TEXT: Lords of Gossamer & Shadow 
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   by H.M. ‘Dain’ Lybarger 
  
   
   
   
   
  Rite Publishing Presents: 
   
   
  Threats:  
  Secrets of the Annunaki 
   
   
  The Font Atop Sarazur (Author): H.M. ‘Dain’ Lybarger 
  Kalisthanai (Editor): Savannah Broadway 
  The Geometer (Cover Artist): Ernanda Souza 
  The Namers and Shapers (Interior Artists): Ernanda Souza, 
  & Jason Rainville  
  The Exemplar of Blades (Trade Dress):  
  James “Devin Night” Hazelett  
  The Crawler Upon The Stairs (Layout and Publisher): 
  Steven D. Russell 
   
  Dedication: To my lovely wife Jill; my inspiration  
  and my raison d'être. 
   
   
  Based on Lords of Gossamer & Shadow by Jason Durall 
   
   
  Threats: Secrets of the Annunaki Copyright © 2015 Steven D. Russell All rights reserved. Lords of Gossamer and Shadow Copyright © 2012-2013 Steven D. Russell All rights 
  reserved. Erick Wujcik’s Diceless Role-Playing and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Diceless by Design Publishing, LLC, and are used under license.  
  See http://Rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=1447 for more information on Erick Wujcik’s Diceless Role-Playing.  
  
  On the edge of a precipice 
  Dear Cousin; 
  I must ask your forgiveness for my shaky 
  script; I am but recently freed of a death-
  trap constructed of my own hubris—and 
  as you love me, cousin, you know how 
  loath I am to admit hubris. But I’ll begin at 
  the beginning, and explain step by 
  merciless step the path I have traveled; 
  there is no other way—were I to state 
  flatly what I now believe to be the awful 
  truth, you would not countenance it. 
  Not all who know mastery of the forces of 
  the Eidolon come by their abilities in the 
  same way. Rest assured, my own 
  epiphany did not come at the end of years 
  of monastic study—far from it! But I’ll not 
  begin so far back in the tale. Let us pick up 
  with my discovery of the existence of the 
  Annunaki, for therein lay the seeds of my 
  downfall. 
  Legends of the Annunaki 
  The beings we call Annunaki—for we have 
  no idea what they call themselves—are 
  rarely encountered by those of us who 
  traverse the Grand Stair. When seen, these 
  strange beings resemble shifting traceries 
  of glowing Eidolon energy drawn in 
  space. Lines, 
  curves, 
  and 
  nodes 
  of 
  colored-arcing energy sketch out forms in 
  three 
  dimensions, sometimes human-
  oid, other times anything but! Little is 
  known of their true natures, and thus are 
  legends and speculations born.  
  Some say that the Annunaki were once a 
  race of sentient beings much like any now 
  existing, which long ago transcended mere 
  physicality. They became higher beings, 
  constructed of pure, living energy.  
  The Font Atop Sarazur fighting 
  an Umbral Gaunt Cordelia 
  Perhaps it was their intense mental focus 
  and discipline that permitted them to 
  make the transition—and thus, the living 
  energy of which they are constructed is 
  most similar to that of the Eidolon. A fine 
  story and a laudable goal, perhaps, for 
  many intellectually-driven creatures, but I 
  question its validity. Having struggled so 
  hard and so long to shed material forms, 
  why would any higher creature be 
  interested in the doings of those of us still 
  made of dross?     
  Another legend claims that the Annunaki 
  exist primarily outside space-time, in some 
  place of tangled dimensionality, or perhaps 
  in the Shadow itself. For that reason only 
  1 
  
   
  their Eidolon component is perceptible to 
  mortal eyes. This conveniently fails to 
  explain why their symmetrical Umbral 
  component (should it exist) is not 
  perceptible, but perhaps what we consider 
  to be other creatures entirely are, in fact, 
  linked to the Annunaki like my shadow is 
  linked to me—having two elements of the 
  same being appear in separate locations 
  simultaneously 
  must 
  be 
  simple 
  for 
  creatures of higher geometry! This legend 
  does explain the tendency for Annunaki to 
  suddenly appear out of nowhere, as if 
  instantiating into space-time rather than 
  merely traveling through it, but it still 
  doesn’t speak to their motivation for doing 
  so.  
   
  Maybe the Annunaki are constructs of the 
  Typhonians, or the Rhen, or some other 
  long-lost folk from that ancient era when 
  great beings strode the Grand Stair—or 
  even from the era before the Stair existed. 
  As an idea, this has some merit; after all, 
  the perfection of Annunaki forms makes 
  them seem like works of living art, or at 
  least of living craftsmanship. Annunaki do 
  not visibly age, mature, or grow old, and 
  any two given Annunaki might have utterly 
  different structures and shapes. Natural 
  creatures do not possess those attributes, 
  but constructed creatures are formed with 
  intent. They’re shaped to handle the task 
  for which they were made, and begin it full-
  grown. This story at least explains why the 
  Annunaki might interact with material 
  things: they must have been instructed to 
  do so by their lost creators. It of course fails 
  utterly to explain the purpose of those 
  interactions, or identify the creators that 
  ordered them, but such is the nature of 
  legend. 
   
  Personally, I doubt all legends, regardless 
  of what seeds of truth they may contain. 
  None of these folk tales explain the 
  activities of Annunaki encountered within 
  the many Gossamer worlds or upon the 
  Grand Stair. They all substitute instead the 
  notion that such beings transcend normal 
  motivations, conveniently allowing their 
  actions 
  to 
  defy 
  logical 
  explanation. 
  Perhaps 
  Annunaki 
  are 
  innately 
  unpredictable; perhaps their logic is not 
  our own. But from the beginning I found 
  that notion unsatisfying, and my curiosity 
  was piqued. You know what they say about 
  curiosity and cats…As my study of the 
  Annunaki progressed, I came to realize 
  that their reasons for acting as they do are 
  not inscrutable at all; the Annunaki act 
  according to a plan. Being creatures of the 
  Eidolon, how could one expect any less? 
   
