TEXT:  
  i 
   
   
   
  
   
  ii 
   
  Explorations: 
  Echoes of the Prior Worlds 
   
  Written by Joseph DeSimone and Ryan Chaddock  
  Artwork, Cartography, Editing, and Layout by Ryan Chaddock 
  Additional Editing by Katherine Gohring and Joseph DeSimone 
  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 
   
  τῇ καλλίστῃ 
   
  Playtesters:   
  Aram Morgan, Briana Boyer,  
  Larry Cooper, Walter Wattenburger III 
   
   
   
  
   
  iii 
   
  Creative Commons Source Images 
  The source/stock images for the following artwork are used under this license: 
  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en : 
  Cover image:  “Mask” by William Neuheisel. 
  The Grizzled image on page 7: “Novak 8” by Milos Milosevic. 
  The coin image on page 3:  “$5 Macro Taiwanese Coin” by Eli Christman. 
  The Intrepid image on page 8: “Voile” by Jean-Francois Gornet. 
  The Maps the World image on page 9:  “Astrolabe, 18th century” by Evan Bench. 
  The Scales the Impossible image on page 10:  “’Ghar’ Mountain” by DVIDSHUB. 
  The ruins image on page 11:  “Mountain Top Removal” by Mr. Stabile. 
  The Plenty of Room image on page 26:  “Life on a Grain of Sand 12” by Anthony D’Onofrio. 
  The golden robot image on page 30:  “Golden People love Gold Jewelry Robots”  by epSos .de. 
  The crow flying image on page 38: “crow in flight” by devra. 
  The murden face image on page 39: “AMERICAN CROW” by cuatrok77. 
   
  The source/stock images for the following artwork are used under this license: 
  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ : 
  The mask image on page 2: “British Museum Mixtec.jpg” by Gryffindor. 
  The fireworks image on page 4:  “The Night Flower” by UnderwaterBride. 
  The Great Work image on page 20: “Oreo” by xfgexo. 
  The House of the Night image on page 22:  “Blueprint wallpaper” by basurero. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  iv 
   
  ~Table of Contents~ 
   
   
  Introduction  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  pg 1 
  Chapter I:  SEEDS & SOIL  
   
   
   
  pg 2 
  A selection of story seeds and Intrusions for GMs to use 
  when crafting interestingly weird stories. 
  Chapter II:   BRAVE SOULS  
   
   
   
  pg 7 
  New Foci and Descriptors for Ninth World explorers. 
  Chapter III:  THIRTEEN ECHOES  
   
  pg 12 
  A baker’s dozen short adventures about exploring the 
  world and unearthing the past.
  
   
  1 
   
  ~Introduction~ 
  Even though the Steadfast and other areas of the 
  Ninth World have become settled and civilized, there 
  are undiscovered ruins and unexplored regions 
  waiting for heroic individuals and groups to brave 
  them. Overflowing with ambiguous technologies of 
  the past, these places of mystery and myth call out to 
  the explorers of the world. The time has come for 
  intrepid souls to make their mark on the Ninth World. 
  The stage is set for their ascent as the shapers of 
  human history. 
  This book is about the people and places that make 
  exploration exciting. It takes the concept of a 
  discovery-based game and runs with it. Numenera 
  doesn’t give XP for slaying monsters and taking their 
  stuff. It’s not a game about combat, though combat is 
  there to be had. The primary means of character 
  advancement is though Discovery. With that in mind, 
  we’ve created a set of adventures showcasing the 
  Discovery XP model.  
  These are places of interest, each with a sequential set 
  of increasingly difficult objective points. Our hope is 
  that this book will be useful for your group in moving 
  from a more traditional play model to one focused on 
  exploration and discovery. 
  Most of the adventures that make up the meat of this 
  supplement are written to be small and easy for the 
  GM to wrap their head around. These are the 
  barebones of a story: some creatures, treasure, traps, 
  problems, and a map. Not much else. If you take them 
  as written, each adventure is an hour or two of content 
  for an average group. Not a bad start, but we suggest 
  fleshing them out with a few twists when possible. 
  For this reason we’ve included Chapter I: SEEDS & 
  SOIL. It includes suggestions for additional story 
  threads that can add depth, sub-plots, and just plain 
  weird to your games.  
  We highly suggest pairing a nice quick story with two 
  or three fleshed out Intrusions and perhaps a story 
  seed as a side plot. Taken as a whole, the contents of 
  this book could easily become an entire campaign, 
  with the various adventures stringing together a story 
  about facing the dangers of a hostile world and 
  coming back with interesting ideas and technologies 
  that could change the face of the Ninth World. 
  ~Iadace traveller, and good luck~ 
   
   
  
   
  2 
   
  Chapter 1:  
  ~SEEDS & SOIL~ 
  Building interesting stories involves plots and sub-
  plots.  Stories and complications.  The following 
  adventure seeds and Intrusions are provided here to 
  help make sure your game is as rich and detailed as 
  possible.   
    INTRUSIONS 
  Auditory Hallucinations.  The PC touches or 
  breathes an invisible chemical, causing them to hear 
  strange noises for the next four hours.  The PC suffers 
  a one step penalty on any roll involving hearing, 
  including some perception task rolls and many social 
  tasks.   
  Blinding Flash.  A PC currently touching a 
  Numenera object accidentally activates a powerful 
  light.  The character must pass a Difficulty 4 Speed 
  Defense test or be blinded for one hour. 
  Bone Break.  Give this Intrusion to a PC who has 
  just taken damage.  They have broken a major bone, 
  causing them to move one step down the condition 
  track.  If the wound is not treated by someone using 
  the heal skill, the character will continue to be down 
  one on the condition track for one month. 
  Brief Mutation.  The PC is sprayed by a strange 
  gas, causing them to physically change.  The PC 
  suffers from a randomly chosen Harmful Mutation 
  (see the Numenera Core Book, pg 124-125) for the 
  next 3 hours.  The physical change also causes them 
  to lose 2 points each from their Might and Speed 
  pools. 
  Broken Mask.  The PC finds a metal mask.  For the 
  next ten hours the character must pass a Difficulty 3 
  Intellect Defense test once per hour to avoid putting 
  the mask on, or going back to find it if it was left 
  somewhere.  If the character ever puts the mask on, 
  they find that it won’t come off.  The mask changes 
  the user’s voice, modulating it to something deep and 
  creepy, increasing the difficulty of all social 
  interactions besides intimidation by one step.  The 
  mask may only be removed if the character is kissed 
  on the mask’s mouth, though figuring this out could 
  take a great deal of research. 
  Cave In.  Several large chunks of rock or stone from 
  the surrounding environment fall on the PC, pinning 
  them in place, dealing 5 damage, and pushing them 
  one step down the condition track until they receive 
  
   
  3 
   
  medical treatment.  Removing the rocks will require a 
  Difficulty 5 Might check by an ally.  Slipping out 
  requires a Difficulty 5 Speed check by the victim.    
  Crawling Tattoos.  An inky black pattern transfers 
  off of something the PC is touching onto their body.  
  The pattern spreads across their skin, silently 
  writhing.  The patterns are disorienting to stare at, 
  causing the PC and any other person who looks at 
  them to need to make a Might Defense test against 
  Difficulty 4 to avoid throwing up, and losing 3 Might 
  points in the process.  Most animals will not attack 
  the character while they are afflicted with the tattoos.  
  The crawling tattoos last until the player next bathes.   
  Cry Out.  Used on a PC who has just been hit by an 
  attack, the character cries out in pain, catching the 
  attention of 1d6 more of whatever creature they were 
  fighting. 
  Gender Swap.  The PC walks through an invisible 
  field and comes out the other side changed.  They feel 
  an electrical shock and then their body morph.  Once 
  the alteration finishes, several rounds later, the PC is a 
  different gender than the one they began with.  This 
  alteration is permanent, but a lenient GM might only 
  make it last a month. 
  Golden Shin.  Use on a PC who has just looted one 
  or more shins during the adventure.  One of these 
  shins is golden and glows slightly.  The PC becomes 
  obsessed with this shin for the next 28 hours, holding 
  it in one of their hands (instead of a weapon or 
  shield), and generally fiddling with it.  Doing any 
  particular action other than just playing with the shin 
  causes them to take 1 Intellect damage.  Playing with 
  the shin while doing other things causes those actions 
  to be at one higher Difficulty level. 
  Haunted.  The PC becomes capable of seeing and 
  hearing strange echoes of the past, including what 
  appear to be holographic ghosts.  These “people” 
  moan and scream at the character, causing the PC to 
  suffer a one step penalty on all actions.  This penalty 
  can be ignored at a rate of one Intellect damage per 
  action.  This haunting effect lasts for 56 hours, during 
  which time the character cannot take a 10 hour 
  recovery due to their inability to sleep soundly. 
  Invisible Force Bubble.  The PC inadvertently 
  activates a force field around them, probably by 
  walking into a rune, sigil, or other Numenera sensor.  
  They cannot leave the bubble or affect things outside 
  of it until they break through it with a Difficulty 5 
  Might check, or someone outside the bubble 
  deactivates the field projector with a Difficulty 4 
  Numenera task.  This one is especially good to spring 
  on someone while the group is in combat. 
  Love Potion.  An Anoetic Cypher has the additional 
  effect of making the user feel very strong attachment 
  and “seskii love” for the next person or creature they 
  next see.  This effect lasts for 28 hours after the 
  Cypher is used. 
  Sentient Armor.  The character’s armor becomes 
  inhabited by an invisible force, causing it to attempt 
  to kill the player.  It will use the PC’s weapons, try to 
  jump off cliffs, etc.  Treat its actions are as though it 
  were a level 4 creature, and it will continue to attempt 
  to kill the player character until it is removed.  Doing 
  so takes 3 successful Speed checks against Difficulty 
  4.  Once a piece of the armor is removed, it stops 
  being animated, returning to normal. 
  
   
  4 
   
  Shard of the Past.  A PC rummaging through old 
  things cuts themselves on an ancient shard of pottery.  
  The wound immediately dries up and turns blue.  The 
  character must make a Might Defense roll against 
  Difficulty 3 once an hour until they succeed on a roll.  
  Each time they fail, they take 5 ambient damage from 
  radiation in their blood.  While affected by this 
  Intrusion, the character can see electricity flowing 
  through machines and wires. 
  Slippery Surface.  The character accidentally 
  walks into a patch of ooze, ice, or super-slick material 
  and must pass a Difficulty 4 Speed Defense test to 
  avoid falling and taking 3 damage.  Leaving the area 
  takes passing a Difficulty 3 Speed test, and the 
  character cannot move Long distance on a turn until 
  they leave the patch. 
  Viral Meme.  The PC sees a symbol on a wall and 
  gets it stuck in their head, blocking their vision with 
  its image burned into their sight.  If the character 
  speaks, all those who hear their words must make an 
  Intellect test against Difficulty 3 to avoid the same 
  effect (including its ability to spread).  The meme 
  imposes a one step penalty on all sight related rolls, 
  including perception tasks and physical attacks and 
  dodges.  A character may rid themselves of the meme 
  by taking 7 Intellect damage or taking their 10 hour 
  recovery rest. 
    STORY SEEDS 
  Black Lotus 
  A new narcotic has begun carving its way through the 
  Beyond. The first dozen times individuals use the 
  drug, an aromatic powder rubbed into the eyes, the 
  results are euphoric. It creates a perception of dilated 
  time and enables complete lucid dreaming, allowing 
  users to experience their deepest desires for what 
  seems like months.  
  However, physical and mental dependence come 
  quickly, and the amount needed increases. The time 
  dilation continues after dependence is formed whether 
  or not the user keeps up with their new need, but now 
  their greatest fears are thrust forward endlessly. 
  What’s more, the nightmares begin having parallels in 
  the real world. An addict who sees great black wings 
  following him may hear reports of people being 
  picked up and carried away by flying beasts none 
  have seen before.  
  A campaign has begun to inform individuals about 
  the risk of using the substance, but progress is slow. It 
  seems that the drug has legitimate medical properties; 
  users’ bodies heal at an increased rate when under the 
  influence, almost as if reacting to the perception of 
  increased time. Less reputable, or more desperate, 
  doctors have begun administering it to patients.  
  Rumors of the source of this drug are spreading, and 
  troublingly they all seem to point to a disaffected 
  Aeon Priest fascinated with the medicinal properties 
  of a rare black lotus. He has been cultivating them for 
  experimentation, but was unable to test his many 
  hypotheses. It seems he has been treating the general 
  populace as his test subjects. Those seeking healing, 
  or to put an end to this growing nightmare, can find 
  the priest in his greenhouse clave.  
  The Forgetful, The Forgotten 
  Hidden in the Beyond is a community forgotten by 
  the ages. Those who live there subsist on a tribal 
  existence, completely unaware of the surrounding 
  world. To them this is the first world, the only world, 
  
