Dirk Hamel
Fantasy Writer
Dungeon Master
About
I’m a writer, paralegal, and tabletop roleplaying game enthusiast currently based in Columbus, Ohio. I graduated from Kenyon College in 2017 with a major in English and a minor in studio art.
I enjoy fantasy and science fiction, strong coffee, and Dungeons & Dragons.
Current Projects
Blackburn
A Fantasy Novel
He stood roughly a half-mile below the surface. The light was dimmer, and the wind whistled against the surrounding buildings. Every surface was slick with the city’s sweat; one careless step could—and frequently did—send unwary individuals plummeting into the abyss below.
Blackburn is a grim, rain-shrouded city at the heart of the world, ruled by an immortal and apathetic god-king. An industrial accident transforms a brothel into a charnel house, and Inspector Russ Teigen is on the case. Something dark lurks at the center of Blackburn—a conspiracy that will take Teigen from its lowest reaches to the gilded spires of the city’s elite. New allies and old enemies await at every turn.
Published Stories
Dungeons & Dragons
The Seeds of Madness
Follow the Lucideans as they seek to rid the Sword Coast of the Abyss’s influence. Having liberated the town of Northridge—the mortal seat of the Celestial Paragons—the party travels east across the High Wood to combat the rising threat awaiting at Deadstone Cleft. Beset on all sides by the servants of the Demon Princes, they must use all the might and magic at their disposal to turn the tide.
- Malovendra Windbourne, cleric of the storm goddess Arianrhod, calls her lady’s thunderous wrath and soothing rains with discerning wisdom.
- Dr’akis Umbara, once-raider, once-bodyguard, seeks redemption for the lives lost to his hand.
- Kairon Demonsbane, Mortal Sword of Zariel, fights to fulfill the commands of his liege, reaping souls for Avernus’s cause.
- Telion, a simple bard to some, wages a secret war against Menzoberranzan’s encroaching influence, wielding a sharp wit and sharper daggers.
- Flame-haired Khevenna Starling travels on a journey of self-discovery, though wanderlust is not in her nature.
- Seph O’dabro is a plucky youngster on the lam, with a penchant for punching first and asking questions second.
Together, they must destroy the Seeds of Madness before they are sown, lest the fabric of the Prime Material be rent asunder by the Demon Princes’ assault.
Fengselhjem
"I recognize that it is the Court's position, at all times, to remain neutral. I submit that I do see the logic in this–the world functions best in balance. To say nothing of the evil which lurks outside the mortal plane, there are those who live in it who seek nothing more than to exploit their fellow man and the land that birthed them. In order for balance to be maintained, there must be people who seek to counteract that–to do good. And I have learned during my travels that these people are a precious few. Therefore, it is my duty to do so."
Commissioned portrait by artist Ernesto Irawan.
Galeas
“What seems to escape the rest of you is that this is a fool’s errand. They’d rather send a ship full of misfits and outcasts to the far side of the globe than admit we’ve been fighting a 1,000-year war for nothing. Even if we did find it–even if there was something to find on the other side of the God Door–it would lead to nothing more than our extinction. Empyreon’s fall is evidence enough of that. Inter-Sea Task Force? More like Idiots Sent to Fail."
Contact
Contact Me
Story or campaign ideas for me? Would you like to receive updates as I publish? Please get in touch.