The Twelfth (and Final) Weird Thing: The Amarna Campaign

 The Twelfth Weird Thing: The Ancient Amarna Campaign

 Presented as it stands, a campaign idea I had for a GURPS Egypt campaign I have never quite managed to foster to reality....

Set ancient Egypt around 1350-1340 BC. It’s going to involve a particularly weird and unpleasant period in Egyptian history during the reign of Akhenaten and the dynamic relationship between Egypt, Amurru, Syria, Hattusa, Punt and Nubia during that period. There’s some really interesting and weird stuff that happened around this time, with lots of holes in the record but enough to know what happened if not always why. This will be a “mostly historical” account but with a horror-themed take on the Egyptian pantheon and a dose of necromancy mixed in. The PCs will be delegates of one of the key “allies” of the time, probably Amurru, though one of them will be a Hittite spy as well. This gives them local prominence for the Mediterranean without being overly familiar with Egyptian customs…they will have to navigate the rivalries and particulars of Egyptian noble life during a turbulent period while representing the self-interest if their own noble ruler, King Aziru, whom they have come to find and possibly liberate from his semi-imprisonment by Akhenaten.

Key Figures:

Akhenaten: the ruler of Egypt, high priest of a new being or philosophical concept he calls the Aten. He is married to Nefertiti and has six daughters. His mystical power is impressive and he is believe to be able to transform into a sphinx, as well as have potent heka (magic, specifically necromancy). His is at once revered and feared by his people in this time. He dwells in the recently constructed city of Akhetaten.

Aziru: ruler of Amurru, a Canaanite city. His conquering of the city of Zemar led to his exile and semi-imprisonment in Egypt after the betrayal of the King of Gubla (Byblos), Rid-Hadda, into the hands of Siduna.

Zimredda of Siduna, the king of Siduna who claimed victory in the capture and possible murder of deposed king Rid-Hadda.

The Habiru, an army of rebels and raiders joined in common cause on the borders of Syria and beyond to stand against the noble lesser kings who serve the Pharaoh.

Shardana: the mercenaries from the sea, prominent sea people who ravage the coast during this time with their ongoing attacks.

Ili-Rapih: ruler of Gubla once his brother Rid-Hadda is killed in Siduna.

Zemar (Sumur): trade city conquered by Aziru.

Gods:

Amurru: gods of Amurru include Hadad (Canaanite storm god) and Asherah (Ba’alat Gublu, fertility goddess)

Egypt: At this time Aten is the only recognized deity/concept, but there are still cults hidden away in worship to the many Egyptian deities which noble and commoner alike is loathe to neglect just becaue the Pharaoh has decreed it.

Languages:

Khemit (Egypt), Akkadian (most of northern Canaan and Syria), Hatti (Hittite), Cushite (Nubia), Puntish (Punt). Others: Alashiya

Locations:

Alashiya: ruled by King Kushmeshusha and his daughter princess Hatbi, an island kingdom which pays copious amounts of copper to Egypt as tribute, but is fiercely xenophobic in many other regards. The city is built along a mountain slope. Recently a plague descended upon the land, driven by the “Hand of Nergal.”

Plot Ideas:

Hand of Nergal:

Akkadian god of death, war and destruction, Nergal is the supposed cause of the plague which begins in the north and spreads from Alashiya to Egypt and throughout Canaan to Hatti. Those who are killed by the plague are known to rise again as the undead. In Egypt the cults of Anubis, Set and Isis suspect that the plague is beset upon humankind for their abandonment of the old gods and grow suspicious that it is the fault of Akhenaten himself.

Nergals’ touch to the north seems to lead to demonic possession of the corpses, and it is believed the Seven Gods or Demons called the Ilu Sebettu are the drivers behind this undead plague. Nergal and the Seven rule with their councilor Isum from Emeslam, a dark kingdom in the realm of the gods, each one personifying a weapon of death. Beside him resides Ereshkigal, his wife of the underworld.

All of Nergal’s plague comes from the ancient ruined city of Kutha, from which his dark servants ride forth to spread the plague.

A talisman of his first wife, Las, is believed to provide blindness to the undead, who cannot sense one so armed with such a talisman.

The Usurpation of Akhenaten:

Akhenaten’s rule is sound until his final year, following the great convocation of his servants throughout the kingdom and the principalities of Egypt. When this happens, the plague comes to Akhetaten and the Pharaoh’s daughters begin to die. As they revive into undead the quiescent Egyptians who remember the old gods can stand it no more and repent, seeking to bring down the Pharaoh in civil war. Ultimately Nefertiti will repent worship of Aten when her husband falls and take the mantle of rulership briefly before her son Tutankhamen rises to power. Only when Akhenaten is dead and Tutankhamen is sworn into the rule of Pharaoh does the plague leave Egypt.

Special Twists: it becomes clear that Akhenaten is sick and transformed by undeath or possession. His heka makes him more susceptible. The PCs are tasked with seeking out the ancient Temple of Set near the Necropolis of Naqada. There the PCs must find a way to put him down, beseeching the dark god with such a task.

Communing with Set (after a brutal trial to prove worthiness of some sort) reveals that the right eye of Akhenaten is his weakness, and once plucked from it’s socket must be returned to the temple as an offering in exchange for such knowledge. The eye is symbolic of Ra’s eye of the sun, and Set wants it. Once it is retrieved, they must travel eastward into the barren wastes and deliver it to an ancient Sphinx.

The Eleventh Weird Thing: The SAS Hierophant for Mothership

 The Eleventh Weird Thing: The SAS Hierophant for Mothership

This was the culimnation of a lengthy Mothership campaign I ran online a while back. May reflect 0E stats! Presented unedited from the original notes. Some character references are to actual characters from that campaign.

The SAS Hierophant Re 22178-XZ

Captain: James Gurdy, 23 years as a contractor and salvager for Sector Authority

Three Extra Crew: Engineer Carl Spectro, field agent Tammy Scythe, and Medic android Craiton.

Current Commission: with Syngen CTO James Revan, who has access to FART unit recovered from Megaldon stomach. Has identified in unit’s recordings that KT-223 vessel is in possession of the Phase Wave Shifter, recovered from ISS Somnus.

Need to Know: The crew are seeking out the KT-223, which was last reported adrift by a Belter mining freighter (The SAS Greenlight) which reported the salvage with request for a partial finder’s right. They tagged the drifter with a beacon but refused to enter for reasons not explained.

Destination: Alpha Persei, the Demon Star (Mirfak) (511 LY from Terra)

Local worlds: Alpha Persei I (super gas giant) (6.8X Jupiter’s mass) – an ominous world with three immense red superstorms larger than some small gas giants that look like eerie eyes.

Colony: L774 New Haven – 13^th moon of AP I (the primary world has 123 moons accounted for)

New Haven was founded in 2673 by the now defunct AE Expansionists. The colony was abandoned in 2710 and not recolonized until 2754 when the colony was purchased by World Systems MC for terraforming. Since then the colony has done well and the terraforming has been a success; the planet is earthlike as of 2901.