   
  5 
   
  and it has been that way for all time. Or so they 
  believe. The truth is much more sinister: a buried 
  artifact has created a sort of amnesia in the tribe 
  members, and any who find them.  
  They have been encountered many times over the 
  years by individuals from the outside world, but 
  despite the tales they bring, and the evidence they 
  carry with them, the information will not take hold. 
  The moment the outsider leaves the community, the 
  tribe forgets completely. Furthermore, the very 
  existence of the tribe is overwritten in the mind of the 
  visitor with the most easily believable, mundane lie. 
  For centuries they have been contained to a small 
  area, but recently there has been an effort among the 
  tribesmen to begin expanding their territory. What’s 
  more, the radius of forgetfulness seems to be 
  expanding with it. 
  Outrage 
  Maintaining biases is difficult when mutation and 
  aberrancy become the norm. Nevertheless, it is still 
  very possible. The members of the royal courts of the 
  Steadfast aren’t so accepting. An honored war hero 
  and military leader has begun showing signs of 
  genetic 
  deviancy. 
  Public 
  appearances 
  dropped 
  drastically and reports that she had begun acting in 
  strange, alien ways eventually led to her being ousted 
  by her former empire.  Her handlers’ actions have set 
  off a drastic chain of events.  
  She has begun gathering those more loyal to her than 
  political leaders, and rumors of an imminent coup 
  have begun surfacing. Where once was a dedicated 
  servant and brilliant tactical mind now exists a being 
  dedicated solely to bloody rebellion. No matter the 
  outcome of the approaching war, countless will 
  suffer. Will any be bold enough to put a stop to what 
  could become the most brutal offensive of an age? 
  Reclamation 
  The past year has been unkind to the coastal village of 
  Eryntha. For decades they have struggled along as a 
  moderately successful fishing hub, an unkind life for 
  only the hardiest. But more recently the inhabitants 
  have stopped going out into the water altogether. At 
  first a few boats began disappearing, which was 
  uncommon in the still waters near the village.  
  But the quiet whispers of something in the water 
  became a panic when the wrecked hulls began 
  washing ashore in droves. Local legends of the All-
  Mother, Glyryvillu, started circulating. Shortly after, 
  the remaining villagers simply disappeared. Only one 
  escaped: an elderly matriarch who claims to be the 
  trueborn heiress of the All-Mother. She has been 
  moving through the neighboring townships hoping to 
  find adventurers daring enough to slay the beast and 
  make the village habitable once again.  
  None know the truth of Glyryvillu, a beast described 
  as an amalgam of so many other creatures as to defy 
  explanation or sense. All that’s known is that she 
  makes her abode deep under the waves, and has 
  brought down ships for hundreds of years. What 
  treasures may lay in that wreckage are for the brave to 
  discover. 
  The Shadowplay 
  The town of Ajeles appears like many others: small, 
  low buildings built in concentric rings. The difference 
  is marked by what stands in the middle. A large 
  column, seemingly made of solid light, stands several 
  hundred feet tall. From afar the column seems only a 
  glare, or at night a dim beacon pointing into the sky. 
  PCs who approach the column see an intricate 
  shadow-puppetry show around the diameter of its 
  base. Most write this off as a pleasant relic of a past 
  age, and the town is one of complete tranquility. 
  Each and every night the townsfolk gather around the 
  pillar of light and watch an ever-changing act unfold 
  in shadow. Careful observers might notice that every 
  person in the town is recreated in the play.  Enthralled 
  by the shadow play that guides and plots out their 
  lives, the townsfolk cannot leave, and neither can 
  adventurers who stay for the evening.  Their only 
  hope is to destroy the powerful entity that directs the 
  show, hidden under the column of light. 
  
   
  6 
   
  The String of Lights 
  An elderly man has been walking through the Ninth 
  World from kingdom to kingdom. He is clothed only 
  in rags and has been seen everywhere from Queslin to 
  Deep Vormask, forever spreading what he calls the 
  Gospel of Lasyrah. Unaided and weathered, he 
  nevertheless proceeds safely through areas that entire 
  bands of adventurers couldn’t traverse.  
  Some attribute this to powerful artifacts on his person, 
  but the truth is much stranger. This man has been 
  alive forever, existing alone through all eight previous 
  worlds. He remembers little of it, and speaks of none. 
  The gospel he spreads is one of ceaseless death and 
  rebirth, the lessons of his eternal life.  
  Sometimes hailed as a savior, but more generally 
  reviled as a seditious heretic, the nameless wanderer 
  has recently aroused the ire of several notable leaders. 
  Partly, they fear for their stations if the lower castes 
  take to his message. Mostly, however, they worry that 
  the random catastrophes that follow in his wake are 
  somehow of his making. There is a price on his head 
  that reaches nearly across the world. Will those who 
  find him finally put an end to his meandering? Or will 
  they join him, as so many have before? 
  Unitas 
  Much of the fauna of the Ninth World is 
  misunderstood, and that ignorance breeds fear. Many 
  seemingly terrible creatures can be bargained with or 
  otherwise be considered as something more than 
  monstrosities. The broken hounds cannot.  
  They are the teeming unwashed masses, craving 
  nothing but flesh. This wasn’t always the case. The 
  species has degenerated from their prime so 
  completely that even the memories of the great cities 
  they constructed have fallen to dust. But there is one 
  who recalls their past all too well. Hidden deep within 
  the Beyond, the last remaining member of the broken 
  hounds’ forbearers watches and plans the return of his 
  people.  
  Numenera related to time- and genetic-manipulation 
  have begun disappearing, and tales of a great 
  laboratory where interested parties can trade their 
  bodies and knowledge for other boons are spreading. 
  Will the players stop the resurgence of this long dead 
  race, or is there something better to be bargained for? 
  Weaver 
  The E’ichk peoples live a nomadic life high on the 
  slopes of the Black Riage. Rarely seen except when 
  trading the random pieces of Numenera they discover, 
  they are an unshakably insular society. Decades ago 
  an Aeon priest named Thadrius accompanied their 
  tribe until he became trusted enough to be inducted 
  into their highest shamanic order. What he learned 
  terrified him so thoroughly he left both his life’s work 
  and the priesthood to live the rest of his life in 
  solitude.  
  With his recent passing a document detailing the 
  creation myth of the E’ichk made its way back to the 
  Amber Papacy. It describes the construction of the 
  pangaea supercontinent of the Ninth World by the 
  deity Akeyolabophe. When activated, the document 
  projects a single image of an unfathomably large 
  avian creature perched atop what appears to be 
  Mencala Peak. Barely visible at the bottom of the 
  image, the shamans and Thadrius can be seen at the 
  foot of the beast. Several Aeon Priests have reviewed 
  the image and all testify to its veracity.  
  None who live near the area claim to have seen or 
  heard of anything like Akeyolabophe. This leaves two 
  questions: how has an ancient creature, gargantuan 
  and invisible and maybe powerful enough to shape 
  the world, existed on the border of the Steadfast 
  unknown until now? And what can be done about it? 
   
   
   
  
   
  7 
   
  Chapter II: 
  ~BRAVE SOULS~ 
  The Ninth World is, to put it mildly, a dangerous 
  place.  Only those with the appropriate skill and pluck 
  can see the harshest, most volatile environments, and 
  survive to tell the tale beside the campfire.  Even 
  simple catacombs can be littered with ancient traps 
  and leftover bits of technology, waiting to do harm to 
  the next passer by.  Those who carve their names on 
  history will be those who are ready for the harshness 
  of the Ninth World.  Those who’s very nature puts 
  them in the path of danger. 
  The following Foci and Descriptors are for use by the 
  bravest of players.  The cowardly ones don’t get to 
  play with them.  Sorry. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    NEW DESCRIPTORS 
  Grizzled 
  You’ve been through hell and come back to chat 
  about it.  When others claim to have seen horrors 
  beyond imagination, you grimly nod, knowing that 
  those terrible things are out there.  You’ve seen 
  enough to know how to survive them.  You hope. 
  Scar Tissue:  +4 to your Might Pool. 
  Skill:  You’re trained at Intellect Defense when 
  resisting mental effects and fear. 
  Skill:  You’re trained at Speed Defense when 
  attempting to dodge traps. 
  Skill:  You’re trained at Might Defense when 
  resisting the effects of poison and disease. 
  Inability:  
  You’re 
  overly 
  critical 
  of 
  your 
  companions, making you terrible at assisting them in 
  the end.  Your assistance when taking the Helping 
  action (Numenera core book page 101) never grants 
  more than a +1 on the roll. 
  Additional Equipment:  One set of Light or 
  Medium armor. 
  Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: 
  1. You’ve come to be a mentor to one of the 
  other PCs, following wherever they go. 
  2. You’re serving as a guide to the party. 
  3. You’re searching for something, anything, that 
  can truly challenge you. 
  4. It’s clear that this rag tag group needs your 
  help or they’re all gunna get killed out there. 
  
   
  8 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Intrepid 
  The spirit of adventure inhabits you, driving you to 
  new and different adventures.  You care little for 
  wealth or glory.  You explore for its own sake, 
  making the most of your talents. 
  Light Footed:  +2 to your Speed Pool. 
  Skill: You’re trained in climbing and jumping tasks. 
  Skill:  You’re trained in navigation and riding tasks. 
  Inability:  Your curiousity makes you a poor judge 
  of danger.  Your GM should never provide you with 
  hints as to the Difficulty of a dangerous roll. 
  Additional Equipment:  An explorer’s pack. 
  Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: 
  1. It’s your idea to get the party together, of 
  course! 
  2. You’ve found this interesting map… 
  3. You’ve manipulated the others into joining up 
  with you. 
  4. You’ve kept your ear to the ground for just 
  such an opportunity. 
    NEW FOCI 
  Catalogues the Past 
  You are an explorer and documenter of the current 
  and prior worlds.  You have your obsessions - 
  technologies, wildlife, architecture, etc.  You take to 
  the wild places and hidden tombs with your 
  notebooks, sample jars packed, ready to bring some 
  of what you’ve seen back to the rest of humanity. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  This is the one 
  person you trust with your notes and samples. 
  Additional Equipment:  A notebook and an pen. 
  Minor Effect:  An item you’re looking at is familiar 
  to you.  You’ve seen something like it before granting 
  a +1 on the die for related knowledge rolls. 
  Major Effect:  An item you’re looking at is 
  extremely familiar to you, clearly related to 
  something you’ve done research on.  You gain an 
  asset on related knowledge rolls. 
  Tier One:   
  Area of Interest.  You are trained in perception 
  tasks as well as one field of Numenera-related 
  academic study, such as biology, architecture, or 
  examining oddities. 
  Tier Two:   
  Documentation (1 Intellect point).  You 
  make drawings and writings about a subject over the 
  course of 10 minutes, giving you a chance to really 
  study it.  Whenever you need to know something 
  about an object, place, or creature you’ve documented 
  before with this power, you may go back to your 
  notes and make a perception check as though the real 
  thing were in front of you.  Enabler. 
  Prolonged Study (2 Intellect points).  You 
  study an object for one hour, learning its general 
  purpose and how to use it.  This power requires no 
  skill roll to activate.  Enabler. 
  GM Intrusion:   
  You weren’t watching where you were 
  going and fell into a hole or off a ledge.
  
   
  9 
   
  Tier Three:    
  Area of Specialty.  You are specialized in 
  perception tasks, as well as the related field you chose 
  for your Area of Interest.  Enabler. 
  Tier Four:   
  Knowledge of the World.  You only need to 
  spend one XP to gain a short-term benefit related to 
  having dealt with a type of Numenera before (see the 
  Numenera core book, page 111 for details).  Enabler. 
  Powerful Curiosity.  Whenever your party 
  finds an Oddity, you regain one lost Intellect pool 
  point.  Whenever the party finds a Cypher you gain 
  back two.  Whenever it finds an Artifact, you 
  replenish your entire pool.  Enabler. 
  Tier Five:   
  Observant.  Your Prolonged Study power no 
  long takes an hour, merely one Action.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six:   
  Original Purpose (6 Intellect points).  You 
  learn the actual prior world purpose of a Numenera 
  object, creature, or place.  If this is an object, you gain 
  an Asset on all further uses of it.  This power may be 
  used to turn Oddities into Artifacts, but doing so costs 
  1 XP and requires negotiation with the GM as to the 
  item’s full power and you gain no discovery XP for 
  finding this Artifact.  Action. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Maps the World 
  You’re a talented cartographer and trailblazer, making 
  things easy for those who follow in your footsteps.  
  For you exploration is not so much about getting there 
  first, as making sure someone else gets there second.  
  People 
  like 
  you 
  are 
  important in bringing back 
  civilization to the Ninth 
  World because you make 
  the 
  maps, 
  create 
  the 
  connections 
  with 
  the 
  locals, and establish the 
  trade routes. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  This player 
  hired you once to help get somewhere and you 
  became fast friends and trusted allies. 
  Additional Equipment:  A map case, 20 sheets of 
  parchment, an ink pen, and a map of the local area. 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  You create a 
  particularly beautiful map. 
  Major Effect Suggestion:  You’re able to 
  extrapolate areas on the map you didn’t see, based on 
  what logically must be there. 
  Tier One:   
  Cartographer.  You are trained in cartography 
  and navigation tasks.  If you have one hour and the 
  right tools you can draw a map of any area you have 
  explored.  This map grants an Asset on all navigation 
  task rolls in that area.  Enabler. 
  Homeward.  You can always navigate back to 
  wherever your last extended rest was, without a roll.  
  Enabler. 
  Tier Two:   
  Blaze Trails (2 Intellect points).  For the 
  next four hours of travel you mark the landscape as 
  you pass.  The next time you come through the area 
  you will automatically know it and be able to pick up 
  your old trail.  Action to initiate. 
  Makeshift Map (2 Intellect points).  You 
  spend ten minutes crafting a map based on rumors 
  you hear about the area in question.  This map 
  GM Intrusion:   
  Water seeps into 
  your map case, 
  destroying all of 
  your carried maps. 
  