   
  Servants of Order 
   
  In my travels up and down the Stair, I have 
  encountered some few Annunaki which 
  seem to have been instantiated for 
  millennia and serve as watchers, judges, 
  and perhaps even mentors. They observe 
  some portion of the Grand Stair or some 
  Gossamer 
  world, 
  inhabiting 
  unique 
  shrines of their own construction. Some 
  merely watch in secrecy, but others take 
  more active roles. They teach skills, spread 
  order and civilization, and serve as the 
  benevolent yet terrible gods of the 
  Gossamer folk they assist.  
   
   
  The Font Atop Sarazur 
   
  My first such encounter was accidental. 
  Traversing a primitive Gossamer world to 
  elude unfriendly attention, I found an 
  unexpected city; an edifice of blue-glazed 
  mud-bricks ornamented with sheaves of 
  grain and scythes. Their local beer was flat 
  but earnestly alcoholic, so I guested there 
  for some weeks. Amal, a brewer of my 
  2 
   
  
   
  acquaintance told me that the secret of 
  brewing beer came from a mystical font 
  atop Mount Sarazur, far to the East. The 
  knowledge of how to bake bread had come 
  from the same place in his grandfather’s 
  grandfather’s time, and the way of sowing 
  and grinding grain many generations 
  before that.  
   
  I joined a pilgrimage to the holy mountain, 
  and heard the babbling brook there 
  actually babble! A hillside spring spoke 
  aloud–teaching lessons of agriculture and 
  the value of crop rotation, as I recall. I 
  remained behind when the other pilgrims 
  left, certain that some trickster Warden 
  was behind the speaking water. I wanted to 
  meet this droll fellow! In a cave behind the 
  flowing spring I found the first Annunaki I 
  ever saw with my own eyes. It was a 
  diagram drawn in the air, with the shape of 
  a man and a voice like quiet thunder. “Be 
  not afraid! I am the Font of Knowledge, set 
  among you as a guide to greatness.”  
   
  As reward for puzzling out its existence, it 
  offered to make me a king of “my” people, 
  to teach me the proper method of ordering 
  a society, and all the secrets of organizing 
  an obedient populace into a mighty 
  workforce. I demurred hastily; I am ill-
  suited for rulership of any sort. Before I left 
  that world, though, I told Amal the trick of 
  finding the cave. Perhaps one of the 
  monuments his obedient populace raises 
  will be to me. 
   
  The Geometer 
   
  The people of Singulus say that the 
  Geometer kept them alive through the 
  Flamefall, when the sun lashed their world 
  with deadly flares. They named their global 
  information lattice in its honor. I rather 
  suspect that the appellation was more 
  literal that they ever realized. GEOMETER 
  enhanced their technological develop-
  ment. During my first stay on Singulus, the 
  devices there amazed me. They upgraded 
  automatically and rapidly, sometimes 
  gaining not just greater efficiency but 
  entirely new functions before my very eyes. 
  The 
  people 
  had 
  but 
  to 
  ask, 
  and 
  GEOMETER gave answers. Those answers 
  allowed them to push the boundaries of 
  physics as far as they could stretch, and 
  provided them with an ever-growing 
  capacity to shape their environment. The 
  world-city of Singulus was a true marvel of 
  luxury and comfort, if a bit sterile and 
  serene for my tastes. And everywhere, the 
  cold blue lines of data coursed through 
  their civilization, pulsing faster and faster. 
   
  Some years later, I chanced to pass through 
  that Door again. The world-spanning city 
  remained: ring upon ring of gigantic 
  arcologies centered on the great plaza at 
  the heart of the GEOMETER network. But 
  the people were gone. As I walked deserted 
  streets, 
  still 
  meticulously 
  clean 
  and 
  orderly, the only sounds were the wind and 
  my own echoing footsteps. In the plaza, the 
  spinning 
  blue-fire 
  clockwork 
  of 
  information pulsed—the only light left on. 
  GEOMETER—or the Geometer—stayed 
  mute at my approach, and at my hasty 
  departure. The only question left to ask 
  was one I feared to have answered.  
   
  Kalisthanai 
   
  There is a statue, eighty feet in height and 
  carved of a single block of amethyst traced 
  with lines of polished gold, in the form of a 
  six-armed goddess with three pairs of 
  flaring wings. She is a goddess of war, 
  armed with translucent-bladed swords, 
  and her worshipers have conquered half a 
  world to honor her. Their tanks and 
  armored vehicles grind lesser armies 
  beneath well-oiled treads. Land and 
  3 
   
  
   
  resources are claimed in the name of 
  Kalisthanai, the Judge of Valor.  
   
  I’ve not been to the Gossamer world 
  inhabited by the followers of Kalisthanai, 
  nor would I go there intentionally; by the 
  time I heard traveler’s tales of that place, I 
  knew enough to recognize the signs of a 
  civilization “sponsored” by a resident 
  Annunaki. I’d also learned enough of their 
  forms and types to recognize what 
  Kalisthanai might truly be. I may quibble 
  over their local definition of “valor,” but I 
  have seldom exhibited that sin according 
  to any definition. Kalisthanai, I fear, would 
  judge me harshly.  
   
