DreamLess

Setting-in-a-Box
v 0.1

This version counts 28 pages in A5 format with no pictures but

spacious (and hopefully clear) formatting. The document
offers:

> a ​Setting Seed​ that tells you what this game is about

> a selection of pre-cooked ​Crunchy Bits​ to help you achieve

what the Seed promises

> a starter ​World Deck​ with a few canon places and people and
things, to be used both as specific official materials and as
guideline examples to create your own canon-like elements

DreamLess is a ​free fan-made supplement for the ​FateLess rules

system. If you like it please consider helping me by
supporting my ​Patreon​, or by telling to everybody and their
mom how you like this game :)
More info and games can be found @ ​www.UnPlayableGames.tk

This game by ​Alessandro Piroddi​ is licensed under a

Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
 Index
1) SETUP 3) UN-NATURAL RULES 4) WORLD DECK
Setting Seed 3 Reality Friction ​19 Places ​23
World Pitch 4 Germs of Thought 19 Sea of Mist 23
Issue Creation 4 Relics 19 Babele 23
Sea of Dust 23
2) CHARACTER OPTIONS Travelling In Chaos 20 Novacairo 23
Creating a Jemner 5 Sea of Webs 24
Great Board 6 The State of Things 22 Todai 24
Spìti tou Kenos 7 Tech Ignorance 22 Sea of Shards 24
Sem'ya Razum 8 Crap Items 22 Tensegrity 24
Haus der Spiralen 9 Low Tech Items 22
Tier and Exhau​. 10 People 25
Manif. Mastery 12 Dreamers of the Deep
Unn. Growth 12 25
Gestalt Decons​. 13 The Marys 25
Fetish 14 Titans of the Arena 25
Ordo 15 A Face in the Crowd 25
Novae Carnis 16 Merchants 26
Divi Cruoris 17 Settlers 26
Aeterni Scrib​. 18 Ephemerides 26
Abominations 26

Things 27
White Collar 27
Bloody Eye 27
Lasers 27
Hoover Pads 27
Food Tokens 28
Foundation.Net 28
Muad’dib 28
Scars 28

_2_
Crunchy Bit - Setting Seed
Far in the future there was war, there was treachery, and
something desperate was attempted to end it all, but it failed
catastrophically and as a result reality crumbled, turning
into something deranged we now call ​Deliria​.

Humanity survived by barricading itself behind the walls of

sprawling urban complexes called ​Bastions where huge machines
(the ​White Pillars​) constantly emanate a bright radiation
capable of keeping Deliria at bay. Barely.

Life in a Bastion is harsh and only possible thanks to the

efforts of the local ​Jemnost​, a ruling elite that guides and
protects the remaining 90% of the population with an iron
grip. ​Five factions vie for supremacy, grudgingly cooperating
despite their ambitions and rivalries in order to survive.

An exploding overpopulation, the extreme scarcity of many raw

materials and the consuming stress of life in a not-so-gilded
cage constantly spawn dangers: murder, kidnappings,
contraband, gang violence, and so on.
And among the desperate, ​Heretics are born, feeding their
hopes and dreams to Deliria in exchange for power, corrupting
both mind and matter, eventually losing themselves and turning
into ​Abominations​.

You are a Jemnost operative, officially acting on behalf of

your bastion’s ​Council to provide order and security against
threats coming both from within and from outside.
You are also a journeyman, escorting workers, merchants and
travellers between bastions, across the nightmare that is
Deliria. Such endeavour is dangerous and disturbing but also
necessary to gather raw materials and maintain communication
and commerce with the rest of the civilized world.

_3_
Crunchy Bit - World Pitch
With the Seed in mind you can now discuss about some finer
details: are you a ​team of Jemnost operatives or a cast of
individual agents? Are you living in the same Bastion? In
which “sea” of Deliria is it located? Is there open ​conflict
with neighbouring bastions, or is the situation (apparently)
calm?

Consider skimming through the rest of this document, before or

during the ​World Pitch, to have a better idea of how the
DreamLess​ world is shaped.

Crunchy Bit - Issue Creation

Follow the standard procedures described in the FateLess
rulebook. For a more canonical experience you want to focus on
at least one of these unique themes:

- Soul Police. Is it ok to police a person’s dreams and

beliefs in the name of safety against Deliria?

- Social Unrest. Surviving is not living, can the poor

masses improve their station without clashing with
criminals and Jemnost?