   
  10 
   
  provides an Asset on navigation checks, just as a 
  normal map would, but should you fail the navigation 
  check you’ll likely find yourself very lost.  May only 
  be used after hearing rumors about the location.  
  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Three:   
  Fresh Eyes.  Whenever you explore a location 
  you’ve never been to you gain an Asset on initiative 
  and perception rolls while there.  Enabler. 
  Perfect Recall (3 Intellect points).  You 
  recall the details of any place you’ve been in the last 
  28 hours, to such a degree that you can make new 
  perception skill tasks as though you were there.  
  Action. 
  Tier Four:   
  Quickest Route (4 Intellect points).  For one 
  day you cut the long distance travel time in half for 
  you and your party.  If you possess a map of the area 
  you may even use this power to lead a caravan or 
  other large group.  This power may not be used while 
  employing the Safest Route power (below).  Action to 
  initiate. 
  Safest Route (4 Intellect points).  For one 
  day you double the long distance travel time for you 
  and your party, protecting you from ambushes and 
  treacherous terrain (even those caused by GM 
  Intrusion).  If you possess a map of the area you may 
  even use this power to lead a caravan or other large 
  group.  This power may not be used while employing 
  the Quickest Route power (above).  Action to initiate. 
  Tier Five:   
  Establish Connection (5 Intellect points).  
  You make friends with a local in the area, providing 
  you with news, rumors, and a way to buy local goods.  
  This may only be used in an inhabited area.  Action. 
  Master Cartographer.  You are specialized in 
  cartography and navigation tasks.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six:   
  Trade Route (8 Intellect points).  You 
  establish a permanent trade route between your home 
  region and the locals here.  This may only be used in 
  an inhabited location.  Whenever you are here you 
  count as having the Wealth, Home, and Contact long-
  term benefits (pg 111 of the Numenera core book), 
  and can easily find sources of information and buyers 
  for any Numenera you wish to sell.  Enabler. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Scales the Impossible 
  It should come as no surprise that climbing is the 
  activity most performed by many explorers and 
  adventurers.  No matter where you go, there are 
  things to get over, across, up, and down.  People like 
  you who are naturally talented at climbing, logically, 
  make excellent adventurers.  Your skills and fearless 
  curiosity are cherished assets for any adventuring 
  group. 
  Connection:  Choose one other PC.  You once 
  saved this person from a deadly fall. 
  Additional Equipment:  50 feet (15 meters) of 
  rope, a grappling hook, a hammer, and ten pitons. 
  Minor Effect Suggestion:  During your attack, 
  you climb up onto the enemy, giving you “high 
  ground” on further strikes. 
  
   
  11 
   
  Major Effect Suggestion: You manage to hog tie 
  your enemy during your attack. 
  Tier One:   
  Basic Skills.  You are trained in climbing and 
  rope use tasks.  Enabler. 
  Fearless (1 Intellect 
  point).  You throw off any 
  and all fear based effects 
  you’re currently suffering 
  from.  Enabler. 
  Tier Two:  
  Intermediate Skills.  You are trained in 
  jumping, as well as balance related tasks, such as 
  tightrope walking.  Enabler. 
  Eye for a Challenge (2 Intellect points).  
  You estimate the distance of any surface or expanse 
  you can see and also learn the difficulty level of the 
  climb.  Action. 
  Tier Three:   
  Advanced Skills.  You are trained in 
  navigation and wilderness survival.  Enabler. 
  Outdoor Survivor.  You have an Armor rating 
  of 2 for the purposes of ignoring damage from the 
  elements 
  (extreme 
  temperatures, 
  wind, 
  etc).  
  Additionally, whenever you need to make a Might 
  check to handle an extreme element, you have an 
  Asset on the roll.  Enabler. 
  Tier Four.   
  Reflexive Grab (3 Speed points).  You 
  automatically succeed on a Speed roll made to stop 
  yourself or someone else from falling.  Enabler. 
  Fall Survivor.  You have an Armor rating of 2 
  for the purposes of ignoring damage from falls.  
  Enabler. 
  Tier Five.   
  Expert Skills.  You are specialized on climbing 
  and rope use tasks.  Enabler. 
  Great Assistance (5 Speed points).  Your 
  climb roll also counts for the person climbing 
  immediately behind you.  Enabler. 
  Tier Six.   
  Explorer.  You replenish your Speed pool 
  whenever you climb up to a particularly beautiful 
  vista, or succeed in overcoming a particularly difficult 
  ascent.  Enabler. 
  Self-Mastery.  You gain +5 to your Speed pool 
  maximum and +2 to your Intellect pool maximum.  
  Enabler. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  GM Intrusion:  
  Your rope gets 
  cut on a rock or 
  metal corner and 
  begins to fray. 
  
   
  12 
   
  Chapter III:  
  ~THIRTEEN ECHOES~
  High on the Mountain, 
  Jak of Cryo did climb, 
  Her lips pale as winter, 
  Her gait fast as time. 
   
  She had known then of secrets, 
  Locked ‘way in her head, 
  Of wintery things, 
  That could bring back the dead. 
   
  For the dead do not perish, 
  If time can be slowed, 
  And ol’ Jak knew a way, 
  So her lover she towed. 
   
  To the lab of “cryonics”, 
  She had found long ago, 
  That had granted her power, 
  Over ice, frost, and snow. 
   
  And Jak entered with haste, 
  Placed her love in a chamber, 
  Under crisp frosted glass, 
  She would not let death claim her. 
   
  -The Tale of Cryo Jak 
  The following thirteen adventures are presented as 
  simple adventure notes, allowing GMs to throw 
  together an evening’s entertainment without much 
  study, preperation, or writing.  Each has its own full 
  page map.  All but one are a single page, so that a GM 
  can print them out on a single sheet of paper if done 
  double sided.   
  A lot of the detail has been left out of these scenarios 
  for the sake of brevity.  Please feel free to embellish 
  and expand upon them, string them together, and 
  blend them with seeds and Intrusions from Chapter I.   
  Discovery XP 
  Ideally GMs should give up to 4 Discovery XP to 
  each player, depending on how far the group gets 
  within the presented material. Give one XP if 
  Objective 1 and/or 2 is achieved, another if Objective 
  3 and/or 4 is accomplished, a third if Objective 5 
  and/or 6 is finished. Finally, the seventh Objective 
  will present a real challenge for PCs and should grant 
  one XP to each player for achieving it.  
  Some Objectives are obvious, and most are 
  sequential, but in some cases players may need 
  guidance. Saying “I can grant a Discovery XP once 
  you stumble onto the next section” isn’t a bad way of 
  prodding the players along. You’ll find with practice 
  that this way of playing highly encourages bravery 
  and a pressing need to see and do everything. Don’t 
  resist this; it’s the beauty of the system.  
  Concerning Tier 
  Most of the adventures should be suitable for 
  characters from first though third Tier, however the 
  final adventure, The Returned, is written a bit longer 
  and is intended for characters who are a more 
  powerful (4th through 6th Tier). 
  
   
  13 
   
  CRATER BEAST.  An incomprehensible monster that looks 
  like an amalgam of various hairy mammals, rippling with 
  electrical currents and violet flashes of light.  Level 5 
  creature, 20 Health, 2 Armor, that deals 7 damage on a 
  regular attack.  Reality Warp attack:  Rips the PC partly out 
  of phase with reality, dealing 5 damage and pushing the 
  player down the condition track one step.  The player’s 
  attacks deal one less point of damage for the next hour, 
  while partially out of phase. 
  ANAMORPHOSIS 
  “In the distance you see an unnatural shape: a blue bubble of 
  translucent energy surrounding a massive crater. Abutting the 
  crater lays a small but vibrant town of natives, taking advantage 
  of the fertile soil that surrounds this anomaly.” 
  Overview: In ages long since passed, a race of beings found the 
  world and found it wanting. Seeking to remake it to their liking, they 
  brought down their greatest tool of creation: a device with the 
  power to bring representation into being. A skilled user would 
  imagine what was not there and, peering through the lens of the 
  machine, envision where it should be. And so it would be. The 
  delivery of the tool was miscalculated, and it was damaged upon 
  impact with the planet. It could still bring into being that which was 
  not, but not alone. Seeing that the machine’s output could not be 
  controlled, they isolated it within a sphere of force and left it in the 
  crater.  
  Aeons later, denizens of the Ninth World have settled around 
  the rim and formed a small but thriving community. Through trial 
  and error they have discovered that things may enter the field but 
  none may leave. Until now. 
  Meet the one who Came Back.  The players meet a woman 
  named Inake, standing over a fairly fresh grave. Passers-by 
  give her a wide berth. The grave is hers, though she is clearly alive. If 
  questioned, she says that there is a gap in her memory between 
  being brutally murdered by raiders months before and coming to 
  inside the nearby crater only last week. From what little she’s been 
  told, her husband Vanese wandered into the crater the night she 
  came back. He hasn’t been seen since. She pleads for the players to 
  bring him back to her. 
  Investigate the Sphere.  The players must enter the sphere 
  of force surrounding the crater and investigate what’s 
  going on there.  Passing through the barrier is seamless, almost as 
  though it weren’t there at all. However, the players will be warned 
  that none save Inake has ever come back. Local children are 
  consternated for playing too close, told tales of children long since 
  dead who found themselves trapped inside. Entering is a leap of 
  faith, curiosity, or desolation. Unbeknownst to the players, once 
  inside there is only one way out: the artifact at the bottom of the 
  crater. 
  Into the Crater.  Having crossed through the barrier, the 
  players will be on the precipice of a massive impact crater. 
  Visible below is a vast expanse of foliage, at the center of which is 
  another, smaller energy field. Scaling down the crater take a 
  Difficulty 5 climb task.  Failure indicates a fall, dealing 3 ambient and 
  5 regular damage.  Perceptive players might just notice that as they 
  descend they are being stalked by a strange beast (Difficulty 4 to 
  notice). 
  Discover the Garden of Life.  The bottom of the crater is a 
  paradise the likes of which few have seen and, in this case, 
  none have reported. It teems with otherworldly life, an 
  idyllic jungle full of plants and animals any number of Aeon priests 
  would give their left hand to study. Unfortunately for the players, 
  many of these species are as poisonous as they are beautiful. They 
  must traverse the greenery to reach the artifact. 
  Facing Fears.  Partway through the jungle players will 
  discover the body of Vanese, though it will take a minute to 
  successfully identify it as such. The sections of it which can be seen 
  easily are rent apart. The rest seems to be partly out of phase. Just 
  as the players come to understand that this is indeed who they’ve 
  been seeking, they are attacked by the same monstrosity that 
  previously took Vanese apart bodily. 
   
  Crack the Inner Shell.  The device is protected by another 
  crackling forcefield. This one is ten meters in diameter and 
  serves to keep living things out. Players who test the integrity of the 
  forcefield by throwing inanimate objects in will find that they pass 
  through without issue. Living tissue won’t fare as well (PCs take 3 
  ambient damage). However, there are many ways to get past it and 
  the players should be encouraged to find a creative solution using 
  Cyphers. Failing that, a Numenera check against Difficulty 5 reveals 
  that the blood of the beast acts as a keycode for passing through. 
   Any player sufficiently covered in the beast’s blood may pass 
  through without a problem, but suffers one point of ambient 
  damage per minute while doing so due to strange energy bleed. 
  Ænəˈmɔrˈfoʊsiz.  The players are now face to face with 
  the strange and ancient object. If they physically interact 
  with the machine a cloud of white static will appear. It is a harmless 
  interface that will engage the player telepathically, informing them 
  that of the artifact’s original purpose and the price of its use now. If 
  players ignore the warnings, they’ll find that although they can still 
  create anything they envision the laws of probability will warp 
  around the maker machine, causing terrible things to happen to 
  whoever uses it. Characters who use the device suffer 3 Intrusions, 
  without receiving XP for them and without the ability to pay XP to 
  ignore them. Doing so draws the last power from the device, ruining 
  it forever and collapsing the forcefields, but it may be the only way 
  out for the players. 
  
