TEXT: WEIRD DISCOVERIES
  WEIRD DISCOVERIES
  TEN INSTANT ADVENTURES™ FOR NUMENERA
  BY MONTE COOK 
  BY MONTE COOK 
  
  WEIRD DISCOVERIES
  TEN INSTANT ADVENTURES™ FOR NUMENERA
  
  CREDITS
   
  Writer/Designer Monte Cook
   
  Additional Writing Bruce R. Cordell, Shanna Germain
   
  Editor/Proofreader Ray Vallese
   
  Cover Artist Kieran Yanner
   
  Graphic Designer  Bear Weiter
  Artists
  Brenoch Adams, Jacob Atienza, chrom, Guido Kuip, Eric Lofgren, John Petersen, 
  Roberto Pitturru, Lee Smith, Ben Wootten, Kieran Yanner
   
  Cartography Christopher West, Lee Smith
  Monte Cook Games Editorial Board
  Scott C. Bourgeois, David Wilson Brown, Eric Coates, Gareth Hodges, Jeremy Land, 
  Laura Wilkinson, Marina Wold, George Ziets
   
  © 2015 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.
  Printed in Canada
  
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  Introduction 
  4
  Improv Game Mastering 
  6
  Cypher List 
  10
  Beneath the Pyramid 
  12
  Inside the Pyramid 
  18
  Natural and Unnatural 
  24
  The Spider Knight 
  30
  Please Help Us 
  36
  Guilty! 
  42
  Lost in the Swamp 
  48
  Mother Machine 
  54
  From Here to Sanguinity 
  60
  Escape From the Obelisk 
  66
  Show ’Ems 
  72
  Cheat Sheet 
  82
  Characters 
  83
  
  4
  It’s Friday night. Your friends have gathered at your house. Someone asks, “What should we 
  do tonight?” One person suggests watching a movie, but everyone else is in the mood for 
  a game. You’ve got lots of board games, and that seems like the obvious solution, because 
  they don’t take any more time to prepare than it takes to set up the board and the pieces.
  Those of us who love roleplaying games have encountered this situation a thousand 
  times. We’d love to suggest an RPG for the evening, but everyone knows you can’t just 
  spontaneously play a roleplaying game, right? The game master has to prepare a scenario, 
  the players need to create characters, and all this takes a lot of time and thought.
  But what if that didn’t have to be the case? What if you could say, “Hey, I know. Let’s play 
  Numenera,” without any preparation? What if you could sit down at the table, hand out 
  some pregenerated characters, and—in the time it takes the players to get familiar with 
  their characters—be ready to run a scenario that will last the evening?
  That was my goal when I sat down to create this product. Basically, I had to recreate what 
  a published adventure was and how the GM interacted with it. (I say “interact with” rather 
  than “read” because there isn’t time for the GM to read the whole thing carefully—that’s 
  the point.) When I did, I realized that the crux of the issue—the real challenge—involved 
  pacing. This will come as little surprise to those who have read some of my other notes 
  about game mastering, because I stress that good pacing is probably the most important 
  trait a GM can have.
  The easiest way to deal with pacing is to make adventures completely linear. First the PCs 
  do thing A, then thing B, and finally they reach the climax at thing C. However, not only can 
  that kind of railroading feel heavy-handed, sometimes it just doesn’t work. The PCs might 
  do A and B, and then head off on their own initiative and never reach C. That’s why it’s so 
  much better to empower a GM to handle things more broadly. In other words, don’t script 
  out the adventure so that it must go exactly as the designer planned. Instead, give the GM 
  a general plan of where things might lead and what the NPCs and whatnot might do, and 
  then let her go.
  For example, say the PCs are looking for a lost explorer in the wilderness, and they come 
  upon a strange automaton in a valley that knows where the explorer is. Rather than create 
  a script where the PCs have to ask precisely the right questions, it’s far better to tell the GM 
  what the automaton knows and how likely it is to share that information. She can take it 
  from there.
  But what if the PCs don’t talk to the automaton at all? What if they hide from it, blow it 
  up, or do something no one could have expected, like fly over the valley using a cypher and 
  never encounter it at all? Is the whole adventure thrown out the window?
  Well, unless the GM wants to abandon the adventure altogether, she needs another way 
  to get that information to the characters. That fact drove much of the development of the 
  format for Weird Discoveries. The players should be allowed to go where they want to go, 
  do what they want to do, and find interest in whatever they want. But at the same time, 
  the GM needs to guide things along at least enough so that the group doesn’t spin its 
  wheels and get frustrated. This meant that in each scenario, certain key factors—which we 
  just call keys—needed to be identified to create a possible throughline so that something 
  interesting happens while everyone’s at the table.
  INTRODUCTION
  Pacing, page 342
  Throughout this 
  supplement, you’ll 
  see page references 
  to various items 
  accompanied by 
  this symbol. These 
  are page references 
  to the Numenera 
  corebook, where you 
  can find additional 
  details about that 
  item, place, creature, 
  or concept. It isn’t 
  necessary to look up 
  the referenced items 
  in the corebook; it’s 
  an optional way to 
  learn more about the 
  game and provide 
  additional information 
  to your players.
  Keys, page 8
  
  5
  INTRODUCTION
  These keys, however, needed to be flexible. The PCs must be able to obtain them 
  in multiple ways and probably multiple places. The keys might even come in different 
  forms—a bit of loot scavenged off a fallen foe, something interesting found behind a secret 
  panel, or a nugget of information learned from talking to the right person.
  The door to the room where the cool treasure lies is locked, and the key is in the desk in 
  the mayor’s office. But what if the PCs never go to the office? The system presented here 
  allows the GM to quickly determine that the key might be elsewhere: in the pocket of the 
  wandering warrior or in the lair of the six-legged beast. The GM makes sure it turns up at 
  the right time (pacing). She makes sure that the key is in a location where the characters 
  have a chance of coming upon it. That doesn’t mean she forces the players’ hands—just 
  that the PCs have a chance to find what they need to succeed. That actual success (or 
  failure) is still very much in their hands.
  We’ve all seen it happen while running games. The PCs find some weird object and 
  obsess over it, even though in the original plan (either the GM’s or the designer’s) it had 
  little meaning. At the same time, the characters ignore the actual clue they were supposed 
  to find. What’s a good GM to do? She quickly changes things up so that the object everyone 
  is so focused on is the clue they need. Why? Because if she doesn’t, things get bogged 
  down and the adventure ends up in a dead end with a table of frustrated players. In other 
  words, she does it to control the pacing of the session. It’s still up to the players to use the 
  clue properly.
  Weird Discoveries assumes that the GM will do that kind of thing, and it empowers her 
  to do so. Each scenario has a number of keys. Either the keys are important to the flow 
  of the scenario or they’re things that are just so cool that you don’t want the PCs to pass 
  them by—perhaps a challenge to overcome, a bit of amazing treasure, or something the 
  characters will really need.
  So keys help with pacing, give a GM a way to manage the flow of things without being 
  draconian, and don’t require a lot of prep time. Obviously, the scenarios needed to be 
  short—just a single session—so the GM didn’t have a lot of reading. Basically, if something 
  doesn’t involve what happens in that session, it didn’t need to be in one of our “instant 
  adventures.” We also didn’t want a lot of book referencing or page flipping, so as much as 
  possible, once the GM spends about five minutes reading the basic info, she never needs 
  to look at anything but a single two-page spread at the heart of each scenario. The spread 
  has a map or a graphic to show the possible progression of events. Any text pertaining to a 
  spot on the map is right there on that page. No flipping.
  To make this work, the scenario write-ups had to be short. Even if we put in a few extra 
  pages of additional notes and whatnot for people who wanted to use these scenarios 
  outside of our low-prep goal, we knew we could still pack a lot of them into a relatively 
  short book, like the one you have now.
  The scenarios in Weird Discoveries require a GM to do a little improvisational game 
  mastering so she can take a very brief encounter write-up and flesh it out where it needs 
  fleshing. But frankly, every GM needs to be ready to do that anyway. Rather than a designer 
  trying to cover every contingency or crazy scheme the players might come up with, perhaps 
  it’s better to arm the GM with the basics and let her come up with more when needed. If 
  the PCs sneak by the abhumans, for example, a lengthy discussion of their battle tactics 
  isn’t really needed.
  After figuring out the ideal structure for our scenarios, we realized that we had essentially 
  rewritten how published adventures are typically presented and used. And our playtests 
  showed that they are easy and fun to run. We hope that you find that to be true as well.
  Throughout this book, 
  you’ll see references to 
  Show ’Ems. These images 
  are designed to be shown 
  to your players at just the 
  moment they come upon 
  a particular scene in the 
  adventure. Show ’Ems 
  are found toward the 
  back of the book, starting 
  on page 72.
  For ease of use, this book 
  includes the Numenera 
  Cheat Sheet (page 82) 
  and six pregenerated 
  characters (page 83). 
  GMs should feel free to 
  copy or print those tools 
  ahead of time for players.
  Improv Game Mastering, 
  page 6
  
  6
  IMPROV GAME 
  MASTERING
  If you’re a game master, you’ve done it 
  without thinking about it. The players came 
  up with some idea—big or small—that you 
  weren’t ready for, and on the spot you came 
  up with a response, a judgment call, an 
  answer, or whatever was needed. You used 
  improvisation to run your game, and more 
  than likely, it worked out wonderfully.
  Many GMs prefer to run a game with 
  little preparation, making it all up as they 
  go along. Some find this harder. Weird 
  Discoveries is an attempt to bridge that gap 
  by empowering those who don’t want to 
  spend a lot of time preparing while still 
  informing those who don’t want to make it 
  all up on the fly.
  Before we go any further, here’s the best 
  bit of advice you’ll get on this subject: don’t 
  be afraid. Don’t be afraid to come up with 
  whatever the game needs. Fear leads to 
  hesitation, and that slows down the game. 
  It also means that you might not make 
  the best decision. Don’t think ahead—
  just come up with what’s needed at the 
  moment. Don’t think about what another 
  GM would do. Don’t think about what the 
  players will think of you. None of that will 
  help—it will only slow you down.
  
  7
  IMPROV GAME MASTERING
  Don’t let game concerns trump logic. 
  Particularly in a game like Numenera, don’t 
  worry about “breaking the game” or some 
  such. If it’s logical that the wealthy NPC 
  whose house the PCs just broke into would 
  have lots of valuables to snatch, then he 
  does. It’s probably also logical that he’s got 
  a guard, an alarm, or the like.
  The scenarios in this book assume that 
  the GM will use logic, so most of the time, 
  they don’t provide those kinds of details. If 
  the PCs go into a cave, it’s likely dark and 
  damp and has uneven surfaces. If they go 
  into a tavern, it will have tables, chairs, a 
  bartender, and plenty of drinks. Facts like 
  these are rarely given in the descriptions in 
  Weird Discoveries.
  FLESHING OUT THE DETAILS
  The devil is in the details, of course. The 
  players want to know how big the town 
  square is, what the water in the pool tastes 
  like, or what happens when they try to 
  activate the crystalline device while holding 
  it upside down.
  If you’re not sure of a detail, don’t flip 
  through the book looking for the answer—
  come up with it on your own. For example, 
  in Beneath the Pyramid, the PCs find the 
  severed leg of a biomechanical beast and use 
  it as a sort of tracking device to lead them 
  to the creature. Does the leg give pulses 
  when pointed in the right direction? Does it 
  move and point in the direction of the beast? 
  Does it send mental images of a direction 
  and distance to anyone who holds it? That’s 
  up to you. Go with whatever seems most 
  appropriate or most interesting. It’s the kind 
  of detail that any GM can come up with on 
  her own, and by not writing a long paragraph 
  describing how it works (text that the GM 
  needs to read, absorb, remember, and likely 
  later reference), we can make the adventure 
  easier and faster to run.
  We’ve got your back. If there is a detail 
  you need some help with, we’ll provide it. 
  But if it isn’t provided, make it up! We’ll 
  give you a solid framework, but it’s the GM 
  who builds the facade that goes over it—the 
  thing that people see and admire. We’ll 
  make you look good.
  Don’t worry about being cliché or 
  obvious. Neither of those things ever ruined 
  a game. In fact, sometimes they’re just 
  what is needed (clichés are used often for a 
  reason). You can always inject a nice dose of 
  creativity or weirdness later.
  GMs are called upon to make things up 
  on the spot all the time—NPC names, place 
  names, little details (of people, places, and 
  things), game stats, NPC reactions, the 
  consequences of actions, and more. 
  Sometimes whole adventures. But it’s not 
  hard. In fact, it’s just the opposite. As the 
  GM, you almost can’t make the wrong 
  choice. If you say that there’s a bakery in the 
  village, then there is one. Poof! No one can 
  tell you there’s not.
  GAME MECHANICS
  Mechanically, Numenera offers a lot of 
  advantages in improv GMing. NPC stats 
  are a breeze and require no preparation—
  just give them a level. If you want to get 
  all fancy, give them armor or something 
  special, but that’s not necessary—level 
  tells you everything you need to know. A 
  task, an object, or a challenge of any kind 
  simply needs to be rated on a scale of 1 to 
  10. We do that kind of thing naturally. Just 
  think about it: on a scale of 1 to 10, how 
  comfortable is the seat you’re sitting in right 
  now? On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard would 
  it be to jump up and touch the ceiling? 
  See? Using improv in Numenera game 
  mechanics is no harder than that.
  USING LOGIC TO GUIDE YOU
  Logic is your friend. Make things logical 
  when you create them, and you’ll always do 
  well. Things should generally operate the 
  way it seems like they should. Water flows 
  downhill. Animals flee when frightened. 
  Stone walls are more durable than wooden 
  walls. People don’t like it when you start 
  murdering in the middle of their town. And 
  so on. The only time you should go against 
  logic is when you’re trying to make things 
  weird. Any of the previous statements 
  turning out to be untrue would be weird. 
  (And weird is good in Numenera, but most 
  things should not be weird.)
  Sometimes the best 
  adventures are simple 
  ones. A lot of clutter 
  and background get 
  lost without the players 
  ever really discovering 
  or remembering it. 
  Sometimes a good 
  adventure is just starting 
  at Point A, a good reason 
  to get to Point B, and 
  a handful of interesting 
  things that occur on the 
  way.
  
  8
  DEVELOPING LOCATIONS
  You’re in charge of what places look like. 
  If you want the leaves of the trees to be 
  orange, they’re orange. Liven up any and 
  all scenarios with weird descriptions as the 
  mood strikes you. A weird tentacled bird in 
  the tree will surprise and delight the players, 
  even if it has no impact on the scenario.
  If there are no details about a house 
  or another inhabited place, use logic. A 
  hermit’s cabin isn’t going to be bare—he 
  lives there and probably has for years. 
  He’ll have food, tools, and some useful 
  equipment like rope or a glowglobe. Never 
  worry about access to mundane items 
  unless it’s somehow important to the 
  scenario to do so. The PCs might think of 
  getting a glowglobe as “treasure,” but that 
  doesn’t mean you have to manage it.
  At the same time, don’t worry about 
  describing everything in a location. Allow 
  the players to do some of that for you. Let 
  them say, “I could use more rope. Did the 
  old hermit have some lying around?” If 
  it seems logical, say, “Yeah, he has some 
  stashed with some tools under the bed.”
  DEVELOPING PEOPLE 
  AND CREATURES
  Do the same thing with NPCs that you 
  do with places. Maybe you have nothing 
  more than a name, a level, and a few small 
  details for an NPC, but once she’s on 
  stage, so to speak, and in the game, she’s 
  a person and you’ve got to portray her as 
  such. That’s easy (and often unimportant) 
  if she’s a cobbler in the village, but it’s more 
  challenging if she joins the PCs on their 
  mission and stays with them throughout a 
  whole session or more. Now you have to 
  delve a bit deeper and give her a personality. 
  Likes and dislikes. Goals and motivations. 
  (If you know an NPC’s goals, you always 
  know how she’ll react in a given situation. 
  That’s why Numenera creature stats include 
  motive.) You should also give a little more 
  thought to what she looks like, what she’s 
  wearing, and what she’s carrying with her.
  The same is true of creatures. You 
  might know how a beast acts in battle, but 
  occasionally throw in a random detail like how 
  it smells, that it has a huge scar over its eye, 
  or something similar. This affects nothing, but 
  it makes things more interesting.
  The place you can get tripped up is when 
  the PCs interact with a person or creature 
  in a way you weren’t expecting. They might 
  talk to the ravenous beast and try to calm it, 
  suddenly threaten the mayor of the village, 
  or sneak around the guards rather than fight 
  them. You’ve got to use logic to figure out 
  what the creature or NPC will do. How will it 
  USING THE KEYS
  The biggest difference between running the scenarios in Weird 
  Discoveries and running typical published adventures is that you 
  need to manage when and where the keys show up. A key might 
  be an object, a person, or a bit of information. Regardless, the 
  GM determines when it shows up in the scenario rather than 
  letting the scenario make that decision.
  Another way to look at it: the players and the GM working 
  together to create a story is what determines when a key makes 
  its appearance.
  There are two kinds of keys: those that are probably necessary 
  for the completion of the scenario, and those that just make 
  things more interesting.
  Keys that are probably necessary. If the PCs need a device to 
  open a way into the black pyramid in the first scenario (Beneath 
  the Pyramid), that device is one of the keys. Since the device is 
  crucial to the forward motion of the session, the GM should 
  pace things so the characters at least have a chance to find it. 
  However, the GM might decide that the device shouldn’t show 
  up too soon, for fear that the session will end too quickly. This 
  is her prerogative and is up to her sense of pacing. Some GMs, 
  for example, might want to reward smart play by enabling the 
  PCs to reach their goal early, pacing be damned.
  Keys that just make things more interesting. These keys are 
  almost their own kind of GM intrusion. Such a key might be a 
  device that causes harm or makes things more complicated. It 
  might be something that helps the PCs (perhaps undoing a key 
  that inflicts harm or complication) but isn’t directly related to 
  reaching a successful end of the scenario.
  These keys are not crucial, but they make things more fun. 
  What’s more, they inject drama into the metagame. If the 
  PCs find a strange-looking device, they shouldn’t know 
  automatically that it’s directly related to the plot. Maybe it’s just 
  a strange device. Worse, maybe it’s dangerous. They’ve got to 
  look at it closely to figure out which.
  
  9
  IMPROV GAME MASTERING
  react? What will it do afterward? This is your 
  opportunity as the GM to do some honest-
  to-goodness roleplaying. Put yourself in the 
  NPC’s place and decide what it would do, 
  just as you would if you were playing it as a 
  character in the game—because you are.
  WHEN IT TURNS VIOLENT
  You never know when an encounter might 
  become a combat encounter. Sometimes, all 
  you know about an NPC is the level. Always 
  feel free to assume that an NPC is equipped 
  logically. If she is in a location or a situation 
  where danger is likely, she’s probably wearing 
  armor (usually Armor 1). Lots of people, 
  not just warriors, can produce some sort of 
  weapon in a fight by pulling a knife from a 
  boot or grabbing a heavy candlestick from 
  a table. Remember, it doesn’t matter what 
  weapon is used, even if it’s just a punch or 
  a kick—NPCs inflict damage equal to their 
  level unless described otherwise.
  THE FORMAT OF THESE 
  SCENARIOS
  The scenarios in Weird Discoveries are 
  designed to be easy to use and easy to 
  grasp with just a quick skim. Each starts 
  out with a brief summary and a few 
  paragraphs that add more detail. Then the 
  most important salient points are called out 
  again, this time in a bulleted list to help you 
  remember them (and to help you reference 
  them later). You must read all of this and 
  absorb it before play starts. Fortunately, these 
  sections are short and written for easy 
  comprehension and retention.
  Next, you’ll find a section that details the 
  keys involved in the scenario. The book’s 
  introduction explains how keys work.
  Before play begins, you must have a good 
  idea of what the keys are, but you don’t 
  need to know how they’ll show up. In fact, 
  that’s the point. Where the keys are located 
  and when they come into play are decided 
  by the flow of the session.
  After the keys, all you have to look at are 
  the Starting Point and Wrap-Up sections, 
  which are pretty self-explanatory.
  All encounters that the PCs will experience 
  in the session are found on a two-page 
  spread, organized in a map or chart (which 
  can be followed just like a map). The 
  encounters are designed to be short and 
  easy enough to skim through before play 
  starts.
  • Some of the encounters have symbols 
  designating that one or more of the keys 
  might be present.
  • Some of the encounters have 
  predesigned GM intrusions, which are 
  always optional.
  After that essential spread (the meat of the 
  scenario), you’ll find a section called More 
  Details. If you’ve got time, reading this will 
  help flesh out the details—the places, the 
  people, and so on. But nothing in this section 
  is crucial. The scenario works fine without it.
  Finally, each scenario ends with notes 
  for GMs who want to incorporate it into an 
  ongoing campaign or place it specifically 
  in the Ninth World. You’ll also find ideas 
  for further development if you want to keep 
  things going after the adventure is done. 
  This includes awarding experience points 
  (XP) for discoveries and actions. None of 
  this needs to be read ahead of time. Don’t 
  even bother with any of it until the session 
  is over.
  BRINGING IT ALL 
  TOGETHER
  I know you. You’re a GM who doesn’t 
  necessarily want to use these adventures as 
  impromptu game mastering opportunities. 
  You’re going to sit down and read this entire 
  book ahead of time. You’re going to prepare 
  for these low-prep scenarios.
  That’s okay. It’s your book. Use it however 
  you want.
  This book is divided into 
  ten “scenarios.” You 
  will also read the term 
  “session” many times. In 
  this case, the two terms 
  are synonymous. The 
  idea is that each scenario 
  is the equivalent of one 
  four- to five-hour game 
  session for three to five 
  players.
  The best way to prepare 
  for when the PCs don’t 
  do what you expect? 
  Don’t build expectations 
  ahead of time about 
  what they’ll do. Don’t 
  prepare for them to do 
  one particular thing 
  because then you’re not 
  caught by surprise when 
  they do something else. 
  Keep yourself open.
  GM Intrusion, 
  page 108
  
  10
  Level 7 occultic device that can be attached 
  to a glove or gauntlet. One unanchored item 
  your size or smaller within long range is drawn 
  immediately to the device. This takes one round. 
  The item has no momentum when it arrives.
  Level 4 anoetic pill. Grants the ability to see in 
  the dark for eight hours.
  Level 3 occultic crystal. Tapping into the 
  datasphere’s knowledge, the user can learn the 
  answer to one question.
  Level 5 anoetic sphere with a single switch. 
  Can be thrown a short distance. Explodes in an 
  immediate radius, increasing the pull of gravity 
  in the area for ten minutes. The difficulty of all 
  physical actions attempted in the area is increased 
  by two steps. Moving through (or out of) the area 
  is the equivalent of moving a long distance.
  Level 6 anoetic cylinder that projects one egg-
  shaped device up to a long distance. Explodes in 
  an immediate radius, spraying acid that inflicts 6 
  points of damage.
  CYPHER LIST
  The following 36 cyphers are ready to use to facilitate running the scenarios in 
  this book, alleviating prep time and cutting down on the need to reference books 
  during a session. Use them when you are in need of a “random” cypher.
  Level 5 anoetic device that can be strapped to 
  one’s wrist. Emits a beam of energy up to a long 
  distance, inflicting 5 points of damage from the 
  heat. All creatures within immediate range of the 
  target suffer 1 point of damage as well.
  Level 4 anoetic adhesive patch that activates 
  when slapped on flesh. Immediately restores 4 
  points to the target’s Speed Pool.
  Level 6 anoetic pair of crystals. When the device 
  is activated, any sound produced near one crystal 
  is emitted by the other. Range is unlimited, and 
  the crystals remain active for 28 hours.
  Level 3 anoetic thick liquid that can easily be 
  applied to a blade or needle. Anyone affected 
  by this poison has his vision inverted; for ten 
  minutes, all he can see is the inside of his own 
  eyes and optic nerves (effectively, he is blind).
  Level 6 occultic rod with some switches. When 
  activated, the user learns the surface thoughts of 
  all creatures within immediate range. The effect 
  lasts for one round.
  Level 2 anoetic circular device that can be affixed 
  to a chain and worn like a medallion. Puts the 
  user out of phase for one minute. During this 
  time, the user can pass through solid objects as 
  though she were insubstantial, like a ghost. She 
  cannot make physical attacks or be physically 
  attacked.
  Level 4 anoetic canister. Three rounds after 
  activation, it begins to sense movement within 
  immediate range. If it detects motion, it explodes 
  with flame in an immediate radius for 6 points of 
  damage.
  Cypher, page 278
  
  11
  CYPHER LIST
  Level 3 anoetic slimy paste in a tube. Once released, this 
  organic slime dissolves 1 cubic foot of material each round for 
  three rounds.
  Level 4 anoetic nanites in a solution in an injector. A creature 
  injected is trained in persuasion for the next 28 hours.
  Level 5 anoetic handheld device. Produces a force field that 
  is up to 20 feet wide and 20 feet tall (6 m by 6 m). Anyone 
  touching the wall is instantly teleported backward 15 feet (5 m).
  Level 4 occultic intelligent missile. User chooses a target 
  within sight, and the missile tracks and attacks that target. If 
  it misses, it continues to attack until it hits or it misses four 
  times. If it hits, it injects a poison that puts the victim in a 
  coma for one minute. After waking, the victim remembers 
  nothing about the previous 28 hours.
  Level 6 anoetic set of tubes. Sprays a stream of liquid up to a 
  short distance. Where it impacts, it forms a cloud of mist in 
  an immediate radius. All creatures in the cloud drop what they 
  are holding and become horribly sad for one minute, during 
  which the difficulty of all actions is increased by two steps.
  Level 5 anoetic device that can be affixed to a belt. For one 
  hour, the user can float into the air, moving vertically (but 
  not horizontally without taking some other action, such as 
  pushing along the ceiling) up to a short distance per round. 
  The user must weigh less than 250 pounds (113 kg).
  Level 3 anoetic liquid in an injector. If a creature is injected, 
  the difficulty of its next action is decreased by three steps.
  Level 3 anoetic needle that can be inserted into flesh. While 
  inserted, it creates a shimmering energy shield around the 
  user for one hour, during which time he gains +3 to Armor.
  Level 2 anoetic sphere. Can be thrown a short distance. 
  Explodes in an immediate radius, spraying foam that 
  extinguishes flame (and smells very bad).
  Level 3 occultic handheld device. When the user speaks 
  into the device, her words are translated into all languages 
  understood by everyone within immediate range, with the 
  audio of each translation aimed at the appropriate listeners. 
  Functions for four hours.
  Level 5 anoetic powder in a tube. Mixed with water, this 
  powder instantly hardens into a rocklike material. Can cover 
  an area up to 15 feet by 15 feet (5 m by 5 m).
  Level 6 anoetic crystal that can be affixed to a melee weapon. 
  For the next 28 hours, each time the weapon strikes a solid 
  creature or object, the attached crystal generates a burst of 
  energy that teleports the creature or object an immediate 
  distance in a random direction (not up or down). The difficulty 
  of the teleported creature’s actions (including defense) is 
  modified by one step to its detriment on its next turn.
  Level 7 anoetic liquid in a tube. Immediately restores 7 points 
  to the drinker’s Might Pool.
  Level 6 anoetic rod with a crystal tip. Target touched by the tip 
  falls asleep for ten minutes or until awoken by a violent action 
  or an extremely loud noise.
  Level 5 anoetic handheld device. User can teleport up to a long 
  distance away and, if desired, bring one other creature of the 
  same size.
  Level 3 anoetic liquid in an injector. If a creature is injected, it 
  gains +1 to its Speed Edge for one hour.
  Level 2 anoetic crystal. Once the device is touched to a 
  creature or object, for the next 28 hours, the holder of the 
  crystal knows the distance and direction to the creature or 
  object, as long as it is in the same dimension.
  Level 4 anoetic metal mesh vest. Once activated, the vest keeps 
  the wearer at a comfortable temperature for 28 hours. During this 
  time, the wearer gains +4 to Armor against cold or heat damage.
  Level 3 anoetic bracelet. Projects holographic images of the wearer 
  to confuse attackers. The images appear around the wearer, giving 
  her an asset to Speed defense actions for ten minutes.
  Level 2 anoetic liquid in a tube. Hardens and toughens the 
  drinker’s flesh for one hour, granting +1 to Armor.
  Level 3 anoetic square of thin synth that can be wrapped 
  around a human like a cloak. When activated, the fabric takes 
  on the colors and textures of everything around the wearer 
  for ten minutes. This effect reduces the difficulty of hiding or 
  sneaking by two steps.
  Level 4 anoetic small synth cube. When activated by pressing 
  one side, the cube emits a burst of energy in short range. All 
  poisons, food and water contaminants, and dangerous viral 
  organisms in the area are immediately eliminated. 
  Level 6 anoetic handheld device. Fires a beam at three 
  different targets within long range at the same time. Affected 
  targets cower in fear, losing all actions, for two rounds.
  Level 5 anoetic ring with a crystal. Allows the user to project a 
  ray of raw force up to 200 feet (61 m) that inflicts 5 points of 
  damage from the impact.
  
