[Game Thread] Final Round

[bananabadger]

FINAL ROUND

"So ... it's you lot?" says the harengon with a nod.

It's difficult to tell what they think of this development, of the fact that only you, among all who arrived at this strange burrow of celestial visions, have been invited into this final stretch of the journey.

"Nah, I'm glad you're here!" the harengon adds with a smile. "It's just, well ... this part of the journey always kind of gives me the chills, ya know?"

"Here," it continues, handing out some large, lengthy, hollow knitted objects. "I mean, they might not fit your ears, but maybe you can wrap them around your head or your neck ... something to keep warm," he explains as he puts his pair--blue yarn with yellow star patterns crocheted into them--over his ears. "I don't think ... well, it isn't the temperature that gives me the chills."

And it opens a large, imposing door before you. The door's hinges protest in a rusted, creaky voice as if they are used to swinging open only once a year.

The Harengon steps through the door first. For the benefit of those unable to see in the dark, the creature lights a torch and looks back to your group, beckoning you to follow through a small, narrow stone passage.

"It used to be, you know back in the days, that there might be a dwarf or two among those who entered, and they would always tell me that this passageway had a slight slant to it. I haven't seen that happen for years now. Dwarf heroes! They just don't make them like they used to!" the harengon sighs.

By now you have moved about 60 feet. The atmosphere and decor is dungeon classic: dark and dank, broken chain bits and creepy-crawlies.

You see now that the passageway has recesses on either side, and in each recess stands a life-size statue. Chiseled stone, of some sort. Some painted gaily, others seemingly shrouded in living shadows.

"That's Colatine," the harengon explains as it points to the first statue, a small rat with its arms set before its body in a scheming expression. "Brilliant mind, dubious lineage. Creative speller, that rat."

"And here's Toad," the harengon brings the torch's illumination across a figure whose eyes and tongue seem to move with the shadows. "The plaque says he is "ON HIATUS," but it looks like he's standing on a perfectly normal plinth to me?"

"You doing okay? Ears aren't chilling?" the harengon checks before ushering you on to the next recess of two staues, one of a human holding a fan of knives in his hand and the other of a human biting into a pepper."Chairman Haga ... never knew what "Haga" meant, or if there was one or two of them, but to me, "Haga" always kind of smelled like a cozy place with cinnamon buns to me. One thing for sure, the dude was always taking knives and peppers from our kitchen. At least they were always returned nice and sharp...the knives,not the peppers. We never got the peppers back. But if you look, you can still see a few pepper plants trying to grow in the dungeon's floor cracks. Seeds were everywhere."

The harengon moves on to the next statue, a cloaked figure ... or perhaps just a cloak? "Yeah, I never knew if someone was actually inside there or not. We rarely saw The Herald in the kitchens ... not sure if it even ate."

The harengon motions you onward and looks up. "You bored? Stick with me, okay? We'll get to you and your challenges soon enough. But, listen, this is more than a rabbit going down memory lane, this is our heritage you know ... and if you win, then you'll be part of it. That crown you will wear ... it is more than a fancy accessory, you know. It gives you a role as part of the tradition, part of the evolution of the changes this game of ours has gone through. We got to understand it to know how we want to move it forward and ... well, we harengons are hoping you'll give the kitchen staff that raise we've been asking for. We never had the courage to ask this one," the harengon says, throwing the light across a statue of a robed skeletal figure with violently burning violet eyes. "The 'Honorable Chairman,'" it says with a shiver.

"OK ... moving on. Here's The Teacher," the harengon points to a lanky, sallow figure set atop a playground slide descending past a guillotine. "That teacher," the harengon says with a smile, "they had us making all sorts of playground equipment that probably wouldn't pass inspection, if you know what I mean. But still, gotta admit, being asked to create a merry-go-round-of-dismemberment is a challenge of a lifetime!"

"Ok ... and that brings us to this one ... The Invigilator ..." the harengon brings you to a block of marble, with several other harengons standing around it and studying a scheme of some sort. "We're just getting started, as you can see. The Invigilator had us focusing on some other things, small changes ... like this!" the harengon says leading you over to a dumb waiter shaft opposite The Invigilator's statue. "Look at this! Why didn't we think of this innovation earlier?" it asks with excitement, as it opens the dumbwaiter door, revealing a tray with chilled carrot-juice cocktails. "Brilliant, right?"

The harengon downs all 5 cocktails, then looks around, realizing its faux pas. "Uhhh ... sorry! I'll send up for some more. Of course," the harengon adds, leaning closely to you and whispering, "sometimes we do have problems with gricks burrowing into the dumbwaiter shaft ... but hey, we track them down and ... well, they do wonders for our charcuterie boards!"

"OK ... so that's the tour, now let's see what The Invigilator has to say, shall we?"

The harengon turns to the uncut statue of marble. All the other harengons place their chisels, their hammers, their blueprints and all their other instruments on the floor as they join hands and begin to hum. They begin with a low chant in a soft tone which they gradually increase in volume. Someone's tummy rumbles and the chanting seems to go on a bit longer than would seem necessary.

Suddenly, all lights are extinguished.

A bright, green light flashes throughout the tunnel, crackling streaks of electricity chase it in a wake of golden glow that seems to pulsate on the walls and up the dumbwaiter shaft for several seconds.

You realize the harengon who led you into the tunnel is now floating several feet above the ground, its fur standing up straight and its eyes unmoving and wide open.

It begins speaking in a voice that causes the tunnel's stones to shake and yield small cracks on the surface.

You have traveled far. You have done well.

But now, you must do more. And even better.

Bolts of energy release from the harengon's ears. The homemade earmuffs are destroyed, but damper the bolts which otherwise might have raced toward any of you with deadly force.

An Adventure. Three thousand words--no more.

A theme of your own invention.

Ingredients must be ...

Set Theory

Shepard Tone

Barbed Tentacles

Hubris on a Horse

The Sweet Smell of Corruption

The Spear That Sings Their Song

Bonus Ingredients include ...

A Team of Yoked Silver Dassies

A Prototype Coin

A Leaky Ship

Payback

It ends as suddenly as it begins. The harengon hanging in the air goes limp and falls to the stone floor with a disturbing thump. All the pulsating energy and lights disappear. The other harengons light a torch, pick up their instruments, and huddle around your guide.

If you were to now look past the huddle of concerned harengons, just behind them a few feet, you would note that the block of marble that is to be the monument to The Invigilator, you see it now holds a wooden shield, and from the back of the shield, a faint, magical glow emits from runes written in some ancient, inscrutable language. The last lines of the runes burn brighter than any others; most all of the text on the last line is a repeating symbol, whose meaning remains a mystery from the forgotten ages.

 

List of Iron GMs

Iron DM	Year	Winning System	Link to Winning Entry	Runner-Up	Link to Runner-Up Final Entry
RoBi	2007	D&D 3.5	Faces	Agwolf	The Star of Chaos
pfooti	2008	D&D 3.5	The City Eternal	Caveman	Desolation Denied
Malikane	2009	D&D 3.5	Rathyrian Black	withdraw	none
idilippy	2010	D&D 3.5	Forest of Madness	Moth	One Quiet Night
Melchior	2011	D&D 3.5	A Hippocratic Peace	Illya	A Cure for All Ills
Toba	2012	D&D 3.5	Sorrow in the Shadow of Scorn	Melchior	To Conquer Death
Bade	2013	D&D 3.5	Seasons of Rage	Aeternis	The War's Child
Ion2Atom	2014	D&D 3.5	A Dish Best Served Dead	Hippo	A Flickering Beacon
moozuba	2015	Pathfinder	Heart of Darkness	Rolzup	Those Who Shape
Inem	2016	Pathfinder	Frozen in Time	Rolzup	A Few Impossible Things
Inem	2017	Pathfinder	The Child Emperor	Khelbiros	The Curse of Skagos
Inem	2018	Pathfinder	Soul Surgery	Unko Talok	Hardened Hearts
Unko Talok	2019	Pathfinder	The Old Feud	Drager	Lover's Quarrel
Spoonybard	2020	D&D 5e	The End at the Beginning	Thaco	Dan's Labyrinth
Thaco	2021	D&D 5e	The Candymaker	LostCheerio	The Sunrise Pact
bananabadger	2022	FATE Core	The Jade Dragon	Auron3991	History Repeats
?????	2023	?????	?????	?????	?????

There is absolute silence ... broke by a clangor from the dumbwaiter shaft.

That sound seems to revive your guide. It stands up alert, its ears raised.

"That would be a fresh round of carrot juice," it says cheerfully. "And the formal instructions."

And, sure enough, it is.