   
  Diagramatic Taxonomy 
   
  Annunaki are formed from lines and nodes 
  of energy hovering weightlessly in three-
  dimensional space. Constructed of circles, 
  lines, and angles, they are diagrams 
  without 
  solidity. 
  Pulsating 
  blue 
  fire 
  surrounds their latticework, and radiates 
  from 
  it. 
  Although 
  each 
  complex 
  constellation of nodes fills a volume—
  sometimes a great volume—the lines 
  themselves 
  possess 
  at 
  most 
  two 
  dimensions, and conceivably only one. The 
  hovering nodes and shapes shift according 
  to a rhythm and cadence of their own, even 
  when the Annunaki of which they are a part 
  is motionless. To behold an Annunaki is to 
  risk being mesmerized by the dance of its 
  structure—all the more so when you look 
  upon it with the sight granted by Mastery 
  of the Eidolon. It is a glance at perfection 
  itself. 
  Although Annunaki appear in a multitude 
  of different shapes and sizes, as beings of 
  iconic orderliness they frequently appear 
  in fixed and predictable forms. The least of 
  these are what I consider to be the 
  “transient” 
  Annunaki: 
  simplistic 
  in 
  structure, sketched into being with but a 
  few lines and only roughly humanoid. They 
  instantiate in order to perform a single 
  task, then vanish upon its completion. For 
  beings known to be both ageless and 
  changeless, that existence seems a very 
  temporary form of immortality.  
   
  Other Annunaki are more persistent, both 
  in terms of their longevity, and their 
  attitudes. It seems characteristic of their 
  highly-ordered natures to be relentless in 
  pursuit of whatever goals they may have. 
  Annunaki also exhibit an extraordinary 
  patience; they have the capacity to wait for 
  years—even aeons—until circumstances 
  become ideal for action.  
   
  Of the persistent sorts of Annunaki, two 
  are common enough to be individually 
  named, and a third is (mercifully) believed 
  to be unique.  
   
  The Exemplar of Blades 
   
  Exemplars are vaguely feminine in form; 
  an hourglass figure without distinct legs—
  instead they taper below the hips to a 
  point. The limbs of an Exemplar are in 
  constant motion, making them difficult to 
  count. The conventional representation 
  shows three pairs of arms, wielding pairs of 
  straight, curved, and hooked swords, and 
  wings like upswept lines on a diagram. An 
  Exemplar of Blades has an appearance 
  similar to both legendary angels and 
  DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man. As a two-
  dimensional 
  form 
  curved 
  in 
  three 
  dimensions, the swords and wings of an 
  Exemplar are without thickness, and can 
  cleave apart even molecular bonds. The 
  blurring 
  speed 
  of 
  an 
  Exemplar’s 
  movements makes it very difficult to 
  engage one in battle. A prudent foe would 
  run away; but even immediate flight is 
  4 
   
  
   
  difficult, since an Exemplar of Blades can 
  teleport directly into an opponent’s path. 
  An Exemplar is an implacable foe, capable 
  of pursuing a target across Gossamer 
  reality, and even onto the Grand Stair. 
  • 
  Linked to a Power (Eidolon) [2 
  Points] 
  • 
  Immense Vitality [4 Points] 
  • 
  Engine Speed [4 Points] 
  • 
  Teleportation [10 Points] 
  • 
  Tireless Stamina [4 Points] 
  • 
  Combat Supremacy [8 Points] 
  • 
  Destructive Damage [4 Points] 
  • 
  Resistant to Firearms [2 Points] 
  • 
  Danger Sensitivity [2 Points] 
  • 
  Psychic Barrier [4 Points] 
  • 
  Follow Path [2 Points] 
  • 
  Self Healing [1 Point] 
   
  Some Annunaki of this type might be 
  imbued with even more potent Qualities, 
  such as Stupendous Vitality and Primal 
  Damage. The blades wielded by such a 
  creature cut not only molecular bonds; 
  they 
  are 
  Eidolon-blades 
  capable 
  of 
  severing the underlying structure of 
  Gossamer reality. Kalisthanai, mentioned 
  above, is an Exemplar of this caliber. 
    
  The Namer and Shaper 
   
  Resembling a schematic of something 
  similar to the antikytheria mechanism; 
  the complex diagrammatic clockwork 
  shape of this type of Annunaki is human-
  sized or larger. Its purpose is to interact 
  with the living creatures that swarm 
  through the Gossamer Worlds. The Namer 
  and Shaper uses its Imperative ability to 
  command 
  obedience, 
  temporarily 
  enslaving the local populace and forcing 
  them to enact whatever orderly plan it 
  requires. Because of its strong Eidolon 
   
   
  The Geometer  
  being observed by Dwimmerlaik 
   
  attunement, the mere presence of a Namer 
  and Shaper supports the structure of a 
  Gossamer World, making the use of both 
  Umbra 
  and 
  Eidolon 
  Mastery 
  more 
  difficult.  
  • 
  Integral to a Power (Eidolon) [4 
  Points] 
  • 
  Imperatives [10 points] 
  • 
  Eidolon Stasis [10 points] 
  • 
  Immense Vitality [4 Points] 
  • 
  Double Speed [2 Points] 
  • 
  Tireless Stamina [4 Points] 
  • 
  Combat Reflexes [2 Points]  
  • 
  Double Damage [2 Points] 
  • 
  Resistant to Firearms [2 Points] 
  • 
  Danger Sensitivity [2 Points] 
  5 
   
  
   
  • 
  Psychic Barrier [4 Points] 
  • 
  Search Through Worlds [4 Points] 
  • 
  Self Healing [1 Point] 
   
  The Crawler Upon the Stair 
   
  Appearing like a glowing anatomical 
  diagram of a centipede crossed with a 
  remora, the Crawler Upon the Stair is by 
  far the largest Annunaki ever reported. It 
  seems to be mapping the Grand Stair, 
  perhaps even providing that information 
  to some other creature. In the process, it 
  scours segments of the Stair clean of 
  debris, 
  marks, 
  modifications—and 
  sometimes 
  inhabitants. 
  Sighting 
  the 
  Crawler is reason enough to go through the 
  nearest Door, no matter where it might 
  lead. Attempting to pass through a Door 
  onto the Stair when the Crawler is passing 
  by is even more perilous, since that would 
  surely provoke the creature. Either sort of 
  occurrence is an ideal use of a character’s 
  Bad Stuff. 
   