  12
  BENEATH 
  THE PYRAMID
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  Valuable creatures are stolen away by a 
  mysterious mist, and the PCs investigate 
  a ruined city beneath an ancient floating 
  pyramid in hopes of retrieving them.
  DETAILS
  East of the town of Codun lies a racetrack 
  a half mile around. Here, locals race 14-
  foot (4 m) biomechanical insects called 
  rukomol. The PCs happen into town and 
  spend some time at the races. They get to 
  know the most prestigious racer, a man 
  named Uolis, and share in his celebratory 
  dinner. That night, however, the rukomol 
  belonging to Uolis and two others 
  mysteriously disappear when a thick blue 
  mist rolls in. Uolis begs the PCs to help find 
  his prized mount.
  A little investigation reveals the severed 
  leg of one of the missing creatures in the 
  caves used as stables near the racetrack. 
  Further, it acts as a sort of sensor, indicating 
  which direction to travel to find the rukomol 
  it belonged to.
  The PCs can follow this biomechanical 
  divining rod to a ruined city of stone 
  beneath a glistening black pyramid from the 
  Codun can be located 
  anywhere near a desert or 
  wilderness area.
  All rukomol racers are 
  very small in stature. Two 
  racers ride each beast, 
  one steering the head and 
  one prodding the back to 
  get the creature to run 
  faster.
  
  13
  BENEATH THE PYRAMID
  prior worlds. The pyramid floats 80 feet (24 
  m) above the ground, and the 100-year-old 
  abandoned city lies directly beneath it. This 
  is called the City in Shadow. In the ruins, the 
  PCs must discover a way to reach and enter 
  the pyramid, for that is where they will find 
  the stolen beasts, the device that created 
  the mist, and the perpetrator.
  Jiale is an odd numenera expert who 
  explored the black pyramid with two 
  bodyguard companions. When he found 
  the device that created the blue mist, he 
  sent it out to retrieve mechanical parts he 
  needed to repair one of his cyphers. About 
  ten hours before the PCs arrived in Codun, 
  the mist reappeared in the pyramid with 
  three rukomol. Jiale turned his attentions 
  elsewhere in the pyramid, assuming the 
  blue mist retrieval system to be faulty. 
  It isn’t. As biomechanical creatures, the 
  rukomol do have the components he needs, 
  but he doesn’t realize it.
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • Codun’s racetrack and the rukomol 
  stables (found in a series of caves) are 
  east of the town.
  • Uolis is one of the premier rukomol 
  racers.
  • The leg of one of the biomechanical 
  creatures was severed in the mist, 
  and it can lead the PCs to the missing 
  rukomol.
  • The city beneath the pyramid is 
  abandoned, but of human construction. 
  The pyramid is from the prior worlds.
  • The PCs need to get inside the pyramid.
  • Very likely, the PCs can’t get inside the 
  pyramid without the right key.
  • The blue mist is part of a numenera 
  system in the pyramid for retrieving 
  mechanical parts at a distance.
  • An explorer named Jiale used the blue 
  mist to capture the rukomol, but it was 
  essentially an accident.
  STARTING POINT
  Reveal Show ’Em A to the players.
  Traveling two days from Codun, the PCs 
  see the black pyramid nestled in a break 
  in a stony ridgeline. As they get closer, it 
  becomes clear that a ruined city of stone 
  walls and towers lies beneath the pyramid.
  The city was built by Ninth Worlders 
  precisely in the shadow of the pyramid 
  when the sun is directly overhead, leaving 
  most of it perpetually dark. Why they did 
  this, and why they later abandoned it, is 
  unclear. The city has three entrances: on the 
  west, on the north, and on the south. The 
  PCs can use whichever they wish.
  THE WRAP-UP
  Inside the pyramid, the room next to the 
  entrance (the one Jiale and his companions 
  now occupy) has a level 6 device that 
  creates the blue mist. It can also return the 
  components (the rukomol) to the place 
  where it found them. The rukomol are in 
  the chamber and are generally unhappy and 
  confused. Getting them out of the pyramid 
  and back to Codun conventionally will 
  involve a lot of beast handling and careful 
  planning on the PCs’ part.
  KEYS
  This scenario has two keys. Both are likely devices found in the 
  City in Shadow.
   Something that moves a character up to the floating 
  pyramid. This is a psychokinetic effect, and after its main 
  use, the key functions as a level 3 artifact that can move 
  a human-sized object or creature a short distance if it is 
  within long range. It has a depletion of 1 in 10.
   Something that allows access to the interior of the 
  pyramid. This probably just opens a door on the 
  underside of the structure.
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does not, 
  it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on the 
  flow of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer the 
  PCs eight to ten cyphers.
  Describe the ruined 
  city like a maze of 
  interconnected buildings, 
  all without roofs.
  Show ’Em A, page 72
  Rukomol: level 3; 
  health 18; Armor 2; long 
  movement
  
  CODUN
  The town has a population of 10,000 and 
  lies at the edge of a desert.
  The blue mist that steals away the rukomol 
  comes at night. The journey to the City 
  in Shadow takes about fourteen hours of 
  travel—the better part of two days.
  GM Intrusion: A group of eight margr 
  ambushes the PCs while they travel 
  through the desert.
  ENTRANCE
  The PCs can enter the abandoned 
  city from any of these locations. From 
  the entrance, they can see two towers 
  near the center of the city that reach 
  halfway up to the pyramid.
  CORPSES
  Three dead humans lie decaying 
  in the ruins. They have been dead 
  for a few days and are infested with 
  maggots and other carrion eaters. 
  In addition to standard gear and 
  weapons (including three explorer’s 
  packs), the PCs can find a device or 
  a clue to the location of a device that 
  serves as either one of the KEYS. 
  The corpses also have 11 shins and a 
  random oddity.
  THE REPTILIAN BEAST
  Scaly and red, this 12-foot-long (4 m) carnivorous lizard (level 5; Armor 2) eats 
  anything it comes upon. If the reptilian beast has the KEY, it is a crystal that seems 
  embedded in its head. While the beast is alive, the crystal gives it telekinetic 
  powers, which manifest in two ways:
  • Any physical ranged attack made against the beast is redirected back at the attacker.
  • The beast can pull or push one creature or object of human size or smaller a short 
  distance, as an action.
  GM Intrusion: The fight with the beast causes a section of wall to collapse, 
  trapping the character beneath it.
  THE SHINY CYLINDER
  This metal cylinder is 14 feet high and 3 feet across (4 m by 1 m). It is filled with an array of 
  numenera components, but its overall function is a mystery. It can be opened through force or 
  finesse, but doing so is a level 4 task. Either of the KEYS might be inside, along with 20 shins.
  GM Intrusion: Opening the cylinder triggers an accidental discharge of energy that forces an 
  Intellect defense roll (difficulty 4). Failure means that the opener sustains 3 points of Intellect 
  damage, sits down on the ground, and takes no action other than to count quietly until those 3 
  points are somehow restored.
  Margr, page 244
    THE MAD WOMAN
  Lyra (level 4) lives in the otherwise 
  abandoned city, sustaining herself 
  with rats. She rants and raves but 
  is surprisingly hardy and capable. 
  However, she might have a device or 
  know of one in the city that serves 
  as either one of the KEYS. Getting 
  that information out of her is a 
  difficulty 6 task and certainly can’t 
  be done quickly.
  Lyra has a dart thrower, four darts 
  poisoned with level 4 poison (4 
  points of Speed damage that ignore 
  Armor), and two random oddities.
  The City in Shadow
  The City in Shadow
  
  BENEATH THE PYRAMID
  100 Feet
  30 m
  100 Feet
  30 m
  INSIDE THE PYRAMID
  The pyramid is 80 feet (24 m) above the ground.
  The interior chamber the PCs gain access to is lit. It’s a cube 
  approximately 50 feet (15 m) to a side, filled with numenera control 
  panels, banks of machinery, and walls of mysterious devices. Metallic 
  tentacles hang from the ceiling and wave around, grasping at the air 
  menacingly. Wreckage and metal debris cover the floor.
  Jiale and his companions are here, and they likely attack anyone who 
  intrudes out of fear that thieves have come to steal their treasures. 
  Explaining to Jiale that all the PCs want is the rukomol might 
  convince him to negotiate, but the difficulty is increased by one step 
  because he is selfish and paranoid, and he has an odd way of looking 
  at things.
  Reveal Show ’Em B (page 72) to the players.
  The metal arms (level 3) increase the difficulty of all actions in the 
  room by one step for all involved. This means that while attacking is 
  harder, so is defending, so those actions are not affected overall. Any 
  character can choose to ignore the arms and undertake an action 
  normally (effectively decreasing the difficulty of attack and defense 
  rolls for that round, assuming the opponent is still worried about the 
  arms). However, anyone who does so must make a Speed defense 
  roll or be struck for 3 points of damage and held in place, unable to 
  act unless he uses a Might-based action to break free.
  Dealing with all the metal arms at once (finding the controls to shut 
  them down, for example) is a level 6 task.
  Jiale (level 5; Armor 2) is a nano who can project blasts of energy up 
  to long range that inflict 5 points of damage and turn the target’s 
  skin blue. The color fades after a few days. He acts as the leader of 
  his group and constantly issues commands to his companions.
  Cheale (level 3; Armor 3) is a straightforward warrior who never does 
  as Jiale commands. Instead, she always attacks a different target, 
  uses a different strategy, and so on.
  Derroch (level 4; Armor 1) rarely speaks. He has a “sword” that is 
  actually a stiff metal wire that produces an aura of energy around it. 
  It is a level 4 artifact, functions as a medium weapon that inflicts 6 
  points of damage, and has a depletion of —.
  Loot: Each NPC has an explorer’s pack, 12 shins, and two random 
  cyphers they scavenged from the pyramid.
  If you have time, read “More Details” on page 16 for 
  information and ideas to enhance this scenario.
  ENTRANCE
  The PCs can enter the abandoned 
  city from any of these locations. From 
  the entrance, they can see two towers 
  near the center of the city that reach 
  halfway up to the pyramid.
  ENTRANCE
  The PCs can enter the abandoned 
  city from any of these locations. From 
  the entrance, they can see two towers 
  near the center of the city that reach 
  halfway up to the pyramid.
  THE DEACTIVATED AUTOMATON
  The automaton is at the top of one of the two 40-foot (12 m) towers 
  in the city. Any stairs have long since collapsed, so getting to the top 
  requires other means.
  The automaton looks like a metal sphere about 10 inches (25 cm) 
  across with many small holes and nodules. Activating the automaton 
  is a level 6 task. Once reactivated, it produces many spidery limbs and 
  skitters about. If it is the KEY, opening the pyramid is its only function, 
  and it will do so assuming it understands the command. Otherwise, 
  the automaton seems to have no function other than to skitter about 
  and be annoying.
  GM Intrusion: Reactivating the automaton requires a power source—
  the sacrifice of a cypher or an artifact hooked up to it (a level 4 task).
  
  16
  a stud on the handle. Ghordra very likely 
  suspects that the PCs are involved with the 
  blue mist, as she doesn’t trust strangers.
  ON THE ROAD
  The trip to the pyramid and the City in 
  Shadow beneath it might be relatively 
  uneventful, but GMs can add an encounter 
  with dangerous creatures, weather, or 
  another traveler, as desired. In general, it’s 
  warm and dry during the day and cool and 
  dry at night. The region is filled with biting 
  insects, and nameless creatures that look 
  like winged grouper fish feed on the insects 
  in the air.
  IN THE CITY IN SHADOW
  None of the buildings have roofs. Most of 
  the structures are single story, although 
  two towers rise up 40 feet (12 m) near the 
  center of town. Navigating is like moving 
  through a labyrinth, although climbing the 
  walls isn’t too difficult (a level 3 task).
  There’s an eternal chill in all parts of the 
  city except the very edges during sunup 
  or sundown. Tiny reptiles scurry about 
  the edges of the city, but at its heart, it is 
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  IN CODUN
  If desired, you can start the scenario in 
  Codun and play through the race, including 
  gambling, interactions with the locals, and 
  the excitement of a close race. Determine 
  the winner of the race (and the outcome of 
  the bets) however you wish—randomly or 
  through use of narration.
  Uolis is slight and getting on in years. 
  His partner is Tallek, a much younger but 
  equally small man. Uolis is wealthy from all 
  his success and generous to a fault. If need 
  be, he offers each PC 15 shins to recover his 
  rukomol. Tallek is less likely to trust the PCs 
  but does whatever Uolis instructs, including 
  accompanying the PCs if they request it.
  The leader of Codun is a woman named 
  Hiathyn. She is old and gets around town 
  with the help of two burly servants who 
  essentially carry her.
  The constable is Ghordra, a tall, muscular 
  woman with long, straight hair, armor made 
  from some kind of insect carapace, and an 
  axe that hovers in the air when she pushes 
  Uolis: level 2, rukomol 
  handling as level 4
  Tallek: level 3, rukomol 
  handling as level 4
  Hiathyn: level 2, 
  Intellect-based tasks as 
  level 4; health 2
  Ghordra: level 5, 
  interaction and 
  perception as level 6; 
  health 20; Armor 3
  
  17
  BENEATH THE PYRAMID
  Shadow lies to the south, within Matheunis. 
  This is a cold desert, with rocky, windswept 
  terrain.
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 2 experience points 
  (XP) for discovering the rukomol (and 
  returning them), and 2 XP for discovering 
  the machine that creates the blue mist.
  There are two ways to succeed at the 
  mission. The PCs can use the device in the 
  pyramid to return the rukomol to Codun, or 
  they can get the beasts out of the pyramid 
  physically and lead them back to town 
  overland.
  Further exploration of the pyramid is 
  possible and in fact is the subject of the 
  scenario Inside the Pyramid (page 18). After 
  the PCs return to Codun, if the people learn 
  some of what they found, Ghordra may wish 
  to mount another expedition to the City in 
  Shadow. If the PCs are willing, she and three 
  other villagers go with them to explore the 
  area further. The GM can introduce a new set 
  of interesting encounters there, perhaps with 
  more details about the inhabitants of the 
  city, why they built it, and why they left. It is 
  possible to dig around and find information 
  about such topics, but the nature of the far 
  older pyramid should remain mysterious.
  lifeless. Here and there, explorers find the 
  remains of rotting wooden furnishings or 
  old sculptures.
  IN THE PYRAMID
  Jiale and his companions have only just 
  begun to explore the pyramid and probably 
  used the same entrance the PCs did. They 
  are a nefarious group, and Jiale is a little 
  mad. Even if the PCs talk to them rather 
  than engage in violence, these three likely 
  try to bully, betray, trick, or steal from 
  anyone they come across.
  The interior of the pyramid is sprawling 
  and weird, a maze of machinery and 
  mysterious technology—much of it still 
  active, but some quite ruined. The two 
  chambers in this scenario are just the 
  beginning. More can be found in Inside the 
  Pyramid (page 18).
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under time pressure).
  In an ongoing campaign, the GM could 
  take more time to create a friendship 
  between the PCs and Uolis (and Tallek). 
  This might occur as the PCs take part in 
  other, unrelated explorations around Codun 
  or perhaps guard Uolis after a racing rival 
  makes threats against his life. The idea is 
  to make the disappearance of his beloved 
  rukomol so powerful that the PCs take on 
  the recovery mission of their own initiative.
  Codun could become a centerpiece to an 
  ongoing campaign, with the PCs returning 
  to relax and enjoy the races from time to 
  time. One way to accomplish this is to have 
  Uolis be so grateful for the safe return of 
  his rukomol that he buys the PCs a house 
  in town.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  Codun and the City in Shadow can be 
  located wherever the GM needs them. But 
  in the absence of other constraints, Codun 
  lies near the center of the southern border 
  of the Pytharon Empire, and the City in 
  Matheunis,
  page 208
  Pytharon Empire, 
  page 161
  
  18
  INSIDE 
  THE PYRAMID
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  The PCs explore the interior of an ancient 
  complex looking for valuables and a safe 
  exit.
  DETAILS
  This scenario can be used on its own or as 
  a continuation of Beneath the Pyramid. If 
  it’s used on its own, the PCs discover an 
  ancient pyramid of some black substance 
  that floats 80 feet (24 m) in the air. By 
  activating a numenera mechanism beneath 
  it, the characters are teleported into the 
  pyramid. Now they must find their way out, 
  perhaps discovering some valuables along 
  the way.
  If the scenario is used as a continuation 
  of Beneath the Pyramid, assume that the 
  entrance the PCs used to get in seals shut 
  and can’t be easily opened.
  The encounters within the pyramid are 
  strange, involving all kinds of interactions 
  with the numenera. Prevalent throughout 
  the pyramid is the living conduit—a sort 
  of energy flow that runs through many 
  locations within the structure via a network 
  of transparent tubes. It is a living creature 
  and likely the greatest danger that the PCs 
  will face in the pyramid.
  Every time the PCs enter a chamber that 
  contains the living conduit, it attempts to 
  call to one of them telepathically. It has a 
  soothing, charming mental voice and tries 
  to convince them to stand near one of the 
  tube system’s many special valves. It then 
  instructs them how to open the valve. If 
  they do, the creature exits momentarily and 
  attacks. Energy tendrils grip at one or both 
  of the character’s eyes and try to tear them 
  out. A Speed defense roll is required to 
  resist for each eye, and characters move one 
  step down the damage track per eye lost. 
  The living conduit then feeds on the eye(s) 
  it takes.
  Once this happens, the creature attempts 
  to convince the characters to betray one 
  another and force their comrades to open a 
  valve.
  It’s important to remember that this isn’t 
  mind control. It’s an interaction. The living 
  conduit will attempt to negotiate and even 
  bribe the PCs to do what it wants, and it 
  knows everything there is to know about 
  the interior of the pyramid. Thus, perhaps 
  a character could get information from the 
  being, but it is difficult to trick.
  After a while, particularly if it’s being 
  rejected, the living conduit will begin to use 
  threats rather than bribes and sweet talk. It 
  can solidify or shatter time around a single 
  creature. Solidified time effectively freezes 
  the character (in stasis, unable to act or be 
  affected by anything), and shattered time 
  makes the character disappear from reality. 
  These effects last about as long as the PCs 
  have been in the pyramid on their current 
  visit, so the longer they stay, the stronger its 
  potential hold on them.
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • The PCs are in the pyramid and don’t 
  have a clear exit.
  • The exit lies beyond a sealed door, which 
  requires a specific key to open.
  • The living conduit is living energy, 
  intelligent and telepathic.
  • The living conduit constantly tries to 
  convince one of the PCs to open a valve, 
  Living conduit: level 
  5, resists trickery and 
  lies as level 7; immune 
  to physical attacks; as 
  an action, freeze or 
  temporarily annihilate 
  one creature that fails a 
  Speed defense roll
  Being trapped inside the 
  pyramid is not crucial to 
  the scenario. If the PCs 
  have their own way out 
  (teleporting, phasing, or 
  cutting their way free, for 
  example), that’s fine. The 
  point is to explore and 
  discover things within 
  the strange, ancient 
  structure.
  
  19
  INSIDE THE PYRAMID
  chamber that is a cube approximately 50 
  feet (15 m) to a side. A bit of debris lies 
  on the floor. All surfaces are metal, and 
  control panels, consoles, and unidentifiable 
  machinery is everywhere.
  THE WRAP-UP
  Whenever the PCs get out, they are likely 
  done with the scenario. However, if they 
  want to go back in for more exploration, 
  there’s little stopping them.
  from which it attacks and feeds on the 
  character’s eyes.
  • The living conduit can freeze characters 
  or make them disappear.
  STARTING POINT
  If this scenario follows Beneath the Pyramid, 
  the starting point is the chamber of the blue 
  mist machine.
  If this scenario does not follow Beneath 
  the Pyramid, the PCs have just entered the 
  pyramid. They stand within a large, empty 
  KEYS
  This scenario has four keys, all of which are likely weird devices 
  in the pyramid.
   Something that opens the sealed door. Most likely, this is 
  a device that simply needs to be touched to the door.
   Something that grafts onto a character and begins 
  burrowing into her flesh. This is likely something that 
  appears to be an inorganic device but then reveals 
  itself to be organic as it latches on. It inflicts 4 points of 
  damage initially and then 1 point of damage per minute 
  (ignores Armor). If the KEY sustains more than 4 points 
  of damage from energy attacks, it grows dormant for one 
  hour. If the character dies, the graft infuses her with a new 
  consciousness and personality that uses her body to flee 
  and perform mysterious and likely incomprehensible tasks.
   Something that can remove the graft. This is likely an 
  object that produces a shock or a liquid that forces the 
  graft to disengage and flee.
   Something that turns into or releases a fast-moving, 
  amorphous ultraterrestrial creature almost twice the 
  size of a human that attacks the PCs. If the creature is 
  defeated, the leftover device is an artifact that creates 
  an extradimensional pocket space that can store one 
  creature or object at a time, in stasis. The creature or 
  object to be stored must be touched and be no larger 
  than about two humans together. If something is already 
  stored in the pocket space when a new creature or object 
  is touched, the original appears next to the artifact. It has 
  a depletion of 1 in 1d100.
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does not, 
  it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on the 
  flow of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer the 
  PCs eight to ten cyphers.
  Ultraterrestrial creature: 
  level 4, Speed defense 
  as level 5; health 18; 
  burning touch inflicts 
  2 points of Might 
  damage and 2 points 
  of Intellect damage 
  because its existence 
  is fundamentally 
  incompatible with 
  creatures of this physical 
  or mental state of being
  
  50 Feet
  15 m
  50 Feet
  15 m
  Steel spider, 
  page 260
   ENTANGLED MACHINE
  A cylindrical automaton (level 2) with 
  seven spindly limbs struggles here, 
  wrapped in cables and wires and half 
  buried in debris. If freed (a level 4 task), it 
  immediately trundles off to the Stuttering 
  Device and then rests quietly.
  Beneath the debris is a small black 
  pyramid of the same material and 
  proportions as the main pyramid. If one 
  of the KEYS is here, it is this pyramid.
       ENERGY POOL
  A circular pool of liquid, 18 feet 
  (5 m) across and surrounded by 
  a small lip, is highly infused with 
  some kind of energy. Anyone who 
  touches the liquid takes 4 points 
  of damage. However, immersing 
  a depowered machine in the pool, 
  including a used cypher of an 
  appropriate type, recharges the 
  device. This works only four times 
  in a given 28-hour period. If the KEY 
  is here, it is an object from another 
  area that must be immersed in the 
  pool to perform its needed function.
  GM Intrusion: The device placed in 
  the pool overloads and explodes, 
  destroying the device and inflicting 3 
  points of damage to the character.
  Living Conduit 
  STUTTERING DEVICE
  Projecting from the wall, a set of spindly mechanisms pulses 
  with jolts of energy that arc from one spindle to the next, stop, 
  and start again intermittently. The KEY is an object that is 
  currently a component of the mechanisms and must be removed 
  (a level 6 task). A failed attempt to remove the KEY indicates 
  that those working at it are jolted with energy and take 4 points 
  of damage. Further, they become fused to the floor and whatever 
  they’re touching (including their gear), having been molecularly 
  bonded to it. This effect is removed when a victim suffers at least 
  1 point of damage from another energy source.
  Loot: There are 20 shins and two cyphers to be scavenged here.
  WARPING BUBBLES
  A metal cylinder 3 feet (1 m) tall floats in midair 
  here. It produces a bubble at the top made 
  of an amorphous substance that inflates and 
  deflates as though it is breathing. If the bubble 
  is touched at all, it pops, creating a spatial warp 
  that takes the cylinder and all within immediate 
  distance to an empty chamber in the pyramid. 
  The machine is otherwise level 5.
  If the KEY is here, it is a glowing crystal cube 
  within the cylinder.
  MOSTLY EMPTY CHAMBER
  This chamber offers little of interest other than a green synth cube amid the 
  debris, which may be one of the KEYS.
  GM Intrusion: If the explorers pass through this chamber a second time, 
  a panel in the ceiling opens and a sphere (level 3) drops out. The sphere 
  is 4 feet (1 m) across, transparent, and filled with thick, dark fluid. The 
  character must make a Speed defense roll to avoid being struck for 3 points 
  of damage and knocked prone. There are things moving around in the 
  fluid, and if anyone speaks to the sphere or the creatures inside, the sphere 
  disappears, and the fluid and creatures spill out. The creatures are four 
  steel spiders that are actually automatons. If released from the sphere, they 
  attack and fight to the death.
  
  INSIDE THE PYRAMID
  Interior of the Pyramid
  Interior of the Pyramid
  SEALED DOOR
  Reveal Show ’Em C (page 73) to the players.
  This door is level 8 and will not open by normal means. If touched with the proper 
  KEY, it slides open silently.
  Touching the door without the proper KEY causes a device above the door to glow. 
  From the glow, an energy creature (level 5) emerges and attacks, fighting to the 
  death. It is vaguely in the shape of a serpent the size of a human, but with wings 
  and tendrils. Anyone touching the creature or striking it with melee attacks suffers 
  4 points of damage from energy feedback. It can use its action to disappear and 
  reappear anywhere within long range. A new energy creature appears each time the 
  door is touched without the proper KEY, but never more than once every ten minutes.
  GM Intrusion: The energy creature enters the body (and mind) of the character, who 
  must succeed at an Intellect defense roll or become possessed, doing whatever the 
  creature commands—namely, attack those attempting to open the door.
  If you have time, read “More Details” on page 22 for 
  information and ideas to enhance this scenario.
  Living Conduit 
  TELEPORT PLATFORM
  Reveal Show ’Em D (page 73) to the players.
  Suspended by chains, a circular platform of blue glass hangs 
  8 feet (2 m) off the floor. Symbols of light flash on the floor, 
  and the characters receive a telepathic notice that says the 
  symbols mean “choose your destination.” The platform (level 
  8) can transport everything on it anywhere if that location is 
  known to someone on the platform, but the first person who 
  thinks of a location makes the choice for everyone else on the 
  platform as well.
      THE NADRALIX
  Floating in a beam of light, an 
  impossible cube about 10 inches (25 
  cm) to a side slowly spins in the air. 
  The cube has nine sides and seven 
  corners. Staring at it shakes the 
  sanity of three-dimensional minds, 
  so characters must make Intellect 
  defense rolls or suffer 5 points of 
  Intellect damage. Success means 
  that the character gains some 
  kind of fundamental insight of the 
  GM’s choosing. Only one insight is 
  gained, however.
  If the KEY is here, it is an abstract 
  concept that, once entered into a 
  human mind, produces the resultant 
  effect and even the resultant object, 
  if applicable.
  GM Intrusion: The character’s mind 
  is so overwhelmed that she has a 
  psychic break and develops a new 
  weird quirk, phobia, obsession, or 
  the like. For example, a character 
  might fear words that begin with the 
  letter L, need to count the number 
  of birds in the sky every noon, or 
  feel the need to wash her hands 
  whenever she smells cloves.
        ORGANIZERS
  In this huge chamber, twelve 
  inverted cones of synth stand 14 
  feet (4 m) high, each filled with 
  narrow slots. Next to each cone, an 
  automaton arranges and rearranges 
  square synth plates within the slots, 
  endlessly. There are thousands, if 
  not millions, of these plates. The 
  twelve automatons (level 3) are 
  ungainly, multiarmed things of 
  metal and glass that ignore the PCs.
  Any KEY here can be obtained by 
  interacting with the harried, logical, 
  and obsessive automatons. They 
  can provide the location of the 
  object (elsewhere in the pyramid) if 
  convinced to stop their organizing 
  long enough to talk.
  
