TEXT: Lords of Gossamer & Shadow 
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  by Cam Banks
  
   
   
   
  Rite Publishing Presents: 
   
   
  Threats: Echo
  Threats: Echo
  Threats: Echo
  Threats: Echoeseseses    of the Typhonians
  of the Typhonians
  of the Typhonians
  of the Typhonians        
   
   
  Osiris
  Osiris
  Osiris
  Osiris (Author): Cam Banks 
  Isis
  Isis
  Isis
  Isis    (Editor): Perry Grosshans 
  Horus 
  Horus 
  Horus 
  Horus (Cover Artist): Jack Holliday  
  Geb
  Geb
  Geb
  Geb    (Interior Artists): Jack Holliday, Jason Rainville, 
  James “Devin Night” Hazelett, Vincent Ptitvinc, Michael 
  Richards, Fadly Romdhani,   
  Nut
  Nut
  Nut
  Nut (Trade Dress): James “Devin Night” Hazelett  
  Seth
  Seth
  Seth
  Seth (Layout and Publisher): Steven D. Russell 
   
  Dedication:
  Dedication:
  Dedication:
  Dedication:  
  This work is dedicated to the wonderful community on AmberMUSH in the mid-90s 
  who did so much to inspire my future work & introduced me to my wife, for which I can 
  never thank them enough 
   
   
  Special Thanks: To Steve, Jason, and Perry for extracting good words from me in the 
  middle of a dry spell. 
   
   
  Based on Lords of Gossamer & Shadow by Jason Durall 
   
   
   
  Threats:Echoes of the Typhonians Copyright © 2014 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. The Images by Michael Richards on 
  pages11 and 21 are under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ The images by Vincent Ptitvinc on page 6 and by Fadly 
  Romdhani on page 12 are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/ 
  
  1 
  My dearest Lucien, 
   
  I’ve attached the following transcript 
  pieced 
  together 
  from 
  several 
  conversations I had some time ago with 
  a woman named Kenti Iomenta, whom I 
  met in my aetheric travels. I can’t be 
  entirely certain that each conversation 
  was with the same Kenti Iomenta, and 
  I’m sure you will understand more when 
  you read it. From what I have been able 
  to ascertain, Kenti Iomenta is one of the 
  Usari 
  (pronounced 
  yoo-SAR-ree), 
  a 
  family or race of genetically and 
  spiritually identical people scattered 
  across the Gossamer worlds and very 
  possibly all originating from a single 
  progenitor. Or, as Kenti herself explains, 
  perhaps they are all heading towards a 
  single collected being. I believe these 
  beings are what some of the Gossamer 
  Lords and others also refer to as 
  “Typhonian Shards,” which, until these 
  conversations, I believed to be nothing 
  more than unintelligible automatons. If 
  these Usari are indeed the remnants of a 
  Typhonian, they may pose more of a 
  threat than any of us believed. At the 
  very least, I believe it highly probable 
  that this information is new to you, for 
  until these conversations Kenti and her 
  Usari 
  “brothers 
  and 
  sisters” 
  were 
  completely unknown to me. 
   
  And we don’t have to go into how 
  rare that is. 
   
  All my best, 
  Dayle 
   
   
   
   
  Dayle, The Eternal Seeker 
   
  In an infinite number of Gossamer 
  worlds, the likelihood of encountering 
  two or more individuals who appear to be 
  the same person is extremely high. 
  Mistaken identity is commonplace; any 
  given Gossamer Lord or Lady has no 
  doubt met their doppelganger at some 
  point, perhaps even on purpose. So it is 
  perhaps not surprising at all that the 
  Usari have managed to hide their secret 
  for millennia — we are everywhere, 
  across all worlds, fragments of a greater 
  whole, rumored by some to be an entity 
  divided since the time of the Typhonians. 
   
  Whether the name Usari applies to 
  this original entity or has been assigned 
  to that being’s many splinter-selves is a 
  
  2 
  subject of some debate among the 
  handful of scholars who know of us. At 
  the most basic level, we Usari look very 
  much alike — a prominent nose and chin, 
  dark hair, olive skin, blue or purple eyes. 
  We are women and men and in-between. 
  We come from worlds of any description: 
  worlds of high fantasy, worlds of grim 
  steam and sorcery, or worlds of far-flung 
  starships. Any world may have one of us. 
   
  For the longest time, we remained 
  apart from each other, never meeting, 
  unaware of our common origin. At some 
  point, one or more of us gained access to 
  the Grand Stair, whether through the 
  acquisition of a Key or by being brought 
  out of our Gossamer world through a 
  Door by some well-meaning traveler. Not 
  long after, two of us met each other and 
  — to the surprise and alarm of onlookers 
  — merged together, creating a more 
  substantial 
  and 
  powerful 
  individual 
  Usari. This new person had all of the 
  skills, memories, and abilities of both, 
  along with the new understanding that 
  this was not the last time such an event 
  would happen. 
   
  There now exist Usari of varying 
  degrees of power, perhaps collected 
  fragments of the whole, some relatively 
  benign and others very much the 
  opposite. We maintain fiercely individual 
  natures, despite containing multitudes; 
  none of us bear the name “Usari” but 
  instead take another name or identifying 
  title. A handful of us are powerful on an 
  order 
  equivalent 
  to 
  the 
  mightiest 
  Dwimmerlaik or Gossamer Lords, and 
  perhaps pose a significant threat to your  
   
   
  A Usari? 
  Or just another Gossamer 
  Adept? 
   
  status quo. Those of us like this are only 
  now emerging from Domains and hidden 
  realms of our own making, and our 
  ambition and drive to grow in power and 
  influence escalates at a geometric scale.  
   
   
  Common Powers Among
  Common Powers Among
  Common Powers Among
  Common Powers Among    
  the Usari
  the Usari
  the Usari
  the Usari    
   
  The central power of the Usari is our 
  ability to combine with any other Usari to 
  form a single, more powerful individual. 
  This new Usari has a personality derived 
  from the stronger of the two that created 
  it, dominating the merger, although 
  infrequently a strong-willed but weaker 
  one prevails. Typically, two of us can 
  
  3 
  sense one another from a distance of as 
  much as a mile or two away. When we 
  meet, we lock eyes, and the process of 
  merging begins appearing as a warping 
  or distorting of space as the Gossamer 
  world quickly works to adapt to the 
  presence of two of us in close proximity. 
  We may try to avoid merging, but this 
  rarely holds up unless we are separated 
  from each other soon after we meet. 
  Local reality twists and we are brought 
  together, a new and singular individual 
  forming in the space between us, bound 
  by a tesseract-like spatial contraction. In 
  the case of two strong Usari, this can 
  drastically affect the environment around 
  us; lightning, storms, tremors, and the 
  overloading of electrical or mechanical 
  systems are frequently reported. 
   
  Newly merged, we retain the gear, 
  equipment, and possessions of both 
  weaker fragments. Frequently, items 
  possessed by the two are themselves 
  merged together, creating hybrid items 
  capable of more than the originals. More 
  commonly 
  however, 
  superficial 
  or 
  redundant equipment is simply cast aside 
  in the process of merging. If one or both 
  of 
  us 
  had 
  cybernetic 
  or 
  mystical 
  enhancements of some kind, these are 
  retained in some fashion. 
   
