The Mouth Of Winter

A mercenary company. An ancient covenant. Thirty nights until hell breaks loose.

Rhod and his company climb through a blizzard to reach a mountain monastery on the winter solstice, hired to protect the monks through the long dark months until spring. It's supposed to be easy coin - three months of cold guard duty to see out the year, then home.

But something is wrong at the monastery. The monks are terrified. Ancient records speak of covenants and offerings. And beneath the chapel, a shaft descends into the mountain's heart, dropping away into darkness that no torch can penetrate.

As the blizzard seals the passes and traps the company inside, they discover that some traditions are kept for a reason. Some hungers cannot be ignored. And when the temperature drops twenty degrees in an hour and something far below begins to speak, Rhod realizes they're not guards at all - they're witnesses to the end of a bargain that has held for centuries, and unwilling participants in whatever comes next.

The Mouth Of Winter grimdark tale of survival, sacrifice, and the monsters we become when there's no way out.

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The Mouth Of Winter is a serialised grimdark fantasy/horror novella releasing one chapter per day from December 1st through December 25th, 2025 - an advent calendar of grim decisions, ancient horrors, and the cost of survival, for readers who enjoy the atmospheric dread of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and the violence and moral complexity of Joe Abercrombie.

Chapter One is available as a free preview - just head to the Demo section below. Future chapters will be released daily throughout December, available only to readers who purchase the project. If you want to know what happens next, if you want to see how far desperate people will go when trapped between an ancient covenant and certain death, then join us for the rest of the journey!

Why Buy Now?

• Early Bird Pricing: Purchase prior to Christmas 2025 and get the complete novella at a reduced price, cheaper than it will ever be again.
• Print Edition Discount: December buyers will receive an exclusive discount code for the print edition when it releases in 2026.
• Daily Delivery: Wake up every morning to a new chapter in your inbox throughout December, perfect for those dark winter mornings. (Unless you're in the southern hemisphere, in which case enjoy the sun.)
• Complete Collection: At the end of December, all chapters will be compiled into a single ebook with bonus content including character notes and worldbuilding materials.

Daily Releases? Huh?

This isn't my first time doing something like this. I've run a serialised advent calendar every year since 2021. Previously those releases have taken the form of TTRPG adventures (you can find them all here). This year I'm writing pure fiction, and I'm very excited about it. The novella is already complete, so you don't need to worry about missing a day. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

File Formats

Daily releases will be provided in epub and PDF formats, downloadable via this page. Each daily release will be announced via the devlogs of this project.

Content Warnings

This is a violent horror story where protagonists cross moral lines and don't come back. Specific content warnings are listed below.

Click to see content warnings

This book contains: graphic violence, human sacrifice, cannibalism, starvation/deprivation, references to child endangerment, and themes of moral corruption.

Get Your Copy

The monastery gates are open. The mouth of winter waits. Will you follow?