   
  14 
   
   
   
  
   
  15 
   
  G.M. INTRUSION:   The battle 
  shakes large icicles crashing 
  down.  The player must 
  defend against three 
  Difficulty 4 attacks, each 
  dealing 4 damage on a hit. 
  FROST SPECTER.  A holographic being of solid blue 
  energy, the Specter looks roughly humanoid.  Once it is 
  summoned to an area, it does not cease attacking unless 
  the security system tells it otherwise (unlikely).  Level 5 
  creature with Armor 1 and 15 Health, dealing 7 cold  
  damage on hit and the subject must make a Might check to 
  avoid being pushed down the condition track by one 
  category due to extreme cold. 
  UNDEAD VARJELLEN.  Red, zombie-like corpses of members 
  of the varjellen species (see the Numenera core book pg 
  121), infected with Illena’s strange disease, causing them to 
  reanimate and hunger for warm flesh.  Level 4 creatures 
  with armor 3 and 15 Health that deal 5 damage on a claw 
  attack.  Hit PCs must also make a Might check or take an 
  additional 5 Speed damage from the varjellen version of the 
  disease.  If a varjellen PC is infected, strange things might 
  happen.  Adventurous PCs and GMs might have the character 
  become undead, hungering for flesh and finding it difficult to 
  stay intelligent.  Have fun with that. 
  CRYO JAK’S LAIR 
  “Across a vast mountainous chasm you find a long bridge of ice, 
  presumably granting passage into a perfectly circular opening in the 
  mountainside.  The local legend tells of a storehouse of Numenera, 
  discovered here by a mythical explorer named Cryo Jak.  The stories 
  say she came here near the end of her career, centuries ago, but 
  none have seen her since.  The wintery weather of this region is often 
  blamed on her vast power over ice and cold.” 
  Overview:  Cryo Jak was basically a “Clever Jack who Wears a 
  Sheen of Ice”.  At the end of her career she had settled down and 
  married her long-time lover Iliena.  But Iliena contracted a deadly 
  disease from an ancient artifact Jak had found.  Acting quickly, Cryo Jak 
  took her wife’s corpse to her “Lair”, a prior world cryonics laboratory 
  filled with preserved dead bodies.  There she froze her wife, with plans 
  to revive her later.  Such was not in the cards however, and Cryo Jak 
  was killed by the lab’s own defense system. 
  As the players journey through the Lair they will see clues to this tragic 
  tale, facing the very things that killed the legendary hero, including 
  both the lab’s security, and the undead thralls of the cryonics science 
  performed here. 
  Cross the Ice Bridge.  The bridge is roughly 100 feet (30 
  meters) long made entirely of white-blue ice.  The weather is 
  rather harsh at the moment, with biting winds and snow.  Crossing on 
  foot takes two successful Difficulty 4 Speed rolls due to slipperiness 
  and wind.  Failure indicates both lack of significant movement, and 
  sliding on the ice.  Sliding does 3 damage and the PC must make a 
  Speed check against Difficulty 4 to avoid sliding off the edge of the 
  bridge.  Falling off the bridge does 5 damage and pushes the PC one 
  step down the condition track. 
  Enter the Gates.  The circular hole leading into the mountain 
  goes on for a short distance, before terminating in a door like 
  a bank vault.  Opening it takes a Difficulty 4 Numenera skill roll, but if 
  the PC doesn’t roll a natural 19 or 20, the security system is alerted 
  and sends out two Frost Specters to defend the lab. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Explore the Reception Hall.  A 
  massive hall filled with beautiful 
  stone sculptures lies beyond the door.  
  Everything from this point on is coated in frost 
  and ice, and hung with icicles, making Long 
  movement impossible on a single turn and 
  increasing the difficulty of all movement 
  related rolls by one step. The sculptures here 
  depict nude humans and a few aliens, celebrating their forms.  All look 
  healthy and youthful.   At the far end of the hall is a functional 
  elevator, with a simple down button for operation. 
  Survive the Alien Cryonics Lab.  The elevator takes the PCs 
  down one level, to a wide room filled with rows of 
  transparent coffins, most inhabited by a slumbering, frost-covered 
  alien of one kind or another.  At the northeast corner of the room most 
  of the coffins appear broken open from the inside.  Four Undead 
  Varjellen groan and moan in unison before attempting to eat the 
  players.  At the far end of the room is a massive metal door, slightly 
  ajar, leading to the Human Cryonics Lab. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Explore the Human Cryonics Lab.  A room almost identical to 
  previous one, with coffins filled with frosty humans.  The 
  back of the lab contains a bank of computers some of which are online 
  and several of which appear to be missing, leaving large holes in the 
  metal frame they plug into.  The remaining computers can be 
  scavenged for 1d6 Cyphers, but doing so requires breaking through 
  thick ice (an Armor 2, level 4 item).  The room has two doors leading 
  south and north out of the lab. 
  Discover the Frozen Lover.  The southern room has been 
  converted into a makeshift cryonics lab, with machines from 
  all over the building hooked up to an upright icy coffin, containing a 
  middle aged woman, half covered in a thick black crusty growth.  The 
  machines blink actively, and a Numenera skill roll vs. Difficulty 5 can 
  unfreeze her over about ten minutes time.  Once awakened Iliena is 
  confused and in excruciating pain.  She screams and pleads with the 
  players to put her out of her misery. 
  Discover Cryo Jak’s Corpse.  The northern room contains a 
  few important machines that run the lab, as well as the 
  corpse of Cryo Jak, frozen in a chunk of ice and blood by the Frost 
  Specters.    Three Frost Specters appear at this time, 
  attempting to defend the machines, as they did when 
  they killed Cryo Jak.  If Cryo Jak’s corpse can be 
  somehow thawed from the ice, the players find 40 shins, 
  1 Oddity, 2 Cyphers, and an Artifact. 
  
   
  16 
   
   
   
  
   
  17 
   
  Climbing Rolls for Each Leg 
    
            Route 1 
   
     Route 2 
  Leg 1 
               3 rolls, Diff 4, 4 days        2 rolls, Diff 5, 7 days 
  Leg 2 
               3 rolls, Diff 5, 6 days         2 rolls, Diff 6, 5 days 
  Leg 3 
               3 rolls, Diff 5, 9 days         2 rolls, Diff 6, 4 days 
  Death Zone       
   
  1 roll, Diff 6, 1 day 
  GROUP G.M. INTRUSION:   A sudden ice storm hits the PCs 
  during their climb.  Each PC takes 1 point of ambient damage 
  per hour over the course of ten hours.  Any climb checks made 
  during this time are made at +1 difficulty.  This should 
  probably be done during one of the major climb check rolls. 
  G.M. INTRUSION:   A PC begins to suffer from severe frostbite, 
  dealing 5 damage that cannot be healed with recovery rolls 
  (only with medicine skill checks).  This Intrusion could be used 
  multiple times during the adventure. 
  THE GLAIVE 
  “Dominating the sky in this region is a steep mountain as tall as any 
  you have ever seen.  Ice blue, lashed with streaks of purple, the 
  mountain is called The Glaive, for its propensity to kill those who 
  attempt to climb it.  Many continue to make the journey to the peak, 
  however, as legends tell of an ancient meditation disk at the summit, 
  the activation of which grants enlightenment or spiritual change.” 
  Overview:  The Glaive is one of the highest mountains on earth, 
  more than 5 and a half miles (9km) above sea level at its peak.  Just as 
  the legends tell, the summit of the mountain holds an ancient device 
  for meditation, called The Disk, capable of permanently altering the 
  mind of its user.  Many dangers vex those who seek enlightenment on 
  The Glaive, but none of them are monsters or hostiles.  This is not an 
  adventure about combat.  It is an exploration about discovery and 
  testing one’s mettle. Several GM Intrusions are included here, and you 
  should take this opportunity to employ them as often as you see fit.  
  Overcoming all these hardships is part of the adventure. 
  Meet the Locals.  At the base of the road to The Glaive is a 
  village of indigenous locals who call themselves the Glaveni.  
  The Glaveni are friendly enough, though skeptical of outsiders who 
  claim to be able to take on the mountain.  There are no guides willing 
  to travel to the peak, but for 15 shins there are Glaveni willing to take 
  an outsider to the mountain’s base.  A problem for some players would 
  be that Glaveni only recognize shins that are red as currency.  Assume 
  that for most players only one in five shins is suitable for payment.  
  Ascend the First Leg.  There are two routes up the 
  mountain.  A Glaveni guide will bring the PCs to the base at 
  the start of the most common of these routes, but a navigation task at 
  Difficulty 5 will reveal the second one.  The second route is faster but 
  more treacherous.  Use the following table to determine how many 
  and how difficult the climb rolls will be, not to mention how many days 
  the trek takes.  Make sure your players are keeping track of food. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Refuge in the Hut.  A small circular building stands as a 
  shelter for climbers taking the first route up the mountain.  
  Those taking the second route don’t have access to this shelter, which 
  may be useful of players are suffering from the below ice storm 
  Intrusion.  The hut is relatively empty, but many of its previous 
  inhabitants have left behind small tokens of their journey. 
  Ascend the Second Leg.  From this point forward the 
  mountain is covered in ice and the climb can be rather 
  treacherous.  Failure on this leg’s climb checks indicates a particularly 
  bad fall, dealing 4 ambient and 3 bludgeoning damage, and the climber 
  must begin the leg again.  In addition to this danger, players from this 
  point forward will begin to feel a Numenera effect produced by the 
  chemicals on the mountain, causing them to be unable to take their 10 
  Hour rest.  To be clear: this means that from this point forward the 
  characters cannot simply heal all their Pool points back due to the 
  many days of the journey.  There’s a reason few survive this dangerous 
  mountain. 
  Ascend the Third Leg.  This section of the climb can be 
  especially dangerous, as the purple streaks in the mountain 
  are actually the residue of a mind altering chemical stored in the rock.  
  As climbers touch the mountain, they become exposed to it, even 
  through their clothing.  Each PC must succeed in a Difficulty 5 Intellect 
  Defense roll or become enraged at the slightest provocation for the 
  rest of the climb.  For those under the purple drug’s effects, all actions 
  that involve a roll now also require the expenditure of two Intellect 
  points to initiate (discounted by Edge).   
  Pass Through the Death Zone.  This final stretch is the point 
  at which the weather is the worst and the oxygen is the 
  thinnest.  All characters must make a Might Defense roll against 
  Difficulty 5.  Those who succeed merely take 5 points of Might damage 
  and 3 points of Intellect damage from the thin air.  Those who fail take 
  10 points of Might damage, 5 points of Intellect damage, and are 
  pushed one step down the condition track.  Characters may attempt 
  the climb roll  for this area once per hour, with no increased difficulty 
  on each attempt, but on each attempt they take 3 ambient damage 
  from the weather.  
  Discover the Disk.  At the summit of the mountain lies a 10 ft 
  (3 meter) diameter disk made of a tan metal.  PCs who 
  attempt to meditate upon the disk may do so if they succeed in a 
  difficulty 5 Intellect check and spend an hour in contemplation.  While 
  doing so, or otherwise remaining on the summit, characters take 3 
  ambient damage per hour.  If successful on the meditation check, the 
  character experiences a spiritual epiphany.   
  The PC must at that point make a choice- gain 5 permanent points 
  of Intellect or change their Focus or Descriptor to a different one.  In 
  addition, once the player makes this choice, they are instantly 
  teleported to the outskirts of the Glaveni village, and may never 
  experience an epiphany on the disk again. 
   
   
  
   
  18 
   
   
  
   
  19 
   
  SIGIL BEAST.  A Level 5 creature with 3 Armor, 18 
  Health, and dealing 7 regular and 2 Intellect damage on 
  its attacks. 
  THE GREAT WORK
   
  “It is easy to make something that people revile. But to create art that 
  people fear, art that hates back… now that is a truly grand purpose.”  
  – Last words of High Artificer Paymon Bebal’abalim 
  Overview:  The definition of life is immensely malleable in a world 
  unconstrained by elementary sciences. Though most imagine they can 
  easily distinguish the living, there are entities too alien to categorize at 
  a glance.  
  Isolated deep in the Beyond is a growing pattern in the land. From 
  above it appears to be an ever-shifting groundswell with no 
  discernable repetition; shapes reminiscent of magical sigils and 
  mandalas occur and disappear constantly. Those unlucky enough to 
  encounter it have no idea of its presence until far too late.  Most 
  assume the pattern is a natural phenomenon, one of the many dangers 
  inherent in the Ninth World.  
  The truth is much more sinister. An entity created beyond the 
  constraints of three-dimensional space lies at the heart of the pattern. 
  Fueled by a consuming disgust for lower beings, it spirits them away to 
  toy with and destroy. Behind these senseless patterns is one true sigil. 
  This is both the creature and its abode. Some have eluded it, but at the 
  price of their sanity. As far as is known, none have escaped. Will the 
  next band of adventurers be the first? If not, how long will they last? 
  Enter the Sigil.  From afar, players will notice undulations like 
  a shimmering heat wave transposed onto the ground. As they 
  come closer the effect moves onto their skin. Moments later they are 
  overcome by spasms, falling to the ground. All goes silent and their 
  vision gives out. When it returns they are presented with an endless 
  sky of blindingly white light. Below them is an unfathomably massive 
  black sigil, the sole defining element of the landscape. 
  Cross the Chasm.  The players awaken dispossessed of all 
  weapons and cyphers (for now… they are currently mental 
  projections of themselves, so their possessions await them when they 
  return to their real bodies).  
  They are standing on a section of sigil divided from the rest by a 
  monstrous chasm. Players who attempt to jump across will fall for 
  what seems like an eternity. However, observers will see them 
  reappear at the edge of the sigil almost instantly. This fall causes the 
  PC to move one step down the Condition track, healable once they 
  take their 10-hour rest.  To successfully cross the chasm requires re-
  conceptualizing physical space, allowing players to simply appear 
  elsewhere. Managing to do so is quite challenging, costing 5 Intellect 
  points and requiring a successful Intellect roll against Difficulty 4. 
  Characters with training in philosophy of any kind can use that as an 
  asset on the task. 
  Encounter the Old Man.  Farther down the black sigil is a 
  place where many paths converge. In the center of the hub is 
  a golden statue. Each player sees their own likeness and only from the 
  front no matter where they stand. When the players start down a path 
  an elderly man scampers from behind the statue and hastily introduces 
  himself as Makel. If the players engage with him in any way he runs 
  away, laughing madly and muttering about escape. He is easily caught 
  and when subdued will explain the situation: a creature hunts for sport 
  all who become trapped on this plane. Makel believes he has survived 
  for so long, having tracked time by the progressing age of his statue, by 
  keeping himself weak and thus denying the creature any pleasure in 
  the hunt. 
  Face their Fears.  Moving on from the hub, players encounter 
  a fractured section of the path. Stepping on the broken 
  ground causes black walls to quickly rise, separating the players from 
  one another. Through the cracks wafts a shifting smoke that quickly 
  takes form as each player’s greatest fear (GMs are encouraged to 
  approach this creatively). These will assault the players, seeking to 
  break their resolve by making three successive level 4 attacks against 
  the player, dealing 4 Intellect damage per hit and causing them to feel 
  intense depression.  
  The walls surrounding the players collapse after the mental assault. 
  Standing on the path far ahead is something vaguely humanoid in 
  dimension. They cannot see its face but know it is smiling at them.  It 
  disappears without a trace. 
  Journey Into the Labyrinth.  The world around the players 
  begins to warp as they continue toward the smiling creature. 
  Invisible walls bar apparently empty spaces and entire sections of path 
  are illusory. Perceptive PCs realize that they have entered something 
  akin to a malleable maze of funhouse mirrors.  
  The true path cannot be deciphered by trial and error; players who 
  continue attempting to do so will eventually fall into nothingness. 
  Instead, continuing requires an act similar to leaping across the gulf in 
  objective two but with the added caveat that they cannot actually see 
  where they wish to be: a Difficulty 5 Intellect roll that costs 6 Intellect 
  pool to attempt. 
  Endure the Creature’s Rage.  Sonorous reverberations flood 
  the plane as players arrive outside the maze. The sound is 
  deafening and terrible. Out of the uproar emerges a single, unyielding 
  noise: an inhuman scream. The players have progressed farther than 
  any of the Sigil’s other quarry, and it is angry. Sections of the plane 
  begin drawing into one another and the integrity of the whole starts to 
  collapse. Each character takes two level 4 attacks survivable through 
  Might Defense, dealing 4 damage on a hit. The beast reappears in the 
  midst of this, no longer smiling. 
  Defeat the Beast.  The players have outlived their welcome 
  in the Sigil and its humanoid aspect attacks them without 
  mercy. Any attempts to communicate with the creature will fail. 
  Furthermore, any Intellect-based attack or esotery will cause the entire 
  plane to further destabilize and each player will endure another level 4 
  attack, just as in Objective 6. 
   
