Spindlebright (DWAiTS Scenario)

SPINDLEBRIGHT
A scenario for Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space

by misterharry
Spindlebright is an adventure set on an alien world almost two millennia into the future. It is written for
a TARDIS crew comprising at least one Time Lord plus assorted companions, but it could be adapted
for a purely space-faring group without a time machine with a bit of modification.
The adventure is a mix of investigation and action. It would be ideal for a companion‟s first foray into
space, as the setting allows the players the opportunity to meet and interact with a number of alien
races, from both the classic series and the new series, plus a few from other sources. The
investigation section is potentially complicated and will require the GM to keep track of numerous
NPCs, so this is probably not an ideal adventure for a novice GM to run. It is intended to be played
over several sessions.
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4
GM’S INFORMATION 4
SPINDLEBRIGHT 4
Spindlebright’s Secret History 5
PLAYERS’ INTRODUCTION 5
The Entertainers 6
Bar-room Brawl! 7
The Shell Game 7
AN INCIDENT ON SPINDLEBRIGHT 9
STOP, THIEF! 9
AN ARRESTING DEVELOPMENT 10
RETURNING TO THE TARDIS 11
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD 11
ENTER THE DRAGON 13
REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE 14
SPINDLEBRIGHT DREAMING 15
OUT AND ABOUT IN SPINDLEBRIGHT 17
THE ACE OF STARS 18
Incident: Meeting Krivvon 18
THE BAZAAR OF THE BIZARRE 19
THE DRACONIAN EMBASSY 21
GORT’S TAVERN 22
THE HI-LIFE HOTEL 24
JINGO’S 26
THE MEDINA QUARTER 27
Incident: Earth Tremor 27
Astrath’s Dive 28
THE OVER EASY CAFÉ AND GRILL 29
Bulis Ziff’s Room 29
THE SOUK 31
Incident: The Prophet of Hyperion 31
THE SPACEPORT 32
SPINDLEBRIGHT POLICE HEADQUARTERS 33
THE FAR SIDE 35
GETTING TO THE FAR SIDE 35
AT THE FAR SIDE 35
The Landing Site 35
Descending into the Mines 37
The Interface Chamber 37
DREAMTIME 39
An Interview with the Chronovore 40
FURTHER ADVENTURES 42
APPENDIX 1: A CAST OF THOUSANDS 43
APPENDIX 2: MAP OF JARAD PLAZA 46
APPENDIX 3: WHO’S WHO 47
2
LIST OF TEXT BOXES
A SUPERABUNDANCE OF ALIENS 4
THE PRESENCE OF THE OOD 13
THE JEWEL OF ETERNITY 14
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF EVENTS SINCE THE THEFT 17
PAKHARS 20
ADIPOSE 26
WHIFFERDILLS 30
EFFECTS OF THE THIN ATMOSPHERE 36
GALYARI 39
HYPERION, THE CHRONOVORE 40
3
INTRODUCTION
GM’S INFORMATION
This scenario sees the players visit a multicultural melting pot among the stars. Spindlebright is a planet in
neutral space, slightly off the main trade route between the Earth and Draconia. In centuries past, it was a mining
th
planet within the Earth Empire, but the seams of iron ore have long since been worked out. By the late 39
Century, it is owned by the Spindlebright Mercantile League (SML) and is famed for its markets and shops, where
almost anything can be bought or sold, and for its pubs, clubs and casinos. It is frequented by species from all
over the Galaxy, many of them the idle rich looking for a walk on the (slightly) wild side, while others are looking
to make their fortune, legitimately or otherwise.
At the start of the scenario, the players are taking a break from their recent adventures and are acting the part of
tourists on Spindlebright. However, during their wanderings around the flea markets of the Souk, they witness a
chase and become embroiled in the case of a stolen gem, the Jewel of Eternity. Employed by the SML to recover
the gem for its owner, an influential Draconian princeling, the players will come to realise that the Jewel is much
more than a precious stone, but contains the key to releasing an entity of unimaginable power. A creature that
lies sleeping at the heart of Spindlebright...
A SUPERABUNDANCE OF ALIENS
This adventure has been deliberately written to be a showcase for a multitude of alien races: aliens from the new
series, aliens from the classic series and even one or two from spin-off tie-in stories. If this were a novel, it would
most likely be written by the late Craig Hinton, master of fanw*nk (in the nicest possible sense).
It‟s entirely possible that the players will find the sheer variety of aliens to be confusing and difficult to keep track
of. If the GM feels it necessary, then most of the aliens can be replaced by humans, with little overall affect on the
adventure. Only the shapeshifting Whifferdill really needs to be non-human, and even then his abilities could be
technological in origin, a perception filter perhaps.
SPINDLEBRIGHT
Spindlebright is a barren, rocky planet slightly smaller than Earth, but with gravity and temperature range
approximating those of Earth. It has a thin but breathable oxygen-rich atmosphere. There is no indigenous life of
th
any kind. In the 39 Century, the sole city shares its name with that of the planet, and “Spindlebright” is used
interchangeably to mean the city or the planet. Spindlebright city is protected by a permeable force-dome which
enables the atmosphere within to be denser and more akin to an Earth-type planet. The planet‟s Tech Level is 7.
th
Spindlebright‟s star system was claimed for the Earth Empire in the 28 Century, but the planet remained
uninhabited until large deposits of iron ore were detected in 2907. For the next half a century, the planet became
a huge mining operation until all viable deposits had been extracted. It was then abandoned and ignored for
another five hundred years, when its position near the main trade route between Earth and Draconia made it
attractive to a consortium of businessmen. The newly-formed Spindlebright Mercantile League purchased the
planet from the Earth authorities and established themselves as a trading centre outside the jurisdiction of Earth,
Draconia or any other government. With rather “enlightened” views on regulation and taxation, the SML quickly
made their fortune, and Spindlebright was a thriving centre for commerce of all kinds. By the time of this
adventure, it is slightly past its heyday, as business is declining in the face of competition from the Federation‟s
free trade policies. To counter this, Spindlebright has also positioned itself as an increasingly popular tourist
destination, but at the tacky end of the scale – sort of a Blackpool-in-Space.