The harengons, relieved to see their friend revived, hand around generous pourings of chilled carrot juice for anyone who wishes to take one.

And to each contender, the harengons hand a small sheet, along with a handshake and a chipper "Good luck!"

Final Round Formal Instructions You are to write an adventure using the six items / concepts above. You can also use any of the bonus ingredients you wish to. All rules found here are to be followed. The guidelines for the Judges' scoring can be found here. The entry is to be no longer than 3,000 words, which includes *everything* you put into the post. Judges are instructed to stop reading at that time, or to deduct points if you go over. The use of a spell check and word counter is highly recommended. Please make a simple post in this thread when you first read it, to let the judges know have seen it, and that you are on board. It doesn't have to be anything more than "read!", or something like that, though roleplaying it is also perfectly acceptable! Do not edit this post after making it; when it comes time to post your entry, do that in a second, separate post. You have 7 days from the time this post is made to complete and submit your entry (in a new post; don't edit your first post!). It is not expected that you use all this time - the extra time has been given to ensure that, no matter what your timezone, your schedule, your sleep habits, your work or student life, or emergencies that could crop up, you should have ample time to complete your entry. You should post your entry into this thread within the generous timeframe, and ensure it is secreted (to the above judges) and spoilerbuttoned. Once posted, your entry may be edited up to the cut-off time. But once the deadline arrives, your entry will be locked and you will be unable to alter it.

[Humble Athena]

Present!

[jbear]

Here!

[Strangemund]

Normally I'd write a story snippet for fun, but I feel it important to instead write how thankful I am that the people I will be competing with are members of the community that I have had the pleasure to witness their creativity first-hand in many games. I am here on RPGX to not only improve my writing and explore ideas, but meet incredibly fun, imaginative folks. And each of you have forever altered my experience here, because I was so lucky to have a chance to play with each of you and get to know you.

jbear, you are an incredible writer. Your sense of humor continues to be something I strive to match in *** posts. Humor is incredibly hard to do, especially when it comes to slapstick. But you always made me laugh whenever an An'mal posted appeared, with how perfectly you described every little funny detail. And seeing your work as a GM, it is really no surprise that folks tell me that you are one heck of a GM. Never doubt your talent.

HumbleAthena, you are one of my longest running GMs here for a system that I had no idea how to play but you helped me learn it nonetheless! You broke down the rules and made it all feel so easy, even when I felt my eyes cross looking at the book. I love Captain Myra with all my heart, and the crew you drew together. We wouldn't have any of that without you, and I'd game with you until I die. Never doubt yourself.

rhaiber, you intimidated me the first time I met you from how incredibly talented you were as a writer. I admired you. I admired your character work. Your descriptions. Everything. And then to find out you felt the same about my work threw my off completely, I still aspire to be on your level. To approach ideas with wild, carefree abandon. To have fun without judgement. You are an inspiration. Never stop being you.

Thank you to each of you for being a part of my life, for however long you've been here. It is certainly not been forgotten on my side of the world. My memories of you three are treasures that I will horde like a dragon in its lair. And hopefully, add more as the years come!

Cheers to the Final Round! LET'S KICK SOME BUUTTTTTT!!

[jbear]

 

ʕ·͡ᴥ·ʔ Siblings of Death One-shot Mythic Egyptian G&G Adventure

System
The adventure utilizes the Grit&Grace (G&G) rules-lite d20 system. Focused on swift character creation and fostering player creativity, G&G simplifies mathematical intricacies, allowing for spontaneous sessions with little prep. It incorporates D&D5e elements like advantage/disadvantage and inspiration (rebranded as Grit (physical inspiration) & Grace (social inspiration)), streamlining specific aspects for quick combat.
The four ability scores—Strength, Agility, Mind, and Personality—replace the traditional six, and DC is 10 unless stated DIFFICULT (DC15 instead). Monsters follow standardized stats: Minion, Mook, Henchman, Elite, Boss, with only Elites and Bosses having unique powers.
Character creation involves choosing an archetype (Warrior, Healer, Mage, Specialist) which determines base Health and Armor and defines appropriateness of player-invented-powers. All powers grant Advantage and degrees of success/failure determine the damage or impact on the narrative. Players have limited uses of archetype, lineage, and background powers, which recharge upon rest. Rules available on request.

Premise

PCs are Scythes, trainees of the death god Set. They serve in the Hall of Agonies to earn Silver Scythes and become accredited Reapers. Their duty: pairing Deathseekers and guiding them into the afterlife in companionable company. This fulfils Set's oath to those seeking their end at his temple: "Though you suffer, you shall not traverse Death's valleys alone."

- Character Creation Players create characters in their first encounter with solitary Deathseekers, each afflicted and awaiting a death partner. Identifying commonalities, they must swiftly dispatch the pairs, sending them into the Afterlife. READ Servants of Set, the God of Death! Despite false claims branding Set as a usurper and fratricide, your mother, Arachsetnis, Set's High Priestess, has instilled the truth in you since your hatching. As the lone survivors among Arachsetnis' brood, you, having consumed weaker siblings, bear distinct yet harmonious names—Set's always with you even in name. Name your PC: Name MUST contain 'SET' somewhere eg. ArachSETnis READ As siblings, you share certain physical traits, yet remain distinctly unique. Your arachnotaur mother, whose human torso crowns a spidery bottom, mated with different fathers for each of you, promptly devouring them after procreation. Arachsetnis has regaled you with endearing stories about your fathers. Lineage: Share an endearing story about your father. Describe how your arachnotaur heritage blends with your father's, shaping your unique identity. Then choose a Lineage ability gained from: Mother Arachsetnis Father READ As Spawn of the High Priestess, you serve in the Hall of Agony as Scythes-in-Training, blessed with the duty to pair suffering Deathseekers and end their lives together. Efficiency is crucial; swiftly analyze, match, and ruthlessly dispatch so the embalmers may ready them for Nethershores. Success will earn your Silver Scythe and Reaper status, allowing you to roam independently beyond the Hall to administer Set's blessing. For now, you wield your learner-scythe, crafted by your hands, unique in administering death. Scythes: You wield a scythe-like weapon of your creation. It must have a pole and a blade. Describe how your scythe is physically unique. Then choose how you deliver Death. This is your Background Ability Establish Ability used for basic attacks House of Agony READ In the House of Agony, choirs of sobs and suffering reverberate. This hanging garden crowns a pyramidal frustum on the Western banks of Denial River, where the morning sun first touches the Red Desert. Funeral barges below await, teams of Dassie embalmers ready to mummify Deathseekers post-pairing and deathbinding, carrying them through the Afterlife's judgment. Deathseekers throughout the House agonize, seeking a swift end with the assurance of a companion for their terrifying journey. Get to work! NPCs attend the House of Agony for diverse reasons, their afflictions and motives left to improvisation. PCs have creative freedom in establishing connections between them, justifying pairings while upholding Set's oath. The random table and NPC names provide basic kickstarter ideas, however, enjoying long walks on the beach could unite a remorseful butcher with an amputated apendage and a naive antidote-seeker blinded by poisoned eyedrops. Deathseekers: Ahketi the Shoemaker Rahotep the Scribe Neb the Embalmer Isethara the Dancer Maatkara the Soldier Khepri the Lover d6 Motivation Affliction Manifestation 1 Guilt-ridden Amputation Head 2 Haunted Exotic Disease Upper Limbs 3 Cursed Bizarre Mutation Lower Limbs 4 Vengeful Insanity Torso 5 Naive Poisoning Genitals 6 Bargaining for loved one Magical Deformation Internal REWARD: Successful 'death-match' slaying: Grit+1. Creating memorable Deathseeker connections: Grace+1. Upon slaying a pair, Dassie Embalmers swiftly gather, collecting organs and mummifying the duo in an appropriate embrace. The mummified pairs are transported down to funeral boats Nekhtu the Shadowmonger During the death-matching process, each Scythe will be approached by Nekhtu with a proposal until one accepts. READ A mummy-like figure, wrapped in bandages, approaches. "Honored Scythe, I'm certain Set compensates your commendable services well, but how about a little side hustle after your day's work?" Compensation? You've never been rewarded; you serve, eat, and sleep. Curiosity tingles in your stomach. If PCs express interest, Nekhtu cautions that such discussions would displease Set. He offers a Sending Stone, promising to contact them once they've departed the House of Agony. Suspicious PCs may observe: Faked injuries (MIND) False concern for upsetting Set (MIND) If no one accepts the Sending Stone, Nekhtu discreetly places it in the last PC's pocket. Cursed Sending Stone Nekhtu's Sending Stone is CURSED. Once willingly taken or answered, it cannot be discarded. When Nekhtu calls, an ever-ascending maddening ringtone plays, disorienting those nearby until answered. Resist Answering: Requires PERSONALITY save. Failure leaves listeners distracted, suffering disadvantage on all rolls until the Stone is answered. Nekthu can discern truthfulness and location when using the Stone. He aims to manipulate the Scythes into breaking into the Temple of Set, accessible only to their mother, to reclaim the missing body parts of Osiris. The Stone's cursed ringtone demands answer at the most inconvenient times, initiating conversations to extract vital information from Set's Scythes.