   
   
  
   
  20 
   
   
   
  
   
  21 
   
  G.M. INTRUSION:   One PC trips over an ornate cube of black 
  and gold as they move through the house. The character must 
  pick it up, gripped by overwhelming curiosity. They cannot 
  put it back down willfully, though they can hand the cube to 
  another PC. However, the cube allows its bearer to see in the 
  dark so long as the cube is held. It also has other benefits to 
  be discovered later. 
  HIEROPHANT.  Level 6 Creature with 1 Armor, 18 
  Health, and dealing 8 damage when it attacks with its 
  pointed claws.  Capable of bending space in strange 
  ways, keeping PC’s from successfully moving (attack 
  against Speed Defense). 
  THE HOUSE OF NIGHT 
  Overview:  There is a place through which all others may be 
  accessed. Those most desperate for entrance to the forbidden might 
  stumble upon an unmarked door, one always out of place for the 
  surroundings.  
  Through it is the House of Night. Appearing as a large manor cloaked 
  in darkness, shadows stretch overlong through its corridors and only a 
  scarce few light sources cut through the gloom. These are the last 
  remnants of those who’ve come before. Like fireside stories meant to 
  keep children from venturing into places better left undisturbed, The 
  House of Night serves as a cautionary tale.  
  Lurking in the shadows are the last of the Đwerȝaz.  Once the most 
  sought-after inventors of the cosmos – creators of ingenious solutions 
  and maddening toys – the Đwerȝaz fell into a cycle of revelry and 
  moral decay that morphed them into creatures revolutionary only in 
  their oeuvre of pain.  
  Enter the House.  The PC’s find the house, one way or 
  another, probably teleported there after opening a strange 
  door.  Feel free to use an Intrusion to soften the blow of getting 
  trapped.   
  The door slams shut behind the PCs immediately. They are in a large 
  room full of rich woods and ornate stonework, and almost completely 
  in the dark. The door is locked behind them and won’t budge. Scanning 
  of the area reveals there is nothing behind the door. In fact, there is 
  literally nothing around the house.  
  Light sources brought in by PCs operate at a fraction of their normal 
  efficiency. PCs are considered to be operating in only dim light if the 
  puzzle box described below is not held.   
  Utilize the Cube.  Players will eventually discover that the 
  manor they’re in has no easy exit. They are trapped. 
  However, whoever holds the cube will see something entirely 
  different. The room is a shifting series of panels and pieces, with many 
  possible configurations.  
  The PC with the puzzle box can rearrange the room into one with a 
  passage to a new section by manipulating the facets of the cube. It 
  takes a Difficulty 4 Intellect task to reshape a room to allow passage to 
  the next, but doing so costs 5 Intellect points, as though it were a 
  power (discounted by Intellect Edge).   
  Each PC other than the one using the cube must succeed in a 
  Difficulty 3 Speed defense roll to avoid getting pinned by the shifting 
  wall sections. Getting pinned causes 5 damage and takes a success 
  against a Difficulty 4 Might check to get unpinned. 
  Hallway of Horrors.  As players move through the newly 
  created corridor their light sources fail and the darkness 
  becomes complete, even with the cube in hand. Then, suddenly, 
  hundreds of bright green orbs appear, and with them hungry mouths 
  full of razor-sharp teeth. The players are vastly outnumbered. They 
  have no hope of winning a fight. But they can reconfigure and close the 
  corridor if they can get to the next room alive. That might just buy 
  them some time. Each player is attacked 3 times per round by a level 3 
  attack while in the corridor, dealing 4 damage on a hit. Closing and 
  opening the corridor are the same task. 
  Find the Impossible Room.  Players notice something amiss 
  the moment they get through the room. The shifting 
  madness that the player holding the cube saw previously is now 
  revealed to all. Localized distortions render physical laws irrelevant, 
  and the intense disorientation causes players to suffer a one shift 
  increase in the Difficulty of all tasks. Đwerȝaz ingenuity allowed them 
  to create a maddening space without rules or sense in which to better 
  experiment.  
  The PC holding the cube may attempt a Difficulty 4 Intellect task to 
  understand the room, allowing the other players three rounds free 
  from distortion.  Each time the character fails, all of the PC’s take 2 
  Intellect damage from the landscape and the Difficulty of the roll 
  increases by one step for them. 
  Explore the Manse.  The PCs can, if they wish, explore the 
  many rooms of the house. Some will contain traps (level 4 
  attacks against Speed that rely on mental, or space bending affects to 
  disorient).  These will always hold a single strange Oddity.  There are 4 
  rooms like this throughout this region of the house. 
  Face the Hierophant.  Noise like laughter through a 
  destroyed larynx fills the room once the cube has been 
  successfully manipulated. As the room begins to make sense the 
  players are confronted by one of the Đwerȝaz. Composed of shredded 
  flesh and broken bone held together by scraps of metal and wire, the 
  creature paces around the PCs. It introduces itself as Hierophant, and 
  inquires through a perpetual smile about why the players have come 
  here. Fascinated by how long they’ve survived, it offers to grant them 
  safe passage anywhere in exchange for their silence.  
  Flee the House.  Hierophant gestures to the floor, which 
  shifts to reveal an opening into the negative space around 
  the manor. The PCs are set upon by the hidden Đwerȝaz as soon as 
  they move for the exit, doing level 4 attacks, as they did earlier.  The 
  PC with the box cannot leave if they are holding it, however.  They’ll 
  have to leave it behind for the next group. 
  
   
  22 
   
   
  
   
  23 
   
  G.M. INTRUSION: 
  Claustrophobia.  The 
  climb down is so tight 
  that the player affected 
  by this Intrusion 
  becomes 
  overwhelmed.  They 
  must make an Intellect 
  test against difficulty 3 
  in each major room 
  while underground or 
  take a 1 shift penalty 
  on all actions until they 
  leave that room. 
  G.M. INTRUSION: One of the two 
  tubes flies across the room as 
  it’s being pried from the 
  machine, shattering it against a 
  metal wall. 
  ROBOTIC DEFENDER.  A mechanical man covered in silvery tiles.  
  Level 5 creature with 3 armor, 20 hit points, and the ability to 
  push up to two players away from it with a gravitic wave attack. 
  G.M. INTRUSION: The player slips 
  on a bit of goo on the inside of 
  the pipe and falls, taking 4 
  damage at the bottom.
  OUT OF PHASE
  “As you come upon the town, you realize that the haziness of its 
  distance never seems to go away.  Now that you’re approaching 
  closer, you realize that the town and everything in it is somewhat 
  transparent.  Stepping on its cobblestone road, a kilometer from 
  town, your foot passes right through the stones and down to the 
  earth below.  Though the town has inhabitants, the city walls are 
  unmanned- implying a total lack of fear of outsiders.”   
  Overview:  A town exists out of phase with the rest of reality.  
  Over fifty years ago a group of adventurers returned to Julese for 
  supplies, bringing with them packs full of Numenera they’d found in a 
  nearby cave.  The items interacted with each other badly and a great 
  explosion of light and energy transformed the town.  Now it exists 
  almost totally out of phase with the rest of the world- only seemingly 
  able to interact with light, sound, and other raw forces from our world.   
  The town has survived due in part to strong leaders, and what plants 
  they’ve been able to grow on the small patches of drit that phased 
  with them.  But the crops are starting to fail- drained of their nutrients.  
  The town elders know what must be done- someone must find a way 
  to bring them back to our world.  Their food supplies are now 
  dwindling and there isn’t much time left. 
  NPCs: 
  Gillana.  A sun-hardened farmer who find the characters and bring 
  them to the mayor. 
  Dug-Thrai.  A Latimore who serves as town mayor.  Desperate to solve 
  the crisis at any cost.  Believes that a group of explorers could find 
  a solution in the caves. 
  Vicrous Dulange.  Young noble who came to the town as a traveller 
  fifty years ago.  Now an aging aristocrat who orders everyone 
  around.  Studied the original devices that created the situation 
  and claims that it was a combination of a clear tube full of blue gel 
  and a long metal spear with some floating, rotating parts that 
  caused the explosion.  If they could be calibrated before being 
  brought together in the town, they might be able to reverse the 
  phase problem. 
  Discover the Town.  PCs coming into town are Gillana and 
  brought to Dug-Thrai and Vicrous Dulange, who take turns 
  explaining their dire situation and 
  begging for help. 
  Enter the Caves.  The caves 
  are to the northeast and 
  can be found following the 
  instructions given by the 
  townspeople.  Entering them is a 
  bit harder, as there’s a vertical 
  shaft that’s rather narrow.  It’s a 
  climb check against difficulty 4 to 
  get down, using either Speed or 
  Might. 
  Pass the Rasterlings.  The 
  central tunnel curves and 
  expands.  Latched to the ceiling are small rasterlings the size of large 
  bats.  At the characters’ approach they explode into a swarm, attacking 
  the PCs with invisible laser fire.  The entire swarm is a Level 5 creature 
  with armor 1 and a level 7 attack three times per round.   
  Additionally, the ground here seems to be under the influence of 
  a Numenera, causing gravity to be a bit higher.  The Rasterlings are 
  able to compensate (rasters have gravity nullifiers), but the players will 
  suffer a one step penalty on 
  all physical actions. 
  Down the Pipe.  
  The tunnel leads 
  deeper into the earth and 
  opens into a large cavern 
  with a single pipe leading down, made of azure steel.  Climbing down 
  the pipe is a level 4 task without tools.  It goes down 50 feet (15 
  meters), where it terminates in a grate.  The players will have to find a 
  way to remove the grate, which is a level 4 item with 3 armor.  
  Into the Machine.  The players are now inside a vast 
  machine.  The tunnel leads down into a set of crucible-like 
  devices inside of a pipe-lined metal structure of azure steel.  Midway 
  through the machine is a central computer console covered in orange 
  dust.  It looks to be disabled, and the side is open, as though it had 
  been looted.   A set of two clear tubes remains inside the machine, 
  which can be pried out 
  with a difficulty 5 Might 
  roll.  These tubes are 
  filled with the blug gel 
  needed to restore the 
  town.   
  Explore the Engine Room.  Deeper into the machine, the 
  players find a room lined with darkened computer displays, a 
  central energy core, and a set of metal spears like the ones Vicrous 
  described.  Each is a Cypher that releases electricity into whomever it 
  strikes, doing 8 damage.  Taking even one of the spears causes the 
  defense robot to appear (see below), and taking more than three 
  causes the energy core to begin to malfunction, causing 3 ambient 
  damage per round to all in the room. 
  Not long after the players enter the room A Robotic Defender 
  emerges from the ground and attacks them.   
   
   
   
   
   
  Save the Town.  If the players have the blue gel tube and one 
  or more of the spears, they must bring those items back to 
  town for Vicrous to help calibrate.  Once they do so, if the items are 
  brought back together, there is a powerful flash and the players each 
  take a level 5 attack, dealing 8 damage and knocking them to the 
  ground.  The town is saved however and everyone rejoices. 
  