  22
  EMPTY AREAS
  The map has many empty rooms that are not 
  marked with descriptive text. Like the rest of 
  the structure, these chambers have debris 
  on the floor. All surfaces are metal, and 
  control panels, consoles, and unidentifiable 
  machines are everywhere. Scavengers might 
  be able to find 1d10 shins in each area, but 
  this takes at least ten minutes.
  GMs are welcome to add more details 
  to these areas, although doing so means 
  the pyramid exploration will probably take 
  longer than a four-hour session.
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under any time pressure).
  The pyramid can double as the interior 
  of any ancient technological installation the 
  GM desires. Since stumbling into a weird 
  structure from the past is a fairly common 
  experience for a Ninth World explorer, that 
  makes Inside the Pyramid pretty useful. 
  Many GMs will want to hold it in reserve 
  until it’s needed to fill that role.
  Within the context of a campaign, it’s 
  easy to imagine that the PCs need or want 
  something specific within the pyramid. 
  It may be one of the KEYS—the one that 
  turns into an amorphous creature would 
  be interesting, for example—or something 
  the GM places in one of the chambers or 
  adds as a fifth KEY. It might be something 
  the characters need to craft or repair a 
  numenera device, or something they 
  were commissioned to find by a wealthy 
  benefactor or a lonely nevajin in the 
  wilderness. Perhaps it’s an important clue 
  for a much larger investigation or quest. 
  Alternatively, maybe the PCs enter the 
  pyramid to hunt for a previous explorer 
  who has not returned, sent by her friends or 
  relatives to find her or recover her body.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  The black pyramid can be located wherever 
  the GM needs it. Otherwise, it floats above 
  the City in Shadow that lies just beyond the 
  southern border of the Pytharon Empire, 
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  ALTERNATE START
  If the GM doesn’t want to start the scenario 
  inside the pyramid, the characters can start 
  in a nearby village named Gristen, where 
  they hear tales of the strange structure to 
  the west. If a stronger hook or motive is 
  required, the PCs might be commissioned 
  by a man named Gulvaris to enter the 
  pyramid and retrieve a charged power 
  source for a device he is building. This 
  device is found in one of the unlabeled 
  chambers, but it is depowered and must be 
  charged in the energy pool.
  PYRAMID INTERIOR
  The pyramid is full of debris—time is slowly 
  destroying it from the inside out, although 
  the degradation of systems and materials 
  seems uneven and haphazard.
  Stranger still, time seems to move at 
  different speeds in the pyramid. This is 
  probably unnoticeable to explorers 99 percent 
  of the time, but occasionally they might see 
  strange “glitches” like a vague stuttering effect 
  in reality, PCs missing what other characters 
  said, PCs seeming to move a bit slowly or 
  freeze for half a second, and so on.
  This time distortion is very likely an effect 
  of the living conduit, a being that observes 
  and influences much of what happens 
  inside the pyramid.
  Pytharon Empire,
  page 161
  Nevajin, page 248
  
  23
  INSIDE THE PYRAMID
  made a powerful and strange enemy. If they 
  return to the pyramid later, they might face 
  further confrontations and interactions with 
  the entity—remember, it runs through the 
  entire structure. What’s more, as a result 
  of encountering explorers from beyond its 
  confines after so long, the living conduit 
  might find a way to extend its awareness 
  beyond the pyramid. Perhaps it does this 
  through the devices—cyphers, artifacts, 
  or oddities—that the PCs took out of the 
  pyramid.
  Eventually, it learns to communicate 
  and use its time-distorting abilities away 
  from the pyramid to force people to come 
  to the black structure. Once it begins to 
  devour eyes at a distance through energized 
  devices it has come into contact with (or 
  devices that have come into contact with 
  the PCs, as it spreads like a virus), its power 
  grows considerably. If this happens, the only 
  way to defeat the creature is to destroy the 
  pyramid. That involves finding a chamber at 
  the apex with a powerful lens and conductor 
  that can channel energy directly from the 
  sun, creating a massive explosion that 
  will destroy the pyramid, the city below it, 
  and the surrounding area. Reaching the 
  teleportation platform before the explosion 
  would basically be the only way to survive.
  within Matheunis. This is a cold desert, with 
  rocky, windswept terrain.
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 1 experience point 
  (XP) for discovering the energy pool, 2 XP 
  for discovering the Nadralix, and 2 XP for 
  discovering the teleportation platform.
  More chambers exist within the pyramid 
  than are detailed here. GMs can expand 
  the pyramid to be as vast as they want. In 
  fact, the interior is very likely larger than 
  it appears and isn’t confined to a pyramid 
  shape. The structure certainly holds more 
  strange discoveries and treasures, not to 
  mention more dangers.
  If the GM wants to make it easy to return 
  to the pyramid to explore further, she can 
  adapt the teleportation platform. While 
  investigating the platform, numenera-
  savvy PCs might discover that it can be 
  reconfigured so that a keyed device will allow 
  the user to teleport back to the platform from 
  another location. Cobbling together such a 
  device is a level 5 task if the character is in 
  that chamber, and level 7 if elsewhere.
  The living conduit is almost impossible 
  to truly destroy without destroying the 
  entire pyramid. If the PCs angered it, they’ve 
  Matheunis,
  page 208
  
  24
  NATURAL AND 
  UNNATURAL
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  Strange creatures stole the only source of 
  fresh water a village has, and the PCs must 
  travel into their lair to retrieve it.
  DETAILS
  After dwelling motionless in darkness for 
  millennia, creatures that call themselves the 
  iani have begun venturing out into the lands 
  around their cavernlike lair. The iani are 
  evolved mechanisms with both mechanical 
  and biological aspects. They have the 
  ability to absorb mechanical devices and 
  assimilate them into their bodies. They are 
  looking for thirteen specific devices that 
  they call “the Legacy,” though no one but 
  the iani understands what that means.
  While investigating the human village 
  of Adderstal one night, a band of iani 
  discovered a powerful device in the 
  pool around which the village is built: a 
  condenser that transforms air into clean, 
  fresh water. The condenser is vital to the 
  residents, for all the water within a day’s 
  travel is contaminated and unfit to drink. 
  Unfortunately, the iani took the device.
  Guyan, the leader of Adderstal, begs 
  the PCs for help when they pass through 
  Iani: level 4; Speed 
  defense, jumping, and 
  balancing as level 5; Armor 
  2; move a long distance 
  each round; as an action, 
  can absorb any device it 
  touches. As another action, 
  it can use the absorbed 
  device (if applicable) 
  as though the device 
  were a natural part of it. 
  Given ten minutes, it can 
  transfer the abilities of the 
  absorbed device to all iani. 
  It can also reject a device 
  and spew it out again.
  Guyan: level 5, seeing 
  through lies as level 4
  
  25
  NATURAL AND UNNATURAL
  get food and drink, and a small marketplace 
  where they can buy common items. (No 
  cyphers or artifacts here, however.)
  Guyan, the village leader, recommends 
  that the PCs speak to Miola Broun or Narv 
  the butcher for information, as they both 
  claim to have seen the culprit who stole 
  the condenser. Guyan can also show them 
  where the condenser sat, in a round pool 
  that was recently filled with water but is 
  now empty. The condenser was about as big 
  around as a large man’s torso and weighed 
  100 pounds (45 kg). The villagers have 
  neither the knowledge nor the parts to build 
  a replacement.
  THE WRAP-UP
  The best-case scenario is that the PCs 
  deal with the iani one way or another and 
  return to Adderstal with the condenser. It 
  is possible that they find another way to 
  decontaminate the local water supply, and 
  that’s a successful end as well. However, 
  if someone doesn’t do something within a 
  week, the villagers will have to leave the area 
  to find water.
  looking for supplies. The condenser’s 
  already been gone for three days, and things 
  are looking dire. The lone Aeon Priest in the 
  village, Kuipania, will reward the PCs with 
  a unique gift if they help. She can make 
  elaborate tattoos that, when complete, 
  permanently provide +1 to Armor when the 
  subject is otherwise unarmored. The tattoos 
  cover much of the person’s body and take 
  a full day to complete for each subject. 
  (The tattoos are laced with an array of 
  microscopic, heat- and sweat-powered force 
  field projectors that work in conjunction, 
  but they are canceled out by lots of other 
  heavy materials, like armor.)
  To learn what happened, the PCs need 
  to talk to a few people in Adderstal, follow 
  a trail of clues that lead to Old Woman’s 
  Bridge, and eventually find the ancient 
  cavern in the woods where the iani dwell. 
  There, the characters can either do battle 
  with the iani or negotiate for the return of 
  the condenser.
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • Adderstal is a village located in a 
  region where the water sources are 
  contaminated.
  • Adderstal relies on a condenser device 
  for water, and it is now gone.
  • The leader of the village, Guyan, 
  promises that the Aeon Priest, Kuipania, 
  will reward the PCs for helping with 
  tattoos that give protection.
  • The condenser was taken by 
  biomechanical creatures called the iani.
  • The iani are intelligent but have little 
  experience with the world at large (and 
  humans in particular).
  • The iani can absorb mechanical devices.
  • The iani dwell in a cavern the PCs must 
  find in order to retrieve the condenser.
  STARTING POINT
  Adderstal is home to a few dozen families. 
  It is built like a set of circles surrounding 
  the pool constructed to hold the water 
  produced by the condenser. The people are 
  hunters, herders, and craftspeople, and 
  there are twice as many thyrans as people.
  The village has a common house where 
  the PCs can rest, a tavern where they can 
  KEYS
  This scenario has three keys, two of which are sources of 
  information, and one of which is an object.
   Someone who knows the location of the iani cavern.
   Someone who saw the iani in the village so the PCs know 
  what to look for.
   Something the iani desire. This is one of the devices the 
  iani call “the Legacy.” It has no value to anyone but them.
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does not, 
  it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on the 
  flow of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer the 
  PCs four to six cyphers.
  Kuipania: level 6, 
  numenera-related tasks 
  as level 7
  Thyrans are level 2 
  creatures with both 
  avian and mammalian 
  features, not unlike 
  feathered goats. They are 
  known not only for their 
  milk and meat, but also 
  for the blue pearls found 
  within the feathers of 
  very old individuals.
  
  THE BEFOULED RIVER
  The river here is pale yellow, contaminated by a 
  broken pipe of ancient origins that spills toxic 
  chemicals into the water. Drinking this water 
  is dangerous and results in 1 point of Speed 
  damage per drink. The river is neither deep nor 
  fast moving.
  The local wildlife have adapted to the water, but 
  humans and the creatures they brought with 
  them to the area (thyrans) have not.
    YAMI IN THE WILDERNESS
  If the PCs didn’t encounter Yami Chetris 
  (level 2) in Adderstal, they should meet her 
  outside of town, trapped on the wrong side of 
  the river because she’s afraid of the bandits 
  blocking Old Woman’s Bridge. If she is the 
  KEY, she can tell the characters that she saw 
  creatures she had never seen before hanging 
  around a large cave mouth in the woods, which 
  she can lead them to. She describes the iani as 
  “machines acting like animals.”
  CAVERN ENTRANCE
  Reveal Show ’Em E (page 74) to the players.
  The cavern is wide and open, situated near 
  some ancient, overgrown ruins. Decaying 
  wreckage of metal and synth fills the cavern and 
  covers the ground outside.
  Reveal Show ’Em F (page 74) to the players.
  Two iani watch over the entrance. They attack 
  clearly hostile intruders.
  GM Intrusion: One of the iani has absorbed a 
  magnetic pulse device. The character’s metal 
  weapon is ripped from his hand and tossed 
  a short distance away. If the character is 
  wearing metal armor, he is tossed backward 
  an immediate distance, is knocked prone, and 
  suffers 1 point of ambient damage.
  IANI CIRCLE
  Eight iani can be found deeper in the cave. They 
  do not really care about the condenser they 
  absorbed and will return it if the PCs manage 
  to open up lines of communication and offer 
  something in return. There is no roll needed if 
  the object KEY is offered to them.
  GM Intrusion: All the recent activity in the 
  cavern triggers a cave-in. The character must 
  make a difficulty 4 Speed defense roll or suffer 3 
  points of ambient damage and end up trapped 
  under rubble that will take hours to clear.
  Outside 
  of Town
  Outside 
  of Town
  Outside 
  of Town
  RELLIN MOR
  Rellin (level 5) is a loner. He tends a flock of thyrans and keeps to himself. He’s 
  young and tall, with a prominent nose, and he’s blind in one eye. His clothing is 
  adorned with blue thyran pearls.
  If Rellin is the KEY, he tells the PCs that he recently found strange tracks in the 
  woods, and they lead from the village to somewhere south, on the other side of 
  Old Woman’s Bridge. He wears a disk around his neck like a medallion. This is 
  either the object KEY or a random cypher.
  Whether or not Rellin is the KEY, he is a mutant with incredible density that gives 
  him +3 to Armor and lets him deal 3 additional points of damage. He also treats all 
  strength-related tasks as if he were level 7. Rellin is terrified that his true nature will 
  be discovered and that he’ll be exiled, persecuted, or killed. He probably assumes 
  that a bunch of strangers coming to ask him a lot of questions are on to him and 
  pose a serious threat.
  GM Intrusion: The character notices something suspicious, like the deep footprints 
  Rellin leaves when he walks, and Rellin reacts with violence.
  OLD WOMAN’S BRIDGE
  The bridge is stone and provides a safe way to 
  cross the contaminated water. Eight bandits 
  (level 2) and their leader (level 3) hide here 
  to waylay travelers. They demand all the PCs’ 
  valuables. They flee if more than half of them 
  fall in battle.
  The leader carries a green glowing rod that might 
  be the KEY or might be just a random cypher.
  The road from here runs right by the iani cavern.
  
  NATURAL AND UNNATURAL
  Adderstal
  Adderstal
  CHARMELE
  Charmele (level 4), tall and attractive, 
  is the owner of the dairy. Her extended 
  family owns a number of thyrans, and 
  their milk is used for cheese and butter as 
  well as for drinking. It’s certainly true that 
  she’s profited by the absence of potable 
  water, but she’s no thief. More important, 
  any advantage she has in selling milk in 
  lieu of water is short lived—she needs 
  water for the dairy to function.
  However, Charmele might suggest that 
  the PCs talk to Rellin Mor and Oane 
  Crawfur for knowledge of the comings 
  and goings beyond the town itself.
  MIOLA BROUN
  Miola (level 3) is a baker who sells her wares out of her house. She is 
  stout and middle-aged, as well as talkative, opinionated, and overall 
  negative about most things.
  If Miola is the KEY, she says that the night the condenser disappeared, 
  she saw strange “unnatural hounds” prowling the streets, poking 
  around in nooks and crannies, and scaring her half to death. These, of 
  course, were iani. She also mentions that Charmele might be involved 
  somehow—she says that the woman is not at all trustworthy.
  If Miola is not the KEY, she’s a liar looking for attention and knows 
  nothing about the situation. But that doesn’t mean she won’t make 
  up something. She hates Charmele and is wont to blame her for the 
  condenser’s mysterious disappearance.
  GM Intrusion: People keep coming to Miola to buy bread or other 
  goods, so she spends lots of time talking to her customers about a 
  variety of (boring, unrelated) things, making it very difficult to keep 
  her focused on the matter at hand.
  OANE CRAWFUR
  Oane (level 4), a trapper, is young and wiry, with 
  only moderate social skills at best. If she is the 
  KEY, she has seen strange creatures crossing 
  Old Woman’s Bridge recently. She calls them 
  “biomechanical animals.” These, of course, 
  were iani.
  GM Intrusion: Oane is in love with Guyan, and 
  she gets it into her head that the character is a 
  rival for the leader’s affections. She won’t talk 
  until convinced otherwise.
  Outside of Town
  If you have time, read “More Details” on page 28 for 
  information and ideas to enhance this scenario.
  NARV THE BUTCHER
  Narv (level 5) is a tall, thin, older man who works with his 
  daughter, Junni, and a local boy named Redis to provide the 
  village with meat. He is reticent and assuming.
  If Narv is the KEY, he can potentially be convinced to admit 
  that he saw mysterious creatures the night the condenser 
  disappeared. He says they were not natural creatures—
  more like automatons, but “sort of alive automatons,” as 
  he calls them. These, of course, were iani.
  If Narv is not the KEY, he tells the PCs that what they heard 
  is incorrect—he didn’t see anything. However, he might 
  recommend to characters he likes that they talk to one of 
  the Chetris children. He thinks they might know something.
  THE CHETRIS FAMILY
  Huni and Estrin Chetris (both level 3) have a family of six children 
  and live with Huni’s aunt Fennia (level 1).
  If the family is the KEY, Yami Chetris (level 2), the 15-year-old 
  daughter, says that she was out hunting one day and saw creatures 
  she had never seen before hanging around a large cave mouth in the 
  woods. She describes them as “machines acting like animals.”
  If the family is not the KEY, they waste a lot of time providing useless 
  or contradictory information. However, Estrin recommends that the 
  PCs speak to Rellin Mor.
  The family has plenty of old junk piled behind their house. The object 
  KEY might be there, as well as up to three cyphers or oddities. Huni 
  might be willing to trade.
  
  28
  ruins. The iani are somehow tied to these 
  ruins, but the creatures no longer relate to 
  them in any manner.
  The iani have waited, motionless, 
  philosophizing and speculating, for millennia 
  within the darkest recesses of the cave. 
  Their outlook is almost incomprehensible 
  to humans, and communication is difficult 
  as they speak no human languages. Their 
  tongue is more of a machine language of 
  tones of various pitches and lengths. They 
  are extraordinarily intelligent, however, 
  and can interpret much from gestures and 
  whatnot, and they can quickly pick up the 
  basics of a written language, which they can 
  scrawl in the dirt.
  The cave and the ruined structure are 
  not entirely stable. At times, they shift and 
  shake, making various portions collapse. 
  Within a decade, the whole cavern, and the 
  attached ruins, will probably cave in entirely, 
  destroyed forever.
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under time pressure).
  In many ways, Adderstal can be thought 
  of as the most typical aldeia in the Beyond. 
  It can be used as a model for any such 
  village. The PCs might wander into town 
  looking for supplies and get caught up in 
  the adventure. Alternatively, word of the 
  missing condenser might have reached 
  them via a traveler or merchant in their 
  location (though since travel is limited and 
  the woes of a small village are relatively 
  insignificant, such news wouldn’t travel too 
  far).
  Or, to get even weirder, the contaminants 
  in the nearby river might contain a 
  chemical compound that the PCs require 
  for an unrelated reason—crafting some 
  numenera, developing a cure for a plague, 
  or satisfying the mysterious needs of an 
  Aeon Priest benefactor. In other words, 
  the characters might come to Adderstal 
  because of its water problem, only to be 
  caught up in the scenario when they arrive.
  Last, to take things in a completely 
  different direction, the PCs might come to 
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  GMs should be aware that this scenario 
  does not have a lot of combat or action. 
  This is important only in that some groups 
  breeze through noncombat encounters 
  quickly, and the session might end sooner 
  than planned. If this seems likely, other 
  characters in the village can provide 
  additional encounters, either unrelated or as 
  red herrings. Throwing in a few extraneous 
  people for the PCs to talk to shouldn’t be 
  too hard.
  ADDERSTAL
  The village is simple and quite small, but 
  thriving. Residents dine on thyran meat 
  and cheese, and use their blue pearls for 
  decoration and crafts.
  Everyone knows everyone in this small 
  community. Guyan is a well-respected leader, 
  for the most part, although a few hold the 
  opinion that he’s the town leader because 
  he’s not capable of doing anything else.
  The lack of water, however, is likely 
  to have people at each other’s throats 
  eventually. A burly, retired explorer named 
  Aellicon takes it upon himself to attempt 
  to maintain order, even to the point of 
  usurping Guyan’s position, which of course 
  causes strife. Aellicon does not trust the 
  PCs and wants nothing to do with them or 
  any help they might provide.
  THE RIVER
  In theory, the PCs could track down the 
  pipe contaminating the water and stop 
  it. Finding the pipe is a level 5 task and 
  likely takes four or five hours. Sealing it 
  off is a level 6 task and will require tools 
  and materials that are at least level 4. This 
  would be an entirely different (but viable) 
  solution to the problem at hand.
  THE IANI CAVERN
  The ruins outside the cavern are the origin 
  of the pipe leaking into the river. These ruins 
  are part of an unbelievably ancient structure 
  that is actually part of the cave itself—the 
  “hill” in which the “cave” lies is a piece of 
  that structure, buried in layers of sediment. 
  The “cave” is really just an entrance into the 
  Aellicon: level 4; Armor 3
  Aldeia, page 134
  
  29
  NATURAL AND UNNATURAL
  explorers might find cyphers, oddities, 
  and perhaps even artifacts, as well as 
  automatons—which might be considered 
  “proto-iani”—that are likely inactive at first 
  and hostile later. The ruins are unstable (like 
  the cavern), and collapses might hurt or 
  trap explorers.
  The iani will soon leave the area to look 
  for the mysterious artifacts they call the 
  Legacy. If the PCs somehow achieved a 
  good relationship with them, the iani might 
  ask the characters for help. The PCs can 
  provide useful guidance as the creatures 
  venture out into a world that is utterly alien 
  to them. The iani know literally nothing 
  about humans or the Ninth World, and 
  their quest will lead them into very strange 
  territories and situations across both 
  the Steadfast and the Beyond. Guides, 
  advisors, aides, and guards would be well 
  rewarded with all the devices the iani find 
  that are not part of the Legacy. Such a 
  journey might lead to any number of other 
  scenarios presented in this book, not the 
  least of which would be Please Help Us (the 
  machine in the wall might contain a part of 
  the Legacy), Lost in the Swamp (a portion of 
  the Legacy could be in the Mire Sanctum), 
  Mother Machine (the machine itself might 
  be part of the Legacy), and Escape From the 
  Obelisk (a portion of the Legacy might be in 
  the obelisk).
  Adderstal looking for a dangerous mutant 
  named Rellin Mor. There’s a bounty on his 
  head because he killed a pair of Angulan 
  Knights a year ago with his bare hands. (It 
  was in self-defense, but the knighthood 
  doesn’t care.) Fleeing from persecution, 
  Rellin has come to Adderstal hoping to keep 
  his past, and his mutant nature, a secret. 
  The PCs are supposed to bring him to 
  justice but find themselves caught up in the 
  water issue facing the village.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  Adderstal can be found almost anywhere in 
  the Ninth World. However, if the GM has 
  no preference, the village is in the Beyond, 
  on the northwestern edge of the Ba-Adenu 
  Forest.
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 2 experience points 
  (XP) for discovering the iani, and 2 XP for 
  recovering the condenser.
  Young Yami Chetris is very likely taken 
  with the strangers who have come to 
  Adderstal—explorers and powerful 
  individuals—particularly if they seem noble 
  and kind. She almost certainly wants to join 
  the PCs’ group, and if refused, she might try 
  to follow them when they leave the village 
  to partake in their next “grand quest” even 
  if only as an observer, and even if it 
  means leaving her family. The characters 
  may need to deal with this one way or 
  another, and they may have to go out 
  of their way to return the girl to her 
  family.
  After dealing with the iani, 
  the PCs could look into the 
  contamination of the river. 
  This might lead not only to the 
  alternate solution discussed earlier, 
  but ultimately to an exploration of 
  the ruins near the iani cavern. Although 
  the locals say that the ruins are quiet and 
  as innocuous as any natural feature in the 
  area, the PCs might want to look for 
  numenera within them. Getting into 
  the ruins is difficult except through the 
  cave itself, which still offers access. Inside, 
  Angulan Knights,
  page 224
  Ba-Adenu Forest,
  page 189
  
  30
  THE SPIDER 
  KNIGHT
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  An outlaw overlord who happens to be the 
  heir to the throne stops at nothing to get 
  what she wants, including attempting to 
  fool the PCs into helping her.
  DETAILS
  The Spider Knight is the pseudonym of 
  Fialla Nooran, great-granddaughter of 
  the deposed Queen Nooran of the Isle of 
  Berenock. She has operated for years as the 
  Spider Knight, an outlaw and a malicious 
  villain who takes what she wants and 
  delights in the suffering of others.
  Berenock hovers high in the sky above 
  the wilderness, with most people unaware 
  of its very existence. The island is actually 
  positioned on some kind of ancient 
  hovering craft or structure—a large floating 
  disk of metal. The underside is covered 
  in jagged, growing crystals, while the 
  top is covered in rock, soil, and a small 
  rainwater lake. Trees and other plants grow 
  on the island, a fertile and usually tranquil 
  kingdom high in the sky. The island is about 
  5 square miles (13 square km), and in the 
  center is a single town that surrounds a 
  glistening palace of crystal.
  The Spider Knight arrived on Berenock 
  three weeks ago to claim her birthright. The 
  inhabitants of Berenock have no intention 
  of returning the Noorans to power, for they 
  still remember how despotic the last Queen 
  Nooran was. They sent her away.
  While the Spider Knight raises an army 
  (mostly of bandits) to take Berenock 
  by force, she commissions her servant, 
  Orrudis, to obtain a powerful detonation 
  that will aid her efforts. Orrudis comes 
  upon the PCs and asks for their help, lying 
  
