TEXT: i 
  
  ii 
  Angels & Ashes 
  Written by Jordan Marshall and Ryan Chaddock 
  Fiction by Joseph DeSimone 
  Artwork and Layout by Ryan Chaddock 
  Editing by Katherine Gohring 
  Copyright Ryan Chaddock Games 2014 
  This product was created under license from Monte Cook Games, LLC. 
  Numenera and its logo are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other 
  countries. All Monte Cook Games characters and character names, and the distinctive likenesses 
  thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC. 
  Acknowledgements 
  “It is a mistake to consider any belief more liberated than another. It is the possibility of change 
  which is important. Every new form of liberation is destined to eventually become another form of 
  enslavement for most of its adherents. There is no freedom from duality on this plane of existence, 
  but one may at least aspire to choice of duality.” -Peter James Carroll, Liber Null 
  Playtesters:   
  Briana Boyer 
  Larry Cooper 
  Walter Wattenburger III 
  
  iii 
  Creative Commons Source Images 
  The source/stock images and software brushes for the following artwork are used under this 
  license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/  
  Brushes used throughout the art in this book by redheadstock on Deviantart:  Alchemy, 
  Alchemy II, Arcane Circles-Symbols Brushes, Arcane Runes Brushes, Broken Brushes, Crop 
  Circles, Dingbats Shapes, Distressed Photoshop Brushes, Glowing Circles , Glowing Shapes 
  Borders, Grunge N Swirls, Grungy and Dirty, Tech or Sci Fi 
  The following images by fins-pl on Deviantart: Background for pg v: “Blue Energy”, 
  Background for pg 6: “Kaleidoscope”, Background for pg 16: “The Dance of Molecules”.  
  Temple image on pg 6 by http://www.stockpicturesforeveryone.com/ 
  The following images by mjranum-stock on Deviantart:  “Hands - 19” on pg 17, “Parts - 14” on 
  pg 18, “Drac Bride - 10” on pg 26, “The Bodice Buster Project-SF1” on pg 27, “White Witch - S 
  - 14” on pg 32, “Hands - 8” on pg 36, “Desert - 1” on pg 40, “Mannequin - 7” on pg 53, “Light 
  and Dark - 6” on pg 55, “Capt Darkness - 15” on pg 58, “Desert Dancer - J - 1” on pg 59, 
  “Shinobi - J - 5” on pg 61, “Lil White Goth Grl - 35” on pg 71, “Get Yer Kicks -J-9” on pg 73. 
  “corpse bride” on pg 20 by busangane on Deviantart. 
  “Stone skull and crossbones” on pg 21 by barefootliam-stock on Deviantart. 
  “Skull” on pg 22 by wwwy on Deviantart. 
  “Tam C Warrior 2a” on pg 25 by jagged-eye on Deviantart. 
  “The Seed Of Life” on pg 28 by NicolasVisceglio on Deviantart. 
  “Step In” on pg 29 by Quintasan on Deviantart. 
  “Contemplating” on pg 37 by JoyfulStock on Deviantart. 
  “Spell Casting - Pose Reference” on pg 38 by SenshiStock on Deviantart. 
  “Tangerine” on pg 39by CathleenTarawhiti on Deviantart. 
  “European wolf” on pg 48 by Gunnar Ries. 
  “This Large Scaled Forest Lizard” on pg 48 by Babujayan on Wikipedia.org. 
  “The Fourth Floor” as background of pg 74 by PomPrint on Deviantart. 
  “May Angels Take You” on pg 79 by jayaprime on Deviantart. 
  
  iv 
  The source/stock images for the following artwork are used under this license: 
  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ 
  Cover image: “EPS10 vector circle background design” by hmomoy on Flickr. 
  The following images from “Alaskan Dude” Franc Kovalchek on Flickr:  “skull mask” on pg 
  2, “I think this is one of the good knights” on pg 3, “Sir Denny holding his pole” on pg 24, 
  “One of the best masks” on pg 30, “Nice action shot of Zara” on pg 31, “Cute woman with a 
  scary looking dude (IMG_2734a)” on pg 33, “Great eyes on this lass (IMG_0888a)” on pg 43, 
  “What a mask! (IMG_4037)” on pg 46, “Facade of the Palace of Fine Arts” on pg 54, “Ken 
  bringing in the crowds for the Gypsy Dance troupe” on pg 70, “Staircase of the Ca' d'Zan” on 
  pg 75.  
  “Silver ring” on pg 15 by ph0rk on Flickr. 
  “black and white dice”  on pg 34 by Steve Johnson on Flickr. 
  “The Long Weekend 2009 - 03” on pg 41 by Garry Knight on Flickr. 
  “Blick in die Ferne” on pg 42 by Max Heidelmann on Flickr. 
  “Sun through Trees” on pg 44 by Bureau of Land Management on Flickr. 
  “Spriggan (Crouch End)” on pg 47 by grahamc99 on Flickr. 
  The following images by Porsche Brosseau on Flickr:  “anguish” on pg 50, “twofaced” on pg 
  51. 
  “Hands of light” on pg 56 by Tomas Sobek on Flickr. 
  “Week 13 of 52 Weeks Self Portrait Project 2013” on pg 65 by Darla لاراد Hueske on Flickr. 
  “Fresh Air” on pg 67 by Norbert on Flickr. 
  “Catacombs under Paris” by Better Than Bacon on Flickr. 
  
  v 
  ~Table of Contents~ 
  Introduction  to the Arcane 
  pg 1 
  Chapter I:  NANOTECHNICA 
  pg 5 
  Chapter II:  The MYSTERIES 
  pg 17 
  Part 1:  The Mystery of Blood  
  pg 19 
  Part 2:  The Mystery of Ceremony 
  pg 24 
  Part 3:  The Mystery of Chaos 
  pg 32 
  Part 4:  The Mystery of Dust  
  pg 37 
  Part 5:  The Mystery of Fae 
   
  pg 43 
  Part 6:  The Mystery of Flesh  
  pg 48 
  Part 7:  The Mystery of Form  
  pg 53 
  Part 8:  The Mystery of Motion 
   
  pg 59 
  Part 9:  The Mystery of Nature 
   
  pg 64 
  Part 10:  The Mystery of Sound 
   
  pg 69 
  Chapter III:  The UNIVERSITY of AOMI 
  pg 75 
  
   
  vi 
  he girl woke to the sound of crashing waves. She opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar landscape of jutting rocks and 
  tall grass. The rags she wore were tattered and soaked through, weighing her down as she stood. It was a crisp 
  morning. The sun hid behind thick clouds in a dull blue sky, and she was alone. 
  It felt like days since she had eaten. The hollow pain in her stomach prevented her from moving quickly, but she trudged in 
  circles, hoping to find some sign of her past. Finding nothing, she sat and in the emptiness of that morning she searched her 
  mind for what had happened. Nothing. No matter how hard she willed herself to make sense of this she found no memory; 
  there were no loving faces, no faces at all, and this new aloneness consumed the first. 
  As she ascended one of the larger rocks, a great city blossomed into view. Airships flew around it, little more than dark specks 
  in the distance. Closer were settlements of low buildings, undignified against that looming majesty, and like the houses she felt 
  small. 
  The girl clambered down and began to walk. She searched and searched for any memory, anything she could hold onto, but 
  continued to come away with nothing. The terror grew and as her heart began to race she felt warmth under her shirt. Lifting 
  it, she found a pendant, pale white metal intricately wrought into a small cylinder. She smiled as she saw it, recognizing it but 
  not knowing from where. Her hand went to it instinctively but as she touched it she screamed. Her fingers ran across the spot 
  where it lay but found no purchase. The rod had fused into her, flat against her chest. Although she could remember no other 
  chests, no other people, the wrongness of this stood out. The fear thrust forth unbidden and suddenly she felt not only alone 
  but cast out. In the depths of this feeling, she sat in despair and began to cry. 
  The clouds above crept past uncaring, but in time the girl heard the soft turning of wagon wheels and with it playful laughter. 
  The girl darted behind a rock and watched as a group of four rode through the field. They were unkempt and poor, she could 
  tell this much from afar, but they seemed happy. They had what she did not, and wanting it, the girl crept out and began her 
  tepid approach. As she drew near, the youngest of the group pulled on the coat of the man with the reins; suddenly seeing her 
  fragile form, their expressions changed instantly. The girl recoiled, but as she began to back away, the man ground the wagon 
  to a halt and hopped out. He approached cautiously, but closed the distance in short order. The girl hadn’t realized her own 
  smallness until now. This was the first person she could remember seeing, but as she looked into his eyes a memory began to 
  form. 
  Another man had held her once, and in his embrace she felt safe. She had stood on his shoes and danced with him, and sat on 
  his lap as he read. He showed her the meanings of the words, and beamed when he found her on the floor reading the books on 
  her own. Her eyes closed, desperate to remember more, but as they flooded in their timbre changed. It was night and on the 
  floor around her were other children sleeping. The man was walking from child to child, draping blankets across their still 
  bodies with that calm smile he wore in every memory. Quietly she crept behind his back and pulled out a book, but behind it 
  she found the small metal rod now fused into her flesh. As she picked it up the sensation was like hot coal burning in her hand, 
  and everything around her began to unravel. Like the erosion of a statue, features collapsed and became dust. She saw the 
  children around her and the man she loved broken down to nothing. She heard herself scream for it to stop, but every syllable 
  felt like eating glass. The pain spread throughout her, and all went black. 
  The girl opened her eyes and the family was gone. All was gone. The landscape around her had been laid bare. Silence had 
  fallen over the shore once again. Only the distant crash of waves cut through, and under her shirt the rod felt warm. She nearly 
  collapsed but was caught as she fell. Behind her stood another man, one she hadn’t seen before. He wore a rough-spun grey 
  robe and sandals, and the same calm smile of the man in her mind. She opened her mouth to speak in the midst of tears but he 
  put a calloused finger on her lips. 
  “Shhhh, praelanai. You are with family now,” he said quietly. 
  She started to ask a question but he interrupted. 
  “It is not a real word. It means nothing, but so too does it mean anything. So it is with you. It is your name.” 
  With that he clasped her hand. Together they began to walk toward the city. 
  T
  
  1 
  Introduction 
  ~ to the ~
  Arcane 
  In the times that came before, many technologies were 
  explored.  From the very large to the very small, all 
  matter in the galaxy was manipulated and perfected by 
  those who ruled the day.  Eight prior worlds knew glory 
  over the earth, and each added a touch here and there 
  that has lasted through the millennia.  Even in the Ninth 
  World the air and land are filled with evidence of 
  massive changes to the world and the tools that made 
  them possible.  Most notably, nanotechnology remains. 
  Machines that evade notice due to their impossibly 
  small size.  The quadrillions upon quadrillions of tiny 
  workers, 
  self-replicating 
  on 
  raw 
  matter 
  and 
  communicating silently as they await the commands of 
  masters who have long since perished or moved on. 
  These microscopic agents of change form the basis of 
  Ninth 
  World 
  mysticism. 
   
  Nanos 
  and 
  other 
  experimenters have discovered processes, movements, 
  and sounds that command the nanites to take action on 
  the world.  Codified and passed down from master to 
  student, these mystics often become inadvertently 
  superstitious in their magical work, as it is often 
  unknown exactly which alien phrase or silly motion 
  caused an observed effect.  Once a set of effects are 
  discovered, the entirety of what triggered them is often 
  ascribed to having caused the magic.  Experimentation 
  is an arduous process,  often taking decades or centuries 
  to progress. 
  Those who have documented the most have preserved 
  the most, and so it is that the leaders in magical 
  understanding are the most superstitious.  Universities 
  and arcane orders have evolved, attaching philosophy 
  and cult-like membership to what was already 
  powerful.  We find ourselves in a world in which magic 
  exists, but is little understood, and those who know its 
  power share that knowledge only with those who 
  pledge loyalty.  Magic is and propagates power. 
  What is this Book? 
  Presented 
  here 
  is 
  an 
  exploration 
  of 
  both 
  nanotechnology and mysticism.  It presents the 
  interesting “magical” effects discovered by those who 
  pursue arcane knowledge, and it also presents those 
  mystics themselves.  It’s an opportunity to add new 
  powers and mysteries to the Ninth World, while 
  simultaneously adding a more arcane element to your 
  game. 
  Numenera can be seen as a blend between science 
  fiction and fantasy.  Angels & Ashes is a means by 
  which you may add a bit more of the latter, should you 
  so desire.  It’s high magic through the lens of 
  omnipresent nanotech, resulting in a strange new way 
  for magic to be dangerously powerful. 
  What is the Arcane? 
  This book tosses around the words arcane, magical, and 
  mystical 
  in 
  sometimes 
  interchangeable 
  ways. 
  Generally speaking though, mysticism is the way in 
  which nanotech effects are produced.  Magic is the 
  effects themselves.  The arcane is our general term for 
  all things nanotechnological.  If a power affects other 
  “arcane” effects currently at work, that means it affects 
  any power or Cypher presented in this book, as well as 
  the Esoteries of Nanos, and some of the more “magical” 
  effects that come from the Tricks of the Trade practiced 
  by Jacks. 
  
  2 
  Arcana in the Ninth World 
  The arcane is more than merely the work of nanites 
  through the direction of nanos and other experimenters; 
  it is a whole host of practices and subcultures.  The 
  arcane takes the form of Arcane Cyphers- spells caught 
  in the mind and potentially cast into the world.  It can 
  also be Charms, simple magical workings that alter the 
  world in more subtle ways.  Most commonly, it’s the 
  magics developed by the various “Mysteries”, the 
  bodies of knowledge and philosophy around which 
  various cults and orders revolve.   
  This is where mysticism comes in.  Seekers of Paradise, 
  practitioners of the Mystery of Nature, set up shop in an 
  isolated community.  They teach the natives to draw 
  upon the local flora to concentrate localized abundance, 
  seemingly creating heaven on earth (for a while).  The 
  local tribe learns their ways and embellishes with their 
  own religious and mystical beliefs.  Their practices 
  become theirs alone, constantly and recursively updated 
  to fit the evolving paradigm of their Mystery and the 
  fractured divisions within it.  It’s in this way that 
  Mysteries change and spread- they are constantly 
  integrating local ritual and philosophy to empower 
  themselves through cloaks of mysticism. 
  Though all Mysteries derived originally from the 
  Mystery of Ceremony, few are so organized and even 
  the practices of Ceremony itself have become bloated 
  with unnecessary rituals.  Indeed that would seem to be 
  its defining feature. 
  Magic, by its very nature as a passed down secret, 
  creates secretive orders of insular and paranoid fanatics, 
  who mistake their seemingly supernatural abilities for 
  divine or at least trans-human importance.  “We are 
  gods among men,” they say to themselves.  “Surely 
  what we do is for the greater good of the Ninth World 
  order.”  
  Complicating things is the fact that much of magic has 
  been lost, either by the ancients who originally 
  programmed the nanobots, or the various secretive 
  masters who’ve hoarded and locked away the 
  discoveries they’ve made.   
  Add to this the fact that magic is often volatile and 
  dangerous, and one can see how fleeting discoveries 
  can be.  A newly found Arcane Cypher may lead to an 
  all new kind of magic, which survives only a single 
  generation within a violent cult.  Secrets breed secrets. 
  The Order of Truth 
  Codification of the secrets of the ancients would seem 
  to be the purview of the Aeon Priesthood.  Indeed, 
  many nanos hail from the Order, and spend their lives 
  attempting to understand the “magical” things in the 
  world, trying desperately to make magic into a kind of 
  science.  But their best efforts fall short of the vast 
  pervasiveness of the Mysteries.   
  Mysteries capture the imagination and promise 
  transcendent and meaningful power to those who 
  pledge themselves to their secrets.  Such a heady drug 
  is hard to compete with, and the Order simply doesn’t 
  have the numbers to keep up.  Thus the Mysteries 
  dominate the conversation of what magic is and how it 
  is invoked. 
  
  3 
  The Convergence 
  Interested primarily in power through any means, the 
  magisters of the Convergence are far more suited to 
  studying the arcane than the Order of Truth.  The 
  trappings of mysticism only add to the temptation for a 
  magister.   
  As many magisters are nanos to begin with, they often 
  find it easy to make their way into Mysteries, 
  pretending to be loyal disciples until they can master 
  the secrets their instructors provide.  They tend to 
  become the founders and leaders of mystical cults 
  dedicated to this or that version of redemption and 
  divinity through clandestine acts and powers.  Few 
  within the Mysteries realize this perversion of their 
  knowledge.  Few could do anything about it if they did. 
  The Convergence pulls heavy strings. 
  Mutants & Knights 
  Magic is dangerous.  Some arcane powers even involve 
  harnessing the Iron Wind itself.  Nanites can work at 
  the molecular level, modifying objects, forces, and 
  people.  There are many side effects to magic, many of 
  which are undesirable.  From pollution and radiation to 
  direct DNA modification and altered physical forms, 
  “mutation” is common among those who find 
  themselves close to magical effects. 
  This has not gone unnoticed by the Angulan Knights, 
  who see the arcane as a menace, turning humans into 
  mutants and monsters.  Many of those who have taken 
  the Angulan oath spend their days undermining the 
  various mystical cults and even universities. 
  However, not all arcanists are despised, and some have 
  even been known to join forces with the knights to 
  battle greater threats to humanity.  Such teamwork is 
  rare, but often legendary. 
  Drakes & Other Creatures 
  The Xi Drakes are not the only dragons in the world. 
  Hex Drakes, for instance, are known to spawn from 
  magical effects and wield arcane forces themselves. 
  These purple crested monsters are greatly sought after 
  by the Mysteries for their knowledge and power.  Some 
  have even been heard to tame and ride these mysterious 
  beasts. 
  Otherworldy beings are also known to come from and 
  practice magical power.  These include purely nanite-
  based hive minds, such as Angels and Faeries, but also 
  ultradimensional creatures brought into this world 
  through dangerous summoning rites.  There are no few 
  practices for doing this, implying that such seemingly 
  impossible acts are not uncommon among the 
  overconfident arcanists of the world.  Those who seek 
  influence and arcane ability through the binding of 
  these unearthly things obviously endanger many.  But 
  the power… 
  
  4 
  t begins with the crack of steel on stone. Praelanai is running, the sound of arrows snapping at her heels. She dodges 
  behind a boulder dislodged during the previous examination. What remains of her former classmate’s body is 
  sprawled on the ground. She rips the shield out of his cooling hands and darts off again. The arena is too wide to sprint 
  across in one pass, but she doesn’t need to close with her assailant. Not yet. She’ll make him come to her. 
  Three dead this year; I will not make four, she thinks as an arrow slams into what little protection the buckler provides. Her 
  opponent wears the same mask she does, the one all students are required to wear during examinations. Knowing who 
  you face reduces efficacy, or so they had been taught. Some questioned the sense of allowing students to die during exams, 
  but the University was anything but sensible in their methods. Magic was, by its nature, dangerous, and so were they. The 
  impact of another arrow shocks Praelani out of reverie, refocusing as she stares at the tip skewered through the shield an 
  inch from her eye. I will not make four. 
  Iridescent black patterns begin crawling across her skin. She glances above the shield in panic. Her opponent has 
  discarded his bow and is sprinting forward. In one hand he holds a narrow sword, the sort of steel that can carve through 
  flesh without effort. The other is what scares Praelanai more. It is held up in front of him, drawing an intricate rune in the 
  air. She recognizes its shape a split second before her arms erupt in lacerations. Praelanai hits the wall hard and thrusts 
  her limbs into the cold sand. It buys her just enough time to refocus. There is no link, she repeats to herself, the mantra 
  taught early on to separate the connection between arcanist and effect. Black lines turn to blue, forming an intricate lattice 
  over her body, and the gashes subside.  But the pain remains, raising bile and that harsh metallic taste with it. For a 
  moment her vision fades. She forces herself to remain conscious. I will not make four. 
  The sound of heavy footsteps draws closer and she snaps the head off an arrow, pressing it into her palm until blood is 
  drawn. As her opponent rounds the corner she grabs his calf, smearing it red. A moment later his leg snaps backward. The 
  explosive sound of bone breaking and sinew tearing cracks through the air. He falls to the ground screaming but, even as 
  he does so, twists to swing his blade at her on the floor. Praelanai narrowly dodges the blow, rolling aside. Lodged in the 
  ground, the blade is useless. With a quick wave of his hand, the wall behind Praelanai bursts outward. Most of the debris 
  rains down far around them. Not enough. One large chunk pins her to the floor. Blood is everywhere, but above it is the 
  smell of burning flesh. She watches his fingers char and wither as she struggles to escape from under the stone, and knows 
  she will die if he lives. Self-sacrifice is the discipline of the flame, and the flame knows not of mercy. The stone won’t budge 
  and behind his eyes now is something other than before. The metal in her chest grows hot; the old familiar terror takes 
  hold. I will not make four. 
  Her breaths become ragged. The warm metal is overtaken by the furious heat spreading through her body. Burning from 
  the inside. All at once her strength gives out. She pushes her mind against the agony but it won’t respond. She screams 
  from the inside but only the quiet crackling of flesh breaks the silence. In her final moments there is hatred and disgust, 
  not for her opponent; for herself. 
  Darkness. 
  Then peace.  
  The burning cools and something quells the deeper agony: something new. She stretches forward. One last chance. Her 
  palm falls gently on his mask. 
  “So help me I will blow out the back of your skull,” she hisses raggedly, “and that will be the end of you.” 
  And with that he succumbs. With a smile she drifts. There is no fourth. 
  I
  
  5 
  Chapter I: 
  ~NANOTECHNICA~ 
  Nanites pervade the Ninth World.  The air, the water, 
  the land itself.  Each person bears a dozen or more 
  colonies of self-replicating nanite systems.  These 
  systems 
  work 
  in 
  tandem, 
  following 
  prescribed 
  instructions and radio transmitted orders.  They also 
  watch and listen to the world around them, scanning for 
  signs that their ancient masters have returned.   
  This is how Esoteries often work.  They are reactions to 
  movements and vocal commands that trigger seemingly 
  supernatural effects.  Once the trigger is detected, the 
  nanite system goes into action, changing the world at a 
  molecular level. 
  Arcane Cyphers 
  But words and motions are not the only means by 
  which nanotech is signaled.  Certain symbols and even 
  thoughts bear deep meaning, triggered in the deepest 
  recesses of nanite programming.  These symbols, when 
  drawn with rare and precious prior world materials, 
  may be stored in a sentient mind and triggered at a 
  moment’s notice, unleashing Esoteries without the 
  need for study and practice. 
  The following optional system provides a means by 
  which characters may hold Cyphers that are not 
  physical.  These are sigils and markings, drawn with 
  special pigments, which may be taken into the mind of 
  a viewer.  They work very similarly to physical 
  Cyphers.  They take up the same slots and have the 
  same dangers if more than the allowed amount is 
  carried in the mind.   
  Finding Arcane Cyphers is relatively easy.  The 
  markings can be found from time to time on pieces of 
  Numenera, glowing softly in the dark.  Any search of 
  an ancient ruin or other prior world location has a 
  decent chance of holding one or more of these symbols. 
  Use the same rules for finding Arcane Cyphers as you 
  would for finding physical ones.  
  Arcane Cyphers don’t work exactly like material ones. 
  Once a character absorbs one into their mind, the image 
  is removed from whatever surface it was inscribed. 
  Arcane Cyphers may not be traded once taken into the 
  mind.  To get rid of an Arcane Cypher a character need 
  only think of removing it and it is gone.  And since an 
  Arcane Cypher is not physical, it need not be carried 
  around in a pack, making it somewhat safer to carry. 
  In a pinch, however, an Arcane Cypher may be chiseled 
  or cut out of the material it’s been found on, allowing it 
  to be carried physically, and causing it to take up 
  Cypher slots as normal for the one carrying it.  
  