  The Crawler Upon the Stair is enormous, 
  stretching hundreds of feet in length. Its 
  girth varies according to the current nature 
  of the Stair, but it always nearly fills the 
  passage, 
  regardless 
  of 
  its 
  breadth. 
  Wardens who have survived an encounter 
  with the Crawler have rightly questioned 
  how such a gargantuan thing could be on 
  the Stair at all—it cannot fit through any 
  known Door. The answer is that it 
  instantiates upon the Stair; it likely could 
  not survive in any Gossamer world, even if 
  it could enter one. Only the Eidolon and 
  the Crawler itself know whether it always 
  exists somewhere on the Stair, or whether 
  it comes into existence in response to 
  external circumstances such as changes in 
  the Stair or its many Doors. The few 
  residents of the Agora who have heard 
  rumors of the Crawler Upon the Stair’s 
  existence live in dread of its arrival. 
   
  For reasons known only to the Crawler, 
  Rhen codes marked on the surfaces of the 
  Stair are one of the few things which 
  survive its passage. 
   
  • 
  Linked to a Power (Eidolon) [2 
  Points] 
  • 
  Immense Vitality [4 Points] 
  • 
  Double Speed [2 Points] 
  • 
  Tireless Stamina [4 Points] 
  • 
  Combat Reflexes [2 Points]  
  • 
  Destructive Damage [8 Points] 
  • 
  Invulnerable 
  to 
  Conventional 
  Weapons [4 Points] 
  • 
  Danger Sensitivity [2 Points] 
  • 
  Psychic Barrier [4 Points] 
  • 
  Regeneration [4 Points] 
   
  Powers of the Annunaki 
   
  Imperatives [10 points] 
   
  Some Annunaki have the ability to shout 
  Imperatives—irresistible commands which 
  must be obeyed by anyone who hears 
  them. Imperatives are couched in Logos, 
  the ur-language of the cosmos and the 
  language of all True Names. Imperatives 
  are so fundamental that they transcend 
  any barrier to communication, requiring 
  only the ability to hear on the part of the 
  subject. This power is similar to the power 
  of 
  Invocation, 
  but 
  focused 
  upon 
  Compelling 
  Obedience—and 
  unlike 
  Invocation, the effect is instantaneous, and 
  knowledge of a True Name is not required. 
  For an Annunaki, the Eidolon force 
  diagram of a person is their True Name. 
  Using Psyche to resist an Imperative is 
  6 
   
  
   
  always a struggle, even for powerful 
  Wardens. In many cases, a Warden given 
  an Imperative command finds that they 
  are already carrying it out by the time they 
  fight free of the control. Imperative 
  commands affect everyone within earshot, 
  so complex group instructions are often 
  impractical. An Imperative command to 
  “build a wall” for example, will only result 
  in the construction of a useful wall if the 
  people who hear the command possess the 
  necessary skill as masons.  
   
  Teleportation [10 points] 
   
  Some Annunaki can move instantaneously 
  to a more advantageous position. It is 
  thought that they are moving across the 
  Eidolon itself, “simplifying” their existence 
  in one location, moving across the 
  Eidolon’s representation, and “expanding” 
  themselves along its lines elsewhere; they 
  seem retain consciousness all the way 
  along it. The teleportation ability is limited 
  in range; even the most powerful Annunaki 
  cannot use it to leave a Gossamer world. 
  Teleportation on the Grand Stair has the 
  potential for much greater range, given 
  that the Stair itself is conjecturally of 
  infinite length. Nevertheless, an Annunaki 
  cannot teleport off the Grand Stair, or onto 
  it; they use Doors for that, the same as 
  anyone else. 
   
  Eidolon Stasis [10 points] 
   
  As beings of pure Eidolon energy, 
  Annunaki are fundamentally creatures of 
  order. By their very presence, they 
  suppress any use of Eidolon Mastery other 
  than their own. Their innate orderliness 
  increases the resistance to change of 
  everything in their immediate area, 
  whether that change is due to Eidolon 
  Mastery, Umbra Mastery, or merely 
  natural causes. Some Annunaki can exert 
  this power with intent, shutting down 
  alterations to the fabric of reality around 
  themselves and fixing Gossamer worlds in 
  place. In the most extreme cases, an entire 
  Gossamer world is placed in stasis, as if it 
  were trapped in amber. A world or region 
  held in this way cannot be entered—any 
  attempt to do so brings the traveler into 
  direct 
  conflict 
  with 
  the 
  Annunaki 
  supporting the stasis. 
   
  What I learned in pursuit of petty 
  vengeance 
   
  Cousin, you are well aware I am sure, of 
  Sanash the Arcanarch’s long-standing 
  feud with me. It stems from an incident at 
  Penfold with which I shan’t bore you, but 
  it came to a final reckoning in a fashion 
  most horrific. Sanash dwelled for a time in 
  a Gossamer world known as Rosslyn; a 
  charming place, pastoral and languid. My 
  protestations of innocence will surely be 
  ignored, but know that I speak the truth 
  when I say that I had no notion that he 
  was even there; I discovered his presence 
  by accident as I traveled. But having 
  discovered it, I took my opportunity to 
  make his life there a trifle more difficult, in 
  return for all the indignities he had visited 
  upon me.   
   