  31
  THE SPIDER KNIGHT
  STARTING POINT
  Orrudis finds the PCs wherever they are—
  perhaps in a town called Everton—and 
  presents them with his lie. He offers 20 
  shins and a cypher to each of the characters 
  if they will undertake a mission for him, and 
  more important, his poor mistress who is 
  denied her rightful throne.
  The mission, as he lays it out, is to find 
  a band of evil murdens and recover the 
  “recorder.” He describes what it looks like 
  and makes it clear that the PCs should 
  not damage, activate, or tinker with it in 
  any way. The device is fragile and very 
  important. He gives them clear directions 
  on how to find the murden camp in the 
  nearby wilderness.
  THE WRAP-UP
  If the PCs help the Spider Knight gain the 
  throne, she is grateful and rewards them, 
  with the thought that perhaps they can 
  serve her in the future. Beyond what Orrudis 
  offered, she has all of Berenock beneath her 
  and can provide more cyphers and more 
  opportunity for gain.
  If the PCs help prevent the Spider Knight 
  from taking the throne, the people of 
  Berenock are the grateful ones, rewarding the 
  characters with free food and lodging for as 
  long as they desire, along with a cypher each.
  Even just giving the people of Berenock 
  the antidote makes a huge difference in 
  their struggle against their new enemy.
  about what’s going on. He says that the 
  detonation is a recording device that proves 
  that his mistress, Fialla Nooran, is the 
  rightful heir to a throne she is being unfairly 
  denied.
  The detonation is actually a viral bomb. 
  When activated, it will unleash a horrific, 
  debilitating virus previously unknown in the 
  Ninth World. The insidious thing about the 
  virus is that the sicker the victim becomes, 
  the healthier she believes herself to be. It 
  affects both mind and body. If the Spider 
  Knight gets this device, she will use it to 
  hold the people of Berenock hostage, forcing 
  them to let her take the throne. She can then 
  solidify her power by using the bomb to 
  intimidate any who might oppose her.
  If the PCs bring the “recorder” to Orrudis, 
  he might try to further lure them into the 
  service of his mistress. However, at some 
  point—from some source—the PCs learn 
  that Fialla is actually a cruel outlaw called 
  the Spider Knight. At that point, they need 
  to decide if they have been helping the 
  wrong side of an important conflict or if 
  they should disengage from the situation 
  entirely.
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • The Spider Knight is the heir to the 
  throne of a floating island. But she’s also 
  ruthless and vile.
  • The Spider Knight’s servant, Orrudis, 
  lies to the PCs to get them involved.
  • Orrudis says the PCs can help reinstate 
  the proper ruler of her land by finding 
  a recorder that stores genealogical 
  evidence proving her right to the throne.
  • The people of the floating island, 
  Berenock, know that the Spider Knight is 
  heir to the throne—they just don’t want 
  her.
  • The “recorder” is actually a bomb with a 
  potent virus that the Spider Knight will 
  use to threaten Berenock.
  • The PCs should eventually learn the 
  truth about the deception and decide 
  what to do.
  KEYS
  This scenario has three keys:
   Someone who can reveal the truth about Fialla Nooran.
   Something that gives access to the Spider Knight’s tower.
   Something that cures the virus in the viral detonation. 
  There are ten doses, but in the hands of a knowledgeable 
  person, such as an Aeon Priest, the cure could be 
  replicated fairly easily.
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does not, 
  it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on the 
  flow of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer the 
  PCs eight to ten cyphers.
  Orrudis: level 3, Speed 
  defense as level 4, lies 
  and trickery as level 5; 
  Armor 1
  Murden, page 247
  
  Start
  Start
  ORRUDIS
  Orrudis is near where the PCs first encountered him, 
  waiting for their return. He pays them the agreed-
  upon price in return for the “recorder.” (Randomly 
  determine the cyphers he provides.) If the PCs seem 
  willing and able, he might take them to the Spider 
  Knight’s—or rather, Fialla’s—tower so she can 
  attempt to recruit them into helping her further. If 
  so, he sends word ahead so she can continue the 
  ruse of being the kindly, just ruler denied her throne.
  If Orrudis is the KEY that can reveal the truth about 
  the situation, it comes in the form of an accidental 
  slip of the tongue. In conversation, he refers to Fialla 
  as the Spider Knight.
  If he has the KEY that gives access to the Spider 
  Knight’s tower, it is a device hidden on his person 
  that sends a signal for the guards at the tower to 
  stand down. He won’t give up the device unless 
  forced to (or unless he is killed).
  If he has the KEY that is the antidote, it is because 
  he hired other explorers to get it for him—he didn’t 
  want the Spider Knight to die if she used the viral 
  detonation. It also protects him in case she ever tries 
  to threaten him with the virus. He won’t give up the 
  antidote unless forced to (or killed).
  MURDEN CHIEF
  The murden chief (use murden stats 
  but increase to level 4, perception 
  as level 6) can communicate with 
  humans telepathically, but it is painful 
  for humans to endure. Each round, a 
  human communicating with the chief 
  must make an Intellect defense roll 
  or suffer 2 points of Intellect damage 
  (ignores Armor) due to long-forgotten 
  disturbing memories that suddenly 
  surface.
  The chief is more than willing to parlay 
  rather than fight, offering the viral bomb 
  in exchange for a cypher or artifact of at 
  least level 4.
  If he is the KEY that can reveal the 
  truth about the situation, the chief is 
  familiar with the names “Spider Knight” 
  and “Fialla Nooran.” Long ago, his 
  people worked with the deposed Queen 
  Nooran.
  If he has the KEY that is the antidote, 
  it’s because he knows very well what 
  the detonation can do and he wants to 
  safeguard himself against its effects.
  MURDEN CAMP
  Here, four hide tents surround a 
  campfire. The six murdens in the 
  camp attack anyone that approaches.
  Loot: One murden has 11 shins. 
  Another has an oddity that is a 
  glowing, extremely strong string 6 
  inches (15 cm) long. A third has a 
  random cypher.
  VERIDON THE TRADER
  On the road to the murden camp, this middle-aged, 
  flat-faced man (level 4) drives a small cart filled with 
  various goods—glassware, fine cloths, and a variety 
  of specialized tools. He’s talkative and friendly, as 
  he’s lonely on the road.
  If he is the KEY that can reveal the truth about the 
  Spider Knight, he brings it up only if he hears the name 
  “Fialla Nooran,” which he recognizes as the well-known 
  bandit calling herself the Spider Knight. He doesn’t 
  know anything about the detonation/recorder, but he 
  knows enough about the Spider Knight to suggest that 
  the PCs have likely been lied to.
  Alternatively, if the characters don’t specifically 
  mention their mission, Veridon tells them about 
  a floating island called Berenock that is in need of 
  help because an outlaw called the Spider Knight is 
  attempting to seize its throne.
  Loot: If Veridon learns that the PCs are going after 
  murdens, he offers them an occultic cypher in the 
  form of a complex device that disrupts murden 
  thoughts. This device, when activated, affects all 
  murdens within long range. It cancels their telepathic 
  powers so they cannot communicate with each other 
  or create the mental “static” that harms others. In 
  addition, the difficulty of all actions involving them 
  is modified by one step to their detriment. These 
  effects last for one hour, but once the cypher is 
  activated, it cannot be moved or the duration ends 
  immediately. Veridon will sell it to the PCs for only 10 
  shins. He hates murdens.
  
  THE SPIDER KNIGHT
  If you have time, read “More Details” on page 34 for 
  information and ideas to enhance this scenario.
  BERENOCK
  Although it floats high in the sky, the tiny “land” of Berenock is easy to reach. 
  The Narsen family lives just below Berenock and uses three niacali ferries to 
  transport goods and travelers all day long (but not at night). They charge 1 shin 
  per person for passage. Niacalis are creatures—part fish, part hot-air balloon—
  that carry gondolas up and down as they swim through the air, spurred by riders 
  with red-hot crops.
  If the PCs travel to Berenock, anyone they meet there might be the KEY that can 
  reveal the truth about the Spider Knight.
  If Berenock has the KEY that gives access to the Spider Knight’s tower, it can be 
  obtained only if the PCs let it be known that they want to help oppose her. In 
  that case, a young woman with a mech arm named Hua (level 3, subterfuge and 
  lockpicking as level 4) offers to guide them to the tower and show them how to 
  sneak in through a secret entrance in the back, which she found not long ago 
  while gathering information.
  THE SPIDER KNIGHT’S TOWER
  Reveal Show ’Em G (page 75) to the players.
  The Spider Knight can be found in an isolated 
  structure miles away from Berenock. She’s taken 
  up residence in an ancient tower made of shifting 
  sections of a ceramiclike synth and glass. She uses 
  only the bottom level, as it’s the only part where the 
  walls, floors, and ceilings don’t move. The upper 
  levels are very dangerous.
  Outside the tower, two trained houndlike beasts with 
  orange scales and leathery frills (level 2; Armor 2) 
  and their master (level 3; Armor 1) stand watch. Their 
  master has a crossbow.
  The occupied level’s interior is mostly one large 
  room that the bandits use for a barracks, a 
  storeroom, and a communal area. The only separate 
  areas are the Spider Knight’s quarters and a 
  reception room where she is likely to meet with the 
  PCs if they come to the tower peacefully.
  A dozen bandits (level 2; Armor 1) dwell here 
  currently. Each has a melee weapon and a ranged 
  weapon, as well as 2 shins.
  If the KEY is here, the Spider Knight’s true identity 
  becomes obvious at this point.
  THE SPIDER KNIGHT
  Reveal Show ’Em H (page 75) to the players.
  The Spider Knight is not automatically hostile unless 
  attacked. However, she is imperious and arrogant, 
  quick to take offense, and mean when she’s angry.
  The Spider Knight wears an energy gauntlet artifact 
  with a depletion of 1 in 1d20, and a helmet artifact 
  that reduces the difficulty of all perception tasks by 
  one step with a depletion of —. She also has two 
  random cyphers and 25 shins.
  If the KEY is here, it is an injector in her personal 
  bedchamber.
  Spider Knight: level 4, perception and deception 
  as level 5; health 20; Armor 3; inflicts 5 points of 
  damage with her sword; blasts cell-disrupting energy 
  from her gauntlet for 5 points of damage up to short 
  range; can make both attacks as a single action
  GM Intrusion: If seriously injured, the Spider Knight 
  produces a cypher that allows her to turn invisible and 
  go out of phase, which she uses to escape. However, 
  she leaves behind her armor and equipment.
  
  34
  of about two hundred, but in an all-out 
  invasion scenario, they might have closer to 
  five hundred fighters (although some will 
  be quite old, quite young, or not entirely 
  capable).
  The people of the tiny kingdom raise 
  crops and tend raefruit trees. They have a 
  mostly vegetarian diet, but the occasional 
  trader brings meat and fish from the land 
  below. Craftspeople in Berenock make 
  various objects out of the unique crystal 
  that is prevalent in the land.
  The folk of Berenock have few facilities 
  for visitors, as they hardly ever get any. They 
  are insular but not unfriendly. Perhaps their 
  most remarkable qualities are their unity 
  and their steadfast allegiance to each other 
  and to Berenock, which might stem from 
  when the previous generation overthrew 
  their evil queen (the Spider Knight’s great-
  grandmother).
  LIKELY COURSES OF ACTION
  The flow of this scenario can go many ways.
  The PCs do as they’re asked and call it a 
  day. This is the path of least involvement. 
  The characters get paid to do a relatively 
  easy job and then move on. This course of 
  action will make for a short adventure.
  The PCs do as they’re asked, and then 
  decide to help the Spider Knight further. 
  After the characters obtain the viral bomb, 
  Orrudis (without clueing them in on 
  everything) invites them to help “Fialla, 
  the true heir” take her throne by force. 
  Perhaps the PCs continue to be misled into 
  thinking this is all a good deed, or perhaps, 
  ultimately, they don’t care about such things 
  and just want to get paid.
  The PCs discover early that the Spider 
  Knight is evil. This can happen in many 
  ways—from Veridon, from the murden 
  chief, by examining the viral device, or 
  through questioning Orrudis. At this point, 
  they’ll probably either turn against her to 
  help Berenock or not get involved at all.
  The PCs discover late in the game that 
  the Spider Knight is evil. This likely happens 
  after visiting Berenock or the Spider Knight. 
  Again, at this point, the characters will 
  probably either turn against her to help 
  Berenock or just leave.
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  THE SPIDER KNIGHT
  Fialla Nooran has had a difficult life, and 
  it has made her cold, violent, and power-
  hungry. As her pseudonym and armor 
  styling suggest, she has an affinity for 
  spiders. Fialla is very smart—she’s a 
  devious planner and schemer who hates 
  anything she cannot possess or control. If 
  she is denied something that she desires, 
  she would rather see it destroyed. The 
  pain and misfortunes of others satisfy and 
  invigorate her.
  Without her armor, Fialla is a rather 
  unremarkable-looking woman with sad 
  eyes. If need be, she can play the role of 
  the rightful heir who has been denied her 
  birthright and wronged by the people who 
  stole her family’s throne.
  THE SPIDER KNIGHT’S TOWER
  This structure stood empty for unknown 
  millennia, and even now the current 
  residents occupy only the ground floor. 
  Portions of the upper levels shift and 
  change configuration, seemingly at random. 
  This means that a corridor might connect 
  two chambers one day and not the next. 
  Instead, it might connect to three chambers 
  or lead to a dead end. A chamber might 
  double in size or suddenly be without exits. 
  This makes the tower not only difficult but 
  also dangerous to use. Getting caught as 
  sections shift can mean being crushed.
  However, exploring these empty 
  chambers might be rewarding, as there is 
  numenera to be discovered. The Spider 
  Knight intends to do just that, perhaps 
  leading a small band on an expedition into 
  the upper levels, but she has yet to do so.
  BERENOCK
  Berenock is a secret little kingdom all its 
  own, and the people of the land like it that 
  way. The current ruler is the regent, Jiles 
  Bedeuin. He is an older, fit man with a tall, 
  angular frame. He is well liked and very 
  smart.
  About 1,200 people live in Berenock. 
  If need be, they can raise a fighting force 
  Jiles Bedeuin: level 4, 
  diplomacy and seeing 
  through deception as 
  level 5
  
  35
  THE SPIDER KNIGHT
  As part of her campaign to take Berenock, 
  she probably tries to obtain some kind of 
  flying craft or mounts so she doesn’t have 
  to rely on the niacali ferries. This goal might 
  lead her to try to plunder other nearby 
  locations for numenera discoveries. The 
  PCs could end up in a race against the 
  Spider Knight to find what there is to find, 
  leading into the scenarios Inside the Pyramid 
  or Please Help Us. Her desire to recruit 
  allies might likewise lead her to contact 
  the Mallah in Lost in the Swamp or travel to 
  Akkoris in Guilty!
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under time pressure).
  Perhaps the best way to make this 
  adventure work in a campaign is to have 
  the PCs either hear about or encounter the 
  Spider Knight before the scenario starts. 
  Then, when they learn that the woman 
  they’ve been hired to help is actually 
  the outlaw they already know about, the 
  revelation will have more meaning.
  In a campaign, the struggle between 
  Berenock and the Spider Knight can be an 
  ongoing concern. In fact, depending on 
  the actions the PCs take toward the end of 
  this scenario, the GM may wish to draw out 
  the final conflict so that it lasts longer, with 
  larger forces involved on both sides.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  It’s easy to place the scenario anywhere, 
  but if the GM has no preference, place 
  it in Malevich, about 40 miles (64 km) 
  southeast of Yenth. Obviously, Berenock 
  is independent from Malevich, which is 
  possible only because so few people even 
  know the island exists.
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 2 experience points 
  (XP) for discovering the truth about the 
  situation and the viral detonation. If they 
  stop the Spider Knight or help her succeed 
  in her goal, award them 2 XP. 
  If the Spider Knight survives this 
  scenario, she will not stop in her attempts 
  to take control of Berenock. If she can’t 
  use the viral detonation, she continues 
  to raise her bandit army for an outright 
  invasion. This proves to be a bloody 
  conflict. Eventually, it escalates to 
  the point where her troops march 
  under a spider banner, and she 
  manages to find and train 
  gigantic arachnid beasts to 
  serve her as well.
  Arachnid beast: level 4, 
  climb as level 8; bite also 
  carries poison that inflicts 
  4 points of Speed damage 
  (ignores Armor) if a 
  Might defense roll fails
  Malevich, page 154
  
  36
  PLEASE HELP US
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  The PCs must decide whether or not to help 
  some people trapped in a strange structure 
  in the wilderness and, if so, how to set them 
  free.
  DETAILS
  The PCs come upon a group of people 
  trapped in a half-buried structure, begging 
  for help. The characters can question them 
  and discover that they fell afoul of some 
  kind of mechanism that trapped them in a 
  large cell like a canister. There seems to be 
  no immediate way to free these people, but 
  the trapped folk suggest that there might be 
  some kind of release mechanism nearby.
  There is indeed a mechanism, found 
  within an ancient machine embedded in 
  a small rocky cliff in the woods. To get the 
  machine to produce the release mechanism, 
  it must be reconnected to a specific power 
  cell, which is also in the area. Complicating 
  things further, however, is the fact that 
  nearby yovoki use the machine as a shrine. 
  They consider it an idol, or even an avatar, 
  of their weird god.
  If the PCs can get the release mechanism 
  and return to the trapped NPCs, all is well—
  unless in their searching the characters 
  found the device the NPCs originally came 
  looking for. In this case, the freed people 
  will quickly become enemies to get that 
  device.
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • Some NPC explorers are caught in a 
  numenera trap and ask for help.
  • To find a way to open the trap, the PCs 
  will have to search the wilderness.
  • The machine in the wall holds the 
  release mechanism.
  • There is a power cell that activates the 
  machine in the wall. It’s needed to get 
  the release mechanism.
  • Yovoki abhumans live in the area.
  • The abhumans worship the machine in 
  the wall.
  STARTING POINT
  The PCs are in the wilderness, preferably 
  a wooded area, when they hear shouts 
  for help. Not far away, they spot a small 
  metal structure half buried in the earth. 
  Through small openings in the structure, 
  they can see figures inside struggling to get 
  free. There are four people inside, dressed 
  as explorers, with a variety of common 
  weapons and gear, and perhaps a few 
  cyphers.
  Yovok, page 267
  Horrik: level 4, attacks as 
  level 5; health 15; Armor 3
  Nils: level 3; Armor 1; 
  has a blowgun and a 
  knife, both poisoned 
  with a toxin that causes 
  paralysis for three rounds 
  (he has three doses)
  Tavarana: level 4, 
  influences others as level 
  5; Armor 2
  Yeri: level 3, resists mental 
  attacks as level 4; can 
  scream to produce level 4 
  constructs of solid sound 
  (no larger than a 10-foot 
  cube) that she controls.
  
  37
  PLEASE HELP US
  Yeri is a short, pale white mutant. She 
  is talkative but does whatever Tavarana 
  instructs.
  Overall, they are friendly and grateful if 
  freed. However, if the PCs have the mind 
  mastery KEY and the NPCs realize this, they 
  will do anything—including use force—to 
  obtain it.
  Loot: The group has a total of 32 shins. 
  Each NPC has one random cypher.
  They can tell the PCs the following:
  • They were wandering through the 
  woods, minding their own business 
  (lie—they were looking for the mind 
  mastery device).
  • They investigated a plain panel of metal 
  on the ground, and it opened and 
  trapped them (truth).
  • Their companion Nuemos is still in the 
  woods somewhere, but he is horribly 
  injured, mauled by a ravage bear (truth).
  • They will give the PCs all their shins (32 
  in total) if the characters find a way to 
  free them. They are sure that there must 
  be a release mechanism somewhere. 
  They will not give the PCs anything 
  before being freed. (Half-truth—they 
  will give the shins, and they could be 
  convinced to give their cyphers as well, 
  but this is a level 5 task.)
  Examining the canister/cell reveals:
  • The holes through which the trapped 
  people speak are only about 3 inches (8 
  cm) across.
  • The metal is level 8 and highly resistant 
  to physical force of any kind.
  • An access panel has a receptacle for 
  some kind of key or similar device. Using 
  this panel to open the canister without 
  the release mechanism is a level 10 task.
  Reveal Show ’Em I to the players.
  THE WRAP-UP
  If the PCs return to the cell and use the 
  release mechanism, they easily free the 
  NPCs. The trapped people are as follows.
  Horrik has a heavy crossbow and a 
  sword-staff. He is a barrel-chested, square-
  bearded, mostly honorable sort, although 
  he is full of bluster and bravado.
  Nils is tall and wiry with a patch over one 
  eye and a mech arm. He has a blowgun 
  and a knife, both of which are poisoned. He 
  rarely speaks and trusts almost no one.
  Tavarana is tall and striking, with flowing 
  robes covering her armor. She wields a 
  slugspitter artifact that inflicts 6 points of 
  damage at short range. The wise woman is 
  careful with her words, but she’s willing to 
  give orders or advice when needed.
  KEYS
  This scenario has four keys:
   The power cell that activates the machine in the wall.
   A level 8 anoetic cypher that creates a powerful cutting 
  beam. The beam cuts through anything of its level or 
  lower, but it lasts only one round and is unwieldy. The 
  beam extends 10 feet (3 m), is 3 feet (1 m) wide, and 
  inflicts 10 points of damage if used as a weapon (the 
  difficulty of using it accurately in that way is increased by 
  two steps). It could be used to free the trapped people, but 
  it would certainly cause them great harm in the process—
  there’s no way for it to cut a significant hole in the canister 
  cell and not strike at least two of the NPCs.
   Something that, when activated, provides a beacon for an 
  ancient entity whose molecules were scattered. The entity 
  is drawn to the beacon and reconstitutes itself. This 
  process takes about four rounds.
   
   The entity stands 8 feet (2 m) tall and appears to be 
  roughly humanoid, but with an opaque, multifaceted 
  crystal for a head and black synth cubes rather than 
  hands. It isn’t automatically hostile, and it can speak 
  virtually all languages, but if it is not immediately given 
  something to occupy its attention, it most likely begins 
  playing with (destroying) any and all metal objects the 
  PCs possess.
   The mind mastery device. This level 9 occultic cypher can 
  control the actions of an entire mob. Once the device is 
  active, all thinking beings of the same species within long 
  range (as long as they are already in a similar mood and 
  mindset) can be given verbal suggestions, which they will 
  try to follow as if the user were a beloved leader. This lasts 
  for ten minutes, although the final suggestion can have 
  minor, longer-lasting (even permanent) effects if desired, 
  such as “Don’t trust the woman with the red hat.”
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does not, 
  it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on the flow 
  of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer the PCs 
  eight to ten cyphers.
  Show ’Em I, page 76
  Entity: level 5; health 
  20; Armor 2; magnetic 
  powers increase the 
  difficulty of attacks with 
  metal weapons against 
  it by one step; can move 
  and manipulate metal 
  objects of its size or 
  smaller at long range—
  up to three objects at one 
  time as a single action
  
  1 mile
  1.6 km
  1 mile
  1.6 km
  NUEMOS
  Nuemos (level 3, all numenera-related tasks as level 4; 
  Armor 1) is nearly unconscious, lying in a thicket, covered in 
  deep wounds from an earlier encounter with a ravage bear. 
  His companions left him here to rest while they continued 
  on. He doesn’t know they’ve been trapped.
  If the PCs help him with healing of any kind, he recovers 
  enough to talk. He is generally friendly but very loyal to his 
  friends. He greets any opportunity to investigate or tinker 
  with numenera with enthusiasm.
  Nuemos has a leather jerkin, a buzzer, and a wide variety of 
  tools. If Nuemos has a KEY, it is a crystal that serves as a 
  power cell.
  GM Intrusion: The last time Nuemos was in a village, he 
  was given a description of a dangerous murderer, and the 
  character fits that description. Nuemos is very reluctant to 
  talk with the PCs until they convince him that he has made 
  a mistake.
  THE LONE YOVOK
  This yovok travels to the machine with a 
  sacrifice. If the PCs are stealthy as they move, 
  they might easily surprise the abhuman as it 
  hustles through the woods. Otherwise, it will do 
  its best to hide.
  If the yovok has a KEY, it is a bundle of rods of 
  different lengths bound with wire along with a 
  cobbled control panel. If not, it has a random 
  cypher.
  GM Intrusion: The yovok possesses a bound 
  bag filled with biting insects that it will hurl 
  like a detonation. All within immediate range 
  of where the bag lands must make successful 
  Might defense rolls or suffer 1 point of ambient 
  damage and lose their action coping with the 
  swarm of nasty bugs.
  Trapped Figures
  Yovoki Village
  PCs’ Approach
  PCs’ Approach
  THE RAVAGE BEAR
  Cautious, stealthy travelers can move through the woods 
  without drawing the attention of the hunting ravage bear 
  and maybe avoid it if they wish. Others will be surprised as 
  it crashes through the brush to attack.
  If the ravage bear has a KEY, it is a complex crystal device in 
  a nearby lair. The PCs might be able to find it by following 
  the creature’s tracks (a level 4 task). The lair is also filled 
  with bones.
  GM Intrusion: Another ravage bear is in the lair, along with 
  two cubs. The cubs do not pose a threat, but the adult fights 
  viciously to defend its young. The difficulty of defending 
  against its attacks is increased by one step.
  
  PLEASE HELP US
  If you have time, read “More Details” on page 40 for 
  information and ideas to enhance this scenario.
  THE YOVOKI BAND
  This small band of eight abhumans comes from 
  a village inhabited by thirty yovoki. They are 
  on their way to pay homage to the idol of their 
  god, the machine in the wall. They are hostile 
  and attack any human they see, particularly 
  emboldened so close to their holy shrine.
  If they have a KEY, it is two oddly shaped 
  crystals that must be fit together like puzzle 
  pieces to activate.
  THE SECOND CELL
  This looks like a flat panel of metal covering 
  the ground. Anyone investigating it must 
  make a Speed defense roll as the panel opens 
  and wraps itself into a canisterlike shell half 
  embedded in the ground (exactly like the cell 
  holding the trapped NPCs).
  THE RUINED GENERATOR
  Hidden by trees and plants, this metal and glass 
  dome stands 12 feet (4 m) high and 16 feet (5 m) 
  across. An opening like a triangular wedge removed 
  from the dome provides access to the interior, which 
  is filled with long-wrecked and corroded numenera 
  components. Any attempt to restore or reactivate 
  the old generator results in a burst of invisible, hot 
  radiation. All within short range must succeed on 
  a Might defense roll or move one step down the 
  damage track and break out in oozing sores.
  If a KEY is here, it is a synth component that looks 
  a bit like a flat spoon with a short handle and a 
  transparent panel in the center of it.
  Loot: Scavengers can recover 15 shins and a random 
  cypher.
  THE MACHINE IN THE WALL
  Reveal Show ’Em J (page 76) to the players.
  This is an ancient machine of twisting metal, crystal 
  shards, spinning cylinders, and clear tubes filled with 
  various liquids. The machine is mostly embedded in 
  the side of a cliff. Parts of it are concealed by brush 
  and plants that have grown up around and in front 
  of it over long periods of time. Piled on the ground 
  in front of the machine are bones, tools, and strange 
  feather-covered fetish sticks—crude offerings of 
  primitive creatures that worship the machine as a 
  god.
  The machine is level 8, but if the PCs have the power 
  cell, the difficulty of attaching it and figuring out 
  how to get the release mechanism is reduced by two 
  steps. Once the machine is activated, it ejects a long-
  handled device topped with a piece that will clearly 
  fit into the interface on the cylinder cell holding the 
  trapped NPCs. The machine actually does far more 
  than that, but it is nearly impossible for the PCs to 
  determine its full purpose.
  If a KEY is here, it is a component that must be 
  removed from the machine. This is a level 7 task; 
  failure delivers an electrical jolt that inflicts 3 points 
  of ambient damage.
  GM Intrusion: Messing around with the machine 
  results in the character being absorbed into it and 
  then ejected one minute later. The character is moved 
  one step down the damage track but has gained 
  a new random cybernetic component (treat as a 
  random mutation if desired).
  GM Intrusion: Seven yovoki arrive and fight to defend 
  their shrine.
  