  Merging takes no more than a couple 
  of minutes, during which time neither of 
  us may act or put up a defense. The 
  Gossamer world usually creates such a 
  significant and potent distortion in space 
  that attacks and harmful effects bounce 
  off 
  us 
  or 
  are 
  somehow 
  absorbed. 
  Onlookers with Eidolon Mastery might 
  sense 
  the 
  combination 
  of 
  aetheric 
  structures to form a stronger whole; 
  Umbra 
  Masters 
  can 
  pick 
  out 
  the 
  distortion and entropic side effects of the 
  merger. In either case, use of those 
  greater powers can hold off or delay the 
  merger for a short time, but the actual 
  resisting force is not us but the Gossamer 
  world itself. In a sense, the Gossamer 
  world doesn’t want two of us in the same 
  place, so the merger is a form of 
  corrective reality surgery. 
   
  If two of us meet on the Grand Stair, 
  or in some other place not bound by 
  Gossamer reality, the forces that seek to 
  keep us apart are not as strong. Even so, 
  bound within us are forces of our own, 
  and the urge to become one is powerful 
  indeed. It appears that, as beings tied in 
  some way to our Gossamer worlds, we 
  take some of it with us wherever we 
  travel. Perhaps this power is incarnate 
  within us regardless of where we are.  
   
   
  New Power: Usaran Unity 
  New Power: Usaran Unity 
  New Power: Usaran Unity 
  New Power: Usaran Unity     
  [10 Points] 
   
  This power, unique to the Usari, 
  allows two Usari to combine with one 
  another to create a single Usari of greater 
  strength. It is an unconscious ability for 
  the most part, connected to the reality of 
  the Gossamer world which the Usari are 
  innately connected to. The merger has 
  two stages: the lock, and the assimilation. 
  Some Usari allow the lock to occur 
  because they feel they can dominate the 
  resulting 
  Usari 
  with 
  a 
  stronger 
  
  4 
  personality. Others don’t want to lock in 
  the first place. Most Usari believe this 
  power is a feature of the Gossamer 
  worlds, but it is more complicated than 
  that. The ties between Gossamer and the 
  Usari are inextricable. 
   
  • If one or both Usari actively oppose 
  the merger, then it falls to a contest of 
  Endurance (to resist the lock) or 
  Psyche (to resist assimilation). Add 
  each Usari’s Points in the Usaran 
  Unity Power to their Attribute. 
  • If one Usari wants to merge and the 
  other has no preference (or they’re 
  unconscious or otherwise helpless), it 
  is automatic. 
  • If one Usari doesn’t want to merge 
  and the other has no preference, the 
  merger is held off for the moment, 
  giving the unwilling Usari time to 
  employ a power or artifact to escape. 
   
  When combining two Usari, the new 
  Usari has 20% more power than the two 
  that merged. This is reflected in game 
  statistics 
  by 
  comparing 
  Attributes, 
  Powers, and other Points between the 
  two merged Usari, and adding 20% of the 
  weaker Usari’s Points to the Points of the 
  stronger on a case-by-case basis, rounded 
  down. Additional points in any Power do 
  not affect the Power until a new level is 
  reached. Consider them to be “banked” 
  until future mergers increase the point 
  levels to a new degree of mastery. For 
  example, a Usari with 20 Points of 
  Strength and another with 30 Points 
  merge and produce a Usari with 34 
  Points. Two Usari with the Warden of the 
  Grand Stair (10 Points) power merge to 
  create a single Usari with Warden of the 
  Grand Stair (12 Points, two of which are 
  banked.) The Lords of Gossamer & 
  Shadow rules have an option for 
  “incremental Power increases” (page 70); 
  if the Gamemaster is using this optional 
  rule, it would be possible for Usari to 
  then also possess partial powers. 
   
  One 
  exception 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  advancement rule is when Superior 
  Ranked Attributes are involved. If a Usari 
  with Superior Rank in an Attribute 
  merges with another Usari with Superior 
  Rank, the new Usari has Paragon Rank in 
  that Attribute. If a Usari with Superior 
  Rank in an Attribute merges with 
  another Usari with Paragon or higher 
  Rank, the new Usari has the Rank of the 
  stronger of the two Usari. In the rare case 
  of two Usari with an Average Rank 
  merging, the result is a Superior Rank in 
  that Attribute. 
   
  Note that the Usaran Unity Power is 
  also included in this Point transfer. 
  Powerful Usari usually have more than 
  10 Points invested in Usaran Unity 
  because even the weakest Usari has 10 
  Points in the Power, which gives 2 Points 
  to the merger. Every 10 Points of Usaran 
  Unity that a Usari has beyond the first 10 
  (so, at 20 Points, 30 Points, and so on) 
  the Usari may invest Points in a new 
  Power, Artifact, or Creature of some 
  kind, subtracting them from Usaran 
  Unity. The Usaran Unity Power may 
  never be reduced below 10 Points in this 
  manner. To the Usari, this always 
  operates on an instinctual level when the 
  merger takes place; the new Usari simply 
  
  5 
  has better power and mastery over their 
  resources and abilities than either of the 
  merged Usari. 
   
  The Usaran Unity Power confers upon 
  each Usari the power to sense others of 
  their kind in the same Gossamer world, 
  albeit faintly if there is a great distance 
  between them. On the Grand Stair, this 
  power doesn’t operate except in close 
  proximity (a Usari would know if another 
  Usari was in the Agora with them, but 
  not if the other Usari were in Lucien’s 
  Domain.) Also, by virtue of its nature as a 
  power that draws upon a collective 
  history and memories, any Usari may 
  reach back into multiple paths of 
  experience to pluck a detail or moment 
  from their union, giving them a distinct 
  advantage when it comes to recalling 
  obscure facts and knowledge. 
   
   
  Other Usari Powe
  Other Usari Powe
  Other Usari Powe
  Other Usari Powersrsrsrs    
   
  Over the course of millennia, most of 
  us have learned or manifested the use of 
  powers from the relatively minor Sorcery 
  and Invocation to Wrighting, Warden of 
  the Grand Stair, and even Eidolon or 
  Umbra Mastery. A handful of Usari, 
  especially those of us who are the result 
  of several previous mergers, find that our 
  combined powers create proportionately 
  greater skill at using these powers. From 
  time to time, a Usari appears with 
  understanding 
  or 
  use 
  of 
  powers 
  heretofore unknown, lore that was 
  thought lost to the ages. 
   
  None 
  of 
  us 
  have 
  thus 
  far 
  demonstrated 
  any 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  Dwimmerlaik’s 
  deeper 
  magic 
  or 
  Channeling. This, at least, may lend 
  credence to the notion that we are not 
  related to the Dwimmerlaik nor are we 
  associated with them. 
   