  Perhaps I overstepped. I’d no intention of 
  turning our mutual enmity into a deadly 
  encounter, but Sanash apparently felt 
  otherwise. We fought, each in our own 
  fashion, trading sword strokes and more 
  esoteric blows. I cut him deeply, and 
  Sanash, roaring with rage, did something 
  the like of which I had not seen before—I 
  had already noted that his mastery of 
  Umbral 
  energies 
  had 
  increased 
  significantly 
  since 
  our 
  previous 
  encounter, but he still had the capacity to 
  7 
   
  
   
  surprise. Arms wide and hair crackling 
  with dark lightning, Sanash drew in 
  power—and that power changed him. I’d 
  seen shape-shifters before, of course, but 
  this was altogether different. He gained 
  size and bulk with such rapidity that it 
  seemed the very earth beneath his feet 
  became a part of him, flowing up his body 
  to form massive claws and spines…  
   
  I have never been accused of fighting fair. 
  I used the dirtiest trick I knew, and ended 
  his life before he drew another breath. 
  Mourn him not, for in dying the bastard 
  slew a Gossamer world. At first I did not 
  know it; the heap of corrupt earth-flesh 
  that tumbled to the ground riddled with 
  worms and maggots was revolting, but I 
  thought it of no consequence. Until the 
  corruption began to spread. The Umbral 
  transformation Sanash started did not 
  end along with his life, and the power of 
  the 
  Umbra, 
  once 
  unleashed, 
  was 
  unstoppable. Curdling poison spread 
  across that once-bucolic landscape, taking 
  with it beasts and birds, farms and fields—
  and Doors. Even dead, Sanash was doing 
  his level best to trap and destroy me, 
  careless 
  as 
  always 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  destruction he might cause along the way. 
   
  It is well-known that my mastery of the 
  Eidolon is, if not second to none, at least 
  second-to-few. My understanding of the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  Annunaki 
  made 
  me 
  confident that, in extremis, I could 
  perform a rite to instantiate an Annunaki 
  of my choosing.  
   
  It was a repair Annunaki that I had in 
  mind. I had seen such beings at work; 
  their 
  very 
  existence 
  stabilizes 
  and 
  strengthens the Eidolon within Gossamer 
  reality, shoring it up against the Shadow 
  beyond. 
  If 
  the 
  cancerous 
  change 
  spreading through Rosslyn could be 
  stopped, I was certain that I could create 
  an Annunaki to stop it! The rite is difficult, 
  being a feat of pure concentration, but it 
  takes little time. I envisioned the lines of 
  perfection within Rosslyn’s structure, but 
  rather than reinforcing them myself, I 
  chose among them those that matched the 
  ideal form of an Annunaki. I thought it 
  into being, instantiating it into Gossamer 
  reality with the Eidolon resonating 
  through its structure.  
   
  Though it was but a minor Annunaki, it 
  was beautiful! A glory to behold as it 
  spread rippling curves and nodes of 
  energy across Rosslyn, quelling the 
  rampant 
  corruption 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  unchecked Umbra—but then it rotated to 
  face me. “Effects lead back to causes, 
  themselves effects of prior causes. Strife 
  engenders uncontrolled change; strife 
  must be corrected.” I knew then that it held 
  me responsible for the destruction; if I had 
  not killed the accursed Sanash, he would 
  not have lost control of his summoned 
  power.  
   
  I bolted, with a vengeful angel hot upon 
  my heels!    
   
   
  Form Follows Function 
   
  I have a theory. The Annunaki may be the 
  immune system of the cosmos, responsible 
  for maintaining and restoring order. This 
  makes them partial manifestations of the 
  Eidolon itself, possessing intelligence but 
  no personal identities, and with precious 
  little of what we call “free will.” There’s 
  simply no room for it in a cosmos as 
  orderly as the one they seem to desire.  
   
  Suppose that, like the coarser Eidolon 
  Constructs, each Annunaki is designed for 
  a specific task which it then pursues with 
  8 
   
  
   
  relentless determination. As autonomous 
  agents, they carry out their duties either by 
  repairing changes or by preventing future 
  changes. All too often, the easiest method 
  of preventing change is to delete the agents 
  of change from reality. Annunaki are 
  extremely dangerous, and they are most 
  dangerous of all to Wardens and Masters 
  of the Grand Stair—notorious agents of 
  change that we are, one and all. 
   
  Annunaki instantiated for the purposes of 
  repair or change-prevention endure only 
  so long as their task remains uncompleted. 
  Having accomplished all that they may 
  accomplish, such short-duration instances 
  simply vanish, their energies expended. 
  But whatever creates the Annunaki may be 
  playing a longer game; as I’ve seen and 
  told, some Annunaki remain in existence 
  for millennia. 
   
  Annunaki that appear impassive, or which 
  seem unaware of events around them, are 
  in fact anything but. Powered by Eidolon 
  energy, Annunaki need neither food nor 
  sleep, and who can say where their 
  attention is focused? Eidolon Masters are 
  able to look upon the world and perceive its 
  underlying structure, to glimpse directly 
  the ideal that lies beneath the material. 
  Imagine a being that senses only that; an 
  Annunaki has perfect knowledge of the 
  structure of everything that surrounds it, 
  always and forever, out to the limits of 
  creation. 
  The 
  supposedly 
  dormant 
  Annunaki you approach may instead be 
  fully aware, patiently observing, and 
  awaiting only a trigger to spur it into 
  action. I urge caution. 
   
  As beings of pure energy, Annunaki have 
  little 
  physical 
  presence; 
  they 
  weigh 
  nothing, touch nothing, nor can they be 
  touched—unless they will it to be so. Their 
  glowing force-lines can become as intense 
   
   
  Kalisthana 
   
  as lasers, and their crackling nodules of 
  energy can produce barriers of pure force if 
  such 
  are 
  necessary. 
  They 
  seldom 
  manipulate 
  objects—they 
  rarely 
  have 
  occasion to need to. Resonant with Eidolon 
  energy, they shape Gossamer reality to suit 
  their purposes.  
   
   
  Reflections upon a cautionary tale 
   
  I narrowly escaped from Rosslyn just as 
  that world ceased to be, and eluded my 
  summoned avenger by using the Grand 
  Stair. I doubled-back through Door after 
  Door until I was sure I had outrun my 
  nemesis. My sense of safety was short-
  9 
   
  
   
  lived. In an unfamiliar Gossamer World I 
  acquired a horse and crossed a wide plain, 
  seeking a distant Door. A storm arose, and 
  the rolling grasslands provided no shelter. 
  I was riding hard and within a league of 
  my destination when a whirlwind called 
  my name! Blue lightning flashed, and 
  what I thought at first to be only the 
  afterimage stayed—an Annunaki! Worse, 
  it was not the mere creature I had 
  summoned—this was one of a greater 
  order, though no less my enemy for that.  
   