The name Spindlebright comes from an odd and largely uninvestigated phenomenon. Beyond the planet‟s thin
atmosphere at each pole, and extending several tens of thousands of miles into space, thin columns of dust and
4
ice particles catch the light of the sun. Approaching the planet from the right angle, an observer gets the
impression of a silvery spindle hung in space.
Spindlebright’s Secret History
Towards the end of the Dark Times, when the Time Lords had vanquished the Vampires, Carrionites and other
demonic entities, they captured a mighty creature. This was Hyperion, a Chronovore which had led an army of
his people to wage war on Gallifrey. The Time Lords finally cornered Hyperion in the star system which contained
the planet later to become known as Spindlebright. But he was too powerful even for the Time Lords to destroy.
So they imprisoned him inside a single point in Time itself. For a Chronovore, this was equivalent to being
trapped inside a singularity. In human terms, Hyperion slept the sleep of the gods. The Time Lords placed a
gateway to his prison deep within Spindlebright where they felt it would remain undiscovered for eternity – or at
least for so long as life existed in this Universe.
But a Chronovore is a master of Time itself, and no singularity would contain it forever. Reacting perhaps to the
minds of the people crawling on the surface of the planet, Hyperion is stirring in his sleep. Slowly, he is drawing
the means of his release to him...
PLAYERS’ INTRODUCTION
The time travellers need a break! Their recent adventures have left them feeling the need to be normal tourists,
sightseers somewhere interesting... but not too exciting. If the players take the hint, then the TARDIS suggests
Spindlebright in the year 3877, an inhabited planet made famous as somewhere to shop „til you drop, try your
luck in the casinos, or simply relax in a wide variety of bars and restaurants.
If the GM feels that the players will need a little more persuading, then maybe the TARDIS‟s fluid links need
replacing, and the nearest place where they are likely to be able to pick up compatible components is in the Souk
on Spindlebright, where almost anything can be acquired, and often for less money than through more reputable
outlets.
Alternatively, if the players are used to random landings, then Spindlebright is where they‟ll find themselves next.
As the groaning of the time engines fades and the ship completes its materialisation, the travellers can check the
scanner to see what‟s outside. They can see that they have landed at night in a narrow alleyway between two
buildings, the walls of which are plastered with advertising flyers for bars, nightclubs, shops, shows, girls, boys,
cafés, entertainment, casinos, goods and services, and anything else you can think of. At the end of the alley, lit
by the glow of streetlamps and neon lighting, all sorts of... people... are passing by and milling around. As well as
humans of all shapes, sizes, colours and ages, they can spot reptilian Foamasi, canine Dogkind, spiky-headed
Vinvocci, lumbering Ice Warriors, Judoon police patrols, Ood servants running errands and whatever else takes
the GM‟s fancy.
Emerging from the ship, the travellers find that the air is cool but not cold, and filled with a thousand smells: wood
smoke, incense, fried foods, kerosene, rotting garbage, the ozone tang of electricity, perfumes, sweat and other
odours less identifiable. There is also amplified music from various doorways vying for attention, plus the sounds
of people talking and laughing, footsteps on flagstones, the occasional shouts or cheers, and what sounds like
animal and bird noises.
The TARDIS has landed in a dead-end, incidentally half blocking an exit from one of the buildings. The other end
of the alley opens out into a street filled with market stalls and open shop-fronts selling all sorts of items: clothing,
gadgets, books, animals and birds, exotic fruits, hot drinks, cold drinks, alcoholic drinks, food fried, steamed and
raw, cheap jewellery, sunglasses, hats, “I ♥ Spindlebright” T-shirts, currency of all denominations, souvenirs and
trinkets, and so on. The crowds leisurely mill around, peering at this and that, occasionally haggling with
stallholders, and buying colourful drinks or greasy comestibles from fast food stands as they pass slowly up and
down the street. Money changes hands here and there – wads of ragged paper notes, chipped plastic tokens of a
variety of colours, coins both grubby and shiny new, and most rarely by electronic transfer of funds from anything
from credit-cards to retinal implants.
5
If the players are on the look-out for anything suspicious, then there is plenty to see. A furtive weasely individual
who may be human or may be alien looks like he might try to grab somebody‟s bag or pick a pocket at any
moment; a gorgeous looking woman with four arms poses provocatively under a streetlight; a Graske is clearly
cheating naive tourists with a variant on the Shell Game (see page 7); a group of three black-cowled individuals
are surreptitiously doing a deal in a shadowy doorway and money changes hands; a ragged beggar is
panhandling for small change; and an intoxicated Draconian is noisily ejected from a bar down the street by two
Ogron bouncers. A pair of Judoon in police uniforms strolls through the crowd, but nobody pays them much
attention and they pass by, on the look-out for fights to break up.
The GM can let the time travellers wander through the crowds without much incident, taking in the scenes around
them. They can browse at the shops and stalls if they wish, eat at a street café, venture into a bar or nightclub, do
whatever they like. Let them have a bit of relaxation before the adventure proper starts. If the travellers need to
find components for their TARDIS, then let them do this after a bit of trial and error, asking around, finding a stall
selling all sorts of unlikely-looking junk and then haggling with the stallholder (a contest of Presence + Convince
rolls).