Governance: the Independent Colonies charter; subscribe to Sector Authority protection (but behind on payments)

Noteworthy Recent news: the system’s FTL Beacon System has had issues and has been down for six months pending repairs. The KT-223 was carrying necessary goods for the repair. No news has gone in or out of the system in six months not carried directly by visiting freighters, though only three are on record (including KT-223) as heading to the system.

 

The Mystery:

The Hierophant arrives to find a colony that is not responding, and a gigantic research ship in orbit that records say was reported lost or destroyed twenty years ago. They need to decide which to investigate first…and neither is responsive.

The Starship Hades, a currently unregistered Hecate Class Research Vessel, formerly registered to Stygian Development MC, an old Megacorp which operates outside of the Coreworlds almost exclusively, though it is said to have close ties and funding from Persephone Industries, headquartered on Earth. Many suspect Stygian Dev. Is a front for Persephone to carry out illicit and unregulated research in the Rimward Regions. Stygian Dev. Claims the ship was lost twenty years ago.

The ship is parked in orbit around L774. It is currently the last known source of the broadcasting tracker placed on the KT-223 by the belters. The signal is absent from the sensor readings of any ship in the system until Hades is approached, and then the signal begins to ping again….

Inside the hold of the Hades, now ensconced in a docking bay in a Classified Research Module, is the remains of the KT-223. The ship is experiencing a full meltdown. No one seems to be in control. Attempts to hail the Hades are met with a response from Dr. Crystal Matavos, a cyborg researcher who appears to be in charge and will state that any vessel which approaches is at risk of retaliatory destruction, and to depart immediately. But, the ship seems largely offline and neither shields nor weapons are online according to scans….

While in orbit, the vessel suddenly exhibits a massive power surge just when the Hierophant decides to land, briefly bringing the Hades ship to life. Everyone makes a Body check, and if anyone fails they have a momentary blackout and out of body experience on the Hierophant. If anyone critically fails their spectral essence is ripped from their body!

Phase Wave Specter Instinct 30 Combat 25, touch deals 2D10 chilling radioactive tissue damage. Energy weapons can harm the specter (HP 30).

Complication:

The pilot, 1^st lt. Trish August, is hit by the energy and her specter is ripped out. The ship veers abruptly into the station, crashing into the main landing bay. It will take 2D6 hours for remaining crew to disentangle the ship and repair the thrusters to manage a fresh take off.

 

Inside the Ship:

The sudden surge of energy is only the latest, brought on by a slow alien cancer which has torn through the guts of the ship, converting those it touches into phasewave creatures. The device known as the Phase Wave Shifter has been recovered. Dr. Matavos was experimenting on the device when the interred crew, including DOS, who was found strangely cocooned in a metal embryo of exotic matter nanites, awoke, and began converting crew into phasewave forms. The research conducted in Research 1-3 was all part of their assessment of the PWS. The Classified module contains the ship and embryo from which a new DOS awoke, shedding the mundane parts as she proceeded to use exotic matter nanites to build a machine which directed the phasewave energy at L774 below.

Since then of the three hundred crewmen on the ship more than 80% have been turned into different sorts of phasewave creatures:

Phasewave Soldier – basic units of protection; Instinct 50 Combat 55 Damage energy attack 1D10X10, Health 40

Phasewave Rupture – the phasebonding did not go well; Instinct 35, Combat 55, Damage 3 attacks 3D10 each by tentacles, Health 50; Can also spit once instead and if it hits the target must make a body save or be invaded by exotic restructuring nanites. If killed by one of these, you see your spectral ghost form ripped free and devoured. The body drops and animates as a soldier 1D10 minutes later.

Phasewave Exterminator – the final form of a successful conversion; Instinct 70, Combat 70, attacks 1D10X10 energy or direct matter conversion attack Body save or take 2D10X10 damage and turn in to a phasewave soldier. Only two are on the ship right now.

Phasewave Hybrid Speaker – These intermediary units retain communication skills and speak the voice of the Destructor, the Final Manifestation. Occasionally they will address individuals directly, and speak of the dead they have known. Instinct 40, Combat 40, Attack 1D10 claws, HP 25.

The Final Manifestation – this colossal beast is located on the planet below and has already annihilated the colony, converting all it finds into exotic matter servants. It is the first of the Final Solution by ancients to eliminate the Baryonic Plague which has crippled the universe. Instinct 100, Combat 100, Attack 1D10 tentacles or stomp, all 3D10X10; Health 1,000. It is pure exotic matter and can only be harmed by energy weapons or antimatter.

About 60 humans and androids survive on the ship, ensconced in Research Modules 1-2, the Bridge, and a handful in other areas. These include some soldiers, researchers and damaged androids; the phasewave pulses are slowly shredding the synthetic skin of the androids.

They are led by Dr. Crystal Matavos, who has been infect (as DOS was) by the exotic matter nanites. She wants to see what the final machine is, and realizes that the aliens may represent an exotic species that exists between normal baryonic matter and non-baryonic dark matter. The potential for the weapon being built is enormous, as it seems capable of opening a wormhole in space to any other star system to “fire” upon, though so far it has only targeted New Haven.

The Corrupted Regions:

Engineering – the source of the Phasewave Shifter Engine/Weapon

Classified Research Bay – where KT-223 and the crew were stowed; heavy corruption

Each other region has a 25% chance of corruption, which goes up by 10% for each hour the crew remains on the ship. The energy pulse takes effect once every 5 hours, but after each new pulse the next one is 1 hour sooner. Dr. Matavos believes the pulse, when it hits zero, will unleash the true effect of the weapon. She wants to record it all.

Complications:

The Mutineer:

Commander Alan James was head of Special Security for the Hades and watched most of his men convert or perish. He’s damn pissed and is located in a brig off the Commons. He wants out, and he knows a hidden chamber into the locked down Engineering section. He has the codes to reactivate the ship’s weaponry, including antimatter warheads.

KT-223 Stowage:

DOS (android) and Tennl (android) are awakened by the latest phasewave surge, which is strong enough to spontaneously recharge them, though they have only 1D10 minutes before the ambient energy subsides to find replacement power cores. DOS is a skeletal wreck lying in front of the opened cocoon, and her memories are a wreck. The other crew remained in stasis lockdown, but the power surge overwhelms the lockdown protocols and initiates an emergency thaw. This includes the PCs and some extras:

Space KT-223 Crew: Senior Technician Alan Spencer; Teamster Extra Morris, Labreu, Chester and Dwight. Backup Pilot Mike Hondo, and backup Navigator Archie Loam

The ship appears flyable, but the tendrils of exotic matter winding from it like blood vessels need to be cut. The good news is, this is bended exotic matter, and so can be damaged; pure exotic matter forms are only harmed by energy weapons.

The Cat:

Miraculously Prince is still alive and wandering around somewhere on the ship. A second prince is also in the ship. This one, if inspected, appears to be a clever simulacra and its body hosts a small faraday cage, as it is a clever robot designed by Fart to hide the PWS. Unfortunately it was found by the crew of the Hades. The cat was disabled, but reanimated with the first phasewave surge that hit the colony some days ago.

Docking Bay One and Two:

The secured docking bay still contains two shuttles, though one is flyable but missing some parts and will fail if it enters atmosphere. The second docking bay appears to have had a catastrophic accident, and three of four shuttles are wiped out, with a fourth one intact but also resting in vacuum as the bay integrity was compromised. A Phasewave Exterminator waits within.