   
  The Truth About 
  The Truth About 
  The Truth About 
  The Truth About     
  the Usari
  the Usari
  the Usari
  the Usari    
   
  Scholars, both Usari and not, have 
  long dwelt upon the true nature of our 
  kind and from whence we sprang forth. 
  In the millennia that I have walked the 
  Gossamer worlds, joining with others of 
  my race to achieve the degree of 
  knowledge and understanding that I have 
  now, I have heard and even gained 
  through unity a great many explanations 
  and theories. I should like to present 
  them to you, but I leave it to you to 
  discover which is truth and which is 
  speculation or fancy. 
   
   
  Usari as Typhonian
  Usari as Typhonian
  Usari as Typhonian
  Usari as Typhonian    
   
  For those who know of our existence, 
  one of the most popular theories is that a 
  single Usari progenitor was a Typhonian, 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  impossibly 
  powerful 
  creatures of aeons past that lie sleeping 
  or dormant among the Gossamer worlds. 
  Defeated by a cadre of champions 
  millennia ago, this Typhonian was only 
  capable of being thwarted by separating 
  
  6 
  him into an infinite number of shards, 
  scattered across the Gossamer worlds. 
   
   
  Usari as Typhonian 
  Usari as Typhonian 
  Usari as Typhonian 
  Usari as Typhonian 
  Homunculi
  Homunculi
  Homunculi
  Homunculi    
   
  This origin presents us as shards or 
  pieces of a Typhonian’s essence, rather 
  than a Typhonian proper. Even on that 
  day when we all merge together as one, 
  we won’t recreate a Typhonian but 
  instead serve as the vessel for a 
  Typhonian’s apocalyptic return. Perhaps 
  what personality or singular mind we 
  would have acquired will be rendered 
  insensate 
  and 
  eclipsed 
  by 
  the 
  Typhonian’s power. Perhaps not. 
   
   
  Usari as God
  Usari as God
  Usari as God
  Usari as God    
   
  In this version, Usari was a deity of 
  sorts, the kind of divine being who 
  opposed the Typhonians before the rise 
  of the Gossamer Lords. In the final battle 
  with his foes, our progenitor was 
  betrayed and torn apart by his brother 
  gods, who used the energy released in 
  this process to fell the greatest of the 
  Typhonians. Alternately, Usari did this to 
  himself, willingly sacrificing his own 
  identity to win the day and creating us in 
  the process. 
   
   
      
      
   
  Typhonian Homunculi? 
   
  Usari as Gossamer Gestalt
  Usari as Gossamer Gestalt
  Usari as Gossamer Gestalt
  Usari as Gossamer Gestalt    
   
   
  As every Gossamer world is thought 
  to have had its own Typhonian in 
  antiquity — the source of that world’s 
  very existence or creation — perhaps 
  every Gossamer world has its own Usari, 
  a ubiquitous avatar that a world produces 
  as a byproduct of the very nature of 
  infinite reality. When these avatars 
  encounter one another, we merge and 
  become 
  more 
  powerful, 
  creating 
  a 
  higher-ranking Usari. Thus, we were 
  never a single being at all, but could 
  potentially become a godlike being the 
  like 
  of 
  which 
  none 
  have 
  ever 
  encountered. 
  
  7 
  Usari as Cosmic Defense 
  Usari as Cosmic Defense 
  Usari as Cosmic Defense 
  Usari as Cosmic Defense 
  System
  System
  System
  System    
   
  With so many tears in reality and 
  conflicting 
  Powers 
  throughout 
  the 
  Gossamer worlds, we may be a form of 
  defense system, created alongside all of 
  reality eons ago as a means of preventing 
  any single Power from becoming too 
  dominant. Along the way, we have 
  strayed from this purpose, or perhaps our 
  individual 
  desires 
  and 
  needs 
  are 
  necessarily ambitious. When our singular 
  merged 
  Usari-self 
  eventually 
  comes 
  about, it is a sign that one or more 
  Powers have become too strong, or that 
  the Gossamer Lords have interfered too 
  much. 
   
   
  Usari as Avatars of the Grand 
  Usari as Avatars of the Grand 
  Usari as Avatars of the Grand 
  Usari as Avatars of the Grand 
  Stair
  Stair
  Stair
  Stair    
   
  Every one of us comes from a 
  Gossamer world linked by a Door to the 
  Grand Stair, so perhaps every one of us is 
  an avatar of the Grand Stair itself, an 
  extension into the many countless worlds 
  as a voice and intelligence that the Grand 
  Stair cannot otherwise present. If this is 
  true, then we are growing together and 
  forming collective beings as a reflection 
  of the increasingly interconnected reality. 
  Soon, when a final, ultimate Usari 
  emerges, the Grand Stair may have its 
  own singular representative among the 
  greater Powers, much as the Eidolon or 
  Umbra may eventually produce their 
  own. 
   
   
  Usari as Constructs of a 
  Usari as Constructs of a 
  Usari as Constructs of a 
  Usari as Constructs of a 
  Greater Power
  Greater Power
  Greater Power
  Greater Power    
  In this version of our origin, we are 
  splinters of one of the Greater Powers, 
  perhaps Eidolon creatures who draw 
  power from unity, or Umbral wraiths 
  who extend our entropic influence when 
  brought together. If this is the case, we 
  won’t 
  be 
  capable 
  of 
  accessing 
  an 
  opposing power, but probably have at 
  least some mastery or access to the 
  Greater Power of which we are but 
  fragments. An interesting alternative is 
  that each Usari is a copy of a sentient 
  Icon, an extension of the Power of 
  Wrighting, and the reason we are all alike 
  is that we are simply reflections of this 
  primal Icon. If this is the case, who was 
  the original subject of this Icon? Are 
  there other primal Icons who, like the 
  Usari, are ubiquitous across Gossamer 
  worlds, hiding among the populace? 
   
   
  Known Usari
  Known Usari
  Known Usari
  Known Usari    
    
  I do not have the time nor the 
  willingness to reveal to you how many of 
  us are left, and our identities as 
  individuals. Be that as it may, it is useful 
  to understand the varying degrees of 
  ability and unity that we Usari may 
  manifest when you encounter us in your 
  travels. Hereafter I make account of a 
  
  8 
  select few representatives — including 
  myself. 
   
  For 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  classification, you can describe any 
  of us as being ranked on a scale of 1 
  to 5. With this ranking system, a 1st stage 
  Usari is at best a weak or minor 
  character, while a 5th stage Usari is 
  among the strongest and most whole 
  collective being in our number. A 
  theoretical 6th stage would be equivalent 
  to a Typhonian; such an individual defies 
  conventional description and would only 
  be overcome or defeated outside of 
  personal conflict. 
   
  Typical 1
  Typical 1
  Typical 1
  Typical 1stststst    Stage Usari
  Stage Usari
  Stage Usari
  Stage Usari    
   
  While they all look alike, no two 
  Usari are truly identical. Male, female, 
  or androgynous Usari are possible. All 
  are 
  olive-skinned, 
  blue-eyed, 
  black-
  haired, and have prominent facial 
  features. I have stared into the mirror 
  more times than I can count, and I see 
  glimpses and flashes of them, echoes of 
  other lives. 
   