- Betrayal. Jemnost factions are only apparently at peace;

who can you trust in a world of lies, deception and
conspiracies?

- Original Sin. What truly happened in the past? What

caused the current horror? Who’s to blame?

- Forbidden Knowledge. Can Deliria be understood? Can it

be exploited? Can it be the key to a better future?

_4_
Crunchy Bit - Creating a Jemner
Members of the Jemnost elite represent less than 10% of the
overall population, and you are one of them!

Start by selecting your ​Faction aspect, then follow the normal

character creation procedures by defining a ​High Concept and a
Trouble, then the usual base Aspects, the Skills, a Goal and
finally the Connections.

Factions Shortlist​:
- Great Board - common people with great training
- Spìti tou Kenos - acrobatic philosopher/warriors
- Sem’ya Razum - tribal mind readers
- Ordo - scientists and technocrats
- Haus der Spiralen - survivors touched by Deliria

What follows are just the most essential elements needed to

play a member from the Jemnost; you are encouraged to come up
with new ideas and details, shaping both your character and
the world around her as you play.

EXAMPLE

The whole training of a Kenon character is represented by a

single Aspect. You can expand on this by creating new
Aspects...
Maybe a “​Panzer Kunst” technique allowing a Kenon to hurt
armored targets with her bare hands.
Maybe a “​Void Suit” garment that absorbs the heat and
sounds produced by her body, helping with stealth
operations.

_5_
 Aspect - Great Board
You might not have special powers, hyper conditioning or
access to esotic technology, but you have an uncommonly high
level of training and more comrades than all the other
Factions put together.

Choose a ​role and a ​color to represent your field of

expertise. You also have access to a small retinue of ​Pawns
(novices) and to non-Ordo items that can be ​Low Tech but not
of ​Crap Quality, or vice versa; this stuff is rare!

White Towers are policemen, investigators and forensic

specialists (but lab-work is performed by Ordo ​Cenobites).
Black Towers are soldiers and tacticians, trained to use
military grade equipment and strategies.

White Knights are expert bastion dwellers, knowing all the

places, the people, the street-level what’s what and who’s
who.
Black Knights are explorers and pilots trained to navigate and
survive harsh environments, even (somewhat) Deliria.

White Bishops are diplomats and communication experts, trained

in how to handle people, adapt their behaviour to fit most
situations, and how to lie effectively.
Black Bishops are spies trained to manipulate rather than
persuade, to infiltrate places and access info, to hide, sneak
and deceive.

Kings and ​Queens are known to be high ranking officials that

work directly with the bastion’s Council, but the nuances of
their color are kept secret to the general public.

_6_
 Aspect - Spìti tou Kenos
Many children are sent to the ​House of the Void in hopes that
they will become jemners and elevate their family status. You
are one of the very few survivors, you are a ​Kenon​.

The Spìti military-like structure works on ​vathos (depth/rank)

where you might be a simple ​Ena (a unit), a distinguished ​Deka
(head of a ten souls team), a respected ​Hekato (leader of a
hundred souls division), or even a powerful ​Xilia (military
supreme chief) or a wise ​Miria​ (high philosopher-politician).
You are skilled in the three fundamental ​arts of the Void​:

Keno Soma : an acrobatic fighting style allowing action and

reaction on pure instinct and pre-calculated positioning, with
almost no thought process involved so that your melee attacks
are ​unreadable through telepathy​. Such ​automatic combat makes
you snake-fast and able of facing ​many enemies with no effort​.

Keno Lepse : a special kind of attention enabling you to

notice and remember what surrounds you and picture it as a
pattern. This is the base for an advanced form of field
ballistics that allows you to dodge bullets and perform ranged
trick-shots.

Keno Theles : a mind training meant to hide ​superficial

thoughts behind innocuous fake ones. This also helps in
controlling emotions and achieving clarity of mind. Poker-face
and lie-detector don’t even begin to describe your abilities.

Spend ​1 Clarity​ or ​1 Fate​ to perform one:

- recall in extreme detail one memory from your past
- know if a person is lying through pure observation
- know if your perceptions are real or induced
- ​attempt​ to resist a deep scan

_7_
 Aspect - Sem'ya Razum
You are a Razer, born with the gift of telepathy, marked with
a tattoo on your forehead that glows when you use your powers.
You were introduced into the Sem’ya as soon as your ability
manifested and now your family is a small ​Clan​, a group of
like-minded and compatible people which in turn are part of a
wider tribe. You might be a solo operative ​Svet (light), a
supervising ​Zanosh (shard), a clan leading ​Zerkal (mirror) or
even one of the tribe guides, a local ​Glaza (eye). Your
training encompasses three disciplines:

Glaz Voevat : teaches you to fast-read the superficial

thoughts of ​one opponent in ​melee range to predict and
counteract his every move, while also training your body to
keep up with such info. One on one you are fundamentally
unbeatable.