There is clear evidence at least 2 shuttles are completely missing.

Research Station 2: This is where Dr. Matavos is operating, and she has 6 security guards with her, all androids. She has a half dozen additional researchers with her, monitoring the activity of the manifestation and recording everything. A hyperlight probe is recording all and ready to fire in the aft sensor array section, which is where another dozen scientists and security are trying to keep the area held from the incursion.

Communicating with the Manifestation:

The speakers are the only way the entities can communicate. They seem to draw on the emotions and memories of whoever they are near, and speak with the voices of dead relatives. They refer to the Final Manifestation as the Purest Light and the Phage. They claim it will exterminate the bacterial infestation that is baryonic life. They otherwise seem irrational and have no reasoning skills though they can mimic voices and try to convince people to do things like open sealed doors and such.

Other Notes on Phasewave Events:

During the countdown, when a new phasewave event happens the ship’s systems all spontaneously power up, even ones not attached to a power grid, as if ambient energy is bleeding in to them. When this happens, the androids briefly gain advantage on all rolls for 1D10 minutes. The phasewave creatures go insane, however, and begin rampaging and attacking at random, sometimes even each other. This feral behavior also lasts 1D10 minutes. There is a 10% chance one lesser type will mutate into a greater type, or that a recent corpse will turn in to a rupture.

Resolutions

There is a chance the crew can detonate the antimatter warheads in the ordnance bay. They can simply flee the system and hopes the Doctor’s belief that the PWS device opens wormholes is false. They can abandon the station for the planet and end up stuck.

Key to the Hades – Unique Location Details

For each location, roll D100 to determine contamination level on arrival; increase by 1D10 for each energetic event. In each location there is a 1 in 10 chance Prince is nearby, increase by 1 every two locations searched.

Shuttle Bay 1                   Corruption:

              Two working shuttles, but one is missing parts and will fail if it enters atmosphere

Shuttle Bay 2                   Corruption:

              1 working shuttle, in vacuum; an exterminator is in the chamber

              Other shuttles wiped out in a crash by looks of it

Forward Gunnery           Corruption: 35% start

              Contains forward particle accelerator cannon; heavily corrupted; 1D6 soldiers

Medical Bay                     Corruption:

              Most are compromised; 1D6 specters are in the area

              One Medical chamber is locked and contains Dr. Richard Warren and 3 nurses, 2 patients.

They have captured a speaker which is locked in partial stasis

Commons and Crew Quarters    Corruption:

              Will have one random creature for every 5% corruption rolled

              Searching brig reveals Commander Alan James trapped

Forward Sensor Array                  Corruption:

              Contains three speakers working to graft an exotic tech device to the sensors

Secondary Sensor Array

              Lt. Ray Golds is hiding out here in access tubes playing cat and mouse.

Bridge Controls                             Corruption:

Captain Dearing of the Hades is holding out here with a dozen bridge crew. Will let anyone In if proven safe, but are suspicious as the speakers have been taunting them for entry.

Dearing has a plan to force the ship into LEO and crash it, as a last ditch effort, but engineering is cut off; he considers the Doctor to be mad

Engineering                      Corruption: 85% to start

The heart of the corruption; what appears to be the Phase Wave Shifter is connected to the engine here, which is fueling energy to the device.

Two exterminators are here.

The corruption has sealed off all normal access.

Research Bay 1                              Corruption:

              A chamber with multiple cells, containing evidence of horrid mutations perpetrated on prisoners

A laboratory filled with more mutations, apparently caused by research on the PWS before the “cocoon” awoke

              A stasis chamber with a specter held in place; appears to be pleading for release

              Dr. Afram Zellar hiding in a chamber, he’s gone quite mad.

Research Bay 2                              Corruption:

This is where Dr. Matavos is operating, and she has 6 security guards with her, all androids. She has a half dozen additional researchers with her, monitoring the activity of the manifestation and recording everything. A hyperlight probe is recording all and ready to fire in the aft sensor array section, which is where another dozen scientists and security are trying to keep the area held from the incursion.

Munitions Storage                        Corruption:

Sealed, high security, location of 6 antimatter warheads locked in stasis and magnetic bottling powered by fusion cores

Docking Bay                                   Corruption: 0% to start

              Crash site of the Hierophant

              Clear of corruption at the start

Back of the entire bay has been cordoned off behind steel shielding and a heavy security entrance.

Quarantine Zone                           Corruption 40% to start

Contains the KT-223 remains. Includes the cargo left over from the planetary visit that did not happen. This includes a working hyperlight jump sensor ready to go.

              Location where DOS and others wake up following latest surge of power.

              3 destroyed androids can be gutted for power cells.

              A phasewave soldier is on patrol

Escape through main doors impossible due to corruption; access tunnels lead to Aft Controls and Research Bay 3.

Aft Controls/Sensors                   Corruption:

              The location of the sensor and communications array, as well as a backup aft bridge

A message on the comms relay is captured indicating that the military cruiser Chiron is inbound. And should reach the outer rim of the star system in 1 week. The message is 5 days old.

Dozens of desperate messages asking for help from the colony New Haven about two weeks ago, suggesting they were attacked

Storage Dock 1                              Corruption:

A lot of useful equipment though short on armament. Includes vacc suits. Careful searching reveals orbital re-entry suits, designed to drop into orbit, survive re-entry with ablative shielding, then pop parachutes.

Classified Bay                                 Corruption:

Hidden in the Classified Bay is a Scimitar Class Assault Ship, stowed away. It will take 2D5 hours to assemble and prep. It appears to have Jump 3 capabilities and while it has a particle beam weapon and torpedoes it lacks ordnance (which is in the ammo dump).

Rack of training weapons and a testing ground in this bay. Weapons are loaded with blanks.

Research Bay 3                              Corruption: 100%

This contains the Initiator, a speaker of particular cunning, and a dozen other creatures.

There is a wall of techno-hybrid machine flesh in which a dozen humans are embedded, and they are being used like a computer by the phasewave entities.

Another phasewave shifter is here! It is linked to the webwork of corruption and seems to be recently grown.

All in the chamber feel constantly distorted as if moving in and out of their own bodies (SAN check or 1D10 stress)

Initiator Instinct 70, Combat 50, Damage 1D10X10 can “push” spectral soul from target, HP 20

             

The Tenth Weird Thing: THE DEATH CRYPT OF GHASTRAL for Mork Borg!

 

The Tenth Weird Thing: THE DEATH CRYPT OF GHASTRAL

My first Mork Morg adventure....I don't think I've published this on the blog, but either way, a good weird adventure. Make your own map (it's fairly linear) and do what I did when I ran it on Roll20: generate images from whatever image generator you want to use to reflect each room. No idea what I did with those images, I think they are still on the Roll20 room I made for this one.

You are at the Bergen Crypt Treeline. A pale one name Savatha has offered you 100 silver to escort her here.

A restless soul named Ghastral has contacted Savatha in dreams. She seeks to commune with him in his crypt.