  You can add a Power of 10 points or 
  less to a 1st stage Usari but most don’t 
  have any ability to leave their Gossamer 
  world. Likewise, a 1st stage Usari may 
  have up to 10 points invested in Artifacts 
  or Creatures, but most don’t have 
  anything significant. Usari are often 
  trouble magnets, hence their 2 Points of 
  Bad Stuff. This doesn’t make them all 
  antagonists, of course. 
   
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes    
  PSYCHE – Paragon 
  STRENGTH – Superior 
  ENDURANCE – Paragon 
  WARFARE – Superior 
   
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers    
  Usaran Unity [10 Points] – The most 
  basic level of this Power, allowing the 
  Usari to merge with another. Some 1st 
  Stage Usari have merged as many as 3 
  times already, but few have any idea that 
  they can merge with other Usari at all. 
   
  Artifacts and Creatures
  Artifacts and Creatures
  Artifacts and Creatures
  Artifacts and Creatures    
  None. 
   
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff    
  Bad [+2 Points] 
   
  Typical 2
  Typical 2
  Typical 2
  Typical 2nd
  nd
  nd
  nd    Stage Usari
  Stage Usari
  Stage Usari
  Stage Usari    
  Kathomet, Remus Elphid, Triaminus, 
  Usweth—names I have had, in earlier 
  lives, Usari that contributed to the being 
  I am today. I am all of them, and there 
  are so many others like them, still 
  independent, still shining with potential. 
   
  These Usari are made up of at least 
  32 Usari, or 5 mergers, and they’re at 
  least on par with most weaker or 
  inexperienced 
  Gossamer 
  Lords 
  or 
  Dwimmerlaik. Even so, they’re hardly at 
  their peak potential and are ideal 
  candidates for stronger Usari to hunt 
  down and merge with. I speak from 
  experience… 
   
  
  9 
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes    
  PSYCHE – 25 Points 
  STRENGTH – 10 Points 
  ENDURANCE – 25 Points 
  WARFARE – 10 Points 
   
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers    
  Usaran Unity [20 Points] – This is after 
  5 mergers of varying strengths. Some 2nd 
  Stage Usari have racked up as many as 
  40 Points but have more than likely 
  invested 
  them 
  in 
  new 
  Powers 
  or 
  Creatures, keeping their Points at around 
  20. 
  Warden of the Grand Stair [10 Points] – 
  Nothing special here, but has a Key or 
  learned from a knowledgeable Warden in 
  order to get to this point. 
  Cantrips [10 Points] – Clarity, Dim, 
  Flare, Focus, Invigorate, Jam, Loosen, 
  Nullify, Numb, Quicken. 
   
  Artifacts and
  Artifacts and
  Artifacts and
  Artifacts and    Creatures
  Creatures
  Creatures
  Creatures    
  Bodyguards [10 Points] – The Usari has 
  acquired a number of deadly and efficient 
  henchmen to keep him alive. 
  • Double Vitality [2 Points] 
  • Superior Stamina [1 Point] 
  • Combat Reflexes [2 Points] 
  • Named & Numbered [x2 Points] 
   
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff    
  Bad [+5 Points] 
   
      
   
  Ash Andjety, a 3
  Ash Andjety, a 3
  Ash Andjety, a 3
  Ash Andjety, a 3rd
  rd
  rd
  rd    Stage Usari
  Stage Usari
  Stage Usari
  Stage Usari    
  I know this one, having seen him 
  from afar. As always, a tall, olive-
  skinned man with sea-blue eyes. He 
  maintains a smooth, hairless scalp, 
  which is tattooed with curious glyphs 
  and whorls of white ink. He favors 
  spotless white business suits with a blue 
  tie and kerchief in the breast pocket. His 
  shoes are black with white spats. His 
  speech is accented yet measured and 
  clear, and when in conversation he 
  spends most of the time listening with 
  interest, not talking.  
   
  Ash is a 3rd Stage Usari, the 
  accumulation of several dozen 2nd Stage 
  Usari and hundreds of 1st Stage Usari 
  over several centuries. From what my 
  sources have gathered, he is patient, 
  thoughtful, and quite aware of the vast 
  
  10 
  storehouse of knowledge that he has at 
  his fingertips. In fact, one of the key 
  qualities he looks for when casting his 
  net for more Usari to merge with is their 
  academic and arcane record. Unlike 
  many 3rd Stage Usari, he has not turned 
  to martial prowess and violence to 
  achieve his goals. I wonder what I would 
  become if I merged with him. 
   
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes    
  PSYCHE – 65 Points 
  STRENGTH – 15 Points 
  ENDURANCE – 40 Points 
  WARFARE – 35 Points 
   
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers    
  Usaran Unity [30 Points] – Over the 
  years Ash has diverted much of his 
  growing Usaran Unity into an assortment 
  of minor powers, skills, and artifacts, but 
  he always maintains at least 30 Points to 
  aid him in merger contests. 
  Master of the Grand Stair [35 Points] – 
  Ash is comfortable with all elements of 
  this Power, but he rarely uses the Grand 
  Stair itself in case he inadvertently runs 
  into other Usari. 
  Eidolon Mastery [50 Points] – This was 
  a significant addition several mergers 
  ago, from a Usari who had spent 
  thousands of years walking the Grand 
  Stair, a devotee of order and structure. 
  Umbra Affinity [10 Points] – Ash has 
  developed a sense of how the Umbra is 
  manifested and when and where it is 
  being used nearby. He can detect its use 
  in the past, but he has not yet mastered 
  the manifestation and projection of the 
  Umbra proper. 
  Sorcery [15 Points] – Ash is a skilled 
  sorcerer, but he is dependent on his 
  Handheld Infodeck to maintain his actual 
  spell library. Without it, he tends to 
  resort to Cantrips. 
  Cantrips [15 Points] – Charm, Clarity, 
  Dampen, Dim, Flare, Focus, Glitch, 
  Invigorate, Jam, Loosen, Mana, Nullify, 
  Reveal, Quicken, Surge. 
   
  Artifacts and Creatures
  Artifacts and Creatures
  Artifacts and Creatures
  Artifacts and Creatures    
  Handheld Infodeck [17 Points] – This 
  resembles a graven image or icon carved 
  from ebony and inlaid with mother of 
  pearl, but that’s just the protective case. 
  Within is a highly advanced storage 
  device holding many worlds’ worth of 
  information and data, much of it mystical 
  or 
  occult. 
  Ash 
  can 
  have 
  it 
  read 
  information out to him aloud or he can 
  reveal a holographic screen about twelve 
  inches wide for more detailed reports. It 
  also acts as a surrogate in rituals during 
  which Ash doesn’t care to look up 
  formulae or rotes. 
  • Invulnerable 
  to 
  Conventional 
  Weapons [4 Points] – That’s a really 
  hard shell. 
  • Able to Speak [1 Point] – An array of 
  simple voice commands allows Ash 
  hands-free access. 
  • Psychic 
  Sensitivity 
  [1 
  Point] 
  – 
  Factory-standard aetheric resonance 
  capacitors installed. 
  • Psychic Neutral [2 Points] – Ash took 
  the psychic firewall upgrade. 
  • Contains an Icon [1 Point] – The 
  Infodeck has a holographic Icon 
  image that connects Ash with a  
   
  
  11 
   
   
  The Great Library of Apis 
   
  trusted 
  manservant, 
  allowing 
  for 
  near-instantaneous transport home.  
  • Capable of Hanging & Using Spells [4 
  Points] 
  – 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  primary 
  functions Ash uses the Infodeck for. 
  Most 
  spells 
  preloaded 
  into 
  the 
  Infodeck 
  are 
  defensive 
  or 
  manipulation spells. 
  • Integral to Sorcery [4 Points] – This 
  underscores Ash’s reliance on the 
  Infodeck 
  for 
  his 
  magical 
  understanding and use. He will stop 
  at nothing to get it back, and is 
  terrified that another Usari will 
  acquire it before he can. 
   
