Meet some of the many rotating traveling merchants I have slotted into the 7 on my 2d6¹ random encounter table. I use a silver standard and stats for Cairn.

Hannah Grimsdottir

8 HP, 2A (chainmail), 16 STR, flamberge Beloved One d10 + d10

• Stony-eyed, yellow-haired, silent, does not suffer fools, in her 40s, scarred from battle, livens up with a drink or a funny story. Fair and even-tempered.
• Her flamberge Beloved One contains the soul of her mother, the pretender queen Hilde the Rebel.
• Critical Damage: Hilde the Rebel emerges from the sword and inhabits the target’s body.

Travels with her trusted mule, Biter, and 3 Poison-Eaters (below). Has d12 x 20sp on her.

Rumors: Has heard of weapons masters who can teach you certain techniques. See Weapon Skills from Block, Dodge, Parry. Knows of the Shaper on the Mountain (below). Will only tell you if you seem particularly skilled in fighting.

Sells whetstones, ammo, and non-sword simple weapons (d6), and today, also has an array of something on this table:

Poison-Eater

Poison-Eaters are berserkers who eat toxins to go into their frenzy. Refer here or go to berserker from the Cairn bestiary.

10 HP, 1 Armor, 14 STR, 13 DEX, 15 WIL, twin axes (d8+d8)

• Ruthless warriors with black-veined skin from ingesting toxins.
• Ignore the Morale rule and are never treated as part of a detachment.
• Dosed: A poison-eater’s first attack has both the enhanced and blast qualities.

The Shaper on the Mountain

Not a traveling merchant as such, but I mentioned him above so I’ll add him here with a subheading.

A legendary dwarf swordsmith who lives in the Anfwin Mountains. Gruff. Never offers tea (impolite) but always has a kettle on (very rude).

10 HP, 16 STR, 12 WIL, Forgehand 1d6

• Critical Damage: Melts target’s flesh away.

To consider crafting a legendary sword for you, the Shaper demands that you master at least 1 sword weapon skill. To craft them, he requires monster parts: The more powerful, the better. Dragons are best.

Legendary swords are delicate: On a roll of 1 on the damage die, they suffer a notch. After 5 notches, a special magical property of the sword is disabled.

He sells regular swords at double the normal price. His regular swords for sale are everhoned: Treat any damage roll of 1 as a 2. He has 1d6 - 1 swords for sale at any time. When the swords are in his presence too long, he obsesses over their imperfections and ultimately destroys them with his forgehand. The path up the mountain is littered with these “mistakes”.

Has d20 x 100sp on him.

Penny Swamps

3 HP, 11 DEX, quarterstaff 1d6

• Wears a floppy hat, gregarious and talkative; quick to argue, but she finds it fun. Member of the Grenouille Rouge Merchants Guild and carries guild stamps.
• Frogling (as seen in Nightwick Abbey). Leaps twice as far as a human.

Rumors: Knows about any goings-on across the sea or on waterways.

In addition to any gear related to home goods and the like, she is also selling 1 specialty item from Hoppland today:

Travels with a silent Hopknight (5 HP, 2A (helm and shield), 12 STR, 8 WIL, spear and shield (d6+d4)) assigned to her by the Merchants Guild. “He’s good company but not much of a talker.” Every time she is encountered, she is not sure if it’s the same Hopknight who was assigned to her the last time you met.

Mina Rahman

7 HP, 2A (chainmail + helm), 14 STR, cold-forged bastard sword Fiel 1d8 (enhanced vs faeries)

• Braggart, insecure, highly perceptive and intelligent. Polyglot.
• Warns against combat with her. Quickened boots: Moves at twice the speed of other people
• Critical Damage: Fiel inflicts 1d8 WIL damage.

Rumors: Knows the general locations of some dungeons. Can give leads to hoards.

Trades in relics. Only carries one at any given moment. All of the relics must add a recharge condition, which is only discovered later (after being used; to give the referee time to come up with one).

Otherwise sells general adventuring and outdoor gear, and offers language lessons.

Has d8 x 300sp on her at all times.

Travels with 3 Hopknights: Ghim, Warble, & Ponk

For relics, I roll on a table of d4 Caltrops magical items tables and then roll on the resulting table. Prices vary but are in multiples of thousands of silver coinage. Refer also to the relics list on the Cairn website

Red Warlock

4 HP, 8 STR, 12 WIL, dagger (d6), elemental attack scroll (2d6, needs protection to cast)

• Hooded red robes, stinks of sulfur and saltwater

The Red Warlocks are resurrectionists. They charge 5,000sp and biological material for their services (“death insurance”). They give you a soul jar in exchange. Keep it on you to catch the soul.

They charge 10,000sp if you die without retaining their services (“emergency services”). They need the body.

All resurrected stink of sulfur and saltwater. Refer to Prismatic Wasteland’s We Live Again for more on resurrection.

Red Warlocks are openly hostile to Church officials, who consider them heathens. They are brazen because of their steadfast belief that they will be reborn.

Has d10 x 50sp today.