Corruption in the House
READ The sobbing stops abruptly. In the silence, an uncommon honeycomb vanilla scent masks the habitual rot. Something whispers, "Why bother with these conversations? Who cares if Set's faithful die alone? Death should be solitary. Kill everyone. Now." But this is blasphemy. Resist! All around, Deathseekers succumb, forgetting their laments, seeking your destruction as barbed tentacles push from their mouths.

- Corruption Battle 20 Corrupted Deathseekers (Basic MINIONS) attack the PCs. Reduce by 2 for each pair sent to the afterlife by the PCs. Each PC faces two attacks maximum per round. Source of Corruption: A Corrupted Set-animalSha (Basic HENCHMAN; canid with barbed tentacle beard) lurks in the garden's shrubbery. Each turn, it revives 1 Deathseeker with barbed tentacles. Locating the Sha: MIND vs AGILITY (following smell gains ADVANTAGE) Upon slaying the Sha, the barbed beard vanishes, ending the battle. A psychic summons directs the PCs to their mother in the pyramid's dark halls. Archetype: Choose how you approach battle by determining your character Archetype. Create 3 Archetype-appropriate signature skills during the battle. Complete character creation by assigning the following modifiers to your abilities (Strength-Agility-Mind-Personality): +3, +2, +0, -1 Arachsetnis' Dying Quest The Scythes discover Arachsetnis, mouth frothing and a barbed beard of tentacles strangling her neck. In her dying moments, she reveals that the corruption indicates a threat to Set's temple by the only husband to survive mating, Cthulithid. Urgently, she orders her clutch to cross the Red Sands, enter the temple, and safeguard it. Choking, she gives a parting gift to each child before succumbing. REWARD: Each player decides Arachsetnis' gift, its meaningfulness and a special ability that can be used ONCE. Players reach Level 2. Arachsetnis, clinging to life, instructs her spawn to find common ground at the temple's entrance. "Touch Set's mouth and speak your names. Press my eyes to Set's eye; show him how you are alike. Touch Set's heart and share a secret... choke choke... Last, his hands touch with your... choke." Arachsetnis dies before finishing explaining. Nekhtu's first call interrupts, casually chatting, pushing for information. He persists, calling again if hung up on. Arachsetnis briefly revives, urging, "Do not delay! Find a Horseman to escort you to the temple immediately! Don't forget my eyes! Why are you still standing there!? Payback time!" before dying again.

Hubris the Horseman
The Red Sands are lethal to all but monstrosities, Fairyhorses (aka Camels) and Silver Dassies. While Silver Dassies transport Deathseekers to the House of Agony from the City, Fairyhorsemen patrol the desert on their twin-humped desert steeds. Off-duty Fairyhorsemen are rare, leaving only Fairyhorsemen-en-Training (F.e.Ts) at the stables. Currently, only Hubris, an arrogant, overconfident F.e.T, is available.
Alternatively, Scythes can risk venturing without a guide by using a team of Yoked Silver Dassies.

- Hubris on Horseback Hubris, exuding unwarranted confidence, insists he knows the temple's location and dissuades the Scythes from taking Desert Masks, claiming the swiftness of the trip will render them useless. Terrible advice. The group must seek ways to bluff, trick, and steal the masks from the Fairyhorsemen barracks without Hubris' consent. Additionally, Hubris recommends loading water Fairyhorse-style (in-the-gut) for a lighter journey, omitting water flasks. More bad advice. PCs should purloin extra flasks, filling them without Hubris noticing. Lastly, he orders weapons left behind, trusting his Fairysword for protection. PCs must disguise their weapons as other objects and convince Hubris of their desert usefulness. SECRET: Hubris lacks authority to issue flasks or masks and only bears a learner-guide license which permits only unarmed tour groups. Hubris, despite his claimed knowledge, proves unreliable, leading the group into perilous situations. To navigate successfully, the PCs must overcome Hubris' hubris in the following situations: Situation 1: "Brother's Spear" Hubris mistakes a Giant Desert Worm (Basic ELITE) for Brother's Spear. The group must spot the real Spear, a stone monument, in the shimmering sands (MIND check). Situation 2: "Desert Kings' Tails" Hubris directs the group toward two lion statues instead of two scorpion statues, and two hippo statues. The correct path of the 'Desert King' lies between the scorpion statues; choosing the lion statues leads to a Sand-Ant Hive. The hive's guards (5 Basic MOOKs) and drones (10 Basic MINIONS) attack on sight. Situation 3: "Oasis of Bones" Hubris believes an Eldritch Horror's mirage (Sarlacc Pit, Basic ELITE, with 5 tentacle Basic MOOKs) is the Oasis of Bones. The correct direction to 'the Oasis where the wind shifts the sands' is the visible dust storm on the horizon. At the eye of the sandstorm, the door to Set's temple emerges amidst a graveyard of bones. For each location, make STRENGTH checks. DC increases +2 if PCs lack Sand Masks, +2 without water bottles. If PCs have both, they make check with ADVANTAGE. Failure: -1 health. Silver Dassies Instead If the PCs choose a team of yoked Silver Dassies over Hubris, the Fairyrider follows, offering Sand Masks or Water Bottles as a bribe to become their "official guide." Although he attempts to lead them astray as above, the savvy Silver Dassies provide advantage on all attempts to overcome Hubris' dangerous hubris. The team is made up of ( 6) Silver Dassies (Advanced MOOK) Set's Door READ Amidst the calm in the graveyard of bleached bones, giants of a forgotten era, stands an engraved door bearing the likeness of the slender, canine-headed god Set. A melody, sweeter than the lingering corruption, wafts through the air, though only fresh corpses lie nearby. The base of the door is damaged, displaying a crack where small barbed vines grow. The door's hieroglyphics read: "From your mouth to his, word Set. From your eye to his, appearance Set. From your heart to his, secret Set. From your hand to his, weapon Set." Solution: Following Arachsetnis' instructions, PCs must touch the Set engraving in the correct location and order and perform the correct action forming a set shared by all attempting to pass the door. Mouth: PCs say their names, all containing the word SET. Eye: PCs press Arachsetnis' eyes to Set's and touch a physical feature inherited from their mother. Heart: PCs disclose a shared secret, improvising commonality as they hopefully create a common set. Hand: PCs touch with their handcrafted weapons, (all sharing blade and pole). Singing Spear The melody comes from the magical spear of Osiris near four charred corpses piled at the door. It possesses sentience and forlornly sings of her adventuring party's gruesome fate, having made mistakes with the door puzzle. The spear can provide clues on what NOT to do and suggest an alternative method to enter the temple if the PCs struggle with the correct word sets. Additionally, the Spear has the ability to teleport the wielder inside to one of Osiris' amputated parts. However, the wielder must be willing to lose the corresponding part of their own body (randomly determined). "Alas, they are all dead, none left to carry me! Defeated by the adventurer's ever-scourge, a door defeated thee! Rogue picked the lock, burned to a crisp did he! Barby struck with rage, disintegrated too sadly! Wizard calculated, then exploded intelligently! Priest prayed Osiris protect her, then struck door with me! Alas, Osiris too is dead, murdered by brother Set unfortunately! Priest's prayer fell on deaf ear, and now they are all dead, none left to carry me!" The dead party is a group sent by Nekthu. The Singing Spear attempts to convince wielders to restore Osiris' body, promising power. Hubris scoffs, seizes the spear, and raises it aloft on rearing Fairyhorse, leading to his subsequent demise, the spear piercing his heart. Hubris merely laughs at this, replying that Set's servant doesn't ask but rather seizes power. He snatches the spear, holding it aloft while rearing his fairyhorse. The spear drives down through his heart slaying him. Dominating the Singing Spear: Requires 3 successful DIFFICULT checks before failing TWICE. Abandoning the attempt is possible, but the 2nd failure results in a heart strike, reducing PC to Dying. Revive attempts require PERSONALITY check, with failures causing another Failed Death Save. If PCs switch allegiance or dominate the Spear, the wielder's Health is doubled, and Attacks and Armor are increased by +2. Nekhtu calls again, and if given the opportunity to speak to him, the Spear expresses disappointment with the Shadowmonger (who sent the deceased group on their failed mission), accusing him of gross incompetence and abandonment. Unfortunately, this reveals the PCs' location to Nekhtu. Realizing they are at the temple, Nekhtu sends another group after them, hoping they've opened the temple for him. He uses the tracking spell in the Sending Stone to teleport closeby. Reaching the Temple and opening the Door REWARD: Gain a LEVEL!