While meeting with Ghastral in his crypt, an earthquake strikes! The obelisk in the center of the crypt cracks, and beyond a hidden chamber is revealed, exposing rooms of a lost temple.

The crypt is an inactive dungeon, but because a misery was fulfilled: “Brother shall slay brother, and sister shall poison sister (3:6)” it has been exposed once more!

Imminent Danger: senses are being distorted! DR10 each new chamber that is entered, to see what “appears”: 1-2 fabulous treasure, 3-4 a monster; 5-6 the doppelganger of the adventurer

What Dwells Here Now? A meaty mass of slime, larvae and spider eggs! It is alive.

Distinctive Feature: the bony remains of the Basilisk’s spawn litter the complex, like a vast, winding serpent.

Room 0: entrance to the tomb, collapsed rubble, shattered obelisk to the Basilisk which oozes the corpulent mass of slime, larva and spider eggs. If anyone steps in it (DR10 to avoid if rushed) they risk 1D4 damage from serious bites and acid. The hollow presence of Ghastral remains long enough to fade away, with a terrible shriek that the Unformed One has Awakened….searching carefully reveals a random scroll deposited in the crack of the obelisk. If the group lingers too long, 1D3 goblins show up to investigate, dropping from holes in the ceiling.

Room 1: Mirrors everywhere! The mirrors show strange distortions and reflect other lands, some worse and others as if they are the Eternal Fields. Amidst this, a strange beast prowls through the mirrors, distorted and strange…

The Mirror Monster: it drags one arm behind, covered in slime, with a dozen bloodshot eyes frantically casting about for victims. Its bloated body is a mass of bilious organs tied together, covered in weeping maws.

Morale 10; Damage D4 (bites and scratched); -D6 armor (regrows wounds); 5 HP

Goal: collect your eyes to add to its own so it can see through the mirror realm to Nechrubel!

Room 2: sooty walls from floor to floor, it looks as if an eruption of fire annihilated this chamber. A strange sooty wet trail leads from the next room into this one, where a mass of water surrounds a Zodiac Lung (Feretory), lying in the floor.

Room 3: graffiti in terrifying inscriptions covers the walls of this chamber. The center of the chamber is bifurcated by a vast chasm with intense rushing water deep below, roaring as loud as the ocean. Salty sea smell fills the air, and a lone gull flies up from below to land on the ledge.

The water trail in Room 2 leads to this chamber and ends at the chasm. Footholds are carved in the chasm and descend to a small grotto below, where 150 Silver, 20 gold and 1D6 trinkets can be found, along with a Galgenbeck Deathmask (Heretic) and one scroll. Guarding the hidden alcove is a Bent hiding in the chamber! His name is Sparrow, and he knows that the raging river leads to the coast.

A lone stone bridge crosses the chasm. A single black form in a cloak resides at the center of the 25 foot span. Wearing the cloak is a Belze, a bloody skeleton named Pavrak, an ancient lost priest of the temple destined to protect the bridge. He will let the group pass if they use the Galgenbeck Mask to tell him how he died….from poison slipped to him by his rival, Onmater.

Room 4: fire damage to walls show recent destruction, and in the center of this chamber is a vast altar to Nechrubel. The altar’s center is a deep pit, from which the endless bones of its spawn appear to have emerged. Amidst the rubble and debris are human skeletons as well. The Formless Priests will rise, randomly assembling, within two minutes of the group entering:

Formless Priests (D4), Morale 10, Damage D6 (clubs and rusted metal), Armor none, 4 HP (will drop lifeless if someone falls into the center pit).

FINALE: On defeating the priests, a ghostly basilisk-form rises from the pit and hovers there. If a sacrifice is made (an artifact or a living being) the ghostly serpent spews forth a random occult artifact from its mouth and then disappears. The chamber rocks in a destructive quake, striking again! The group must make DR10 agility checks to avoid 1D6 damage from falling rubble. When it ends, the pit is sealed, and a crack in the far wall reveals the ominous night of the Bergen Crypts. A cloudburst of rain greets the party as they leave. Everyone may roll to see if they improve.

The Ninth Weird Thing: Perdido City Station for Mothership

 The Ninth Weird Thing: Perdido City Station for Mothership

Station 472 Perdido City 

Public Housing

Visitors can get cheap housing here, with metered facilities (20 CR/day)

About half a dozen habitat centers here, but only two are active, the rest appear semi abandoned

Some out of work locals hanging out will talk about the weird murders going on (They’re calling it the Plasma Torch Killer because the victims appear to have been instantly incinerated with a high intensity heat source).

A back alley contains some clues to the last killing, a scorched area, and strange writing that looks geometric and indecipherable. Locals say its borrowed from the “old ruins.”

KT Corporate Branch

A gratuitously expensive corporate office nestled in a district filled with shuttered travel agent shops and smaller corporate offices hidden in the afterglow of KT’s neon holographics.

Operation center for KT in the Outer Rim. CMO Alan Durns is in charge, but he’s a frayed and maddened sort of personality, clearly hooked on stims and stuck out here to avoid embarrassment. He will try to dock the PCs for not salvaging the experimental ship Somnus, but if he learns of the sphere will promise to “remove as much of the penalty for failure as possible” in exchange for the artifact.

Guarded by a Wolf-337 glimmerhound, and two robot guards.

Aeroflight

A large sub-domed facility within the complex laden with launch pads for the ultralite aerogliders used by locals for most travel.

Local independent travel service, provides rental and purchase of the light airframe gliders used by colonists to get around on Wolf-337. Run by Paulo Marquette. He will mention that the station has a problem with the “Sirius Nine” pirates on the independent cruiser Adelaide.

Public Markets

Half of this vast stretch is wreathed in semi-darkness as a medley of mostly shuttered businesses, like a dead mall, stretch out, punctuated by small clusters of active shops, and lots of bars. About 20% of the sky grid holograms are working. Among the victims of time is a vast casino, now all but shut down, collecting dust as its floors are graced by a handful of patrons. Mold fills the air.

Maybe only 20% of the markets are active, but there’s no limit on what to find here. Drugs and guns are to be found at the black market, however.

Sector Authority Offices

This monolithic structure appears to be a bastion of regional authority, but the large number of holographic signs advertising cheap insurance rates suggests that the local authorities are just another scam business.

Outer Rim Sector Authority represents itself as a for-hire police force but is really no better than an insurance company which likes to look the other way when premiums are past due.

Captain Samine Weathers is in charge, and she is secretly on the take from both KT and the Mining Corp. if they ask here to guarantee no interference.

Ship Yards

This vast area holds no pretenses, as multiple vessels have been towed in from outside and are undergoing repairs, overhauls or special installs. Most of the laborers appear to be machines of various types.

A handful of independent and corporate-backed shipwrights work in this area, surviving on the trade of repair and replace. A couple used ship dealers are also present, but their wares are deeply suspect.

Rimward Museum

Run by a dour android named Scott Selman (formerly a casino droid), this quaint affair was built with public funding in the early days and somehow continues to survive on Academy donations. The museum charts a slightly biased take on the discoveries of first explorers Thomas Gorman and Selina Rausch, and their discovery of the Wolf-337 ruins, evidence of a once thriving civilization nearly 1.5 million years ago, preserved due to the extremely low level of geologic activity on the planet. It documents the failed terraforming events and the take-over of independent miners, followed by the rise of the Tyber-Morgan Mining Corporation today.