  Domains
  Domains
  Domains
  Domains    
  The Great Library of Apis [4 Points] – 
  Located on a world of great sorcery, all of 
  it linked or bound by the written word, 
  the Great Library is a city-sized edifice at 
  the headwaters of a tremendous river. 
  Despite the mystical qualities of the 
  Domain, Ash’s offices and suites are 
  appointed in tasteful modern décor 
  echoing the Art Deco era of Earth history. 
  The entire Domain is linked via sorcerous 
  broadband to his Infodeck, allowing him 
  to update the records and files in the 
  Library as often as he updates his device. 
  The world of Apis is inhabited mostly by 
  passive and non-threatening servitor 
  creatures who clean, prepare, and file 
  thousands of books and scrolls a day. At a 
  word, however, Ash can bring forth 
  elementals and other creatures to provide 
  a form of defense. 
  • Personal Domain [1 Point] 
  • Restricted Access [2 Points] 
  • Control of Contents [1 Point] 
   
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff    
  Bad [+5 Points] 
   
  Ash Andjety as an Ally
  Ash Andjety as an Ally
  Ash Andjety as an Ally
  Ash Andjety as an Ally    
  Because he is an information broker 
  and hoarder, Ash is an excellent ally for 
  player characters who can pay him in 
  knowledge. He rarely leaves his Great 
  
  12 
  Library, content to scour his impressive 
  collection for hints of ways to gather even 
  more information to his Domain. Ash 
  might even be a worthy mentor for some 
  player characters, especially those who 
  need instruction in magic, although he 
  hides the truth of his sorcery and its 
  reliance on his Infodeck from all but his 
  most trusted companions. 
   
  Ash Andjety as an Enemy
  Ash Andjety as an Enemy
  Ash Andjety as an Enemy
  Ash Andjety as an Enemy    
  If the player characters get in Ash’s 
  way, they find him an implacable foe. He 
  seeds lies and falsehood about them well 
  in advance, because it works to his 
  advantage that other worlds and allies of 
  the player characters believe them to be 
  mistaken about their closely held beliefs. 
  Ash toys with his enemies from afar, but 
  when he needs to deal with them 
  personally, he stocks his Infodeck with 
  spells designed to confuse, distract, and 
  rewrite local history to favor his claims. 
   
  Objectives
  Objectives
  Objectives
  Objectives    
  More than anything, Ash wants to 
  know everything. His nature as a 
  collective being of many lifetimes has 
  already instilled in him a thirst for 
  knowledge that drives all that he does. 
  Whether it is finding other Usari to 
  merge with (and he always seeks weaker 
  Usari, so as to remain as dominant as 
  possible) or lost and obscure texts or 
  writings, Ash brings all of his resources 
  to bear. 
   
   
      
      
      
  Cyrus Filo, the Nine
  Cyrus Filo, the Nine
  Cyrus Filo, the Nine
  Cyrus Filo, the Nine----
  Fingered King, a 4
  Fingered King, a 4
  Fingered King, a 4
  Fingered King, a 4thththth    Stage 
  Stage 
  Stage 
  Stage 
  Usari
  Usari
  Usari
  Usari    
  Mighty Cyrus is a tall, olive-skinned 
  man with cobalt blue eyes. His long 
  black hair is tied up in a thick knot at the 
  base of his skull. He is encased in 
  gleaming segmented silver armor, with 
  an elaborate helm. His right hand is 
  missing the little finger, and as a 
  consequence 
  he 
  wields 
  his 
  deadly 
  hammer in his left. His voice carries far 
  in battle, every command crisp and 
  precise and inspirational. I knew him in 
  lifetimes before, and know him now, and 
  I struggle to keep my distance. 
   
  
  13 
  Cyrus is a tireless crusader and 
  general, a 4th Stage Usari who seeks out 
  others like him and either soundly 
  defeats their armies in battle or simply 
  merges with them and brings their 
  troops under his own banner. He has 
  conquered many Gossamer worlds in 
  this way, most of them already sworn to 
  a Usari before Cyrus even set foot 
  through their Doors. Cyrus earned his 
  title thousands of years ago in battle 
  against one monster or another and, for 
  some reason, has never regained his 
  missing digit despite merging with 
  thousands of Usari of 3rd Stage or lower. 
   
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes    
  PSYCHE – 40 Points 
  STRENGTH – 60 Points 
  ENDURANCE – 60 Points 
  WARFARE – 100 Points 
   
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers    
  Usaran Unity [40 Points] – Like most 
  other 
  4th 
  Stage 
  Usari, 
  Cyrus 
  has 
  maintained at least 40 Points in Usaran 
  Unity while diverting his other points 
  toward greater powers and abilities. 
  Master of the Grand Stair [35 Points] 
  Umbra Mastery [50 Points] 
  Invocation [20 Points] – Cyrus makes 
  frequent use of this Power in battle with 
  others, especially when confronting Usari 
  who oppose a merger. He instinctively 
  knows the True Name of any Usari, an 
  advantage that few of lower stage 
  possess, and a unique oddity available 
  only to his kind. 
  Cantrips [15 Points] – Charm, Clarity, 
  Dampen, Dim, Eidolon Negation, Focus, 
  Glitch, Invigorate, Jam, Loosen, Nullify, 
  Reveal, Quicken, Surge, Umbra Negation. 
   