Set's Temple

Within the temple, barbed vines cover the floor, and a sickly sweet scent fills the air. Eerie purple flames cast an unsettling glow. A spidery figure has climbed Set's central statue, cracking it open. Barbed tentacles from its mouth throb with an otherworldly radiance, seemingly feeding on Set's divinity. The figure, with six burning purple eyes, speaks in six voices. "Bow before Set, Prince of Death. Kneel and swear loyalty to your gods for blessings. Disobey, face our fury!"

- Cthulithid Cthulithid (Advanced BOSS)is an vampiric aberrant monstrosity with the following abilities: Vampiric Vines: Attack all creatures touching the floor, stealing 1 health from each hit and healing the same amount Raise Dead: Raise a dead adventurer or Hubris as a Henchman with one Appropriate Archetype Skill use. Cthulithid then makes the raised dead to attack immediately. Subsequent rounds the Raised attack independently. Nekhtu's Party Nekhtu arrives with a fighter, a thief and a wizard (Advanced Henchmen) Nekhtu's party targets the Singing Spear-weilder until it is retrieved They then focus on resurrecting Osiris by retrieving his mutilated parts from (6) urns displayed around the temple Resurrecting Osiris All 6 parts must be reunited and bound together in mummy wrap to resurrect Osiris Retrieving a part requires a successful DIFFICULT check (narrative must fit chosen ability) Resurrection takes 3 rounds to complete, although Osiris can be attacked beforehand. Osiris spawns vulnerable as an Elite Boss with the ability to inflict LOVE and OFFER the SECRETS of your HEART Conclusion How the end plays out should depend on PC choices and where they find their fun, following these guidelines: Cthulithid is irredeemably evil (and is definitely NOT Set) but rewards those who bow to him with a Barbed Tentacle Beard capable of Vampiric Touch (Damage heals you) If killed, Cthulithid becomes a disembodied tentacle beard, attempting to flee. Only Archsetnis' special gift can destroy it, delivering mother's PAYBACK! The Singing Spear interprets each participants efforts in song as the battle unfolds; if serving Osiris or dominated, the song flatters the PCs. Otherwise the interpretation is unflattering! If Osiris is resurrected, his LOVE ability forces targets not to attack him, offering forgiveness and the secret heart's desire (related to door secrets) if swearing to serve him as the rightful god of Death. Once Osiris is resurrected, Nekhtu keeps calling on the Sending Stone to distract the PCs. If someone answers and maintains a conversation, only that PC suffers DISADVANTAGE instead of the entire group. Osiris only makes his offer once, deciding redemption impossible if Scythes insist upon serving his brother Set the Usurper. He then does his utmost to wipe the party. If PCs defeat Cthulithid and prevent Osiris' resurrection, the earn their silver Scythes, powerful silver versions of their homemade weapons, becoming Reapers free to roam the lands. [If PCs accept Osiris' offer and flip allegiance, he is true to his promise rewarding them with the secret desire and Silver Scythes, promoting them as Reapers, free to roam the lands.

 

Ingredient	Usage
Set Theory	Egyptian-God Set, Death-Matching, Character-Creation-Commonalities, Door Riddle
Shepard Tone	Maddening Ringtone
Barbed Tentacles	Corrupted monsters, Arachsetnis' murder, Vampire-Vines, Cthulithid escape
Hubris on a Horse	Hubris the Fairyhorse Rider, terrible advice, terrible guide
The Sweet Smell of Corruption	House-of-Agony Corruption, Arachsetnis' death, Temple Corruption
The Spear that Sings their Song	Osiris' Singing Spear (song included), Final-Battle Song
Team of Yoked Silver Dassies	Embalmers and Alternative to Hubris
Payback	Arachsetnis' Gift to finish Cthulithid

[rhaiber]

@Strangemmund: wow. That was super-sweet and way nicer than I deserve. Now the story snippet I was putting together seems silly and frivolous compared to that earnest expression of sincerity. *quickly stuffs a handful of unicorn figurines back into their satchel* Let's just say that I am forever amazed by the quality of your writing and have been both dreading and looking forward to going head-to-head with you.

@jbear & HumbleAthena: So ... Strange put me in a tough position. My usual narrative seems out of place, but writing individual words of praise for each of you would seem derivative now, like I was just copying what she did. But then again, not saying anything about how amazing you both are would feel like a deliberate snub ... Maybe I can just say something nice about everyone collectively?

Here goes: I started this week by looking over everything the 3 of you have written for this competition so far ... and it sent me into a dark spiral of self-doubt and writer's block. All the ideas evaporated from my mind as I felt the crushing weight of imposter syndrome set in. I am truly honored to be counted among the company of such great writers and GMs - all three of you. But I also don't feel like I deserve to be here. Watching you all work in your own unique ways has been inspirational and educational. I can't wait to see what you put out this week, with full confidence that it will blow my work out of the water!

Now how do I edit this craziness down to 3,000 words?

[Strangemund]

 