   
  24 
   
   
  
   
  25 
   
  MONSTROUS BACTERIUM.  A thirty-foot long, single-celled 
  organism, the bacterium is a level 4 creature with 12 Health 
  points, 1 Armor rating, and dealing 5 damage on an attack. 
  Flagella Whip:  The Bacterium whips its flagella at the PC, 
  knocking them to the ground and dealing 3 damage on a hit.  
  The Monstrous Bacterium can make two Flagella Whip attacks 
  per turn in addition to its normal action/attack. 
  PLENTY OF ROOM
  “You see shimmering green portal in the darkness, challenging you 
  to enter, but filling you with dread at the same time.  You know 
  somehow that only those without fear may enter the strange world 
  beyond the green door.” 
  Overview: On the edge of a desert lies the small town of Relagash. 
  Hidden in a nearby cave is a doorway of sorts. None who enter have 
  returned, and it is shunned by the townsfolk as a mystery better left 
  unsolved. The truth is that through this portal exists an ancient city 
  small enough to fit on a pinhead, and those who pass through the 
  doorway find themselves shrunk down to its size. The scarcity of life 
  around Relagash hasn't always been the case. Where great deserts and 
  open plains now exist were once vast cities. So great was the expanse 
  of developed land that whole generations spent their lives without 
  seeing natural light.  
  One such society had enough, and decided to shift their scale of 
  building: whole civilizations began developing on a microbial scale to 
  relieve pressure. Portals were created to ensure continued exchange, 
  through which one could transition between scales. Time has 
  destroyed much of this, but the one portal still exists. Legends of 
  disappearing townsfolk had all but been forgotten, but recently 
  children who've strayed into the desolation outside the town of 
  Relagash have begun disappearing. A call has been put out for those 
  daring enough to find where they have gone. 
  Learn of the Lost Ones.  Immediately upon arriving in 
  Relagash, players will notice the pall upon the town. Women 
  weep openly in the streets and children are kept under lock and key. If 
  players investigate, they will learn that thirteen children have recently 
  disappeared. They haven’t been seen in weeks and all but the most 
  desperate presume them dead. The remaining children swear that 
  their peers were playing around an ancient doorway hidden inside a 
  nearby cave. Older members of the community will mention tales of a 
  place beyond the doorway, but mention that it’s been ages since any 
  were foolish enough to enter. Even the town myths hold that none 
  return. A general social skill Intellect task at Difficulty 3 will suffice to 
  learn most of these rumors. Those who believe the children are still 
  alive will be quick to ask for help. 
  Enter the Ancient Portal.  Entering the portal is draining for 
  humans. Only the fearless may enter without harm; the 
  original creators of the archway had no concept of the emotion. The 
  portal scans the neurological makeup of all who pass through, seeking 
  to identify friend from foe. This is likely a large part of the reason only 
  the most daring children have entered recently. Expelling all fear takes 
  an Intellect task against Difficulty 4. A character may force their way in 
  despite their fears, but doing so causes them to take 7 points of 
  Intellect damage. Characters with the Intrepid Descriptor (see Chapter 
  II) needn’t make this roll. Once through the portal the players are 
  shrunk down to microscopic scale. 
  Orientation in the Smallville.  The shift down is disorienting 
  to even the strongest minds, but what comes next is more 
  horrifying than most have experienced. The original designers of the 
  microscopic city took precautions against the natives- microscopic 
  organisms. Bacteria don’t exactly have the capacity for reason. 
  However, many of these safeguards have broken down over the ages 
  due to random shafts of sunlight striking the city. After only a moment 
  of reorientation the players are attacked by three Monstrous 
  Bacterium. 
   
  Follow the Breadcrumbs.  Having dispatched the mindless 
  aggressor, players will notice that various trails have strewn 
  about the city streets. Rotting food and other detritus abounds. These 
  have been left by the children in order to guide those who follow in 
  their footsteps. If players follow them, they’ll eventually lead to the 
  children’s abode. 
  Discover the Encampment.  The lost children of Relagash 
  have made for themselves a large fort. Under the leadership 
  of the oldest child, Odiel, and her sidekick Resdarin they’ve created a 
  semi-defensible position, which they hold with a collection of random 
  Numenera and rudimentary weapons.  As the players approach, 
  Resdarin uses one such Numenera to summon another group of 
  Monstrous Bacterium (5 of them this time) to attack the new intruders, 
  while the children jeer and throw rocks at the players.  
  Meet Odiel and Free the Children.  After the players defeat 
  the bacteria, Odiel allows them a chance to explain their 
  presence in her domain. She rules the other children through a 
  combination of age, intimidation, and her collection of powerful 
  Numenera. Her bearing will be demeaning and contradictory to a fault; 
  she is utterly convinced that her rule is right. Getting Odiel to take the 
  children and leave the city will be trying (a Difficulty 6 Intellect task, 
  though a well-put argument counts as an Asset).  Either way Odiel 
  activates a powerful Numenera as protection against the outsiders- an 
  energy field that protects her from all harm, but that destabilizes the 
  tiny city.  
  Escape the City.  Odiel’s use of her Numenera will cause the 
  microscopic city to finally lose stability, unleashing a powerful 
  earthquake. The players must evacuate the children while navigating 
  the alien city during the tumultuous world-shattering shakeup, 
  requiring two Difficulty 4 navigation tasks. Each navigation roll takes 
  one minute to attempt, during which time players take 3 damage from 
  falling objects. 
  
   
  26 
   
   
  
   
  27 
   
  G.M. INTRUSION:  The PC is missing their armor and weapons. 
  MEME CARRIER:  Level 3 creature with 1 Armor, 9 Health points, 
  and dealing 4 damage on attacks.  Memetic Scream: Special attack 
  that deals 3 damage to all PCs within immediate range. 
  THE FALLEN HEROES 
  Gravis the Red.  Level 4 creature with 15 Health, 2 
  Armor, who deals 7 damage with his massive brass sword. 
  Dreol the Technician.  Level 4 creature with 12 Health, 
  3 Armor, who deals 5 damage with his phase beam, 
  teleporting chunks out of those she shoots. 
  Ipolisa the Blue.  Level 4 creature with 12 Health, 1 
  Armor, who deals 8 damage once every two turns, casting 
  large colorful Esoteries.  
  Yeales the Bloody.  Level 4 creature with 15 Health, 2 
  Armor, who attacks twice per turn, dealing 5 damage on 
  each hit with his azuresteel axes.  
  SIGNAL & NOISE
  “Some thoughts cannot be escaped.” 
  Overview: Signal permeates the Ninth World. Whether it’s lost 
  beacons droning on ad infinitum or relics of intergalactic trade systems 
  still guiding ships no longer there, those who listen will find much to 
  hear. But recently a new transmission has been disseminated 
  throughout the globe. It sounds like music, in that it could be 
  considered pleasing to some. Those exposed become carriers for a 
  mimetic virus, seeking to self-replicate for unknown ends. A band of 
  unknown heroes sought to end this threat before it was too late, but it 
  seems they succumbed to the virus before finishing the task. Their last 
  act was to broadcast the transmission's origin. Their final wish: that 
  another band of heroes would see their mission through to the end. 
  Encounter the Carrier.  At some point the players find 
  themselves in a crowded area, be it a shop, pub, or civic 
  center. A haggard individual stumbles into the densest concentration 
  of people, reeking of stale sweat and death. Especially perceptive 
  players will notice that the wanderer gives off a barely audible hum 
  and crackles faintly with electricity Suddenly, this derelict pitches back 
  its head and belts out an inhuman scream, more akin to the broken, 
  digital sound of a modem. The players immediately lose consciousness 
  at this point. Treat this as a group Intrusion that can’t be ignored 
  through XP, and pay each player one XP for their troubles. 
  Reorientation.  The PCs awaken to find themselves in a wind-
  carved canyon, hungry, exhausted, and missing all of their 
  Oddities and Cyphers. All of them now have several implanted 
  mechanical modifications, none of which serve a readily-apparent 
  purpose. These augmentations seem semi-organic in nature, as though 
  they were developed with the host-body in mind. The players have 
  only four Might points each, and are too weak to climb at this time. 
  They may not make Recovery rolls until they find sustenance. 
  Cross the Junk Pile.  Most of the canyon from this point out is 
  covered in a 3 foot (1 meter) deep layer of wreckage. Much of 
  the debris is mechanical, and players are as likely to find discarded 
  cogs as priceless relics. Unfortunately, the nature of the wreckage also 
  makes getting through it safely a challenge. Climbing through the pile 
  costs 1 Speed point per hour and it takes six hours to cross through to 
  the next Objective (the transmitter). Searching through the debris for 
  Oddites and Cyphers can be attempted once per hour, but does not 
  count as progress towards the transmitter.  
  Find the Transmitter.  The PCs find a massive device guarded 
  by a dozen barely intelligent carriers of the meme. Their 
  modifications are gruesome: skulls replaced by viewfinders, legs 
  replaced by treads, and much worse. Any players who have somehow 
  remained unmodified will be attacked by the carriers on sight. 
  Hear the Voices of the Fallen.  Four voices spill into the minds 
  of the players after the battle. Any players who remain wholly 
  flesh and blood will experience the cacophony as extremely painful, 
  but even those modified will be disoriented momentarily. After a few 
  moments the voices coalesce into one. It identifies itself as Gravis the 
  Red, and simultaneously pleads and demands that the players join the 
  memetic collective he once “died” fighting. His arguments for the glory 
  of the Source are convincing, and players must succeed in an Intellect 
  Defense roll vs. Difficulty 5 to avoid attacking their unconvinced 
  companions for the next ten minutes. 
  Hitting Bottom.  The players are left knowing the location of 
  the Source after Gravis the Red ceases transmitting. Hundreds 
  of feet down is an ancient repository of data that has gained sentience 
  in the past millennia, and has spent that time constructing a massive 
  antenna stretching to the surface. The peak of this antenna appears as 
  a small spire in the junkyard. Players must breach the side of the spire 
  to gain access to the shaft leading down to the mainframe. Successfully 
  breaching the antenna can be achieved through use of Cyphers 
  discovered in the debris or by succeeding at a Difficulty 5 Might task.  
  Climbing down takes two Difficulty 4 climb tests to avoid falling. 
  Battle the Heroes, Destroy the Meme-Source.  The nadir of 
  the shaft is a massive egg-shaped chamber lit only by a 
  shifting pattern of circuitry. An amorphous cloud of nanites floats 
  around and suffuses the players. Out of the gloom approach four 
  mostly-unchanged individuals. The tallest one speaks and players 
  recognize the voice as that of Gravis. He offers the players one last 
  chance to join the glory of the Source. If they refuse the offer, the 
  cloud of nanites will disable the players’ augmentations, pushing them 
  each down the Condition track. Immediately after, the four attack.  
  During the fight Dreol or one of the other former heroes accidentally 
  harms the central computer for the meme.  The meme begins to go 
  crazy and self-destruct, attacking PCs with level 3 attacks twice per 
  round before it finally explodes.  The explosion is a level 6 attack 
  against everyone in the area. 
   
   
  
   
  28 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  29 
   
  G.M. INTRUSION: The computer system identifies this PC as the 
  pilot and attempts to make telepathic contact, for better flight 
  control.  From this point forward the PC may spend 3 Intellect 
  (discounted by Edge) to give a command to the machine.  If the 
  command is not possible, the player takes 5 Intellect damage.  
  Otherwise the machine attempts to comply as best it can.  
  However the machine will not land or let the PCs out through 
  these commands- it thinks it’s in the middle of a battlefield and 
  is trying to engage “enemy targets”. 
  SLEEPING GIANTS
  “At the foothills of the mountain a force-field guarded hole can be 
  seen, glowing in shades of blue from within a shallow cave.  An azure 
  beam of light scans each of you as you approach the opening and a 
  generic human face appears holographically in the air. It speaks in a 
  twisted, incomprehensible language...” 
  Overview:  A mountain near a city the players visit has begun 
  rumbling, as though a volcano were eminent. The locals claim the 
  mountain is full of Numenera that needs to be remedied. They speak 
  of a blue hole and a face that guards the mountain where the local 
  bandits make their home.  Beneath the mountainside lies a mile tall 
  mechanical humanoid- a massive robotic soldier, built for a war that 
  ended millions of years ago.  Asleep and lying on its back, the robot 
  waits for its pilots to return and take it back into the field. 
  Enter the Machine.  The PCs may pass through the forcefield 
  if they are willing to drop or climb through it.  Doing so 
  temporarily deactivates any Cyphers they carried with them.  Their 
  Cyphers are usable outside the machine, but not inside.  While inside 
  the machine the Cyphers glow blue. 
  Find the Control Center.  Down a long passage the players 
  find a room with four large seats in front of several banks of 
  computers and controls, including what looks like a flight yoke.  Any 
  touch of the consoles activates them, causing many to come online 
  with strange diagrams and buttons.  A Numenera task at Difficulty 3 
  reveals that this is a control room for a vehicle.  Once the controls have 
  powered up, they begin a takeoff procedure, locking down the 
  machine’s entryway with a bulkhead and powering up its rather loud 
  engines. 
  Survive Takeoff.  The machine begins to tear itself free of the 
  mountainside, with a long blast of its engines.  PCs who are 
  standing near chairs must make a Difficulty 5 Speed Defense roll or be 
  pulled snugly into a chair by its automatic gravity-based flight adhesion 
  system.  Those not held in a chair by the gravity system must make a 
  Difficulty 5 Speed Defense check to avoid falling to the ground and 
  taking 1 ambient, and 2 normal damage.  As the machine flies up into 
  the air, the control room gains a set of windows in the front, allowing 
  the players to see the sky and hillsides passing them.  
  Get Their Bearings.  Once the machine enters flight a number 
  of things become apparent to the PCs.  A few of the consoles 
  now show full schematics of the machine, which appears to 
  have the shape of a giant humanoid, with them in the head.  A 
  Numenera or navigation check at Difficulty 4 reveals that the ship is 
  flying north towards a nearby town.   
  A Numenera check at Difficulty 3 reveals that the machine’s 
  weapons systems are armed and its targeting system is active, ready to 
  strike.  If any of the players shouts or is otherwise alarmed, a pale grey 
  gas is injected into the room and each PC must make a Might Defense 
  check against Difficulty 4.  Failure means the character becomes more 
  docile for the next hour and takes 4 Speed and 4 Intellect damage from 
  the emotion suppressant gas.  It’s at about this time that the town 
  comes into view and the weapon systems lock onto a water tower and 
  a clock tower. 
  Avert the Attack.  Assuming the players want to keep the 
  robot from attacking the city, they’ll have to find a way to stop 
  the targeting system.  The PC designated as the pilot by the earlier GM 
  Intrusion can only change targets between the clock and the water, not 
  stop the assault.  The pilot can direct the robot to other places, staving 
  off the attack for a short while, but never fully averting it.  It’s possible 
  to break the weapon systems or attack programs, either by crawling 
  around the insides of the giant and harming them with a Difficulty 5 
  Might task, or reprogramming the systems with a Difficulty 6 
  Numenera check.  If the attack is not averted, the robot lays waste to 
  the town, starting with one of the two towers.  It fires missiles and 
  lasers, killing everything in sight. 
  Disable the Robot.  The only way to land the robot when it’s 
  in assault mode, is to crash it.  Doing so takes either a 
  Numenera roll from the “pilot” character against difficulty 7, or 
  physical damage to the machine’s engine.  Damaging the engine is 
  quite hard, as it is protected by a powerful forcefield (level 7 object).  If 
  the ship realizes that the PCs are tampering with the engine, it will 
  attack the offending character with a Difficulty 5 attack, dealing 5 
  damage per hit, until the PC leaves the engines alone.  Until the robot 
  is disabled, it will continue to fly around, laying waste to cities. 
  Survive the Crash.  Once the machine begins to crash the 
  players have 2 turns to steady themselves or get back in their 
  gravitically protected seats before the robot crashes into the 
  countryside.  Those in seats take only 3 ambient damage, but those 
  standing or otherwise not held down take 7 ambient damage and 3 
  normal damage.  The pilot character can lessen the ambient damage 
  levels by 2 by having made a Numenera check against Difficulty 4 to 
  make a better landing, but this causes the pilot to take Intellect 
  damage as usual for attempting to give a command.  Leaving the robot 
  takes a Difficulty 4 Might task. 
  If scavenged after the crash, the giant robot yields 1 Artifact, 6 
  Cyphers, and 3 Oddities.  The scavenging process is dangerous though, 
  causing 1 ambient damage per minute to those near the wreckage due 
  to radiation. 
   