A few optional diversions are provided below. If desired, other minor incidents could be generated by encounters
with some of the NPCs provided in Appendix 1.
The Entertainers
The PCs notice a pair of street entertainers, two Lurmans who have set up a shadow puppet show by pointing a
projector lamp at a white sheet pinned to a wall. The story they are telling seems to be an ancient myth of some
sort, in which a terrible demon is vanquished by a gallant hero and his army. When the demon is killed, the hero
seals its body in a tomb. As the story comes to an end, the projector lamp suddenly flares, filling the street with
bright light for a second before the bulb explodes with a pop. The Lurmans‟ audience hurries away before the pair
can start collecting any coins. [This sequence isn‟t intended to go anywhere, but is a foreshadowing of the story
of Hyperion (see page 40).]
PARG, LURMAN ENTERTAINER:
ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 3; Presence 4; Resolve 3; Strength 3.

TRAITS: Charming (Minor); Distinctive (Minor).
SKILLS: Convince 4; Craft (Performing) 3; Knowledge 1; Subterfuge 2; Technology 1; Transport 1.
EQUIPMENT: Projector and shadow puppets.
STORY POINTS: 3
Parg is a Lurman showman, an entertainer who wanders from planet to planet trying to scratch a living. He is
dressed in a ringmaster‟s costume, complete with red coat and top hat. Parg is rather obsequious in manner.
Vorg and Shirna from Carnival of Monsters were Lurmans. They are indistinguishable from humans.
SHARLA, PARG‟S GLAMOROUS ASSISTANT:

TRAITS: Attractive (Minor); Charming (Minor); Distinctive (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 1; Convince 2; Craft (Performing) 3; Knowledge 2; Medicine 1; Subterfuge 3.
STORY POINTS: 3
Sharla is Parg‟s assistant and helps him with the puppet show. She is dressed in a sparkly outfit, and gives the
impression that she is perpetually bored. Like Parg, Sharla is a Lurman and could pass for human.
6
Bar-room Brawl!
If the time travellers head into a bar, then this scene can be used if the GM wishes. If they don‟t, then it can be
played out in the street with much the same results, except that it will be Judoon police who come to the PCs‟ aid,
rather than the bar‟s bouncer.
The bar is crowded, perhaps even more so than the street outside, and trying to get served is an adventure in
itself. The players will need to squeeze through groups of humans, Draconians and so on, and not without
incident. At some point, one of the travellers is barged from behind and inadvertently stumbles into the back of
another patron. If one of the PCs has the Clumsy or Unlucky trait, then they are the prime candidate for this; if
not, then it‟s pot luck. The individual they have been pushed into turns slowly around to reveal the hideous
features of a Hoix; the drink it was holding – a noxious-smelling purple brew – is slopped down its front. It is not
amused and will try to grab the unfortunate character! Because of the press of the crowd, it is difficult for the
victim to run away, but to even the odds slightly, the Hoix is clearly the worse for drink. But it‟s far too early in the
adventure for one of the characters to get seriously hurt, so after a round or two of combat, the PC is rescued as
the bar‟s Ogron bouncer looms out of the crowd, grabs the Hoix by the scruff of the neck and propels it towards
the door. If the PCs are still around when the Ogron gets back, they will suffer the same treatment!
K‟LNK, DRINK-BEFUDDLED HOIX:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Berserk Rage (see Aliens & Creatures); Fear Factor 2;
Natural Weapons (Minor; claws – Strength +2 damage); Tough (Minor); Weakness (Minor; heightened senses).
SKILLS: Athletics 4; Fighting 2; Survival 4.
STORY POINTS: 1
URM, OGRON BOUNCER:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Minor); By the Book (Minor; minimal initiative); Tough (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 4; Convince 1; Fighting 5; Marksman 3; Subterfuge 2; Survival 4; Technology 1; Transport 1.
WEAPON: wooden baton (Strength +2 damage).
STORY POINTS: 2
[Based on sevateem‟s Ogron stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]
The Shell Game
The time travellers may already have noticed the Graske swindling money out of gullible tourists using a version
of the Shell Game. If they don‟t realise that the game is a con, they may want a pop at it themselves. Or if they do
realise that the Graske is cheating, they may want to try to turn the tables on him. Otherwise, the Graske will try
to attract their attention and lure them into a game.
The Graske is standing behind a small collapsible table on which he has a row of three upturned but identical
cups. For each pass of the game, he places a small nut under one of the cups, then quickly moves the cups back
and forth, swapping their positions in the row. After about 15 seconds, the Graske stops and asks the punter to
point to which of the cups the nut is under. If the punter is correct, then he wins double his stake back; if not, then
the Graske keeps the money. Following the movement of the cups to keep track of where the nut is (or should
be, if this was an honest game), requires a contest of Awareness + Ingenuity against the Graske‟s Coordination +
Subterfuge.
The Shell Game is traditionally fixed by use of sleight-of-hand, as the operator palms the nut from under the
correct cup and places it under another. In this case, the Graske is using a nut in which a small teleport device is
7
fitted, allowing the nut to move to another cup as soon as the punter indicates his choice. The Graske operates
the teleport by manipulating a secret switch sown into the lapels of his jacket. It takes an Awareness +
Awareness roll against the Graske‟s Coordination + Subterfuge to notice the Graske fingering his lapel in a
suspicious manner. A sonic screwdriver or other gadget with a suitable Scan ability will be able to detect the
teleport field being activated.
If the Graske‟s scam is exposed, he will disappear into the crowd, grabbing his winnings and the nut if he can.
His diminutive size makes him almost impossible to track through the throng, but if he is caught, he will scream
until a Judoon police team responds. It will then be a matter of which party the none-too-bright Judoon believe!