  Ill fortune follows me; it is my lot in life, 
  and 
  one 
  to 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  grown 
  accustomed—but this smacked of enemy 
  action! I rode my horse as if I’d stolen it, 
  surrounded now by hummocks of grass 
  and earth that concealed disjointed 
  stones. The Door was just ahead, beneath 
  the only lintel stone still intact in that 
  crumbling ruin. “Disrupter” the Annunaki 
  rumbled. “You called upon the Eidolon to 
  conceal 
  disorder 
  you 
  manufactured. 
  Disruptions in the pattern must be 
  corrected.” That last was delivered with 
  clear menace. I spurred my horse through 
  the Door and onto the Grand Stair, once 
  more fleeing for my life.   
   
  Thus it was that I discovered that the 
  Eidolon itself desired my end. The notion 
  that a fundamental structure of the 
  cosmos possessed motivations was so far 
  beyond my former understanding as to be 
  inconceivable; yet I could draw no other 
  conclusion.  
   
   
  The Unmastered Eidolon 
   
  Eidolon Mastery implies a deep, functional 
  knowledge of the principles of order and 
  symmetry represented by the Eidolon, and 
  a practical understanding of how its forces 
  run through the structure of the cosmos. It 
  is that knowledge and understanding that 
  gives us control over the energies that 
  shape Gossamer reality. Unfortunately, 
  few who utilize such power realize that it 
  implies no actual “mastery” over the 
  Eidolon itself.  
   
  How prideful we are! We puff and strut, 
  saying that we “command the Eidolon” to 
  do our bidding. Oh, the folly! How many of 
  us have been played for pawns and fools 
  over the centuries? I now believe that the 
  Eidolon does only its own bidding—and 
  that it bids the Annunaki as well! Our 
  “mastery” exists only so long as our actions 
  are congruent with the Eidolon’s desires.  
   
  Yes; the Eidolon’s desires. If all my 
  suppositions hold true, the Eidolon itself 
  generates Annunaki at will. They are but 
  extensions of its structure, and work in a 
  coordinated fashion to carry out its plans. 
  Plans which I have yet to fathom, but 
  which are of dire import to every living 
  thing in the cosmos! 
   
   
  Using the Annunaki in a 
  Lords of Gossamer & 
  Shadow Campaign 
   
  Encounters with the Annunaki can be 
  simple drop-in affairs featuring these 
  mysterious and puzzling “ultra-terrestrial” 
  creatures, or they can be the gateway into a 
  deeper plot, perhaps involving a sentient 
  Eidolon with goals of its own and 
  Annunaki pawns with which to pursue 
  them. 
   
  10 
   
  
   
  Here are several ways in which player 
  characters can become briefly enmeshed in 
  the affairs of the Annunaki: 
   
  Annunaki at War 
   
  The subject populace of an Annunaki 
  attacks or invades a Gossamer world the 
  players hold dear. The adherents of 
  Kalisthanai (above) are ideal for this 
  purpose. Having completed the unification 
  of their original Gossamer world, they now 
  seek footholds elsewhere. Their initial 
  scouting missions along the Grand Stair 
  and into the player character’s domain 
  escalate rapidly to full-scale mechanized 
  raids. Conflict with Kalisthanai in person 
  won’t be far behind.  
   
  An Annunaki might be motivated to 
  expand its territory for many reasons; the 
  acquisition of additional resources for its 
  subjects, access to a different set of natural 
  laws than those of its original Gossamer 
  world, or to extend the order it has already 
  created into a broader realm. The most 
  interesting motivation might be to gain 
  access to a location of cosmic significance; 
  a “weak spot” where Umbra or Shadow 
  could corrupt the Eidolon-structure of 
  Gossamer reality, the resting place of a 
  Typhonian artifact, or an access point to an 
  otherwise secret realm. 
   
  Debugging Reality 
   
  An Annunaki begins to undo changes made 
  by the player characters to Gossamer 
  reality. The initial encounter for this is the 
  discovery that a Gossamer world affected 
  by the player characters has been “reset.” 
  All is as if they’d never been there. Solving 
  that mystery leads to additional resets, 
  until ultimately the Annunaki responsible 
  is revealed. By that time, the Annunaki has 
  no recourse but to attempt to remove the 
  player characters from existence in order 
  to preserve order in the cosmos. 
   
  Disturbance 
   
  The player characters’ actions somehow 
  interfere with the long-term mission of an 
  Annunaki. This is an encounter ideally 
  suited for players with a tendency to run 
  rough-shod across Gossamer Worlds; 
  Someone  fights a Dwimmerlaik, or creates 
  a powerful Icon construct, or introduces 
  two Usari to one another and inadvertently 
  disturbs 
  the 
  meticulous, 
  aeons-long 
  machinations of a resident Annunaki.  
   
  The Font of Knowledge, mentioned above, 
  is an ideal candidate for this sort of 
  encounter. It is crafting a peaceful agrarian 
  society, in which individual initiative is 
  subordinate to the needs of the entire 
  culture. A Warden who subverts this for 
  their own ends will find that the Font’s 
  vengeance is swift.   
   
  An Eye For An Eye 
   
  An NPC Warden of the Grand Stair (or 
  some other powerful individual looked 
  upon fondly by the players) is in mortal 
  danger of erasure by the Annunaki. This 
  undoubtedly stems from an act similar to 
  one of those described above. The 
  Annunaki have determined that this 
  person’s very existence is forfeit due to 
  crimes real or imagined. Seeking aid—or 
  perhaps 
  merely 
  sanctuary—the 
  unfortunate subject of Annunaki attention 
  drags their allies, willing or not, into the 
  line of fire. 
   