Scott Selman can attest to the fact that the mystery markings sprayed like grafitti around the city do match the enigmatic symbols of the prehistoric ruins. “Thesallonians” are what they were called, and he will talk a bit about it, showing samples of artifacts. He explains the name came from Selina Rausch, who in her later years claimed to be able to communicate with the ghosts of the dead species. He mentions in passing that the radioactivity of the ruins caused unfortunate and often fatal mutations in the original colonists.

Passage to Old City

This area includes evidence of a large construction zone and an incomplete corporate works project dedicated to “Eon Industries” but the sign is twenty years old. A passage through the dig site leads to a carfully repaired structure which opens up to a heavy airlock to one of the underground tunnels that runs seventy kilometers north to the location Old City, which was the original colony site that failed. Warnings at the airlock indicate that there are no resources and no breathable atmosphere past this point.

CDF Rimward Recruitment Center

The Colonial Defense Forces have a large building manned by a skeleton crew, seeking mainly to try and encourage incoming spacers to jump contract and join their ranks since few locals show any interest these days. The recruiting officer in charge is an aging fellow named Cmdr. Walter Kellerman.

Kyle Razor’s Retreat

This private section of town is dominated by long city blocks between transit passages, each one extremely well secured and private. As you reach Razor’s retreat, you find that the outer door opens easily enough to reveal a wonderland within, a private holodome of a suny California beach, beneath which a similuated beach house and what appear to be genuine (but probably synthetic) flora and fauna scamper about. A seagull with grey, mechanical eyes lands on a pole and watches you. The wide entry door to the lush retreat is guarded by a Mantis Guardian class bioroid, which appears to be extremely pissed that it must tolerate your presence.

Kyle Razor got wind of the ship’s cargo before the crew ever arrive thanks to the transmission network bringing word just ahead of their arrival. He’s here, with two clones named Dolly and Brianna, as well as his two bodyguards, “Crane” and “Skillshot”. Skillshot appears to be a former augmented marine, sniper trained, and Crane appears to be an ex-corporate fixer turned bodyguard. Lurking on the premesis is a cloaked fellow who refuses to show his face, a scarred mutant named Cordon who is one of the original colonists, mutated and given extended life by an encounter with the Thesellan ghosts, though he tells few of his encounters with them, or that he can still see them….and that they are all around the city!

Kyle will offer the group 1 million credits or their own ship in exchange for the artifact. He is a “retired” media personality and former musician from the core who fled to the outer rim after his time as a pop star turned into a cult leader for the Cult of the NU. which in turn led to accusations of mass murder when he fled the scene of the crime following the dead of his entire cult when the star Rapsody-1515 went super nova. If pressed, Kyle admits he thinks the artifact is actually a vessel for the voice of the NU, and he intends to commune with his dead flock and especially his wife, Cryseta.  

Abandoned Districts

Large swathes of the complex are completely abandoned, lived in by transients waiting for a new mining gig or seeking some fortune to buy their way off-planet. Dangerous gangs and criminals roam here, and multiple murders from the “Plasma Torch Killer” have happened here though Sector Authority ignores it.

Many abandoned buildings are covered in the mystery writing.

Perdido Research Facility

This facility is receiving about one third of the PC’s cargo, the rest going to the mining corporation. The facility is headed by Director Anton Birch, a wiry man who cares little for spacers. The facility appears to be focused on establishing a better approach to eventually terraforming the planet, but it also seems to have an unusual number of ancient artworks on display from the indigenous ruins.

Gorman-Rausch Preservation Site

This site is open-air, in the incredibly thin and toxic local atmosphere. The site is mostly off-limits, but nothing is around to stop people from going into the deep ruins, made of a soft, crystalline material similar to chalcedony in appearance but in fact an extremely complex molecular design which is nearly impervious to damage. The material has been dubbed Rauschium in honor of the discoverer.

A self guided tour of the “safe zone” is available.

There is a 10% chance of spotting one of the elusive Thesellan ghosts during the visit, which appears briefly like a strange floating after-image from staring too long at the sun before disappearing into rock. The tour mentions that it is believed that these are actually holographic augmentations caused by still functioning embedded circuitry within the rauschium ruins, which seem to occasionally garner energy from sunlight and reactivate programs which have somehow sustained functionality after 1.5 million years. The constructs are believed to be harmless and non-interactive from exhaustive studies, allegedly.

Anyone who scopes around the site will see a large aerocruiser parked a half kilometer away under a camouflage tent. This is the Sirius Nine vessel, where these rogues have been scouring the ruins lately looking for artifacts to sell to core world bidders. Drawing their attention could quickly escalate to a fight. Entering the ruin tunnels could also lead to an encounter.

Tyber Morgan Mining Corporate Offices

The head of mining operations, Gale Forran, runs everything from this secured complex reachable from the city dome by underground tunnel. This may be the only complex in the region that is bustling with activity and fully staffed. They seem to garner a lot of work from mining technetium and vanadium, valuable for use in superconducting technology, as well as raw deposits of promethium ore for jump drives.

The Eighth Weird Thing: The World of Blight

 The Eighth Weird Thing: The World of Blight

Written and used in White Star but adaptable to any suitably out-there scifi system! Presented here so they can compliment the prior entry on the Chilopteroids of Gleison.

49 Blight

Blight was noted for its singularly unimpressive post-apocalyptic primeworld, the original name of which was long ago lost in favor of the scout’s nickname of Blight. On Blight rests the remains of an unknown civilization bombed back to stone age in what appears to be a genocidal war; debris in orbit and on the three moons of the planet clearly indicate they had progressed into space and were colonizing their system when the extinct level warfare took place. Now, the survivors of Bight are a handful of desperate wastelanders competing for precious resources with a large mass of mutated flora and fauna, a byproduct of biogenetic engineering for warfare and mutations from bioweaponry.

Events at Blight:

1. There is a strange orbital station/ship that looks like a vast, mirrored lens or saucer around Blight. It is defended by automated snub fighters, but may be friendly with the right approach. The vessel is run by a chilopteroid called Chiron, a race of ancient  near-immortal vampire bat-men. Chiron has arrived here from his home planet of Gleison, ostensibly to study the plight of the people of Blight; he represents himself as a benevolent god to them, and sends them on missions to gather ancient relics which he claims he is studying to determine what happened to the planet. In truth, he is implanting the natives with a red organic crystal, which he uses to sap psychic energy from the natives, feeding himself and his chliopteroid clan, and allowing them to continue with their indefinite life span. He is also secretly trying to find the Stellar Librarian (see below) which he believes contains the secret to true immortality.