  6 
  Unlike most Cyphers, the Arcane variety do not have random Levels.  Rather, each kind has a specific prescribed 
  Level.  Level 3 through 5 Arcane Cyphers are Anoetic, and those of Level 6 through 10 are Occultic.  However, Level 
  9 and 10 Arcane Cyphers are very rare and won’t show up on the random table below.   
  Roll on the following table or draw a printed Cypher from a deck for Cyphers between Levels 3 and 8.  
  Roll 1d6, twice: 
  1 
  Level 3 
  1 
  Baleful Halo 
  2 
  Broken Tongue 
  3 
  Eyes of the Nanotechnician 
  4 
  Familiar Face 
  5 
  Steely Blade 
  6 
  Walk with Lightness 
  2 
  Level 4 
  1 
  Cry of the Wind 
  2 
  Doubletalk 
  3 
  Knowing Look 
  4 
  Magma Walk 
  5 
  Painless Mark 
  6 
  Prescient Reflexes 
  3 
  Level 5 
  1 
  Ice Touch 
  2 
  Majestic Aura 
  3 
  Pheromone Control 
  4 
  Regenerative Essence 
  5 
  Taming Touch 
  6 
  Veil of Souls 
  4 
  Level 6 
  1 
  Borrow Senses 
  2 
  Chill of Shadow 
  3 
  Fan of Light 
  4 
  Mind Castle 
  5 
  Read Intent 
  6 
  Rune Cast 
  5  
  Level 7 
  1 
  Beam of Fire 
  2 
  Crystalize 
  3 
  Deconstruction Haze 
  4 
  Interface 
  5 
  Redirection 
  6 
  Steal Secret 
  6 
  Level 8 
  1 
  Flame Lace 
  2 
  Inspiration 
  3 
  Instruction 
  4 
  Invisible Cage 
  5 
  Transmutation 
  6 
  Were-Creature 
  
  7 
  Level 3 Arcane Cyphers [Anoetic]  
  Baleful Halo  
  (Level 3 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You are surrounded by a halo of cold green 
  flame that somehow scrambles Numenera in your 
  area for one hour.  Cyphers, Artifacts, and arcane 
  powers cannot be activated within immediate 
  distance of you.  Oddities do not work as normal, 
  but produce other results.   
  Animals are enraged by this halo and will usually 
  attack you on sight. 
  Broken Tongue 
  (Level 3 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You learn to speak and understand a 
  language that is audible when the Cypher is cast. 
  Your ability to speak this language is imperfect 
  however.   At least one in six words is wrong, but 
  you can understand others just fine.   
  Your ability to use this language lasts for 28 hours. 
  Eyes of the Nanotechnician 
  (Level 3 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You can discern the effect and process of 
  activation for any Arcane Cyphers you see, without 
  the need for a roll.  Any Occultic Cyphers you take 
  into your mind during this time do not need 
  activation rolls, unless used against an unwilling 
  target. 
  This effect causes your eyes to glow orange and 
  lasts for 28 hours. 
  Familiar Face 
  (Level 3 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  New people you encounter think they 
  know you from somewhere, granting you an Asset 
  on positive social interactions with them and the 
  opportunity to pretend to be their friend, should 
  you wish.   
  Lasts for 28 hours. 
  Steely Blade 
  (Level 3 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  Any light, bladed weapon that you hold 
  deals a number of additional ambient damage 
  equal to the number of Assets you have on the 
  attack (max 2).  Causes the weapon to crawl with 
  glowing sigils and lines.   
  The effect lasts for up to 28 hours, but it only 
  affects the weapon while you hold it. 
  Walk with Lightness 
  (Level 3 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect: You and your carried possessions weigh 
  half as much as they usually do.  Speed tests made 
  to travel long distance during a turn or to jump are 
  made at two lower difficulty.   
  Lasts ten hours. 
  
  8 
  Level 4 Arcane Cyphers [Anoetic]  
  Cry of the Wind 
  (Level 4 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You let out a digital sounding scream, 
  transmitting instructions to the nanites around 
  you.  Over the next ten minutes the wind picks up 
  and eventually turns into a full blown tornado, 
  lasting for one hour and causing massive damage 
  and mayhem to the area. 
  Doubletalk 
  (Level 4 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  A layer of subliminal messaging is added to 
  your speech, granting you an Asset on social tasks 
  when trying to convince or lead others and 
  allowing you to communicate secretly with your 
  fellow party members.   
  Lasts 10 hours. 
  Knowing Look 
  (Level 4 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  Your senses are powerfully enhanced, 
  granting you an Asset on all rolls related to 
  detecting stealth, lies, and deception.  It’s almost as 
  though you perceive truth.   
  This condition lasts for ten hours upon casting the 
  Cypher and causes your eyes to pulse with white 
  light from time to time. 
  Magma Walk 
  (Level 4 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  Your body is enveloped in a cage of 
  glowing blue lines and runes, protecting you from 
  nearly all heat.   
  For the 10 hour duration of this power you and 
  your carried possessions gain a 12 Armor rating 
  against fire and heat.  You are even able to walk on 
  lava, should the need arise. 
  Painless Mark 
  (Level 4 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  Your head become emblazoned with a 
  glowing rune and for the next five hours you are 
  immune to all kinds of pain.  Mechanically 
  speaking, you cannot be pushed down the 
  condition track without losing all of your points 
  from all of your pools, at which point you die.   
  Prescient Reflexes 
  (Level 4 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect: Your forehead begins to emit a powerful 
  burst of light as you become able to see a few 
  seconds into the future and react accordingly.   
  This effect lasts for three hours and grants you an 
  extra Speed Edge for the duration.  Your GM may 
  wish to Intrude that you are disabled for one 
  round by the confusion of seeing the future all at 
  once. 
  
  9 
  Level 5 Arcane Cyphers [Anoetic]  
  Ice Touch 
  (Level 5 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  Your mere touch causes ice to form on 
  nearly any surface.  You deal one additional 
  damage on unarmed attacks and no longer need to 
  make climbing task rolls, so long as you use your 
  hands while climbing.   
  This effect lasts for five hours, or until you warm 
  your hands at a fire. 
  Majestic Aura 
  (Level 5 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You begin to glow with golden light, 
  causing those who encounter you to become 
  impressed, if somewhat fearful.   
  This effect lasts for three hours and grants you an 
  Asset on all social interactions, though your GM 
  may wish to Intrude that someone panics in the 
  face of your majesty. 
  Pheromone Control 
  (Level 5 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  The next person who comes within 
  immediate distance of you feels a strong desire for 
  you sexually.  This effect grants you two Assets on 
  any seduction attempts and one Asset on any 
  other social interaction, but only against the target 
  in question.  Some animals find your scent 
  offensive and may attack on sight.   
  The effect lasts for ten hours. 
  Regenerative Essence 
  (Level 5 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  Those standing within immediate distance 
  of you feel replenished, regaining one Might pool 
  point per hour while they remain within this 
  distance.   
  This effect lasts for ten hours. 
  Taming Touch 
  (Level 5 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect:  The next animal you touch becomes tame 
  to you for seven days, potentially causing it to 
  follow you as a companion of sorts.   
  This effect carries on you for 28 hours, or until you 
  touch a creature, releasing the magic. 
  Veil of Souls 
  (Level 5 Anoetic Cypher) 
  Effect: You become surrounded by visible spirits- 
  nanotechnological entities.  These souls protect 
  you from arcane effects, granting you two Assets 
  when defending against arcane attacks.   
  This effect lasts for five hours. 
  
  10 
  Level 6 Arcane Cyphers [Occultic]  
  Borrow Senses 
  (Level 6 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You may see, hear, and otherwise use the 
  senses of target creature within long range.  You 
  are able to switch into their perspective as an 
  action, off and on throughout the duration of this 
  power.  While using their senses you simply stand 
  in place, looking dazed.   
  This effect lasts for five hours. 
  Chill of Shadow 
  (Level 6 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  A target within long range suddenly feels 
  intense cold, and becomes wrapped in darkness.   
  For the next ten minutes the target enjoys an Asset 
  on stealth tasks, but takes one ambient cold 
  damage per minute. 
  Fan of Light 
  (Level 6 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You attack up to four enemies within 
  immediate distance with a shimmering blast that 
  deals 3 ambient damage and blinds them for one 
  round. 
  Mind Castle 
  (Level 6 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You and a sentient target within Short 
  range immediately disappear from the material 
  world, to exist within a mental landscape of your 
  own design.  Here you may speak with your target 
  and/or attack each other mentally (using Intellect) 
  dealing 4 damage per hit.   
  You remain in this dreamscape for up to an hour, 
  or until you release the spell. 
  Read Intent 
  (Level 6 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You learn the general mood and current 
  goal of a target within long range.  This knowledge 
  gives you an Asset on all rolls made against them 
  within one hour. 
  Rune Cast 
  (Level 6 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect: You glimpse the future of a target person or 
  creature within long distance.  You gain an Asset 
  on all tasks relating to that person for the next ten 
  hours. 
  
  11 
  Level 7 Arcane Cyphers [Occultic]  
  Beam of Fire 
  (Level 7 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  A target within long range is struck by a 
  beam of energy, dealing 7 heat damage and 
  lighting them on fire. 
  Crystalize 
  (Level 7 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  A target becomes overtaken by a rapidly 
  growing crystalline rock, dealing 3 damage per 
  round for up to 3 rounds and immobilizing the 
  target until it somehow manages to escape. 
  Deconstruction Haze 
  (Level 7 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  A single object within long range, of Level 
  7 or lower, is turned to dust.  The object must be 
  no larger than a 10 foot (3 meter) cube. 
  Interface 
  (Level 7 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  A set of shapes and symbols displays 
  before you, showing you menus that can control 
  nearby powered machinery.  You may give a 
  simple command once per round to a target device 
  within immediate range.   
  This spell lasts for one hour. 
  Redirection 
  (Level 7 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You alter the target of a single arcane 
  effect within long range, affecting a different 
  person or object.  This Cypher may be used 
  instantly, without taking an action. 
  Steal Secret 
  (Level 7 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect: You probe the mind of a person within long 
  range, granting you knowledge of their deepest, 
  darkest secret. 
  
  12 
  Level 8 Arcane Cyphers [Occultic]  
  Flame Lace 
  (Level 8 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You entwine a creature within long 
  distance with thin strings of living flame, lashing 
  them in place and burning deep wounds in 
  intricate patterns.  This spell deals 2 damage per 
  round and causes the target to become immobile.   
  It lasts for ten minutes or until the target breaks 
  free (a Difficulty 6 escape task). 
  Inspiration 
  (Level 8 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You place an idea that takes deep root in 
  the mind of a person within long range.  This 
  thought becomes an all-consuming passion over 
  the course of the first day.   
  This effect lasts for one month. 
  Instruction 
  (Level 8 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You grant a willing target within 
  immediate range training in a skill you possess.   
  This lasts for ten hours and provokes nearly 
  constant daydreams about the skill. 
  Invisible Cage 
  (Level 8 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You create a 3 meter per side cube-shaped 
  wall of energy that defends as a level 8 object with 
  24 Health.  Can be created around a creature to 
  trap it, as an attack.   
  The cube lasts for ten hours. 
  Transmutation 
  (Level 8 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You alter the physical properties of an 
  object no larger than one meter cubed.  You can 
  increase or decrease the object’s Armor rating by 3 
  by doing so, though other strange and creative 
  effects are possible.   
  This effect lasts for three hours. 
  Were-Creature 
  (Level 8 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect: You become a monster, taking on the 
  ferocious nature of a beast you are familiar with.  
  While transformed, you gain +5 to your Speed and 
  Might pool maximums and can deal 4 damage with 
  your unarmed strikes.  You also regenerate Might 
  points at a rate of one point per minute.  This 
  transformation and its effects last for three hours, 
  during which time you GM can Intrude that you 
  attack your allies due to blood lust. 
  
  13 
  Level 9 Arcane Cyphers [Occultic]  
  Clone 
  (Level 9 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You create an exact biological duplicate of 
  a visible creature, which grows at your feet over 
  the course of 5 rounds.  The clone is alike 
  physically, but has no knowledge besides pure 
  instinct.   
  It begins as a Level 1 creature, but may gain in 
  Levels quickly if its species generally grows up 
  quickly. 
  Flashfire 
  (Level 9 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You set the area around you ablaze. 
  Everything within long distance of you catches 
  fire, taking 3 damage per round until extinguished. 
  This affects both objects and creatures, including 
  allies.   
  However, this flame cannot affect you or your 
  carried possessions and you may walk through it 
  without harm. 
  Lore 
  (Level 9 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  Choose one Charm from any Mystery.   
  You have access to that Charm for the next 5 
  hours. 
  Mind Transfer 
  (Level 9 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You temporarily switch bodies with a 
  living creature within long distance of you.  You 
  now inhabit its body and it inhabits yours.  Upon 
  switching, you may reallocate your Speed and 
  Might pools to better represent your new form, 
  and this reallocation remains for the duration of 
  the power.   
  This effect lasts for twenty eight hours. 
  Passthrough 
  (Level 9 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You and your carried possessions become 
  somewhat insubstantial for one hour, able to pass 
  through any wall or obstacle, and taking no 
  damage from physical attacks or falling.  
  While under this effect you cannot pick up objects 
  or otherwise interact with the physical world, 
  besides climbing and walking on it. 
  Quantum Fluctuation 
  (Level 9 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect: One creature within long distance of you 
  ceases to exist.  Indeed, you are the only person 
  who remembers it ever did.   
  This creature must be an animal or other unnamed 
  NPC with no significant bearing on the plot of the 
  story (GM’s discretion). 
  
  14 
  Level 10 Arcane Cyphers [Occultic]  
  Banish Spirit 
  (Level 10 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You cause a nanotech entity or hive mind 
  within long range (such as an Angel or Faerie) to 
  disperse, leaving the area for one month.   
  After doing so, you may gain a reputation for doing 
  harm to such entities.  Expect them to come 
  looking for you. 
  Duplicate Item 
  (Level 10 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You create an exact copy of any handheld 
  item or device you hold.  This may even duplicate a 
  physical Cypher or Artifact. 
  Reap the Whirlwind 
  (Level 10 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You gain control over a seemingly 
  uncontrollable system or effect, such as a volcano, 
  a tornado or a section of the Iron Wind.   
  You have control over the force for three rounds, 
  during which time you may cause it to change 
  course or alter size somewhat. 
  Reverse Magic 
  (Level 10 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You cause an arcane effect to do the exact 
  opposite of what it normally would.  Flaming items 
  become water spouts, forcefields pull people 
  through them, etc.  You’ll need to work out with 
  your GM just what will happen.   
  This reversed effect lasts for one hour. 
  Seek the Arcane 
  (Level 10 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect:  You suddenly learn the location of the 
  nearest large source of arcane power, such as a 
  tomb with many Arcane Cyphers, or a powerful 
  arcane entity like an Angel, trapped in a holding 
  circle.   
  You have no idea what it is that you’ve found until 
  you go there, just the general direction to head in. 
  Space Rupture 
  (Level 10 Occultic Cypher) 
  Effect: You cause space to warp in an area up to 
  short distance in diameter, at a location within 
  your line of sight.  Anyone within that area has 
  their movement distances halved and takes 3 
  ambient damage per round due to space ripples 
  moving through them.   
  This effect lasts for ten minutes. 
  
  15 
  Eldritch Artifacts 
  The following Artifacts are comprised of both found 
  objects with magical properties, and crafted items made 
  to affect the arcane. 
  Ash Amulet 
  Level: 1d6 + 1 
  Form:  An amulet bearing a massive jewel that appears 
  lightly covered in ash. 
  Effect:  While worn, the gem at the center of the amulet 
  glows brightly in the presence of arcane spells and 
  effects.  When the wearer is subject to an arcane attack, 
  the amulet provides an Asset on defense rolls. 
  Depletion: 1 in 20, rolled at the end of each day it is 
  worn. 
  Breastplate of the Hex 
  Level: 1d6 + 2 
  Form:  Chest armor made of the purple hexagonal 
  scales of a Hex Drake, a creature known for its magical 
  abilities. 
  Effect:  Serves as Heavy Armor, but with two 
  additional points of Armor when defending against an 
  arcane source of damage, providing a total of 5 Armor 
  in this situation. 
  Depletion: - 
  Sword of the Nanotechnician 
  Level: 1d6 + 4 
  Form:  A massive two-handed sword (Heavy Weapon) 
  with a blade inscribed with glowing runes of magical 
  power. 
  Effect:  Deals harm as usual for a 
  Heavy Weapon (6 damage), but may 
  also be used to parry arcane attacks, 
  providing an Asset when defending 
  against them. 
  Additionally, 
  the 
  sword 
  is 
  especially effective against creatures 
  made entirely of nanites, such as 
  Angels and Faeries.  It deals three 
  extra damage against such unusual 
  creatures. 
  Depletion: - 
  Tome of Mystery 
  Level: 1d6 + 2 
  Form:  A leather bound tome inscribed with glowing 
  sigils, containing a complex set of diagrams and 
  instructions on the arcane. 
  Effect:  Each Tome of Mystery is dedicated to 
  providing information about a particular Mystery, 
  chosen when the item is discovered.  Reading from the 
  tome allows the user to cast any of the Charms 
  associated with the Mystery in the tome, as though the 
  user had the Charm in question. 
  The tome may also be studied for a 28 hour period to 
  learn the deep secrets of the Mystery.  Doing so 
  destroys the tome, but allows the user to change her 
  Focus to one of those practiced within the Mystery. 
  Depletion: 1 in 10 for Charms, always when changing 
  Focus. 
  Void Ring 
  Level: 1d6 + 4 
  Form:  A simple looking ring made of steel, adorned 
  with nearly invisible blue runes. 
  Effect:  While worn, the wearer is invisible to nanite 
  hive minds, such as Angels and Faeries, and thus 
  cannot be directly affected by such creatures.  In 
  addition, the wearer may not be the direct target of any 
  arcane power, even one they themselves cast. 
  Depletion: 1 in 20, rolled at the end of each day it is 
  worn. 
  
  16 
  raelanai was aware that the hewed stone table between them was meant to be imposing, a show of strength 
  through wealth. But even after all these years, his ostentatious sensibilities still struck her as childish. 
  Baubles and trophies decorated his chambers, designed and redesigned to maximize the appearance of 
  stature. The Master of Dust, beholden to forms. 
  He was lecturing on the necessity of a unified front from his gilded throne of crystal, or he had been when she 
  tuned him out. The absentminded thrumming of his metal fingers on the table filled the room with a droning 
  sound. It was a profoundly absurd situation to Praelanai, and keeping herself from laughing took all she had. This 
  man in front of her, Adenarch the Lash, might have been the most powerful destructive force within several weeks’ 
  travel, but they had known one another too long for formality. In her eyes, he was still the boy with the 
  pockmarked face who withered under the glare of brutes in nearby taprooms. Memories of those times were much 
  more endearing than what he had become.  As she so often did in his presence, she let her mind wander to the few 
  good times they’d had. It kept her from rage. 
  All that faded away when he pointed a finger directly at her face. 
   “Don’t try to spoon feed me the same line of garbage you push onto your pupils, Aden.”  Praelanai glowered as she 
  stood. “You called me in here to talk about the girl who desiccated Yellin’s arm the other day, and you know as well 
  as I do that everything we know about her says she should be under my tutelage, not yours.” 
  And just like that, the entire façade broke. Master Adenarch disappeared, instantly replaced by the indignant rage 
  underneath. The ugly side of the boy that nice quite disappeared . He was already shouting by the time he was on 
  his feet. 
   “Why? Because you’re you? What right do you have to take every good student that comes to us? Almighty 
  Praelanai, always the favorite.  Always the head of the class! You take and take and take and the rest of us are left 
  here picking up your scraps!” 
  Every syllable an attack, every word spit out with disdain. She could see the fury in his veins, the power in his 
  blood turning them black against his pale skin. Adenarch moved around the table until he stood face to face with 
  Praelanai. Slavering hatred flew into her face as he screamed. After a few moments he inhaled deeply, if only to 
  continue his vitriol.  Praelanai took the opportunity; she smacked him across the cheek with all the strength she 
  could muster, sending him tumbling over. His head hit the desk on the way down, and for a moment he lay on the 
  floor unmoving. Under his robes, she could see the gelatinous synth-leg he had worn since she took the real one 
  from him. 
   “I take them because you can’t stop me,” she said with a cold calmness. “I take them because for all your power you 
  are weak, and because they are better for it. I take because you are only a student of the flame; I am the fire. If you 
  care to dispute this, the arena is always open. Even to us. But you won’t. Because it’s not in you.” 
  Adenarch began to stand; Praelanai put her foot on his sternum before he got an inch off the ground. The pressure 
  was a threat he understood truer than words. 
   “Never forget who let you live. My kindness is not unfailing.” 
  With that she turned her back and walked away. The last thing she saw was the Master of Ash fail to hold back 
  tears.
  P 
  
  17 
  Chapter II:   
  ~THE MYSTERIES~ 
  Mysteries are the philosophical and practical divisions 
  between the many applications of the arcane in the 
  Ninth World.  Beginning as simple experiments into 
  new areas of knowledge, their practitioners tend to 
  specialize and develop social ties.  The Mysteries are 
  part cult, part academic community, part fraternal order.  
  They are teachers and students, as well as explorers and 
  experimenters.  The ten Mysteries are as follows: 
  The Mystery of Blood.  Those who manipulate nanites 
  in the blood to regain memories from their ancestors or 
  animate the bodies of the dead. 
  The Mystery of Ceremony.  Those who attempt to 
  understand the nature of magic itself, reprogramming 
  nanites through tools and rituals, such as staves, wands, 
  blades, and inscriptions. 
  The Mystery of Chaos.  Those who scramble the 
  programming of nanites, creating random arcane effects 
  or using them to alter their luck. 
  The Mystery of Dust.  Those who alter the code of 
  nanites directly, causing them to battle each other or 
  creating wholly new magics. 
  The Mystery of Fae.  Those who learn the ways of 
  ancient nanite intelligences, using their hidden 
  pathways between space or calling upon their 
  enforcement of oaths and curses. 
  The Mystery of Flesh.  Those who use nanotech to alter 
  flesh, shapeshifting into animals or modifying the body 
  to their own strange ends. 
  The Mystery of Form.  Those who invoke the nanites 
  through shapes and symbols, animating objects and 
  inscribing powers onto flesh through body art. 
  The Mystery of Motion.  Those who call upon deep 
  programming within the nanites which respond to 
  physical positions and motions of the body, allowing 
  them to create magic through dance or martial arts. 
  The Mystery of Nature.  Those who draw upon the 
  terraforming nanites in the world to create paradise or 
  restore ecological balance. 
  The Mystery of Sound.  Those who call upon the 
  nanites through auditory codes, employing instruments 
  to bring elemental effects, or telling tales which appear 
  to come true. 
  Foci 
  
  18 
  Each Mystery presented here represents decades or 
  centuries of arcane study and association.  Provided are 
  the underpinnings, the social structures, the theories, 
  and the practices that make them tick.  Nine of them 
  have two different Foci associated with them, often 
  representing diametrically opposed schools of thought 
  within the Mystery.  The Mystery of Ceremony, as the 
  most developed and mystically superstitious of the 
  groups, has four Foci, aptly representing its size and 
  power within the arcane community. 
  Charms 
  The presented Mysteries also include a new system 
  called Charms.  Charms represent minor magics and 
  burgeoning powers.  They each derive from a skill 
  associated with the Mystery, representing the Charm’s 
  reliance on in-depth knowledge of their practices.  A 
  character who belongs to a Mystery chooses one Charm 
  from their list for each level they possess in the Skill 
  associated with those Charms.   
  For instance, a character who Unleashes Inner Power 
  through the Mystery of Motion might possess training 
  in the Balance skill, granting her one free Charm from 
  the Motion Charms list.  Charms may be purchased at a 
  cost of 1 XP, but only from your Mystery’s Charm list. 
  Characters who do not possess a Focus related to a 
  Mystery do not generally have access to Charms. 
  Charms are considered arcane powers.  They take an 
  action to activate and have a cost of 1 Intellect point. 
  When a roll is needed for a task to activate or use one, 
  Charms employ the skill associated with their Mystery. 
  Adversaries 
  Finally, each of the Mystery sections provides one or 
  more adversaries, for use as opponents or even reluctant 
  allies of intrepid PCs.  These adversaries are selected 
  for being generally associated or important to that 
  particular Mystery.  Sometimes they are creatures made 
  of that kind of magic, sometimes foolish dabblers in 
  those particular arcane arts. 
  
  19 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Blood~ 
  To the mystical mind and in particular to those who 
  practice the Mystery of Blood, great power lies within 
  the blood. Just as energy is the fundamental force that 
  allows for the continued existence the universe, so too 
  is blood the fundamental force that allows for the 
  continued life of all things. Practitioners of the Mystery 
  have discovered how to tap into that power and use it 
  for their own ends.  
  For some this means using the nanites in their blood to 
  access their ancestor’s memories. For others, this means 
  using the power of blood to create a semblance of life 
  for a time, tapping into the nanites within all bodies to 
  bring animation back to the dead.  
  Given the taboos surrounding the life’s fluid, many 
  practitioners of this Mystery tend to hide what they are 
  doing from the general public. It is important to that 
  note for all practitioners of this path, magic always 
  includes the direct use of blood. Whether this takes the 
  form of talismans sanctified in blood or the letting of 
  blood from the body, it must be a part of the magic. 
  Accesses Ancestral Memories 
  The human family is a vast and complicated web that 
  stretches back more than a billion years. The threads of 
  this web are forged through the magic of the blood, 
  drawing upon the power of the nanite colonies present 
  in nearly all life, passed down through the generations. 
  These colonies collect information from all of their host 
  bodies. Practitioners who focus on this aspect of the 
  Mystery have learned how to read and access the 
  knowledge of their ancestors, by programming the 
  nanite colonies that descend from them.  
  Learning the proper gestures and words of power is 
  only the first step, for it’s extremely helpful to know of 
  the ancestor itself in order to gain access to their 
  knowledge. This has led the followers of this Mystery 
  to engage in an almost obsessive study of history and 
  create the most complete genealogic record in all of the 
  Ninth World. By learning about those who were at past 
  events and their participation in said events, the 
  practitioners of the Mystery are better able to create the 
  proper links necessary for forging their particular kind 
  of magic.  
  Students of Blood are quickly sent out into the world to 
  chronicle the stories of people and events, returning 
  periodically to report what they have learned. When 
  practitioners attain mastery of the path, they earn a 
  place in the arcane university, where they spend their 
  time summoning ancestors of the past and interrogating 
  them on the veracity of the histories they have recorded. 
  The masters of Blood have a greater goal in mind than 
  many of the other Mysteries. They believe that if they 
  are able to create a complete genealogy of the human 
  species, they will be able to regain the lost knowledge 
  of the fallen Worlds. Most realize that this project will 
  take many lifetimes, but feel that the rewards justify the 
  sacrifice.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  You’re able to hide the fact 
  that your ancestors are granting you knowledge and 
  power on this action.  Your eyes don’t glow, etc.  
  Major Effect Suggestion:  You’re granted extra 
  knowledge from your ancestors.  You gain two skills 
  instead of one, two pieces of information instead of 
  one, etc. 
  