Glaz Razuma : allows you to constantly hear/see the

superficial chattering of other minds, discerning their
presence and position. By focusing on ​one mind you can deep
scan it. Conversely you can spread your focus to link a few
known and willing minds, allowing multi-directional
communication.

Glaz Mechtaja : focuses your mind inwardly to resist mental

intrusion. Or you can project your mind outward to tamper with
the nervous system of ​one target, sending crude but intense
physical sensations (pain, pleasure, hot, cold, etc) or even
exerting a limited control over basic motor functions.

Spend 1 Clarity or 1 Fate to get one:

- use ​Voevat against ​a few​ targets
- perform a deep scan on one target
- keep a mental network even if you fall unconscious
- nerve-control a few actions of one target

_8_
 Aspect - Haus der Spiralen
You are a ​Schlaflös​. Somehow Deliria touched your mind but
left it sane and untainted. And yet you have changed: ​your
sleep has gone away and a ​beast now dwells in your soul. This
is why the Haus stepped in offering help, guidance and a
chance of being part of its community. The Haus is a very
loose and informal organization made up of local groups called
Spiralen​; within them a distinguished person is a ​Spule
(coil), an elected leader is a ​Herz (heart) while someone with
high level diplomatic and cross-Bastion tasks is an ​Ader
(vein).

People ​fear and loath ​you, as they consider you an unstable

half-monster that is only tolerated because of its usefulness.

Being a Schlaflös you have a few special rules about how your
unique power works, and how your chronic insomnia affects you.
What follows are all features and details included in the
basic ​Haus der Spiralen​ aspect.

In addition to that there are three optional Bits you can

acquire by spending one ​Significant Milestone, in place of the
usual +1 Skill point:
- Manifestation Mastery
- Unnatural Growth
- Gestalt Deconstruction

You also have access to the ​Fetish aspect.

_9_
 Crunchy Bit - Tier and Exhaustion
You have an unnatural beast (​Tier​) sleeping within you; at
character creation define a theme (​Herkunft​) in one or two
words (insects, shadows, tiger, red ice, etc).

On a whim you can shape-change into your ​Tier physical form.

You look human except for as many ​Herkunft-inspired ​small
cosmetic​ body alterations as you want.

At the start of every scene where your PC is present and her

Trier is awake you get 1 ​Exhaustion​ point (​explained later​).

You can, at any time, add one or more ​radical body alterations
that offer practical functionality: huge muscles give
strength, wings allow flight, scales offer protection, claws
can rip things apart, etc. Each one generates 1 Exhaustion
when it manifests. They must also comply with your ​Herkunft.

You ​can’t project anything (breath fire, shoot needles, extend

appendages beyond melee range) or display non-physical powers
(mind reading, hypnotic gaze, energy fields, etc).

When you try to put the ​Tier back to sleep roll one die: if
you score ​more than your Exhaustion/3 (round down) you
succeed, otherwise you ​Crash​. Also, you are unable to sleep
naturally and if unconsciousness is forced on you in any way,
you ​Crash​.
You can spend 1 Fate to resist crashing, but every subsequent
time the cost will increase cumulatively by +1.

When you Crash, the Tier is let loose unleashing savage

primeval fury on everything in sight. Its shape is ​less human
than usual, and can have any number of ​radical alterations. It
can also ​twist reality​ just like an Abomination would.

_10_
The Tier is an NPC guided by three core impulses:
- to feast upon the one person your PC cares about most
- to indulge in its (your) darkest desires
- to establish itself as the absolute predator of the area

After any of these is accomplished in the fiction the Tier

subsides and your Exhaustion drops to zero. Until that happens
you can only frame scenes as the Tier.

Forcing the Tier into submission or unconsciousness also stops

this madness and resets Exhaustion; but the Tier will try to
defend itself as viciously and cunningly as it can.

After a crash, consider what happened and inflict one

Consequence on your PC to represent how she was hurt,
physically or emotionally or otherwise.