  40
  but they continue to cause problems 
  nonetheless.
  THE YOVOKI
  Further encounters with bands of yovoki are 
  likely. This area is their stomping grounds, 
  and they know it fairly well. Despite being 
  crude, vile little things, they are quite 
  intelligent.
  The yovoki are wary because a ravage 
  bear or two have moved into the area 
  so close to their shrine. It is possible to 
  negotiate peacefully with the abhumans by 
  using the defeat of the dangerous animals 
  as a bargaining chip. The yovoki might 
  agree to leave the PCs alone or even help 
  them if they rid the area of ravage bears. 
  However, if the characters negotiate with 
  the abhumans, which may not be the best 
  strategy, the yovoki are very likely to betray 
  them later.
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under time pressure).
  Please Help Us is designed to be a random 
  encounter, used while the PCs make their 
  way through the wilderness on an unrelated 
  mission. This makes it very simple to drop 
  into a campaign anytime the characters 
  cross new territory.
  An interesting way to do this is to insert 
  the scenario into the middle of a task that 
  is important to the PCs. Now the decision 
  to help the trapped NPCs takes on a new 
  dimension. Taking time out to help takes 
  time away from what the characters were 
  doing and may put additional pressure on 
  them.
  However, if the GM wishes, the PCs’ 
  mission could be to look for Tavarana and 
  her crew. Perhaps they were hired by Baron 
  Vordanal after his team did not return 
  with the device they were commissioned 
  to retrieve. Alternatively, the characters 
  could be sent to find the same device 
  while knowing that they race against a rival 
  group. What do they do when their rivals 
  are caught in a trap: laugh and move on, or 
  help them out?
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  THE TRAPPED NPCs
  The group of trapped NPCs is on a mission 
  for Baron Berrich Vordanal, a local noble, 
  to obtain the mind mastery device that he 
  somehow learned of. They are fiercely loyal 
  to the baron (to the point of death, in fact) 
  but are otherwise reasonable and pleasant 
  people. They don’t want to fight or even 
  cross characters who help them, but they 
  feel strongly compelled to follow the baron’s 
  orders.
  Tavarana is the leader of the group, 
  although just barely so. Yeri and Horrik 
  follow her, although Horrik believes himself 
  to be the leader even as he does what 
  Tavarana suggests. Nils may be the weak 
  link of the group in more ways than one. If 
  someone is going to turn on the others, it 
  will be Nils—anything to save his own hide. 
  However, he’s also the most likely to turn 
  on the PCs even if they help, attacking them 
  out of distrust and fear.
  Tavarana is in love with the baron and 
  hopes to win his favor by recovering the 
  device he wants. She knows that the 
  nobleman almost certainly wants to use the 
  mind mastery device to control his people, 
  many of whom hate him. The numenera 
  device can help him solidify his hold over 
  his fiefdom. Although Tavarana doesn’t fully 
  support that sort of action, she is blinded by 
  love, and the group is loyal enough to her 
  that they are likewise blinded—all except 
  Nils, who has been promised a nice sum by 
  the baron to work with the others.
  Nuemos, Horrik’s younger brother, 
  also belongs to the group. He’s smitten 
  with Tavarana, but his obsession is the 
  numenera. When he was injured in an 
  encounter with the ravage bear, his 
  companions felt it too dangerous for him 
  to continue. Tavarana told him to keep still 
  and wait for them to return. Obviously, they 
  have not.
  THE WILDERNESS
  This whole area of the wilderness is filled 
  with the remains of an ancient structure. 
  Only bits and pieces of it have survived, 
  
  41
  PLEASE HELP US
  originally cut from the same shady cloth as 
  these dastardly thugs and killers for hire.)
  If the NPC group is alive and well at the 
  end of this session, having the PCs run into 
  them again is a great idea. Maybe they show 
  up to repay the favor when the characters 
  are in a jam. On the other hand, if the PCs 
  made off with the mind mastery device, the 
  NPCs might be the agents sent after the 
  characters. Because of the debt they owe, 
  they might not be so quick to kill the PCs 
  outright, and instead just threaten them and 
  demand the item. Eventually, however, the 
  situation will likely turn to violence unless 
  the PCs can figure out a way to avoid it.
  The characters’ further explorations of the 
  wilderness are almost certain to bring them 
  into conflict with the yovoki, particularly if 
  the PCs have defiled the abhumans’ shrine. 
  It’s also possible that ancient—and perhaps 
  damaged and perpetually confused (or even 
  insane)—automatons like disassemblers or 
  Oorgolian soldiers might be present in this 
  region due to the fact that it was the site 
  of a numenera complex long ago. For the 
  same reason, it’s likely that the area holds 
  more discoveries and numenera treasures 
  to be uncovered.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  Designed to be adapted to any wilderness 
  where the PCs find themselves, Please Help 
  Us could be placed deep in the Westwood. 
  This location suggests that, in addition to 
  all else, the PCs might have to contend with 
  the culovas, which not only try to drive the 
  intruders out of their wood, but also might 
  try to kill those trapped in the cylinder cell.
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 2 experience points 
  (XP) for freeing the trapped NPCs one way 
  or another, and 2 XP for discovering the 
  machine in the wall.
  Freed NPCs might become long-term allies 
  of the characters. Conversely, the PCs might 
  make a powerful enemy in Baron Vordanal if 
  they killed his agents or prevented him from 
  getting the mind mastery device. The baron 
  will stop at nothing to get what he wants, 
  and if the characters have the device, he will 
  send out a band of six level 3 thieves and 
  assassins with strict orders to kill them and 
  return with it. These agents all have the same 
  poison that Nils carries. (Nils, in fact, was 
  Westwood, page 137
  Culova, page 236
  Disassembler, 
  page 238
  Oorgolian soldier, 
  page 250
  
  42
  GUILTY!
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  Someone is murdering varjellen in a town 
  with a divided human/varjellen population. 
  If the killer isn’t found and stopped, 
  tensions will get worse and worse.
  DETAILS
  Tensions in the town of Akkoris are high 
  because someone—probably a human—is 
  murdering varjellen. The varjellen demand 
  justice, but if they can’t have that, they 
  want retribution. If the PCs are interested 
  in helping, they can speak with the head 
  constable, Bardan Frei.
  Bardan has a suspect—a self-proclaimed 
  varjellen hater named Orellik with a 
  history of violence. However, Orellik has 
  disappeared. If the PCs want to help, they 
  can try to find him.
  But Orellik is innocent. He knows that 
  he’s wanted for the murders and is now 
  hiding out. The actual killer is a sentient 
  mist named Nvrm. Nvrm has no special 
  predilection for killing varjellen (or, actually, 
  for killing at all) but is defending the 
  entrance to its lair, where it hopes to rest for 
  the next few millennia. It feels it must kill 
  anyone who might be aware of its lair, which 
  lies beneath Goodman’s Bridge connecting 
  the two parts of town: the varjellen part and 
  the human part.
  Nvrm cannot abide sunlight and spends 
  its time in its dark lair or beneath the bridge 
  until nightfall, when it wanders around. If it 
  notices someone lingering too long on or 
  below the bridge, it murders them.
  The PCs may start out by looking for 
  Orellik, but they’re likely to uncover 
  evidence of his innocence. And they may 
  find clues to the identity of the real killer, 
  eventually confronting Nvrm in (or just 
  outside) its lair.
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • Akkoris is a town with a human 
  population and a varjellen population, 
  although the two are mainly segregated 
  on two sides of a river.
  THE MURDERS
  There have been four murders so far.
  Murder 1: Two months ago, a varjellen named Eelos was found dead on Goodman’s Bridge. It had been 
  suffocated. (Eelos saw Nvrm and startled the creature, which reacted with violence.)
  Murder 2: The week following Eelos’s murder, the corpse of a missing varjellen named Faenouc turned up a 
  half mile downstream from Akkoris. Faenouc may have been killed before Eelos. It is difficult to tell, as is the 
  cause of death. (Faenouc was with Eelos when Nvrm attacked. They were murdered together.)
  Murder 3: Three weeks ago, the body of Qualue was found beneath the bridge, although the condition of 
  the corpse suggests that it did not fall, but instead was strangled right there. The evidence suggests that both 
  the varjellen and the killer climbed down beneath the bridge. (Qualue saw something strange happening 
  under the bridge and climbed down to investigate, where Nvrm killed it.)
  Murder 4: Two days ago, Yiaen was found dead on Goodman’s Bridge in a situation almost exactly like that of 
  the first murder. (Yiaen had figured it out and was looking for Nvrm, so the mist creature killed the varjellen.)
  Varjellen, page 121
  
  43
  GUILTY!
  taking security guard jobs, caravan guard 
  jobs, and the like. He’s mean, remorseless, 
  and bloodthirsty. He frequently hangs out at 
  the Wayward Tavern, a rough bar frequented 
  by criminals (this is a dead end—the bar 
  has no clues).
  Last, the constable provides the names 
  and addresses of two witnesses for the 
  murders—Michen and Dara—both of 
  whom provide evidence that Orellik is guilty.
  THE WRAP-UP
  If the PCs capture Orellik and bring him 
  to the constable, they’re rewarded with a 
  total of 20 shins for their trouble. However, 
  if they prove that he is not guilty, they get 
  no reward (though Orellik and his mother 
  might be able to scrape together a small 
  reward of 10 shins if pressed).
  If the PCs reveal the real murderer, 
  Bardan Frei gives them the 20-shin reward.
  • Varjellen are being murdered, and it 
  is straining relationships between the 
  humans and varjellen in town.
  • The main suspect is a man named 
  Orellik, well known for his hatred of 
  varjellen.
  • Orellik is innocent.
  • Although he conceals it, Orellik’s 
  arthritic condition has rendered his left 
  arm useless. This fact refutes most of 
  the evidence pointing at him, but he 
  doesn’t know that.
  • The real killer is a sentient mist named 
  Nvrm.
  • Nvrm is utterly alien and wants only to 
  protect the entrance to its lair under the 
  bridge as it prepares to hibernate.
  • Nvrm cannot abide sunlight and acts 
  only at night.
  STARTING POINT
  Reveal Show ’Em K to the players.
  The head constable, Bardan Frei, is a tall, 
  broad-shouldered man with a mustache. 
  He has his hands full keeping the peace 
  in town—particularly with the heightened 
  tensions—and little time to carry out 
  complicated criminal investigations. Thus, 
  he’s happy to allow the PCs to do some of 
  that work for him, although what he’s really 
  interested in is finding Orellik, whom he is 
  convinced is the culprit.
  The PCs get the basic rundown of 
  everything that is known about the murders 
  so far. They’re also given the location of 
  Orellik’s home and a bit of information 
  about him. He works as a sword for hire, 
  KEYS
  This scenario has three keys:
   Evidence that Orellik could not have been present at the 
  first murder.
   Evidence that Orellik could not have managed to pull off 
  the third murder.
   Evidence that Nvrm is the murderer.
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does not, 
  it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on the 
  flow of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer the 
  PCs eight to ten cyphers.
  Show ’Em K, page 77
  About a third of the 
  human residents of 
  Akkoris dislike varjellen 
  simply because they 
  are so different. These 
  humans do not trust the 
  visitants and find them 
  physically distasteful. 
  Some varjellen feel that 
  way about humans, but 
  the percentage is lower. 
  However, more and 
  more varjellen now fear 
  humans in the town, for 
  obvious reasons.
  Two of the encounters, 
  the Vengeful Varjellen 
  and the Fifth Murder, 
  occur whenever the GM 
  decides they do.
  
  Start
  Start
  NVRM
  Nvrm appears only if its lair is about to be discovered. Nvrm is a sentient mist 
  (level 4, Speed defense as level 5). It is immune to physical attacks except while 
  in the middle of strangling someone, in which case it takes on a semisolid state. 
  Nvrm attacks by getting into someone’s throat, strangling and choking from 
  within and without. Once it strikes, the victim must make a Might defense roll 
  every round or move one step down the damage track, if Nvrm uses its action to 
  continue to choke.
  Nvrm is very smart but does not speak any language known today. If 
  communication can be established, it might be possible to reason with it, but 
  doing so is very challenging (difficulty 7).
  GM Intrusion: (It’s very likely that this encounter takes place beneath the bridge.) 
  The character slips and falls into the river. Unless she succeeds on a difficulty 5 
  Speed-based task, she drops whatever she’s holding into the water, losing it to 
  the bottom.
  ORELLIK’S HOME
  This is a simple house, poorly kept. Orellik lives here 
  alone but has not been here for days. The door’s lock 
  is broken. The house has nothing of value, but it has 
  plenty of clues that Orellik spends a good deal of 
  time with his aged mother, who lives nearby.
  If the house is a KEY that helps prove Orellik’s 
  innocence, a very careful search (difficulty 5) 
  reveals a few receipts for caravan guard jobs that 
  he performed, including one from two months ago 
  suggesting that he was 30 miles away from Akkoris 
  the night of the first murder.
  GM Intrusion: Orellik’s landlord shows up and 
  demands that the character leave, stating that she 
  has no right to be in the house.
  GOODMAN’S BRIDGE
  The bridge is made of stone and is quite 
  old. The structure is a series of six arches 
  with a total of seven supports, all of which 
  extend down into the water, which is about 
  18 feet (5.5 m) deep near the middle (the 
  current is slow). All supports have a stone 
  “shelf” at about the waterline. The body 
  from the third murder was found on one of 
  these shelves.
  A secret passage in the northern bridge 
  support is accessible via a pivoting stone 
  about 2.5 feet (1 m) above the narrow 
  shelf. Finding the passage with no clues of 
  its existence is a difficulty 7 task. Spending 
  too much time beneath the bridge or 
  discovering the passage is likely to draw 
  the unwanted attention of Nvrm, which 
  can seep around the edges of the stone.
  ORELLIK’S MOTHER
  Orellik’s mother (level 2) is a short, kindly old woman 
  who brews tea. She knows where her son is hiding 
  out and will reveal that if the PCs seem like the sort of 
  people who might help him (difficulty 4 task to prove 
  their goodwill under the circumstances).
  If she is the KEY that provides evidence of Orellik’s 
  innocence, it is because she knows of her son’s 
  condition—his left arm is so wracked with arthritis that 
  he can barely move it. He could never climb up and 
  down the bridge, nor could he likely strangle anyone.
  DARA
  Dara (level 3) is a human female who 
  works as a laundress. The night of the first 
  murder, she saw a man running down the 
  street away from Goodman’s Bridge, and 
  her description fits that of Orellik.
  If Dara is a KEY that helps prove Orellik’s 
  innocence, she mentions that the man 
  carried a large tool—a shovel or an axe—in 
  both hands. Orellik cannot use his left arm 
  at all, meaning that whomever Dara saw, 
  it wasn’t Orellik (and, in fact, it wasn’t the 
  murderer at all, but just a man going about 
  his business).
  MICHEN
  Michen (level 3), a burly, bearded man who 
  works as a stonecutter, saw a man who 
  could have been Orellik climbing up the 
  side of Goodman’s Bridge the night of the 
  third murder.
  If Michen is a KEY that helps prove Orellik’s 
  innocence, and the PCs really grill him 
  about what he saw, he cracks and reveals 
  that he didn’t see anything. He just hates 
  Orellik. He’s still sincerely convinced that 
  Orellik is the murderer, however.
  
  GUILTY!
  If you have time, read “More Details” 
  on page 46 for information and ideas 
  to enhance this scenario.
  NVRM’S LAIR
  The secret passage beneath the 
  bridge leads down to a surprisingly 
  dry chamber below the river with 
  synth walls, floors, and ceiling. 
  Within it is a huge machine that 
  houses and powers Nvrm’s intellect. 
  Destroying it is the only way to 
  permanently kill the mist creature.
  Loot: Scavengers can take apart the 
  machine and recover 34 shins, six 
  random cyphers, and an oddity (a 
  synth ball that rolls around on a flat 
  surface of its own accord).
  IORTHALIN
  An old man who frequently walks 
  along the river around sunrise, 
  Iorthalin saw Nvrm at the bridge the 
  night of the fifth murder. Iorthalin 
  walks stooped with a cane, has no 
  teeth, and talks very slowly.
  THE FIFTH MURDER
  This encounter takes place when the GM feels it would be best, 
  preferably in the morning after the fifth murder (which happens at 
  night).
  Another strangled victim is found near Goodman’s Bridge, but this 
  time it’s a human female, eventually identified as Margie Chanalas. She 
  was killed by Nvrm for lingering too long on the bridge (she was, in 
  fact, contemplating suicide by jumping off of it).
  After this, Constable Frei seriously doubts that Orellik is the killer, 
  and the town is very confused, which heightens tensions rather than 
  decrease them.
  THE VENGEFUL VARJELLEN
  Reveal Show ’Em L (page 77) to the players.
  This encounter comes to the PCs, rather than the 
  other way around. When the GM feels it would 
  be best, an angry varjellen named Araios (level 4; 
  Armor 1) finds them. It is accompanied by a creature 
  it calls the Fuerall, a dangerous fur-covered beast 
  with multiple clawed limbs (level 4, Speed defense 
  as level 3 due to size; health 22; makes two attacks 
  as one action). Araios has discovered that the PCs 
  are looking for the murderer and demands that they 
  reveal the killer’s identity immediately so that it can 
  exact vengeance. If the characters do not comply, 
  it threatens to kill them and will try to carry out its 
  threat unless reasoned with or appeased. However, 
  Araios will not fight to the death.
  ORELLIK
  Orellik (level 4; Armor 1) hides out in the back of a tavern called the 
  River’s Edge owned by an old mercenary buddy, Rollo (level 4, Speed 
  defense as level 5). Orellik is likely to bolt if confronted, possibly 
  leading to a chase through the streets and alleyways. He’ll also fight if 
  cornered, wielding a sword in his good hand.
  Orellik is bald, scarred, and ugly. He is crude, vicious, and self-serving. 
  But he’s innocent of the crimes of which he has been accused.
  As a KEY to show his innocence, during a physical confrontation 
  with Orellik, a PC notices that he doesn’t use his left arm. In a verbal 
  interaction, he might reveal that he was not in Akkoris at the time of 
  the first murder. And if it will clear him of suspicion, he reveals the 
  secret of his useless arm, although he fears it will also mean the end of 
  his career as a sword for hire.
  GM Intrusion: Rollo moves in to defend Orellik or distract the PCs 
  while his friend gets away.
  THE VICTIMS
  Most of the victims’ homes, families, and friends offer few clues to the 
  identity of the murderer, although finding and investigating them all 
  takes a lot of time.
  If the victims offer a KEY to the identity of the real murderer, it comes 
  from the housemate of Yiaen, the fourth victim. The varjellen had been 
  staking out the bridge, hoping to catch the murderer. It kept seeing 
  a strange mist around the bridge and eventually believed that it was 
  some kind of creature that killed people. Yiaen told its housemate, 
  Uraesh (level 3), all its theories before its death. Uraesh is now afraid to 
  talk about it (difficulty 5 to get the information).
  GM Intrusion: Even though Uraesh clearly has something to tell 
  the character, it refuses to do so until its resentment of humans is 
  overcome.
  
  46
  emotionless demeanor, but Araios is the 
  perfect example that such is not always 
  the case. It is determined to put an end 
  to the senseless killing and has decided 
  to use force to resolve the matter. Being 
  nonhuman, its approach likely seems a bit 
  off-kilter.
  Araios is a respected hunter and tracker 
  in the varjellen community—an up-and-
  coming leader amid its people.
  NVRM
  The entity known as Nvrm is a being that 
  may have been solid aeons ago. Its mind is 
  not so much stored within the machine in 
  its lair as sustained by the machine. Without 
  the mist cloud, Nvrm has no consciousness 
  until the machine can generate a new one, 
  which takes months.
  THE INVESTIGATION
  The PCs might follow up on apparent leads 
  that are not covered in this scenario. Such 
  leads yield nothing of value (unless you 
  decide, on the fly, to fit them in as one of 
  the KEYS). But dead ends are part of any 
  investigation and help pace the scenario. 
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  AKKORIS
  Akkoris is a town of about 7,000 humans 
  and 1,000 varjellen. The town’s leadership is 
  and always has been human—the varjellen 
  joined the community later and for the most 
  part are content to remain separate and 
  distinct.
  The ruler of Akkoris is Coshanla Tranor, 
  the young daughter of the previous leader. 
  She is very intelligent but inexperienced 
  and, like about a third of the humans 
  in town, has a prejudice against 
  varjellen, considering them strange, 
  incomprehensible creatures.
  The tensions in the town since the 
  murders began have divided the two 
  populations even more than usual. The 
  two peoples conduct little trade. They don’t 
  speak to each other. Most residents avoid 
  the bridges. A few altercations have broken 
  out, requiring the constables to intervene.
  ARAIOS
  Varjellen are known for their calm, almost 
  Coshanla Tranor: level 3
  
  47
  GUILTY!
  and it follows the same process—watching 
  for any locals that might be aware of its lair 
  and killing them. However, if many people 
  now know of its existence, Nvrm’s renewed 
  murder spree might be far more widespread 
  the second time around. The PCs might 
  need to return to help save Akkoris yet 
  again.
  Even if the machine was destroyed, 
  an actual varjellen-hating maniac could 
  decide to rebuild it to “resurrect” Nvrm 
  so that the creature can resume killing 
  visitants. Of course, Nvrm begins killing, 
  but indiscriminately. To stop it this time, 
  the PCs must find or build a different 
  device that can penetrate a force field in 
  place around the machine. This leads to a 
  search for components, perhaps involving the 
  scenarios Inside the Pyramid or Please Help Us.
  The only risk is that the PCs get too bogged 
  down in such things.
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under time pressure).
  Using Guilty! in a campaign allows the 
  luxury of insinuating the PCs into the 
  situation slowly and more organically. 
  The characters come to Akkoris and are 
  occupied by other matters. All that time, 
  though, they hear about the murders and 
  sense the rising tensions. An old friend 
  and merchant in the town talks about how 
  business is being ruined by the fear and 
  distrust. Eventually, the PCs are drawn into 
  the investigation, but by that time they 
  know some of the people involved—the 
  witnesses, perhaps, or even the accused 
  Orellik. In fact, the conflict could be 
  heightened if the characters know and 
  dislike Orellik.
  As a part of a larger campaign, this 
  scenario could be spread out a bit. The 
  hunt for the killer might hit a dead end, for 
  example, at which time the PCs get involved 
  with something else. Later, a new clue 
  appears and drags them back in.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  Akkoris could be located almost anywhere, 
  but barring all other considerations, it lies 
  about 20 miles (32 km) south of Luigolamis 
  in the Pytharon Empire, on the Sadara River.
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 2 experience points 
  (XP) for exonerating Orellik and another 2 
  XP for discovering the true killer.
  If Nvrm is exposed, the tensions between 
  humans and varjellen in Akkoris calm down, 
  and no one forgets that they have the PCs to 
  thank for that.
  If the machine that sustains its mind is 
  left functioning, Nvrm will live again, and 
  hunting down the PCs in revenge is not out 
  of the question. More likely, however, the 
  creature once again prepares to hibernate, 
  Pytharon Empire, 
  page 161
  
  48
  LOST IN THE 
  SWAMP
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  A child is lost in a dangerous swamp and the 
  PCs must find her—except that she’s not lost 
  at all, but involved with a strange cult.
  DETAILS
  Dariale was a precocious child at age 8. 
  By age 12, she would slip away from her 
  family’s farm and head into the wilds of 
  the nearby swamp for an entire afternoon 
  alone. Today, she is 14, and her most recent 
  foray into the swamp has lasted three days. 
  Her family is distraught, and when the PCs 
  happen by, they hear the tale of woe.
  Heading off into the mire, the PCs find 
  clues that lead them to a hunter named 
  Cheosoph. He can inform them that Dariale is 
  not “lost” in the swamp at all. If anything, she 
  is its master—or will be, if she can pass a trial 
  held somewhere to the north called the Mire 
  Sanctum. Cheosoph doesn’t know where it is 
  exactly or what the trial involves, but he’s wary 
  of it, and perhaps even of Dariale.
  When the PCs finally find the Mire 
  Sanctum, they find an organization called 
  the Mallah. These are humans who have 
  the essence of some past time imbued 
  within them, and now they carry out the 
  MALLAH
  Occasionally, in the vicinity of a small swamp, a human is born with just the right traits to be affected by 
  the environment—breathing the air, drinking the water, eating the local plants and animals—and become 
  something more than a normal human. Apparently through some numenera process, creatures from the prior 
  worlds designed this effect so that they could create a legacy of preprogrammed individuals to carry out some 
  unfathomable plan.
  The altered humans have banded together in the swamp at a site called the Mire Sanctum. They gather in 
  secret, reject traditional human associations, and call themselves the Mallah. People tend to think of them as 
  witches and sorcerers.
  The Mallah are compelled to do things that they don’t understand. Sometimes it is a matter of tending 
  the Mire Sanctum, gathering plants or animals, or singing strange songs with words that no one (including 
  themselves) can understand. Sometimes it involves gathering strangely colored stones found throughout the 
  swamp. They also each have what seems to be a supernatural power. These abilities include:
  • Charm Animals (always has a level 3 animal companion, can call another as an action every other round)
  • Foresight (defense tasks as if two levels higher)
  • Great Strength (related tasks as if two levels higher; deal 3 additional points of damage in melee)
  • Mental Strike (short range, target suffers 2 points of Intellect damage that ignore Armor and cannot act for 
  one round)
  • Out of Phase (move through solid objects, immune to non-energy attacks, cannot affect solid matter)
  • Pyrokinesis (short range, target bursts into flame, taking 4 points of ambient damage per round until 
  extinguished)
  • Sense Through Others (long range, use the senses of any other creature—not an action)
  • Teleportation (long range, self only, usable each round as an action)
  The Mallah are humans 
  born in the area 
  around the swamp, 
  where local conditions 
  have been designed 
  to subtly alter their 
  genetics to control them 
  with preprogrammed 
  instructions.
  