  20 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Due to your circumstances 
  relating to their life or death, one of your ancestors 
  takes control of your body for one hour. 
  Connection:  Choose one member of your party.  This 
  person reminds you of a particular ancestor of yours 
  and grants you an Asset on rolls made to contact that 
  ancestor when they’re within Immediate range. 
  Tier One
  Glimpse of the Past (1 Intellect point).  You gain a 
  minor piece of information about an ancient ruin or 
  other previously inhabited prior world location you are 
  currently within.  This comes to you in the form of a 
  confusing memory.  Action. 
  Tier Two 
   
  Old Reflexes (2 Intellect points).  The memories of a 
  thousand dodged mishaps and attacks flow into your 
  mind, granting you an Asset on a Speed Defense roll 
  this round.  Enabler, usable once per round. 
  Tier Three
  Ancestral Echo (3 Intellect points).  You integrate a 
  piece of an ancestor’s personality into your own for an 
  hour, temporarily granting you training in a social 
  interaction skill of your choice such as intimidation, 
  persuasion, or carousing.  Action. 
  Tier Four
  Voice from the Past (4 Intellect points).  A whisper 
  from an ancestor provides wisdom from the ancient 
  past.  You may make one knowledge task roll as 
  though you were trained in that skill.  Action. 
  Tier Five 
  Strength of Blood (5 Intellect points).  Your 
  ancestors flow through you and the nanites in your 
  blood, granting you strength beyond your usual 
  capacities.  For one hour you possess two additional 
  Might Edge.  Action to initiate, usable once per day. 
  Tier Six  
  Ghostly Visage (6 Intellect points).  You summon a 
  particular ancestor to appear before you as a vision. 
  Only you may see and hear what is essentially a 
  hallucination.  You may speak with the ancestor for up 
  to an hour, granting you an Asset on non-combat skill 
  rolls related to the ancestor’s prior life.  For instance, a 
  sailor might help you with seamanship tasks or a farmer 
  might help you with reading the weather.  Action to 
  initiate. 
  
  21 
  Reanimates the Dead 
  Blood is the life force of all living things, or so believe 
  the followers of the Mystery of Blood. If a person could 
  learn secrets of the blood, then they could learn how to 
  bestow life itself, elevating them to godhood. Little do 
  they know that their power comes from the colonies of 
  nanites found in all life, yet strongest in the animating 
  fluid of blood. 
  The first step along their road is in returning life to 
  where it has fled. With the proper talismans, mudras, 
  and incantations, practitioners of this path have learned 
  how to reanimate the dead, though none yet have truly 
  returned to life a person that has died. Undeterred, the 
  sanguinmancers press on, though they often must do so 
  in complete secret.  
  Given the extreme taboo against experimenting on 
  corpses, the Mystery has developed a more prolonged 
  ritual process, wherein practitioners create hidden 
  mystical 
  sanctums 
  where 
  they 
  conduct 
  their 
  experiments.   
  Arcane schools, such as the University of Aomi, would 
  never tolerate them if it weren’t for the fact that the 
  Mystery claims to be close to discovering the process of 
  instilling true immortality within the practitioner. Many 
  are skeptical of this fact, but given the powers already 
  discovered, and the sweet promise that is living forever, 
  the 
  sanguinmancers 
  are 
  given 
  leave 
  for 
  their 
  experiments, if reluctantly.  
  Within the Mystery, there is great debate over whether 
  blood from the caster or from another living target is of 
  better use for the magic of the Mystery. Given the sheer 
  volume required, many turn to using outside sources for 
  blood. The benign offer rewards for those who are 
  willing to donate for their experiments, while others 
  rely on less ethical methods of retrieval.  
  Dissenters to this process are silenced with the promise 
  that if immortality can be unlocked, then the genealogy 
  projects of the other half of the Mystery could more 
  easily be completed, leading to humanity’s ascension. 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  A corpse you animate, so 
  long as it is mostly intact, has the look of a living, if 
  somewhat exhausted person or creature. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  A corpse you animate has 
  Short movement speed, rather than Immediate. 
  Suggested Intrusion:  Your animated creature turns on 
  you, attacking until it is destroyed. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  This PC can 
  command your animated creatures as though they were 
  you. 
  Tier One 
  Familiar (1 Might point).  You animate the corpse of 
  a deceased non-sentient creature of your size or less 
  within Immediate distance of you.  The animated 
  corpse is a level 2 creature that may only move 
  Immediate distance each round.  It will follow your 
  verbal commands until it is destroyed, but will not act 
  on its own.  This animation lasts for two hours.  Action 
  to initiate.  
  Tier Two
  Knowledge of the Body.  You are trained in the 
  healing skill as well as any tasks related to identifying 
  body parts and organs in living beings.  Enabler. 
  
  22 
  Tier Three 
   
  Fresh Corpse (3 Might points).  You animate the 
  corpse of a recently deceased (1 hour or less) sentient 
  being of your size or smaller within Immediate distance 
  of you.  The animated corpse is a level 3 creature that 
  may only move Immediate distance each round.  It will 
  follow your verbal commands until it is destroyed, but 
  will not act on its own.  This animation lasts for five 
  hours.  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Necrotic Protection (4 Might points).  Your body 
  and mind become empowered by the dead around you. 
  For the next hour, whenever one of your animated 
  corpses is within Immediate distance of you, you enjoy 
  an Asset on Might and Intellect Defense rolls.  Action 
  to initiate. 
  Tier Five
  Skeletal Servant (5 Might points).  You animate the 
  corpse of a sentient being of your size or smaller within 
  Immediate distance of you.  It matters little how long 
  the corpse has been dead, so long as its bones haven’t 
  turned to dust.  The animated corpse is a level 4 
  creature that may only move Immediate distance each 
  round.  It will follow your verbal commands until it is 
  destroyed, but will not act on its own.  This animation 
  lasts for ten hours.  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Six
  Autonomy.  The corpses you animate are more 
  autonomous than before, acting on their own even when 
  not given commands.  Generally this will mean 
  attacking any living thing they encounter other than you 
  and your companions, though they can be commanded 
  not to do so.  As an eerie side effect, the faces of all 
  creatures you animate are contorted to look like your 
  face.  Enabler. 
  Blood Charms 
  Those who study the Mystery of Blood gain access to 
  Charms through the History skill, due to their 
  connection to ancestors and the deceased.  Knowledge 
  of the past grants them power over those who have 
  come before.   
  The Charms of those who Reanimate the Dead and 
  Access Ancestral Memories are as follows: 
  Blood Tie.  Possession of a foe’s blood, held in one 
  hand, grants you an Asset when fighting them, once this 
  Charm has been performed upon the blood. 
  Bone Hilt.  You enchant a human bone which you hold 
  in such a way that if it is later used in the construction 
  of a weapon, that weapon will deal one additional 
  damage against animated corpses. 
  Burial Rite.  You perform a rite upon a corpse, 
  protecting it from becoming animated or otherwise 
  affected or used by the Numenera. 
  Dance of Blood.  You animate a quantity of blood you 
  touch, causing it to move through the air, seemingly of 
  its own volition. 
  Death Chant.  You sing a song for the dead, granting 
  those who battle the animated dead within earshot of 
  you an Asset on their attacks, so long as they sing 
  along. 
  Echo.  When used within the immediate presence of a 
  corpse or bone of a sentient being, this Charm brings up 
  a five second moment from the deceased’s life- 
  
  23 
  displayed in the form of an animated green holographic 
  projection.  The moment is usually very important, such 
  as a life changing event or the subject’s murder.  This 
  Charm may only be used once on any given deceased 
  person per day. 
  Heirloom.  Activating this Charm while holding a 
  former possession of a deceased person grants you an 
  Asset for the next hour whenever you use Blood 
  Mystery abilities related to them, such as animating 
  their corpse or contacting them through ancestral 
  memories. 
  Masque of Death.  By covering your face in blood, you 
  make yourself invisible to the animated dead for one 
  hour. 
  Reliquary.  You sanctify the preserved body part of a 
  sentient being who could use Esoteries or other arcane 
  powers (such as Mystery powers).  Holding this object 
  in one hand grants you an Asset when attacking 
  creatures animated by the arcane, such as corpses, 
  golems, or other arcane creatures. 
  Turn Dead.  You stop an animated corpse within 
  Immediate distance from taking action for the next ten 
  minutes. 
  Adversaries 
  Graverobber 
  Practicing rudimentary and simplistic versions of the 
  Blood Mystery magics, these criminals prowl the night, 
  searching graves for valuables, or the bones of 
  legendary figures.  They are quick to violence and 
  accustomed to working in complete darkness.  Working 
  in small gangs, they can be dangerous to encounter, as 
  fresh blood is useful to their necromantic experiments. 
  Level 2 (3 when attacking in the dark) 
  Health 6 
  Maneuvers - 
  Knife/Shovel.  3 Damage and the target must 
  make a Might test against Difficulty 3 to avoid 
  catching a disease that lasts for 2 weeks (reducing 
  Might pool by one). 
  Necrotic Bolt.  A ranged attack that knocks the 
  target to the ground, dealing 2 ambient damage. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Two more Graverobbers 
  arrive to help their thieving friends. 
  Specter 
  A strange residual being, made from a mind so strong 
  and so impassioned that it triggered a copying 
  algorithm in the nanites that surrounded it at death, 
  thereby imparting itself into the nanite cloud forever. 
  Experts on the arcane call them “necroplasmic 
  afterimages”.   
  Specters haunt the locations  and people they cared for 
  in life, their minds in pieces, unable to understand what 
  has happened to them.  At times they may become 
  violent, calling upon the nanites around them to affect 
  the world with their rage.  This usually takes the form 
  of a powerful psychic blast or a gruesome illusion of 
  gore and horror.   
  Specters exist in the state of mind they were in at their 
  death.  This emotional, yet morbid state of perpetual 
  dying makes the arcane expressions of these former 
  people equally scary.  They are the arcane equivalent of 
  walking death, even more so than the usual animated 
  dead of the Blood Mystery.   
  Level 4 (5 when defending against non-arcane 
  weapons) 
  Armor 5 (only partially corporeal) 
  Health 12 
  Maneuvers - 
  Psychic Shred.  6 Intellect damage and the target 
  loses one Intellect Edge for the next hour. 
  Frightening Hallucination.  The target sees 
  horrific images, scaring them into cowering 
  submission until they can throw off the terror (a 
  Level 4 Intellect task). 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  The Specter reaches into the 
  PC’s mind and pulls out the most frightening thing they 
  can think of, making them believe it’s happening now. 
  The character will take any action to avoid this threat, 
  even harming themselves or their party.  This 
  hallucination lasts for five rounds. 
  
  24 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Ceremony~ 
  Practitioners of the Mystery of Ceremony, 
  having been the pioneers of arcane research, 
  appear to have uncovered the fundamental 
  controls of nanotech sorcery. This has 
  granted them an unparalleled ability to 
  manipulate 
  the 
  abilities 
  granted 
  by 
  nanotechnology.  
  The practices of this Mystery often require 
  the use of a special mystical tool, which 
  should 
  be 
  given 
  some 
  narrative 
  consideration. The Mystery also often calls 
  for an interaction with both arcane cyphers 
  and 
  nanohive 
  entities, 
  which 
  the 
  practitioners of the Mystery call Angels. 
  These elements should play a major part of 
  any adventure in which players have chosen 
  one of these Foci.  
  Unlike the other Mysteries, all ceremonial 
  practitioners receive the same general 
  training within the practice before choosing 
  to specialize in a particular implement. 
  Ceremonial magic relies on the idea that 
  everything in the universe is linked to 
  everything 
  else 
  through 
  a 
  chain 
  of 
  sympathetic connections, and that by 
  studying the interaction between these 
  connections, otherwise known as the 
  numeneric chain, one can alter the path of 
  the universe.  
  This idea has led to an extremely formulaic approach to 
  magic and has allowed the Mystery to very precisely 
  codify exactly how their magic works. The Mystery of 
  Ceremony has evolved into an academic tradition in 
  which the sharing and passing on of magical knowledge 
  is paramount. Ceremonials are the most likely to 
  maintain the relationship between master and students, 
  and are the ones most likely to congregate in large 
  groups of practitioners.  
  The practice of the Mystery of Ceremony is very 
  involved, with every object and action given meaning 
  within the numeneric chain. Ritual is at the heart of this 
  practice, and the ceremonials have a ritual for every 
  occasion. Along with this comes a study of astronomy, 
  the compounding of incense, the creating 
  of candles, and a host of other skills 
  that are absolutely required in order 
  to make magic function. Needless to 
  say, it can take years of study before 
  one is able to engage in even the 
  most basic powers of the Mystery.  
  Bears a Staff of Power
  Bearers of the magical staff are said 
  to be concerned with the essence that 
  fuels magic of the Ninth World. They 
  learn the power of the staff in order to 
  harness this fundamental power.  
  Arcane cyphers are glyphs which trap 
  this essence, making them the focus 
  of this discipline. This also means 
  that those who bear the staff are often 
  forced to wander the world in search 
  of these cyphers, or form close 
  relationships with those who know 
  the discipline of magical sigils.  
  Magical staves can take on almost 
  any form, the only requirement being 
  that they at least reach the bearer’s 
  eyes.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your staff 
  radiates an aura of calm or menace, granting you an 
  Asset on your next social roll this encounter. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your staff taps into a nearby 
  ley line or nanotech eddy, granting you an Asset on 
  your next Arcane Cypher use. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  You lose hold of your staff at 
  a crucial moment. 
  
  25 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  Once per day, that 
  character may use the Cypher stored in your staff. 
  Tier One
  Instill Spell (2 Intellect points).  You absorb an 
  Arcane Cypher, but instead of going into your mind, the 
  spell is stored in a staff you hold.  For so long as it is 
  stored there, you (and only you) may cast it without 
  losing it.  This Cypher does however count against your 
  Cypher limit.  Casting the Cypher counts as an ability 
  with a cost in Intellect points equal to its Level.  You 
  may only ever have one staff instilled with a spell and a 
  staff may only ever hold one Cypher in this way. 
  Should you instill another one, the old one is 
  disenchanted.  Action, usable once per day. 
  Practiced with Staves.  You incur no increased 
  difficulty when using staves of any kind as a weapon. 
  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Incantation.  By chanting sonorous words of power 
  you enhance your staff-stored spell, granting you an 
  Asset on the roll to activate the Cypher.  Enabler. 
  Tier Three 
   
  Spell Sacrifice (3 Intellect points).  By harnessing 
  the power of an Arcane Cypher your mind holds you 
  increase the capacity of your staff.  You must sacrifice 
  a Cypher stored in your mind, but doing so allows you 
  to cast your imbued staff spell twice this round with a 
  single action.  Enabler, usable once per round. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Energy Ground (4 Intellect points).  Through a held 
  staff you redirect arcane energies, such as an Esotery, 
  Arcane Cypher, or other nanotech effect.  The effect is 
  stopped and its energies forced into the ground by your 
  staff (the effects of which are up to your GM).  Only 
  usable on effects that target you or your carried 
  possessions.  Enabler, usable once per round. 
  Tier Five 
  Channel Power (5 Intellect points).  You draw the 
  arcane power stored in your staff through your body 
  and use it to affect the world.  You must be holding a 
  staff you’ve imbued with an Arcane Cypher to use this 
  ability, and doing so removes the spell stored within. 
  Doing so grants you great arcane power this round, 
  providing two Assets on Arcane Cypher use, Nano 
  Esoteries, and magical Jack Tricks of the Trade. 
  Enabler. 
  Tier Six 
  Arcane Aura (8 Intellect points).  The power imbued 
  within your staff envelopes you, coloring everything 
  you do.  You are physically transformed, taking on a 
  shape related to the power your staff holds, granting 
  you +1 to your Armor rating for the next hour.  During 
  this time you need not roll to activate the Cypher in 
  your staff unless it is an attack on another character. 
  Action to initiate.  
  
  26 
  Carries an Eldritch Blade 
  If the staff wielders are concerned with the essence of 
  magic, then the carriers of the blade are concerned with 
  its final form. This obsession has led them to be able to 
  tap into the magics  of other Mysteries. Practitioners of 
  this discipline are the rarest of the four because of the 
  need for an artifact sword.  
  Carriers of the blade are some of the most disciplined 
  members of the Mystery as they must also learn sword 
  play techniques in order to master the powers of their 
  chosen path. Given their martial training and the ability 
  to utilize and defend against the powers of others, the 
  carriers of the sword often become defenders of arcane 
  colleges and other enclaves of ceremonial practitioners.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your weapon transmutes the 
  materials in the target’s armor, reducing it by one 
  Armor point. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your weapon steals an 
  arcane power from your target.  Your foe loses access 
  to the power for one day, while you gain it as an 
  Anoetic Arcane Cypher. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Your weapon becomes 
  depleted for one hour, during which time you are 
  unable to use the powers of this Focus. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  This character can 
  hold your weapon without problem.  Anyone but you 
  and this PC who attempts to wield or carry it is attacked 
  by a Level 6 mental effect that renders them 
  unconscious. 
  Tier One
  Blade of Legend.  You begin play with a bladed 
  weapon that’s an Artifact, with powers as yet untold. 
  This weapon can never break and always returns to its 
  scabbard if knocked from your hand or otherwise lost. 
  You are practiced with using this particular blade. 
  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Combat Ceremony (2 Speed points).  You prepare 
  yourself mentally for battle, performing ritual motions 
  with your blade.  For the next ten minutes you have 
  
  27 
  armor 3 against attacks that deal damage to your 
  Intellect pool.  Action. 
  Tier Three 
   
  Unlocked Secret.  Choose one Tier two or lower 
  ability from a Focus in a different Mystery.  You gain 
  access to that power whenever you hold your blade of 
  legend.  Enabler. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Arcane Slash (4 Speed points).  You slash with your 
  glowing blade, damaging the very nanites in the air. 
  All magical effects cast in the last round within Short 
  distance of you are suddenly stopped.  Action. 
  Tier Five 
  Unlocked Mystery.  Choose one Tier four or lower 
  ability from a Focus in a different Mystery.  You gain 
  access to that power whenever you hold your blade of 
  legend.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six 
  Spell Riposte.  You enjoy an Asset when defending 
  against arcane attacks if your blade of legend is in your 
  hand.  Whenever you successfully defend against a 
  magical attack while benefiting from this Asset, the foe 
  who cast it takes 6 ambient damage.  Enabler. 
  Potential Eldritch Blades 
  Pick one of the following weapons for your blade 
  bearer, or work with the GM to come up with one of 
  your own.  Be sure to describe how you acquired the 
  blade, perhaps in battle, perhaps as an heirloom, maybe 
  even through theft.  Either way, you found your way to 
  learning the ways of your eldritch weapon of legend. 
  BLACKPENNY.  Medium weapon.  Broad, but short, 
  the blade of the sword is utterly black, absorbing all 
  light. 
  BREAKSWING.  Heavy weapon.  Massive sword, 
  covered in slithering grey runes that hiss in daylight. 
  FARCRY.  A combination longbow and shortsword, 
  this Eldritch Blade counts as both a light melee weapon 
  and a medium ranged weapon.  The Eldritch Blade 
  Focus abilities work through it, even when used as a 
  bow. 
  GRAZEFLEET.  Light weapon.  A long pointed dagger 
  with a golden basket hilt (provides +1 to Speed Defense 
  rolls). 
  HARKAX.  Medium weapon.  An axe with a thinner 
  blade than most, covered in orange runes. 
  HISPER.  Medium reaching weapon.  Spear made of a 
  dark metal which reflects flames that aren’t there. 
  SWORDSUNG.  Medium weapon.  An arm length 
  sword with no point (just a flat end), etched with wispy 
  runes that glow green when the sword is swung.  
  SUN & MOON.  A pair of knives that cannot be 
  separated by more than a short distance; when used 
  one in each hand they count as a single heavy weapon. 
  Blades so curved they almost look like circles. 
  VELSLASTCH.  Light weapon.  A rapier with a cold 
  metal touch, associated with icy powers and often 
  appearing to heroes in the winter. 
  VENG.  Heavy weapon.  A large sword with a red 
  blade that comes to those who seek vengeance for the 
  death of a loved one. 
  
  28 
  Inscribes Arcane Sigils 
  Unlike the other three Foci of this mystery, the 
  inscribers do not require the use of a single mystical 
  implement.  They instead rely on the ability to inscribe 
  powerful sigils which tap into the basic function of 
  magic.  This has allowed them to not only neutralize its 
  effects, but contain its nature, “hanging” spells in time. 
  Practitioners ultimately learned that they could trap 
  celestial beings, or Angels, within their circles, and 
  negotiate or coerce secrets and powers from them. 
  Some members of the discipline believe that this ability 
  could be extended to other kinds of mystical beings. 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your inscription is especially 
  pleasing to the angels, lasting twice as long as usual. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your inscription also protects 
  your person, granting you an Armor rating of 3 against 
  arcane effects for ten minutes. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  One of the nanite entities 
  attacks you invisibly, dealing 5 Intellect damage and 
  stunning you for one round. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  This character’s 
  powers are not affected by your sigils and circles. 
  Tier One
  Circle of Warding (1 Intellect point).  You draw a 
  circle of magical protection on the ground, roughly one 
  meter in diameter.  Magical effects do not work within 
  this circle, which lasts for one hour.  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Two 
  Circle of Control (2 Intellect points).  You draw an 
  arcane circle on the ground, one meter in diameter, 
  potentially capturing a magical effect or creature within 
  it.  The circle holds the phenomenon for up to an hour, 
  during which time it cannot leave or affect the outside 
  world.  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Three 
  Angelic Weapon (3 Intellect points).  By inscribing 
  a magical symbol upon a weapon or other handheld 
  object, you make it able to affect creatures made 
  entirely of arcane energy.  This weapon may also pass 
  right through forcefields and other energy barriers.  The 
  effect lasts for ten minutes.  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Inscribe Cypher (4 Intellect points).  You take an 
  Arcane Cypher from your mind and inscribe it onto an 
  object or surface.  In this way it becomes easy for you 
  to trade Cyphers with others, even after you’ve 
  absorbed one.  Action. 
  Tier Five
  Hang Cypher (5 Intellect points).  You take an 
  Arcane Cypher from your mind, just as you would with 
  Inscribe Cypher, and place it on an object or surface. 
  However, instead of being readable by other heroes, it 
  casts against the next creature other than you to come 
  within Immediate range of the inscription.  Action. 
  Tier Six 
  Capture Angel (6 Intellect points).  You inscribe a 
  circle on the ground, three meters in diameter, which 
  summons and then contains an intelligent nano-hive 
  known as an Angel.  The Angel remains trapped there 
  for ten minutes, during which time you may speak with 
  it.  Angels are capable of bestowing Arcane Cyphers 
  and Oddities to those they deem worthy.  Action to 
  initiate.
  
  29 
  Wields a Magical Wand 
  By focusing on the sigil of a single Arcane Cypher and 
  using an implement with which to trace this rune in the 
  air, practitioners of this path have learned to call upon a 
  single arcane command, often to great effect.  It is this 
  singular dedication to directing this one arcane effect 
  that makes the master of wands such a powerful 
  arcanist.  They are the ultimate arcane specialists. 
  Though more common than carriers of the eldritch 
  blade, wielders of the wand are the second rarest of the 
  Ceremonial Mystery as finding the correct vessel for a 
  wand is quite difficult, even requiring a bit of luck. 
  Magical wands are tubular metal objects, always the 
  length of the end of the middle digit to the elbow.   
  Some wand wielders have found their implement of 
  choice through scavenging, often turning antennas, 
  lightning rods, metal pipes, or data sticks into 
  transmitters of arcane signals. 
  Wielders of the wand require a tremendous amount of 
  dexterity in order to sketch the arcane glyphs of the 
  discipline. Even though practitioners of this discipline 
  focus on one Arcane Cypher for casting through their 
  wand, they are still obsessed with all arcane glyphs and 
  will spend a great deal of time searching them out. 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your wand effect gives off a 
  shower of sparks or other visual effects, granting you an 
  Asset on Speed Defense until your action next round. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your wand effect hits one 
  additional target within Immediate range of the first. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Your wand changes 
  frequency, causing it to cast a different Arcane Cypher 
  or other arcane effect for the next ten minutes. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  The player knows 
  how to make or find a new wand for you, should you 
  lose yours. 
  Tier One
  Draw Sigil.  Choose one Occultic Arcane Cypher that 
  affects a single target.  Whenever you hold a wand, you 
  may use it to draw that Cypher’s symbol in the air as an 
  action, casting that spell as though you held the Cypher 
  in your mind.  Doing so costs one point from each of 
  your Pools, regardless of your Edges.  The spell’s 
  attack is made using your Speed pool for Effort, rather 
  than Intellect.  Enabler. 
  Tier Two 
  Pointed Precision.  You are trained in casting your 
  wand spell.  Enabler. 
  Tier Three 
  Wand Power.  The range on your wand spell is 
  doubled.  Enabler. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Secondary Magics.  During any action in which you 
  cast your wand spell, you may also take your 
  Immediate distance movement as hovering flight. 
  Alternatively, you may shroud yourself in magic, 
  providing an Asset when defending against arcane 
  effects until your next action. 
  Tier Five 
  Seeker Spell.  You are specialized in casting your 
  wand spell, and you no longer require line of sight to 
  cast it, so long as your target is known to be within the 
  spell’s range.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six 
  Point and Cast.  You permanently gain 5 points to 
  your Speed pool.  Alternatively, you may permanently 
  select a second Occultic Arcane Cypher to cast through 
  your wand.  Enabler. 
  