Cypher System ☽◯☾ The Hound's Crypt A Numenera Adventure The Setting ☣ Eight ages have come before us. Each lasted more than a millenia and each have risen to heights beyond our comprehension. Worlds that have traveled the stars and danced in its all-consuming vastness; worlds that have transcended the need for physical bodies and embraced the autonomous wonder of machines; worlds that have ventured beyond our planar existence and communed with eldritch gods; worlds that have faded from time itself from either failure, success, or a mystery that would never be solved. Eight ages have come before us, and we build a Ninth World upon their bones. Numenera is a setting that exists in a future so far flung from ours that the people live in the remnants of space ships, war machines, and ruins dedicated to alien pantheons, but know nothing of their purpose or what they truly are. Some call the technology magic. Others worship it like deities. But most use the remnants of the past to survive. Salvaging what they can to build a future for themselves and their community in a world that is just as dangerous as it is beautiful. The Basics ☣ Numenera utilizes the Cypher System and does not require any additional mechanical knowledge outside of the core mechanics. Here we will go over some basic lore definitions tied to the setting for easy reference for new and veteran GMs alike. Glossary The Steadfast: Comprised of nine different countries with nine rulers, the Steadfast is the continent that is considered the most civilized and settled in the Ninth World. The Beyond: A word used to describe any area of the world that isn’t part of the nine kingdoms. Communities here are incredibly isolated and seldom few are welcoming to outsiders. Many mysteries and wonders lure adventurers deep into the Beyond. The Order of Truth: The strongest and most dominant organization in the Steadfast, it serves as the main religion (although it isn't one) for the continent. The Order of the Truth venerates the understanding, the intellect, and the wonder that arises from science, technology, and numenera. Aeon priest: Members of The Order of Truth. They are the most trusted experts in identifying, understanding, and using numenera and other lore. They are respected leaders and advisers for many facets of life. Nano: Sometimes called mages or witches by the people of the Ninth World, they are individuals capable of tapping into the numenera to alter reality or learn things they couldn’t otherwise know. Shin Obligation: A public pledge taken in order to accomplish good deeds, or wipe clean a criminal record. Lasts about a few months to a year. Numenera: The relics of older worlds, which are divided into three types. Cyphers, Artifacts, and Oddities. It is also a blanket term used for many types of technology. The Adventure ☣ Feel free to use the following PC Connections to tie the PCs to the adventure: A PC is in the middle of their Shin Obligation and was guided by the aeon priesthood to aid in this mission. A PC is seeking answers to what happened to an old friend who vanished eight years ago when they attempted this quest. A PC is a member of the aeon priesthood and is joining the mission so they may finally be granted full membership benefits. Notable NPCs for the players and the GM to know: Olva Lash: Level 5. An aeon priest who is incredibly jumpy and screams at the drop of a hat. She is a nano with mastery over automatons, capable of controlling multiple at once. Notable features include her bug-eyed goggles (which make her eyes comically huge) and her robotic steed, Glu, who she rides everywhere due to the loss of use in her legs. Glu: Level 3. A quadruped automaton composed of various synth metals. It has cloven hooves and its head is a sensor bar in the shape of a hammer. It chirps in musical tones. Loves to knock things off tables and edges, much to Olva’s dismay. The Missing Adventurers: Eight years ago, three adventurers ventured into the dreadnought in search of powerful numenera and never returned. Their names were Troika. Triad and Trinity. Any PC who chose the PC Connection involving a missing friend will have known Troika, a Nano who was gifted in hearing ‘the song of machines.’ She was a spirited woman who loved terrible jokes and collected useless baubles from ruins, adorning them to her dress. Notable Location for the GM and PCs to know: The Hound’s Crypt: It is a crashed space-faring dreadnought. No one is able to enter except for one day every eight years when the forcefield goes down. It is rumored to be filled with great treasures. ~~~ The adventure opens with the PCs gathered around a campfire with Olva. They are waiting for the dreadnought’s defenses to power down so they may venture into its depths. Use this opportunity for the PCs to get to know each other by having Olva urge each PC to tell a story of their previous adventures while she finishes work on an automaton that appears like our real-world dassie. Olva’s Motivation: Olva is eager to map out the dreadnought and bring back samples so the next expedition eight years from now will be better prepared. But there is a sense that she desires something more from the dreadnought. New Day The dreadnought blots out the horizon. As the PCs get closer, they will notice the vessel bleeding blue globules, which float in the air, collecting into clouds around the ship. When one pops, it splatters onto the ground and creates a perfect spiral pattern. The air smells sickly sweet, like spoiled fruit. Soon, the force field around the ship will shut down. Before it does, Olva will hand the PCs oxygen masks and strange, palm-sized coins. Crypt Keys: These coins are keys Olva crafted to grant access to various parts of the dreadnought. They are flat and circular like a coin, with an intricate spiral pattern welded into its center. These can be used as Assets when interacting with any machinery inside the dreadnought; decrease tasks when this tool is used by two steps. Each PC will receive one Crypt Key. Show Olva using the key once the force field is down. She will slot hers into a disc-shaped indentation next to the door and twist it counter-clockwise. The door opens. Exploration The environment is damp, foggy, and claustrophobic. The architecture is labyrinthine in design and any logical path forward is overtaken by mutated wild-life that’s evolved from this alien ecosystem. Examples include wires that hang from the ceiling that pulse with electricity but bloom bioluminescent petals down their length; insects flutter about on glass, spiral-painted wings and have drills for proboscis; and the metallic floors, which shouldn’t give under pressure, do, feeling like hot-blooded flesh. Studying the Environment (Level 3) confirms the PCs’ suspicions that they are in an bio-organic environment. The dreadnought is just as much alive as they are. Is It Safe Here? (Level 5) There is a risk of mutation when exposed to the environment long-term but it’d take months, years for that to occur. The masks Olva provided should keep them safe from areas that have higher mutation risks (consider them Assets). Are We Alone? (Level 3) will reveal the following: Signs of the previous expeditions are easily discovered along the path forward. Discarded cyphers and pathway markers are found painted on the walls. They also find a broken automaton that matches Olva’s dassies, much to Olva’s delight. GM Note: Olva is surprised it is still here. Not that it exists at all. GM Note: PCs connected to The Missing Adventurers will find one of Troika’s baubles; a crystal globe that shifts colors when exposed to body heat. Olva will stop in an intersection that leads down six different paths. She will pull her tiny silver dassie automatons— called Little Buddies– out and send them out to scout. The PCs are asked to wait, which you may allow them to use this opportunity to Scavenge for Numenera (Level 4) in the area. Any PC who succeeds on the roll should be awarded a cypher; you may roll on the chart or choose cyphers based on PC abilities. Olva’s dassies will return in various states. One will be sparking electricity; another will be covered in blue goop; one will be camouflaged in plant matter; and so on. Olva will explain that her Little Buddies are made with environmental adaptation in mind. She’ll examine each one by pressing a button on their snout, which causes them to make a high-pitched incomprehensible noise. Olva “aha’s!” and “mhm’s!” in understanding before she points down the path the plant-covered Little Buddy took, suggesting its the safest way forward. The Hound Hunts The party arrives in the guts of the dreadnought. Read-Aloud You cannot see the ceiling here. For miles, the world stretches above you. Darkness snaring any spark of light like a hungry maw. Machinery of all sizes and shapes scatter throughout the room, reminding you of gravestones. Some machinery tower over you like an altar to a god, while others are gutted open, allowing you to walk through their innards so you may see their exposed wires and the sizzling blue liquid that is the life blood of the dreadnought. Something is Here: A solemn bittersweet howl echoes throughout the chamber. An ear-piercing sound that causes the PCs to flinch in pain but on a Perception-based (Level 3) action or Numenera-based action (Level 4), they recognize it as a dirge. And it fills them with an unspeakable wave of grief, as the PCs who made this roll are reminded of their greatest losses. GM Note: Pose the question “what memory of loss or death does your PC remember right now?” to further immerse the players into the moment. GM Intrusion: Pick the PC who is still clinging to their grief the most and have them cry out audibly in their sadness. The noise will echo throughout the dreadnought. Let the moment hang in the air. Then inform them that what they thought was the silhouette of a twenty-foot tall machine had moved. Read-Aloud You only catch glimpses of its movements. Its spidery, twisted body crawling over the machines. Bending itself in inhumane ways as it searches for your friend’s cry of pain. It looks human from afar. But then you see its split canid snout, blowing the fog further up into the darkness. The stark whiteness of its skull reflected in the pulsing light of electricity that filtered through the air. There are things feasting on it. Writhing, barbed tentacles that have hooked into its bony, misshapen body, lapping up the blue blood that bleeds freely from the many self-inflicted slashes it carved into itself. It dashes across the chamber when it hears a metal plate fall. Your eyes follow the noise and spot a Little Buddy wandering out in the open, nudging a loose cog. It is shattered in an instant. Crushed underneath the weight of the monster that plummeted from above. The Hound bares its fangs, drool hitting the oily remains of the Little Buddy, as it breathes, “Triad.” The party is now being hunted by the Hound. The PCs must navigate their way out of its crypt to a safer area that Olva says is past the monster. There are a number of ways for the party to proceed with the puzzle ahead. Using the Crypt Key: The PCs may access any of the machine ports to change the environment in their favor by using a Crypt Key. Such as directing noise away from them; shocking the Hound if it gets too close; blinding it by making a power core overload; and so on. GM Note: These actions will only last as long as the key remains in the access port. They cannot stack multiple actions in one area with the Crypt Key. PCs may also Trap the Hound (Level 6) temporarily by pushing machinery on top of it. Suggested GM Intrusions: Grabbed: The PC must make a Level 6 Speed Defense Roll to keep quiet to slip out of the clutches of The Hound when it snatches them from an opening. It Burns: As The Hound crawls over the roof above the party, some of its writhing tentacles fall onto the PC. It immediately tries to dig into their flesh. The PC will take 3 points of Might Damage. GM Note: Use the environment to highlight the Hound's size and ferocity. After three rounds of successful Stealth (Level 6) actions, the PCs will realize Olva lead them into a deadend. The hallway out has been collapsed. Olva will bail on the party, realizing what happened, and urge Glu to take off. Her movements draw the attention of the Hound, who notices the position of the PCs, and the Crypt Key slot at the opening near them. What is That? (Level 3) The PCs will notice two important details in that moment. There is a spear pierced into the Hound’s heart, injecting it with the blue liquid that is everywhere here. The second detail they notice is that the Hound pulls out a Crypt Key that looks exactly like theirs from inside its open rib cage, and slots it in place. The Hound locks them out, deliberately sparing them while it goes after Olva instead. The Betrayal Before the PCs can make sense of what happened, the floor gives out underneath them. They fall into a pool of that blue liquid. Make the PCs do a Might Defense Roll (Level 7) to resist being mutated. Any PC who fails will suddenly find themselves attuned to the dreadnought, feeling its heartbeat like it was their own. They will also hear the sound of someone singing. GM Note: The PC with The Missing Adventurers connection will recognize it as Troika’s voice. Following the voice will lead them to 'The Heart' of the dreadnought. GM Note: If all PCs saved on the roll, they will instead notice the blue liquid flows in one direction and may follow it to its source. ‘The Heart’ is the central power core for the ship. Here the PCs see an artifact similar to the spear that was stabbed into the Hound. It sits in the center of the room, with Troika fused with it and the machine that harnesses its energy. She has become one with the dreadnought. Troika: On a Numenera-based (Level 5) action, the party may communicate with Troika by interacting with the terminal near her. She will inform them that her party ended up trapped here after their friend, Triad, fled during a fight against a monster. Her and Trinity both were gravely injured, so they decided to use their last bit of strength to come to ‘the Heart’ so they may hear its song. They thought they’d die here, but they awoke later, pierced by these ‘spears.' Troika had become one with the machine, but Trinity became more like the monster they had slain. Troika will ask the party to take pity on Trinity. That she is in constant pain, angered by what happened to her. She’ll ask them to help her guide Trinity here so they may give her the rest she deserves– the rest she wants. Call the Hound: Troika will direct the PCs to use the machines and Call Trinity (Level 3) home through the use of a frequency her and the afflicted PCs can hear. Trinity will arrive. Troika or the PCs may explain what is happening. Trinity will relax, and with relief, kneel before the party, allowing them the opportunity to pull the spear from her chest as it is something she could never do herself. Olva’s Appearance: Olva will arrive to stop the party. It’ll be revealed that she's actually Triad, the third adventurer from the previous expedition. She doesn’t want Trinity to perish because she needs her to come back with her, alive, so Olva may study the development of her mutations. It’ll be apparent to the PCs that these are solely selfish reasons, as Olva's boots will fall off, and tentacles will unfurl out, revealing her own mutation. The party may choose to Persuade Olva (Level 5) to find solutions elsewhere but if they fail, they will have to fight her. Olva Olva Level 5 Health: 15 Damage Inflicted: 3 points Movement: Short Modifications: Takes three actions per round due to her mastery over automatons. Combat: She will use her Little Buddies to swarm the PCs, using their own attacks against them as the automatons adapt to whatever damage they are dealt. She may use her tentacles to grapple a PC, hindering their actions for one round. She will order Glu to knock PCs down (Level 3). After Olva is dealt with, the PCs may finish aiding Trinity. Pulling the Spear Out (Level 7) will have Trinity shed tears of thanks, and she will go to the pool beneath Troika, where she will lay to rest. Her body will immediately decompose into flowers, and a song– which will soon become a duet– will fill the dreadnought, as Troika and Trinity have become one. The party may return to The Order of Truth with Olva, and not only be rewarded with an Artifact but a celebration in their name. Offer a story hook leading to cures for mutations, if needed.