   
  
   
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  G.M. INTRUSION: Someone causes a small landslide on a player 
  below them on the climb.  The player affected must make a 
  Speed check against difficulty 5 or end up taking 5 ambient 
  damage (Armor does not protect) from the fall, and causing them 
  to need to start the climb over. 
  CLEANING SLIME:  An organism designed to eat toxic waste and 
  kill intruding organisms on the ship, it is a translucent blob of 
  greenish gel.  The slime is level 5, with 1 Armor, 21 Health, and 
  does Damage of 7.  If it hits, it grabs onto its target and begins to 
  absorb them, dealing 5 damage each round without needing to 
  make an attack.  It is a difficulty 5 task to remove the slime. 
  THE STARSLIP 
   “In a hidden valley, so the people of this area claim, lies a lake of fire 
  guarded by demons, overshadowed by a mountain filled with 
  temptations.” 
  Overview:  Millennia ago a starship crashed, creating a long valley 
  and depositing a lot of toxic fuel as it slid.  The far southeastern side of 
  the valley contains the broken wreckage of the ship.  Two tribes of 
  people have come to make the valley their home, mutated by its 
  glowing lakes.  Each tribe wants the players to go into the mountain 
  and bring them back some of what they find before the other tribe 
  enters. 
  Meet the Childen.  If the players enter the valley the easy way, 
  through its entrance to the northwest, they are ambushed by 
  a group of childen.  The group is very large and would rather negotiate 
  than fight.  The childen are abhumans who look like children of about 
  ten years of age.  They have pointed, sharpened teeth and brandish 
  simple weapons.  Some of them carry cyphers though.  Level 3, Health 
  15, Damage 5.  Some have bows that can fire up to Short range. 
  Meet the Duoloss.  If the players enter the valley the hard 
  way, over one of the mountain ranges, they encounter a 
  village of duoloss.  The duoloss live around lakes and ponds of a black 
  goo, the surface of which is usually lit by a blue fire.  They are a 
  relatively complex tribal culture, and their leaders are an elder of the 
  tribe named Gensa and her grandson Jeilis, who is very young.  The 
  duoloss look like humans, but have two heads and turquois colored 
  skin.  
  Climb the Mountain.  Both tribes offer to guide the players up 
  the mountain to a secret entrance to the “underworld”, if they 
  go inside and bring back some treasures for them.  The guides are able 
  to take the players an easy route up, but the last leg of the trip must be 
  climbed.  It takes 3 climb rolls at difficulty 4 to get to the landing.  After 
  one of the players has succeeded at the second climb check, it 
  becomes clear that the other tribe is also sending an expedition up.  
  They’re going in through another entrance, but you should make it 
  seem as though they might be climbing to attack the players. 
  Enter the Underworld.  At the top of the climb is a landing 
  made of metal and a sealed door next to a large computer 
  terminal.  If touched, the terminal turns on and reveals a set of alien 
  menus.  It is a difficulty 4 Numenera task to open the door, and doing 
  so turns on a number of systems throughout the remains of the ship.  
  The door must be opened in this way, prying it open is not possible.  If 
  the players fail to do so, the GM should Intrude that they accidentally 
  hit the right button, but that it started up the final reactor (see 
  Objective 7 below). 
  Explore the Underworld.  The remains of the ship is a 
  network of strange rooms and broken devices.  Here and 
  there a computer terminal glows, displaying an odd language.  There 
  are1d6 cyphers to be found along the way, as well as two Oddities.  
  The party eventually finds a massive computer that fires beams of 
  light around the chamber in which its housed.  A difficulty 5 Numenera 
  check will allow a player to make the computer display a technical 
  schematic of the complete ship.  A difficulty 3 task reveals that the 
  remains of the ship is only the nose, and that two thirds of the vessel 
  was destroyed in the crash.  While the players are inspecting the 
  machine, they are attacked by the cleaning slime. 
  Speak with the Elder.  After more exploring the players find a 
  round pedestal with a device at its center.  Fiddling with the 
  device causes it to turn on (difficulty 3 Numenera task), projecting a 
  holographic images of a lizard-like creature wearing a robe.  A beam of 
  light scans one of the players and the creature begins speaking in The 
  Truth.  It claims to be the ship’s computer and will answer some basic 
  questions.   
  It seems to be distressed about the crash and tells the players that 
  its only remaining power reactor has been put into a mode that will 
  cause it to explode in the next twenty minutes, killing everyone in the 
  valley.  It instructs the players where to go in the ship’s bowels to find 
  the reactor. 
  Stop the Explosion.  At this point many alarms are sounding 
  throughout the remains of the ship, making it clear that 
  something is going wrong.  A set of double doors is partway opened by 
  a group of whatever tribe the players didn’t ally with, who are inside of 
  a large chamber filled with massive machines.  One of them is at a 
  computer terminal, trying to navigate the strange menus.  A number of 
  others equal to the number of players in the group attacks.  They are 
  level 3, Health 15, Damage 5 creatures.  One of them has a Cypher that 
  will shield the one at the terminal from any attacks.  Once the players 
  get to the terminal they must succeed in three difficulty 3 Numenera 
  tasks to stop the explosion.  
   
   
  
   
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  G.M. INTRUSION: The doors 
  slide back into place.  The 
  PC must make a Speed 
  Defense check against 
  Difficulty 4 or take 6 
  damage from the doors and 
  be moved one step down 
  the condition track. 
  G.M. INTRUSION: The PC is 
  distracted by the central 
  projection and slips on the 
  staircase as they ascend.  They 
  immediately fall, taking 3 
  ambient damage and becoming 
  trapped under several large 
  chunks of marble.  It takes a 
  Difficulty 4 Might check to 
  retrieve them.  
  THE TEMPLE OF ANEVENE
  “What at first looks to be a simple cave, leads to a pair of metal 
  doors covered in glowing runes of power.  Upon your approach 
  however the warding symbols dim and the doors slide open on their 
  own, beckoning you.” 
  Overview:  This Adventure is intended to be used with our 
  Datasphere-related supplement, Celestial Wisdom, which you can find 
  here:  http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/120935/Celestial-
  Wisdom.   
  The temple was once a computer modeling center used by 
  technicians and forecasters attempting to run a galactic empire using 
  Data God known as Anevene the Prophetess.  To them she was a 
  computer program, but to the Ninth World she is a Goddess of 
  prophesy and beauty.  Anevene’s programming resides in the larger 
  Datasphere, but this place has a strong connection to her, and many 
  expressions of her code.  Those who explore it will inevitably meet her 
  and be changed. 
  Explore the Antechamber.   Beyond the metal doors is a wide 
  antechamber, with two rows of chairs built into the tiled 
  metal floor.  The tile pattern is beautiful and unfathomably complex, 
  likely causing curious or artistic characters to stare at them in awe.  A 
  massive set of sliding metal doors leads south into the next chamber, 
  locked shut.  A simple keypad with ten glowing buttons is imbedded in 
  the wall.  Above it are four clusters of magenta colored metal pips: a 
  group of 2, a group of 3, a group of 5, and a group of 7.  The doors will 
  open if the players enter the next four prime numbers on the keypad:  
  11, 13, 17, and 19.  The doors can be pried apart with a Difficulty 5 
  Might task. 
  Explore the Central Hall, Observe the Projection.  The main 
  hall, four stories tall, is dominated by a swirling magenta 
  energy formation in the center of the room, spiraling up into a domed 
  ceiling.  Inspection reveals that this is a harmless holographic 
  projection filled with numbers and fractal patterns.  It is terribly 
  entrancing:  each PC who looks at it for more than a few seconds must 
  make an Intellect Defense roll against a Difficulty of 4.  Those who fail 
  begin to hallucinate the projection, and will dream about it later.  The 
  hallucinations cause a one step penalty on Speed Defense and 
  perception rolls for the next 28 hours.  However those affected are 
  able to read all of the writing on the walls and computers of the 
  temple from this point forward. 
  Repair the Backup 
  Generator.  A room off 
  to the side of the Central Hall 
  has a sliding metal door, slightly 
  ajar.  Squeezing in takes a 
  Difficulty 3 Speed roll unless it’s 
  pried open with a Difficulty 4 
  Might check.  A massive tube-
  shaped machine takes up most 
  of the space.  Somewhat broken, it can be repaired with a Difficulty 6 
  Numenera skill roll.  Doing so provides power to some of the computer 
  systems within the temple.  
  Explore the Dormitories, Awaken the Sleeper.  This eastern 
  wing of the complex is full of unlocked cells where the 
  analyst-monks once dwelled.  Most cells have a metal bed and little 
  else of interest.  One however holds a slumbering humanoid robot, laid 
  out on the bed.  The robot can be made functional with a Difficulty 5 
  Numenera skill roll.  Once awakened the robot speaks a language that 
  sounds a lot like The Truth, but none of the words are the same.  It will 
  follow the players around, attempting to help out when it can.  It is a 
  level 2 creature, level 4 when dealing with computers.  It can assist a 
  player in Numenera tasks, providing a one step Difficulty reduction. 
  Ascend the Broken Stairs.  Leading up to a landing high above 
  the Central Hall, a set of crumbling marble stairs glows pink in 
  the dim light of the central projection.  The stairs are extremely 
  treacherous, and must be ascended by one person at a time to avoid 
  total collapse.  Each PC must 
  make a climb roll at a 
  difficulty equal to 3 plus the 
  number of PCs who 
  ascended before them.  
  Failure indicates that a large 
  section falls off and the 
  player must make a Speed 
  Defense check against 
  Difficulty 5 to avoid falling 
  and taking 3 ambient 
  damage, at which point the 
  PC must start the climb over. 
  Explore the Computer Plateau.  At the top of the stairs is a 
  large landing with a dozen banks of ancient computers.  If the 
  players have activated the backup power at Objective 3, some of them 
  are turned on, displaying a confusing amount of words and diagrams.  
  Characters who are under the effects of the Central Projection’s 
  hallucinations can tell that the computers are to be used for analyzing 
  “prophesies” about the future.  One or more of these characters could 
  try to understand the prophesies with a difficulty 7 Numenera skill roll, 
  with success granting the player an odd, prophetic prediction, such as: 
  “The children of the sea shall awaken their interest in humanity, 
  bringing physical conflict”   
  The broken computers yield two Datasphere related Oddities, and 
  three Datasphere related Cyphers. 
  Speak with the Goddess.  At the far end of the landing filled 
  with computers is a metal disk covered in Numenera 
  technologies.  It can be activated by a Difficulty 4 Numenera skill check, 
  if the backup generator has been turned on.  Doing so brings to life a 
  ten foot (3 meters) tall holographic projection of Anevene staring off 
  into the distance.  She speaks The Truth language in a haunting, sad 
  voice.  Anevene is worried about a coming war with the octopoids who 
  live off the coast of The Steadfast.  She attempts to convince the 
  players to make diplomatic contact with their queen.  In return, she 
  offers to make one of the PCs more enlightened, granting them her 
  godly Benefit (see page 6 of Celestial Wisdom for details).  
  