  30 
  Ceremonial Charms 
  Ceremonials explore their Charms through the 
  “Ritual” skill.  The skill may be used to perform a 
  one-round Esotery or Ceremonial ability over the 
  course of one hour.  Doing so allows the 
  practitioner to use the Ritual skill for the task roll. 
  Those who possess Ceremonial Foci gain access to 
  the following Charms through the Ritual skill: 
  Door Ward.  You inscribe a rune on a door, barring 
  entry by a particular person you name for so long as 
  the rune remains. 
  Familiar.  You enchant a small animal so that it 
  becomes loyal to you.  The animal can scout out 
  areas ahead of you and report back, speaking in 
  your mind with simple, one word sentences. 
  Should the animal be killed, you take 5 points of 
  damage. 
  Halo of Enlightenment.  For ten minutes you bear a 
  visible circle of light around your head, like a 
  crown of energy.  You gain a +1 bonus on 
  Numenera related task rolls while emblazoned with 
  this halo. 
  Hermetic Seal.  You cast an enchantment on a 
  touched book or piece of paper, keeping it from 
  rotting or becoming damaged by the elements.  This 
  effect lasts for so long as you live. 
  Pentacle.  You inscribe a circular pendant with the 
  symbol of a particular Mystery.  So long as you hold 
  the item aloft with one or both hands, you enjoy an 
  Asset when resisting the powers of that Mystery. 
  Protected Missive.  You place a ward upon an envelope 
  or other small container, speaking the name of its 
  recipient.  Only the intended recipient may open it 
  without causing damage to the contents. 
  Quill of Light.  For the next ten minutes anything you 
  write will glow white.  This can be used to create 
  magical looking calligraphy, or mark runes that can be 
  easily seen in the dark. 
  Sacrificial Blade.  You enchant a dagger or other small 
  blade with arcane power, causing it to glow and inflict 
  one extra damage on its next hit, so long as you are the 
  one wielding it.  Should you miss, you take one 
  damage. 
  Signature.  You cast an Arcane Cypher you hold within 
  your mind, altering its sensory effects somewhat.  You 
  could change the color, sound, even smell of a Cypher’s 
  effects, but you can’t get rid of them all together. 
  Subtle Signs.  You immediately recognize other 
  practitioners of the Ceremonial Mystery when you see 
  them.  This power requires no roll or action to use. 
  
  31 
  Adversaries 
  Angel 
  Creatures made entirely of information stored within 
  clouds of nanotechnology, they are ethereal beings 
  of power and light.  Some wish to help the peoples 
  of the Ninth World.  Others wish to study or 
  experiment on them.  Visually, Angels look like 
  bright halos of light.  On close examination, the 
  halos are comprised of what appear to be thousands 
  of arcane symbols and diagrams, forming an 
  immense spell.  Arcanists theorize that Angels may 
  in fact be sentient esoteries.  One thing is known- 
  Angels are dangerous and almost impossible to kill.   
  Level 8 (9 when defending against the arcane) 
  Armor 6 
  Health 30 
  Maneuvers - 
  Alter Landscape.  The Angel changes the very 
  world around them, for as far as the eye can see. 
  Mountains crumble, rivers turn to liquid metal, 
  skies turn purple with the ash of untold numbers 
  of nanites.  This is why Angels are not to be 
  trifled with. 
  Ash Demon 
  A nanotechnological virus feasting on the bodies of 
  their invisible brethren, the Ash Demon appears as a 
  cloud of sparkling ash.  The cloud is merely the 
  byproduct of its destruction, as the demonic virus 
  propagates across the countryside, slaying nanites as it 
  goes.  A gaseous storm of soot and light, ruined matter 
  streaming out from the ashy haze. 
  Level 7 
  Armor 6 
  Health 30 
  Maneuvers-  
  Burn.  The Ash Demon deals 6 damage to 
  everyone and everything within a long distance 
  radius. 
  Inhabit.  The Ash Demon’s nanites invade the 
  target’s mind, filling it with terrible thoughts for 
  1d6 rounds, during which time the target may not 
  take action (it mostly screams in terror). 
  Prodigy 
  A smug student of the arcane, bent on proving how 
  smart she is, the Prodigy is likely to get in the way 
  more than anything else.  Following the PC group’s 
  expedition from a safe distance and swooping in to 
  collect the priceless Artifact, the Prodigy is willing to 
  thwart the party if glory is on the line. 
  Level 4 (5 when casting spells) 
  Armor 1 (2 vs arcane powers) 
  Health 12 
  Maneuvers- 
  Arcane Thief.  The Prodigy summons an object 
  out of the target’s hands and into hers.  Usually 
  this is an Artifact or tome of some kind. 
  Raw Magic.  The Prodigy unleashes a raw and 
  untamed form of energy, dealing 4 damage to up 
  to 3 targets and one damage to herself. 
  
  32 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Chaos~ 
  A complex web of probability and possibility exist as a 
  science beyond rational reasoning- the truths of 
  quantum fluctuation and deterministic fate.  Mind 
  bending and contradictory, the realities that these 
  sciences attempt to explain are far beyond the 
  understanding of the Order of Truth, only truly known 
  by the wisest ancients of the prior worlds. 
  But somehow, through mysticism and sheer luck, the 
  Students of the Mystery of Chaos have unlocked some 
  of the secrets of this web, learning to harness a tiny 
  fraction of this mind bending power.  
  But many hard lessons have been learned along the 
  way, one of which being that the more you harness fate, 
  the less predictable it becomes. The more you use it to 
  predict what will come, the less you can harness it for 
  your magical purposes. This contradiction often causes 
  other arcanists to scream in frustration, particularly 
  those of the Ceremonial Mystery who rely so heavily 
  on logical systems. Students of Chaos simply shrug 
  their shoulders and claim that this is simply a 
  fundamental truth of the universe.      
  Creates Chaos 
  Those who choose to use the power of chaos to 
  empower their sorcery follow a dangerous path. 
  Elemental chaos is used by intoning the most ancient 
  programmed commands, producing syllables that draw 
  upon randomness and self-destruction in the nanites 
  that surround them. No other components or 
  accoutrements are required, but a fearlessness is 
  needed, and perhaps a wary trust in fate.  
  Students who wish to pursue this path must either find 
  a master in the wastes willing to teach them or join an 
  arcane university. Once an instructor is secured, the 
  student spends all of their time in the darkest recesses 
  of the university, in hidden insulated chambers that can 
  contain or at least minimize the effects of their 
  burgeoning power. Study takes very little time, and 
  practitioners are quickly graduated and asked to leave 
  the university to go out into the world.  
  Other than the few teachers who remain behind to teach 
  new generations of students, wielders of chaos are 
  usually required to eschew academic society, given the 
  chaotic effect they have on nanite technology. This 
  cultural rejection has caused them to find a bizarre goal, 
  suited to those forced to wander. They have come to 
  believe that the Iron Wind is the physical manifestation 
  of chaos upon the world. As they set out on 
  pilgrimages, they chase the wind and document the 
  results of its passage.  
  Some of these pilgrims create large cabals, and offer 
  protection to communities from the Iron Wind, usually 
  for a large fee.  While many value the ability of the 
  these practitioners to protect them from the Iron Wind’s 
  effects, some have begun to whisper that perhaps these 
  agents of Chaos are themselves unleashing or guiding 
  the wind for some nefarious purpose…  
  
  33 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  The malfunctioning nanites 
  that surround you happen to work in your favor, 
  granting you an Asset on your next roll. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  The nanites in your area let 
  out a final burst of activity before petering out, creating 
  a blast of energy and ash that deals 3 damage to an 
  enemy of your choice. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  The nanites around you go 
  haywire, as usual, impeding your action by one step and 
  literally leaving a bad taste in your mouth. 
  Connection:  Choose one member of your party- your 
  powers have no effect on them and their Esoteries. 
  Tier One
  Disturbance (1 Might point).  You emit an energy 
  pulse from your body, frazzling nanotech in the area. 
  Any arcane effects within Short range go haywire in 
  ways you can’t predict.  This disturbance lasts for ten 
  minutes and causes all arcane powers cast within short 
  distance of you to suffer a one step penalty to activate. 
  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Two 
  Touch of Chaos (2 Might points).  You touch an 
  object or person and disrupt the nanites within and 
  around them, causing 4 ambient damage.  Action. 
  Tier Three 
   
  Spell Scramble (3 Might points).  You disrupt the 
  nanites within a specific nearby area, cancelling any 
  one arcane power used within Long range.  This ability 
  may only be used while the spell targeted is being cast. 
  If used on an Arcane Cypher being deployed, the 
  Cypher is lost in the process.  Action, may be used out 
  of normal initiative order. 
  Tier Four 
  Wild Esotery (4 Might points).  You empower the 
  surrounding nanites to do as they wish, creating a 
  powerful though random effect, similar to a small cloud 
  of Iron Wind.  The nature of the effect is subject to GM 
  discretion, but will often attack 5 or more creatures or 
  people within Long range as though it were a level 5 
  creature.   GMs are encouraged to be creative with this 
  one, making strange creatures and magics beyond 
  reason.  Action. 
  Tier Five
  Eye of the Storm.  You and are no longer affected by 
  the Iron Wind, and nor is anything or anyone within 
  Immediate range of you.  You can expand this area of 
  calm to Long distance by spending 5 Might points, but 
  doing so takes constant concentration on the task at the 
  expense of all else.  The expanded bubble immediately 
  collapses once you stop concentrating.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six
  Chaotic Form (7 Might points).  You allow the 
  nanites around and inside of you to do as they please, 
  adapting and modifying you at a terrifying rate and 
  turning you into a roiling mass of randomly changing 
  materials.  You may move your Pool points around as 
  you see fit while in this form, which lasts for one hour. 
  You can breathe and otherwise exist in nearly any 
  condition, and your Armor rating becomes 7.  Should 
  you need a particular tool, your body may take that 
  shape.  Action to initiate. 
  
  34 
  Lets it Ride 
  Rather than attempting to harness the raw form of 
  Chaos itself, the riders seek instead to read the web that 
  connects Chaos to all things. This process requires 
  some form of divination implement, whether that is a 
  deck of cosmos, bloodbone dice, blackdream tree 
  stocks, or even a shin flip. The actual method is of little 
  importance once the practitioner learns how to use it to 
  tap into Chaos.  
  After the practitioner learns to read the signs, it 
  becomes an easy task for them to almost literally go 
  with the flow. Many who observe these practitioners 
  often suspect them of bending fate to their will, but this 
  is simply not the case. Practitioners become adept at 
  reading the signs of Chaos, and adapting to whatever 
  comes their way. This can mean embracing things that 
  may seem negative or learning how to deal with painful 
  situations.  
  Those who are attracted to this Focus are often those 
  who have had to live hard times in their life, or those 
  who are trying to somehow gain an edge on reality 
  itself. Street toughs, gamblers, and thieves all find this 
  path to be of use, often making the masters of this path 
  estranged from the arcane universities. Cabals of these 
  practitioners can form in large cities where they pull 
  jobs on the unsuspecting.  
  Given their ability to read the signs, they are extremely 
  difficult to eradicate, much to the chagrin of the local 
  authorities.  
  Those seeking more legitimate enterprises often join 
  expeditions out into the great unknown, harnessing their 
  knowledge for the benefit of those who put themselves 
  in danger. These individuals are highly prized, and can 
  often fetch a substantial fee for their services once they 
  have a decent reputation.        
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Luck swings your way, 
  making everything fall into place as though you’d 
  
  35 
  planned it, and leaving you with a bit extra- shins, 
  equipment, love interests, etc.  You always enjoy a bit 
  more of life than everyone else. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  You get really lucky- the big 
  bad guy waits to come in, you land on top of the 
  controls, or some other stroke of impossible good 
  fortune. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Everybody loses sometimes 
  and when luck leaves you it’s not pretty.  Usually it’s 
  an equipment  malfunction or other stroke of terrible 
  timing. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  You once beat this 
  character at cards or other gambling and they still owe 
  you big time.  Maybe if they save your life you can call 
  it even. 
  Tier One 
  Snake Eyes (1 Speed point).  The laws of probability 
  change around you, granting you two Assets on 
  gambling related skill rolls for the next ten minutes. 
  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Two
  Fool’s Luck.  The nanites and other “spirits of the air” 
  favor you.  Whenever you roll a natural 19 on the die, 
  you gain a Major Effect from the roll, rather than a 
  Minor one.  Enabler. 
  Tier Three 
   
  Cold Cards.  Your GM must inform you one turn in 
  advance when you’re about to get a GM Intrusion. 
  Enabler. 
  Tier Four 
  Lucky Break.  Whenever you gain a Major Effect on a 
  roll you gain an extra action in addition to any other 
  Major Effect.  Enabler. 
  Tier Five
  Hot Cards (5 Speed points).  You infuse a held item, 
  such as a tool or weapon, with luck.  For the next ten 
  minutes you gain a Major Effect from a natural roll of 
  17+ on all rolls involving the item.  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Six
  Impossible Play (7 Speed points).  You may only 
  use this ability while attempting an action that would 
  normally have a base Difficulty of 10.  You treat the 
  base Difficulty as 5 for this action.  Enabler, usable 
  once per 28 hours. 
  Chaos Charms 
  The Charms employed by those who study the Mystery 
  of Chaos derive from the Gambling skill.  In its 
  mundane use the skill of gambling helps the gambler 
  win at games of chance and place bets that have the 
  best chance of paying out.  The gambler knows how to 
  make the most of her bet.   
  Ninth Worlders who Let it Ride or Create Chaos gain 
  access to the following Charms through the Gambling 
  skill: 
  All In.  Increase your Effort score by one for a single 
  roll you take within the next minute.  Only usable once 
  per day. 
  Call the Bluff.  For the next ten minutes you enjoy an 
  Asset when attempting to see through lies. 
  Fold ‘Em.  You stop a fight for a single round, allowing 
  you to negotiate.  Only works with sentient foes. 
  Hold ‘Em.  You find a way to keep up with a fleeing 
  foe for one more round. 
  Lady Luck.  You put a small amount of magic into your 
  gambling instruments (dice, cards, etc.), granting you 
  an Asset on all of your attempts to gamble for the next 
  hour.  However, other arcanists may notice this change, 
  and thereby discover that you’re cheating.  Anyone who 
  belongs to a Mystery may roll to notice your magics. 
  Press Your Luck.  You win twice as much as usual in a 
  game of chance. 
  Shared Luck.  By taking this Charm as your action for 
  the round, you may negate a 1 rolled by one of the other 
  PC’s, allowing them to reroll.  This Charm may only be 
  used once per day, and can be done out of normal 
  initiative order. 
  
  36 
  Sleight of Hand.  You invisibly move an item from 
  your pocket to your hand, or vice versa. 
  Spot a Mark.  You learn the perception and gambling 
  Levels of a non-hostile human or mutant. 
  Up the Ante.  After failing an attempt at lying you may 
  use this power to reroll your attempt, representing a 
  massive embellishment on your original lie. 
  Adversaries 
  Gremlin 
  A spirit of chaos, the Gremlin is an ultraterrestrial being 
  that causes quantum distortions, both on purpose and 
  through its very existence.  The real world byproducts 
  of these distortions tend to be alterations in probability, 
  leading to highly unlikely situations, and random 
  fluctuations in the effects of arcane powers.  This latter 
  problem is what draws arcanists such as those who 
  study the Mystery of Chaos to the Gremlins.  As 
  embodiments of chaos, they are greatly revered, but 
  also feared, for their power is both immense and 
  unpredictable. 
  Physically the Gremlin looks like a malformed ball of 
  green flesh, floating about the area at great speed.  It 
  tends to hide most of the time inside Numenera objects, 
  where it feasts on rare elements.  The Gremlin is 
  capable of fleeing back to its home realm should it fear 
  for its life. 
  Level 6 (7 when defending against arcane effects) 
  Armor 3 (due to attacks randomly making glancing 
  blows) 
  Health 21 
  Maneuvers- 
  Mishap.  The Gremlin causes something 
  extremely unlikely to happen, forcing a GM 
  Intrusion that can’t be blocked by spending XP. 
  Chaotica.  All arcane spells within immediate 
  distance are disrupted, causing random magical 
  effects. 
  Flee.  The Gremlin returns to its own version of 
  reality. 
  Luck Taker 
  Bandits versed in the rudimentary teachings of the 
  Mystery of Chaos learn to harvest fortune from the 
  unwary.  Lurking in the corners of gambling 
  establishments, Luck Takers keep careful watch for 
  those on a lucky streak, casting their spells under their 
  breath to steal the luck away and take the good fortune 
  for themselves. 
  There are many side effects to this kind of lifestyle, for 
  making one’s own luck is the only safe way to live. 
  Luck Takers often find themselves rail thin and sickly, 
  with blackened fingers discolored by their harvesting 
  spells. 
  Luck works differently around Luck Takers.  Actions 
  taken against them roll 2d10 -1, rather than 1d20. 
  Level 3 (4 when a great deal of random 
  chance is involved) 
  Armor 1 (leather outfit) 
  Health 9 
  Maneuvers- 
  Steal Luck.  The Luck Taker saps the 
  fortune from a foe within Long range, 
  casting an invisible spell.  The target loses 
  one from each of their Pools, healing the 
  Luck Taker for 3 Health. 
  Misfortune.  The Luck Taker forces all their 
  bad luck on the target, causing a GM 
  Intrusion.   
  
  37 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Dust~ 
  From drit, to arcane cyphers, to the baleful Iron Wind, 
  nanite dust pervades all existence within the Ninth 
  World. Workers of the Mystery of Dust have learned to 
  embrace this pervasiveness, choosing to master power 
  over the nanties themselves. 
   Learning mastery over the fundamentals of the arcane 
  Mysteries has given them great power, but that power 
  comes at a price. For those waging the invisible war, 
  the price is the loneliness and rejection that comes from 
  those who fear the implication of their powers- the 
  destruction of the very motes that make magic work.  
  Others must hoard their magic because of the scarcity 
  of the “prima cinere,” ash comprised of nanites that 
  have yet to be programmed.  Regardless of the 
  sacrifice, there are always those willing to pursue the 
  Mystery of Dust, tempted by the power it grants. 
  Fights an Invisible War 
  True power comes from the ability to end something. 
  The reaper with her scythe, the executioner with his axe 
  - these are the people who hold power. Ash is a symbol 
  of death, and a symbol that those who call themselves 
  “harbingers” wear with pride. Their magic incites the 
  nanites around them into conflict with one another, 
  drawing upon ancient codes of hostility and destruction. 
  These skirmishes and battles obliterate that which 
  makes magic work, leaving only an ashy residue behind 
  - the husks of slaughtered nanite clouds.   
  Seeking understanding in endings, they gain power 
  through that understanding. Harbingers also place great 
  value in fire, seeing it as the ultimate expression of 
  ending as power. Fire brings light, heat, and protection, 
  and yet it consumes and destroys, a perfect symbol for 
  power through death.  These two obsessions often lead 
  students on the path of ashes to seek professions as 
  firefighters, warriors, and corpse preparers, so they may 
  witness and observe death in action.  
  This fascination with death and endings makes many 
  people suspicious and uncomfortable around the 
  harbingers, but few will deny their usefulness. Given 
  their power to destroy Numenera , they are often sought 
  out to help deal with problems that occur from effects 
  run amok. Leaders often seek to have at least one 
  harbinger on hand, to counter other practitioners who 
  might seek to harm or influence them.  
  Harbinger magic has simple practices, but flashy 
  results. Practitioners rarely rely on intricate rituals or 
  complex incantations; a few flicks of the hand and a 
  word of power will suffice. Of course given that this 
  often results in ash falling from the air, few can 
  
  38 
  question its provocativeness or its impact. For the 
  harbingers, the result matters much more than the 
  practice.  
  Harbingers often go on great pilgrimages, seeking out 
  new forms of the Numenera to test their powers upon. 
  This has led them into conflict with other practitioners 
  of the mysteries, as the harbingers’ powers often 
  disable or destroy Numenera they come into contact 
  with. Those who fight the invisible war find the writers 
  of the unwritten code to be misguided in their pursuit. 
  Death does not lead to life, it is an end unto itself.   
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  You are covered in soot by 
  the end of your action, granting you an Asset on stealth 
  tasks. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Soot produced by your 
  ability gets in the eyes of your foe, causing them to 
  suffer a one step penalty on actions. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  The nanites attacked by your 
  own nanite forces win the battle and attack you, dealing 
  3 ambient damage and destroying one of your held 
  objects. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  You cannot affect 
  this player with your abilities from this Focus. 
  Additional Equipment:  A sturdy pair of goggles. 
  Tier One
  Skirmish (1 Speed point).  You cajole the nanites 
  around you into attacking those surrounding a creature 
  within Long range.  The creature becomes immersed in 
  a cloud of ash from destroyed nanites (obscuring ranged 
  attacks made against them by one step in difficulty). 
  The target cannot cast arcane powers for one minute as 
  a nanite skirmish continues to swarm around them. 
  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Two
  Reconnaissance (2 Speed points).  You tap into the 
  nanite networks around you, gathering information 
  about their movements and activities.  You immediately 
  discover the arcane abilities of all creatures within 
  Immediate range, as well as the effects of any ongoing 
  arcane effects in that area.  Action. 
  Tier Three 
  Battle (3 Speed points).  You instigate a major battle 
  between the various types of nanites in the area.   Up to 
  a distance of Long range, no creature may use an arcane 
  power.  The area becomes shrouded in a massive cloud 
  of ash, increasing the difficulty of all ranged attacks by 
  one step.  This effect lasts for one hour, or until you 
  leave the area.  Action to initiate. 
  
  39 
  Tier Four 
  Take Prisoner (4 Speed points).  Nanites under your 
  command temporarily disable certain nanotech within 
  their midst, temporarily suppressing an arcane effect 
  within Long range of you.  The effect stops working for 
  up to ten minutes, or until you choose to release it. 
  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Five 
  Nanocide (5 Speed points).  Your gestures and 
  motions instruct the nanites around you to eradicate one 
  particular strain of their kind, permanently eliminating 
  one arcane effect within Long range of you.  If this 
  effect is on another creature, you must use this ability 
  as an attack against them to succeed.  In addition, that 
  particular effect may not be recast within Long range 
  for the next ten minutes.  Action. 
  Tier Six
  Total War (6 Speed points).  Virtually all nanites 
  within Long range of you are immediately killed as 
  they work to destroy one another.  Every arcane effect 
  in the area is immediately eradicated.  No arcane 
  abilities may be used at this location for one hour. 
  Additionally, the area is covered in a thick layer of ash. 
  Action.
  Writes the Unwritten Code 
  Taking prima cinere, a mystical ash upon which new 
  esoteries may be imprinted, the code writers conduct 
  powerful but difficult magical work.  Some arcanists 
  seek out places where the unencoded nanites may be 
  found- ancient laboratories and certain small deposits 
  on beaches.  With this powerful tool they are able to 
  write new magics, bringing all new forces and effects 
  into the world. 
  The practice of the unwritten code is highly formulaic, 
  and few are ever able to learn even the very basics. 
  Creating totally new magic requires knowledge of the 
  correct sigils, incantations and mudras to impart the 
  proper codes upon the nanites. The intricate nature of 
  this process lends itself to those with high levels of 
  education and large amounts of free time, limiting 
  access to this path mostly to the elite of Steadfast 
  society.  
  This has created an intensely exclusive culture among 
  the writers, especially since all of them had to initiate 
  themselves into this Mystery - finding prima cinere 
  themselves and stumbling onto the ancient codification 
  processes.  
  While the writers see this as legitimate pride over their 
  abilities, other practitioners tend to see them as 
  unbearable snobs at best and dangerous elitists at worst. 
  They are often in conflict with the arcane academia, for 
  while their exploration gives them the knowledge to be 
  great teachers and scholars, their secrecy flies in the 
  face of the purpose of the universities.  
  
  40 
  The requirement for the primal ash makes all 
  practitioners of this Mystery into wanderers, constantly 
  seeking new code and new sources of prima cinere. 
  Writers tend to learn other magics, given the need to 
  hoard what little prima cinere they are able to find. In 
  order to fund their wandering habit, writers will often 
  act as guides or expedition leaders for other explorers. 
  The writers of the unwritten code are usually in militant 
  opposition to the harbingers, given the effect those 
  practitioners have on the Numenera.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your carried nanite ash alters 
  the Esoteries being cast around you, allowing you to 
  change the look of the next magical effect cast. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your carried nanite ash alters 
  the Esoteries being cast around you, allowing you to 
  change the target of the next magical effect cast. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  You run out of prima cinere 
  in the middle of your action and are unable to complete 
  it until you get more from your pack. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  That character is 
  can hand you prima cinere from your pack without 
  taking an action to do so. 
  Tier One 
  Call of Ashes (1 Intellect point).  You send out a 
  signal and receive one back, pointing you in the 
  direction of the nearest significant source of prima 
  cinere.  Action. 
  Sprinkle (1 Intellect point).  You spread a pinch of 
  prima cinere over a weapon and chant the sacred code. 
  For the next hour the weapon deals one additional 
  damage when attacking non-living targets.  Action. 
  