  11 
   
  
   
  Here are outlines for long-term plots 
  relating to the secrets of the Annunaki, any 
  one of which could become the core of an 
  entire campaign: 
   
  War of the Powers 
   
  The Eidolon might be in the grips of a 
  conflict with the Umbra, striving to shift 
  the balance of energies between the two 
  great Powers and using the Gossamer 
  Worlds to keep score. If you favor this plot, 
  characters who are Masters of Eidolon or 
  Masters 
  of 
  Umbra 
  face 
  recruitment 
  attempts by one side or the other—and 
  assassination attempts from the opposite 
  side. This is an ideal way for player 
  characters to come into conflict with 
  Annunaki sent either to entice or harass 
  them. 
  Cryptic 
  encounters 
  with 
  an 
  Annunaki—or 
  with 
  Gossamer 
  forces 
  sponsored by one—are the first stage of 
  this plot. Offers are made, veiled warnings 
  issued, and the player characters begin to 
  feel as if they are being watched. Annunaki 
  and Umbra Gaunts pressure the Wardens 
  of the Grand Stair to “Choose a side—or 
  die.” Canny players will realize that this is 
  a war that they cannot allow either side to 
  ultimately win; brokering a peace—or even 
  a ceasefire—could be their only real path to 
  victory. 
   
  Web of Gossamer 
   
  The Annunaki work ceaselessly to preserve 
  order and re-weave the Eidolon lattice that 
  shapes the Gossamer worlds. Perhaps their 
  eternal struggle is not with the rival power 
  of Umbra, but with the Shadow. The 
  howling abyssal void between worlds can 
  and will consume all of existence, save only 
  that it is held at bay by the efforts of the 
  Annunaki. In this paradigm, interference 
  with an Annunaki’s mission on the part of 
  a player character could bring not only the 
  wrath of that particular Annunaki down 
  upon them (surely bad enough), but the 
  wrath of all Annunaki. Woe to any player 
  character perceived to be an agent of the 
  Shadow! The mystery here is who set the 
  Annunaki to their task. Perhaps they follow 
  the commands of a sentient Eidolon, or 
  perhaps they serve Shallain of Caliban, 
  who watches for signs of the end of all 
  things.  
   
  Tread Lightly  
   
  The Eidolon and Umbra might be united in 
  an attempt to overcome or control the 
  Grand Stair—a Power that has only 
  recently (from their points of view) 
  intruded upon their cosmos and one that 
  brings with it many destabilizing travelers. 
  Presuming that most of your player 
  characters are Wardens of the Grand Stair, 
  this plot puts them under considerable 
  pressure. It’s particularly appropriate for 
  campaigns in which the player characters 
  have made sweeping changes in the 
  cosmos, or exploited the power of the 
  Grand Stair in some way. This variation 
  leads to encounters with Annunaki sent to 
  undo what the player characters have 
  done, or sent to more subtly observe or 
  interrogate them concerning the nature of 
  the Grand Stair. In that sense, it’s an 
  espionage story as powerful but shadowy 
  forces probe the organization of a potential 
  rival.  
   
  First Among Equals 
   
  The Eidolon might actually be the First 
  Annunaki, progenitor of a species. This 
  dovetails with one of the speculative 
  legends given before. In this version, the 
  12 
   
  
   
  Eidolon is the gestalt of a transcended 
  species, and the Annunaki “merely” 
  extensions of it into space-time. Unlike the 
  folk tale, this explanation gives the Eidolon 
  specific motivation; having transcended 
  reliance on base matter, the Eidolon now 
  struggles to maintain its position as one of 
  the “poles of existence” opposite the 
  Umbra. This presupposes that there are 
  other Powers that could supplant the 
  Eidolon as a pole of existence. 
   
  Wrighting is an ideal candidate for 
  Eidolon-rivalry. Consider the possible 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  representative 
  entity 
  personifying the creative urge, the very 
  desire to make; that would be the Power of 
  Wrighting made manifest.   
   
  Alternatively, the Dwimmerlaik power 
  Channeling could be a candidate to 
  supplant the Eidolon. (This is especially 
  true 
  if 
  the 
  Dwimmerlaik 
  feature 
  prominently 
  in 
  your 
  campaign.) 
  Channeling is based on Psyche, a force 
  connecting all living things in the cosmos, 
  so it has the requisite breadth; all it needs 
  is a personification. Mowbray, the Pale 
  Hierophant, may be headed for that 
  particular apotheosis, or he may already be 
  the personification of Psyche—or of 
  Shadow. In this scenario, the Annunaki are 
  working to prevent such an entity from 
  coming into existence, or failing that, from 
  gaining enough power to cosmically 
  replace their gestalt progenitor. The player 
  characters may be innocent bystanders 
  caught up in the machinations of the 
  Annunaki, or they may be actual threats. 
  Initiates or 
  exemplars 
  of 
  whichever 
  nascent Power you choose are obvious 
  targets for Annunaki interference, and 
  those opposed to it obvious allies to be 
  recruited.  
   
   
   
  The Crawler Upon the Stair 
   
  Extensions of Eidolon 
  Mastery 
   
  The Greater Powers are far-reaching as 
  they stand—but deeper knowledge is 
  available to the devoted student. Inventive 
  people have always found creative ways to 
  use their relationships to the Greater 
  Powers to good advantage, but such 
  opportunities are situational. Over time, 
  and with extended periods of intense 
  study, a Master can establish a permanent, 
  higher-order 
  relationship 
  with 
  their 
  chosen discipline and significantly expand 
  their 
  capabilities. 
  The 
  highly-focused 
  13 
   
  
   
  abilities of Annunaki can be used by GMs 
  as examples of the sort of things that are 
  possible for a practitioner of Greater 
  Eidolon Mastery. They can also be 
  purchased as abilities for Artifacts Linked 
  to the Eidolon. 
   
