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Nerdarchy > Dungeons & Dragons  > Adventure Hooks  > Under the Dome: 10 Grind Dealers & NPCs for Your Campaign
under the dome

Under the Dome: 10 Grind Dealers & NPCs for Your Campaign

D&D Background Spotlight: The Sage

Faces Behind the Chaos Economy

Under the Dome, Grind doesn’t move on its own.

It passes through hands.
Through deals.
Through people willing to risk everything for power, profit, or survival.

Some are respected.
Some are feared.
Some are barely holding it together.

All of them are dangerous in their own way.

These NPCs can be allies, enemies, or something far more complicated.


🕶️ 1. Vexa “Softsell” Marr

The Dealer Who Never Pressures

Vexa operates out of a quiet, well-kept shop that looks more like a tea house than a black-market front.

She never pushes product.

She listens.

Then offers exactly what someone thinks they need.

Specialty: Mild Grind derivatives, “starter” blends
Quirk: Remembers every customer—and their weaknesses
Truth: She tracks long-term dependency patterns

Hook:
A party member realizes Vexa knew they’d come back… before they did.


🔥 2. Korrin Ashwake

The Burned Scavver Turned Supplier

Korrin survived too many storm runs—and it shows.

His skin is cracked with faint crystal growths, and his voice sounds like it’s coming through broken glass.

He sells raw, barely processed Grind.

Cheap. Dangerous. Effective.

Specialty: Unrefined or poorly refined Grind
Quirk: Talks to his cargo like it’s alive
Truth: Some of it might be

Hook:
A batch Korrin sold starts behaving differently after purchase.


🧪 3. Lysa Quell

The “Legitimate” Alchemist

Lysa operates a fully licensed refinement lab.

Clean. Efficient. Regulated.

Her products are considered among the safest available.

Which makes her reputation invaluable.

Specialty: High-quality, stable Grind
Quirk: Refuses to discuss sourcing
Truth: Her supply chain is anything but legal

Hook:
A rival accuses Lysa of hiding something worse than unstable Grind.


⚙️ 4. Dax Ironthread

The Augment Broker

Dax deals in Grind-enhanced implants and modifications.

Wired reflex boosters. Sensory amplifiers. Internal reservoirs.

He sees the body as a system that can be improved.

Specialty: Grind-integrated augmentations
Quirk: Offers “free upgrades” with long-term costs
Truth: Not all his clients stay themselves

Hook:
A former client begs the party to remove something Dax installed.


🐍 5. Sable Coil

The Smuggler Who Knows Every Route

Sable moves Grind where it’s not supposed to go.

Across districts. Through checkpoints. Beneath surveillance.

If there’s a way through, she knows it.

Specialty: Transport and smuggling
Quirk: Never travels the same route twice
Truth: Someone keeps predicting her movements

Hook:
Sable hires the party for a run she believes is already compromised.


🧿 6. Brother Halvek

The Preacher of Measured Use

Halvek runs a small following that treats Grind as something to be respected—not abused.

He offers controlled doses in ritual settings.

He claims it brings clarity.

Specialty: Ritualized Grind consumption
Quirk: Frames addiction as “imbalance,” not failure
Truth: His followers are becoming dependent

Hook:
A follower begins experiencing visions that don’t match Halvek’s teachings.


💰 7. Tamsin Vell

The Debt Collector

Tamsin doesn’t sell Grind.

She collects what it costs.

Every favor. Every loan. Every missed payment.

She knows who owes—and how much.

Specialty: Debt enforcement
Quirk: Always polite, always calm
Truth: She enjoys when people can’t pay

Hook:
The party is asked to collect a debt from someone who doesn’t deserve it.


🧬 8. The Glass Twins

Experimental Dealers

No one is entirely sure if the Twins are siblings, clones, or something else.

They speak in sync. Move in sync. Think in patterns.

They create new forms of Grind no one else understands.

Specialty: Experimental derivatives
Quirk: Finish each other’s sentences
Truth: Their products are unpredictable by design

Hook:
A batch causes shared dreams among everyone who uses it.


🛠️ 9. Old Rekk

The Mechanic Who Knows Too Much

Rekk runs a repair shop that services Grind-powered engines.

If something runs on chaos, he can fix it.

Or push it further than it should go.

Specialty: Engine optimization and overload tuning
Quirk: Refuses to work on “clean” systems
Truth: He’s seen what Grind does long-term

Hook:
Rekk warns the party not to push their vehicle… then helps them do it anyway.


👁️ 10. The Pale Auditor

The One Who Watches It All

No one knows where the Auditor comes from.

They appear when transactions get… complicated.

They don’t buy or sell.

They observe.

And sometimes, they correct.

Specialty: Information and enforcement
Quirk: Speaks as if reading from a record
Truth: They may not be entirely human

Hook:
The Auditor tells the party they’ve already made a deal they don’t remember.


🎲 Using Grind Dealers in Your Campaign

For Dungeon Masters

These NPCs work best when:

  • They reappear over time

  • Their relationships evolve

  • Their motives aren’t fully clear

Let players:

  • Build trust

  • Break it

  • Regret it

Because every deal under the Dome has consequences.


Mixing NPCs for Conflict

Try combining them:

  • Vexa supplies a product created by the Glass Twins

  • Tamsin collects debts tied to Dax’s augmentations

  • Sable is unknowingly transporting something Korrin shouldn’t have sold

  • The Pale Auditor is watching all of it

Now the world feels connected—and dangerous.


🕯️ Closing Thought

Under the Dome, Grind doesn’t just move through systems.

It moves through people.

Each deal changes something.

Each transaction shifts the balance.

Each favor tightens a chain that may not be visible until it’s too late.

Because the most dangerous part of the Grind economy isn’t the chaos it comes from.

It’s the people who’ve learned how to live with it.

And profit from it.

Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!!

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Ted Adams

The nerd is strong in this one. I received my bachelors degree in communication with a specialization in Radio/TV/Film. I have been a table top role player for over 30 years. I have played several iterations of D&D, Mutants and Masterminds 2nd and 3rd editions, Star wars RPG, Shadowrun and World of Darkness as well as mnay others since starting Nerdarchy. I am an avid fan of books and follow a few authors reading all they write. Favorite author is Jim Butcher I have been an on/off larper for around 15 years even doing a stretch of running my own for a while. I have played a number of Miniature games including Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy, Heroscape, Mage Knight, Dreamblade and D&D Miniatures. I have practiced with the art of the German long sword with an ARMA group for over 7 years studying the German long sword, sword and buckler, dagger, axe and polearm. By no strecth of the imagination am I an expert but good enough to last longer than the average person if the Zombie apocalypse ever happens. I am an avid fan of board games and dice games with my current favorite board game is Betrayal at House on the Hill.

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