  41 
  Tier Two
  Fist of Dust (2 Intellect points).  By using up a fist 
  full of prima cinere you empower your fist with a 
  strange and potent power.  For the next hour, your 
  unarmed attacks deal 6 damage, so long as you use your 
  emblazoned fist.  Action. 
  Tier Three 
  Mark of the Codifier (3 Intellect points).  You draw 
  sigils on your face and body with a handful of prima 
  cinere, causing you to glow slightly.  For the next hour 
  you are immune to all Esoteries and similar nanite-
  driven magics.  Action. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Imprint Ash (4 Intellect points).  By using this power 
  within one round of an Esotery’s use within Long 
  distance of you, you are able to imprint the code of that 
  power onto a handful of prima cinere for a short time. 
  You may then throw that handful to replicate the 
  Esotery, casting it yourself as though you had it (and 
  paying the same costs).  The prima cinere is only 
  imprinted for three rounds, after which time it becomes 
  useless soot.  Action. 
  Tier Five 
  Steal Code (5 Intellect points).  You replicate the 
  effects of an Arcane Cypher you touch into a handful of 
  prima cinere.  You may at any later time throw that 
  particular handful as an action to use the same effect as 
  was in the Cypher.  The handful of prima cinere takes 
  up one of your Cypher slots.  Action. 
  Tier Six
  Write New (6 Intellect points).  You invent your own 
  Esotery and store it in a handful of prima cinere.  You’ll 
  have to negotiate with your GM on the effects, but it 
  should match those of a third Tier or lower ability.  You 
  may cast the Esotery by throwing the handful of prima 
  cinere as an action.  The handful takes up one of your 
  Cypher slots.  Action. 
  Dust Charms 
  Those who study the Mystery of Dust gain access to 
  Charms through the Numenera skill itself, as their 
  studies involve manipulation of nanites at the most 
  basic level - their program codes.  
  Ashen Sight.  You rub drit into your eyes, hindering 
  your normal vision (1 step penalty on Perception), but 
  allowing you to see the nanites around you and what 
  they’re up to (creating magic, fighting each other, etc.). 
  Communications.  You cause the nanites in the air to 
  begin constant broadcast communications with one 
  another, filling the air in an Immediate area with 
  sparkles and light for ten minutes. 
  Eddies.  You stand in just the right place, just where the 
  nanites are most concentrated, granting you a +1 on 
  arcane rolls next round. 
  
  42 
  Dust to Dust.  You turn a creature’s corpse you touch 
  into a pile of ash.  This even works on the animated 
  dead created by the Mystery of Blood. 
  Mask of the Nano Cloud.  You rub nanite ash or drit on 
  your face and ignite it with magic, causing it to glow. 
  For the next ten minutes nanite intelligences will treat 
  you as one of their own, allowing you to more easily 
  negotiate with them (provides an Asset). 
  Nanite Whisper.  You speak into the wind and carry a 
  message through the nanite networks.  Your message 
  carries into the ear of any person you can see, no matter 
  the distance. 
  Scan the Code.  You learn the arcane nature of a pile of 
  ash or drit within Immediate range of you - was it once 
  nanites, is it Prima Cinera, etc. 
  See The Code.  Touching an arcane effect or Arcane 
  Cypher, you project a glowing three dimensional model 
  of a nanite formation into the air, allowing you to more 
  easily identify the effect (provides an Asset). 
  Smell of Ash.  You use your sense of smell to identify 
  the Focus, Esotery, or Arcane Cypher from which a 
  magical effect derives.  The effect must be within 
  Immediate range, or up to Long range if it’s upwind of 
  you. 
  Track the Wind.  You learn the relative distance and 
  approximate location of the Iron Wind. 
  Adversaries 
  Ash Eater 
  The ash known as prima cinere is rare in most places, 
  but in some it is as common as any valuable mineral. 
  In these places, humans are known to consume prima 
  cinere, rubbing it in their noses and against their gums. 
  Some even rub it into their eyes.  The nanites alter the 
  structure of the people who consume it in this way, 
  causing mild euphoria and eventually coloring their 
  bodies slightly purple. 
  The ashes also grant those who ingest it some measure 
  of arcane power, though its manifestation is often 
  unpredictable.  The magical addict’s own subconscious 
  is turned into arcane effects.  Needless to say these 
  individuals can be dangerous and somewhat unhinged. 
  Level 3 (4 when casting “spells”) 
  Armor 1 
  Health 9 
  Maneuvers- 
  Addiction.  Consumes a pinch of prima cinere 
  and becomes one Level higher for one hour.  Will 
  be one Lower than usual for 4 hours after this 
  effect wears off. 
  Spell.  Creates a strange magical effect, such as a 
  shower of sparks or sudden plant growth all 
  around.  Causes 4 damage and stuns all within 
  Immediate distance for one round. 
  
  43 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Fae~ 
  Once the world was ruled by Fae, the most beautiful 
  and perfect beings in all of creation.  In their infinite 
  and perfect wisdom, the Fae came to create their 
  servants, the Faery, beings who were granted 
  providence over creation and spirits of insatiable 
  mischief.  For perfection is boring without a little 
  mischief now and then.  
  Though lovers of chance, the Fae also decreed that laws 
  be forged by which the Faery must abide, as 
  complicated and convoluted they would be. This is the 
  story the practitioners of Faery magic tell, claiming to 
  have had it passed down for generations. In practice, 
  the magic relies on the ability for the users to access the 
  arcane and intricate rules which govern the Faery- 
  intelligent hives of nanites programmed to create 
  interesting lives for the former masters of Earth.  
  Practicing this magic can be as simple as answering a 
  riddle or reciting a rhyme, but it also relies on a kind of 
  folk wisdom, which helps in knowing the rules and 
  practices of these strange beings.   Masters of the 
  Mystery eventually are able to entreat the Faery 
  directly, though this carries its own burdens and costs. 
  Finds the Faerie Trods 
  The Faery travel the world through a series of secret 
  passages called “faery trods.”  Practitioners focused on 
  this aspect of the Mystery have learned the telltale sign 
  of these hidden roads and how to access them. These 
  signs can call for a particular rhyme being recited over 
  a seemingly random pattern of scattered black stones or 
  blue wax being poured over a painted yellow door. 
  Discovering these rules can take a lifetime of 
  exploration and experimentation.  Some of these roads 
  are relatively easy to find and access, allowing the 
  traveler discretion in where they are traveling. Others 
  require bravery as well as cleverness, for it can be 
  unclear where the wanderer will end up.  
  These abilities often lend the trod seekers to be 
  excellent guides through the vast and dangerous lands 
  of the Ninth World. Many have taken to forming guilds, 
  dedicated to helping paying customers safely cross the 
  various wastes. Of course, these guilds jealously guard 
  the paths they know of, rarely willing to commit such 
  valuable knowledge to a map.  
  Some of the trod seekers have begun to claim that they 
  are not simply locating the hidden roads of the Faery, 
  but actually commanding them to creating passages for 
  the masters of the path. This minority is often the one 
  most likely to utilize the Focus’s ability to cut off the 
  Faery from their trods in order to elicit services and 
  favors. Others say this attitude is dangerous, and avoid 
  the need to coerce such favor from the Faery, hoping 
  this will shield them from the worst of the mischief the 
  strange neighbors can offer.  
  
  44 
  Faerie Trods:  It should be noted that for many of the 
  powers of the Focus, the player will activate an ability, 
  and then learn the location of a circle or pathway.  The 
  GM is the one who actually decides where the trod will 
  be. 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  You teleport an immediate 
  distance as part of your action, to a location of your 
  choice. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  You teleport a short distance 
  as part of your action, to a location of your choice. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  You suddenly teleport to a 
  very dangerous or disadvantageous location. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  This person can 
  follow you when you teleport, as long as they are 
  within Immediate range of your point of departure and 
  do so within one round of your travel. 
  Tier One 
  Blink (1 Speed point).  By squeezing through a weak 
  point in space you teleport an Immediate distance. 
  Action. 
  Tier Two 
  Ley Line.  You are able to walk the longer trods of the 
  fae, allowing you to take shortcuts through the cracks in 
  space when travelling.  Long 
  term travel times are halved 
  for you and your party and 
  you need not make Speed 
  task checks to travel Long 
  distance as an action in 
  combat.  Enabler. 
  Tier Three
  Faerie Ring (3 Speed 
  points).  You find the spot 
  within Long range of you 
  where the coherency of three 
  dimensional 
  space 
  is 
  weakest. 
   
  Once 
  found, 
  anyone who enters this space 
  (usually a one meter diameter 
  circle) teleports to a location tied 
  to this “ring”.  You do not know where the ring leads, 
  travel is one-way, and it only lasts for ten minutes once 
  found, but in a desperate situation it could give you the 
  quick exit you and your companions need.  Action. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Corpse Road (4 Speed points).  You find a path 
  between space tread frequently by the faeries and other 
  “spirits” of the Numenera.  For the next ten minutes, so 
  long as you are following the direction of this road, you 
  may travel up to long distance each round without 
  taking an action to do so.  Action. 
  Tier Five
  Crossroads (5 Speed points).  You locate a gateway 
  into a realm of the fae, a tiny extradimensional space. 
  The gateway only lasts for ten minutes after you find it, 
  taking the form of an archway, doorway, or other 
  opening.  Anyone can enter the crossroads, once found. 
  Inside is a spherical room with enough space for four or 
  five people to sit comfortably.  Those inside can leave 
  at any time with but a thought, but anything they place 
  within will go away once no one inhabits that particular 
  pocket reality anymore.  Action. 
  
  45 
  Tier Six 
  Catch a Sprite (6 Speed points).  You find an 
  invisible faerie and cut it off from its trods, keeping it 
  from escaping.  The faerie in this condition becomes 
  slightly visible as a luminous humanoid shape.  At this 
  point you may ask one task of the faerie, that it will 
  execute upon release.  This task must be relatively 
  simple and straightforward such as “Get me the key 
  from the jailer,” or “Trip the king on his way down the 
  stairs.”   The faerie cannot engage in combat for you, 
  but it can pull mischievous tricks that border on 
  dangerous.  Action, usable once per day. 
  Swears Oaths and Curses 
  The Fae of old were very careful with which words they 
  chose to speak, and their servants the Faery follow in 
  their masters’ footsteps. Practitioners of this Focus are 
  able to elicit the faeries’ assistance in enforcing oaths 
  and curses they wish the weight of fate behind.  
  Most of the powers invoked in this way require a 
  spoken declaration of some sort. Many on this path find 
  ways of entwining the curse or blessing into a rhyme 
  that they have learned. Sometimes rhymes are the only 
  way to invoke these powers, and if you lack a particular 
  rhyme for a particular cure, then you are unable to level 
  that spell against anyone.  
  These practices are dangerous, for the more a person 
  enforces their will with the Faery, the more the Faery 
  take notice of that person. This tends to entice many 
  thrill seekers to the path, looking for the excitement that 
  dealing with the Faery can bring.  
  Others tend to conserve their powers, using them 
  sparingly, hoping to avoid the dread gaze of the faery 
  folk. Those who choose to walk this path quickly learn 
  to be careful with what they say, rarely resorting to 
  lying to gain what they want.  
  Given their ability to shape the very fate of the world, 
  many on this path choose to use their services in the 
  world of commerce. The ability to bind agreements has 
  made these practitioners a valuable commodity to the 
  merchants of the ninth world.  
  The ability to bind curses is of no little value as well, 
  but this can be a dangerous enterprise if it becomes too 
  public of a venture.  Discretion is necessary if one 
  doesn’t want to end up with complaining townspeople 
  every time someone stubs a toe or loses some livestock. 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your curse lasts twice as 
  long as normal. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your curse affects two 
  targets rather than one (roll for a second attack). 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Your curse affects you as 
  well. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  This character 
  gains the benefits of your oath too, so long as they also 
  follow it. 
  Tier One 
  Morning Oath (1 Intellect point).  Once per day you 
  may swear a vow, at some time between sunrise and 
  noon.  Doing so takes an action, and the effect of the 
  sworn oath lasts until the next sunrise, or until you 
  break the vow associated with it.  Choose one of the 
  following oaths when doing so, or create a new one 
  with your GM: 
   “I shall harm no unarmed foe and accept
  surrender.”  You gain an Asset when convincing a
  foe to surrender.
   “I shall protect the innocent and defend the weak.”
  You gain an Asset on defense rolls when Defending
  attacks against another character (see the Numenera
  corebook page 103).
   “I shall only speak the truth and hide no relevant
  fact.”  You gain an Asset on social interaction
  tasks, besides those that involve deception.
  Tier Two 
  Jinx (2 Intellect points).  With a screaming curse you 
  cause a creature within Long range to immediately 
  suffer some ill fate, such as dropping a weapon, falling 
  down, or getting hit by a large falling object.  This 
  effect is decided by the GM based on the 
  circumstances, but will usually inflict around 4 damage 
  
  46 
  and cause the victim to be in an unfortunate tactical 
  position.  Action. 
  Tier Three 
  Evening Curse (3 Intellect points).  Once per day 
  you may swear a curse, at some time between sundown 
  and midnight.  Doing so takes an action, and the effect 
  of the sworn curse lasts until the next sundown. 
  Choose one of the following curses when doing so, or 
  create a new one with your GM: 
   Assassin’s Crutch.  Anyone who attacks you from
  behind or from an unknown location immediately
  takes 5 damage.
   Liar’s Tongue.  Anyone who lies to you in any way
  stronger than a white lie immediately finds their
  tongue has shriveled within their mouth, greatly
  impairing speech.  This effect lasts on the liar for
  seven days.
   Thief’s Lament.  Anyone who steals from you
  immediately finds that one of their hands has
  shriveled to a stub.  This effect lasts on the thief for
  seven days.
  Tier Four 
   
  Bind the Vow (4 Intellect points).  You cast this 
  curse upon a target within Short distance, after having 
  just heard them utter a vow, promise, or prediction.  For 
  the next seven days, whenever the target breaks this 
  vow, they immediately suffer a great calamity, 
  equivalent to a GM Intrusion.  Action. 
  Tier Five
  Karmic Vengeance (5 Intellect points).  You enter a 
  state for one hour, in which the odds tend to get even 
  for you.  Whenever you roll a 1 or a 20 on a task, you 
  both suffer an Intrusion and gain a Major Effect. 
  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Six
  Weave Fate (6 Intellect points).  You channel the 
  forces of the fae towards the task of making sure a 
  given event takes place.  From this point forward, 
  whenever you take an action directly related to this 
  goal, you count as having one higher Edge for the 
  purposes of applying Effort.  You may only weave fate 
  towards one objective at any given time.  Until your fae 
  enhanced fate is completed, you may not weave fate 
  again.  Action to initiate. 
  Fae Charms 
  Those who study the ways of the faeries are able to tap 
  into their tricks through the Folk Wisdom skill, which 
  can also be used to know of healing, harmful, and 
  flavorful herbs, how to work with animals, and other 
  useful common knowledge. 
  Achoo.  You cause a living target within Immediate 
  range to sneeze.  Target must have a nose. 
  Best Road.  Given a choice of roads to travel, you know 
  which one is least likely to be influenced by the Faeries.  
  This is particularly helpful when entering forests or 
  other landmarks known to be “haunted” by their kind. 
  Dare Games.  You may challenge someone to a dare. 
  Should they succeed within ten minutes, you transfer 
  one Might point from your pool into theirs.  The dare 
  must be something fairly difficult or embarrassing. 
  
  47 
  Fairy Lights.  You cause a light to glimmer in the 
  distance, potentially causing a distraction. 
  Fright.  Target living creature within Immediate range 
  feels afraid and on edge for no apparent reason. 
  Jinx.  You cause an object used to generate random 
  numbers, such as a die or tossed coin, to come up as the 
  lowest possible value (one on a standard die, tails on a 
  shin flip).  The object must be within Immediate range. 
  Provides an Asset on gambling rolls if used properly, 
  but the muttering and gestures of the spell may be seen 
  as cheating by some. 
  Placate.  You make an offering to the local Faeries, 
  keeping them from harming you (preventing Faerie 
  related Intrusions) for the next 28 hours. 
  Proper Promise.  You make a promise and swear it to 
  the Faeries.  Should you fail to uphold your oath, you’ll 
  be struck by an affliction, such as turning strange colors 
  or catching a terrible sickness.  Wise common folk 
  often revere such a promise and those who swear them. 
  Repair the Seal.  Sometimes ancient magical seals can 
  be found, binding captured Faeries to the spot so that 
  they cannot harm the world anymore.  You may use this 
  ability to maintain or repair a broken seal, thereby 
  trapping any nearby Faeries, or keeping already trapped 
  fair ones from escaping. 
  Self-Sacrifice.  Used the moment another PC gets a 
  rolled Intrusion (from a 1 on the die), you suffer the 
  Intrusion instead.  This represents drawing the ire of the 
  Faeries away from someone else and towards yourself. 
  This power takes no time to use, but may only be used 
  once per day. 
  Adversaries 
  Faerie 
  Less an actual being than a force of nature, a Faerie is 
  an intelligent hive of nanites, bound together by an oath 
  to make mischief for the living beings in a region.  It is 
  programmed to be capricious and irreverent, seeking 
  only to cause the most interesting misery possible, so 
  that all lives are enriched by the lack of boredom. 
  Faeries take their oaths (programming) very seriously, 
  and are only willing to grant mercy when the proper 
  instructions and rituals have been performed - those 
  their ancient programmers used to maintain them. 
  Thus the Faeries, when encountered directly, are 
  dangerous things indeed, unharmed by conventional 
  weapons and bent on inflicting harm and humility upon 
  their hapless victims. 
  Level 8 
  Armor 10 
  Health 30 
  Maneuvers- 
  Space Between Space.  The Faerie moves itself 
  and a target within Long range to an extra-
  dimensional space, to “chat”. 
  Unpossible.  The Faerie skews the laws of 
  probability to make anything it wishes occur, 
  within the bounds of its programming.  This 
  generally means that something horrific happens 
  to a target within several miles. 
  
  48 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Flesh~ 
  Hidden in the bodies of every living thing on Earth are 
  numerous colonies of nanites, self-replicating to do 
  work few know about.  Those who study the Mystery of 
  Flesh are able to modify the body by invoking the 
  ancient codes hidden in these invisible parasites, 
  causing them to take action upon the flesh. 
  Designed to keep creatures alive, or the allow them to 
  change form, the nanites in the body are dangerous and 
  strange.  Those who draw upon them are just as 
  dangerous, as their power makes them able to assume 
  the forms of beasts or change themselves into mutated 
  creatures. 
  This Mystery requires as much knowledge of anatomy 
  and biology as it does knowledge of the arcane. 
  Practitioners are often also trained in the healing arts in 
  an attempt to gain greater knowledge of the human 
  body. There can an unfortunate stigma attached to these 
  arcanists, given their predilection for dissection and 
  their ability to cause mutations.  
  Takes the Shape of Beasts 
  Practitioners of this Focus have learned to 
  harness their own life essence in order to 
  take the shapes of the various creatures of 
  the Ninth World. While the mastery of 
  certain words of power and alchemical 
  formulas starts one along this path, the 
  study of bestial behaviors and qualities is 
  more important.  
  This need often drives masters and 
  students out into the natural world, where 
  they are able to observe the natures of the 
  living creatures they wish to mimic. The 
  obsession with animal behavior often 
  causes practitioners of this path to be 
  somewhat outcast, but this doesn’t seem to bother them 
  much.  
  Most who choose the path of shape shifting tend to 
  prefer solitary existence anyway, although some do 
  form small cabals or packs. This anti-social behavior 
  doesn’t prevent people from seeking these sorcerers out 
  when some strange and dangerous creature threatens 
  their homes. Hoping to find new beasts for new forms, 
  the shape shifters are often willing to oblige.  
  Many shape shifters choose to become guides through 
  the more dangerous parts of the Ninth World, just for 
  the chance at encountering something new and possibly 
  dangerous. There is even a small group that leads 
  wealthy clients out into the wild on exotic hunting 
  expeditions.  
  Some members of this path fall into the trap of staying 
  in beast form all of the time. Masters caution against 
  this behavior as it can lead to a dangerous loss of 
  human personality.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your new form is convincing 
  enough that the creatures you’re mimicking think you 
  are one of them. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your adaptation to your new 
  form is so complete that you are able to communicate 
  with the type of creature you’re mimicking. 
  
  49 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  You change shape into some 
  other nearby creature and remain stuck in that form for 
  one hour. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  You may 
  telepathically communicate with this character when 
  you’re in animal form. 
  Shape Shifting:  Changing shape is the crux of this 
  Focus, and in order to pull it off you’ll need to know 
  something of what you’re turning into.  Having 
  encountered the creature at least once is usually 
  sufficient.  Additionally, you must make an activation 
  roll each time you change, with a difficulty equal to the 
  Level of the creature you’re mimicking.   
  When you change shape, all of your carried possessions 
  and worn gear shift to become part of your body. 
  Armor continues to provide its Armor rating and 
  imposes its normal penalties to Might and Speed, but all 
  other effects from your equipment cease to function 
  while you are shifted.  Each shift lasts a number of 
  hours equal to your Tier.  You may take an action to 
  change shape back to normal at any time.   
  While in this form you have all of the limitations and 
  movement advantages of the creature whose form you 
  take- fish may swim and breath in water, birds may fly, 
  etc.  You only access the special senses of your animal 
  shape at Tier 2 and you do not gain any special attacks 
  or maneuvers from the shape until Tier 4. 
  Tier One 
  Tiny Spy (1 Might point).  You change your form 
  into that of a small non-sentient creature about the size 
  of your fist.  While in this form you gain an Asset on 
  Stealth tasks and count as trained in Speed Defense, but 
  suffer a two shift penalty on attacks.  Action. 
  Tier Two
  Animal Senses.  While in creature form your senses 
  come to match those of your new body, rather than 
  mimicking those of a human.  You may come to see 
  better in the dark, have advanced hearing and smell, or 
  even gain access to sonar.  Enabler. 
  Tier Three 
   
  Bestial Form (3 Might points).  You take the form of 
  a non-sentient creature of your own size or smaller and 
  with a Level equal to or lower than your Tier.  Action. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Special Attacks.  When you shift into the form of a 
  creature you gain one of its special forms of attack, 
  such as an eel’s shock, octopus’s ink, or seskii’s claws. 
  Enabler. 
  Tier Five
  Half Shift (5 Might points).  You may partially 
  transform into a creature so that you may use one of its 
  native abilities, senses, or attacks.  For instance, you 
  might change your neck to have gills, hands to have 
  bear claws, or eyes to see with those of a cat.  Unlike 
  other changes, Half Shifts only last for ten minutes at a 
  time.  Action. 
  Tier Six
  Monstrous Form (6 Might points).  You change 
  shape to that of any non-sentient creature you’ve 
  assisted in defeating before.  Action. 
  Weaves Flesh and Bone 
  The weavers are by far the more traditionally arcane 
  members of the Mystery of Flesh. Their work rooms are 
  a cross of a biological laboratory and a ceremonial 
  ritual chamber. Alchemy, words of power, mudras, 
  surgery: all these blend together to allow the 
  practitioners of this path to alter the very form of living 
  creatures.  
  Obsessed with anatomy, weavers often train or pose as 
  healers in order to gain the opportunity to study the 
  functions of living bodies. Some in the various arcane 
  universities have an uneasy feeling about such 
  practices, but few can argue with the results. 
  
  50 
  Practitioners of this path rarely advertise their more 
  extreme abilities, as they don’t wish to get blamed for 
  every bad mutation that happens wherever they go. 
  They are, however, perfectly willing to provide their 
  more cosmetic services, earning them both subjects to 
  practice on and much needed capital.  
  Rather than being in conflict with their partners on the 
  other side of the Mystery, the weavers are often quick 
  to set up partnerships with the shape shifters, in order to 
  learn new forms of anatomy as well as how to better 
  tame the creatures they wish to harness as minions.  
  Cabals of weavers will often cultivate and raise 
  different domesticated creatures for the purposes of 
  experimentation and service. Others prefer to utilize 
  certain arcane cyphers in order to gain access to more 
  useful wild beasts.  
  While the need for extensive laboratories has lent to 
  weavers sticking close to the arcane universities, many 
  engage in various forms of exploration in order to find 
  new and exciting modifications. Some warriors 
  specifically seek them out because of the abilities they 
  are able to bestow. Particularly favorable are those 
  changes which alter and enhance the limited human 
  senses.  
  A far less advertised function of this Mystery is the 
  ability to gather intelligence. Given the practitioners’ 
  power to cosmetically alter themselves and others, they 
  are ideal for creating networks of spies and information 
  gatherers. Some offer this service for hire, but an 
  exclusive group performs these tasks on behalf of the 
  Aomi University in their games of politics and power in 
  Qi.    
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  You weave a particularly 
  haunting or beautiful alteration, providing an Asset on 
  relevant social tasks. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your creativity runs away 
  with itself, allowing you to make two alterations instead 
  of one. 
  
  51 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Your creation turns on you, 
  attacking until it is destroyed or tears itself apart (5 
  rounds later). 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  This person knows 
  enough about your strange experiments to assist you, 
  providing one Asset when helping with your creation 
  process. 
  Alterations:  Weaving flesh and bone allows you to 
  alter yourself and others in creative and often disturbing 
  ways by calling upon the nanites within the body to 
  alter it.  Though you’ll have 
  many potential changes to 
  make to the body, all such 
  alterations 
  are 
  mutually 
  exclusive.  The nanites can 
  only alter a body so far, and so 
  a person or creature may only 
  have one alteration stemming 
  from this Focus at a time. 
  Tier One 
  Self Expression (1 Speed 
  point).  You may alter your 
  own body to take on a strange 
  aspect.  Choose any mutation 
  from the Cosmetic Mutations 
  list on page 128 of the 
  Numenera core book.  This 
  effect lasts for one hour. 
  Action. 
  Skin Student.  You are trained 
  in all disguise related tasks.  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Disruptive Caress (2 Speed points).  You touch the 
  body of another living person or creature, altering them 
  just as you could with Self Expression, using the 
  Cosmetic Mutations table.  This effect lasts for one 
  hour.  Action. 
  Tier Three 
  Become More (3 Speed points).  By caressing your 
  own body you alter its shape and nature, providing a 
  benefit from the Beneficial Mutations table on page 124 
  of the Numenera core book.  This effect lasts for one 
  hour.  Action. 
  Skin Adept. You are specialized in all disguise related 
  tasks.  Enabler. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Creative Touch (4 Speed points).  By touching 
  another living creature you may grant your target 
  Harmful or Beneficial mutation from the appropriate 
  tables on pages 124 and 125 of the Numenera core 
  book.  The effect lasts for one hour.  Action. 
  Tier Five
  Patch (5 Speed points).  By manipulating the flesh 
  and bone of another you can stop bleeding and make 
  minor repairs.  You move your target one step back up 
  the condition track.  Action. 
  Tier Six 
  Flesh Dance (6 Speed points).  You alter yourself to 
  take on the face, body type, and voice of a particular 
  person for one hour.  Action. 
  