  49
  LOST IN THE SWAMP
  THE WRAP-UP
  Either the PCs convince (or force) Dariale 
  to come home, or they don’t. The trip out 
  of the swamp (with or without her) might 
  include an ambush of six Stratharian war 
  moths as a group GM intrusion, depending 
  on the pacing needs of the scenario.
  If Dariale is reunited with her family, she 
  is left unfulfilled almost no matter what. 
  Her family, however, is grateful to the PCs 
  and rewards them with food, 12 shins, 
  and an anoetic cypher: a level 10 canister 
  of fireproofing spray (can be used on a 
  nonliving object, giving it +10 to Armor 
  against fire damage for 28 hours).
  preordained wishes of creatures that lived 
  in the area millions of years ago. Dariale is 
  in the middle of a trial to see if she can join 
  their ranks. She doesn’t want to go home. 
  The PCs have to decide what to do next.
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • Dariale is 14 years old and has been 
  missing for three days.
  • Dariale has wandered into the swamp 
  before.
  • Cheosoph is a hunter in the swamp who 
  might have information about where 
  Dariale is.
  • To find Dariale, the PCs must find a 
  place called the Mire Sanctum.
  • The Mire Sanctum is home to a group 
  called the Mallah, who have special 
  powers and compulsions linked to a 
  past civilization that dwelled in the area.
  • Dariale is attempting to join the Mallah 
  and has no desire to go home.
  STARTING POINT
  The PCs meet Kaldour and Nin (both level 
  3), the parents of Dariale. Kaldour is very 
  sick and struggling to provide food for his 
  family while Nin cares for their other three 
  children, all younger than Dariale. Nin is 
  distraught at the thought of losing her 
  oldest daughter, and the entire family is 
  suffering without Dariale to help her parents 
  care for and support everyone.
  Kaldour is a trapper. He has a chronic 
  cough and old age is getting the better 
  of him. Nin is much younger and quite 
  capable, but there’s too much to do without 
  Dariale to help.
  KEYS
  This scenario has four keys:
   A clue that leads the PCs to Cheosoph.
   A clue that leads the PCs to the Mire Sanctum.
   A plant that poisons a character with its spores, making 
  it impossible to breathe air—only water. A lungful 
  of water lasts for ten minutes. After that time, the 
  character moves one step down the damage track every 
  two minutes until he dies or he takes another lungful 
  of water (and breathing water moves him back up the 
  damage track).
   An antidote for the poisonous spores.
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does not, 
  it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on the 
  flow of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer the 
  PCs eight to ten cyphers.
  Stratharian war 
  moth, page 261
  
  GIANT SERPENT
  This creature (level 4) is 30 feet (9 m) long and has a head more 
  like a crocodile than a snake. Its venomous bite inflicts 3 points of 
  Speed damage as well as 4 points of Might damage. The creature 
  also exudes an odor that affects all within immediate distance. 
  Those failing a Might defense roll are caught up in a reverie that 
  precludes any action other than attempting a new Might defense 
  roll each round to shake it off. These characters are automatically 
  struck by the serpent’s bite if attacked.
  If the serpent is the antidote KEY, one of its organs holds the 
  remedy, although determining this is a difficulty 4 task.
  GM Intrusion: The serpent entwines the character in its coils, 
  making it impossible for the PC to move unless she uses an action 
  to attempt a Might-based task to get free.
  1 mile
  1.6 km
  1 mile
  1.6 km
  Kaldour and 
  Nin’s House
  THE SLURPING PIT
  This hazard is an area of ground about 
  20 feet (6 m) across that is really a 
  12-foot-deep (4 m) pit filled with peat 
  and sludge. A character walking into it or 
  even standing near it will get drawn into 
  its pull. Once caught, a character has five 
  rounds to get out or she will be pulled into 
  the mire, at which point she will drown or 
  suffocate in another three rounds.
  If the KEY leading to Cheosoph is here, 
  it is that the hunter shows up at the 
  pit to help trapped characters (see his 
  encounter for more info).
  If this encounter offers the KEY that is a 
  poisonous plant, it is a white flowering 
  plant that grows around the pit and 
  floats freely on the surface of the water, 
  spraying spores even as characters are 
  sucked into the mire.
  THE SEER
  Nelusah (level 5) is a long-haired young 
  woman with wild eyes and a glowing 
  metal disk on her cheek. She wanders the 
  swamps collecting herbs and plants for 
  various concoctions she makes, some of 
  which are medicinal and some of which 
  are hokum. Her cabin is not far away.
  Nelusah is welcoming and generous. She 
  has seen Dariale before but doesn’t know 
  where the girl is. If Nelusah has the KEY, 
  she will recommend talking to Cheosoph 
  and reveals where he can be found, but 
  probably only if the PCs trade a cypher for 
  some of her concoctions.
  GARGAROS
  Gargaros (level 5, Speed defense as level 4 due to size and speed; 
  health 20; Armor 1) is a hulking humanoid with bulging muscles 
  covered in ritual scars. His first instinct is to attack, but it’s possible 
  to convince him to stop and talk—food is a powerful motivator for 
  him. He’s not smart and has a limited vocabulary, but the Mallah of 
  the Mire Sanctum consider him an ally, or at least a tool.
  If Gargaros is the KEY leading to the Mire Sanctum, it’s because 
  his scars are a sort of map of the swamp, and the Mire Sanctum is 
  marked with a special symbol.
  If this encounter offers the KEY that is a poisonous plant, it is a white 
  flowering plant that grows in the area where Gargaros is found. 
  GM Intrusion: In the middle of a peaceful interaction, something 
  unexpectedly enrages Gargaros, and he attacks.
  
  LOST IN THE SWAMP
  If you have time, read “More Details” on page 52 for 
  information and ideas to enhance this scenario.
  CHEOSOPH
  Reveal Show ’Em M (page 78) to the players.
  Mounted astride his giant, tentacled beast (level 4; Armor 1; 
  makes two attacks as one action), Cheosoph (level 4, attacks 
  with his crossbow as level 5; Armor 2) hunts the swamp. He 
  makes his living selling the hides and meat of the creatures he 
  bags to the surrounding villages.
  He’s not automatically hostile, but he is extremely wary of 
  strangers in the swamp, and those asking after a young girl are 
  likely to increase his suspicions.
  Cheosoph befriended Dariale long ago, and he knows that 
  she has gone off with the Mallah. He knows a little about 
  that group, considering them a strange cult of sorcerers and 
  witches. Dariale, he believes, is bewitched by them, but—if 
  the PCs really get on his good side—he might reveal that what 
  he fears is that she’s actually a witch herself. He doesn’t know 
  where the Mallah are, other than that they roam the eastern 
  portion of the swamp. Even if the PCs convince Cheosoph to go 
  with them, his fear of witchcraft will cause him to react violently 
  if they encounter the Mallah, and he will flee within two or three 
  rounds.
  Loot: Cheosoph has two random cyphers and an oddity.
  MIRE SANCTUM
  Reveal Show ’Em N (page 78) to the players.
  In a swampy glade, a series of growths almost 
  like tentacles rise up around an altarlike stone 
  with a synth pipe extending out of it.
  Six Mallah (all level 3) are here, conducting 
  a ritual trial to induct a new member—
  Dariale. Using enhanced sensory abilities, 
  they know the PCs are coming (unless the 
  characters took extraordinary measures, 
  like approaching invisibly or teleporting in).
  Also present is the Mallah leader, Wittenash 
  (level 5; Armor 3), a powerful man with long 
  hair and an eye tattoo on his forehead. His 
  Armor comes from a protective force field 
  around him at all times.
  Dariale (level 2) is here, undergoing a ritual 
  to test her powers and nature. She doesn’t 
  want to go home. If the PCs want to return 
  her to her parents, they must interrupt the 
  ritual and steal her away or convince her to 
  come with them. Either way, the Mallah will 
  oppose the characters, although they don’t 
  want outright violence in the sanctum if 
  they can prevent it.
  Convincing Dariale to leave is a level 5 
  task. If possible, the Mallah try to sway her 
  to stay, requiring that the PCs try again to 
  convince her, this time a level 6 task.
  MALLAH GUARDIANS
  The area around the Mire Sanctum is 
  well patrolled, and the PCs probably have 
  to deal with one of the groups. A patrol 
  consists of three Mallah (all level 3; Armor 
  1). Each of them has one of the following 
  powers:
  • Pyrokinesis: short range, target bursts into 
  flame, taking 4 points of ambient damage 
  per round until extinguished
  • Foresight: defense tasks as if two levels 
  higher; armed with a bow and an axe
  • Mental Strike: short range, target suffers 
  2 points of Intellect damage that ignore 
  Armor and cannot act for one round
  The Mallah will not permit outsiders to 
  reach the Mire Sanctum without the special 
  permission of their leader, Wittenash.
  If they possess the antidote KEY, it is an 
  herbal powder they have in their packs.
  Loot: Each guardian has a random cypher 
  and 4 shins.
  THE METAL TREE
  Standing alone in a glade, a banyan tree of glistening white metal 
  radiates light as if it were on fire. The tree emits radiation that 
  restores vitality. Anyone making a recovery roll within immediate 
  distance of the tree gains double the normal number of points back. 
  However, a second recovery roll made in the same area results in 
  too much energy—the character does not recover any points, and in 
  fact takes 3 points of ambient damage.
  A skeleton lies near the tree with the remnants of clothing and gear. 
  Two shins and a serviceable sword are near the corpse.
  If the tree is the KEY to the Mire Sanctum, it comes in the form of a 
  map scrawled on dirty cloth in the skeleton’s pack, showing the way 
  to the location.
  If the antidote KEY is here, it is in the form of an edible blue flower 
  that grows around the roots of the tree.
  Loot: Three random cyphers and an oddity can be scavenged from 
  the tree, but only if the tree is destroyed.
  
  52
  take these ceremonies very seriously. The 
  Mire Sanctum is sacred to them, although 
  they don’t know precisely why. They avoid 
  any kind of violence there if possible.
  The Mire Sanctum’s strange features 
  (including the tentaclelike growths and the 
  synth pipe projecting from the stone) are 
  remnants of the same technologies that led 
  to the gifts and compulsions of the Mallah.
  DARIALE
  Explaining how much Dariale’s family needs 
  her is a good way to convince the girl to 
  leave the swamp and return home.
  Dariale’s power is potent. The swamp 
  around her responds to her emotions. 
  When she’s sad, it rains. When she’s angry, 
  the wind blows and the animals nearby 
  become enraged. Most of the time, these 
  effects are merely cosmetic in the game, 
  but in the end, all events within long range 
  unfold as she desires. In other words, if 
  Dariale wants something to happen, the 
  difficulty of anyone attempting that task 
  is decreased by one step. If she doesn’t 
  want it to happen, the difficulty of that task 
  is increased by one step. For events that 
  don’t involve a conscious actor (such as 
  something blowing in the wind), assume 
  that things go her way unless they seem too 
  big to affect.
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under time pressure).
  Rather than the PCs just happening by, 
  Kaldour, Dariale’s father, might be an old 
  comrade of one of the characters. In this 
  case, his illness is the result of some prior 
  adventure gone wrong, and the PC owes 
  him a debt because of it. When Dariale 
  disappears, her father calls in the favor and 
  gets his friend to come help.
  Alternatively, perhaps the Mallah draw 
  the PCs into the scenario. Having heard 
  about the mysterious “cult” and their 
  supposed connection to the prior worlds, 
  the characters seek them out, hoping to get 
  answers about an important issue related 
  to other campaign events. Only on their 
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  THE SWAMP
  The swamp is lush and wet, filled with 
  biting insects, lizards, snakes, and birds of 
  all kinds. Bioluminescent insects of various 
  sizes are common, as are bioluminescent 
  fish swimming in the shallow waters, giving 
  the whole place an eerie glow despite the 
  tree canopy blocking sunlight.
  NELUSAH
  A self-proclaimed seer, Nelusah believes she 
  can see the future and brew magic potions. 
  Dramatic and confident, she sprinkles 
  enchanted powders and chants magic 
  spells wherever she goes. She does not take 
  mockery or intimidation well, and she can 
  defend herself quite capably if need be.
  Nelusah is not one of the Mallah, 
  although she wishes she were. The Mallah 
  reject her, for she does not have their 
  hereditary manipulation.
  CHEOSOPH
  Cheosoph is afraid of magic and witchcraft, 
  so he avoids both Nelusah and the Mallah. 
  He’s a very capable hunter and quite self-
  sufficient.
  It’s likely that more tentacled creatures 
  like the beast he uses for a mount live in the 
  swamp. Capturing and training one as he 
  did is a task that requires a full year.
  THE MALLAH
  An order of witches and sorcerers, the 
  Mallah are individuals who have been 
  shaped by forces across the aeons for 
  reasons unknown. They do things they don’t 
  understand, but feel as though they are 
  guided by some sort of divine hand. Unlike 
  most humans, they believe, they are special. 
  Blessed, even. This sets them apart, as do 
  their “magical” gifts.
  Although not inherently malicious, the 
  Mallah have no compunction against 
  killing or stealing from non-Mallah. Mainly, 
  however, they just want to be left alone.
  Over the years, the Mallah have created a 
  vast array of rituals and dogmatic beliefs to 
  help explain their nature and situation. They 
  
  53
  LOST IN THE SWAMP
  Sanctum, or both. A band of six Mallah 
  track down offending PCs a few days later. 
  Two of them carry cyphers that, when 
  thrown to the ground, cause a tendril-like 
  plant (a level 4 creature, precisely like those 
  seen in the Mire Sanctum) to grow and 
  attack all within immediate distance for 
  ten rounds. These vengeful Mallah don’t 
  worry about subtlety when trying to kill the 
  PCs. They are unafraid to make their attack 
  anywhere—even in the middle of a busy 
  town square if that’s where their targets 
  happen to be.
  Dariale will never be happy back at home, 
  the tug of her destiny (her genetically 
  modified programming) too strong to 
  resist. Soon, she will likely run off again to 
  join her people. However, if she stays in 
  (or returns to) the Mire Sanctum, she will 
  find it hard to distance herself from other 
  humans the way other Mallah have, for her 
  family is always in her thoughts. If the PCs 
  encounter her again, they will find in her 
  either a potential ally among the Mallah or 
  a dissatisfied, resentful girl among normal 
  humans.
  approach to the swamp do the PCs hear 
  about the missing girl, and only later do 
  they find that the two missions are closely 
  related.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  This scenario is written from the perspective 
  that the (never named) swamp is a small, 
  innocuous mire that the GM can place 
  almost anywhere. But if the GM has no 
  preference, the swamp is located in the 
  Cape of the Maw in northern Ghan. It could 
  also be transplanted into the Caecilian 
  Jungle.
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 2 experience points 
  (XP) for finding Dariale (whether they get 
  her to come back or not), and 2 XP for 
  discovering at least something of the nature 
  of the Mallah.
  Crossing the Mallah is dangerous. 
  Wittenash is a vengeful sort and will go 
  to great lengths to get Dariale back, get 
  revenge on any who tread into the Mire 
  Sea Kingdom of 
  Ghan, page 145
  Caecilian Jungle, 
  page 181
  
  54
  MOTHER 
  MACHINE
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  The PCs must locate and shut down a 
  machine spawning dangerous creatures 
  that are threatening the lives of settlers in a 
  forested wilderness.
  DETAILS
  The PCs witness an attack by a horrible 
  creature on a fellow traveler on the outskirts 
  of the village of Dirus. If the characters 
  intervene, they likely save the traveler’s 
  life. The survivor, Radan Sheb, explains 
  how awful creatures have been attacking 
  and killing people in the area. The PCs 
  soon learn that everyone in Dirus is in a 
  heightened state of fright and agitation. If 
  the characters offer to help, Elder Brall (the 
  village’s leader) promises them a reward—
  Dirus has a supply of cyphers that Brall is 
  happy to let the PCs look through if they 
  succeed.
  If the characters investigate, they 
  assemble clues (some obvious, some 
  subtle) that lead them to a clearing in 
  the wilderness where Mother Machine 
  is located. There, the PCs can attempt to 
  decommission the sentient numenera 
  mechanism or follow up on some of the 
  more subtle clues and try to talk to the 
  machine. If they destroy the machine, 
  the attacks on the villagers stop. If they 
  successfully negotiate with it, the PCs learn 
  something that turns what they thought 
  they knew on its head.
  The Real Story: A race of outlaw entities 
  known as the cinomar are experts at 
  avoiding detection by humans. Their 
  method of staying hidden is devious: they 
  replace victims with cinomar duplicates.
  Mother Machine, a protective device from 
  the prior worlds, learned of the cinomar 
  infestation in the wilderness near Dirus. 
  Dirus, with a population 
  of fewer than two hundred 
  people, is probably located 
  in a wooded area in 
  the Steadfast, but any 
  forested wilderness will do.
  
  55
  MOTHER MACHINE
  THE WRAP-UP
  If the PCs confront Mother Machine and 
  deal with her without learning the deeper 
  truth, the adventure is a wrap. Things return 
  to “normal” in Dirus (and the cinomar 
  secret remains safe).
  If the PCs learn the truth about Mother 
  Machine, they can choose to return to 
  town and eliminate the cinomar duplicates 
  that remain, possibly with the aid of the 
  scanning KEY and tarza lent to them 
  by Mother Machine. Alternatively, the 
  characters can leave Mother Machine to her 
  task.
  She is attempting to stop it by fashioning 
  custom biological creatures called tarza to 
  hunt down and kill cinomar. The tarza have 
  a sixth sense when it comes to tracking 
  down cinomar duplicates.
  For their part, the duplicates do not 
  immediately realize they’ve been specifically 
  targeted by the tarza. When the scenario 
  begins, the cinomar believe that everyone in 
  Dirus is equally at risk from the “monsters.” 
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • Dirus is a village that sees little traffic, as 
  it is not on any major trading routes.
  • The inhabitants of Dirus are afraid 
  for their lives, fearing attacks from 
  nightmarish creatures called tarza.
  • The tarza are constructs of Mother 
  Machine.
  • The tarza won’t directly attack the PCs 
  or anyone else who is not a cinomar 
  duplicate; however, if attacked by the 
  characters, the tarza will fight back.
  • At first, the duplicate cinomar 
  inhabitants of Dirus do not realize that 
  the tarza are specifically targeting them.
  • The PCs can conclude the adventure—
  and apparently defeat the threat—
  without ever learning the real story 
  about the tarza, the cinomar, and 
  Mother Machine.
  STARTING POINT
  Reveal Show ’Em O to the players.
  The PCs are traveling in the forested 
  wilderness near Dirus. Either a few days 
  beforehand or near the outskirts of Dirus, 
  they meet a fellow traveler named Radan 
  Sheb. As the PCs and Radan draw near the 
  rough wooden walls of Dirus, a tarza bursts 
  from the trees and attacks. If the characters 
  leave it alone, the tarza attacks Radan; if 
  they attack it, the tarza attacks them in 
  return (which means that if the PCs gain 
  initiative, Radan may never come under 
  direct attack).
  If the PCs are interested in helping out, 
  they can speak at further length with Radan or 
  Elder Brall (the village leader), who both have 
  thoughts regarding the nature of the attacks 
  and what might be done to stop them.
  KEYS
  This scenario has three keys, two of which are probably sources 
  of information, and one of which is probably an object. Only 
  the first key is required for the PCs to achieve “success” in 
  finding and defeating Mother Machine.
   Knowledge of (or some kind of map describing) the 
  location of Mother Machine’s clearing.
   Knowledge that the tarza are selective in picking their 
  victims. (Knowing why they’re selective isn’t necessarily 
  part of this key.)
   Something that can scan living creatures, revealing 
  a telltale blue glow in certain cases. Only cinomar 
  duplicates glow blue in the scan, but that may not be 
  clear at first.
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does 
  not, it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on 
  the flow of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer 
  the PCs approximately six to eight cyphers.
  Show ’Em O, page 79
  Radan Sheb: level 4; 
  melee tongue lash attack 
  deals poison damage; 
  attacks only if attacked 
  or revealed as a cinomar 
  duplicate
  Tarza: level 4; health 
  18; Armor 1; short-range 
  psychic attack deals 3 
  points of damage and 
  ignores Armor; tentacle 
  attack deals 5 points of 
  damage and holds target 
  immobile until target 
  succeeds on a Might-
  based roll to break free; 
  victims who are cinomar 
  duplicates are injected 
  with poison that causes 
  eventual coma and death 
  unless treated; detonates 
  when killed, inflicting 
  4 points of damage 
  to all creatures within 
  immediate range
  
  DIRUS
  A rough wooden stockade surrounds Dirus, 
  which sits within a forest of trees and hilly 
  terrain. Most residents are trappers, hunters, 
  and gatherers. A small tradehouse in town offers 
  rooms to travelers, food, and a place for visitors 
  looking to buy furs and other needful things.
  ELDER BRALL
  Elder Brall (level 3, tasks related to leadership as level 5) is drawn to any 
  commotion in town, and she may find the PCs even if they don’t come looking for 
  her. Silver haired, 6 feet (2 m) tall, slender, dignified, and not a cinomar duplicate, 
  she doesn’t know anything about the cinomar. She does know that the tarza are a 
  problem that need to be dealt with.
  If Elder Brall possesses the KEY that is knowledge about the tarza, it’s only a theory 
  she’s developed. She guesses that some people just have tastier blood than others, 
  the same way that some people draw more biting insects.
  If she possesses the KEY that can scan creatures, it’s a device like a square piece of 
  transparent synth. She salvaged it from the corpse of a defeated tarza and gives it 
  to the PCs. She doesn’t know for sure what it does.
  If Brall has no KEYS, she’s still helpful. She offers the PCs a reward if they help and 
  tells them to speak with the Leblan widow, who lost her husband to the tarza, or to 
  visit a site outside of town where a tarza was defeated.
  GM Intrusion: If the PCs interact with Elder Brall a second time after at least a 
  day has passed, and after they’ve learned of the cinomar problem, she has been 
  replaced with a duplicate in the meantime.
  RADAN SHEB
  Radan Sheb is a trader who lives alone in Dirus. 
  He is apparently in his twenties, charming, and 
  dark haired, and he has a way with words.
  If Radan has the KEY, it’s not something he 
  consciously knows. It’s only revealed through 
  questioning by the characters. The KEY is 
  actually an unwelcome revelation to Radan, 
  which perceptive PCs might note: “This isn’t the 
  first time I’ve been attacked. A week ago, a tarza 
  burst from the trees, completely ignoring Galken 
  Cutter to go for me . . . wait . . .” If the PCs press 
  the issue, he says he doesn’t know why he’d be 
  selectively chosen.
  If Radan doesn’t have the KEY, he doesn’t make 
  the connection that the tarza are targeting 
  cinomar duplicates, and instead offers to 
  accompany the PCs to help deal with the 
  problem. He suggests that the characters talk to 
  Elder Brall, who probably knows more, or maybe 
  Galken Cutter, who was also attacked.
  GM Intrusion: Radan was poisoned in the 
  Starting Point tarza attack (no one realized it 
  at the time) and passes out. Unless someone 
  makes a successful difficulty 4 Intellect-based 
  roll to heal him, he lapses into a coma and dies.
  HADORM
  Hadorm (level 5; melee tongue lash attack 
  deals poison damage; attacks only if attacked or 
  revealed as a cinomar duplicate) liked to keep to 
  himself even before he was replaced; now he’s a 
  cinomar duplicate. He’s older, short, and slightly 
  flabby. If Hadorm has a KEY, he reveals it only 
  under extreme duress. Otherwise, he doesn’t 
  answer any of the PCs’ questions, telling them to 
  stop bothering him.
  GM Intrusion: If Hadorm thinks the PCs are on 
  to him, he suddenly attacks them with his lashing 
  tongue.
  
  MOTHER MACHINE
  GALKEN GONE HUNTING
  If the PCs didn’t encounter Galken (level 5) in 
  Dirus, they could try to track him down in the 
  wilderness (a difficulty 4 Intellect-based task). 
  Unlike in town, he might now have a KEY, having 
  recently run across something fairly terrifying 
  (Mother Machine) in a clearing several miles east 
  of Dirus.
  GM Intrusion: If Radan Sheb is with the PCs, he 
  arranges for an accident to befall Galken Cutter.
  GALKEN CUTTER
  Galken (level 5) is a tough old hunter with no 
  hair and a huge nose. He is cantankerous and 
  not happy with company. He’s not a cinomar 
  duplicate and has no KEYS.
  However, he was instrumental when a tarza was 
  killed north of town, and he will give the PCs 
  directions to where he left the corpse, telling them 
  to check the body themselves if they’re so curious.
  GM Intrusion: Galken is not home; he’s off 
  hunting in the wilderness. Tracking him down is a 
  difficulty 4 Intellect-based task.
  SITE OF TARZA DEFEAT
  The PCs likely defeated a tarza when the adventure started; however, 
  they didn’t learn anything from investigating the aftermath of its 
  defeat. For some reason, the tarza that Galken Cutter defeated about 
  a half mile north of town malfunctioned and didn’t blow up. If the PCs 
  look over the corpse and attempt to salvage numenera, they might 
  find devices that serve as the KEYS. Even if the corpse possesses no 
  KEYS, the characters can still salvage three cyphers from it.
  GM Intrusion: If Radan Sheb is with the PCs, another tarza attacks; 
  otherwise, the salvaging finally causes the dead tarza to explode (a level 
  4 attack), inflicting 4 points of damage to all within immediate range.
  LEBLAN WIDOW
  Nowa Leblan (level 2) is old and wiry, beset with grief at the loss of her 
  trapper husband, Tarn Leblan. If questioned about Tarn, she describes 
  how lately—just before he was killed—he never seemed to need much 
  sleep and was much calmer than his usual ornery self. (She doesn’t 
  know that Tarn had been replaced with a cinomar duplicate.) His 
  body was never recovered. If she has a KEY, it’s in the form of vague 
  directions to where her husband used to like to trap: “in a clearing half 
  a day’s hike east of Dirus; follow the crick upslope.”
  If Nowa doesn’t have a KEY, she tells the PCs they should talk to 
  Hadorm, who keeps a large garden on the south edge of Dirus. She 
  says Tarn and Hadorm had become close friends recently, and maybe 
  he knows something.
  GM Intrusion: If one of the PCs says anything that could possibly be 
  construed as a slight against Tarn, Nowa clams up and won’t talk 
  until mollified.
  If you have time, read “More Details” on page 58 for 
  information and ideas to enhance this scenario.
  MOTHER MACHINE
  Reveal Show ’Em P (page 79) to the players.
  If the PCs approach the clearing east of Dirus, 
  they hear strange gurgling noises and are just in 
  time to view Mother Machine disgorge a wriggling 
  cocoon, from which emerges another tarza. If 
  attacked, Mother Machine (level 5, Speed defense 
  as level 2 because of near-immobility; Armor 
  3; long-range psychic attack deals 4 points of 
  Intellect damage) and the tarza she just birthed 
  defend themselves.
  If the PCs attempt to negotiate, opening 
  communication is a difficulty 3 task. But if they 
  are successful, Mother Machine describes (via 
  a tarza) what she was made for: eliminating 
  the cinomar infestation. She gives the PCs a 
  numenera device that serves as the scanning 
  KEY and asks them to help her track down and 
  eliminate the infestation—or, failing that, to let 
  her get back to her task without interference.
  
  58
  CINOMAR DUPLICATION
  Each cinomar duplicate exactly resembles 
  the person it has replaced, so even relatives 
  and spouses are fooled (though people 
  closest to the replaced victim note minor 
  personality shifts). Cinomar spread when 
  an active duplicate attacks a sleeping or 
  otherwise helpless humanoid victim with a 
  lashing tongue, which also implants a small 
  egg in the wound. The egg is a packet of 
  cinomar nervous tissue, which takes root 
  and replaces the victim’s tissue over the 
  course of fourteen to twenty-eight hours. 
  When mature, a dormant cinomar mind 
  wakes in the victim and the duplication 
  is complete, which means there is no 
  additional body of the original victim to 
  find.
  MOTHER MACHINE
  Mother Machine is part of a prior-world 
  security system activated by the cinomar’s 
  arrival. In fact, the mechanism in the 
  forest clearing isn’t Mother Machine 
  Prime, but only an instance of her that was 
  recently built by nanobots. That instance 
  is dedicated to locating cinomar and 
  destroying them with tarza. But Mother 
  Machine Prime, whatever and wherever that 
  is, has wider concerns, many of which are 
  incomprehensible to humans. In this case, 
  those concerns happened to align.
  TARZA
  Tarza (see the stats on page 55) are built 
  specifically to destroy cinomar duplicates. 
  Their poison affects only the duplicates. A 
  poisoned cinomar usually resists the toxin 
  for hours or days before suddenly collapsing 
  in a coma and dying of high fever (unless 
  treated). It’s possible that the alien nerve 
  fiber could be burned out of a duplicate, 
  thereby restoring the original victim.
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under time pressure).
  Instead of merely wandering by, the PCs 
  might be in the area because they’ve been 
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  THE TRUTH
  If the PCs never learn about the duplicates, 
  that’s all right. The adventure becomes a 
  straightforward creature hunt, and that’s 
  satisfying. If the PCs do learn the truth, but 
  only after an extended period of play, the 
  revelation could make a good cliffhanger 
  to end the session on. If you wish, you 
  can pick up the story again in a future 
  session if the characters want to mop up 
  the infestation, making use of the previous 
  material plus information provided here and 
  in Further Development. Or you can wrap 
  up “offscreen,” letting the PCs know that 
  thanks to their efforts, the infestation was 
  stemmed.
  
