Bryon Kershaw (he/him) is the Gamemaster of Spirits and Monsters of Old Seattle. He first got into roleplaying by discovering a copy of the old D&D blue box in his parents’ basement in 1991. He’s played numerous different games over the years, including D&D, Call of Cthulhu, the World of Darkness games and of course Vaesen. 

He moved to Ballard in 2014 after getting tired of living in cold and snowy Vermont. He is frequently joined during gaming sessions by his pets, who need to be involved in whatever he is doing. 

He was told for years that he needed to do a podcast, and so he’s finally making it happen!

Aryn (she/her) is playing Academic Sofie Ingesdottir. Aryn only moved to the PNW about five years ago but considers it her spirit home. That's also about how long she's been playing D&D; she got interested via Critical Role, met some weirdos near Seattle, and the rest is history. She currently plays in a 5e campaign with said weirdos, and has tried a lot of other game systems as well. 

Aside from being a crazy cat lady and a certified dice goblin, Aryn is the Okay-est Maker in a 10-mile radius and is constantly creating things, including books - she's also an author, with one book published on Amazon, two more in the works, and a trilogy waiting for a publisher. 

A spoopy historical PNW setting with Norwegian folklore themes is right up her alley, and she's excited to be a part of this chaos!

Bill Hruska (he/him) is playing Doctor Lucius Jensen.

Bill was born in the Seattle-area, but moved away early in childhood.  The PNW holds a special place in his heart, so he returned to Washington to attend university and moved to Seattle after graduation.  And yes, he is a weirdo that enjoys the weather.

Loving all types of games (card, board, video - you name it), Bill first got involved with D&D in middle school though this didn't last long.  Decades later a coworker invited him to a one-shot and that was it; he now plays in several campaigns, bringing his specialty of leaving enemies at 1 hp for his party to clean up.

As a fan of myths and Lovecraftian-style lore, Bill jumped at the chance to join a game (now podcast!) that dove into these subjects and was set in Seattle.  Well, that and he loves playing games with his friends!

Phoenix Biscomb (he/him) is playing as Socialite Julian Benevides.

Hailing from the Pacific Northwest since age 5, Phoenix’s journey into RPGs nearly stopped before it began. Invited to a D&D 2e game with friends, he almost quit the hobby outright. (Thac0? ThacN0.)

Fortunately, a few years later he was invited to a 5e game where he began a love affair with the game. This newfound passion came at the cost of his DM's sanity by switching from a Cleric to a Mystic (I’m so sorry, Chris.) Since that fateful campaign, Phoenix has immersed himself in both playing and DMing multiple campaigns, even reaching 20th level. Phoenix relishes taking standard archetypes and molding them into something unexpected.

Eagerly anticipating the foray into an entirely new game system, Phoenix is armed with a bard in a horror-themed campaign. Brace yourselves as he seizes upon a fresh opportunity to lead a new GM into the depths of madness.

Hana Chaney (She/Her) is the Editor for Spirits and Monsters of Old Seattle. Her journey into the world of TTRPG’s started 3 years ago, during a chaotic time period that shall not be named. Desperate for human connection outside of her house, she logged onto Roll 20 and discovered grand worlds filled with fantasies beyond her wildest dreams. Since that fateful first session, she’s been hooked. 

In fact, it’s thanks to the connections she made through playing that has granted her the opportunity to be a part of this podcast. Because, and here’s a little known secret- she’s not from Seattle. She lives on the very other side of the country! What a small world we live in! 

In addition to editing, Hana also works as a freelance voice actor and scriptwriter. She can’t wait for you to hear all that Spirits and Monsters has to offer!