Ingredient Table Set Theory: The Crypt Keys; The Little Buddies; Missing Adventurers Shepherd Tone: Troika's Song; Using Sound to Distract the Hound; Call the Hound Home Barbed Tentacles: The Hound's Corruption; Olva's Mutation The Sweet Smell of Corruption: The Blue Liquid; the Mutation Risk; The Hound; Olva The Spear That Sings Their Song: The Spear; Trinity's Death; The Duet; Trinity and Troika's Transformation A Team of Yoked Silver Dassies: Little Buddies A Leaky Ship: The Dreadnought Payback: The Hound Hunts

[Humble Athena]

 

A FATE Fantasy

Hook: The PC's are traveling through some countryside, when there is an audible blast from a small mountaintop and something flies out too fast for details to register.

NPCs Duke Rasmis Bullfont Aspect: Haughty Horseman Stress: 3 Physical (6 Physical in Corrupted Form), 4 Mental (2 Mental in Corrupted Form) +3(Good) Fight, +5(Superb) Shoot, +2(Fair) Physique, +3(Good) Athletics, +2(Fair) "Drive"(Ride) Rasmis is a greedy, opportunistic nobleman who demands much of the peasants who work his land, but begrudges them what duty he owes them. While he has not been able to weasel his way into Eli's facility, he is eager to learn what the man is hiding, and find some way to profit off of it. Killing the Duke with any witnesses means gaining the Aspect [Outlaw] once it is reported to higher authorities, with appropriate responses from future NPCs. Defeating the Duke without killing him will gain the party an enemy, but the Duke will keep his grudge private for his pride's sake. Duke's Retinue(6) Stress: 3 Physical, 1 Mental +3(Good) Fight, +2(Fair) Shoot These six men-at-arms were selected for a cruelty that matched their master's, and are loyal to the man unless someone can offer them a better price. [+5(Superb) Resources] will get them to abandon the Duke. Each success above that will convince a single man to actively fight against the Duke. Rom Muddle Aspect: Beleaguered Farmer Rom is an older man, with a wife and three daughters of marriageable age. Normally, he would do anything to hurry the lecherous Duke away from his farms, lest his daughters catch unwanted attention, but recent events have left him desperate. He cares about his livestock almost as much as his family, and will become hostile to anyone who threatens them, even in their unsettling new forms. Eli Anorn Aspect: Scholar of the Forbidden Eli has set up his research station in an isolated mountain to avoid scrutiny into his research. He holds no malice towards mankind, but is driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, that often fails to take consequences into account. He has created a gate to the plane of chaos, and is working on perfecting a vehicle that can safely explore the plane. Unfortunately, there was a mishap, causing the ship to shoot backwards out of the mountain. The ship's damaged engine has been leaking chaos-tainted fuel in its wake.

The Field: As the PCs proceed, they begin to spot splashes of an oily, prismatic substance along the ground beneath the object's course. [+2(Fair) Notice] will notice a sickly sweet smell, like rot. [+3(Good) Investigate] will spot subtle changes in the earth, plants, or possibly insects that have come in contact. Not long after, the PCs approach a farm, where they hear an argument. Rasmis and his men have stopped by Rom's farm in their pursuit of the ship. Rom begs for help with his sheep, who were affected by the strange rain from the sky, but the duke sneers and kicks the old man for wasting his time, then turns to ride off, unless one of the PCs makes a [+4(Great) Provoke] to challenge him. (The Duke's horses are very fast; he cannot be overtaken without some special form of transport. Any other attempt to engage will be met with derision and dismissive insults). Rom will turn his pleas to the PCs once the Duke is gone- his sheep and some of his pens have been mutated, and he needs help keeping them safe. If the PCs succeed on a [+4(Great) Empathy] or [+2(Fair) Rapport] check, they will calm him down and he will offer them an item he found in his field, shortly before discovering his sheep. Otherwise, he will give them the spear after at least some of his sheep have been saved. Artifact: Intoning Spear Aspects: Harmonious Song, Anti-Corruption Head When the head of this spear is struck against a solid substance, it vibrates, unleashing an orderly tone that is merely displeasing to the ears of ordinary lifeforms, but bestows the [Aspect: Disoriented] on any chaos-touched creature in range for five rounds. In addition, the spear deals an extra +1 Stress against corrupted beings. Additionally, it can counteract a chaos mutation if rung immediately upon contact with the corrupting force. Sheep Sorting There are 45 surviving sheep, and each of them has random mutations as follows: 2 different rolls each on the following table (rerolling duplicates). Mutation Type Claws Predatory Fangs Predatory Venom Spit Predatory Iron Wool Protective Tentacle-tail Protective Extra Fat Protective Furthermore, Rom has 3 pens, although the fences of one pen have sprouted barbed tentacles that will attack any non-tentacled sheep that are put into that pen. Rom needs help sorting the sheep into sets to keep as many of them alive as possible, until he can find a long-term solution. A sheep will be safe if it has at least as many protective mutations as the sheep around it have predatory ones. Identical predatory traits cancel out. If the PCs have earned the spear from Rom beforehand, the sheep can be herded without mishap. Otherwise, every 5 sheep herded, a PC must make a +3(Good) Physique or Athletics roll to avoid taking 1 Physical Stress. From here, the PCs can either head to the Research Station, or follow Rasmis to the Ford.

The Research Station If the PCs head to the research station, they will find it at the top of a long but not difficult mountain path. There they will meet Eli, who is a personable young man seeking to prove himself in academia. He currently has a nervous and impatient demeanor, and will try to pretend that nothing is wrong despite the gaping hole in the wall, but +1(Mediocre) Deceive/Empathy/Provoke/Rapport is enough to get him talking. If so prompted, he explains about his explorations into the chaos plane, and how he must retrieve the ship before anyone else does, or he will be unable to continue his research. He will explain that the oily substance is the fuel for the ship, and must have been contaminated from early excursions through the gate. If shown the spear, he will explain that it resonates with a perfectly ordered sound wave, which he has found effective at discouraging any creature of chaos. He will ask for it back, unless the PCs agree to retrieve the ship for him. He does not know if he can reverse the effect of the contaminated fuel, but promises to try. Assuming they do, he will show them a sled he has been preparing- it looks like a large bubble on sled runners, which is yoked up to six metallic rodents the size of ponies. These silver dassies are adept at maneuvering through the mountainous terrain as easily as more common beasts of burden take to roads, and have an alternate form if they need to traverse liquid, a handy side effect of their first exposure to chaos. Because these critters have exceptional sniffers, they should be able to follow the scent of the corrupted fuel. The sled also contains a self-welding patch that should fix the ship long enough to maneuver it back without spilling any more of the fuel.