  59
  MOTHER MACHINE
  they may decide to be thorough and scan 
  everyone in Dirus. If they do so, in addition 
  to the duplicates already described, they 
  uncover two more instances of cinomar 
  infestation.
  ADRAN’S HOUSE
  No one answers the door, but Adran, a 
  strapping man in his forties with sandy 
  gray hair, is found unconscious on the 
  floor of the main room. When first scanned 
  with the device, readings are inconclusive. 
  That’s because he is still in the process of 
  changing—he was injected with a cinomar 
  egg several hours earlier, and the foreign 
  nervous tissue is still spreading inside 
  him. In an hour or two, if given the chance, 
  Adran will wake up as a cinomar duplicate. 
  Quick thinking by the PCs and specialized 
  skills or items might be enough to reverse 
  the change. If they save Adran, award each 
  character 1 XP.
  GM Intrusion: Adran unexpectedly wakes 
  while a PC is trying to heal him and goes for 
  a stranglehold on that character.
  ERRON FAMILY HOUSE
  The four members of the Erron family 
  (mother, father, and two brawny sons) are 
  all cinomar duplicates. If the PCs come 
  knocking with the KEY that scans creatures, 
  all the Errons attack at once.
  GM Intrusion: A PC attacked by a tongue 
  lash is implanted with a cinomar egg and 
  faces a duplication event in her own body.
  exploring an extensive set of prior-world 
  ruins. Either their investigations lead to the 
  cinomar infestation, or they find evidence 
  of the cinomar awakening in the ruins and 
  follow a trail of tarza destruction to Dirus.
  PRIOR-WORLD RUINS
  A series of ruins lies not far from Dirus, 
  which some of the trappers and hunters 
  probably know about. The ruins contain 
  the numenera, and explorers might find 
  cyphers, oddities, and perhaps artifacts.
  But farther in and deeper down, the ruins 
  also contain vessels of cinomar eggs, as 
  well as cinomar duplicates that are not 
  humanoid at all but completely alien in 
  form. It’s possible that the cinomar are a 
  viral vector responsible for bringing one of 
  those prior civilizations down, or maybe 
  they’re just a strange experiment lost to 
  time. They’re dangerous either way.
  GM Intrusion: A cinomar duplicate 
  in the body of a callerail (level 7) bursts 
  through a containment wall and attacks 
  a PC. In addition to the abilities noted for 
  the callerail, the creature also has a lashing 
  tongue attack able to implant cinomar eggs.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  This scenario is suitable in any location that 
  includes a tract of woods big enough to 
  require at least a few days of travel to cross. 
  However, Mother Machine is particularly 
  suited to the Westwood, a vast, lush, and 
  verdant forest that dominates the coastline 
  of Navarene. It’s known for ancient 
  redwoods that stretch taller than any other 
  trees in the Steadfast.
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 2 experience points 
  (XP) for finding Mother Machine. Each PC 
  should earn a further 2 XP if they learn the 
  truth of Mother Machine’s presence, and 
  perhaps another 1 XP each if they actively 
  help her clear out the infestation in and 
  around Dirus.
  If the PCs learn about the cinomar 
  duplication, especially in conjunction with 
  gaining the KEY that scans creatures, 
  Callerail, page 234
  Westwood, 
  page 137
  Adran: level 4; melee 
  tongue lash attack deals 
  poison damage; attacks 
  only if revealed as a 
  cinomar duplicate
  
  60
  FROM HERE TO
  SANGUINITY
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  The PCs encounter a priest who asks for 
  their help in rebuilding a religious altar and 
  rescuing two fellow priests.
  DETAILS
  The PCs come upon a woman named Rodia 
  perched on the edge of a cliff, frantically 
  attempting to rebuild a strange device, 
  which she calls the Altar of the Sanguine. 
  Rodia and two men named Tesir and Molan 
  are the priests of their respective villages, 
  and every year the three of them separately 
  make the long trek to meet here to worship 
  Sanguinity, hoping to keep their villages safe 
  and prosperous. As part of the ceremony, 
  their god pulls them through the device to 
  the nearby butte, where they perform rituals 
  of thanks and sacrifice.
  Sanguinity is a giant creature that seems 
  to be made of or covered in crimson 
  bubbles. It lives at the bottom of a large pit 
  in the middle of the butte.
  This year, when Rodia arrived, she found 
  Tesir’s and Molan’s belongings but no 
  priests, and she discovered the altar was 
  damaged and missing two pieces. Typically, 
  she and the other priests can communicate 
  with each other using telepathic devices 
  when they are within a mile of Sanguinity, 
  but she hasn’t been able to reach them.
  Rodia believes they might have started 
  the ceremony without her for some reason, 
  and now that the altar is damaged, they 
  cannot find their way back. She asks the PCs 
  for help repairing the altar and retrieving the 
  priests.
  The PCs can follow the trail to recover the 
  missing pieces of the altar so that Rodia 
  can repair the device. They can also perform 
  the ritual with her and travel to the butte; 
  however, she says they must find and bring 
  their own object to sacrifice to the god.
  THE REAL STORY
  Although Rodia doesn’t know it, the altar 
  is a device that acts as both a teleportation 
  device and a telepathic conduit. Once it is 
  repaired, it will allow everyone within the 
  area to hear each other’s thoughts, and it 
  will open the way for them to teleport to 
  Sanguinity.
  Sanguinity is not at all what the priests 
  believe it to be. Rather, the god they have 
  been worshipping for so long is an ootheca 
  full of eggs that have been incubating for 
  centuries and have just now hatched. While 
  the eggs were mostly dormant, their 
  telepathic and teleportation powers were 
  limited. Now that the hatchlings are free 
  and hungry, their telepathic pull is strong 
  enough that the creatures in the area heard 
  their call for food and attempted to respond 
  to it, most likely destroying the device in the 
  process.
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • A priest named Rodia needs help 
  repairing a numenera device that she 
  calls the Altar of the Sanguine, and then 
  rescuing her fellow priests.
  • To find the missing pieces of the altar, 
  the PCs will have to follow clues left by 
  the creatures that destroyed it.
  • Once the device is repaired, if the 
  PCs have a sacrificial object, they can 
  perform the ritual and go with Rodia to 
  try to retrieve the priests.
  
  61
  FROM HERE TO SANGUINITY
  • If the PCs agree to help her, she will 
  happily include them in her ritual so 
  that they can also worship and receive 
  Sanguinity’s blessing of safety and 
  prosperity.
  Examining the area nearby reveals the 
  following.
  • A trail of silver circles in the dirt that 
  look like metallic drops of blood lead 
  away from the edge of the cliff.
  • A series of large, three-toed footprints 
  lead toward the device and then away.
  • If the PCs talk and search for more than 
  ten minutes, they likely hear a terrible 
  howl, a bellowing sound that seems to 
  make their very bones shudder.
  • Large colonies of long-winged, long-
  beaked birds constantly circle overhead 
  and down below.
  THE WRAP-UP
  PCs who find the missing pieces of the 
  device discover that Rodia can quickly repair 
  the altar and go to find the other priests.
  If the PCs decide not to accompany her, 
  they can say farewell to Rodia, who gives 
  them two random cyphers in thanks for 
  their assistance.
  If they do go with her, they can attempt to 
  rescue Tesir and Molan. One priest is under 
  the power of the brood, and the other has 
  been thrown to the hatchlings for food.
  • The “god” they have been worshipping 
  is actually an ootheca full of eggs that 
  have just begun to hatch.
  • The priests are being held captive by the 
  creatures hatching from the eggs, and 
  the PCs must find a way to free them.
  STARTING POINT
  The PCs are in a dry desert area with lots 
  of crags and buttes. They may hear an odd 
  noise and follow it, or they may just come 
  upon a woman working frantically on a 
  numenera device along the edge of a cliff. 
  Spread out before them, the land dips away 
  into a few buttes and large, deep sinkholes 
  that dot the landscape. Big, long-winged 
  birds fly overhead and below.
  The woman is dressed in a silver suit 
  and lots of gear that seems conducive to 
  desert traveling, and it’s clear that she’s 
  experienced with the device she’s working 
  on.
  Her name is Rodia and she tells the PCs 
  the following:
  • She is a priest of a village, and she 
  and two other priests named Tesir 
  and Molan make long treks from their 
  respective villages to meet here every 
  year. They come to worship Sanguinity 
  and offer sacrifices to keep their villages 
  safe and prosperous.
  • They perform a complex ceremony using 
  a device, which she calls the Altar of the 
  Sanguine, allowing their god to hear 
  them and transport them to a nearby 
  butte, where their god lives.
  • Her god is a giant creature that seems 
  to be made of or covered in crimson 
  bubbles. It lives at the bottom of a large 
  pit in the middle of the butte.
  • This year, when she arrived, she found 
  the equipment of the other two priests 
  strewn about and the altar damaged. 
  She believes they might have started the 
  ritual without her, although she doesn’t 
  know why, and that now they cannot 
  return.
  • She has mostly been able to repair the 
  altar, but it requires additional work, and 
  two pieces are still missing.
  KEYS
  This scenario has three keys, all of which are objects.
   The part of the device that signals Sanguinity, allowing 
  the god to “hear” the priests as they worship at the altar.
   The second of two power sources for the device.
   Something for the PCs to offer Sanguinity as a sacrifice. 
  The item can be made of any material, dead or alive, but 
  must be round(ish), bright red, and at least the size of a 
  human head.
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does 
  not, it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on 
  the flow of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer 
  the PCs eight to ten cyphers.
  Rodia: level 3, repairing 
  and using the numenera 
  as level 5; Armor 2
  
  Rodia and Altar
  Starting Point
  Rodia and Altar
  Starting Point
           THE INJURED YOLPEN
  PCs will likely hear the yolpen’s terrible howl long 
  before they see it. If they follow the sound, they 
  will find, in one of the area’s few copses of trees, a 
  large, six-legged elephantine creature lying on its 
  side. Although the yolpen (level 5; Armor 2) might 
  attempt to attack the PCs to protect itself, it’s clear 
  at a glance that the creature is in terrible pain due to 
  something lodged deep in the pad of its foot.
  Yolpens can speak a pidgin version of the Truth, and 
  if the PCs attempt to communicate with it, it asks 
  them to remove the object from its foot (a level 3 
  task) and promises not to harm them.
  If the yolpen has a KEY, it is the object they remove— 
  a round rod made of metal with a crescent-shaped 
  piece attached to the top of it. Alternatively, if the 
  PCs kill the yolpen, the creature’s red heart is large 
  enough that it could be offered as a sacrifice.
  GM Intrusion: As the PCs are attempting to remove 
  the device, the yolpen accidentally lashes out at the 
  character due to pain.
  CADENTA NEST
  As the PCs follow the drops and spatters away from 
  the cliff, they may notice the occasional incandescent 
  purple and blue feather floating in the air. Upon 
  searching the ground nearby, they uncover a well-
  camouflaged cadenta nest half buried in the ground. 
  If they disturb the nest, a pair of long-winged, long-
  billed cadentas (level 3, Speed defense as level 4 due 
  to speed) swoops down.
  If the nest holds a KEY, it is a fist-sized, shiny green 
  device that appears to shake and rattle of its own 
  accord.
  GM Intrusion: As the PCs are taking or holding the 
  KEY, a cadenta flies in and grabs at it. The character 
  must make a Speed defense roll to hold onto the 
  KEY. Regardless, the cadenta continues to attack.
  KNOSIAN CAVERN
  Knosian Cavern is more of a hole in the side of a cliff than an actual 
  cavern. If the PCs follow the metallic path of droplets, it leads them 
  here. Inside the hole, the trail of drops is thicker and more regular.
  The hole is square, about 3 feet by 3 feet (1 m by 1 m), and goes about 
  4 feet (1.2 m) deep before it opens into a dark, round room that is 
  only slightly larger than the hole. Inside, a small metallic creature—1 
  foot (0.3 m) high and about half that in diameter—appears to be 
  melting. Long streams of metal drip from it, and it almost sounds as 
  if it’s panting. Attempts to communicate with the creature fail, and it 
  doesn’t attack or even move if approached.
  If the cavern holds a KEY, it’s a large round plate of red metal that 
  appears to be stuck to the creature’s side, as if it tried to use the plate 
  to patch that part of its body together. Removing the KEY intact is 
  a level 3 task. The creature is small enough that the characters may 
  decide to take it with them. Repairing it is a level 6 task, requires 
  someone with cold or ice skills or equipment, and takes about an 
  hour. If the creature is repaired, it will follow the characters around, 
  repeating random things that it mishears them say.
  
  FROM HERE TO SANGUINITY
  If you have time, read “More Details” on page 64 for 
  information and ideas to enhance this scenario.
  THE ALTAR OF THE SANGUINE
  Reveal Show ’Em Q (page 80) to the players.
  Once the missing pieces are returned to Rodia, she quickly 
  completes the device (a level 5 task). In that moment, both the 
  teleportation and telepathic abilities of Sanguinity start to return. 
  Any PCs with telepathic abilities will likely hear it first—a soft, 
  sing-song voice. The call urges the characters to come to it, and 
  those who can’t might start to feel antsy and anxious. Resisting 
  the telepathic call is a level 3 task. Once a character resists, he is 
  immune until he goes through the device. Rodia is also immune 
  to the call. In fact, she can’t hear it at all and may be confused 
  about what the PCs are experiencing.
  The ritual that Rodia performs requires her to hold the device 
  with both hands and move it in a complicated pattern while 
  uttering a few words in a tongue that is unknown to the PCs. 
  Then she clicks the two pieces together three times, and the 
  device comes to life.
  She offers to send the PCs through one at a time, and then follow. 
  Characters who agree to go will be shrouded in dazzling blue 
  sparks and lightning and then completely disappear.
  GM Intrusion: Instead of sending the PC to the proper location, 
  the device sends an electric shock through the character, dazing 
  her for one round.
  GM Intrusion: A feathered bearlike creature (level 3; Armor 1; bite 
  deals 4 points of damage) hears the telepathic call of Sanguinity 
  and comes charging at the device.
  FED TO THE BROOD
  Reveal Show ’Em R (page 80) to the players.
  If the PCs travel through the device, they arrive on the far 
  butte, which is bare except for a floating stone structure. 
  Beneath this structure, in a deep indent in the ground, the 
  hatchlings lie in wait. There appear to be thousands of the 
  creatures, some still in the process of hatching, others not 
  yet hatched.
  In the pit with them are at least two bodies that have been 
  stripped of flesh, and Molan (level 3), who appears to be 
  still alive.
  The PCs also find Tesir (level 3; Armor 1), who is clearly 
  under the power of the brood’s telepathy. There are signs 
  of a struggle, and it seems clear that Tesir stripped Molan 
  of his clothes, tied his arms and legs, and tossed him into 
  the pit to be eaten. Tesir ambushes the incoming PCs, 
  attempting to do the same to them.
  Here, the brood’s telepathic call urges listeners to feed 
  it by whatever means necessary (level 4 Intellect defense 
  task to resist). Overriding the brood’s existing mental hold 
  on a PC is a difficulty 4 Intellect-based task.
  The hatchlings attack, biting and clawing the skin from 
  their prey (level 3, mental control as level 5, Speed defense 
  as level 4 due to size).
  Rodia, though immune to the brood’s call, is probably so 
  shocked to discover that her god is something else entirely 
  that she might not be much help to the PCs, at least for 
  the first few minutes.
  If the PCs go back through the device without subduing 
  the brood, it’s likely that upon their return to the original 
  butte, they will encounter any creatures still being drawn 
  to the device by the brood’s call.
  MAN OR BEAST
  The characters may happen upon a tall, wiry man named Altin (or 
  he may attempt to ambush them and steal their supplies). Altin 
  (level 3; Armor 2) has been alone in the desert for a long time and 
  has lost much of his humanity, turning to brutality and thievery to 
  satisfy his basic needs. Even his ability to communicate is limited. 
  However, if given something useful or even shiny, he might offer 
  information, although how true or useful it is might be difficult to 
  discern.
  Things he might divulge include the following.
  • The “talking stick” at the top of the butte is dangerous; that’s why 
  all the big beasts attacked it and why he has stayed away, even 
  though he believes he’d find food and supplies up there.
  • He has a metal friend named Vern who follows him around but 
  who must be invisible because he hasn’t seen the little guy lately. 
  If the PCs have fixed Vern (the metallic creature from the cavern) 
  and brought it along, Altin is so delighted to see his friend that he 
  will not attack them and will do his best to help.
  • He has seen six humans “go blue” and not come back.
  If the man has a KEY, it is a large red pack stuffed with items 
  that he has scavenged and stolen. Inside the pack is a small blue 
  saucer with holes drilled in it, which could be another KEY.
  Loot: The pack is mostly full of junk, but it also contains two 
  random cyphers, 5 shins, and a 50-foot (15 m) ball of synth cable 
  that sticks only to itself.
  
  64
  nearly impossible to see, although some 
  people hear its telepathic urges as it flies 
  overhead. This has given rise to its mythical 
  status, as most people consider it to be 
  more bogeyman than real, and most will 
  look askance at anyone who says he can 
  hear the minder’s call. They are sometimes 
  also known as thought-eaters.  
  THE DESERT
  This entire area is pocked with large holes 
  plunging deep in the ground and equally 
  large circular bits of land rising up from 
  the surface. Looking at it from atop one 
  of the buttes leaves the impression that 
  something scooped these perfect circles out 
  of the ground and deposited them nearby.
  Most of the buttes feature something 
  unique at the top of it—a floating square 
  obelisk, a tree in the shape of a woman’s 
  face, a giant blue orb that rolls around the 
  edge of the butte but never rolls off, and 
  so on. The same is true of the holes in the 
  ground; they go deep and are full of nooks 
  and crevices that possibly haven’t been 
  explored.
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  THE SANGUINITES
  Rodia, Tesir, and Molan are Sanguinites, 
  part of a larger religious order that has 
  long worshipped Sanguinity, a multiplicity 
  of gods that they believe brings good luck, 
  prosperity, health, and safety to their people.
  Every year, many of these priests make 
  the trek from their villages to the closest 
  Sanguinity for worship and sacrifice. 
  Although no one knows how many gods 
  there are, it’s likely that at least two dozen 
  exist in crater-dens around the world.
  THE BROOD
  The newly hatched brood are the young of 
  a creature known as the minder. However, 
  because the incubation period is so long 
  and the adults look so little like the young, 
  most people do not realize that they are the 
  same creature. 
  The minder, about the size of two open 
  hands put together, has deep purple fur and 
  two sets of leathery wings. Nocturnal, it is 
  Minder: level 3, mind 
  control as level 5, Speed 
  defense as level 4 due to 
  stealth
  GMs who have the 
  Ninth World Bestiary 
  could easily substitute a 
  bellowheart (page 24) for 
  the yolpen.
  
  65
  FROM HERE TO SANGUINITY
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 2 experience points 
  (XP) for getting the teleportation device to 
  function.
  The PCs may have made some long-term 
  allies in the priests (and, consequently, among 
  the people who live in the priests’ villages).
  Upon discovering the truth of their 
  religion, the surviving priests might forgo 
  their faith completely, continue the charade 
  so the people in their villages feel safe, or try 
  to destroy all of the remaining broods so they 
  don’t harm more people. Those who return 
  to their villages give the characters an open 
  invitation to stop by anytime. Those who try 
  to destroy the remaining broods might invite 
  the PCs to help or just ask the characters to 
  keep an eye out for such creatures on their 
  travels. Broods thrive in protected spaces, 
  such as caves, hollowed-out structures, and 
  very large, empty devices.
  PCs who choose to search for more broods 
  and destroy them may come across any of 
  the other adventures in this book as part of 
  their search.
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under time pressure).
  If desired, you can start the scenario 
  with PCs who are aware of the Sanguinites 
  and are seeking them out for another 
  reason. Perhaps they’ve been sent to find 
  priests who went missing or to retrieve 
  the teleportation device for another client 
  or another need. It’s possible that they 
  heard the brood’s telepathic call when it 
  first occurred and have been following the 
  creature’s trail ever since.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  From Here to Sanguinity is suitable in any 
  location that includes large swaths of 
  desertlike terrain. However, the landscape 
  would fit particularly well along the outskirts 
  of the Jagged Wastes or within Errid 
  Kaloum.
  Jagged Wastes, 
  page 187
  Errid Kaloum, 
  page 191
  
  66
  ESCAPE FROM
  THE OBELISK
  BRIEF SUMMARY
  A deranged nano kidnaps and infects the 
  PCs with a lethal condition. The characters 
  must find an antidote somewhere within the 
  nano’s prior-world facility before it’s too late.
  DETAILS
  An enormous prior-world obelisk hovers 
  within sight of Duzanan village. The obelisk 
  has been there “since forever,” or so the PCs 
  are told if they get a chance to ask about it. 
  To the Duzanan locals, it’s just part of the 
  normal scenery, like a cloud that never drifts 
  past. Unbeknownst to the average Duzana, 
  the obelisk is inhabited by a nano named 
  Glethran. Glethran spent years exploring 
  and slowly converting various cavities and 
  chambers within the obelisk to serve his 
  research needs. What’s more, he sometimes 
  plucks travelers passing through Duzanan 
  to serve as experimental hosts to an Iron 
  Wind-derived disease.
  At some point—perhaps as the adventure 
  begins—the PCs wake from what they 
  thought was a normal ten-hour rest. They 
  find themselves somewhere completely 
  different from where they began their rest, 
  which was possibly in or near Duzanan, but 
  The obelisk near 
  Duzanan village isn’t 
  the one shown on page 
  129 of the Numenera 
  corebook—it’s not nearly 
  as large and it doesn’t 
  produce water—but 
  it has some visual 
  similarities.
  
  67
  ESCAPE FROM THE OBELISK
  image forms, showing a male human. The 
  man—who almost seems to be standing 
  behind a pane of fogged glass—tells the 
  PCs, “I’m your host. Call me Glethran. As 
  of this moment, you have one day at most 
  before the Iron Wind-derived infection 
  I’ve given each of you transforms you 
  into a wondrously new but utterly lifeless 
  substance. Until then, have fun exploring 
  the obelisk. If you’re especially lucky, maybe 
  you’ll get free—for all the good it’ll do you. 
  I’ll be watching!”
  The chamber has four exits. All empty into 
  curved, tubelike tunnels of spongy orange 
  material.
  Reveal Show ’Em S to the players.
  THE WRAP-UP
  The Looking Glass, a level 8 device in 
  Glethran’s sanctum (which the nano 
  normally occupies), can cure the PCs if 
  they apply the proper instruction sequence 
  or connect a proper input device to it. The 
  Looking Glass can also send the characters 
  back to where they were kidnapped from, if 
  they wish. Glethran is in the chamber, and 
  the PCs must deal with him, too, though he 
  isn’t automatically violent.
  potentially anywhere; Glethran has a long 
  reach.
  Part of the nano’s experiment is to 
  observe and record the PCs’ reactions to 
  their new predicament. For their part, the 
  PCs discover that they each bear some kind 
  of weird tumor on their skin that’s slowly 
  growing larger. According to a message 
  delivered by Glethran, the tumors will 
  eventually transform each of them into 
  an unmoving solid. The characters may 
  attempt to escape from the obelisk, though 
  it would be wiser to find Glethran first and 
  force him to provide an antidote.
  SALIENT POINTS:
  • A nano named Glethran captures the 
  PCs and injects them with a slow-acting 
  “virus” that will eventually kill them 
  unless an antidote or treatment is 
  found.
  • The PCs’ best chance for survival isn’t 
  getting out of the obelisk, but finding 
  an object that will unlock a healing 
  option in Glethran’s sanctum inside the 
  structure.
  • Glethran knows the ins and outs of the 
  obelisk, and he uses that knowledge 
  against the PCs, mainly by teleporting 
  them around with his Looking Glass.
  • Glethran wants to study the PCs as they 
  change and deal with challenges, so 
  he doesn’t flee the obelisk even if the 
  characters seem to be finding success.
  • The obelisk is from the prior worlds; 
  Glethran has occupied it relatively 
  recently.
  • The PCs must find one key that renders 
  them immune to the Looking Glass 
  teleport function, and a second key that 
  will cause the Looking Glass to cure 
  them of their infection.
  • The PCs are effectively working against 
  time as well as Glethran’s machinations.
  STARTING POINT
  After a discontinuity, the PCs awake in an 
  unfamiliar chamber that is obviously of the 
  prior worlds. The discontinuity could be 
  anything—a ten-hour rest, darkness after 
  passing through an odd portal, a flash of 
  strange light, and so on. A two-dimensional 
  KEYS
  This scenario has two keys.
   Something that changes the phase of all the characters 
  at once, rendering them immune to Glethran’s Looking 
  Glass meddling. This is a dimensional effect, but it could 
  be rendered by possessing the proper knowledge or by 
  application of the proper device.
   An object or a piece of specific numenera knowledge 
  that serves as a command module or sequence 
  of instructions for the Looking Glass. Using it in 
  conjunction with the Looking Glass will cleanse the 
  infected PCs of their troublesome Iron Wind-derived 
  tumors.
  If an encounter has the potential to include a key but does 
  not, it may have a few random cyphers instead, depending on 
  the flow of the session. Overall, the entire scenario should offer 
  the PCs approximately six to eight cyphers.
  The weird tumor is a 
  metal-hard sparkling 
  silver pustule with 
  invasive veins spreading 
  slowly through a victim’s 
  skin.
  Describe the interior of 
  the obelisk as a series 
  of winding prior-worlds 
  chambers, connected by 
  ascending and descending 
  tubelike hallways that 
  are spongy and have no 
  windows.
  The image was sent 
  via one of the functions 
  of the Looking Glass, 
  a device in Glethran’s 
  sanctum. Hurting or 
  disrupting the image has 
  no effect on the nano.
  Show ’Em S, page 81
  Glethran: level 6; health 
  27; Armor 3 from an 
  esotery; long-range 
  matter-disruption 
  attack inflicts 6 points 
  of damage that ignore 
  Armor
  
  30 ft
  9 m
  30 ft
  9 m
  The Obelisk
  The Obelisk
  GLETHRAN’S SANCTUM
  This chamber is filled with numenera control panels, banks of machinery, and walls of mysterious 
  devices, but none are as impressive as the Looking Glass, which covers one wall.
  Reveal Show ’Em T (page 81) to the players.
  Glethran is here on the Looking Glass dais, though he doesn’t attack the PCs merely for finding 
  him. He wants to see whether they can save themselves from their situation—he is a dedicated 
  data gatherer. Of course, he defends himself if attacked, and he won’t permit the characters to 
  try to destroy the Looking Glass. If engaged in conversation, he indicates that the PCs may have 
  the means to save themselves, if they can find a way to program the Looking Glass in the proper 
  fashion; the nano himself has not discovered the method (though he hasn’t tried too hard).
  If it comes to a fight, Glethran uses the Looking Glass to pluck a flock of five tetrahydras he’s had 
  his eye on for just such an occasion and drop them into the midst of the PCs. If things look bleak 
  for him, the nano attempts to escape through the Looking Glass.
  WAKE UP
  The PCs are deposited in this location by Glethran 
  (using the Looking Glass), and it is where events 
  described under Starting Point occur. From here, they 
  see a total of four passages. Two are dark, faint green 
  light shines from the passage leading down, and cold 
  blue light leaks from the passage leading up.
  FLOATING OBELISK
  The obelisk is obviously of the prior worlds. The map 
  shows a cross-section view. If the PCs find a way 
  to get to the obelisk’s exterior (possibly by using a 
  phase-changer cypher or something similar), they 
  find a fairly smooth synth surface (level 8). Climbing 
  up or down its exterior is a level 5 task. The obelisk’s 
  bottom-most point is still about 1,000 feet (300 
  meters) above the rocky, mountainous ground below. 
  Since the obelisk spins slowly in place, PCs on the 
  exterior may eventually spy the village of Duzanan in 
  the distance.
  OBELISK INTERIOR
  All the obelisk chambers shown on the map are 
  composed of spongelike orange material that is 
  hard to destroy (level 7). Though some tunnels 
  may seem quite steep on the map cross-
  section, they are easy to navigate normally.
  PREVIOUS VICTIM
  A man named Kadak (level 5) is a previous victim of Glethran who 
  hasn’t yet fully succumbed to the nano’s infection. Half of Kadak’s 
  body (one arm, one leg, and half his face) has been transformed 
  to immobile, silvery metal, increasing the difficulty of all tasks he 
  attempts by three steps. Kadak says that Glethran’s image appears 
  sometimes to taunt him, and other times to pluck him from one 
  chamber and drop him into another, instantly. Kadak has given up 
  and is waiting for the transformation to complete so his suffering 
  will end.
  Kadak either knows a command phrase or possesses a device that 
  serves as the KEY. Extracting that is a difficulty 5 task, however, 
  because he has lost interest in living.
  GM Intrusion: Kadak’s touch or mere presence causes a character’s 
  own infection to advance, rendering the PC’s hand into a solid mass 
  of strange material.
  Tetrahydra,
  page 262
  