Example

Brigit is a Schlaflös and her herkunft is “black ice”. When

the Tier is awake her body is covered by some sort of dark
crystal, translucent, full of jagged edges, and cold.

When manifesting her Tier she might sport paper-thin wings

that look like finely engraved obsidian. Or her crystal
skin might harden into a jagged armor. Or she might grow
long icy talons. Or all of that together, and more.

_11_
 Crunchy Bit - Manifestation Mastery
Gain 1 Exhaustion : for one scene you can manifest a single
cosmetic or radical alteration without awakening the Tier.

Example

Brigit is falling from a building! She gets 1 Exhaustion

allowing her character to manifest obsidian wings; a few
moments later her wings dissipate in a gust of black snow.

Crunchy Bit - Unnatural Growth

Gain 1 Exhaustion : for one scene you can considerably augment
your Tier’s physical mass in order to either become bigger or
to be able to project / protrude parts of you at ​short range;
either way you can now affect ​small groups​ of targets.

Example

Brigit has her wings grow huge and sprouting additional

pairs in order to bring up in the air some of her allies.

She might also use such huge and razor-sharp wings to slash
opponents all around her. Or maybe she can throw deadly
crystal feathers at short range.

_12_
 Crunchy Bit - Gestalt Deconstruction
Spend 1 Clarity or 1 Fate and fully awaken the Tier : for one
scene you are able to ​warp reality in a fashion appropriate to
your ​Herkunft. This only affects ​scenery and inanimate
free-standing ​objects within your immediate surroundings.
Doing such thing counts as ​Creating an Advantage and, if you
do, you also produce ​Friction​. All alterations to reality
vanish at the end of the scene.

Example

Brigit is in a very bad situation so, after struggling a

bit with her conscience, she lets out a scream... and the
nightmare begins.
Her body turns into a winged form made of obsidian and
black ice (the Tier awakens) then the sky darkens, and a
cold wind chills her enemies to the bone while spikes of
frost erupt from the ground and a soft black snow starts to
fall.

_13_
 Aspect - Fetish
For some reason sensorial deprivation and physical constraints
relax your exhausted mind. A ​fetish is any item used for this
purpose: chains and shackles, latex suits, ball gags,
padlocked blindfolds, etc. The funny thing is that in recent
years such look has become fashionable, although fake
(see-through blindfolds, toy manacles, etc).

When you ​start a scene being actively constrained by any such

item evaluate your condition:
- you are ​completely​ deprived of one or more senses
- you are ​completely​ unable to perform a type of action
(speak, walk, use hands, etc)

For each true condition you get to add one more die roll to
your final score when rolling to put the Tier back to sleep.

E x a m p l e
Brigit is wearing a shibari bondage (a complex ropework)
that ​ties her arms behind her back to her neck, strangling
her if she attempt to move her arms.

If she happens to roll to keep her Tier at bay, she will

roll two dice and use the best score.

_14_
 Ordo
This faction is a technocratic caste of academics and
scientists which all abide to one shared set of laws and
social hierarchy but are also split into three independent and
very diverse sub-groups called ​Legions​. Most members are
Cenobites​, students and novices not yet allowed to join a
specific Legio. A ​Legionarius is a veteran agent/scientist
initiated into the ranks of a Legio. Above that are the
Praetorii​, leading a whole chapter of Legionarii both in field
action and lab research. A few of them will rise to be
Senatorii​, with a seat in the directive council of the whole
faction.
At character creation you have to select an aspect
representing to which Legion you belong:
- Legio Novae Carnis
- Legio Divi Cruoris
- Legio Aeterni Scribere

_15_
 Aspect - Novae Carnis
You are an ​Incarna​. You know how to build and maintain
machines and electronics and how to crudely (but effectively)
rig them into a living body. Unfortunately, materials and
parts are hard to come by and you only have limited access to
“the great machines”...

Crunchy Bit - Magnae Machinae

At character creation you can spend either your Item ​or Free
aspect to represent ​one special piece of Ordo equipment. Maybe
one of your limbs has implanted ​Artificii​. Maybe you pilot a
Gigas​ armor. Maybe you wield an ​Aestus​ microwave gun...

Answer to these questions and note down the results as

descriptors attached to the Aspect:
- the item has ​one​ ​powerful​ ​feature, what is it?
- the item is ​cumbersome​, how does it look?
- the item is ​noisy​, how does it sound?
- the item has one big ​flaw​, what is it?