The Ford The next point of interest is a river crossing, where the entire ford has been contaminated, becoming a prismatic ooze extending in both directions (but fortunately, not breaking off and spreading downstream, ...yet). If the PCs followed Rasmis without heading to the Research station, they will catch him before he had started to cross the ford (if they detoured, he will already have crossed ahead of them). However, any warnings that they might throw his way are ignored as an attempt to steal his prize. Unless [+4(Great) Provoke] draws him into a fight, he rides through the ford. A [+3(Good) Notice] will see tentacles begin to sprout along the skin of immediate contact. If the PCs have Eli's sled, they will be able to cross without trouble. Otherwise, they will need to engineer a way to cross safely. A straight [+5(Superb) Physique/Athletics] will get an individual across, but failure risks corrupting contact, requiring a +4Good) Lore(Medicine) to safely cleanse the affected area. +4(Great) Lore (Engineering) will provide a +2 bonus to any roll for crossing as some kind of aid is designed. If the challenge of crossing is too great, the PCs may instead attack the Ooze. Chaos Ooze Aspects: Amorphous, Unthinking 6 Physical Stress +1(Mediocre) Fight The ooze attacks with a pseudopod at a random target. While it is not a skilled attacker, its touch remains corrupting, though the attacks affect a smaller surface area than someone falling into it would endure, so it is only a [+1(Mediocre) Lore] check to treat the instability without the Intoning Spear. When defeated, the ooze breaks apart into normal water and fuel, which washes downstream. This may have consequences later, unless the PCs had the foresight to prevent the fuel from escaping, somehow.

The Ship When the PCs finally come upon the ship, if they have not previously defeated Rasmis and his men, they will encounter a thoroughly corrupted Rasmis fused with his horse into a tentacled centaur abomination that can make melee four attacks per turn. 1d4 of his men will have perished from their exposure, with the remaining having also become centaur-bominations, though these only get one attack each. If they have previously defeated Rasmis along the way, they will only have to deal with the environmental result of the spilled fuel. [+3(Good) Notice] reveals that the ship is floating in a large quicksand pit, ringed by tentacle-like vines. These vines will attempt to grapple anyone who comes too close, [+2(Fair) Physique] to break, or [+4(Great) Athletics] to dodge. If they maintain a grapple, they deal one Physical stress a turn. If the Intoning Spear is used, the plants will go dormant, and function as rope anchored at one end. Stretched out, the vines are long enough to reach the ship. A group effort should be enough to pull the ship from the quicksand. If the PCs do not have the patch from Eli's sled, a [+3(Good) Crafts] will provide a makeshift patch to prevent leaking the last of the ship's fuel on the return trip. Because of its condition, maneuvering the ship is a [+5(Superb) Drive] check, but if the dassies are swapped over from the sled, that improves to a [+3(Good) Drive].

The End When the PCs return to Eli, he will thank them profusely. His first offer of a reward will be a guided tour of the Chaos plane, once the ship is repaired. If the PCs don't find that acceptable, a [+3(Good) Provoke/Rapport] will get him to offer up the Spear, as he can make more. If Rom's sheep are brought up, Eli will put his head together with the PCs to come up with a solution. A [+4(Great) Lore/Investigate] will reveal that re-applying corrupted fuel to a mutation, then immediately touching with the Toning Spear, the specimen will return to normal.

[rhaiber]

 

Previously: In this system-agnostic setting, PCs navigated the afterlife (a Kafka-esque nightmarish bureaucracy) for clues about past lives (see previous rounds). This adventure reached its conclusion when the characters found their way to an audience with the Lady of the Dead and were offered a choice: a) return to their previous lives of challenge and struggle; or b) forget their turbulent pasts and accept the reward of a peaceful afterlife. So, What Now? Players who choose the afterlife get the opportunity to write a brief epilogue for their characters to ride off into the sunset. PCs who choose to continue their struggle find themselves in the sequel adventure! TL;DR: While related to the previous adventure, this is a wholly new chapter. It is a great entrypoint for new players to join the game either as replacements for player attrition or to expand the party and inject new life into the game. No knowledge of the previous encounters is necessary. New PCs can be any character in the underworld who also wants a second chance at life.

Introductory Player Text: You find yourselves in a majestic throne room, the air heavy with an otherworldly presence. Before you, seated upon a grandiose throne of stone and bone, is the Lady of the Dead. She is a regal figure, draped in flowing black robes that seem to dance with shadows, her eyes pools of eternal darkness. Having offered you the choice between eternal peace or a return to the land of the living, she arches one eyebrow curiously at your response. All focus is drawn to her inscrutable expression. A pregnant pause hands in the air for what seems like a lifetime, and then - ”CUT!” A figure in khaki jodhpurs and a jaunty beret steps forward, brandishing a megaphone in one hand, “That's a wrap, people! Excellent job. Let's take five and reset for the next scene." The Lady of the Dead exhales a deep sigh, her imperious posture dissolving into an exhausted slouch as she lifts the regal headdress and shakes loose a cascade of raven-black hair. ”Oh thank goddess. Who designed this costume? Seriously? Can someone get me my Uggs? I’ll be in my trailer.” A crew of wardrobe and makeup artists immediately swarm the former monarch and follow her as she walks off, while other technicians flood the area to attend to previously unnoticed lighting and sound equipment while others begin rapidly disassembling and reassembling the plywood facades of the set. "You kids did great!” The director turns their attention to you with a satisfied smile. ”Your expressions were priceless. We can use those reactions in the final cut for authenticity. Now come, walk-with-me, talk-with-me while the crew finishes up here." They pause for a moment to grab a pastry from the craft-services table before gently ushering the PCs off-set and guiding them through the backlot. "You hero-types never cease to amaze me. After a lifetime-a strife-n-turmoil, yer given a shot and eternal peace? But ya choose to go back to the struggle. I can respect that, really I can. Only gettin’ outta here ain’t as easy as gettin’ in."

A Bonus-Filled Quest-Hook The director reveals to PCs that to get back to the Land of the Living, they will need to enlist the aid of Charon, mythological ferryman of the River Styx. Unfortunately, he has stopped doing his job lately. He’s been sulking ever since Pluto got demoted from planetary status. At least back when Pluto was a planet, Charon got some recognition from the folks who considered him more than just a moon, but part of a Pluto-Charon double-planet system. Sure, it was a select subset of astronomy enthusiasts, but it was something. Now that Pluto wasn’t even a full planet, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who even knew Charon was a celestial body. This means the PCs will need to convince Charon to get back to work. For starters, they will need more than just two pennies on their eyes. He’s going to want a significant payment. Fortunately the Director has a sample of a rare new coin forged out of the valuable metal: MacGuffin-onium. It’s just a prototype though, and PCs will need to go on a quest to obtain enough MacGuffin-onium to forge 2 coins per PC. After years of disuse, Charon’s ferry-boat has fallen into disrepair and has become leaky. PCs will need to locate a can of Flex Seal spray (the one from the infomercials) and use it to plug the leaks in the boat. Getting to the underworld by boat is easy; the current does most of the work. Getting back to the land of the living is harder and the boat will need to be pulled. PCs must track down a full team* of silver dassies (I know dassies are cute little furry critters, but it turns out they’re also a type of fish. Who knew?) to be yoked to the boat. *Flexible design: the number of dassies needed can be adjusted for variable difficulty. For a longer challenge, have PCs complete multiple missions, locating one dassie on each mission. For a simpler challenge, all the dassies can be found together at once. The Director finishes their explanation after leading the PCs to a series of doors, each one leading to a different movie set. They tell the PCs they can achieve these objectives by completing the missions behind each door.