NARL, GRASKE HUSTLER:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Selfish (Minor).
SKILLS: Convince 3; Fighting 2; Knowledge 2; Marksman 1; Subterfuge 5; Survival 1; Technology 2; Transport 2.
EQUIPMENT: Shell Game
STORY POINTS: 2
BO & MO, DIM-WITTED JUDOON POLICE:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Armour (5 points); Code of Conduct (Major: uphold the law);
Fear Factor 2; Slow (Minor: Speed 1); Special – Large Lung Capacity (see Aliens & Creatures).
SKILLS: Athletics 1; Convince 3; Fighting 3; Knowledge (Law) 2; Marksman 3; Survival 2; Technology 2;
Transport 3.
WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT: Translator; Judoon Blaster L(4/L/L).
STORY POINTS: 3
8
AN INCIDENT ON SPINDLEBRIGHT
STOP, THIEF!
And here‟s where the story really starts. After the players have been wandering around the street market for a
while, the GM can kick the adventure proper off. The PCs have reached an open space in the streets; in a more
grandiose setting this would be a piazza, but let‟s just call it a square. It‟s actually the Jarad Plaza. Around the
Plaza are a number of businesses: an open-fronted shop with a sign proclaiming The Bazaar of the Bizarre,
outside which a tourist party of flabby white Adipose of various ages and sizes are mingling; a high-rise building,
the Hi-Life Hotel; Gort’s Tavern; a greasy-spoon with a neon sign and grubby windows, The Over Easy Café and
Grill; a nightclub, Jingo’s, with a couple of cyborg bouncers on the door; and the Ace of Stars casino, similarly
guarded by two hulking metahumans. A few market stalls and fast-food stands are scattered around the central
area, and various lanes and alleys lead back into the Souk market and off into the slum area known as the
Medina Quarter. The crowds are thinner in this more open area, but there are still plenty of people around. A
sketch-map of the Plaza is provided in Appendix 2.
As the time travellers are strolling around the Plaza, perhaps still browsing the stalls, they become aware of a
hubbub towards the far side. Looking across, they will see a remarkably tall alien running through the crowd,
having entered the Plaza from an alley. It is a Draconian, but a particularly tall example of the species, dressed in
the typical robes of a Draconian military officer.
As the players watch, a shot from an energy weapon flashes out towards the gangly alien, just missing its head
as it ducks and weaves, and the nearby crowds scream and parts in panic. But the PCs can‟t yet see who fired
the shot – whoever it is is clearly in the entrance of the alley that the fleeing Draconian presumably emerged
from, but is still hidden by the throng. The PCs can start to push through the crowd if they wish, but as they do so
they will risk losing sight of the alien: they need to make an Awareness + Coordination roll against a Difficulty of
12 to keep sight of the green reptilian head, and a Coordination + Strength roll against a Difficulty of 12 to make
progress through the crowd.
Whatever the players attempt, if they keep the tall Draconian in sight, they will see it loping towards the Bazaar of
the Bizarre, outside of which the crowd of Adipose are still loitering. As it nears the shop, it seems to bend down
below the height of the surrounding people, presumably ducking as it approaches the shop front and vanishing
among the bulky Adipose, some of which are around eight foot tall and almost as wide. A second shot rings out,
hitting the shop sign and obliterating the B of “Bizarre”. If the players make an Awareness + Awareness roll
against a Difficulty of 15, they spot the shooter – a second Draconian also dressed in flowing robes, and wielding
a laser pistol – before it again disappears in the press of the panicking crowd.
If the PCs head towards the second Draconian, they will be impeded by the people trying to get away from the
centre of danger. The GM may like to give them one or two brief glimpses of their target as it continues to head
towards where the tall alien was last spotted. They are unlikely to be able to intercept this Draconian, but the GM
may allow them to try. If they succeed, they will reach it just as it gets to the Adipose outside the Bazaar. Stats
for the Adipose are provided on page 25.
If the players head instead towards the Bazaar of the Bizarre, they will meet a veritable wall of Adipose milling
about in confusion. Adult Adipose are far larger than their new-born children, towering over mere humans and are
difficult to push aside because of their sheer bulk. The fleeing Draconian is now out of sight, but clearly entered
the Bazaar, as can be attested by some of the Adipose tourists. Once the PCs make it past the Adipose, they can
reach the shop. A few Adipose children are running around inside, excited and confused by the activity, and the
PCs must be careful lest they inadvertently tread on the smaller of them. The shopkeeper, a jittery rodent-like
Pakhar and his two Ogron employees, are in the doorway trying to keep an eye on the merchandise. Stats for
the Pakhar and the Ogrons are provided on page 20.
There is no sign of the fugitive, but the second Draconian quickly arrives on the scene, squeezing past the larger
Adipose and shouting for everybody to get out of his way! He immediately begins searching through the shop,
pushing racks of clothing aside, scattering the Pakhar‟s merchandise and almost tripping over the squealing
Adipose under his feet. The players can try to interact with him in any way they wish, but his main aim is to try to
locate his target, the first Draconian which is now conspicuous by its absence. If the players manage to get this
9
new Draconian to talk to them, he will say only that he is a royal bodyguard and that his quarry is a thief who has
stolen something of value from his employer. Otherwise the Draconian will continue to wave his pistol around
threateningly, waiting for back-up and trying to ensure that nobody leaves the shop. A third Draconian, another
royal bodyguard and also armed, will arrive shortly afterwards to assist in the search. Stats for the Draconians
are provided on pages 21-22.
If the players help search the Bazaar, there are a couple of doors at the back, but one leads into a cramped office
and the other is locked and only leads into a stock room; neither have any other exit – no doors, windows,
trapdoors or anything else which could provide egress. Meanwhile, the Pakhar and Ogrons are keeping guard at
the front of the shop, to make sure that none of the Adipose try to leave without paying for their purchases!