2. A star cruiser from the Segurandi Dominion called The Infallible and piloted by the star witch Kalabretta (Mystic level 3; S 11 D 17 C 10 I 12 W 14 CH 18; HP 9, HD 2; AC 13, Attack 1, Star Sword +1 attack, 1D6+4 damage; ST 12; Meditations: charm person, detect life, speed burst (gift); Mystic is in Between Star & Void, page 8). She has a dozen soldiers (WS page 80) in her service. She is investigating two issues: what the chilopteroids are up to (they are an enemy of the Segurandi Dominion and the witch queen in particular), and the recovery of a lost artifact: a Stellar Librarian. The Stellar Librarian is a holographic recording device that she believes is located in the ruins of one of the largest cities still standing on Blight, a haunted location which is overgrown with deadly flora and fauna. The Stellar Librarian may have been hidden here during the invasion of the Void Lords to save it from destruction, since the Void Lords tended to ignore already devastated systems. Kalabretta might be willing to hire the PCs to aid in its recovery, offering them 300 credits and the promise of an assist in the future if they need her help.

Bestiary of Blight:

Blight Natives are seven foot tall humanoids with insectoid features, four arms, and deep red and blue hues of “skin.” AC 13, HD 2, Move 12, Attacks 2, swords 1D6 or crossbows (1D6+1), ST 17, HDE 2/30; Special: most natives have odd random mutations, and all natives have all-around vision; surprise only 1 in 6 chance)

Gromics are 20-25 foot tall gorilla-like beings with wide, membranous wings. They actually have a limited form of telepathy which they use to gain lift and they then glide on the intense winds of Blight. AC 14, HD 6, Move 12 (15 fliying), Attacks 2, Fists 2D6+1 each or throw rocks (1D6), ST 13, HDE 6/400

Chilopteroids of Gleison are six to eight feet tall, and resemble humanoid bats. AC 13, HD 3, Move 15 or 18 fly; attack 1 (claw 1D4) or laser pistol (1D6+2), ST 16, HDE 3/60; chilopteroids can become invisible at will as per the meditation; a chilopteroid with its blood crystal receptor will regenerate 1 hit point per turn, and leaving a body around will let it come back to life eventually; only destroying the body will stop the regeneration.)

Spider-Hunters prowl the ruins of Blight, looking something like a furry mammal combined with an arachnid, the Spidere-Hunters were unleashed on Blight to hunt down Chilopteroid enemies and escaped slaves. They are larger than mastiffs and have a vile poison. AC 14, HD 4, Move 12 (climb 12), attacks 2, claw/pincers 1D6+2 each, plus poison (Save or suffer paralysis and take 1D6 damage/turn for 1D12 turns as guts liquefy); ST 15, HDE 4/120

The Stellar Librarian is a cosmic inter-dimensional sentient probe from another universe. It can be attacked but is made of matter from another dimension and can only be temporarily disrupted, reforming 1D12 hours later after HP reach zero. It can impart knowledge to those who desire it, releasing a small black globe which when absorbed requires a save; if the target fails, then the subject is cocooned and gains the abilities but begins to slowly transform into strange matter from another dimension (more on what this means soon!). Effects that can be granted include: gain a new skill (if using skill abilities), wild talent psionics (if using Psionics supplement), a meditation or even something more exotic at GM’s discretion. AC 18, HD 12, HP 42, Move 20 (levitation), attacks: none; the Stellar Librarian is pacifistic, but it can engage in a probe for 200 feet; targets must make a save, and on failure the Stellar Librarian knows all data on the subject; Chilopteroid nervous systems tied to blood stones are disrupted by this for 1D6 turns, and may affect unshielded cybernetics in the same way; ST 7; HDE 2,000

Zunathics are also other-dimensional energy beings, and are also made of a strange matter which fluctuates in an indeterminate matter/energy state. They can take any form (the one with the Stellar Librarian appears as a unicorn made of cosmic stardust….yes, that is right). Zunathics can absorb 50 points of energy damage before further damage disrupts their form; physical damage has no effect (but see below); if one is reduced to 0 HP it is disrupted and reforms 1D12 hours later. AC 19, HD 8, HP 28, Move 12 (18 running), Attacks 1, Particle Beam Horn 4D6 damage and make a save or take 2D6 damage for 1D4 additional rounds; ST 11; HDE 8/800

The Seventh Weird Thing: The Lost World Engineered by the Colony AI to Mirror Ancient Greek Myth

 The Seventh Weird Thing: The Lost Colony    

This can me adapted to other systems but I will present the write-up exactly as I wrote it for Cypher System a while back. This is an extension of my Orion Consortium Explorers plot I alluded to in the 1st Weird Thing. It is an homage to all those old Star Trek episodes where they find a planet ruled by some god, specifically that one where it was Apollo.

Cypher System Orion Exploration Services Plots:

Current Year by the Orion Calendar: year 3,321 following the age of heroes; two hundred years since the discovery of FTL technology and meeting the Recorders.

Episode One: The Lost Colony

A remote world called SKO339, 83 LY in to the Unknown Expanse, has been emitting an emergency beacon for several weeks. The beacon is on a universal Dominion Frequency, but Recorders have indicated the world is off-limits in their old Survey records. Survey info suggests the inhabitable mainworld may have Terran Empire artifacts present.

The System: A single star, main, with 4 gas giants and five inner worlds. Main planet SKO339-3 is 3.9BYO with a human-compatible atmosphere and ecosystem. 50% water on surface. Strong volcanic activity. A single moon (SKO339-1). Gravity is .92 Orion normal. Population: 35 million Terran divergents; likely a lost colony. TL late bronze-age

The planet Themyskos

The Basics: A low-tech world, lost colony, modeled after ancient Greece. The similarities are alarmingly suspicious, though the Orions do not know this. The world is 50/50 water and land, extremely habitable with a lush ecosystem.

In Orbit: 24 powerful ancient orbital satellites in place around the planet, equipped with matter conversion weaponry. The satellites are aggressive only if attacked. They use antimatter weapons and powerful defensive shields to protect the planet, and appear to be tied in to some sort of local network broadcasting on eleven-dimensional frequencies. In a single LaGrange point rests a derelict, mostly intact space station. Evidence of the remains of other old stations can be seen, but its all wreckage.

The Dead Station: There’s an ancient abandoned orbital station, clearly of Terran Imperial origin. The station is long dead and pock-marked with damage from collisions.

1.       Coupling the station’s computer to a power source reveals about 95% of its recordings, managed on quantum drives embedded in tungsten, have failed. What little is left appears to be a lengthy treatise on the ancient history of Lost Earth, primarily a full record of the archaic history of humanity. A valuable find!

2.       There is a single marker and small monument left by the Recorders indicating they visited, the date suggests they were here 1,000 years ago and the only information encoded in the marker states, “Archaic colony, Terran; revisit if warranted.” It is linked to an observer satellite but the observer satellite is missing from orbit.

3.       The station is haunted, by a half-dozen robotic drones of unknown alien origin, but they do appear quite ancient. They will activate if they sense life within 100m of their floating positions and seek to grab, encapsulate and begin to transform the host in 10 hours into a Hyperioth hunter-killer unit. The ESS Navigator’s records record a half-dozen other incidents with the relics of this unknown species called the Hyperioth.

4.       The remnants of a Terran ship are in a launch bay. It appears to be STL, an explorer class, and shows heavily modified…it was being used as a shuttle from space to ground and contains evidence that in the final days of the station they were scavenging and moving all they could, before the ship failed while docked. Two skeletons in space suits rest in the cockpit, the only corpses on the entire station. Their bones are so brittle from exposure to radiation and the vacuum that they crumble if touched.