This item ​works normally in Deliria because it is either

clockwork or part of your living body.
It does not have the ​Crap/LowTech descriptors.
Its use is ​strictly personal because of how it is built and
operated; acquiring similar Ordo items is useless to anyone
except other Incarnas, and even then time, effort and a proper
laboratory are still needed to turn such an item into anything
usable, or spare parts.

To represent this you need a ​Significant Milestone to either

acquire a new ​Magnae Machine item (as a new Aspect) or to
improve the functionality of an old one (adding a new ​feature
descriptor).

_16_
 Aspect - Divi Cruoris
You are a ​Stilla​. You have a deep knowledge of chemistry and
human biology and know how to apply the first to the second in
order to radically alter it. You sport very visible ​black
veins as a side effect of the mutagenic drugs enhancing your
organism: your body is amped up to the level of an athlete,
and you can push it even further...

Crunchy Bit - Substantias

A Substantia is a specialty drug designed by you to modify
your own unique Stilla biology. Assumed through direct
injection in the bloodstream, you always have ​a few doses
available on your person, unless the fiction or an Opposition
effect establish otherwise.

At character creation select ​one or two formulas you know; you

can develop new ones by spending a ​Significant Milestone if
you have time, resources and a laboratory.

Once you inject a Substantia its effect kicks in after a few

seconds and then lasts for about one hour. Each effect is
represented by a ​temporary Aspect​.

Anyone injecting a Substantia not specifically tailored for

them will benefit of its effects for only a few minutes, and
then suffer a crippling ​Consequence (internal bleeding,
ruptured muscles, sprained joints, broken bones, etc).

A few example Substantias might be:

- ​Robur​ grants super-human strength and fortitude
- ​Fulgor​ grants super-human speed and agility
- ​Noctis​ grants cat-like night vision
- ​Ferox​ grants adrenaline induced immunity to pain and fear

_17_
 Aspect - Aeterni Scribere
You are a ​Magister​. Your Legion is made of historians and
theorists, and is the only one holding the secret of how
Pillars work. In truth such technology is a relic inherited
from the first desperate days after reality collapsed; you
have no real understanding of Deliria. But constant research
and speculation bore some weird and interesting fruits...

Crunchy Bit - Sigillanda

Certain forms of thought draw and strengthen Deliria. You
discovered other forms of thought that do the opposite. To
work they require ​mental discipline​, an understanding of
quantum physics and the help of ​iconic representations from
the long forgotten past of humanity; only a Magister has
access to all such ingredients and how to use them to produce
a ​Sigil​.

A sigil can ​deny the existence of Deliria, affecting

Abominations, Heretics and also ​Schlaflös​ and Ephemerae.

If you ​purposefully put a sigil in ​contact with something

powered by Deliria, as long as the contact lasts you can
deprive it of substance. In layman terms Sigils can “​parry​” or
“​damage​” anything Deliria-based.

You always have ​a small amount of Sigils available on your

person, unless the fiction or an Opposition effect establish
otherwise. Answer these questions:
- your sigils are ​small​ and ​fragile​ items, what are they?
- your sigils are full of ​symbols​ and ​writings​, how do they
look?

Of course you can also inscribe common surfaces or even small

areas, but the effect only works if you are present and
mentally focussed, and the sigil touches the target.

_18_
Crunchy Bit - Reality Friction
In DreamLess the Opposition Clock has a second meter that
advances with ​Friction​ points.
When the friction-arm resets, it causes a SOpp effect that you
have to describe as something ​weird and ​unnatural​. Try to go
for sinister and unnerving rather than blatant and gory.

When you Invoke or Compel an aspect that somehow relates to an

alteration of reality​ you produce one ​Friction point.

When a Scene ​starts in Deliria​ you produce one ​Friction point.

Aspect - Germs of Thought

Deliria is made of thoughts, and thoughts can be like a virus.
When people believe something with enough fervor (religion,
folk tales, ideas, dreams) Deliria has a chance to take root.

Thus innocent people turn into dangerous ​Heretics​, with the

(often unconscious) ability to altering reality in minor ways.
These misguided souls inevitably lose more and more of their
sanity, eventually degenerating into ​Abominations​, horribly
warping both themselves and the surrounding reality.

Aspect - Relics
Items and places can be tainted by Deliria just like people,
becoming dangerous and malicious. Every relic is...
..sinister : what is obviously wrong about it?
..unique : how has common folk named it?
..unnatural : what is its ​one​ unnatural property?