  Artifacts and Creatures
  Artifacts and Creatures
  Artifacts and Creatures
  Artifacts and Creatures    
  Wepwawet, Cyrus’ Hammer [20 Points] 
  – Known as the Opener of the Way, this 
  weapon is forged from a mystic alloy of 
  adamant and orichalcum, giving it a 
  shimmering marbled quality. The entire 
  weapon is a single element, rather than 
  being assembled in pieces, making it 
  remarkably robust. Cyrus may use it to 
  literally smash his way through the veils 
  of Gossamer reality, although he could 
  exert its power subtly if he chose to. 
  • Destructive Damage [8 Points] 
  • Impervious to Harm [8 Points] 
  • Mold Gossamer Reality [4 Points] 
   
  Cyrus’ Segmented Armor [12 Points] – 
  Cyrus 
  is 
  rarely 
  seen 
  without 
  his 
  protective shell of Umbra-infused armor. 
  Its miraculous craftsmanship allows him 
  almost total freedom of movement, and 
  at times he has managed to survive 
  catastrophic damage due to the armor 
  keeping his broken body intact until after 
  a battle. 
  • Impervious to Harm [8 Points] 
  • Linked to the Umbra [4 Points] 
   
  Cyrus’ Deathless Legion [30 Points] – 
  Although he has many armies, formed 
  from the inhabitants of conquered worlds 
  or the remnants of weaker Usari, Cyrus 
  prizes his so-called Deathless Legion 
  above all others. These seasoned insect-
  like warriors are rumored to rise up from 
  the 
  battlefield 
  after 
  being 
  slain, 
  continuing to fight even after death. In 
  
  14 
  truth, 
  they 
  are 
  creatures 
  that 
  spontaneously spawn new warriors from 
  their own corpses if killed while in the 
  throes of battle. 
  • Double Vitality [2 Points] 
  • Combat Reflexes [2 Points] 
  • Hardened Weapons [1 Point] 
  • Resistant to Normal Weapons Armor 
  [1 Point] 
  • Regeneration [4 Points] – Not so 
  much regeneration as replication or 
  reincarnation. 
  • Horde [x3 Points] 
   
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff    
  Bad [+2 Points] 
   
  Cyrus as an Ally
  Cyrus as an Ally
  Cyrus as an Ally
  Cyrus as an Ally    
  Having a military powerhouse like 
  Cyrus as an ally might seem to be a 
  tremendous boon, but the Nine-Fingered 
  King is consumed with his dreams of 
  conquest and frequently abandons his 
  allies in the midst of a lengthy campaign 
  to secure his own interests elsewhere. He 
  may best serve as a mentor for martial 
  player characters, lending them his 
  millennia of military expertise and advice 
  without actually having to be on the 
  battlefield (and potentially leaving the 
  player character high and dry). 
   
  Cyrus as an Enemy
  Cyrus as an Enemy
  Cyrus as an Enemy
  Cyrus as an Enemy    
  Those who claim Cyrus as an enemy 
  do not hold onto their Domains for long. 
  Cyrus has honed conquest to a fine art, 
  and he has legions of troops that he cares 
  little for once they have served their 
  purpose. As such, even when he has won 
  the day, he often leaves behind huge 
  occupational forces whose psychopathic 
  lieutenants have fewer qualms than 
  Cyrus does about war crimes or other 
  horrors. If Cyrus has set his sights on 
  you, your best option is to either give him 
  what he wants, or find allies of your own 
  whose combined strength can measure 
  up to his military might. 
   
  Objectives
  Objectives
  Objectives
  Objectives    
  Much as other Usari are fixated on such 
  things as knowledge, resources, or even 
  raw power, Cyrus thirsts for victory over 
  others and acquisition of their military 
  power. He doesn’t hold on to material 
  goods or even territory for very long, 
  tending to strip mine what he needs from 
  conquered 
  worlds 
  and 
  then 
  move 
  onwards. Cyrus is especially interested in 
  adding to his talent in warfare by 
  merging with other militant Usari, and 
  the fact that he makes use of entropic 
  forces via the Umbra and the power of 
  True Names affords him a significant 
  advantage in coming out dominant when 
  the merger is complete. Cyrus doesn’t 
  have any special desire to interfere in the 
  activities of Gossamer Lords, knowing 
  full well that were he to attract their 
  attention they might become obstacles to 
  his long-term military operations. 
   
   
  
  15 
  Kenti Iomenta, 
  Kenti Iomenta, 
  Kenti Iomenta, 
  Kenti Iomenta,     
  The Lady of Silence, 
  The Lady of Silence, 
  The Lady of Silence, 
  The Lady of Silence,     
  aaaa    5555thththth    Stage Usari
  Stage Usari
  Stage Usari
  Stage Usari    
  And here I am, a reflection in a tall 
  glass as I survey my realm: A tall, olive-
  skinned woman with sapphire-blue eyes 
  and 
  close-cropped 
  black 
  hair. 
  Shimmering robes of light and darkness 
  seem to bend space around me. I float 
  inches above the ground at all times, 
  with silver motes of power whirling 
  around me like stardust. All sound and 
  vibration seem dulled or muted in my 
  presence, although my telepathic voice 
  rings crystal clear when I speak. 
   
  Kenti is a legend even among those 
  Usari who are aware of their own 
  collective nature. She appears to them in 
  dreams, echoes of countless other lives or 
  memories, 
  interactions 
  and 
  half-
  encounters. Many powerful Usari have 
  sought to subsume her through conflict 
  and she has thwarted all their ambitions. 
  She resides in the deeper, darker corners 
  of the Grand Stair in a Domain that 
  touches upon the very edges of Gossamer 
  and the unknown, like a great spider in a 
  web. Indeed, she draws Usari to her 
  almost unconsciously, gathering more 
  power and influence without drawing 
  attention to herself. Few ever return. 
   
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes
  Attributes    
  PSYCHE – 150 Points 
  STRENGTH – 25 Points 
  ENDURANCE – 65 Points 
  WARFARE – 65 Points 
   
   
   
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers
  Powers    
  Usaran Unity [50 Points] – Kenti 
  maintains a constant 50 Point level in 
  this Power in order to grow and expand 
  her own mystical resources. 
   
  Lady of the Grand Stair [50 Points] – 
  Kenti has resided in hidden realms along 
  the Grand Stair for longer than any other 
  Usari, and may even have had a part in 
  its early construction. Only she knows for 
  sure. Her attunement to the Grand Stair, 
  its Doors, and its Keys is such that she 
  has, for the time being, eluded Lucien’s 
  notice. She knows immediately when 
  another Usari has set foot on the Grand 
  Stair, and has been known to redirect the 
  Stair’s twists and turns to bring them 
  closer to her. 
   
  
  16 
  Eidolon Mastery [50 Points] – Although 
  she could have devoted more of her 
  personal resources to greater Eidolon 
  mastery, Kenti has sought to acquire 
  Eidolon-linked Artifacts instead, each of 
  which acts as a surrogate for this. 
   
  High Sorcery [40 Points] – Kenti’s 
  mystic attunement is substantial, a result 
  of many mergers in the past with sorcerer 
  Usari and those attuned to Gossamer 
  power sources of various types. She is 
  capable of drawing upon power sources 
  throughout the Gossamer worlds in order 
  to fuel and hang her spells, and she 
  instinctively brings up counter-spells 
  when challenged with magic. 
   
  Wrighting [30 Points] – Kenti keeps 
  Icons of various Gossamer world agents 
  as well as specific contacts along the 
  Grand Stair, mostly for her servants’ use. 
   
  Cantrips [20 Points] – Charm, Clarity, 
  Dampen, Dim, Eidolon Negation, Flare, 
  Focus, Foul, Fracture, Glitch, Grasp, 
  Invigorate, Jam, Loosen, Mana, Nullify, 
  Reveal, Quicken, Surge, Umbra Negation. 
   
