352) I think so, yeah, absolutely. So, what do we talk about first, man? Like, what do you want to talk about first? Josiah (08:01.452) Thank you. Josiah (08:11.672) man, I could talk about games for hours and hours, so I better let you guide that conversation. Jacob Tegtman (08:14.944) You Okay, I just want to make sure we cover like the big things before we dive into the nitty gritty here. Yeah. Yeah. Josiah (08:24.332) Oh yeah, I mean, I kind of touched on, I guess I'll throw it out there. I'll throw it out there because it's really important to me and kind of the company into my story. you know, I really do, we're about to, you know, dig into the nitty gritty, like you said, and Dungeons and Dragons and all the different games that are out there. And I just think, you know, before whether you're a designer or a player, whenever you kind of step into a game, I think the most important thing and what's in the mission kind of a hoodwink that we try and do differently is that Jacob Tegtman (08:33.379) Yeah. Josiah (08:53.446) The games are just kind of an excuse. Really, the games are just an excuse to get together with people and to have FaceTime with people. And if working in social media has taught me anything, it's that people need that more than anything. And that's why we call it Hoodwink Games, because we kind of have all these substitutions. get hoodwinked into thinking that socializing is something that it's not. And really, it's just fellowshipping with people and joining community and FaceTime with people. and talking about the things that matter with people. And the way to do that from going from stranger to best friend is in my experience games. And so that's kind of the heart behind it. Jacob Tegtman (09:30.658) That's been a cool one. Yeah. You know, it's interesting you bring that up too, because this is something I've been thinking a lot about recently, especially as everybody's been seeing more AI come into their work, into their lives. And I feel that more than ever, people are wanting that human, real human interaction. And so as good as video games are looking nowadays and as fun as MMOs are and stuff like that, and I like all of those, I don't think I've Josiah (09:43.628) Mm-hmm. Josiah (09:53.004) Mm-hmm. Jacob Tegtman (10:03.53) found anything that's as fun is sitting around playing a tabletop role-playing game, especially in person. mean, even, you over FaceTime like this is fun, but something in person about it just makes it one of the best experiences. Josiah (10:09.729) video. Josiah (10:13.142) Mm-hmm. Josiah (10:18.686) It really does. It's those shared memories and those shared jokes. And, you know, I work in politics, doing social media for politics. And the thing that just aggravates me the most about politics, but also religion, people say don't talk about politics or religion because people care about it so much. And it's like those are things that we care about the most. So we should be able to share those with people. But you can't because as soon as you bring them up, you know, there are all these walls. Jacob Tegtman (10:39.48) Sure. Josiah (10:48.062) and games when you've played for a couple hours with somebody and slayed the dragon and made a couple jokes, then it's like, well, okay, now your opinion isn't the thing that I'm defining you on. The thing I'm defining you on is that, you know, you're a half drunk elf paladin or something like, and it just makes it easier. Jacob Tegtman (10:48.416) I guess. Jacob Tegtman (11:04.014) Yeah, that's so true. That's so true. Yeah, it definitely does break down those walls and give you that sense of shared history, even if it's like a shared mental history, theater of the mind. So, yeah. Josiah (11:17.27) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's great. Jacob Tegtman (11:21.428) I agree, man. Especially when you're doing... So I haven't read through all of the lore of Starseq. There's just so much in there. I've read through a good deal of it. But I think one of the things that also stands out about at least that game, because I know Penn's still in the work in progress... Josiah (11:38.599) the Jacob Tegtman (11:39.446) that, you know, it does cover a lot of political things and it covers a lot of religious things and you aren't like pushing a view on anybody, but just inherent to human life is politics and religion. so games let you approach these topics like in ways that allow you to explore what could be, but in a safe way and have conversations about what could be without feeling like you're being attacked or told. Josiah (11:53.856) Mm-hmm. Josiah (12:01.6) Thank you. Josiah (12:05.836) Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's really the, again, I'm really glad that you feel that way about the game, because that was one of the number one priorities of it, is there are just really hard conversations that should be had. And that game kind of came out of COVID, where there were a ton of hard conversations people were having. And I think you could spend every day, every minute of every day with people. Jacob Tegtman (12:14.306) Yeah, for sure. Jacob Tegtman (12:23.394) That's right. That's right. Yeah. Josiah (12:33.664) but if they're not people that you feel like you can have hard conversations with, then you haven't really been in community at all. And so having a medium like that, where, like you said, I don't wanna tell anybody what they should believe. There are things that I believe are true about God and about the world and about politics and stuff, but those things have to exist relationally for them to mean anything to you. so... Jacob Tegtman (12:39.788) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (12:50.542) Sure. Josiah (12:58.954) to have that space to kind of explore and talk and then role play through just makes it fun for one thing, but also makes it so much more personal and so much more impactful, I think. Jacob Tegtman (12:59.374) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (13:10.772) I agree. So what is the next thing that you said you're working on with StarCert? I think I missed that when you mentioned earlier. Yeah. Josiah (13:16.436) Yeah, so my co-writer, Emily, and her husband Ryan, who did some of the art for Star Set, they have actually written and illustrated the first campaign for it. It's called Echoes on Mars, and that's going to be launching on Kickstarter next month. Jacob Tegtman (13:31.822) Okay. Okay, cool. That's exciting, man. So what number of Kickstarter will this be for you? Josiah (13:38.092) Thank Josiah (13:42.294) That's Josiah (13:46.806) seven maybe six or seven. I'm doing this one well I should say the plan is to do it on Kickstarter but changing a lot of things. I'm still talking to them. My wife is behind me. I still want to talk through some of them with her because it had a lot of very negative Kickstarter experiences and learned a lot. So we're to do this one if we end up doing it on Kickstarter very slim down and very different than some of the other ones. So it's a constant learning experience. Jacob Tegtman (13:48.43) Sort of. Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (13:54.094) Sure. Jacob Tegtman (14:16.43) Yeah, I just remember I feel like every year or so I feel like you're launching something on Kickstarter successfully. So at least from the outsider's view looking in, it's like man Josiah just knows what he's doing with selling games. Josiah (14:30.208) You Well, I know a little bit more than I did last time and that's the goal. Yeah.
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