It quickly becomes apparent that the mysterious alien is nowhere to be seen. An appropriate Scan will pick up no
trace of a teleport having been used. The Pakhar and the Ogrons can confirm that the fleeing Draconian entered
the shop, and so far as anybody has seen, it has not exited it. So where is it? The Adipose tourists seem to be
ignoring what is going on, rumbling and burbling contentedly to each other.
AN ARRESTING DEVELOPMENT
The two Draconian bodyguards will become more and more frantic, waving their pistols about menacingly and
demanding to know where their fugitive is. The Adipose are still milling around, the younger ones seemingly
oblivious to what is happening around them and chasing each other around the shop. The Pakhar shopkeeper is
also becoming increasingly jumpy and remonstrating with the Draconians, while the brutish Ogrons are looking
like they are spoiling for a fight, perhaps only restrained by the fact that the Draconians are armed with energy
weapons and they themselves are unarmed. The players need to try to keep everybody calm to prevent things
escalating.
The players could try to obtain more information from the Draconians, but will need to succeed at a Presence +
Convince roll against the Draconians‟ Presence + Resolve; the players have a -4 penalty due to the situation. If
they succeed, the Draconians will identify themselves as Captain Holario and Lieutenant Shismuth of the
personal entourage of Prince Cosapius. A thief disguising himself as one of the Prince‟s bodyguards has
infiltrated his quarters in the Draconian Embassy and stolen an item of incalculable value. Only a Fantastic result
from the Convince roll will reveal that the item is the Jewel of Eternity, a gem of exquisite quality and having an
almost mystical role in Draconian history.
Soon however the local law enforcers will arrive, a squad of half a dozen Judoon led by Captain Sko. Stats for
the Judoon are provided on page 31.
While his men try to clear the Bazaar of the Adipose, Captain Sko will start to question the two Draconians to
determine what the situation is. The players will be moved to one side by one of the other Judoon, who will want
to take down their details and ask them to produce some form of ID. Unless they are carrying psychic paper or
something similar, this might result in the players having to come up with a plausible cover story on the spur of
the moment. It may even begin to look as if the PCs are at risk of being arrested for not carrying an acceptable
form of identification or being on Spindlebright illegally.
However, as they are being questioned, Sko receives a call on his wrist communicator and comes over to
interrupt his officer. If one of the players is the Doctor, then Sko will address him; if not, then any time traveller in
the party; or failing that, any of the group. The Judoon Captain thrusts his muscular wrist under the chosen PC‟s
nose so that they can see the screen. On it is the face of a handsome middle-aged woman with dark hair greying
at the temples. The player does not recognise the woman, but she greets him like an old friend, smiling as she
sees him:
“Hello again, Doctor, so good to see you! I should have known that you would have appeared in the middle of a
crisis. Well, it seems we are in need of your assistance once more. Perhaps it would be easier if we can talk in
person, but time is of the utmost essence if we are to prevent the situation escalating further. Ask the good
Captain Sko to bring you to my office.”
10
The wrist communicator goes blank as the woman signs off. It would appear that although the PC hasn‟t met the
person they were talking to before, she most certainly knows them. Time is playing tricks on them!
RETURNING TO THE TARDIS
If at any point the players decide to head back to the TARDIS, maybe because they don‟t want to get involved in
the situation at the Bazaar, or if they try to escape arrest by the Judoon, they can do so. However, when they
reach the alleyway in which the TARDIS landed, they will find a small group waiting for them, two Judoon police
officers and a male human dressed in an expensive business suit. As with the woman on the wrist communicator,
this man will greet at least one of the player characters as though they have met before and on friendly terms. If
prompted, he will introduce himself as Hubert Corda – though why the players need to be reminded of this, he
doesn‟t know. Again, the PCs will be told that their services are needed. The GM might want to make oblique
references to what the man clearly thinks is a previous adventure they shared, but which has yet to happen to the
time travellers – “Spoilers!” Hubert will offer to give the PCs a lift in his official transport, an executive aircar with
its Ood driver waiting a few streets away, in order to get a full briefing of the situation. Chairholder Varrian will be
most pleased to see them again! Stats for Hubert Corda and the Ood are provided on page 12.
If the players somehow manage to make it into the TARDIS, they can indeed try to take off (assuming they have
acquired any replacement components that they needed). However, the time rotor responds sluggishly as if low
on power. Checking the instruments, it appears that an external force is draining the TARDIS‟s Artron energy
reserves. It will be impossible to locate the source of this drain; it seems to be the general environment itself. The
TARDIS will be able to dematerialise, but the PCs will find that they almost immediately rematerialise on
Spindlebright again. Repeated attempts will determine that the TARDIS cannot leave the planet, nor indeed this
time zone; it is as if they are being prevented from fully entering the Vortex. They can move the TARDIS around
as much as they like and appear anywhere, so long it is on Spindlebright. Whatever is drawing on the ship‟s
energy is also preventing it from leaving…
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
The headquarters of the Spindlebright Mercantile League is an impressive skyscraper, towering over all the other
buildings in the city. At the top, the SML logo shines out into the night.