  Artifacts and Creatures 
  Mantle of Sidereal Majesty [12 Points] – 
  Kenti wears this garment for protection 
  and as a means of drawing and collecting 
  magical power. It appears to flow about 
  her, twisting space and reality as it does, 
  but this is largely cosmetic. She can 
  amplify or diminish light and sound with 
  the Mantle, often for dramatic purpose. 
  • Linked to the Eidolon [2 Points] 
  • Mold Gossamer Reality [4 Points] 
  • Danger Sensitivity [2 Points] 
  • Invulnerable 
  to 
  Conventional 
  Weapons [4 Points] 
  • Capable 
  of 
  Hanging 
  Named 
  & 
  Numbered Spells [2 Points] 
   
  Kenti’s Spider-Seekers [28 Points] – 
  Although they usually look like dog-sized 
  spiders, 
  these 
  scouts 
  can 
  manifest 
  multiple forms in order to blend in with 
  their surroundings. The Spider-Seekers 
  are almost always white and red in 
  coloration, even if they’re taking on the 
  form of humanoid children (which is a 
  common disguise). A handful of Spider-
  Seekers are active on the Grand Stair at 
  any given time, watching and collecting 
  information for Kenti. 
  • Double Speed [2 Points] 
  • Tireless Stamina [4 Points] 
  • Combat Training [1 Point] 
  • Resistant to Normal Weapons [1 
  Point] 
  • Psychic Neutral [2 Points] 
  • Follow Path [2 Points] 
  • Named & Numbered Alternate Forms 
  [2 Points] 
  • Named & Numbered [x2 Points] 
   
  Domain
  Domain
  Domain
  Domain    
  Denderaxos, the Vault of Confluence [12 
  Points] – This is the primary abode of 
  Kenti in the current era, although she has 
  had many in the past. It is located along 
  the Grand Stair, but the paths and 
  stairways that lead to it are convoluted 
  and double-back on each other to the 
  extent that many Wardens unconsciously 
  skirt alongside it without even noticing 
  its existence. The Vault has a dozen or 
  more Doors that open to Gossamer 
  
  17 
  worlds of great magical power, worlds 
  from which Kenti may draw servants or 
  protectors as needed. 
  • Primal World [4 Points] 
  • Guarded [4 Points] 
  • Control of Destiny [4 Points] 
   
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff
  Stuff    
  Good [+2 Points] 
   
  Kenti as an Ally
  Kenti as an Ally
  Kenti as an Ally
  Kenti as an Ally    
  Having Kenti as an ally means having 
  an extraordinary advantage on the Grand 
  Stair, especially if she has granted access 
  to Denderaxos. She knows more about 
  those who walk the Grand Stair than 
  most, even more than the majority of 
  Gossamer Lords or Dwimmerlaik, but 
  she rarely exerts this knowledge except to 
  aid in her own protection. Player 
  characters who bring her knowledge of 
  Usari in far-flung Gossamer worlds 
  where her Spider-Seekers cannot travel 
  may be rewarded with minor artifacts 
  and other esoteric items, or perhaps a 
  Door to somewhere they urgently need to 
  travel. 
   
  Kenti as an Enemy
  Kenti as an Enemy
  Kenti as an Enemy
  Kenti as an Enemy    
  With Kenti as an enemy, travel along 
  the Grand Stair itself becomes perilous. 
  She is able to redirect and reposition 
  even common landmarks, albeit only 
  temporarily, but long enough to guide or 
  force her enemies into the arms of other 
  threats. Kenti does not engage directly 
  with her foes. Rather, she prefers to tie 
  them up with dangers, unravel their most 
  carefully guarded secrets, and generally 
  make life uncomfortable for them. If the 
  player characters are allied with another 
  Usari, Kenti may decide that they are her 
  foes by association, unless they can be 
  convinced to bring their Usari ally to her 
  (and henceforth allow her to initiate a 
  merger). 
   
  Objectives
  Objectives
  Objectives
  Objectives    
  Kenti has the primal urge to maintain 
  a secure and hidden power base at any 
  cost. Because she knows her foremost 
  obstacles in staying hidden are other 
  Usari and various powerful Gossamer 
  Lords or other beings, she prepares and 
  executes plans that stretch out for 
  centuries, plans that result in her getting 
  stronger and staying out of the way of the 
  intrigues of others. She emerges from her 
  Domain only in times of great crisis, such 
  as a war between powerful 4th or 5th Stage 
  Usari, and even then only to protect her 
  own interests. She doesn’t necessarily 
  want to be the final Usari, but will merge 
  with and assimilate any Usari who seek 
  to expose, depose, or destroy her. 
   
   
  Using the U
  Using the U
  Using the U
  Using the Usari in a 
  sari in a 
  sari in a 
  sari in a 
  Lords of Gossamer & 
  Lords of Gossamer & 
  Lords of Gossamer & 
  Lords of Gossamer & 
  Shadow
  Shadow
  Shadow
  Shadow    Campaign
  Campaign
  Campaign
  Campaign    
   
  The Usari are a threat whose true 
  nature and full extent may take dozens of 
  game 
  sessions 
  to 
  fully 
  realize 
  or 
  understand. Introducing them to a Lords 
  of Gossamer & Shadow story requires a 
  
  18 
  little planning. Here are two suggested 
  means of doing so. 
   
  The Slow Reveal
  The Slow Reveal
  The Slow Reveal
  The Slow Reveal    
  Because there are Usari everywhere, a 
  Gamemaster might introduce several of 
  them early on almost as an afterthought, 
  describing a bartender in a seedy 
  watering hole, an engineer on a tramp 
  freighter, and a company official all in 
  the same way. Clever players may pick up 
  after a while that they’ve been seeing a lot 
  of dark-haired, blue-eyed characters in 
  the course of their travels, but as they’re 
  never more than passing references or 
  mentions, might not think much of it. 
   
  Eventually, one of the stronger Usari 
  appears in the campaign as a character of 
  some significance. A good way to bring 
  one in is as a lieutenant, aide, or 
  henchman of an established villain, 
  perhaps as a member of a corps of 
  mercenaries or bounty hunters. This is 
  the first time the Usari come into actual 
  conflict with the player characters and 
  demonstrate 
  abilities 
  in 
  excess 
  of 
  Paragon 
  rank. 
  Whether 
  the 
  player 
  characters defeat the Usari or they elude 
  capture and flee, the Gamemaster may 
  introduce another one later who looks for 
  all the worlds like the one they tangled 
  with earlier. 
   
  This method of introducing Usari into 
  the campaign — slowly over time, giving 
  them their own roles in the storyline — 
  allows for the gradual revelation that 
  there is much more going on here than it 
  appears. It also gives the Gamemaster a 
  means of setting up a multitude of 
  existing Usari who, when and if they 
  meet each other, might demonstrate with 
  the player characters as witness the 
  merging 
  of 
  Usari 
  into 
  a 
  stronger 
  collective. 
   