Scanning the Planet: Evidence of a large (2 km) ship that crashed on the planet is visible from surveys in space. The ship created a swathe of destruction 30 km long that partially damaged a major settlement (the city of Spartus)

   All other scans confirm: no radio, no broadcasts, and locals appear to be in the late bronze age of technology. The Emergency beacon that the ship is seeking stands alone, and surprisingly is not coming from the wrecked ship; it’s coming from a religious temple on a high peak some 30 km from the location of the wreck!

The Landing Party: the explorer-class shuttle Nemescae is impulse drive only and has reactive camouflage on its hull to avoid detection. Captain Brial Thane will assign the team low tech equipment and clothing, and a set of protective equipment that is set to decay if outside of the radius of their biometric signature within 24 hours. The shuttle includes a full med-bay module in case there are wounded to be recovered. It is advised to investigate the crash first and then the source of the signal. A backstory about being foreign merchants is advised, or to call themselves “servants of the gods” if evidence becomes clear to the natives they have advanced tech.

A note on the Noninterference Rule: the Orion Commonwealth has adopted the Dominion rule of non-contact and non-interference with pre-spaceflight civilizations. Archaic worlds require careful handling and mitigating exposure to advanced technology. Attempting to uplift or exploit pre-spaceflight worlds is considered a high crime of both the Commonwealth and the Dominion.

Landing at the Crash Site:

The derelict is thoroughly wrecked, and appears to have crashed here about six weeks prior. The vessel is registered with the Dominion as a research vessel owned by a species called the Hellenathi. In the ruins the landing team can find:

1.       There are bodies in the wreckage, of human-like beings but with a light blue skin. These appear to be Hellenathi, and a deep medical scan reveals they are genetically divergent Terrans; may, like Orions and others, be part of a lost Terran colony that survived the collapse and recovered. The ship’s name translates to “Prospector One.”

2.       Every corpse appears to have died of either massive trauma due to the crash or massive trauma due to what appears to be a brutal attack. There are is biological material, including a shed 3-foot claw, left behind from the attacker, which shows a genetic makeup with a 5-pronged DNA helix that is completely alien.

3.       Inside the ship are dozens of cryostasis pods. The sip’s engine is a Warp-core, but very old; this thing takes years to move between worlds. There is a special section with extremely large pods; three are empty but one is damaged and contains the mummified corpse of a horrifying monster (the unknown entity locals are calling the Kerberos). It’s remains corroborate with the alien DNA found on the bodies.

4.       A few weapons can be found, but most of the weapons in the ship’s locker appear to be destroyed in the landing.

5.       The ship has evidence of a sentient AI but investigating reveals its core has been removed! A database is here, and can be downloaded; includes the ship’s universal language translator, which will let the ESS Navigator’s system begin translating the Hellenathi language.

6.       When the group lands, a cool voice communicates with them via broadcast, declaring itself the voice of Athena, goddess of Wisdom, and asks that the “starmen” assist in removing the debris and the other star beings to ensure that Athena’s people are kept safe. A really good sensor check to scan the source of Athena’s transmission (level 6) can reveal that it is bouncing off of the defense satellites and comes from an island some 100km in the bay.

7.       About 1,000m from the crashed remains a bunch of locals have set up a shrine and a cult seems to be present, but it is clear that the camp has been attacked several times. A man named Anakes says he has come to appease the devil with sacrifice, and the devil is Kerberos. He says the other two monsters have gone elsewhere, and the Hellenathi have gone to the mountain temple with the priests of Apollo, who offered them and their own “god” protection. The other two monsters, he says, are Empusa and Hydra. Hydra, he says, has gone to the coast where the city of Dremas lies. Empusa has gone inland, he says, to the Throne of Hephaistos, where the Hecatoncheires dwell. The group can identify this as a volcano about 75km inland.

8.       With the encampment is Alexios! He is the warrior come to slay the beasts. The oracle Athena speaks to him through a small metal owl, and tells him that he will aid the starmen henceforth, who are here to assist in destroying the beasts.

9.       Kerberos is a member of the alien Chimerics. These shape-changing beasts are consummate hunters who take on the forms and traits of those entities they can pull from the psyche of their victims. They physically change, and use their psionics to enhance their nightmarish appearance. The Kerberos chimera. The Navigator can analyze its complex DNA and determine that it is possible to “unravel” the being with a directed sonic attack, but that takes a Level 5 skill check to figure out.

Kerberos – Level 6 (30 Health), Alien Species (Chimerics); Hydra has 60 health; Empusa has 25 health

2 points armor; 3 points against simple kinetic attacks

Three Heads – can do up to three attacks (6 damage on a bite and Level 3 Might Defense check to resist being grabbed in the bite)

Serpent Coils – Kerberos is covered in snake-headed tentacles and a tail. Anyone adjacent to it must make a level 4 Speed Defense to avoid being bitten and poisoned; Level 4 Might Defense to resist poison or move down 1 on the wound track!

Weakness to Sonic Inability – Sonic Attacks of high decibel will cause the chimera to lose coherence; it’s form begins to falter and it turns into a serpentine goo, like a mess of interconnected worms or snakes. This happens immediately on a Level 6 Might Defense and takes 1 round to recover and reform. While in this state it is Level 3 for attack and defense, and can only attack with serpent coils.

Psionic Influence – any host target with an acute fear within 1km of the chimeric must make a level 6 Intellect Defense or those fears are realized and manifest as a psionic hallucination that imposes an inability on all actions for 1 minute; if there is a common “form” the chimeric can modify its body to look like that form (a general shape) until any who “believe” in that form are dead or more than 100km away.

Empusa and Hydra: The Empusa chimeric can change form at will but has a human woman’s form with a mechanical leg. She is traveling with a young local man named Aidesee, and goes to the volcano because they sense it holds the “forge” run by Athena.

   The hydra chimeric is the worst, and is on its way to find the Enclave of Athena to destroy it. It has 7 heads to attack with, and destroying one head by cutting it off causes two more to grow from the stump in one round. Fire will prevent this.

The Complication: if the group saves everyone from Kerberos, they learn from the cultists that three of the “voices of the new god, Spiros” with the blue skin, who call themselves Hellenathi, have gone to the Temple of Apollo. Anakes is more than grateful for their aid…he did not wish to sacrifice cultists to Kerberos to appease the beast.

Journey to the Temple: the group has a chance to see lush gardens, vineyards and farmsteads along the way, and if they have the record from the abandoned orbital station they can tell that this world was carefully modelled after the recordings of the “ancient brone age” quite carefully…suspiciously, in fact.

Roadside Encounters while traveling:

1.       Roadside bandits will mistake them for priests, merchant foreigners or pilgrims and try to shake them down.

2.       A festival is underway, and a new statue to the mystery god Spiros is being constructed. It looks like a large metal ball with an eye. The people claim Spiros ordered the statue made.

3.       On the way up the mountain a flight of seven harpies (l3) attack!

4.       A mass of pilgrims heading to the “Vessel of the gods” pass by.

The Temple of Apollo: three Hellenathi with blue skin are here, with the floating orb that is their AI system, called Spiros. Aaden, the leader, Quinos the warrior and Selense the healer and speaker seem to be happy to act as demigods. They are brandishing recovered tech, including projectile weapons.