  ESCAPE FROM THE OBELISK
  If you have time, read “More Details” on page 70 for 
  information and ideas to enhance this scenario.
  DUZANAN VILLAGE
  The town of Duzanan has a population of 6,000 
  and is situated near a mountain range.
  It’s about a day’s travel from the area of the 
  obelisk. People in the town say they sometimes 
  get travelers, but most strangers who show up in 
  Duzanan seem to leave suddenly, never to return.
  THE LOOKING GLASS
  The Looking Glass (level 8) is an immovable device of vast power. 
  Someone who succeeds on a difficulty 2 Intellect-based task can 
  accomplish tasks similar to what Glethran has been able to pull off—
  as well as make a portal to most places a PC has previously visited.
  Glethran: level 6; health 27; Armor 3 from an esotery; long-range 
  matter-disruption attack inflicts 6 points of damage that ignore 
  Armor. Glethran carries a hypodermic needle with eight doses of an 
  Iron Wind-derived virus.
  GM Intrusion: The PC’s infection advances, turning half his face 
  into a solid silvery mass (one eye, half a mouth, one ear, and so on), 
  which increases the difficulty of all sensing tasks by two steps.
  Loot: About 20 shins and five random cyphers can be scavenged 
  from the chamber, not to mention the Looking Glass itself, though it 
  isn’t going anywhere.
  CREEPING SLIME
  Metallic, liquid, and amorphous, this animate slime 
  (level 5; Armor 2; can bludgeon all creatures within 
  immediate range; killed foe is absorbed) is 15 feet (5 
  m) in diameter. It is attracted to anything that shares 
  its condition, such as some or all of the PCs. It tries 
  to batter them into submission and then absorb 
  them. If the metallic ooze has either KEY, it is a 
  device left behind when the creature evaporates after 
  being killed.
  GM Intrusion: The touch of the creeping slime 
  advances the PC’s infection, giving her a third, silvery 
  arm not under her direct control.
  THE GRINDER OF INFINITIES
  A 9-foot (3 m) cube floats in this chamber, about 
  3 feet (1 m) off the floor. Each of the cube’s six 
  sides opens into an interior space that isn’t shared 
  with any of the other sides’ interiors; some sort of 
  dimensional effect is at play. Each interior space (six 
  in all) is filled with a variety of the numenera, none 
  of which are immediately obvious. Either one of the 
  KEYS might be inside, along with 20 shins, though 
  salvaging a KEY is a level 4 task.
  Entering the cube causes the numenera components 
  within to spin up to lethal velocity, and the intruder 
  must succeed on a difficulty 4 Speed defense roll 
  or take 5 points of damage. This continues until 
  someone succeeds on a difficulty 4 Intellect-based 
  task to understand the cube well enough to 
  temporarily end the effect.
  GM Intrusion: The PC becomes “lost” by falling 
  through a recursive dimensional space within the 
  cube. Finding her way back is a difficulty 4 Intellect-
  based task.
  THE GREEN WOMAN
  A female human with numenera components liberally studding her 
  skin floats in suspended animation in a transparent tube (level 8) 
  filled with green, translucent fluid. Waking the woman even briefly is 
  a level 6 task (a task Glethran has never succeeded at). If awakened 
  by the activation of the external controls, she doesn’t seem alarmed. 
  She can communicate telepathically to the PCs in the Truth. She tells 
  them that the obelisk is “still waiting.” If she has the KEY, she either 
  tells them a command phrase or mentally instructs the room to 
  produce the device from a previously hidden cavity.
  GM Intrusion: Glethran teleports one of the PCs who fails a difficulty 
  5 Intellect defense roll into one of the open cube faces of the Grinder 
  of Infinities.
  SCULPTURE OF HYPERCUBES
  A device made of dozens of yellow crystal cubes is fixed in this 
  chamber like a sculpture, shining golden light. It moves constantly, 
  so its shape is always changing. A PC studying the sculpture who 
  succeeds on a difficulty 5 numenera-related task opens a brief link to 
  the datasphere and can ask one question. If the proper question is 
  asked, the answer might be one of the KEYS.
  GM Intrusion: Glethran teleports one of the PCs who fails a difficulty 
  5 Intellect defense roll back to the Wake Up chamber.
  
  70
  GRINDER OF INFINITIES
  This object was an artifact of considerable 
  power and importance to entities of one 
  of the prior worlds. PCs skilled with the 
  numenera who really take the time to 
  study it feel that its full capabilities are 
  slumbering, perhaps beyond recall. They 
  also gain the sense that the grinder might 
  be a shifting portal to an infinity of alternate 
  times, locations, and dimensions. However, 
  the control mechanism for it is lost. If it 
  could be found and the Grinder of Infinities 
  reactivated, who knows what might be 
  possible?
  USING THIS IN A 
  CAMPAIGN
  Read this section only if you’re using the 
  scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely 
  to be under time pressure).
  If desired, you can start Escape From 
  the Obelisk with PCs who are not caught 
  unawares, but rather are traveling through 
  the region. Perhaps they were in the area 
  looking for Kadak because they want to 
  collect a 100-shin bounty on him leveled by 
  the Aeon Priests for reasons not explained. 
  Kadak disappeared in the area a few months 
  ago while investigating a floating obelisk. 
  According to the scant notes the PCs have 
  about him, Kadak thought that the obelisk 
  might contain something he called the 
  Looking Glass.
  If the characters visit Duzanan, villagers 
  questioned say they remember Kadak 
  arriving a few months before, filled with 
  questions about the obelisk. They direct the 
  PCs to talk with old Anke the innkeeper for 
  information about Kadak, or to Myran for 
  more about the Looking Glass.
  ANKE THE INNKEEPER
  Anke, a sturdy woman of middle years, 
  remembers Kadak well, since he left suddenly 
  without paying his room and board (3 shins). 
  If the PCs pay his debt, she can’t tell them 
  much more than before, other than to warn 
  them to leave Duzanan; she whispers that 
  all strangers in town tend to disappear 
  suddenly, and no one knows why.
  MORE DETAILS
  Read this section if you have time.
  INSIDE THE OBELISK
  For all Glethran’s time and study of the 
  obelisk, it has many chambers and secrets 
  that he has yet to understand, not least of 
  which is the green woman. If the PCs spend 
  more time in the obelisk, they find other 
  chambers containing more humanoids 
  similar to the green woman in stasis capsules 
  (as well as other weirdness).  All the static 
  humanoids are waiting for some event, but 
  the PCs probably can’t easily determine 
  whether that event is uncountable aeons in 
  the future, or whether it’s long past and no 
  one told the sleepers. 
  THE LOOKING GLASS
  As an immobile artifact under the PCs’ 
  control, the Looking Glass has the following 
  statistics.
  Level: 1d6 + 3
  Form: Silvery mirror framed by solid, silvery 
  humanoid forms
  Effect: Each use of the Looking Glass is a 
  difficulty 2 Intellect-based task and can 
  accomplish one of the following effects.
  1. Cause the glass to view a location the 
  user has visited before for up to one 
  minute.
  2. Cause the glass to view an individual the 
  user has seen before for up to one minute.
  3. Project an audible, two-dimensional 
  image of the user to a location or an 
  individual currently shown on the glass.
  4. Transport the user and his allies to the 
  location or into the presence of the 
  individual currently shown on the glass.
  5. Simultaneously transport up to seven 
  individuals shown on the glass to a 
  location the user has previously visited 
  (assuming none of them have been 
  rendered immune to this effect by one of 
  the KEYS).
  6. Remove any deleterious nanobot 
  infection from individuals who transport 
  themselves to another location through 
  the glass (assuming the user has obtained 
  the KEY that grants this functionality).
  Depletion: 1 in 1d20
  Anke: level 2, detecting 
  falsehoods as level 4
  
  71
  ESCAPE FROM THE OBELISK
  in some fashion or were following him to 
  collect a bounty, and 2 XP for discovering 
  the Looking Glass.
  The principal measure of success for 
  the PCs is finding a way to get the Looking 
  Glass to cleanse them of their infection.
  Further exploration of the obelisk is 
  possible if the GM wishes to flesh out the 
  interior.
  If Glethran escapes through the Looking 
  Glass, he will try to return to the obelisk 
  one day. However, before he does, he 
  might inject his remaining doses of Iron 
  Wind-derived virus into hosts in the wild 
  to see how it responds outside the obelisk, 
  potentially setting a terrible plague in 
  motion. If the PCs hear of the virus and 
  the damage it wreaks on victims, they 
  likely recognize it as quite similar to what 
  they once suffered. Since the PCs are now 
  immune and know how victims might be 
  cleansed, the characters are ideally suited 
  to dealing with the problem if they wish 
  to provide aid. This might take place in 
  Berenock, getting them involved in The 
  Spider Knight, or in Akkoris, drawing them 
  into Guilty!
  MYRAN THE HISTORIAN
  Myran is a youngish man whose left hand is 
  composed of some kind of solid silvery metal 
  that doesn’t move. If asked about the hand, 
  he shrugs and says it happened years ago. He 
  is a bit spacey: his sentences tend to trail off 
  as he’s talking, as some new vista of thought 
  occurs to him. Myran’s home is full of various 
  numenera, as well as books and scrolls. On 
  the topic of the Looking Glass, he tells the PCs 
  that it’s a local legend about a dimensional 
  doorway, through which a user can walk to 
  his heart’s desire. Most people say it’s only a 
  story, but Myran believes that if the Looking 
  Glass is anywhere, it’s up in the obelisk.
  PLACEMENT IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  This adventure is suitable in any location 
  that includes semi-mountainous terrain in 
  an out-of-the-way area, either in the Steadfast 
  or in the Beyond. However, the obelisk is 
  particularly suited to the foothills of the Black 
  Riage mountains in eastern Thaemor.
  FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
  Read this section after the session is over.
  The PCs should earn 2 experience points 
  (XP) for discovering Kadak if they help him 
  Myran: level 4, all tasks 
  related to numenera as 
  level 6
  Thaemor, page 152
  
  72
  B
  A
  
  73
  SHOW ’EMS
  D
  C
  
  74
  F
  E
  
  75
  SHOW ’EMS
  H
  G
  
  76
  J
  I
  
  77
  SHOW ’EMS
  L
  K
  
  78
  N
  M
  
  79
  SHOW ’EMS
  P
  O
  
  80
  R
  Q
  
  81
  SHOW ’EMS
  T
  S
  
  TASK DIFFICULTY
  TASK  
  DIFFICULTY
  DESCRIPTION
  TARGET 
  NO.
  GUIDANCE
  0
  Routine
  0
  Anyone can do this basically every time.
  1
  Simple
  3
  Most people can do this most of the 
  time.
  2
  Standard
  6
  Typical task requiring focus, but 
  most people can usually do this.
  3
  Demanding
  9
  Requires full attention; most people 
  have a 50/50 chance to succeed.
  4
  Difficult
  12
  Trained people have a 50/50 chance to 
  succeed.
  5
  Challenging
  15
  Even trained people often fail.
  6
  Intimidating
  18
  Normal people almost never succeed.
  7
  Formidable
  21
  Impossible without skills or great effort.
  8
  Heroic
  24
  A task worthy of tales told for years 
  afterward.
  9
  Immortal
  27
  A task worthy of legends that last 
  lifetimes.
  10
  Impossible
  30
  A task that normal humans couldn’t 
  consider (but one that doesn’t 
  break the laws of physics).
  ARMOR TYPE
  MIGHT COST  
  PER HOUR
  SPEED POOL 
  REDUCTION 
  WHILE WORN
  Light armor (1 point of Armor)
  1
  2
  Medium armor (2 points of Armor)
  2
  3
  Heavy armor (3 points of Armor)
  3
  5
  WEAPON DAMAGE
  Light weapon
  2 points of damage (reduces the difficulty of the attack 
  roll by one step)
  Medium weapon
  4 points of damage
  Heavy weapon
  6 points of damage
  CHEAT SHEET
  ARMOR
  POOLS
  Your Pool is the most basic measurement of a stat. Your three Pools 
  are Might, Intellect, and Speed.
  EFFORT
  You apply Effort when your character is really working hard to 
  succeed. Applying Effort represents pushing yourself physically 
  and/or mentally, and it costs. But for every level of Effort you apply, 
  you reduce the difficulty of your attempt by one step.
  To apply Effort, spend points from the applicable Pool:
  • 1 level of Effort: 3 points (minus your Edge, if any)
  • 2 levels of Effort: 5 points (minus your Edge, if any)
  • 3 levels of Effort: 7 points (minus your Edge, if any)
  EDGE
  When a task requires you to spend points from a stat Pool, your 
  Edge for that stat reduces the cost. It also reduces the cost of 
  applying Effort to a roll.
  ASSETS
  An asset is anything that helps in a significant way, including 
  a tool or piece of equipment, aid from another character, or a 
  circumstance that benefits the attempt.
  If your GM agrees that you have an asset, it reduces a task’s 
  difficulty by one step.
  SKILLS
  Skills represent general areas of expertise, and are defined loosely and 
  broadly. If your GM agrees that an area of training applies, it’s sort of 
  like an asset—it reduces the difficulty by one step. Some characters 
  become specialized in a skill, which reduces the difficulty by two steps. 
  See the Numenera corebook (page 25) for a list of sample skills.
  
  Crail
  Stealthy
  jack
  Crafts Illusions
  Connection
  Uraz is never fooled by your illusions 
  or affected by your trickery abilities. You 
  suspect it has something to do with the 
  mechanism fused to him. You’d like to 
  learn the limits, but you are hesitant to 
  reveal his immunity.
  During an attack by broken hounds, you 
  risked your life for Tanasia, which isn’t like 
  you. For some reason, she never seems 
  comfortable when that particular incident 
  comes up.
  Initial Link to Starting Adventure
  You were tailing Karner because of his 
  connections to someone of authority, 
  thinking that maybe you could learn 
  something useful. But he noticed you, 
  and you had to play it off as being 
  interested in the adventure instead. 
  Background
  Your best friend from childhood is now an 
  Aeon Priest. 
  TM and © 2015 Monte Cook Games, LLC.
  
  Practiced With Light and Medium Weapons
  Flex Skill
  Skill with Defense: Speed
  Practiced in Armor 
  Minor Illusion (1 Intellect point)
  Inability in movement-related tasks
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    Stealthy Tasks
  Interactions involving lies or trickery
  Esoteries or abilities involving
   
  illusions or trickery
   
  Intimidation
    
   
   
  Clothing
  Synth sleeveless tunic (light armor)
  Explorer’s pack
  Pack of light tools
  12 medium bolts
  Magnetic attack drill (level 5), page 289
  Monoblade (level 7), page 291
   10
   
   
   15
   
   
  1
   13
   
  1
   
  1
   
  2
   
  8
   1 
  1
  A metallic, halo-like disc that, once placed 
  above the head, floats there indefinitely.
  Clawed gauntlet (light) 
  -1 
  2
  Crossbow (medium) 
   
  4
  X
  X
  X
  X
  
  Etolas
  Strong-Willed
  nano
  Commands Mental Powers
  Connection
  Haro is particularly tuned into your 
  mental powers. While you’re within short 
  range of her, the two of you are always in 
  telepathic contact, and (if you were high 
  enough tier), you suspect she would not 
  be harmed by your Psychic Bursts.
  You think you saw Uraz sleepwalk 
  one time, though you wonder if it was 
  his mechanical skeleton rather than his 
  own mind that controlled him. The idea 
  worries you, because you suspect you 
  can’t affect the minds of mechanisms.
  Initial Link to Starting Adventure
  Crail told you that she had a lead on a 
  potentially lucrative information source. 
  Unfortunately, she’s since told you her 
  lead has grown cold.
  Background
  You trained for a time with a group of 
  Aeon Priests, and they still look upon you 
  with fondness. Most of them, anyhow.
  TM and © 2015 Monte Cook Games, LLC.
  
  Practiced With Light Weapons
  Onslaught (1 Intellect point)
  Ward (already figured in Armor)
  Telepathic (1+ Intellect points)
  Inability: figuring out puzzles or problems, 
  memorizing things, or using lore
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Resisting mental effects
   
  Tasks requiring incredible focus or
   
  concentration
   
  Understanding and identifying
   
  numenera
  Clothing
  A book of the numenera
  Purple head covering artifact adds 1 point 
  to your Intellect Pool (already added to 
  your Pool). If you’re ever without the 
  artifact, subtract 5 points from your 
  Intellect Pool; the points are restored if 
  you regain the item.
  Datasphere siphon (level 6), page 283
  Eagleseye (level 5), page 285
  Friction-reducing gel (level 5), page 286
   10
   
   
   10
   
   
   
   19
   
   
  1
   
  1
   
  1
   
  3
   
  6
   1 
  1
  Canister that produces an extremely foul 
  odor and a puff of dark red smoke when 
  opened 
  Dagger (light) 
  -1 
  2
  X
  X
  X
  
  Haro
  Clever
  nano
  Focuses Mind Over Matter
  Connection
  Etolas can cause your telekinetic powers 
  to act oddly. Every once in a while, if he 
  stands directly next to you, your powers 
  are cancelled, but at other times, they 
  seem to improve.
  Karner seems like he’s got something 
  to prove to you. You suspect you may 
  have accidentally insulted him and his 
  flowery ways once.
  Initial Link to Starting Adventure
  You suspect that the other PCs won’t 
  succeed without you. 
  Background
  You learned nano-sorcery in the temple 
  of an obscure god. Its priests and 
  worshippers, although small in number, 
  respect and admire your talents and 
  potential. 
  TM and © 2015 Monte Cook Games, LLC.
  
  Trained in all tasks involving, identifying or 
  assessing danger, lies, quality, importance, 
  function or power.
  Mental esoteries
  Practiced With Light Weapons
  Onslaught (1 Intellect point)
  Scan (2 Intellect points)
  Deflect Attacks (1 Intellect point)
  Inability at any task involving lore and 
  knowledge not related to the numenera
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  All Interactions involving lies or trickery
   
  Defense against mental effects
   
  Understanding and identifying
   
           numenera
    
   
   
  Clothing
  A book of the numenera
  A pack of light tools
  Sheen (level 6), page 294
  Stim (level 5), page 295
  Catseye (level 4), page 282
   
  8
   
   
   11
   
   
   
   17
   
   
  1
   
  1
   
  1
   
  3
   14
   1 
  1
  Programmable tattoos; you can alter the 
  tattoos on your body if you spend an hour 
  concentrating on how you’d like them to 
  appear.
  Dagger (light) 
  -1 
  2
  X
  X
  X
  
  Karner
  Swift
  glaive
  Fights With Panache
  Connection
  You are always trying to impress Haro 
  with your skill, wit, appearance, or 
  bravado. Up to this point, anyway, she 
  seems oblivious.
  You like to imbibe, sometimes a little 
  too much. You overdid it once, but 
  someone brought you home safely. You’re 
  not 100% sure who it was, but it might 
  have been Uraz. So far, you’ve been too 
  embarrassed to ask.
  Initial Link to Starting Adventure
  Haro made an off-hand comment about 
  some people being more flash than 
  substance, and you joined the group to 
  show her that some people can be both.
  Crail kind of creeps you out, but you 
  haven’t told her that.
  Background
  You have a relative who holds a fairly high 
  position of authority. You ran away from 
  all that because governing and ruling 
  seemed more trouble than fun.
  TM and © 2015 Monte Cook Games, LLC.
  
  Practiced in Armor
  Practiced With All Weapons
  Pierce (1 Speed point)
  Thrust (1 Might point)
  Attack Flourish
  (Inability at balancing offset by training in 
  balancing)
    
  Initiative
   
   Running
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  Clothing (extremely stylish)
  Explorer’s pack
  Extra throwing daggers x3
  Chainmail hauberk (medium armor); 
  reduce Speed Pool by 1 while worn
  Detonation, sonic (level 8), page 285
  Instant servant (level 5), page 288
   16
   
   
  1
   14
   
   
  1 
   
  8
   
   
   
   
  1
   
  2
   
  2
   
  2
   1 
  1
  A throwing-verred (twin-bladed short 
  sword) that deals only 1 point of damage, 
  but always reappears in your hand within 
  a few hours if you haven’t already 
  retrieved it.
  Sword-staff (heavy) 
   
  6
  Dagger (light) 
  -1 
  2
  Broadsword, jeweled (med)  
  4
  X
  X
  
  Tanasia
  Graceful
  glaive
  Masters Weaponry
  Connection
  You risked your life to save Crail’s during 
  an attack by broken hounds. You were 
  wounded, and though you were healed, 
  the wound still sometimes pains you. 
  Whether Crail knows this is up to you.
  You know a secret word that makes 
  Uraz lose control of the mechanical 
  skeleton he’s fused to, apparently 
  awakening a different consciousness 
  within the skeleton. You’re not sure the 
  consciousness has the best interests of 
  Uraz in mind, but boy, can it fight! 
  Initial Link to Starting Adventure
  There is a reward involved, and you need 
  the money.
  Background
  You trained in an isolated monastery far 
  away. The monks think of you as a sibling, 
  but you’re a stranger to all others. 
  TM and © 2015 Monte Cook Games, LLC.
  
  Practiced in Armor
  Practiced With All Weapons
  Thrust (1 Might point)
  Pierce (1 Speed point)
  Weapon Master: +1 damage with broadsword 
  (already figured in attacks)
    
  Balance and careful movement
   
   Physical performing arts
   
   Speed defense
   
   Jumping
   
   
   
    
   
   
  Clothing
  Explorer’s pack
  Shield 
  Synth bodywrap (medium armor); reduce 
  Speed Pool by 1 while worn
  12 medium bolts
  Detonation, gravity (level 6), page 284
  Gravity-nullifying spray (level 8), page 287
   16
   
   
  1
   12
   
   
  1 
   
  8
   
   
   
   
  1
   
  3
   
  2
   
  5
   1 
  1
  Pair of holsters containing metallic 
  objects with handles and triggers that 
  instantly etch tattoos when they are 
  pressed against flesh and the trigger is 
  pulled; one etches a black scorpion, the 
  other a red eye
  Broadsword (medium) 
   
  5
  Crossbow (medium) 
   
  4
  X
  X
  X
  X
  
  Uraz
  Mechanical
  jack
  Fuses Flesh and Steel
  Connection
  Tanasia knows a secret command word 
  that renders you unconscious for up 
  to one minute, during which time a 
  “battle AI” comes online in your fused 
  exoskeleton and acts according to its 
  own mysterious agenda (which the GM 
  determines). Once used, the phrase won’t 
  work on you again until several days have 
  passed.
  You once found Karner so drunk (or 
  otherwise altered by a drug) that he 
  couldn’t say his own name. You brought 
  him home and saw him safely to bed. 
  You’re not sure he remembers.
  Initial Link to Starting Adventure
  The parts you need to repair and maintain 
  yourself are running low, and you want to 
  salvage new ones from locations rich in 
  the numenera.
  Background
  You worked alongside your father, who 
  was skilled in many things, and in fact 
  fused you to the mechanical exoskeleton 
  when you would have otherwise died 
  from a terrible fall. Then one day he 
  disappeared with no explanation.
  TM and © 2015 Monte Cook Games, LLC.
  
  Sense “magic”/numenera
  Esotery: Hedge Magic (1 Intellect point)
  Practiced With Light and Medium Weapons
  Flex Skill
  Trained Without Armor (already figured under Skills)
  Skill with Defense: Intellect (already figured under 
  Skills)
  Special Healing, page 64
  Enhanced Body (already figured under Pools and Armor)
  Inability in tasks involving charm, persuasion, 
  or deception
   
   
   Speed defense
   
   
     Understanding and identifying  
   
           numenera
         Intellect defense
   
   
  Clothing
  Explorer’s pack
  Light tools
  Parts to repair yourself (see Special 
  Healing)
  5-disk buzzer magazine
  Density nodule (level 6), p 283
  Force shield projector (level 7), page 286
   14
   
   
   14
   
   
   
   16
   
   
  1
   
  1
   
  1
   
  2
   
  8
   1 
  1
  “Waldo” attached to your mechanical 
  frame that allows you to manipulate or 
  hold objects without directly touching 
  them
  Amber crystal that glows as bright as a 
  candle when held 
  Dagger, punching (light) 
  -1 
  2
  Buzzer (light) 
  -1 
  2
  X
  X
  X
  
  fb.com/Numenera
  @WeirdofNumenera
  Available now from the MCG web store:
  www.montecookgames.com
  Venture deeper still into the
    mystery and wonder of
  the Ninth World!
  The journey into the Ninth World is far from over. Unearth more 
  cyphers, encounter more weird creatures, and discover new abilities 
  with these great titles from the continuing line of Numenera products!
  The Devil’s Spine
  Ninth World Guidebook
  Numenera
  Cypher Chest
  Technology
  Compendium
  The Ninth World
  Bestiary
  Character Options
  
  Asgard. Oz. LV-486 or Gotham. The Dreamlands or the Victorian London of Sherlock Holmes or Jack the Ripper. 
  Worlds even more exotic or bizarre, driven by laws of magic, psionics, or mad science.
  You call them recursions. They’re like limited pocket dimensions with their own laws of reality, connected to Earth via 
  a dark energy network beneath the normal matter of the universe. A dangerous, chaotic network known as the Strange.
  When you visit these worlds, you adapt to them, taking on some of the physical aspects and knowledge of the 
  natives. You become, in part at least, a different version of yourself.
  But there are others on Earth who know about these secret worlds, and who covet the treasures, the knowledge, and 
  sometimes the power they offer.
  And some denizens of these recursions have the spark: self-awareness. Sentience. The ability to form their own 
  motivations and agendas. Some of them understand they aren’t alone in the Strange. Some of them know about Earth, 
  and the limitless universe beyond it. And some of them are very, very dangerous.
  What will you find when you venture into Earth’s shoals? And what will find you, as you travel into . . .
  The Reality-Hopping RPG from Bruce R. Cordell and Monte Cook
  Learn more at www.TheStrangeRPG.com
  The Reality-Hopping RPG from Bruce R. Cordell and Monte Cook
  Learn more at www.TheStrangeRPG.com
  fb.com/TheStrangeRPG
  @TheStrangeRPG
  Available now from the MCG web store:
  www.montecookgames.com
  Available now from the MCG web store:
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  In Translation
  Character options for The 
  Strange! New foci, descriptors, 
  moves, revisions, and twists for 
  Earth as well as recursions of all 
  laws.
  The Dark Spiral
  What happens to spiral dust 
  users, who so frequently 
  disappear without a trace? The 
  Estate wants to know—and 
  they’re sending you to find out!
  The Strange Bestiary
  Monument spiders, data 
  sentinels, extereons, kaiju, and 
  killer robots are among 140 
  lavishly illustrated creatures and 
  characters in this title.
  The Strange Cypher Chest
  Speed up game prep and streamline 
  play with three incredibly handy decks: 
  the 120-card Cypher Deck, the 100-
  card Creature Deck, and the 40-card 
  XP Deck.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Cypher System/Campaign Settings/Numenera/Adventures/Weird Discoveries - Ten Instant Adventures for Numenera.pdf