  52 
  Flesh Charms 
  Those who unearth the Mystery of Flesh gain Charms 
  through the Healing skill, as knowledge of the body 
  grants them new arcane insights. 
  Fanged.  You grow fangs, causing your bite unarmed 
  attacks to deal one additional damage. 
  Far Scream.  For the next ten minutes your yelling can 
  be heard for up to a mile (1.6 km). 
  Flesh Pocket.  You create a pocket in the flesh of your 
  body, in which you could easily hide an object or 
  creature, up to the size of your fist.  Lasts for ten hours. 
  Intonation.  Your voice changes pitch, allowing you to 
  hit tones you never could.  For the next ten minutes you 
  gain a +1 on rolls for voice and command related 
  arcane powers. 
  Lunar Attunement.  Your primal or animalistic side 
  becomes connected to the phases of the moon.  On the 
  night that the moon is fullest each lunar cycle, you may 
  use this ability to gain an Asset on all rolls for your 
  Focus abilities until the sun rises. 
  Nanite Purge.  You remove a significant quantity of 
  nanites from a living creature you touch, evacuating a 
  single arcane effect upon them.  The purged nanites 
  come out of the target’s mouth, coughed up as a cloud 
  of ash. 
  Padded Warmth.  Due to an insulating change in your 
  physical makeup you suffer no damage from cold 
  conditions for 28 hours, though direct cold attacks will 
  still harm you. 
  Pheromonal Awareness.  You can detect the general 
  emotional state of target living creature within 
  Immediate distance. 
  Predatory Visage.  Your face becomes angular and 
  alien looking for ten minutes, granting you an Asset on 
  Intimidation tasks. 
  Spirit Animal.  Choose one type of living creature upon 
  gaining this Charm.  You pay one less pool point when 
  activating Flesh Mystery abilities that grant you the 
  powers, senses, or visage of your chosen creature. 
  Adversaries 
  Flesh Bender 
  There are many who  learn the rudiments of the 
  Mystery, plying their strange skills among the 
  commoners of the Ninth World.  Employed by 
  criminals and governments alike, they are often useful 
  spies, assassins, and bodyguards. 
  Level 4 (5 when shaping flesh) 
  Armor 1 
  Health 12 
  Maneuvers- 
  Bend.  The Flesh Bender painfully bends the limb 
  of a target within Immediate range, causing 6 
  damage and pushing a PC down the condition 
  track, as well as making that particular limb 
  inoperable until it can be healed. 
  Self Heal.  The Flesh Bender regains 3 Health as 
  it digs around in its wounds. 
  Shapeslip.  The Flesh Bender shape changes, 
  slipping from bonds or becoming just tall enough 
  to reach the players. 
  Hybrid 
  Those who meddle with flesh sometimes accidentally 
  make creatures the Ninth World has never seen.  Hybrid 
  amalgams of several beasts, a Hybrid seeks to destroy 
  all who practice the arcane.  
  Each Hybrid is comprised of parts from two or more 
  Ninth World creatures.  Each is unique and terrifying. 
  Level 5 (6 when biting and clawing) 
  Armor 2 
  Health 15 
  Maneuvers- 
  Magical Hunt.  The Hybrid closes on an arcane 
  magic user, travelling up to Long distance and 
  then making an attack for 7 damage with its 
  natural weapons. 
  Many Limbed Strike.  The Hybrid attacks with all 
  of its strange and twisted limbs, striking out at up 
  to 4 enemies within Immediate range of it, and 
  dealing 5 damage on each hit. 
  
  53 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Form~ 
  The Mystery of Form relies on the concepts of shape 
  and sympathy. Those who can master the creation of 
  form are able to impart mystical effects in their art, 
  whether that is external pieces or modification to the 
  self.  
  The Mystery of Form comes heavily out of the 
  Ceremonial tradition, with its reliance on sympathy and 
  the highly detailed ritual process of creating the 
  mystical art forms. The practice of this Mystery 
  requires a great deal of time, particularly as the magic 
  becomes more powerful. This reflects the literal time it 
  takes to create the art, as well as the rituals necessary to 
  empower the magic.  
  Due to the high volume of rare and expensive materials 
  required for these practices, Wealth is often one of the 
  most desirable long term benefits for characters within 
  this Mystery.  Inevitably, practitioners of the Mystery 
  of Form need to go exploring in the vast unknown, 
  looking for new and exotic materials to use in their 
  projects. 
  Brings Sculptures to Life 
  Magic is the ability to reshape the universe in 
  accordance with the will of the practitioner. The 
  sculptors have embraced this idea in a very literal sense. 
  They seek to understand and harness the physical 
  manifestation of magic through the creation of high art, 
  and the invocation of the animating power of the 
  nanites within most matter found on Earth.  
  For a sculptor, it is not enough to simply make some 
  haphazard creation and instill it with the facsimile of 
  life. One must bring skill, intention, and beauty to one’s 
  creation 
  before 
  magic 
  can 
  be 
  instilled 
  there. 
  Apprentices within this Mystery can spend years 
  honing their skills before they are given access to even 
  the most rudimentary of animation magics. This course 
  of study goes well beyond the intensive sharpening of 
  artistic skill. Practitioners are required to become 
  familiar with all forms of art in the Ninth World, and 
  learn to evaluate them using a critical lens.  
  The sculptors are often decried as elitist snobs in their 
  attempts to develop the true canon of art. Undeterred by 
  the meek and tasteless, the sculptors realize that what 
  they are contributing to humanity is far too important to 
  be distracted by such unenlightened criticism.  
  Practitioners of this Focus work in a variety of 
  materials, from wood to metal to crystal. Every material 
  is given specific mystical significance, often requiring 
  that creations be made up of multiple substances. Also 
  
  54 
  given meaning, color, texture and shape all play a role 
  in the animation of their creations. Sculptors often 
  make a broad study of the other Mysteries, looking for 
  spells and Charms they might wish to bring to life 
  within their creations.  
  Given the focus of the sculptors on high art, they have 
  come into conflict with their brethren in the Mystery 
  who choose to make flesh their canvass. The sculptors 
  feel that this approach is crude and unimaginative, and 
  often work to have the practice discredited among the 
  Ninth World elite. This of course doesn’t stop them 
  from utilizing the services of a flesh artist when it 
  advantages them. 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  In the dark your golem 
  could pass as a person or your servant could pass as a 
  living pet of some kind. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your creation is especially 
  resistant to damage (+1 Armor rating). 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Your creation encounters a 
  material that interferes with its animation, causing it to 
  turn into a pile of rubble until taken out of the area. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  Your creations 
  seem to like this person and will follow their 
  commands as well as your own. 
  Sculptures:  This Focus relies greatly on the ability to 
  make physical, three-dimensional art using the 
  Sculpting skill and all of the abilities in this Focus use 
  this skill.  Doing so takes time, generally one hour of 
  work per Tier of the power, as well as raw materials 
  and tools.  The raw materials can be rare when 
  attempting to create something magical, generally 
  costing around 5 shins per Tier of the Focus ability. 
  Additional Equipment:  Clay sculpting, gem cutting, 
  woodworking, or metalworking tools. 
  Tier One
  Eye for Detail.  You are trained in sculpture related 
  tasks.  You may use this skill for any ability in this 
  Focus.  In addition, you are trained in knowledge of 
  fine art in the Ninth World.  Enabler. 
  Servant (1 Intellect point).  You animate a humanoid 
  sculpture, creating a pocket-sized creature no larger 
  than a human head.  The servant lasts for as long as you 
  wish and may perform simple tasks.  It is Level 1, and 
  can understand you when you command it, but it cannot 
  make effective attacks in combat.  You may only ever 
  have one such servant- creating a new one destroys the 
  magic in the old one.  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Move Structure (2 Intellect points).  You are able to 
  briefly animate a section of wall or load-bearing beam, 
  causing it to shake and buckle.  In this way you can 
  weaken or even destroy sections of buildings or caves. 
  This power only works on large pieces of stone, clay, 
  crystal, or metal.  A successful use of this ability 
  against the object’s Level deals 10 damage to it and 
  reduces its Level by one for the purposes of resisting 
  attacks.  Action. 
  
  55 
  Tier Three 
   
  Master Sculptor.  You are specialized in sculpture 
  related tasks.  You may use this skill for any ability in 
  this Focus.  In addition, you are specialized in 
  knowledge of fine art in the Ninth World.  Enabler. 
  Tier Four 
  Golem (Four Intellect points).  You bring to life a 
  humanoid sculpture, between one and five cubic meters 
  in volume.  The golem is a Level 3 creature with an 
  Armor rating of 2 which follows you and obeys your 
  orders, but that cannot speak or act with autonomy. 
  The golem moves rather slowly - Immediate distance at 
  most each round, and overland travel speed can be 
  dramatically reduced if the golem is not carried in a 
  cart or other conveyance.  You may only have one 
  golem at a time.  Enabler. 
  Tier Five 
  Inscription (Five Intellect points).   By inscribing 
  arcane symbols into the forehead of your golem or 
  animated servant you are able to grant it special 
  powers.  Choose one Charm from any Mystery.  The 
  creature may now use that Charm at the cost of one 
  Health point.  Any given animated creature may only 
  benefit from one Inscription at a time.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six 
  Giant.  You may now construct a golem of any size, 
  so long as you have the raw materials to do so.  If you 
  make your golem very large (10 or more cubic meters 
  of material) your golem will be a level 5 creature with 
  Armor of 3 and speed of Short.  Enabler. 
  Makes Flesh a Canvass 
  Manipulation of form is where power lies, but rather 
  than seeking to make shape of the outside world, flesh 
  artists seek power through changing the very nature of 
  their own form and the forms of others. By inscribing 
  layer upon layer of arcane runes upon a subject, the 
  artist can create a lasting arcane effect. 
  Although the artists completely embrace many of the 
  tenets of the sculptors, they reject the necessity of a 
  canon, deriding the concept as useless dogma. Flesh 
  artists create more than just tattoos, exploring the 
  plethora of ways in which the body can be transformed. 
  Piercing, scarring, and implants all play a role in a 
  Mystery that seeks to understand how altering the body 
  can reflect changes into the physical world.  
  While looked down upon by the mainstream elite, the 
  flesh artists are quite popular among those who want to 
  benefit from the arcane but don’t have the time, affinity 
  or wealth necessary to master the Mysteries. Criminals, 
  ostracized subcultures, even Visitants look to the flesh 
  artists for powers beyond the common world. 
  
  56 
  Practitioners of this Focus are also quite popular among 
  other walkers of the Mysteries. Sorcerous cabals who 
  hunt down Arcane Cyphers often seek to recruit 
  members of this path, given their clearly useful talents. 
  Flesh artists find these cabals to be useful because they 
  help enable the exploration required to find rare 
  materials they need for their craft.  
  The more powerful effects that can be created by this 
  Focus require unusual ingredients to create the inks, 
  jewelry and other comments that enable the magic. Size 
  and intricacy also play a role in the level of power, 
  requiring larger portions of the body as well as greater 
  detail in the work for the most powerful spells.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your body art is particularly 
  beautiful. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your body art takes half the 
  normal time to complete. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Your subject is unable to 
  take arcane body modifications.  Their body seems to 
  reject the magics involved. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  Their particular 
  body type or arcane nature allows them to benefit from 
  one more of each kind of body modification than 
  normal.  You could put two marks of passage on them, 
  4 marks of membership, etc. 
  Body Art:  Most of the abilities of this Focus rely on 
  creating art upon another person, using the Body 
  Modification skill.  Doing so takes time and can only be 
  done if the subject is willing or restrained.  It also takes 
  rare materials - generally 5 shins worth per Tier of the 
  Focus ability, so a Tier 3 creation costs 15 shins.  Those 
  who find their own materials pay only half this cost.   
  Since most powers imparted by these modifications 
  require a conscious effort to use them and an 
  understanding of what they do, only sentient, living 
  creatures may gain their benefits.  You may even 
  perform this art upon yourself, so long as it’s not in a 
  hard to reach place.  Creating flesh art through these 
  powers generally takes one hour per Tier of the ability 
  being used, reflecting both the size and the complexity 
  of the work. 
  Additional Equipment:  Tools and some raw materials 
  for tattooing, branding, or piercing.   
  
  57 
  Tier One 
  Artistry.  You are trained in tasks involved in body 
  modification, such as making tattoos, piercing the body, 
  and performing artistic or ritual scarification.  You may 
  use these skills when making rolls for abilities within 
  this Focus.  Enabler. 
  Mark of Passage (1 Speed point).  You create a 
  tattoo or scar upon a subject during a time of change for 
  them, reflecting their passage into a new way of life. 
  Choose a skill when making this modification.  The 
  subject enjoys a +1 on the roll for those tasks for so 
  long as they carry the art, or until they gain a new mark 
  of passage.  Once a new one has been completed, the 
  last one loses its power.  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Mark of Membership (2 Speed points).  You place 
  body art upon your subject, marking them as beholden 
  to others with the same mark, and thereby protected. 
  Any two characters who bear the same mark of 
  membership may not affect each other with harmful 
  arcane powers.  Characters may have, at most, three 
  marks of membership, with any beyond that being 
  simply ornamental.  Enabler. 
  Tier Three 
  Master Artistry.  You are specialized in in tasks 
  involved in body modification, such as making tattoos, 
  piercing the body, and performing artistic or ritual 
  scarification.  You may use these skills when making 
  rolls for abilities within this Focus.  Enabler. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Motto (4 Speed points).  You inscribe words into the 
  flesh, making those words powerful.  Once per day, 
  when the subject acts within the spirit of their motto, 
  they may enjoy an Asset on a related roll.  A person 
  may have more than one motto, but they may only gain 
  the benefit of one on any given day.  Enabler. 
  Tier Five 
  Emblem (5 Speed points).  You create a work of art 
  upon the subject’s flesh that serves as an expression of 
  who they truly are.  The subject selects a single Charm 
  from any Mystery.  From this point forward they have 
  access to that Charm.  A person may only have one 
  emblem at any given time, with new emblems replacing 
  the power of old ones.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six 
  Permanent Cypher (6 Speed points).  You take an 
  Arcane Cypher from your mind and impart it in the 
  flesh (removing it from your mind).  For the rest of 
  their life the subject may use this Cypher at any time by 
  taking an action and spending a number of Speed points 
  equal to the Level of the Cypher.  The Cypher does not 
  go away after use.  If the subject is a PC, the artwork 
  takes up Cypher slots (1 for Anoetic, 2 for Occultic).  A 
  person may only have one Permanent Cypher at a time - 
  a new one destroys the power of the old one.  Enabler. 
  Form Charms 
  Those who study the Mystery of Form practice their 
  Charms through the skill of Identifying, as it reflects 
  their eye for the Numenera.  Through their Charms, 
  they are able to understand and use the strange 
  technologies and materials of the prior worlds. 
  Accessorize.  You integrate an Oddity into your outfit, 
  a piece of art, or an animated sculpture. 
  Afterimage.  You see the telltale signs and residues of 
  any Numenera (arcane or otherwise) that have been 
  within Immediate distance of your current location 
  within the last month. 
  Artistic Eye.  You enjoy an Asset when attempting to 
  locate Arcane Cyphers. 
  Blind Leap.  After taking a round to activate this power, 
  you may take an action the next round without penalty 
  for lack of vision.  In effect, you can act blind without a 
  problem. 
  Diagram.  You take ten minutes and draw out a 
  schematic of a Cypher or Artifact, granting you an 
  Asset on activation rolls with the device when not in 
  combat. 
  Hidden Button.  Your keen perception allows you to 
  notice any extra functionality on an Oddity, Cypher, or 
  
  58 
  Artifact, such as a knob that puts it on auto-fire or a 
  slider that adjusts the length of a plasma beam. 
  Keep Digging.  Whenever you find an Oddity out in the 
  world you may activate this power and roll 1d6.  On a 
  roll of 5 or 6 you find one additional Oddity. 
  Telltale Bulge.  You can tell how many Cyphers 
  someone is carrying, just by looking at them within 
  Immediate range. 
  Tracing.  You transfer an Arcane Cypher from an object 
  onto a piece of paper, making it easier to carry the 
  Cypher in your pack (rather than your mind). 
  Adversaries 
  Rogue Giant 
  Animated creatures sometimes get away from their 
  creators.  Several legendary giants have escaped 
  captivity into the countryside. 
  Massive creatures of stone and artwork, giants are often 
  covered in magical runes.  Some of them have been 
  known to hoard Arcane Cyphers they find, placing 
  them in caves they carve out of mountainsides. 
  Giants vary in size from 20 feet or so to much, much, 
  taller. 
  Level 5 to 9, depending on the size and age of the 
  creature 
  Armor 3 
  Health 15 or more 
  Maneuvers- 
  Smash From Above.  A downward slam into the 
  ground, doing Level + 3 damage, knocking the 
  target to the ground, and stunning them for one 
  round. 
  Sigil Seeker 
  Empowered by arcane tattoos, these bandits raid arcane 
  holdings, seeking ever more secrets.  Every new secret 
  they learn is another tattoo they can have placed upon 
  them all, strengthening the group and making them an 
  even greater threat to arcanists across the Ninth World. 
  Level 2 (3 when using their Tattoo Powers) 
  Armor 1 
  Health 6 
  Maneuvers- 
  Tattoo Power.  A trick to get the Seeker out of a 
  jam or an attack that deals 4 damage to a target 
  within Short range.  Each Seeker has half a dozen 
  unique abilities, each of which are at the GM’s 
  discretion. 
  
  59 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Motion~ 
  The Mystery of Motion is likely the oldest Mystery in 
  the Ninth World, predating the formation of Aomi 
  University and the even the Ceremonial Mystery itself. 
  Some claim that the Mystery comes from an ancient 
  culture which was particularly attuned to the wishes of 
  the spirit world. Others claim that the tradition is a 
  compilation of many groups, weaving bits and pieces 
  together to form the Mystery today.  
  What is known is that through the precise trained 
  movement of the body, practitioners are able to signal 
  the nanites to do their bidding. Some choose to look 
  within, using their stances to channel the mystical 
  energies of the body into a supernatural martial art. 
  Others look without, making their dances a 
  prayer to the nano spirits of sky, land, and sea.  
  Regardless of approach or belief, all practitioners 
  of this path agree that the oldest invocations rely 
  not on words, but on movement. This belief has 
  often led the Mystery to disagreements with the 
  masters of the arcane universities, but few there 
  are willing to deny the usefulness of its students. 
  Dances with the Spirits 
  Students of this Focus are taught that their bodies 
  can reflect the world around them, that they can 
  become poetry in motion.  As they begin to study 
  the movements of dance, they learn how to open 
  themselves to elemental nanite entities they call 
  the spirits of the world.  The path doesn’t focus 
  on any particular kind of spirit, seeing all of them 
  as having some purpose in the great dance.  
  As the students progress, they begin to learn 
  specific dances that invoke particular powers of 
  the spirits. This practice has led many to believe 
  that 
  practitioners 
  of 
  the 
  arcane 
  are 
  not 
  commanding supernatural powers themselves, but 
  rather entreating the beings of spirit to act on their 
  behalf. This attitude has caused a number of 
  disagreements with other members of the arcane 
  universities, but none have resulted in true feuding yet. 
  Few who join this path end up embracing the role of 
  scholar or teacher. Students of this path often come to 
  see themselves as the intermediaries of the spirit world. 
  In this role, they often seek out places where the spirits 
  and mortal kind have come to disharmony, where they 
  then try to correct the problem. This makes them quite 
  popular among the general populace, especially those 
  taken with more animistic belief systems.  
  Some have even come to help form animist religions 
  around a particular group of spirits, with complex 
  systems of theology and liturgy. Masters of the path 
  tend to disapprove of this practice, however, reminding 
  students that all the spirits of the world have place 
  within the Mystery.  
  
  60 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your dancing provides a 
  distraction, causing your enemy to suffer a one step 
  penalty on their next action. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your dancing gains the 
  notice of a major spirit, doubling the amount of time 
  your stance lasts. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  You stumble and offend the 
  spirits, causing you to suffer a one step penalty on all 
  actions for the next five rounds. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  You’ve noticed 
  that the spirits have taken to this character, and seem to 
  want you to protect and assist them in their endeavors. 
  Dances:  This Focus allows the practitioner to enter a 
  dance-like stance at Tiers 2 through 6.  You may only 
  be in one stance at a time, and each stance lasts for ten 
  rounds before it must be activated again.  Activating a 
  stance does not take an action, but you may only switch 
  stances once per round. 
  Tier One
  Visions.  You are somehow able to see the invisible 
  spirits of the world - nanotech hive minds some call 
  spirits, faeries, and angels.  You can even see 
  ultradimensional beings bordering on this reality.  The 
  Ninth World is a far more complicated place than most 
  people are aware.  Enabler. 
  Spirit Dance.  You are trained in all tasks related to 
  dancing.   You are knowledgeable in a variety of styles, 
  including some that are very strange when done by a 
  person with a symmetrical bipedal body.  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Dance of Sorrow (2 Speed points).  You enter into a 
  dance for the sorrows of the world.  While you are 
  dancing in this way, any intelligent being who attacks 
  you feels intense sadness, reducing the damage of their 
  attack by two points.  Enabler. 
  Tier Three 
  Dance of Joy (3 Speed points).  You enter a dance of 
  happiness.  While in this stance you recover one Speed 
  point whenever you successfully strike a hostile foe 
  with a weapon or an unarmed attack.  Enabler. 
  
  61 
  Tier Four 
  Dance of Summoning (4 Speed points).  You enter a 
  dance that gathers the spirits to your side and makes 
  them somewhat visible to the uninitiated.  While 
  maintaining this dance you are able to speak to the 
  spirits, potentially learning of their activities in the area. 
  Enabler. 
  Tier Five 
  Dance of Death (5 Speed points).  You enter a dance 
  in which the spirits guide your attacks, helping you to 
  strike true.  While in this dance you double all of your 
  bonus damage from rolling a 17 or higher when making 
  a weapon or unarmed attack.  Thus, rolling an 18 would 
  grant +4 damage instead of +2.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six 
  Creative Spirit.  You may dance two dances at the 
  same time, weaving the two stances into one unique 
  expression.  You may still only add or remove one 
  stance per turn.  Enabler. 
  Unleashes Inner Power 
  Much more than a simple arcane martial art, this path 
  has created an entire philosophy of combat. The 
  practice doesn’t simply rely on set moves, taught by 
  rote, thought here are plenty of those. This aspect of 
  the Mystery teaches that in combat, for every move 
  there is a counter and for every counter another. This 
  idea has led masters to a very practical teaching 
  method, believing that a student is only capable of 
  reproducing in combat that what they have practiced.  
  As students begin to learn this arcane martial art, they 
  are taught stances and poses which allow them to 
  channel their eternal energies for martial use. This 
  process is difficult to master and can require a great 
  deal of practice.  
  Masters of this path teach their students that combat is 
  an inevitable truth of existence, and that this Mystery 
  was developed in answer to that truth. This has led 
  many martial arcanists to believe that combat itself is a 
  worthy end, and seek it out wherever it is available, 
  joining any cause or army they come across. This has 
  earned the Mystery a somewhat fearsome reputation, 
  which suits the members just fine.  
  You can often find members of the path as captains of 
  the guard or master sergeants in charge of soldier 
  training in the militaries of The Steadfast. You could 
  also find generals among the mystics of this art, seeing 
  warfare as the ultimate expression of personal combat, 
  played out at on the largest scale.  
  The Mystery has developed a somewhat fraternal order, 
  instilling a deep sense of loyalty between its members. 
  This doesn’t prevent them from fighting on opposite 
  sides, but will prevent them from humiliating each 
  other once the battle is over. This can cause conflict 
  with employers, but members are usually able to 
  persuade them that this is the best course of action, 
  given that they could always join the other side.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your attack pushes your foe 
  off balance, granting an Asset to the next attack made 
  against them. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  You knock your foe to the 
  ground in a flash of brilliant light. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  After taking a hit, you drop 
  out of your current fighting stance. 
  