If the PCs are brought to the SML Tower by the Judoon, they will arrive in a police groundcar and be driven into
the underground vehicle bay. From there, they will be escorted via the elevators to the executive suite at the top
of the building. If they are brought there by Hubert Corda‟s aircar, they will land on the Tower‟s roof and descend
via a set of service stairs. Either way, they will find themselves shown into the spacious Boardroom, dominated
by a long central table around which are positioned thirteen large leather chairs, six along either side and one at
the head of the table. Most of the chairs will be empty at present, and the only people in the room are the woman
the Time Lord PC saw on the Judoon wrist communicator and (if the players were not brought here by him) a
man in a sharp business suit. The woman, Chairholder Jura Varrian, is sitting at the head of the table, and the
man, Hubert Corda, SML‟s Head of Security, is seated to her right. Also in the room are two Ood dressed in black
with the SML logo on their breast pockets; one is standing at Chairholder Varrian‟s side, the other is a little
behind Corda‟s chair.
Both Varrian and Corda will rise to greet their guests as the Judoon (if they are present) withdraw. There could be
an awkward moment as the players try to determine who these people are who evidently already know them.
Whether or not Varrian and Corda are already aware that the PCs are time travellers is up to the GM.
The Ood will offer refreshments for the new arrivals, and one will depart to fulfil their requests. After the
characters are seated, Varrian will explain the situation that requires their assistance. It concerns the incident that
the PCs witnessed in the Jarad Plaza. The item that the Draconians were trying to recover is a valuable artefact
from the Imperial household itself, a fabulous gemstone called the Jewel of Eternity which was stolen from the
Draconian Embassy on Spindlebright earlier that evening. Quite what such a valuable and unique object was
doing on Spindlebright is so far a mystery. But whatever the case, its theft could cause diplomatic tensions with
the Draconian Empire. Already a delegation from the Embassy is on its way to the Tower to speak to Chairholder
Varrian personally. Varrian would like the PCs to work closely with Hubert Corda in an “officially unofficial”
11
capacity, to recover the Jewel before the Draconians do something rash – like bringing in their own security
forces!
Before Varrian and Corda can explain much more, they are interrupted by an incoming call on the Corda‟s wrist
communicator. It appears that the Draconians are already on their way up to the Boardroom. Even as the call
finishes, the Boardroom door crashes open and a group of Draconians strides in, with two SML security
personnel ineffectually bringing up the rear.
CHAIRHOLDER JURA VARRIAN:

TRAITS: Attractive (Minor); Brave (Minor); Friends (Major: SML); Indomitable (Major); Obligation (Major: SML);
Voice of Authority (Minor).
SKILLS: Convince 5; Knowledge 3; Medicine 1; Science 1; Subterfuge 2; Technology 2; Transport 1.
EQUIPMENT: Wrist communicator.
STORY POINTS: 8.
Chairholder Varrian a handsome middle-aged woman with dark hair greying at the temples. She is a very
charismatic individual with a forceful personality. As Chairholder of SML, she is the most powerful person on
Spindlebright.
HUBERT CORDA, HEAD OF SECURITY:

TRAITS: Brave (Minor); Charming (Minor); Friends (Major: SML); Obligation (Major: SML); Psychic Training
(Minor); Sense of Direction (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 2; Convince 1; Fighting 3; Knowledge 1; Marksman 3; Medicine 1; Subterfuge 2; Technology 1;
Transport 3.
WEAPON: Small laser handgun 5(2/5/7).
STORY POINTS: 6
Hubert Corda is a man in his mid 30s, stocky but not fat, with dark hair cut fashionably spiky. Corda has quickly
risen through the ranks to become SML‟s Head of Security. He is effectively also commander of the Spindlebright
police force. He has an easy smile and an eye for the ladies, but is committed to his job.
OOD UNDERLINGS:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Enslaved (Major); Gadget (Minor: Translator Orb – universal
translator); Natural Weapon (Minor: Translator Orb – Strength +2 damage, and Stuns the victim); Psychic
(Special); Telepathy (Special); Weakness (Major: -4 to resist mental control).
SKILLS: Athletics 1; Craft (Singing) 3; Fighting 1; Medicine 2; Survival (Arctic) 2; Technology 1, Transport 3.
STORY POINTS: 2.
The Ood owned by SML are all dressed in black suits with high, mandarin collars. They can be identified by the
number on their breast pockets, just above the SML logo. Chairholder Varran‟s personal Ood is 01 (“Zero-One”);
Corda‟s is 15 (“One-Five”). All Ood in this adventure have identical stats.
12
SML SECURITY GUARDS:

TRAITS: Obligation (Minor: SML); Tough (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 3; Fighting 3; Marksman 2; Subterfuge 1; Transport 1.
WEAPON: Blaster 6(3/6/9).
STORY POINTS: 2.
THE PRESENCE OF THE OOD
The presence of the Ood in this adventure might present a moral dilemma for the players if they are familiar with
the TV series. Should they try to release the Ood from their servitude? This would be a distraction from the main
adventure, and the fact is that according to established history, the Ood aren‟t liberated by the Doctor and Donna
until 4126, over two centuries into the future.
The Ood on Spindlebright aren‟t abused and have a better life than on many other planets – though a slave is still
a slave even if it is treated well. If the players want to do something about the Ood‟s situation, then maybe they
could do something locally. But any change to the Ood‟s predicament on an interplanetary level could change
history. And in any case, they will need to consider that the Ood who have had their hind brains removed are not
capable of surviving independently of somebody to guide them and tell them what to do.
ENTER THE DRAGON
The double-doors of the Boardroom are held open by the two Draconian bodyguards that the players
encountered in the Bazaar of the Bizarre earlier, Captain Holario and Lieutenant Shismuth. Striding imperiously
past them is a Draconian in formal robes of state, a fourth Draconian hard on his heels. The two SML security
guards hover indecisively in the doorway until Corda dismisses them and the doors are closed. Holario and
Shismuth stand guard within the Boardroom either side of the doors, eyeing the PCs suspiciously. Stats for the
Draconians are provided on pages 21-22.