   
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  SHRAL.  A four armed, bipedal, humanoid with blue scaly skin, 
  clawed hands, and a disturbingly human looking face.  
  Extremely hostile and only as intelligent as a chimpanzee.  
  Level 3 creature with Armor 1.  May attack twice per turn. 
  G.M. INTRUSION: One of the 
  songs gets stuck in the 
  character’s head, driving them 
  nearly mad: a Level 4 Intellect 
  attack once every ten minutes 
  for the next hour. 
  GREAT SHRAL.  The Great Shral is a much larger version of a 
  Shral, with an extremely beautiful face. Level 4 creature 
  with Armor 2 and 20 Hit Points.  May attack twice per turn. 
  G.M. INTRUSION: during 
  the climb up, the character 
  touches a blue goo in the 
  tube that causes them to go 
  unconscious if they fail a 
  difficulty 5 Might check, 
  sleeping for ten minutes.
  G.M. INTRUSION: The character 
  permanently learns a rough-
  sounding alien language. Until 
  their next 10 hour rest they can 
  speak only it.  
  THE TOWER OF THE GALAXY 
  “Local rumors of hidden riches lead you to an octagonal tower 
  of silvery metal, inlaid with geometric shapes and symbols. The 
  tower is surrounded by an expanse of moss growing in a 
  checkered pattern that extends for quite some distance. 
  Stepping on the moss causes it to play musical chiming noises.” 
  Overview: The structure is a remnant of a diplomatic center 
  designed for meetings and sharing of culture. It is both a repository of 
  cultural artifacts from across the galaxy and a location at which 
  diplomatic solutions could be reached with greater ease by those who 
  knew how to operate its machinery. Now the tower is ruined and 
  inhabited by a family of hostile creatures called Shral. 
  Enter the Tower. There are four large entrances to the 
  structure, all closed shut to keep the weather out. Each door 
  is sealed and made of metal, with a hidden computer panel (difficulty 3 
  to find), displaying the lighted silhouette of whomever is nearest to it. 
  The panel will open the door if the nearest person to it speaks their 
  own name. Any of the doors could be opened to enter the first floor, 
  but one of them is less overgrown with moss. 
  Explore the First Floor: Art. The first floor, filled with two and 
  three dimensional art from a vast variety of cultures is in 
  ruins, with most of the art broken on a floor, clearly damaged by 
  millennia of earthquakes. At one end of the level is an open octagonal 
  room with a glowing yellow pad near the center. Standing on the pad 
  and looking up will teleport the user to a blue glowing landing pad on 
  the floor above it. Looking down while on a blue pad will similarly 
  teleport a PC down to the yellow pad on the floor below. 
  Explore the Second Floor: Music. This level is filled with metal 
  racks upon which sit tens of thousands of fist-sized spheres, 
  each made of a different material. If one of the spheres is held aloft, it 
  plays music. Turning the sphere changes the song to a different one, 
  done in the same general 
  style. If removed from the 
  room, the spheres will not 
  make music, however. At the 
  opposite end of the floor 
  from the blue circle, is 
  another glowing yellow circle 
  that can teleport people to 
  the third floor.  
  Explore the Third Floor: Language. Once landed on the third 
  floor the players find the entire floor empty, except for a 
  transportation room. The ground here is, like in the other levels, 
  covered in dust. Certain spots, when walked upon, cause the 
  characters’ hearing to change. This is related to colored shapes on the 
  floor, but until the dust is removed, it’s hard to make out where they 
  are. Once a character steps on one for more than a few seconds they 
  become able to 
  understand a particular 
  other language, but if 
  that language is not 
  being spoken they 
  instead merely hear their own thoughts in that language.  
  The up-teleporter room on this floor is sealed off by walls. 
  Breaking the seal will take figuring out the right sequence on a lighted 
  consol (an Intellect difficulty 4 task), or prying open a door (a Might 
  difficulty 5 task) on the south side of the teleporter. Inside the 
  teleporter room are four hostile Shral, who seem to have broken in 
  from the ceiling and made a nest 
  of out of rubble.  
  The transporter won’t 
  work (it’s broken), but there’s a 
  hole in the ceiling where one of 
  its tubes crashed down to the 
  floor, through which the party 
  might climb. 
  Explore the Fourth Floor: Peace. The level glows with a 
  white light coming from everywhere. It has broken crystal 
  windows, a high roof, and many stone statues of strange aliens, each 
  of which holds a similar looking rod. Going up to the next floor can be 
  done with one of the yellow teleporter circles, as was done in previous 
  rooms. 
  Two Shral and one Great Shral are huddled on the floor at the 
  base of a large statue. They awaken within a few moments of the 
  party’s arrival and begin to attack. Fighting on this floor is difficult, as it 
  resonates with an aura of peace and civility. Each character must pass 
  a difficulty 4 Intellect roll at the start of combat or be unable to attack 
  for 1d6 rounds.  
  Explore the Fifth Floor: The Galaxy. A dark room, filled with 
  a holographic projection of the galaxy, rotating. The room 
  speaks in many languages, depending on where the characters are 
  standing (similar to the 3rd floor). The PC who has learned an alien 
  language due to Intrusion can hear that it’s explaining a lot of 
  information about stars, trade, and some kind of galactic empire. The 
  room can be scavenged for parts and yields 1d6 Cyphers and 2 
  Oddities, but doing so will destroy the galactic map permanently.  
  Activate the Galactic Signal Beacon. The galactic map 
  projector is connected to a much larger electrical system 
  capable of broadcasting a distress signal to the rest of the galaxy. 
  Fixing the machine and initiating the broadcast is a level 6 Numenera 
  related task requiring appropriate tools. Once accomplished, the room 
  fills with a blue light and a blast of energy is shot out of the top of the 
  tower, into space.  
  
   
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  MUTANT MURDEN.  Level 5 creature (Perception as level 7) 
  with 15 Health, 3 Armor, and inflicting 6 damage with its 
  wicked ritual blade.  PCs within Immediate range suffer a 
  one step increase in the Difficulty of all actions due to a 
  mental fog they radiate.  If one Murden is attacked or 
  notices danger, it instantly calls out to all of the others in the 
  area telepathically, causing any fight to get progressively 
  harder with each passing round.  Each Mutant Murden can 
  employ one of the following powers 
  • 
  Tentacle Grab: The Murden unleashes a hidden 
  tentacle and makes a level 7 attack at the PC, 
  success indicating that the character cannot move 
  or use their left arm until they break free.   
  • 
  Telekinetic Thief: The Murden uses an invisible 
  force to steal an object, such as a weapon, from 
  the target PC’s hand.  Level 7 attack, dealing 2 
  ambient psychic damage in addition to the theft. 
  • 
  Psychic Caw:  The Murden screams without making 
  a noise, doing a level 6 psychic attack against all 
  PCs within Short range.  The attack deals 6 ambient 
  psychic damage. 
  • 
  Temptation:  The Murden makes a level psychic 7 
  attack against the PC.  If successful, the PC 
  becomes absolutely obsessed with gaining 
  possession of an item within line of sight, such as 
  the weapon of another PC or a rock high up on a 
  hill. 
  THE RETURNED
   
  “All goes onward and outward–nothing collapses; And to die is 
  different from what any one supposed, and luckier.” – Walt Whitman 
   
  Overview:  Buried deep within the Earth is a prison, unknown to all but 
  a few. Therein lies Qodesh, though its name is now lost. Those 
  unfortunate few who know of its existence refer to it as 
  Yrthu’Centaar’A, a long-dead term for “that which must be actively 
  forgotten.”  Millennia ago, Qodesh was a God, or as close as any 
  physical being has ever come. Its knowledge was nigh limitless, and 
  used only to cause pain and destruction. Empires fell and systems 
  burned at a whim, and for a time all hope for a brighter future was 
  lost.  
  Qodesh was imprisoned, stripped of its knowledge and power, but 
  not killed. Even this plane’s saviors couldn’t manage that. When the 
  ultradimensional host left, the remaining races made a pact: they 
  would bury Qodesh deep within a backwater world and burn from the 
  memory of all sentient beings the horrors it had wrought. Thus ended 
  the nightmare of Qodesh, or so it was thought.  
  Over the ages, a measure of its power was slowly, painfully 
  regained. Thousand-year thought experiments were undertaken to 
  develop the most basic skills. Eventually a vector for release was 
  found:  a race of mildly psychic, raven-like abhumans called the 
  murdens. Under its direction, they have stolen a powerful artifact and 
  smuggled it into the ruins above the prison. The murdens seek to gain 
  the approval of Qodesh, but it has no love for life of any kind. It seeks 
  only escape, and to once more hear the lamentations of the dying. The 
  prison is close to being unearthed, and rumors of a great treasure 
  therein are spreading. 
  This adventure, unlike those that came before, is designed for 
  characters of the 4th through 6th Tier.  Lower Tier characters will likely 
  find it quite deadly! 
  Enter the Ruins.  The ruins are guarded by a dozen Mutant 
  Murdens (see sidebar on the right) who make systematic 
  passes through the grounds. They rarely stop to interact with one 
  another, and seem locked in a zealous dedication to their purpose. If 
  made aware of the players’ presence, they unleash the full extent of 
  their maddening, psychic powers without reservation.  
  Enter the Carnalis.  The ruins are treacherous and laden with 
  traps placed by the murdens.  At different times during the 
  climb to the center, a PC will trigger one of the following traps: 
  • 
  A glowing rune which, when seen, causing the viewer to 
  suffer from the delusion that they are out of sync with time 
  somehow.  The PC may resist this effect with an Intellect 
  defense roll against Difficulty 6.  This effect lasts for ten 
  minutes and is probably completely debilitating. 
  • 
  A blue powdery substance that eats through metal, covering 
  a rock that’s climbed.  The PC must make a Speed defense 
  roll against Difficulty 6 to avoid having their armor or 
  weapon crumble to dust. 
  • 
  A black mark on the ground that exhibits very high gravity at 
  short distance.  The PC gets to close and must succeed in a 
  lifting skill task against Difficulty 6 to leave the spot.  Even if 
  successful, the PC takes 5 ambient damage from the pull on 
  their internal organs. 
  • 
  In the center of the ruins is a gaping maw in the ground, 
  walls slick with blood and refuse. Characters must pass a 
  Might check to keep from throwing up from the stench, 
  causing them to lose three points each from their Might and 
  Speed Pools. 
  Going Below.  Having finished aboveground, players must find 
  a way to safely descend the shaft. Roughly hewn walls give 
  some purchase, but this is offset by omnipresent gristle. Descending 
  takes two successful climb skill rolls.  The first is uneventful and is 
  against Difficulty 4, with failure indicating a fall that causes 7 ambient 
  damage.  Halfway down, the PCs are enveloped by a flock of crows, 
  causing them to need to make a second climb roll vs. Difficulty 6 to 
  avoid a fall, failure indicating a fall that deals 4 ambient damage. 
  
   
  38 
   
  HARBINGER.  .  A level 7 Creature with Armor of 4 due to a 
  psychic forcefield, 21 Health, and dealing 10 ambient damage 
  when it makes telepathic strikes as an attack.   
  Whenever it successfully hits, the PC is inundated with 
  messages extoling the virtues of Quodesh and the inevitable 
  enslavement of the human species, as well as hallucinations of 
  being harassed by wraithlike purple tentacles coming from the 
  prison portal.  These hallucinations cause the PC to suffer a one 
  step increase to the Difficulty of all actions until the machine is 
  destroyed. 
  Witness the Oblivion of Faith.  Having successfully entered 
  the bowels of the ruin, the players find themselves in a 
  crystalline complex. Grisly remnants of recent sacrifices are scattered 
  for yards around. This is the abode of the most devout murdens, driven 
  mad by their closeness to the prison of Qodesh. The sounds of the 
  players’ arrival will draw them toward the opening. Six Mutant 
  Murdens attack the PCs on sight at the bottom. After the players 
  dispatch their attackers, a cursory search reveals 1d6 cyphers among 
  some of the bones. As the players attempt to continue down the 
  central hallway they find themselves stopped by an invisible forcefield, 
  controlled by an improvised device visible on the other side. Players 
  must figure out a way to disable it from afar before progressing. 
  Face the Harbinger.  Upon entering the final chamber, players 
  are confronted by the herald of Qodesh. An enormous, 
  malformed murden, the herald works tirelessly on a machine built to 
  break the prison gateway. If able, the players can speak with it 
  telepathically. However, it is enraged about their presence and will 
  attack if they do not leave.   
  Cross the Tides.  Cobbled together from scores of different Numenera, 
  the confusing machine fires a beam of energy into a massive portal of 
  swirling light. The machine expels waves of force that causes 1 ambient 
  damage each round to those within short range of it, and 
  shove the players back with every crash. Making it to the 
  machine is difficult, requiring a Might task against Difficulty 5 to push 
  through the surge, and a Difficulty 3 Might task each round thereafter.   
  Characters may be tempted to destroy the machine from range, but 
  it is clear to anyone looking at it that the machine is toying with forces 
  best not played with.  The PCs should be warned that outright 
  destroying the machine will likely result in an explosion that kills 
  everyone within several miles.
   
  Cause Wreck and Ruination.  Disabling the machine that’s 
  attempting to bring back Quodesh requires examining it up 
  close.  A Numenera skill check at Difficulty 4 reveals that the machine 
  can be broken by destroying one particular piece at the end of the ray 
  emitter.  Doing so could be difficult without making the machine 
  explode.  The object is level 7, with Armor of 4.   
  Once the object is destroyed the machine begins to power down and 
  the portal begins to vibrate.  It becomes clear at this point that the 
  ruins are crumbling from the various changes taking place. The PCs 
  most likely must climb their way out, and quickly. 
  As they run back to the tunnel leading up, the PCs are assaulted by a 
  number of massive falling rocks.  Hitting one of them with a boulder is 
  a GM Intrusion that causes 8 damage.  Climbing the tunnel up to the 
  surface is quite dangerous as well, requiring a single Difficulty 6 climb 
  skill roll.  The PCs are thrown around the sides of the tunnel and take 5 
  damage per climb attempt. 
   
   
   
  
   
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  40 
   
  ABOUT THE AUTHORS
   
  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/Echoes of the Prior Worlds.pdf