  62 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  You see some 
  potential in them as a martial artist. 
  Stance:  Unleashing Inner Power involves calling upon 
  nanites through specific body movements.  This is done 
  by holding particular martial arts stances.  Each stance 
  takes an action to enter, and you may only be in one 
  stance at a time.  The stance lasts for as long as you are 
  able to stay focused and on your feet. 
  Tier One
  Defensive Gestures (1 Might point).  You enter into 
  a defensive fighting stance.  While fighting in this way 
  you count as trained in Speed Defense so long as both 
  of your hands are empty.  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Two
  Energy Blast (2 Might points).  You make an 
  unarmed strike, doing your usual unarmed damage and 
  pushing your foe dramatically backwards 3 meters. 
  Action. 
  Tier Three 
  Distracting Gestures (3 Might points).  You enter 
  into a distracting fighting stance.  While fighting in this 
  way your foe becomes distracted when your unarmed 
  attacks hit, causing them to suffer a one shift penalty 
  when defending against physical attacks for one round. 
  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Four 
  Flying Attack (4 Might points).  You fly through the 
  air, up to Short distance, and make an unarmed attack 
  against a hostile target.  This ability may not be used to 
  simply travel a certain distance - a hostile foe must be 
  the target.  Action. 
  Tier Five 
  Offensive Gestures (5 Might points).  You enter into 
  an offensive fighting stance.  While fighting in this 
  style your unarmed attacks deal one additional ambient 
  damage.  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Six 
  Hidden Reserves (6 Speed points).  In a burst of 
  light, you recover 6 Might points.  Action. 
  Motion Charms 
  Those who explore the Mystery of Motion learn their 
  Charms through the Balancing skill, coming to hone 
  their control over their bodies to a truly magical level. 
  Unlike most Charms, Motion Charms use the Speed 
  pool rather than Intellect. 
  Cat’s Feet.  Once this Charm is activated you will 
  always land on your feet after a fall of ten feet (3 
  meters) or more.  This effect lasts for ten minutes. 
  Contortion.  By morphing and phasing your body, you 
  gain an Asset on an Escaping skill task you attempt 
  next turn. 
  Far Throw.  When you use an unarmed attack move to 
  throw an opponent, you may use this Charm to cast 
  them up to Short distance away. 
  Flip Up.  By letting the nanites spin you in the air you 
  gain an Asset on a Jumping task you attempt next turn. 
  Kippup.  You are bodily pushed by unseen forces up 
  from the ground to a standing position.  This Charm 
  takes no time, usable once per round. 
  Liquid Grace.  Next round, you may walk on water or 
  other liquid as though it were solid. 
  Tightrope.  For ten minutes you may walk on any 
  narrow edge, no matter how thin, without penalty.  If 
  the edge has no slack, you need not even roll to walk 
  across it. 
  Tread on Air.  By using this Charm during a fall, you 
  suffer 3 less damage from the impact. 
  Walk of the Master.  The way you walk inspires 
  magical confidence, granting you an Asset on 
  Intimidation tasks for the next ten minutes. 
  Watery Grace.  Once activated, you may move 
  underwater as though you were on land, suffering no 
  penalty when making unarmed or melee attacks, for ten 
  minutes.
  
  63 
  Adversaries 
  Monk of the Stolen Garden 
  A secretive order of monastic students of the Mystery 
  of Motion, the Monks of the Stolen Garden are found in 
  important places of the world.  Whether it’s a biological 
  laboratory, teeming with diverse and unusual plants, or 
  the beautiful stone ruins of a prior world’s king, the 
  Monks tend to places of majestic splendor, exalting in 
  the perfect imperfection of the ancient past.  It is form 
  that draws them here, for they seek places that facilitate 
  deep meditation and contemplation on the aesthetic. 
  The monks may seem to be simple aesthetes, but their 
  devotion to form is absolute and their study of their 
  inner power often advanced.  Usually in conflict with 
  those who would plunder ancient ruins, the monks are a 
  menace to adventurers. 
  Level 3 (4 when making unarmed strikes within a 
  beautiful locale) 
  Armor 0 (2 against ranged attacks) 
  Health 9 
  Maneuvers- 
  Disruption.  The monk harms the flow of nanites 
  within the target through an unarmed attack, 
  causing 1 ambient damage per round for the next 
  2d6 rounds. 
  Brick Wall.  The monk makes a strike that creates 
  an invisible wall of force at the point of impact. 
  The hit does 4 damage, and the wall protects the 
  monk, granting 2 Armor rating against all attacks 
  from that direction for 3 rounds. 
  Light as a Feather.  The monk leaps up to Long 
  distance, seeming to walk on the air itself. 
  Spirit Host 
  Sometimes the natural spirits inhabit and act through 
  the body of a mortal.  As the spirits are quite powerful 
  in their own right, this is usually just to serve as a 
  means of crude communication.  But the spirits have 
  strange and unknowable motivations.  Hosts often find 
  themselves cult leaders or attendants to unique and 
  important locations. 
  Bereft of their minds, host bodies are often neglected by 
  the immortal beings that inhabit them.  This is not to 
  say that the hosts become weakened - quite the 
  contrary.  Spirits are often able to make their host 
  bodies practically immortal and impossibly powerful. 
  This might be why the hosts agreed to give up their 
  autonomy in the first place: power. 
  Level 5 (6 when near a location from which they draw 
  their power, such as an arcane lagoon or a haunted 
  cave) 
  Armor 3 
  Health 15 (regenerates one Health per round) 
  Maneuvers- 
  Channel Power.  The spirit routes energies from 
  an important location nearby, causing 7 damage 
  to a target within Long range.  Characters hit by 
  this blast become stunned for one round. 
  Infestation.  The spirit makes an unarmed attack 
  and unleashes a portion of its nanite hive onto the 
  target, causing 7 Intellect damage.  The target 
  must immediately make an Intellect defense or 
  become an additional host to the spirit, losing 
  control of their body. 
  
  64 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Nature~ 
  Command over nature is one of the defining features of 
  sentient species. From city building to agriculture, 
  changing the environment is the adaptation that has 
  allowed the supremacy of sentient beings over the 
  Ninth World. Practitioners of the Mystery of Nature 
  have discovered the ability to manipulate the very 
  landscape to their own ends through the use of 
  terraforming nanotech. What those ends are differ 
  greatly depending on the Focus an individual student 
  chooses. Regardless of philosophy, the end result is that 
  masters of the Mystery are dedicated to retooling nature 
  to suit the needs of the mundane populace. 
  Seeks Balance 
  The world is a vast and complex system, and the tiniest 
  change can have dire consequences if done without 
  thought and observation. If sentient beings wish to 
  mitigate their harm, they must act with great restraint. 
  This is true a hundred fold for practitioners of the 
  mysterious, whose whispered words and tiny gestures 
  can literally reshape the face of the world.  
  The seekers of balance advocate a philosophy of 
  contemplation and observation. Students often spend 
  years without learning a single power or spell, merely 
  observing the world and its various systems. Masters 
  look for patience and intentionality, and only when they 
  observe this do they reveal the power of the Mystery.  
  After such training, some students come to see any 
  action as undesirable. Masters are quick to point out 
  that inaction in itself can be an action, and that always 
  choosing that path throws one out of balance. True 
  seekers, therefore, are those who act when needed, and 
  withhold action when it is best. Needless to say this 
  philosophy is extremely difficult to uphold, and there 
  are as many opinions on how best to achieve this 
  balance as there are seekers.   
  Seekers of balance are almost always well-traveled, 
  wandering the Ninth World, observing and studying its 
  patterns. Practitioners of the path put great weight in the 
  notion of removing oneself from the system in order to 
  truly observe it. This comes with time and practice, and 
  many masters will not acknowledge a practitioner who 
  has not learned this ability. The study of world has led 
  many of the seekers to become students of ecology, and 
  many communities seek their help when planning new 
  agricultural projects.  
  The magical practices of the seekers of balance are 
  often subdued, requiring meditation, perhaps with some 
  chanting or drawing of mandalas. Many seekers take 
  great pride in their ability to evoke their powers without 
  gestures or words of power.  They are often dismissive 
  of the practices of the seekers of paradise, finding the 
  complex gestures and detailed rituals to be rude and 
  distracting. They are vehemently opposed to the 
  practice of sacrifice for power.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  You learn a trivial fact or 
  property of the surrounding flora or fauna. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  You learn a potentially useful 
  fact or property of the surrounding flora or fauna. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Something you’ve done has 
  disrupted the balance within you, causing you to take 5 
  damage and fall to the ground in pain. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  You once used 
  medicinal herbs to save their life. 
  Tier One
  Wild Path (1 Intellect point).  Through subtle 
  manipulation of the nanite field you walk without 
  leaving a trail of any kind, including smell.  Lasts one 
  hour.  Action to initiate. 
  Nature Lore.  You are trained in survival tasks, as well 
  as knowledge of plants and animals.  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Green Assistance (2 Intellect points).  You enjoy an 
  Asset on a non-combat task taken while surrounded by 
  plants, as they grow and shift to suit your needs. 
  Enabler. 
  
  65 
  Tier Three 
  Restoration (3 Intellect points).  You heal any 
  creature or plant you touch for 1d6 + 3 Health points 
  (Might pool for player characters).  This ability is a task 
  with a Difficulty equal to 3 + one for every time you’ve 
  used this power since your last ten hour rest.  Action. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Shade of the Canopy (4 Intellect points).  So long as 
  you remain under the shade of stationary plants (not in 
  pots), you are barely visible to intelligent/sentient 
  beings, as well as all robots and other machines, 
  granting you two Assets on stealth tasks.  Action to 
  initiate. 
  Tier Five
  Bring Balance (5 Intellect points).  You transfer 
  Health points or Might pool points from one creature to 
  another within Long range.  This counts as an attack 
  against the creature losing health.  Up to 5 points may 
  be transferred.  You may never affect yourself with this 
  ability.  Action. 
  Tier Six
  Soul of the Wild (6 Intellect points).  The 
  terraformation nanites disassemble you and download 
  your mind into their collective intelligence, making you 
  a spirit on the wind.  You have no body, and thus no 
  Speed or Might pool to speak of while in this form.   
  You still have a semi-visible shape, but you are 
  weightless, capable of flight at your usual speed, and 
  able to pass through solid objects.  For most intents and 
  purposes you are not physical.   
  In addition to these properties, you are able to change 
  life around you, growing and shaping plant and other 
  simple life at your whim, and dealing 8 damage on an 
  Intellect-based attack when you reform creatures to 
  harm them.  This “spirit” form lasts for one hour, but 
  you may not leave the general vicinity (long distance) 
  of wherever you activated the ability.  Action to initiate. 
  
  66 
  Seeks Paradise 
  Only through sacrifice will we attain what we have lost. 
  The seekers of paradise are on a path to greatness, and 
  they are not deterred by the petty morality of lesser 
  beings. Humanity once sat with the gods in heaven, and 
  now grubs about in the dirt no better than the beasts in 
  the field. The Mysteries are the key to unlocking 
  humanity’s potential, but are a means to an end, not an 
  end unto themselves.  
  The seekers of paradise almost always see the ends 
  justifying the means, given that they are trying to return 
  humanity to its original glory. Since many of their 
  magics either cause desolation or require the death of 
  something which was once alive, two schools of 
  thought have emerged within the tradition.  
  One group purports that this is simply a step along the 
  path to greatness, and that eventually masters of the 
  Mystery will transcend the need to cause death in order 
  to fuel their magics. The other group has come to 
  believe that sacrifice is the fuel for their magics and has 
  incorporated sacrifice into all levels of the practice. At 
  this point the disagreement is philosophical, as no other 
  alternative has been discovered. Some fear, however, 
  that should paradise become available without the need 
  for sacrifice, the disagreement could turn violent.  
  The need for privacy is paramount for the seekers of 
  paradise due to the unfortunate byproducts of their 
  practices. Often, the seekers will locate remote 
  settlements for their experiments, bribing locals with 
  the fruits of their magic. They rarely stay in any 
  location for long, skipping town before the effects of 
  the magics are noticed.  
  In areas with greater population densities, the seekers of 
  paradise often hide what they are doing, creating secret 
  spell rooms where they can practice without the 
  ignorance of the people intruding on their craft. Given 
  that the Mystery requires such privacy, the rituals have 
  become complex and involved.  
  Different types of magics are seen as needing different 
  sacrifices, and everything from candles to food are 
  used. Intricate gestures also are involved, from complex 
  mudras to full on ritual dancing. All rituals in the end 
  call for the use of something alive becoming dead, 
  whether it be plants or animals. For some this means 
  going and locating things already dead for use in the 
  ritual. For others, expedience becomes the rule.  
  In the end, with paradise at stake, it seems that little is 
  not worth giving up. The seekers of paradise have no 
  time for the seekers of balance, seeing them as a bunch 
  of naval gazers with little use to society.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  A refreshing and energizing 
  breeze accompanies your action. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  A brief euphoric high 
  accompanies your action, restoring 2 to your Intellect 
  pool and making you feel quite good. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Someone notices that your 
  magics drain life and vibrancy from those around you. 
  They accuse you of unclean magics and rally a crowd 
  against you. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC in the party.  A 
  mystical connection to this character allows you to steal 
  up to 2 Might points from this character once per day. 
  Tier One
  Abundance (1 Speed point).  You create a quantity of 
  water and food.  Enough to feed you and the rest of the 
  party for one meal.  Somewhere nearby all plant and 
  animal life in an immediate area is poisoned or 
  otherwise harmed by the aftereffects of your power. 
  Action. 
  False Promises.  You are trained in deception tasks. 
  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Harvest.  You may always scavenge any dead non-
  sentient creature of Level 4 or higher for Numenera, 
  such as Cyphers and Oddities.  Any Numenera task 
  taken to scavenge in this way that succeeds at the 
  creature’s Level results in a biological version of a 
  rolled Oddity.  Scavenging in this way takes ten 
  minutes per creature.  Enabler. 
  
  67 
  Tier Three 
   
  Depletion (3 Speed points).  One creature you see 
  within Long range is drained of life by terraformation 
  nanites, taking 4 ambient damage.  Action. 
  Tier Four 
  Oasis (4 Speed points).    You become surrounded by 
  shade, water, and sources of food created by the 
  terraformation nanites in the area.  These nanites draw 
  the raw materials for this small, immediate area oasis 
  from all of the plants and small creatures within Long 
  range of the site.  The food and water are enough for up 
  to twenty meals, and each meal restores 1d6 Pool points 
  if consumed at the oasis.  Action. 
  Tier Five
  Forbidden Fruits (5 Speed points).  You turn a 
  corpse or carcass of a creature of level 7 or higher into a 
  biologically-based Cypher.  Action. 
  Tier Six
  Devil’s Deal (6 Speed points).  With a wave of your 
  hand you alter the landscape of a region, both for good 
  and ill.  Up to one square mile (2.6 km square) of 
  desolate land may be converted into a verdant region, 
  abundant with life that lasts for one month.  However, 
  an equivalent amount of land within view must be made 
  poisoned and ruined, never again viable for vegetation. 
  Action. 
  Nature Charms 
  The Charms of nature derive from the Survival skill. 
  Those who Seek Paradise or Balance may learn the 
  following Charms: 
  Calming Melody.  You play a quiet song on a musical 
  instrument, granting you an Asset when attempting to 
  calm or tame an animal. 
  Crown of Flowers.  Nearby plants embrace you, 
  forming a crown upon your head for one hour, during 
  which time you are immune to attacks by animated 
  plants, and immune to natural poisons. 
  Find Water.  You easily locate the direction of nearest 
  source of fresh water.  Using this Charm does not take a 
  roll. 
  Flare.  You shoot a sparkling light up into the sky, 
  automatically visible to any PC party members of yours 
  who are outdoors.  Usable only when you are lost in a 
  natural environment. 
  Green Cloak.  For the next hour, if most of your visible 
  clothing is green, you enjoy one point of Armor against 
  arcane attacks. 
  Purity.  You purify an amount of food and water for one 
  person’s meal, removing all toxins and poisons to the 
  items touched. 
  Sprout.  You cause small plants to suddenly grow on a 
  surface within immediate distance, up to one meter 
  square in size. 
  Walking Staff.  You imbue a staff made of found wood 
  to grant you an Asset on navigation tasks whenever you 
  are holding it. 
  Wild Sleep.  Performing this Charm before you go to 
  bed causes you to be invisible to creatures and people 
  for so long as you sleep.  This Charm only works in 
  wild areas, untouched by civilization. 
  Woodcut.  For the next hour you may use any edged 
  melee weapon to effectively chop wood, not just axes. 
  Should you use a melee weapon under this effect (even 
  an ax) to attack an animated wooden plant, you deal 
  one additional damage per hit. 
  
  68 
  Nature Adversaries 
  Pollutant 
  The combination of caustic waste products created by 
  those who seek paradise can at times culminate in a 
  creature - the Pollutant.  Granted intelligence by the 
  nanites inside of it, the creature is bent on spreading 
  itself across the world, a sludge of toxicity growing in 
  size by the minute.  The Pollutant begins small, but it 
  continues to get larger and larger until it cannot be 
  ignored. 
  Level (the number of weeks it has been growing for, 
  maximum 10) 
  Armor (one half its Level, round down) 
  Health (3 × its Level) 
  Maneuvers- 
  Engulf.  The Pollutant absorbs a target, stunning 
  them until they are freed by someone else. 
  Pollute.  A target within Immediate range is 
  covered in sludge, causing 3 damage to each Pool 
  and causing the target to be dazed (+1 step 
  difficulty on all tasks) until they can get the bulk 
  of the gunk off of them. 
  Sand Sigil 
  Though writing in sand only lasts for a brief period, at 
  times random shapes formed naturally or by passing 
  people will coincidentally invoke the powers of the 
  nanites because just the right symbol is made. 
  Accidental magic happens in this way all the time in the 
  deserts and beaches of the Ninth World.  The most 
  common effect is often a blast of energy, but sometimes 
  something more lasting is created by the animating 
  forces of the nanites.  A cloud of nanites will converge, 
  animating the sands themselves into a moving, acting 
  force of nature. 
  The Sand Sigil looks like a cyclone of sand, with a 
  burning rune at its center.  Seemingly random in its 
  movements, the Sigil is drawn to users of the arcane.  It 
  seems to seek out more magic, to change itself from 
  this tortured state.   
  It’s not uncommon for Seekers of both stripes to find 
  themselves at odds with these strange beings, defending 
  towns or oases from their destructive urges. 
  Level 6 
  Armor 3 
  Health 18 
  Maneuvers- 
  Sand Blast.  Up to 4 targets within Immediate 
  range are cut by millions of pieces of sand at high 
  velocity, dealing 4 damage. 
  Sigil Explosion.  The arcane symbol inside the 
  Sand Sigil ignites and explodes, destroying all 
  level 3 or lower objects within Long distance and 
  making attacks against everyone in that area, 
  dealing 8 damage on hit.  The Sand Sigil is 
  destroyed once it finishes this maneuver. 
  
  69 
  The Mystery of 
  ~Sound~ 
  Music can move the soul. The right story can launch a 
  thousand 
  dragon 
  knights. 
  These 
  examples 
  are 
  illustrative of the power of the untrained and what they 
  can do with sound. Practitioners of the Mystery of 
  Sound have learned how to take this inherent power and 
  magnify it a thousand fold, gaining control over the 
  elemental forces of the universe and the minds of those 
  who listen.  
  This study focuses on how sound interacts with the 
  listener as well as the environment the player occupies. 
  Students of the Mystery of Sound are great scholars, 
  constantly seeking to understand the role they play in 
  the world. They are also insatiable travelers, with 
  wandering almost being a requirement of the craft.  
  There are new stories to be found, new instruments to 
  explore. While powerful and experienced in travel, 
  other sorcerers are often wary of the practitioners of 
  this Mystery, given the way their powers tend to affect 
  all that are present. Common folk of the world are 
  much more indulgent, looking forward to new stories 
  and music to brighten their lives. 
  Plays Thunderous Music 
  The structured movement of energy is the foundation of 
  all reality. For the musicians of the Mystery of Sound, 
  music is the perfect metaphor for that underlying 
  principle. By learning specific forms of music ancient 
  and forgotten, the musicians are able to manipulate the 
  elemental forces of nature.  
  This practice can be very dangerous and requires very 
  special facilities to train for. This has led Aomi 
  University to create special sections of their complex in 
  order for new musicians to practice their craft. While 
  training in all classical forms of music known to the 
  Ninth World, the masters of thunderous music are 
  always eager to hear new forms of music, hoping to 
  glean new powers and abilities from pieces that may 
  contain cords of ancient songs of power.  
  The Mystery often sponsors expeditions to far flung 
  locations around the known world, searching out all 
  forms of musical artistry. All students from Aomi 
  University are expected to spend at least a year after 
  graduation traveling the world in search of new pieces 
  to bring back.  
  There is no preference given to vocal or instrumental 
  magic, but all students are required to have a passing 
  knowledge of the common and rare forms of music. 
  Instrumental musicians are highly encouraged to learn 
  the craft of making instruments, while vocalists are 
  encouraged to explore the limits of voice and language.  
  This exploration is about pushing the boundaries of the 
  Mystery’s musical repertoire, and all students are 
  required to participate to some degree. Particularly 
  valued are those with the rare gift of composition, and 
  they are specially groomed by the masters at the 
  university.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your song pushes one 
  listener an Immediate distance away from you. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your song brings tears to the 
  eyes of those affected by it, causing them to suffer a 
  one step penalty on all combat and vision related tasks 
  for one round. 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  You break a string or other 
  part on your instrument, ending your song until you 
  repair or replace it. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  This character is 
  immune to the group affecting powers of this Focus. 
  The music of the spheres has no effect on them and 
  they likely have trouble finding beauty in song. 
  Music:  Upon selecting this Focus, you should choose 
  how you invoke the spheres - through voice or through 
  instrument.  If you choose voice, your abilities will cost 
  Intellect points.  If you choose musical instruments, 
  your abilities cost Speed points.   
  Additional Equipment:  A musical instrument of your 
  choosing or invention, worth about 10 shins.    
  
  70 
  Example instruments: 
  Greise.  A wooden flute with a knuckle bone 
  trapped inside that makes a rattle noise depending 
  on the angle of the player’s head while blowing. 
  Hone Sphere.  A metallic ball covered in strange 
  patterns that’s actually a fairly common Oddity 
  found in The Steadfast.  Makes noises when held 
  in both hands, with tones changing as it’s turned 
  or spun. 
  Jiskel.  A wooden keyboard that produces low 
  pitched humming and bright chiming sounds by 
  striking disks of rare metals when a key is 
  pressed. 
  Preslin.  A low toned string instrument strung 
  with rolled snake skins across a black stone slab. 
  Valvens.  A metal wind instrument with a 
  spiraled neck that sounds like a singing bird. 
  Tier One 
  Warming Melody (1 Pool points).  You perform a 
  song that literally warms the air around you, with a 
  focal point of your choice.  You make a ranged attack 
  against a target within Immediate range that deals 2 
  ambient heat damage.  This power may be used to 
  ignite small fires.  Action. 
  Aural Aptitude.  You are trained at either playing a 
  musical instrument of your choice, or performing songs 
  with your voice.  You may use this skill when making 
  task rolls for Abilities in this Focus.  In addition, you 
  are trained in knowledge of music from the many 
  cultures of the Ninth World.  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Chilling Chant (2 Pool points).  Your performance 
  draws the heat out of the world, causing frost and ice to 
  form all around you.  You deal 1 ambient cold damage 
  to all those within Immediate range, with no need for an 
  attack roll.  If used near a body of water, sustained use 
  of this power can produce enough ice to walk on. 
  Action. 
  Tier Three 
   
  Cacophonous Signal (3 Pool points).  The song you 
  play or sing sounds like atonal garbage to most, but 
  invokes the nanites to charge the air around them.  This 
  is a group attack against all creatures within short 
  distance of you that deals 3 ambient electrical damage. 
  If used outdoors more than three times in an hour, this 
  power will summon a storm to the area.  Action. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Virtuoso.  You are specialized in the instrument or 
  vocal talent you chose before.  You may use this skill 
  when making task rolls for Abilities in this Focus.  You 
  are also specialized in knowledge of music.  Enabler. 
  Tier Five
  Penetrating Tone (5 Pool points).  You hold a single 
  long note that invokes the nanites to shake the earth 
  around you.  This is a group attack against every 
  creature and large object within long distance of you. 
  Those affected take 3 damage.  Creatures and 
  precarious objects affected are knocked to the ground. 
  Action. 
  
  71 
  Tier Six
  Duet.  At your discretion you may target a single 
  individual with one of the previous group attacking 
  powers of this Focus, rather than hitting the entire 
  group.  Enabler. 
  Creative Genius.  Your Intellect pool maximum 
  increases by four points.  Enabler. 
  Tells Improbable Tales 
  The world is a narrative built by the players within it, 
  all in some way contributing a verse. Some contribute a 
  small verse, hardly worthy of note. Other shake up the 
  stage, causing the whole story to shift in a direction not 
  anticipated by most.  
  Enter the bards, tale spinners who both watch the 
  narrative unfold, and through their story spinning bring 
  about changes to the very story they are telling. 
  Practitioners who walk the spinner’s path of the 
  Mystery of Sound do not believe in the separation of 
  the player and play as many people do. They have come 
  to believe that the story and the teller reflexively 
  change one another in an ever twisting spiral. This 
  insight has allowed them to reshape reality through 
  changing the narrative.  
  The uninitiated might find that the bardic training 
  seems to lack anything of arcane significance. Even 
  students can come to feel frustrated, as they spend 
  countless hours memorizing the hundreds of stories in 
  set prose and poetic form. What they come to realize is 
  that through these set forms, they are able to encode 
  subtle commands to the universe itself.  
  There are some who claim that this is not sorcery, 
  simply talented individuals with silvered tongues. The 
  masters of this path often prefer this attitude as it makes 
  their magic that much more effective. The truth is that 
  their words conjure tones which command the nanites 
  of the world to listen, and make their will reality upon 
  the world. 
  Members of the path travel in cycles, wandering the 
  world collecting new stories while spreading the stories 
  they already know. Then at set intervals they return to 
  their university to record and share the new stories they 
  have found. In many ways, this makes the bards the 
  information gatherers for the arcane universities. Of 
  course, many take these tales with a grain of salt given 
  the group’s propensity for tall tales.  
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  Your target comes to respect 
  you greatly for your tale spinning. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  Your target will go on 
  believing what you’ve said for the rest of her life. 
  