_19_
Crunchy Bit - Travelling Through Chaos
Deliria messed up space and time, among other things. Reality
works normally within the Pillar-irradiated confines of
Bastions, but everywhere else:
- the landscape is an ​a-geographical​ labyrinth
- ​electrical​ devices don’t work
- ​no long range​ communications are possible
- ​flying​ vehicles just disappear and are never seen again once
they move out of a bastion’s immediate view

This mad wilderness is divided in broad macro-areas called

“​seas​”; when you are in the “​open sea​” you are in a generic
non-location, you are ​somewhere within that sea. A specific
place in the sea, with a stable presence and identity, is
called an “​ephemera​”: unique, timeless and weird.

In game terms no journey through Deliria can ever be implied,

you must ​always play it out through a series of “steps” toward
a final destination, be it a place a thing or a person. Write
down your abstract ​path​:
- the starting step is the location you are about to leave
- the ending step is your chosen destination
- the middle steps depend on the following table

From... ...you can reach...

a bastion - the nearest open sea

the open sea - a bastion in the same sea

or - an ephemera in the same sea
an ephemera - a different open sea

Play a scene for ​each step. If the scene ​started in Deliria,

at the end of it roll a die on the table below. Also remember
that a scene starting in Deliria produces Friction.

_20_
6 = you advance by one step on your path
5 = you reach a different and unexpected location
4 3 2 = you wander somewhere in the current open sea
1 = you are lost in Deliria, roll SOpp & get ​1
Opposition

After the roll any PC in the scene can add +1 to the score by
spending one or more points of Clarity or Fate, but this also
causes one ​SOpp​ at the beginning of the next scene.

You can ​skip the whole journey by playing a scene where your
PC, while wandering in Deliria, somehow faces ​alone one of her
deepest fears. When that scene is over create an Aspect to
represent how this experience changed you.

E X A M P L E
Brigit lives in Babele, within the Sea of Mist, and needs
to reach NovaCairo, within the Sea of Dust. Her path would
be: Babele >> open Sea of Mist >> open Sea of Dust >>
NovaCairo

Scene #1 :​ in Babele she reaches the gates and gets

Outside.
Scene #2 :​ (+1 Friction) in the open Sea of Mist she
describes part of her journey, then rolls a 4.
Scene #3 :​ (+1 Friction) wandering in the open sea of Mist
she describes another part of her journey, then rolls a 5.
Scene #4 :​ (+1 Friction) suddenly darkness falls and the
forest gives way to a ruined cityscape as Brigit stumbles
by accident in the open Sea of Webs, then rolls another 5.
Fed up with this madness Brigit spends 1 Clarity turning
her 5 into a 6.

Scene #5 :​ Brigit is finally out of Deliria and reaches the

outer walls of NovaCairo, but (SOpp) for some reason the
guards seem less than friendly...

_21_
Crunchy Bit - The State of Things
There are a few Game Aspects that are ​always present on the
common aspect sheet; write them down first:

Aspect - Tech Ignorance

Knowledge regarding any kind of advanced technology and
science is esoteric and very rare. You may have a very basic
practical understanding of how to operate and maintain a few
specific items, but you have no idea of how to manufacture
them, perform significant repairs, or know how they actually
work.

Aspect - Crap Items

All bastions suffer from a widespread and chronic lack of
everything​. Advanced recycling technologies allow humanity to
survive, but the end products are ragged and unreliable at
best, and always in relatively short supply.

Aspect - Low Tech Items

Electronic items just don’t work in Deliria or in ​areas
tainted by it, and any kind of long range signal simply
disperses. As such the majority of items are low tech enough
(mechanical, clockwork, analogic) that they can work normally
Outside. This means that even high-quality equipment is
cumbersome, loud, heavy, prone to jamming and needs constant
maintenance, etc.

_22_
Places

Sea of Mist Babele

This place is ​primeval​.
Everywhere appears as a deep,
dark ​forest engulfed in thick
fog​. Its trees are twisted
and crooked, roots sprouting,
branches looming. The uneven
ground is damp and ​mossy​,
dotted by strange flowers
and plants.
Malevolent things lurk in the
undergrowth of these ​brooding
woods: ancient ​beasts​, lost
souls, dreadful ​creatures
that belong to scary campfire
tales.
A bastion in the Sea of Mist,
built on ​wood​, ​stone and
pre-Deliria ​ruins​, with
suspended walkways linking
crooked skyscrapers and
broken towers.
Being one of the ​biggest
bastions in existence, many
of its areas are ​overcrowded
and poorly irradiated by
Pillars; some outskirts and
underground levels are badly
twisted by Deliria, ​breeding
Heresy and Abominations.