  A fun twist is to make one or two 
  Usari sympathetic and helpful to the 
  player characters, even allies in their 
  wars against the Dwimmerlaik, rival 
  Gossamer Lords, or creatures from 
  Shadow. The loss of such an ally to a 
  stronger Usari who, in turn, becomes 
  even stronger, is a powerfully emotional 
  moment. 
  It 
  may 
  give 
  the 
  player 
  characters a personal investment in 
  uncovering the Usari’s true origins, 
  unraveling thousands of years of mystery 
  in a fleeting hope that somewhere out 
  there is an Usari who feels the same 
  about them as the one they lost. 
   
  With the Slow Reveal storyline, one 
  potential ending is that the player 
  characters seek to either bring all of the 
  Usari together and uncover the secret of 
  their origins or instead realize that such a 
  being may be too powerful to exist in this 
  era. In that case, the player characters 
  must discover the means by which the 
  Usari were divided in the first place. 
  Interrogation of Usari usually fails, for 
  they are almost all stricken with no 
  memory of their past (assuming they 
  were once a single creature), at least not 
  until they grow strong with collective 
  memories. And when this happens, 
  they’re unlikely to cooperate with the 
  player characters if they suspect that the  
  
  19 
  player characters seek to defeat or 
  destroy them. 
   
  The Slow Reveal can tie into another 
  major storyline that the Gamemaster has 
  planned, especially one that involves an 
  artifact or device that only an ancient 
  being may be aware of. In this case, a 
  Usari could be the missing link in 
  thwarting the rise of the Dwimmerlaik, 
  stamping out a rogue Gossamer Lord, or 
  even preventing the unmaking of the 
  Grand Stair at the hands of a Typhonian 
  who revels in entropy and the End Times. 
  With such a tie-in, the Slow Reveal is not 
  so much a threat as it is a gradual 
  introduction of a significant ally, and this 
  in turn can lead to more adventures after 
  the true threat is neutralized. 
   
   
  The Usari War
  The Usari War
  The Usari War
  The Usari War    
   
  In this storyline, the Usari are 
  introduced as part of a warning from a 
  trusted ally such as Lucien or Calais. 
  Dayle and the other Gossamer Lords, in 
  the process of recovering from a recent 
  attack from some other quarter, have 
  learned of the existence of the Usari and 
  require the player characters to look into 
  it. As with the Slow Reveal storyline, you 
  may already have seeded the campaign 
  with minor, unnamed Usari characters in 
  places 
  the 
  player 
  characters 
  have 
  frequented. One or two might even 
  inhabit a player character’s Domain. It’s 
  best to keep them out of major locations 
  such as Shatterlight or the Agora for the  
   
   
   
   
  The Usari War 
   
  moment, especially as these are so close 
  to the Gossamer Lords initially. 
   
  Once the player characters start 
  investigating, major attacks on Gossamer 
  Lord Domains start happening. These are 
  well-timed assaults, making use of Icons, 
  tears in Gossamer-stuff, even previously 
  unknown Doors. However, they are over 
  in a matter of minutes, and while some 
  destruction of property or defeat of 
  defensive measures takes place, there 
  don’t seem to be any real objectives. 
  What’s happening, of course, is that two 
  or more strong Usari have learned of 
  each other and, in an attempt to gain 
  advantage, are using their networks of 
  spies, agents, and secrets through the 
  Grand Stair to track down Usari and 
  
  20 
  either capture them or merge with them 
  directly. These Usari don’t want to meet 
  each other in the same Gossamer world, 
  at least not until they believe they have 
  enough collective power to assert their 
  own millennia-old personalities in the 
  aftermath of a merger. 
   
  As soon as the player characters 
  realize that the only real missing people 
  after these assaults — which might even 
  taken place simultaneously, given that 
  there are more than one Usari planning 
  and executing them — all look alike, they 
  may turn to their own Domains or 
  favorite locations and see if such an 
  individual is present there. That’s when 
  their Domains are subjected to another 
  sortie in the Usari War. 
   
  This storyline can go on for some 
  time, with the powerful Usari growing 
  ever more bold and dangerous. As they 
  merge with lesser Usari whom their 
  armies have captured, their personal 
  power grows. One wrinkle in this may be 
  that, at some point, one of the prime 
  Usari undergoes a substantial shift in 
  personality or motivation. They might 
  even turn to the player characters in an 
  attempt to explain that, after a recent 
  merger, they have had a change of heart 
  and now they seek to end the war without 
  further bloodshed. 
   
  The war has a number of potential 
  endings. The most epic, of course, is that 
  eventually there are only two Usari 
  remaining. They decide to use their sheer 
  power and scope of abilities to battle 
  long-distance across the Labyrinth or the 
  Grand Stair, destroying whole Gossamer 
  worlds 
  in 
  their 
  wake, 
  like 
  two 
  Typhonians returned of old. Notable 
  non-player Gossamer Lords may even 
  face their own death in such a conflict, or 
  they may sacrifice much in order to keep 
  the two from raining destruction upon 
  their charges. 
   
  Eventually, through the efforts of the 
  player characters, the two titans meet 
  each other face to face, and reality 
  buckles inwards to bring them together 
  as one. Will the lone Usari be some 
  beneficent Philosopher-King who, at the 
  dawn of pre-recorded time, split himself 
  into countless fragments to achieve some 
  noble goal, such as the destruction of the 
  Typhonians? If so, are they the same 
  being they once were, or have the aeons 
  of division and regathering turned them 
  into an abomination? Worse yet, what if 
  the Usari was one of the strongest and 
  most violent Typhonians, and only by 
  tearing him into pieces could he be 
  stopped? See “The Truth About the 
  Usari” for more ideas. 
   
  It’s possible that the Usari War ends 
  with the deaths of the Usari leaders, or 
  their 
  re-sundering 
  into 
  multiple 
  fragments, 
  scattered 
  across 
  endless 
  Gossamer worlds. This, at least, keeps 
  the singular Usari from returning from 
  infinite exile. The question, however, is 
  what sort of strain this places upon 
  Shadow, and if the Gossamer worlds will 
  be the same again once the smoke clears. 
   
      
  
  21 
  Player Character Usari
  Player Character Usari
  Player Character Usari
  Player Character Usari    
  As noted earlier, this is a potentially 
  exciting twist, although it is certainly 
  fraught with issues. Any player character 
  may be built at character creation as a 
  Usari by taking the Usaran Unity Power 
  for 10 Points. This may not immediately 
  be seen as an effective use of Points but if 
  the Gamemaster affords opportunity 
  during the campaign for the character to 
  meet NPC Usari and thus merge with 
  them, it gives them a means of getting 
  stronger. A significant caveat to this, of 
  course, is that such a means of power 
  escalation 
  subverts 
  the 
  usual 
  advancement rules. If the players and 
  Gamemaster agree that this is no 
  problem it can lead to some truly epic 
  adventures. 
   
  It’s a good idea to establish that if the 
  player character fails to assert his 
  personality 
  when 
  the 
  Usari 
  merge 
  together, this is equivalent to losing 
  control of the character and turning them 
  into a NPC. In some ways, this does 
  counterbalance the intrinsic power creep 
  of Usaran Unity, and acts as a constant 
  threat that may deter some players from 
  choosing such a character in play. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Amber/Lords Of Gossamer And Shadow/Threats/Echoes Of The Typhonians.pdf