  In the hands of a material being, these 
  abilities are not quite as powerful as they 
  are when the energy-based Annunaki use 
  them. The following guidelines should be 
  kept in mind: 
   
  The use of Imperatives, from a mortal 
  point-of-view, is a way of utilizing the 
  Eidolon structure of a living creature in 
  place of its True Name. While that gives 
  Imperatives great utility, they are still less 
  potent than Invocation since Imperatives 
  are limited to Compelling Obedience and 
  perhaps Summoning—and that only within 
  a specific Gossamer world.  
   
  Teleportation via Eidolon is stressful but 
  possible, so long as the distances involved 
  are short. Travel to locations within line-
  of-sight, or perhaps to a location well-
  known and well-remembered is within the 
  scope of this ability. But this is still tactical 
  teleportation, not the ability to travel huge 
  distances or cross between Gossamer 
  worlds. It’s no substitute for a good 
  Sorcerous teleportation spell, and certainly 
  no substitute for a Door. 
   
  Eidolon Stasis is vastly more difficult for a 
  mortal to use than it is for an Annunaki. 
  Temporarily paralyzing an individual 
  target, or “crystallizing” a limited area by 
  amplifying their perfect and ordered 
  nature is a reasonable mortal expression of 
  the power. Locking down change across an 
  entire Gossamer world in this way is 
  beyond the capacity of anyone or anything 
  not composed of raw Eidolon energy.  
   
  There is a final ability relevant to the 
  Annunaki that they do not themselves 
  possess, but which a mortal Master of 
  Eidolon could learn: the Instantiation of an 
  Annunaki. This is, as recounted above, a 
  perilous rite to enact.  
   
  Instantiate Annunaki [5 or 10 points] 
   
  A “typical” Annunaki, if such a creature can 
  be said to exist, costs between 30 and 50 
  character points. But that cost is accurate 
  only if the Annunaki is a loyal and utterly 
  devoted servant. Such is blatantly not the 
  case: Annunaki brought into existence by a 
  mortal obey only their true creator, the 
  Power to which they are linked. For that 
  reason, the ability to bring an Annunaki 
  into being is available at a steep discount. 
  (If your players see this bargain price as 
  some sort of trap they are wise players 
  indeed.) 
   
  For five points, an Eidolon Master may 
  instantiate an Annunaki of any type he or 
  she has previously encountered. The 
  process 
  is 
  arduous, 
  but 
  not 
  time-
  consuming; by focusing the Psyche upon 
  the Eidolon-schematic overlaying the 
  world, the Eidolon Master selects those 
  lines within the diagram that most closely 
  match the form of the desired Annunaki. 
  Enhancing those lines, the Master “guides” 
  the Eidolon in the formation of a new 
  instance drawn from the ideal Annunaki 
  template. Once in existence, it acts as its 
  nature and the Eidolon dictate. There are 
  no guarantees that this will be in 
  accordance with the character’s wishes. 
   
  For ten points, an Eidolon Master may 
  instantiate a custom-designed Annunaki 
  with minimum abilities equal to those of 
  the example given on page 146 of Lords of 
  Gossamer and Shadow, plus whatever 
  additional abilities or improvements are 
  14 
   
  
   
  desired. As before, once instantiated, the 
  Annunaki will act to further the interests 
  and intents of the Eidolon, although in this 
  case a minimally-powerful instance might 
  be briefly tractable. The ten point version 
  of this power is only available as an 
  upgrade to a character that has already 
  paid for and used the five point version. 
  Failure is, after all, the best way to learn.  
   
  If a GM chooses to allow it, for an 
  additional 10 point surcharge, either 
  version of Instantiate Annunaki can be 
  granted as an advanced ability of Greater 
  Wrighting, on the principle that an 
  Annunaki is inscribed upon Gossamer 
  reality in exactly the same fashion as an 
  Icon linked to the Power of Eidolon would 
  be. Such “wrought” Annunaki might 
  manifest with a different color of energy, or 
  exhibit 
  unique 
  behavioral 
  quirks 
  distinguishing them from their non-Iconic 
  brethren. 
  This 
  variant 
  is 
  ideal 
  for 
  campaigns 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Power 
  of 
  Wrighting is personified, and struggling 
  for primacy with the Eidolon. Player 
  characters might encounter both sorts of 
  Annunaki without initially realizing their 
  fundamental differences.  
   
  Players or pawns 
   
  Cousin, I can but hope that this missive 
  reaches you intact; I am in no position to 
  deliver it in person, nor shall I ever be 
  again. It will, no doubt, reside eternally in 
  one of your little black folders; but no 
  matter, at least someone will know what I 
  have learned, and at what cost.  
   
  When next I leave the Stair, it will be for 
  the last time. My intent is to leave these 
  pages behind, trusting to other Wardens 
  who might find them to deliver them to 
  you.  
   
  It is to those other Wardens that I now 
  address myself: Thank you for seeing 
  these letters to Lucien—and shame upon 
  you for reading them yourselves, which I 
  know full well you have done! They are 
  not, as you may think, the ravings of a 
  madman. We believe that we command 
  great powers, but in truth we are the 
  pawns of those powers—tokens in a game 
  we 
  can 
  barely 
  perceive, 
  let 
  alone 
  comprehend! Pay attention to the details 
  around you as you traverse the Grand 
  Stair and visit the varied Gossamer 
  Worlds. You too will begin to see what I 
  have seen. When you do—when, not if—
  say nothing! To speak such things aloud is 
  to draw the attention of the Eidolon, and 
  its servant Annunaki.  
   
  And now, Lucien, I must depart. The Stair 
  cannot protect me forever, nor can I 
  survive eternally upon its treads. Bereft of 
  my former powers, whichever Door I 
  choose will lead to a Gossamer World I 
  shall never leave. I’ll not name it here, nor 
  even think its name; the Eidolon is 
  listening, always. 
   
  Yours in exile,  
   
  Remi Haden-Franz 
   
   
  15 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Amber/Lords Of Gossamer And Shadow/Threats/Secrets Of The Annunaki.pdf