Sea of Dust Novacairo

This place is ​desolated​. The A bastion in the Sea of Dust,
“​ground” is dust so fine it built on tempered ​dust-glass
is fluid. Walking or swimming and ​raw rock​. The strong
is ​impossible​; rafts and winds and limited size of its
boats propelled by the ever island forced its expansion
present ​winds are the most downward​, underground.
common way of transportation.
A few islands of ​calcareous Small but fierce, the pride
rock emerging above the dust of this bastions lays both in
surface are the only its vicious military strength
inhabitable “​land”. as in its ​unique gardens​, a
Around and below those, display of beauty and luxury
hungry ​leviathans of made possible by the advanced
prehistoric memory hunt the moisture traps developed by
“​waters” of this dry ocean. the local Ordo.

_23_
Sea of Webs
This place is ​disturbing​.
There are no day or night,
only constant ​blackness​. The
whole sea is one big
pre-Deliria ​city with no end​,
a ruin of brittle concrete
and rusted metal. Here and
there broken pipes still leak
water, street lights still
glow faintly, some buildings
still hum with activity.
Things of flesh and metal
dwell here. And ​spiders​, and
cobwebs, and ​silence​. Which
is the worst thing of all.
Sea of Shards
This place is ​surreal​.
A pleasant countryside full
of villages from a time long
forgotten, but ​floating above
bottomless sky as the land is
broken into flying islands.
Here, ​you are the monster;
your very presence slowly
poisons the earth and plants
and, eventually, all living
things. Thus the ephemeral
inhabitants of this Sea fear
and hate you, the ​Enemy​, an
unnatural and evil plague.
_24_
Todai
A bastion in the Sea of Webs,
a city of ​neon​, a ​beacon
shining in the middle of a
vast, endless dark.
Steam vents that run ​deep
underground make electricity
abundant and, to contrast the
darkness of the open Sea,
everything is illuminated​.
Rumors abound: what lays
under the city? how are the
steam engines working? what
role do ​spiders have in all
of this?
Tensegrity
A bastion in the Sea of
Shards, an agglomeration of
hanging buildings, ​suspended
roads and ​pensile areas; a
veritable ​tangle of synthetic
cables and tendons.
Gliding contraptions are a
very common sight.
Heavily dependant on ​advanced
materials and technology,
this bastion is the de facto
capital of the Ordo, making
it a nest of rival Jemnost
spies​ and conspiracies.
People
Dreamers of the Deep
People obsessing over hiding
a dark personal secret often
get corrupted by the ​heretics
of this ​cult​.
They ​dream of underground
places riddled with ​roots and
unintelligible ​whispers until
they meet ​Lucious​, beautiful
and disturbing, which accepts
their secrets and plants a
root in their hearts.
They are now happy.
They are now blessed.
They are now ​one​.
Titans of the Arena
If you are not Jemnost you
are nothing, a grey cog in
the machine that perpetuates
human survival. But not you.
You are a ​Titan​, an ​athlete
skilled in one of the many
blood sports that flourish in
all bastions. Jemners are ​not
allowed to participate, but
in some ​shady circles they
are pitted against Titans;
this is how ​legends​ are born.
The Titan’s life rule is one:
burn brighter, die faster!
_25_
The Marys
Many non-Jemnost children end
up in a criminal street ​gang​.
Within the ​Marys every child
has a role:
Hail Marys are daredevils in
charge of thieving.
Bloody Marys are good with
knives and kicking ass.
Crazy Marys are creative
types and planners.
Mother Marys take care of
food, medicine and shelter.
Some say that ​Typhoid Marys
also exist, and that they are
Heretics... or worse...
A Face in the Crowd
Only 1% of the population is
part of the Jemnost. Everyone
else is ​normal people, doing
normal jobs, running normal
lives.
Life is ​harsh​, but it has a
semblance of ​order that
offers a reasonable chance
for happiness.
Among the crowd, some faces
emerge: brave, cynical,
ferocious, caring, broken,
hungry, determined ... ​human​.
Merchants
Movers and shakers of Bastion
society, they are ​skilled​,
brave and ​ambitious​.
Part criminals and part
benefactors, they are ​normal
people relying on just their
wits and qualities to defy
both the horrors of Deliria
and the security of Bastions
in order to acquire what
people ​needs and move it
where it can be sold.
If Titans are heroes, they
are ​adventurers​, scoundrels,
pirates, entrepreneurs.
Ephemerides
The World Outside is a place
populated by ​shadows​, living
as if the sick nightmare was
the normal reality. Not truly
people, they are ​placeholders
meant to add solidity and
coherence to the ​unrealities
of Deliria.
Breathing, thinking, ​feeling​,
yet unaware of the limits of
their illusory worlds. Some
are ​real people whose mind
was broken by Deliria, some
are just ​such stuff as dreams
are made of​.
_26_
Settlers
Pardoned ​criminals sent in
Deliria with the suicide task
of working to expand a
Bastion or build a new one.
The few who survive return to
society as free but ​strange
people: ​heroes that faced
Deliria and came back to tell
the tale, but also ​rejects
unable to fit back into
civilian life and prevented
from joining the Jemnost.
Whole, but ​scarred​.
Abominations
Beasts with human intellect,
driven by deranged and
malicious intents, with the
instinctive power to distort
reality. The final stage of
Deliria mind ​infection​.
Gods. Demons. ​Inhuman in
every possible meaning.
Empowered and yet ​subjugated
by their own internal logic
and rules.
Each unique. Each the spark
at the center of a small
universe.
World Deck - Things