Set Theory: the Backlot The Director also explains their theory about sets and characters. ”Ya maybe heard folks say that there’s only seven original stories out there. Every story ever told is a variation on onea these seven. Well I gotta theory that the same thing is true for characters: they all fall into some basic archetypes and roles. Put any onea these characters into a setting - like our movie sets here - and they’ll just adapt to the setting, filling in the details to make it work.” Players should pick a general archetype or party role for their characters at the start of the adventure. Common combat roles include Frontline Tank, Ranger, Support, Battlefield Control, and Healer. Common non-combat roles include Librarian, Face, Scout, and Crafter. Feel free to add additional archetype options at your own discretion or upon player request, but make certain that they are adaptable to any and all of the scenarios described below. Each of the doors in this room leads to a different movie set, and with it a mini-adventure in a different setting. *Flexible design: We’ve talked about adjustments for player difficulty, but here is an opportunity to adjust the game for the GM, too. Each of the mini-adventures is based on a classic TTRPG setting. Experienced GMs with experience in many systems and a desire to challenge themselves may opt to run each scenario using its suggested ruleset. Doing so will require having a number of pregenerated character sheets for each archetype already prepared so that PCs can quickly be adapted to different rulesets. Alternatively, some GMs may prefer to stick to a single ruleset from a familiar system. In this case, cosmetic re-flavoring can be used to adapt to the setting of each scenario. "The Spear That Sings Their Song: A high-fantasy mini-adventure Ideal for systems like DnD5e or Pathfinder Mini-Hook: Upon stepping through a weathered oaken door, the PCs find themselves in the infamous Tavern of Beginnings. They are approached by a group of pink-robed cultists who ask for help rescuing their kidnapped leader/idol, the Princess Britannia. She has been placed under a curse that transformed her into a spear and renders her incapable of communicating except through song. She is being held captive by a Giant in the clouds. He wants to keep her music for himself and also has found a way to use her songs to spin straw into golden eggs. Challenges: Getting to the castle: PCs can plant magic beans, wait for them to grow, then make Athletics checks to climb. They may also choose to eat the beans, which are “good for the heart” and function as healing potions, but have the side effect of creating explosive exhaust that will catapult PCs into the air. Finding the Princess: PCs will need to find a way to mask their scent and Stealth past the giant, who has a Keen Sense of Smell. They will also need to find a way to communicate with Princess Britannia the Spear without her breaking into song, which will wake the Giant. The Climax: PCs will likely wake the Giant, requiring them to flee or fight. Use Cloud Giant statblock, but give him a wand of polymorph. Plot Twist: PCs discover that the Giant is actually Britannia’s father. Conclusion: If the PCs rescue Princess Britannia the Spear, the grateful cultists give the PCs one of the objects they need to use Charon’s ferry. However, they do not appear interested in breaking the Princess’s curse, happy to leave her as a Singing Spear and immediately booking her on a world tour. "Shepard Tone: A sci-fi mini-adventure” Ideal for systems like Starrfinder or Lasers & Feelings Mini-Hook: Upon stepping through a sleek, steel door, the PCs find themselves on the bridge of a futuristic starship. After exiting a wormhole jump-point, long-range scanners have picked up a strange frequency emanating from an uncharted planet. Following the Grand Galactic Alliance’s Prime Directive, PCs go to investigate. Challenges: Pick a uniform: they come in a variety of colors (one per PC, no duplicates), but whoever is unfortunate enough to wear the infamous “red shirt” becomes a magnet for danger. Enemies will always attack the red shirt first, traps will spring on them, mosquitoes will bite them more than anyone else. It becomes the responsibility of the party to protect the red shirt. Meet John Shepherd: this amateur astronomer (based on a real person. Go ahead and Google him) set up a radio transmitter in his backyard to make First Contact with extraterrestrials. PCs must make an appropriate Tech skill check to trace the source of his signal. Fend off the Clasp: PCs are not the only ones to pick up on the broadcast. An insidious evil empire known as “The Clasp,” who promise friendship but plan to conquer and colonize. The Climax: PCs must choose one of two paths to success: Expose the Clasp’s lies so that the people of this planet will reject their alliance. This will require Investigation checks to find hard evidence, a Persuasion check to present the information in a convincing way, and a Tech check to successfully broadcast the message to as many people as possible. Or Fight and wipe out the alien invasion force (‘cuz murder-hoboes gotta murder) Plot Twist: The wormhole that brought the PCs here actually transported through both space and time. Rather than convincing this planet to join the Alliance, they have inspired the people who will one day found the Alliance in the first place. Conclusion: Having saved his planet, Shepherd is able to reconfigure his transmitter to open a wormhole back to the PCs’ home timeline, but not before giving them a token of gratitude: one of the objects they need to use Charon’s ferry. "The Sweet Smell of Corruption: A modern-gothic vampire mini-adventure” Ideal for systems like World of Darkness Mini-Hook: Upon stepping through an ornate door with twisting iron inlay, the PCs find themselves in a grand ballroom surrounded by pale figures in chic attire sipping blood from champagne flutes. Each holds an invitation in their hands to attend a ceremony hosted by the Prince of New York City, who is about to offer a grand proclamation. At that moment, a murmured panic spreads through the crowd: the Prince is dead. He has suffered the True Death! Challenges: Uncover the Assassin: investigation of the body will reveal that the Prince was given tainted blood to drink. The particular poison used is a trademark of the Followers of Set, but the blood itself comes from a ghoul in the service of the Toreador clan. However the ghoul became poisoned by a Malkavian who willfully poisoned himself in the process. The clues are uncovered separately one-by-one, pointing to a conspiracy between all three clans. Navigate Political Intrigue: clan leaders from all major clans try to position themselves to replace the Prince. PCs must carefully decide with whom to ally themselves as well as negotiate truces to consolidate enough clans into an alliance that can stand up to the remaining clans. The Climax: If the PCs discover the identity of the assassin and allow this to become known before restraining the conspirators, the conspirators will accuse the PCs of being the assassins themselves and a chaotic battle ensues. Plot Twist: One or more of the PCs’ sires was involved in the conspiracy to replace the Prince, creating a conflict of loyalties. Conclusion: Once the PCs have helped instal one of the clan leaders as the new prince, they are granted a boon: one of the objects they need to use Charon’s ferry. "Barbed Tentacles: A Lovecraftian gothic horror mini-adventure” Ideal for systems like Call of Cthulhu or Candela Obscura Mini-Hook: Upon stepping through an ornate Victorian door, PCs take on the role of investigators invited to a secluded island for an exclusive art exhibition hosted by the eccentric artist, Ambrose Wainwright. As they delve into the mysterious collection, they uncover a dark cult's attempt to summon an otherworldly entity. Challenges: Investigate the eerie artwork: Each painting holds a secret, providing glimpses into the eldritch lore. Unraveling the symbolism is crucial to understanding the cult's ritual. Decode Wainwright's journal: The artist's journal, scattered across the mansion, reveals cryptic messages, hidden passages, and a connection to a forbidden tome. Confront the cultists: As the investigators get closer to the truth, they encounter the cultists conducting their ritual. Stealth and strategic decisions are vital to avoid being detected. The Climax: The climax unfolds during the cult's ritual at the mansion's forbidden chamber. The investigators must disrupt the ceremony, facing eldritch horrors and a moral dilemma: To prevent the cosmic entity from fully manifesting and wreaking havoc, the investigators learn that one among them must willingly offer themselves as a vessel for a fraction of the entity's power. The investigators must decide whether to: 1. Sacrifice one of their own to save the world, accepting the burden of carrying part of the entity's malevolence within them. 2. Attempt alternative, riskier methods to thwart the ritual without making a personal sacrifice, potentially endangering the world if unsuccessful. This dilemma adds a layer of psychological horror, testing the investigators' commitment to preserving humanity and their willingness to face the consequences of meddling with cosmic forces. Plot Twist: Ambrose Wainwright, thought to be a victim, was actually orchestrating the ritual to gain unimaginable power. The investigators must decide whether to stop him or succumb to the lure of forbidden knowledge themselves. Conclusion: Hidden inside one of Wainwright’s paintings, PCs discover one of the objects they need to use Charon’s ferry. "Hubris on a Horse: A cottage-core mini-adventure” Ideal for systems like My Little Pony: Roleplay is Magic (yes, that’s a real system) Mini-Hook: Upon stepping through a brightly painted door adorned with rainbow hearts and starbursts, PCs find themselves in a quaint village where they have been transformed into cartoony horses. Casters have unicorn horns and dexterous characters have pegasus wings. The ponies that live in this village are preparing a theatrical performance of Equine-memnon (based on the classic Greek tragedy of hubris), but the lead actor has gone missing. Challenges: There are multiple paths to victory for PCs to pursue: Find the missing lead actor. This requires Investigation. Upon finding him, it is discovered that he elected to abandon the small village production after being offered a role on Bridleway on Mane-hattan. The PCs will need to appeal to his sense of duty and responsibility to convince him to return. Convince the understudy to step in. Unfortunately, she has a crippling sense of insecurity and self-doubt. PCs will need to use Persuasion to instill her with the confidence to go on stage. Come forward to take the reins. One of the PCs must make a Performance check to take over the role. Plot Twist: PCs may be surprised to find there is no option to fight their way out of this scenario. The only solution is friendship. Conclusion: If the PCs can guarantee a quality performance, the little pony acting troupe may win the talent competition. The actors gladly give their prize the the PCs as thanks for all their help, giving them one of the objects they need to use Charon’s ferry.