   They have taken over the temple and demand worship of the new god. They claim the new god will be the only way to find salvation before the horrible monsters, sent to destroy those who do not believe. To the PCs they will try to convince them that they are actually in trouble from the monsters as well, and taking advantage of their “divine oracle” status to protect the core while waiting for help from their people.

   A few clues suggest not all is as it seems:

1.       If the group has researched the Hellenathi they know they use slow-STL ships that take years to journey between worlds.

2.       At some point if the group doesn’t do it then the ESS Navigator translates the emergency beacon message: its an invitation to come to this world, ready for the taking!

3.       The group realize the broadcast beacon is coming from Spiros. If the group approaches Spiros, they find out the AI willingly admits the message is to call other Hellenathi to the world. It indicates that the Hellenathi use Spiros to control the chmerics, and explain they enslaved the chimerics on their long voyage for use as soldiers. Spiros admits the chimerics have a weakness with sonic attacks.

4.       The priest of Apollo, Pythias, explains that the starmen and their new god are overwhelming, and that the being Spiros seems able to squelch Athena’s voice if it so desires. He has sent runners to other temples seeking help. He thinks Spiros is not a god, but a machine, like the ones “Denados in the city of Dremas along the coast has made under the divine inspiration of Hephaistos.”

Taking Action against the Hellenathi and Spiros: the group will find the Hellenathi a bit easy to deal with (level 3, health 9,  armed with rifles (6 damage) and personal defense shields Armor-3; Quinos is level 4 and health 12). Spiros is effectively defenseless (level 1) but has a powerful EMP burst that can scramble brainwaves for 100m around (level 7 or become stunned for one hour), and he can then jet out at a slow speed to escape (Spiros is basically a small drone). Spiros will be happy to help, though, but it’s slaved to Aaden. A hacking/computers check of level 6 can overcome the security protocols and free Spiros. Spiros will make sure they know that without the slave-bonding to the Hellenathi the chimerics are free to do as they wish, and they know that they are tasked with two goals: destroy the thing called Athena, and seize the Forge of Hephaistos.

   For the record, Spiros has spoken with Athena and realized Athena is a powerful, ancient AI. It will reveal as much if freed by the PCs.

The City of Dremas:

Notes: King Phydes is old and out of shape; Queen Elyta is friendly and helpful; General Cassios leads the forces to fight the hydra.

If the group arrives here its in time to see the hydra attack! Warriors are tossed about as it rips through, retreating beneath the bay waters if wounded enough to consider escape. It seeks the Isle of Athena, but is distressed to see that the signal appears to emerge from a location where no island is located!

The Isle of Athena: this island only appears if Athena wills it, rising from the sea floor out in the bay. The Isle is small and clearly artificial, with an ancient temple. An elevator in the temple can take a group to the ancient subterranean enclave of an ancient AI which dates back the fall of the Terran Empire, and she has been using the Forge to keep humanity alive on this world, trapped in the late-bronze age for all of this time. Her knowledge is based on the limited database of the ancient she has access to, and a lost programmer who directed her to keep humanity safe, and to never forget who they are….but all she knows who humanity is comes from the limited data she has on file!

   To this end, Athena has constructed quakes, revolts, withholding aid, oracular proclamations and any technique necessary to guarantee humanity never grows past its point of existence as the AI understands it. The Forge of Hephaistos is a relic of the lost colony, a functioning replicator system with automated mining. Other secondary AI are spread out at secondary sites, code named after the other gods, programmed to play their roles well. It is all an artificial construct, designed to keep the humanity of this world from ever advancing past the point where the record is vacant.

   The group may be tempted to illuminate Athena and expose her to the Origin Database, but they are at risk of triggering the AI to move its protocal to doing the same thing to the greater Orion civilization, seeking to subject it to a forced technological and social regression!

Possible Ally- Denados the Artificer: The man Denados is pushing the limit of what the ancient AI will allow. He is a forger and artificer in the city, one who has on occasion led pilgrimages to the Mountain of Hephaistos where gifts are given. But in secret he has learned to smelt iron and forge stronger weapons. He has devised a clockwork automaton which he keeps secret; he is aware the gods are covetous of his discoveries, as he sees it, and fear their retaliation; he worries, indeed, that the Hydra is here because of him!

   Denados is ally with Alexios, and forges a potent gladius for the warrior, made of bronze-coated iron, for him to use in his quest to destroy the monsters. He also forged the bronze owl of wisdom which accompanies Alexios, at the request of Athena when he was summoned to her temple. The form of the owl was forged by his hand, but its mechanical pieces within were enhanced by the will of Athena.

The Forge of Hephaistos: if the group visits this location first they will discover a vast underground complex tied to an impressive ancient Terran replicator factory guarded by immense robots (the hecatoncheires), administered by the AI Hephaistos. A huge geothermal engine draws power from the volcano and the planet’s core. Hephaistos will direct the group to speak with Athena, and threatens them with the robots (Level 8) if they refuse to comply. The empusa intends to sabotage the complex, however, and carries with her a nanovirus which will destroy the AI and leave room for the Hellenathi to program Spiros into the system. Empusa has her own designs, however….she intends to command the hecatoncheires to seek out and destroy her masters!

Resolving the Plot:

Optimal Resolution (5 XP):

--Group defeats the chimerics; Athena is safe; Alexios allowed to travel with them; Hellenathi stopped; Spiros freed; shipwreck purged/destroyed/recycled

Partial Resolution (4 XP):

--group does not defeat all the chimerics or Hellenathi, but does save Athena and maintain status-quo. Wreck may be destroyed, but key is that some equilibrium is maintained; may involve more deaths.

Rough Cut Ending (3 XP):

--group fails to adequately solve issue of chimerics, hellenathi and Spiros; Athena may not be safe at end of visit; wreck may not be destroyed. May have lightly violated the noninterference rule.

Disaster Ending (2 XP):

--Group aids Hellenathi, is responsible for destruction of Athena, liberates society and violates the noninterference rule in critical ways.

Renegade Resolution (+4 XP):

Group saves the planet, but figures out how to convince Athena to go “hands off” on the civilizations she is caretaking and to let them grow.

Edicts of the Exploration Services:

1.       Noninterference Rule – do not interfere with the natural course of development on pre-spacefaring civilizations; do not attempt to alter, exploit or otherwise influence their natural progression.

2.       Protection Rule – do not allow, or by omission of action allow to be harmed any sentient to come to harm, except when such harm is unavoidable and can lead to the catastrophic compromise of your vessel and crew if an attempt at action is taken. In situations of war always seek defense. Only the Directors of the Commonwealth can authorize wartime offensive action.

3.       Record and Preservation Rule – the discovery of our ancestors and the recovery of that lost information is of paramount importance. Do not overlook or omit an opportunity for discovery and preservation if the opportunity exists.

4.       First Contact Rule – when first contact presents itself, represent the Commonwealth with the greatest level of integrity and benevolence; avoid negative first impressions or a breakdown in communications whenever possible.