White Collar Bloody Eye

When worn this device
counters Deliria’s influence
over a person: Schlaflös can
sleep safely, Heretics have
no powers, Ephemerides slowly
fade, even Abominations can
be subdued. Unfortunately the
cleansing effect ends just
minutes after the bulky
contraption is removed. And
while continuous use for more
than a few hours is outright
lethal​, even sporadic use has
nasty side effects on the
long term.
Put a drop in each eye and
when you see red no one will
be able to stop you!
Civilian drugs can’t compare
to ​Substantias, and yet they
are cheap enough to offer
fleeting chemical hope for a
better life: to be powerful,
smart, cool, happy or just to
drown in a soft nothing.
Criminals thrive on this
trade as Jemners have little
time for simple police work.

Lasers Hoover Pads

Advanced tech mixed with The crowded and multi leveled
scarcity of resources made structure of bastions makes
Laser tools and weapons big vehicles impractical.
common among civilians as Personal light transports are
rechargeable batteries are the norm.
cheaper and more more
efficient than combustibles Energy efficient hoover pads
fuel, solid ammo and are used to propel quick and
mechanical spare parts. agile ​air skates as much as
slow but mobile ​cargo lifts​.
But such tools don’t work in
Deliria. That’s why Jemners Barebones ​bikes and ​skimmers
rely on their unique are common, while enclosed
abilities and obsolete multi passenger “cars” are an
looking technology. uncommon mark of wealth.

_27_
Food Tokens Foundation.Net
Civilian life is all about Thanks to the Ordo most
survival: recycled food is bastions have a local area
strictly controlled and network, allowing for the
rationed through a system of comforts of the ​internet age​,
tokens. ​FTs are thus the albeit in the confined space
official currency within a of a single bastion.
single bastion.
Each bastion has its own Data has thus become a
unique variant of FTs and commodity, stored in ​old
only accepts it. Exchanging fashioned ways as to be more
foreign FTs for local ones is resilient to the ravages of
strictly regulated and even Deliria, and sold from
discouraged​. Fertile ground bastion to bastion:
for a lucrative and vicious documents, programs, news...
black market.

Muad’dib
This desert mouse has somehow
adapted to hunt the small
poisonous ​vermins that plague
bastions within the Sea of
Dust, thus becoming a favored
“pet” for those living there.
Bastions of different Seas
seem to have adopted similar
solutions that rely on a
variety of semi domesticated
creatures.
Nonetheless many Jemnost
members worry about their
potentially Delirant​ origin.
Scars
Advanced medical skills are
purview of the Jemnost, and
even then each faction has
its own weird set of specific
knowledge and esoteric rites.
Civilian doctors make do with
improvised tools, antiquated
techniques and incomplete
knowledge. Drugs abound but
are in no way pure or safe.
Showy scars and crude
prosthetics are a common view
in any bastion.

_28_