The leading Draconian is the Ambassador to Spindlebright, Prince Cosapius, accompanied by his personal
secretary, Consul Jerander. The Prince approaches Chairholder Varrian and bows deeply. Varrian responds in
kind, saying “My life at your command, Your Highness”. The formalities over, Cosapius immediately demands to
know what is being done to recover the Jewel of Eternity. He will ignore all others present until they speak directly
to him, and will then address them with ill-concealed disdain unless they also use the traditional Draconian form
of address; he will be especially disdainful of any females present, other than the Chairholder.
Varrian will try to placate the Prince and reassure him that the Spindlebright Police Department and SML‟s own
security are treating the theft with the highest priority. She will also introduce the PCs as special security
consultants who are assisting with the recovery. The spaceport has been closed so that no ships may enter or
leave Spindlebright. The perpetrator and the Jewel are both still on the planet, and it is only a matter of time
before it is found. Prince Cosapius will be difficult to placate, and proposes summoning a dreadnought and a
division of the Draconian army to enforce martial law on Spindlebright. Varrian declines of course, but the threat
will be left in the air.
If pressed about the Jewel, the Prince will provide some of the background information set out in the text box on
page 14; how much is up to the GM and will largely be determined by the Prince‟s opinion of the PCs. Consul
Jerander can produce a hologram of the Jewel from an electronic device he is carrying.
If asked about the circumstances of the theft, Prince Cosapius glares venomously towards his two bodyguards: “I
am sure that Captain Holario can brief you on this matter once he has escorted me back to the Embassy.” With
13
that the Prince spins around and marches out of the room, followed by his entourage. If the PCs attempt to
follow, Holario will stop them, telling them to come to the Embassy a little later and he will speak to them then.
THE JEWEL OF ETERNITY
The Jewel of Eternity is a very large diamond almost 15cm across, cut in the classic round brilliant style. It is
extremely clear and seems to glow softly with an inner light, an effect generally attributed to an optical quirk of the
diamond‟s crystal matrix. But the Jewel is not flawless. Peering very closely into the heart of the diamond, some
observers claim to make out a figure held motionless within, a humanoid figure with folded wings… like an angel,
say. If the players have the opportunity to try to see this, they must make an Awareness + Resolve roll against a
Difficulty of 15; Feel the Turn of the Universe and Vortex traits each provide a +2 bonus to succeed; examining
Consul Jerander‟s hologram of the diamond, instead of the real thing, has a -4 penalty to see the angel. A figure
can indeed be made out, but so vague within the diamond‟s inner glow that no details are discernable. The most
likely reaction of a player is that it is a Weeping Angel (though the GM shouldn‟t suggest this directly), whereas it
is in fact the Chronovore, Hyperion, a splinter of whom is within the Jewel. Anybody with Feel the Turn of the
Universe who handles it (whether or not they can see the figure within) has an uneasy feeling about it.
The Jewel was discovered in 2725 on the planet Klimt, a Draconian colony world. Its size and beauty immediately
attracted the attention of the Imperial family and it was presented to them as a gift by the Governor of Klimt.
Since then, it has remained part of the Draconian Crown Jewels, securely stored in the Imperial Treasure House
on the homeworld and only occasionally being removed for ceremonial occasions or to form part of a display. As
is the way of such things, a legend has developed around the Jewel of Eternity: if the Jewel is ever lost, the
Imperial House of Draconia will fall.
Prince Cosapius cannot explain why he removed the Jewel from the Treasure House and brought it to
Spindlebright. He did it on a whim, but does not know why; in fact his mind is rather cloudy on the subject, but he
would never admit this. Pressing a Draconian Prince is not a wise thing to do, so he is unlikely to be forced to
explain himself to the PCs. However, he is desperate that news of his actions and the loss of the Jewel should
not reach the ears of the Emperor, as he would most likely face execution. Cosapius has in truth been influenced
by the mind of the Chronovore, stretching out from its dreams to bring the means of its release to Spindlebright.
REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE
After the Draconians have left, an Ood delivers a data crystal to Hubert Corda. This contains the hologram
footage that SML has managed to download from the cameras in and around Jarad Plaza and inside the Bazaar
of the Bizarre. Corda slots the crystal into a console set into the desktop and the images are played in 3D on the
surface of the Boardroom table. Unfortunately several of the outside cameras were down at the time of the
incident and the footage is therefore incomplete; it is also somewhat jumpy and hazy, the cameras being cheap
low definition recorders. But there are a number of important pieces of information that can be gleaned from it if
the viewer is observant enough.
Firstly, the PCs can make an Awareness + Ingenuity roll against a Difficulty of 12 during the sequences of the
chase through the side alleys and into the Plaza:
Disastrous: the viewer can‟t even make out the fugitive among the crowd!
Bad: the fugitive is spotted in the crowd, but the viewer can‟t make any details out.
Failure: the fugitive is a remarkably tall Draconian.
Success: the fugitive looks to be Draconian, but there is something not quite right about him.
Good: the fugitive has impossibly long legs for a Draconian, well out of proportion to the rest of his
body.
Fantastic: as above, plus the fugitive is identical to the first of his pursuers (Captain Holario) – both
facially and in the clothes they are wearing – apart from the very long legs.
Secondly, another roll against a Difficulty of 15 as the fugitive Draconian reaches the group of Adipose outside
the Bazaar:
14
Disastrous: the fugitive didn‟t actually enter the Bazaar at all, but fled towards a nightclub, Jingo‟s.
Bad: it‟s not clear whether the fugitive entered the Bazaar.
Failure: the fugitive ducks down to hide amongst the Adipose.
Success: the fugitive isn‟t ducking down, but growing shorter!
Good: the fugitive is clearly shapeshifting as he disappears from view among the Adipose.