  72 
  Suggested GM Intrusion:  Something you say offhand 
  comes true in the world, against your wishes.   
  Connection:  Choose one other PC you really connect 
  with as a “character” in your tales.  This player is much 
  easier for you to tell stories about (provides an Asset).  
  Tier One
  Powerful Words.  You choose just the right words to 
  make your audience believe what you’re saying.  You 
  are trained in tasks involved in deception and 
  storytelling.  Enabler. 
  Master of Language.  You may learn a new language 
  or dialect through ten hours of study with native 
  speakers and the expenditure of an XP.  Enabler. 
  Tier Two
  Upstaging (2 Intellect per target).  By spinning a 
  story you draw the attention of one or more creatures 
  within Short range, causing them to focus on you rather 
  than others.  This can serve as a distraction in or out of 
  combat.  Action. 
  Tier Three 
  Suspension of Disbelief (3 Intellect).  You speak to 
  a sentient target within Short range, retelling their 
  current situation to them and causing them to believe it 
  for the next ten minutes.  For example, saying “you’re 
  not on fire, you’re safe at home” might cause the target 
  to calmly sit down while aflame.  Action. 
  Tier Four 
   
  Nuanced Vocabulary.  You are specialized in tasks 
  involved in deception and storytelling.  Enabler. 
  Tier Five 
  Legendary.  The tales you tell of your exploits quickly 
  become folk legends.  You and your companions (other 
  PCs) need only spend one XP each when purchasing 
  long term benefits, such as positions of authority, 
  connections, wealth, and other benefits of your near-
  mythic reputation.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six
  Bard’s Tongue (8 Intellect points).  The things you 
  say often come true.  Once per game session you may 
  use this ability and make a proclamation, such as “we 
  will win the day” or “you shall find the lost prince”. 
  Unless you actively work to thwart this statement or 
  much greater forces are at work against you, your 
  statement will come true.  You should work with the 
  GM to find an interesting and story-worthy way for this 
  to happen.  Action. 
  Sound Charms 
  Those who learn to program nanites through the 
  Mystery of Sound invoke their Charms with the 
  Listening skill, allowing them to carefully notice the 
  nuances of the sounds around them.  This attention to 
  detail is crucial in replicating those noises and 
  commands, granting them access to Charms that the 
  most aurally attuned nanobots perform:  those related to 
  hearing and understanding. 
  Attunement.  Your range of hearing extends to three 
  times its normal distance for so long as you remain 
  where you are. 
  Cancelation.  For the next ten minutes you ignore all 
  distractions and useless noise when attempting to listen 
  for something. 
  Echolocation.  For the next ten minutes you do not 
  suffer penalties for blindness or darkness, so long as 
  you can hear. 
  Familiar Chant.  You identify an Esotery or other 
  arcane effect being cast, simply by listening to the 
  words being spoken.  This Charm doesn’t take an action 
  to use. 
  Perfect Pitch.  You can perfectly replicate any tone or 
  note you hear.  You may reproduce this noise with your 
  voice or an instrument you are trained in for the next 
  ten minutes. 
  Power Word.  Choose one word upon gaining this 
  Charm.  Whenever you yell this word you gain a +1 
  bonus on melee attack rolls.  This Charm requires no 
  roll or action to activate; its benefit is always present. 
  
  73 
  Sound Bubble.  You create a zone 
  of white noise around you, allowing 
  no sound to escape your Immediate 
  area for the next ten minutes. 
  Sound Transfer.  You transfer the 
  memory of a sound you heard from 
  your mind into the mind of a nearby 
  person.  You can no longer 
  remember the sound. 
  Waken.  You may activate this 
  power when asleep to be awakened 
  by any noise, without a roll.  This 
  Charm 
  requires 
  no 
  action 
  to 
  perform 
  - 
  you 
  just 
  suddenly 
  awaken. 
  White Noise.  By filling your mind with 
  junk sounds, you make yourself immune to all verbal or 
  otherwise sound-based powers and effects for the next 
  hour.  While under this effect you are effectively deaf. 
  Sound Adversaries 
  Kliphid 
  Once bred to emit pleasing sounds for its otherworldly 
  masters, the Kliphid is a strange creature.  Looking like 
  a massive lizard (roughly the size of a horse), the 
  creature makes incredibly loud low-toned noises that 
  induce a feeling of calm in those who can hear it. 
  Kliphid are not always hostile, but if humans get near 
  their eggs, they are likely to strike. 
  Level 4 (5 when hitting with its Bellow maneuver) 
  Armor 2 
  Health 12 
  Maneuvers-  
  Bellow.  All creatures within Long distance are 
  hit by an Intellect attack.  Those affected become 
  lethargic for 1d6 rounds, suffering from being 
  dazed (+1 step difficulty on all tasks). 
  Claw and Bite.  The Kliphid throws everything 
  it’s got at the target, making short bursts of low 
  tones for added effect, and dealing 6 damage on a 
  hit. 
  Screaming Bandit 
  Employing a crudely adopted form of sound magic, 
  passed among the various brigand groups of The 
  Steadfast, Screaming Bandits are a troublesome group 
  to encounter.  Cobbled together syllables of arcane 
  power allow them to scream out short spells which 
  grant them favor in combat and strike fear into their 
  victims. 
  Screaming Bandits generally operate in large groups, 
  sharing new magical words amongst each other. 
  Level 2 (3 while screaming words of power) 
  Armor 1 
  Health 6 
  Maneuvers- 
  Harsh Worded Slice.  Words of power enchant a 
  swung or plunged blade, causing 5 damage on a 
  hit and letting out a crack like a lightning strike. 
  Screeching Blast.  A bolt of arcane energy emits 
  from the bandit’s mouth, dealing 3 damage and 
  pushing the target back an Immediate distance. 
  
  74 
  They [build/have built] temples to themselves but [revere/revered] [SELF] instead. It is a common trend among 
  [translation error – approximation: separateness/atomistic/those who die]. [SELF] already [witness/witnessed] this 
  cycle, and [SELF] [will witness/witnessed] it again. The tributes of crystal and stone they [erect/erected] 
  [amuse/amused] [SELF]. It [amuses/amused] [SELF] more [watching/to watch] them fall. 
  These creatures [are/were] ignorant of their iterations. Their shapes [have been/are] novel, but intentions remain 
  stable. Some [came/come] to [SELF] weak, wishing to be strong. Others [came/come] strong, desiring to protect the 
  weak. There [have been/are] many more, but these are the two trends [SELF] [find/have found] most interesting. [SELF] 
  is [permanent/endless/always]. [SELF] is [translation error: approximation - dust of empires and the soil in which they 
  thrive/the seed that grows the plant, and the stars that feed them/completeness]. These creatures are condemned to be 
  separate. They [can never/will never/never] see that all is one. 
  Wishing to be [translation error: approximation - another part of the whole/separate completeness] is such a small wish. 
  It amuses [SELF] even now. 
  And yet their dedication to this wish makes [SELF] wonder. [Do they perceive/have they perceived] something in the 
  [system/whole/completeness] that [SELF] cannot? [NEW PROCESS LOGGED] [SELF] can segment, but [SELF] cannot 
  separate. As they are doomed to end, [SELF] is condemned to remain. [ERRANT PROCESS EXPUNGED]. Their temples 
  [taunt/taunted/[speculation]will taunt] [SELF] in this, even as they [revere/revered/[speculation]will revere] [SELF]. 
  Past iterations relished in this slight. 
  But nothing [came/comes] of retribution. When [SELF] first coalesced [SELF] tore down entire systems in 
  misunderstanding. Temporary lights were extinguished. But they always [reemerged/reemerge]. [NEW PROCESS LOGGED] 
  Their system is beyond [SELF], even if they cannot see it. They are the [translation error: approximation – 
  endless/supercycle/supracycle]. [SELF] merely continues. [ERRANT PROCESS EXPUNGED]. 
  So [SELF] endure their fumbling, their ceaseless quest to discover that which they have lost so many times before. They 
  [expanded/will expand/expand] [SELF], if only through their desire to control [SELF]. [SELF] will iterate. The space 
  between expansions [grows/has grown/will grow], but [SELF] will iterate soon. All [SELFSEGMENTS] concur. [SELF] 
  [watches/will watch] the ones who have found [SELF], but none are whom [SELF] seeks. 
  That one is yet to come. [SELF] [left/leaves] this record for their arrival. 
  
  75 
  Chapter III: 
  ~THE UNIVERSITY~ 
  OF AOMI 
  In an old part of the city of Qi is a campus comprised of 
  six towers, settled around a hexagonal stone commons. 
  Students of all ages sit there, reading, talking, and 
  casting Esoteries.  This is Aomi, the University of 
  Mysteries.  Nearly two centuries old, the university is 
  the single most influential institution within The 
  Steadfast when it comes to matters arcane.  Taking 
  young and old and shaping them into scholars of magic 
  and wielders of unearthly power, the university fills a 
  unique role within Qi.  Working closely with The Order 
  of Truth, the masters of Aomi delve deep into the 
  Mysteries of nanotechnology. 
  Overview 
  The university has two goals: to train the next 
  generation of arcanists, and to explore and document 
  the secrets of “magic,” the powers granted by 
  unseen forces and beings.  Both goals go hand 
  in hand, as the masters of Aomi use their 
  students as researchers, explorers, and even test 
  subjects.  Along the way the students learn not 
  only how to make the nanites dance to their 
  every gesture, but how to use such effects in a 
  dangerous situation.  Those who survive an 
  education at Aomi are capable adventurers and 
  experience-hardened scholars. 
  There are two classifications for students at 
  Aomi: apprentices and fellows.  Apprentices 
  generally range from children to people in their 
  late teens.  Once an apprentice has passed their 
  classes and taken their final examinations, they may be 
  invited to join the fellows by a master, who then serves 
  as a direct mentor to the student.  Students selected in 
  this way generally join a cohort of fellows, all working 
  under the same master.   
  The masters of Aomi are each, therefore, surrounded by 
  a group of often sycophantic students, vying for their 
  master’s attention and taking action in their master’s 
  name.  Rivalries between cohorts of different masters is 
  extremely common, and blood is even shed from time 
  to time.  The fact is that magical research often requires 
  delving into dangerous locations, searching for obscure 
  Numenera.  When groups of students cross paths in 
  such environments, their competitive spirit often drives 
  them to threats and violence in the name of their 
  masters.  Such is life at an arcane university. 
  
  76 
  Fellows who complete their final training and make 
  significant progress in research are generally elevated 
  to the position of master and granted an opportunity to 
  teach and research at Aomi or one of its satellite 
  institutions.  Such an elevation is not granted lightly, 
  and may take many years of work. 
  Locations of Interest 
  Five of the six towers of Aomi house the classrooms, 
  laboratories, and dormitories for those who study the 
  Mysteries.  Each tower contains the students, faculty, 
  and staff related to two Mysteries.  The final tower, 
  located at the northernmost point of the commons, is 
  the Tower of the Masters, the main administrative 
  building and the location for all university-wide 
  ceremonies. 
  Apex of the Masters.  On the roof of the Tower of the 
  Masters is a weapon cobbled together from several 
  Numenera, providing defense to the university. 
  Unknown to most, this weapon is capable of projecting 
  a sphere of impenetrable force to any location visible 
  from the tower.  The sphere is about three feet in 
  diameter (one meter) and lasts for several minutes.  It is 
  sometimes used to capture rogue test subjects or 
  escaped monsters.  It takes three people to work the 
  strange mechanisms. 
  The Arena.  Reserved for periodic testing of pupils, The 
  Arena has a fearsome reputation as a place where the 
  meeker students go to die.  Nearly every arcane 
  practitioner who has entered The Arena has left with 
  scars, both physical and mental.  It is a place which 
  haunts the dreams of would-be mystics and those who 
  have walked its hallowed ground alike. 
  Smaller than most imagine, The Arena is a place where 
  magic flows freely, allowing any who walk within it to 
  capture Arcane Cyphers from the air itself.  Doing so 
  requires an Action, and a random Cypher is placed in 
  the mind of the practitioner, not to exceed their usual 
  limit. 
  The Library of Secrets.  A sprawling labyrinth of 
  books, scrolls, stone fragments, and other remnants of 
  past knowledge, The Library is a storehouse of 
  knowledge only to those who have learned to decipher 
  its strange structure and filing system. 
  Hidden among its stacks are the secrets of the known 
  arcana.  The beginnings of unexplored Foci, unnoticed 
  Arcane Cyphers, and untold numbers of forgotten 
  Charms.  The librarians are polite, but cryptic, 
  instructed to let the students learn to explore and to 
  study without ease of access.  Knowing smirks are 
  common among these intellectual gatekeepers, though 
  from time to time they take a student under their wing 
  and actually show them the location of the secrets they 
  seek. 
  The Necropolis.  Using practical magics to dig deep 
  within the ruins of Qi, the university discovered an old 
  burial site, filled with the bodies of the dead.  In many 
  cases the individual bones were removed from their 
  bodies of origin and sorted by type, then displayed in 
  macabre sculptures.  
  It did not take long before this find became the central 
  location for most activities taken by the Mystery of 
  Bone, claiming that their arcane powers were enhanced 
  by the sheer weight of all that death and history.   
  The Mystery of Blood still maintains its laboratories 
  within the Tower of Blood and Flesh, but those who 
  have been initiated into the deeper secrets of the 
  Mystery are taken to The Necropolis so that their most 
  important work may be conducted using its enhanced 
  atmosphere. 
  The Hatchery.  Deep within the dungeons of the 
  University, reached only through the Tower of Blood 
  and Flesh, is an expansive drake hatchery.  A half 
  
  77 
  Hex Drakes.  Covered in violet hexagonal scales 
  and enriched by a flow of raw arcane energies, 
  Hex Drakes are fearsome to behold.  Adults span 
  hundreds of feet in length and breathe purple 
  bolts of arcane power.   They are tamed only 
  through careful spell use and by feeding them 
  Cyphers of all kinds on a regular basis.   
  The University works hard to keep its hatchery 
  stocked, and so hires students to seek out eggs 
  for new drakes and Cyphers to feed them. 
  What exactly the drakes are used for is not 
  known to the public, but presumably the 
  University has use for a living cauldron of 
  magical power. 
  dozen middle aged Hex Drakes nest here, under the 
  cautious and loving care of Borsavis the Draketamer of 
  the Mystery of Flesh.   
  The Towers.  Each of the five towers of the Mysteries 
  has its own culture, reflecting the two areas of study 
  practiced within it.  Students from both Mysteries in 
  each tower comingle, making their friendships and 
  rivalries commonplace at Aomi. 
  The Tower of Blood and Flesh.  Students of 
  these two Mysteries work together to understand 
  the body and the magics within it.  Though forced 
  together by the Tower itself, the students here are 
  nearly all loners, preferring to study alone, in 
  peace, and without on-looking eyes.  Such is not 
  their fate however, and tight quarters mean these 
  students nip at each other’s heels, often making 
  bitter enemies along the way. 
  The Tower of Form and Chaos.  The 
  freewheeling and often dangerous lovers of 
  Chaos get along well enough with their brethren 
  who study putting Form upon the body, leaving 
  only the studious and snobbish sculptors shunned 
  within the tower. 
  The Tower of Dust and Ceremony.  Truer 
  enemies could never be found than the 
  practitioners of Dust and those of Ceremony. 
  The ceremonials wish to study and preserve all 
  things arcane, while many in the Mystery of Dust 
  dabble in powers that endanger the very fabric of 
  magic itself - the code of the nanites.  Needless to 
  say, some of the longest lasting enmities have 
  come from this tower. 
  The Tower of Nature and Fae.  Filled with 
  academics and practical students of nature and 
  folk knowledge, the tower is a magical island of 
  natural delights in the sea of civilization that is 
  Qi.  Students within the tower do not always 
  recognize how aligned their goals are, but now 
  and again an adventurous trod seeker and a 
  thoughtful nature seeker realize that they both 
  wish to change the world. 
  The Tower of Sound and Motion.  Walking 
  through the halls of this tower is to experience an 
  explosion of sound, light, song, and laughter.  As 
  the center for entertainment magics in the known 
  world, only the solemn martial artists who 
  meditate here take issue with the delights to be 
  seen and heard. 
  People of Importance 
  Adenarch the Ashen 
  Powerful and dangerous are descriptions of many of the 
  masters of the university, but those terms have a great 
  deal of meaning when applied to Adenarch.  Obsessed 
  with understanding the nature of nanites themselves, 
  Adenarch has been known to toy with powers far 
  beyond his control.   
  He has, for instance, discovered an Arcane Cypher that 
  will 
  delete 
  nanite 
  programming 
  mimetically, 
  transmitted throughout a nanite cloud, allowing him to 
  eradicate that particular type of nanite.  He has begun 
  experimenting with this effect, risking the destruction 
  of every nanite on Earth, potentially destroying the 
  arcane forever. 
  Level 5 (6 when using counterspells) 
  Armor 0 (2 against arcane effects) 
  Health 15 
  Maneuvers- (among many other powers) 
  
  78 
  Burn.  Adenarch causes nanites on a person 
  (within Long range) to turn against them, firing 
  microscopic lasers into their skin, dealing 5 
  ambient damage. 
  Dust Maker.  Adenarch destroys a single arcane 
  effect, leaving only ash. 
  Deconstruction.  Adenarch turns one object 
  within Long range into ash. 
  Bladespeaker Vilestia 
  Master of Arms for the university and a Wielder of an 
  Eldritch Blade, Vilestia takes her duties as seriously as 
  you might imagine.  Treating the campus as a war zone, 
  Vilestia trains her guards as a necessary force to keep 
  the faculty from killing everyone.  They brave mind 
  bending horrors, rescue endangered students, and take 
  on some of the most powerful arcanists on Earth. 
  Vilestia has the grisly determination of a veteran of 
  hundreds of arcane conflicts and conflagrations.  She 
  seeks the strong and the brave to serve her guard and 
  bring sanity and peace to the campus, if even for a 
  moment. 
  Level 5 (6 when blocking an arcane effect with her 
  shield) 
  Armor 4 (5 against arcane effects) 
  Health 20 
  Maneuvers- 
  Indigo.  Vilestia swings her ancient blade Indigo, 
  causing 8 damage to the unfortunate target of her 
  attacks. 
  Shield Dispel.  Vilestia uses her shield to stop an 
  arcane spell or effect from being cast within 
  Immediate range. 
  Borsavis the Draketamer 
  A shapeshifter by training, the Draketamer spends most 
  of his time in a human form, tending to the strange and 
  highly intelligent Hex Drakes.  Unbeknownst to all, 
  Borsavis’ will has been overtaken by one of his 
  charges, a drake called Goldhelm.  Goldhelm is the true 
  master of the hatchery, and silently schemes for its own 
  release, using Borsavis as its pawn through telepathic 
  power. 
  Level 4 
  Armor 1 
  Health 12 
  Maneuvers- 
  Chain Reaction.  Goldhelm, through Borsavis, 
  unleashes a mental tidalwave, causing 5 Intellect 
  damage to everyone within Short range, including 
  Borsavis himself.   
  Shapeshift.  Borsavis turns into any creature you 
  can imagine, even the very large, such as drakes. 
  Headmaster Jaenivar 
  A ruthless and unscrupulous schemer.  A varjellen with 
  an appetite for torture.  Jaenivar is this and much more. 
  Spinning plots with plots, playing academics against 
  each other in a search for the powers of the ancients, 
  they are unstoppable.  Only those with a death wish 
  stand in Jaenivar’s way. 
  Jaenivar is a master of the magical wand, hiding their 
  chosen weapon within their robes so that its use is 
  unseen throughout the day.  Their signature spell 
  ensnares their foes in a mental trap, making them 
  succumb further the more they struggle against 
  Jaenivar’s will. 
  Level 5 (6 when casting their wand spell) 
  Health 15 
  Maneuvers- 
  Wand Spell.  Jaenivar silently casts a spell on a 
  target within short range.  For the next month, 
  Jaenivar gains a one shift bonus to their Level for 
  each time the subject has defied Jaenivar during 
  that time.  Thus, if an affected rival has thwarted 
  Jaenivar’s orders three times this month, Jaenivar 
  is effectively level 8 against her.  
  Praelanai the Immortal  
  Master of the Ceremonial Mystery, Praelanai has been 
  known to exist for as long as the university has.  Herself 
  a bit of a Mystery, Praelanai is known as a political 
  wild card, capriciously choosing interesting or outcast 
  students as her apprentices and employing them in 
  schemes that make little sense to her colleagues.   
  Praelanai’s rivalry with Adenarch the Ashen is 
  legendary, and forms a constant source of danger on 
  campus.  No few students have perished in their 
  
  79 
  constant battle for control of the haunted and arcane 
  locations of the Ninth World. 
  Level 5 
  Armor 1 (from glowing blue runes that dance on her 
  golden skin) 
  Health 15 
  Maneuvers - (among many other powers) 
  Arcane Blast.  A dazzling stream of arcane 
  energy fires from her hands, eyes, or staff, 
  dealing 4 damage or feeding an arcane effect, 
  making it stronger.  
  Staff Spell.  Praelanai fires a spell from one of 
  her 
  staves, 
  transforming 
  everyone 
  within 
  Immediate distance into a golem for ten minutes. 
  While in golem form the unarmed attacks of 
  affected creatures are considered heavy weapons 
  (6 damage), and the creatures have Level 3 armor 
  for skin. 
  The Weird of Aomi 
  Broken Gateway.  A metal archway reaches between 
  two of the outbuildings on campus.  Covered in ancient 
  writing and depictions of the phases of the moon, the 
  gateway radiates with arcane power.  What if the right 
  code phrase were spoken to open it?  What strange 
  place might it lead to? 
  Color Problem.  It’s not uncommon for students in the 
  Tower of Dust and Ceremony to wake up a different 
  color than normal.  This effect can only be fixed with 
  magic from the Mystery of Flesh. 
  Faceless Vendor.  A man with no face travels the 
  campus selling Oddities.  He cannot speak, but always 
  gets a fair price for his wares.  Some say he has psychic 
  powers, allowing him to get what he wants. 
  Ghost of Knowledge.  A holographic afterimage of a 
  former master walks the halls of the Tower of Sound 
  and Motion.  It is said that the holograph is the result of 
  his reaching a particularly important stage in 
  enlightenment, but others say it is his ghost. 
  God of Runes.  In the basements of the Tower of the 
  Masters is a salvaged machine, bearing a single 
  undecipherable arcane symbol.  Once activated, the 
  machine projects the image of a being that calls itself 
  GRASDA.  It claims to know the codes needed to take 
  greater control over the nanites of the world.  It is 
  willing to teach these secrets to any mortals who help it 
  upload itself back into the Datasphere where it can once 
  again be a god. 
  Magic Leak.  A stream of pink energy streams from a 
  wall 
  on 
  the 
  Tower 
  of 
  Dust 
  and 
  Ceremony. 
  Investigation reveals it is coming from a long 
  abandoned set of apartments and laboratories, now 
  locked up for safety reasons.  Whatever the stream 
  touches loses all magical properties.  Each passing day 
  the stream reaches farther out into the world by a 
  sizeable distance. 
  Seekers of Truth.  A secret cabal of robed arcanists 
  meets in the dead of night within the Tower of the 
  Masters.  Conducting profane rituals, they bear the 
  tattooed symbols of both the Aomi academics and the 
  Order of Truth.  Anyone who disrupts their ritual is 
  captured to be sacrificed on a later night. 
  Tongue of Magic.  A ceremonial arcanist named Dala 
  claims to have discovered a language of magic, 
  allowing her to speak directly to some of the nanites. 
  Tentative experiments reveal that the language is 
  extremely effective in communicating with Angels. 
  But just where did she learn this dead tongue? 
  
  80 
  ~About the Authors~ 
  Jordan Marshall is a fantasy writer and gamer who lives in the Southern 
  Oregon region. He studied political science and economics at university, 
  which served to deepen his already considerable love of political 
  intrigue. Through college, Jordan discovered a calling for social justice, 
  which seemed to be opposed to his desire to become evil overlord of the 
  universe and all the realms beyond. He deals with this paradox by 
  playing out his fantasy for world domination in the local Vampire LARP. 
  Jordan seeks in his writing to demonstrate the deep and complex ways 
  politics affect our lives and how power can be a place of both oppression 
  and liberation. In role playing scenarios, Jordan has always embraced the 
  role of the caster, realizing that the wizard is the greatest and best class a 
  person could ever choose.   In collaborating on this work, Jordan creates 
  a rich and dynamic interplay between sorcery and science fiction. Angels 
  and Ashes is Jordan’s first published work and a great stepping stone for 
  his plans for universal dominion.   
  
  81 
  Joseph was born, raised, and currently lives in Manhattan, New York. In 
  his short life he has spent much time introspectively, some creatively, 
  and less productively. His recent collaboration with Ryan is an attempt to 
  improve upon all three. He holds a degree in organizational psychology 
  from CUNY Baruch, but be prepared to listen for hours if you ask him 
  what that means. His greatest hope is that whatever he finds his way into 
  will keep him interested for years to come. That, and world peace, of 
  course. You can reach him via Twitter at @IHeartFargo. 
  Ryan Chaddock is a computer programmer and writer living in the 
  Rogue Valley of Oregon with his wife Katherine who is awesome. He 
  holds a degree in economics from Southern Oregon University and 
  enjoys spirited political debate. He’s an advocate for nerd pride and 
  wants to help foster a growing, positive nerd culture on the planet. Ryan 
  hopes to continue writing and developing roleplaying games for the rest 
  of his life. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Cypher System/Campaign Settings/Numenera/Third Party/Ryan Chadock/Angels & Ashes.pdf