Fantastic: as above, plus it looks as if he is changing into an Adipose.
And thirdly, a final roll against a Difficulty of 18 while viewing the footage from inside the Bazaar:
Disastrous: somebody seems to disappear through a rear exit (there are none in the Bazaar).
Bad: the fugitive ducks back out of the Bazaar before Captain Holario enters.
Failure: there‟s no sign of the fugitive inside the Bazaar.
Success: the fugitive enters, disappears behind an Adipose and isn‟t seen again.
Good: the fugitive is clearly shapeshifting, taking on the shape of one of the young Adipose.
Fantastic: as above, plus the shapeshifter leaves undetected with the other Adipose.
Bonuses and penalties can be applied according to how much time the players spend on reviewing the footage,
or if they try manipulating the images (requiring Ingenuity + Technology rolls), or if they use any appropriate
gadgets they may have to improve picture quality. At the end of the session, Corda will say that his team will
analyse the footage further to see if they can extract anything extra. By this means, the GM can feed additional
clues to the players later in the adventure, if they need them.
If the players work out that they are dealing with a shapeshifter, Corda will realise who the fugitive most likely is:
Bulis Ziff, a notorious Whifferdill petty thief known to the Spindlebright Police. Corda will be able to access police
records to find that Ziff rents a room above the Over Easy Café & Grill in Jarad Plaza. He also suggests that a
genetic scanner might be useful in identifying a shapeshifter, and suggests that they collect one from Captain
Sko at the Spindlebright Police HQ.
If the players ask about witnesses, Corda will tell them that the Judoon have been obtaining names and
addresses, with statements to follow. The Pakhar and the Ogrons from the Bazaar will have to be questioned of
course, plus the Adipose family. The police will have their contact details. If the GM wishes to provide other
witnesses from the crowd in the Plaza, then use some of the NPCs from Appendix 1. These won‟t be able to add
much to what is already known, unless the GM needs to provide some information that the PCs missed in their
review of the hologram footage.
Hubert Corda will offer to accompany the player characters in their investigations, but he won‟t insist if they
decline. He will also offer to provide them with an aircar and an Ood driver.
EXECUTIVE AIRCAR: Armour: 5 points. Hit Capacity: 8. Speed: 8.
Finally (and this is the one he will insist on), he will give each of them a wrist communicator so that they can
contact him at any time, or vice versa. What he doesn‟t tell them is that each communicator is fitted with a minute
tracker, so he can monitor their whereabouts. If the PCs dismantle one, they will discover this if they succeed at
an Awareness + Technology roll against a Difficulty of 13. If confronted, Corda will of course say that this is for
their own safety.
SPINDLEBRIGHT DREAMING
Before the time travellers leave to pursue their investigations, Chairholder Varrian will make a passing comment
about these being “strange days” on Spindlebrght, what with the dreams and the odd behaviour of the Ood
recently.
If asked about this curious comment, Varrian and Corda will both explain that over the past month many people
on Spindlebright have been having a recurring dream. The details are vague and difficult to remember, but there
is a sense of unease, of danger approaching and the flutter of wings in the darkness.
15
A number of SML‟s Ood have also been acting strangely. Some have simply shut down, sinking into a catatonic
state from which they haven‟t recovered; while a few have killed themselves, by jumping off high buildings or
running in front of traffic. There is no explanation for this, and no certainty that the Ood behaviour is linked to the
dreams. Many people believe that Spindlebright received a faulty batch of Ood, and complaints have been made
to SML‟s supplier.
The real cause for both of these phenomena is of course the sleeping Chronovore, who is infecting the dreams of
all those on Spindlebright. For the highly receptive minds of the Ood, these dreams are almost unbearable. The
GM may wish to insert a scene during the PCs‟ investigations in which they witness an Ood going off the rails. If
they have accepted the offer of an SML aircar and Ood driver, then maybe the Ood will jump out in mid-air,
leaving the player characters scrambling to regain control of the vehicle before it crashes.
16
OUT AND ABOUT IN SPINDLEBRIGHT
This section describes the areas and locations within Spindlebright city that the players‟ investigations are most
likely to focus on. The clues and incidents which will lead the players to the climax of the adventure are all to be
found here, though the order in which the players investigate them isn‟t fixed. Many of these locations are within
the Jarad Plaza, and a sketch-map of this is provided in Appendix 2. Included amongst the location descriptions
are a number of incidents which can be initiated by the GM in order to progress the adventure at appropriate
points.
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF EVENTS SINCE THE THEFT
When the alarm was raised at the Draconian Embassy, Prince Cosapius‟ two bodyguards, Holario and Shismuth,
immediately gave chase to the Whifferdill thief, Bulis Ziff. Ziff used his shapeshifting powers to lengthen his legs
to try to evade his pursuers and ran into Jarad Plaza. Seeing the crowd of Adipose milling around the Bazaar of
the Bizarre, he headed towards them. As he entered the shop, he shapeshifted into a young Adipose and began
running around with them, having absorbed the Jewel of Eternity into his body to hide it.
When the Adipose left after the police had taken their contact details, he left with them, following them to the Hi-
Life Hotel. At the hotel, he shifted into his more usual appearance, that of a small green-skinned human, but was
spotted by Astrath, the Galyari rogue who hired Ziff to steal the Jewel in the first place. The plan had been for Ziff
and Astrath to meet in Jingo‟s nightclub, for the Jewel to change hands under the cover of darkness. However
Astrath accosted Ziff in the hotel foyer, but after a brief exchange, Ziff convinced him that he had already hidden
the Jewel in a safe place and would need to retrieve it (not true). Ziff later hid the Jewel in Gort‟s Tavern, and
passed a fake version to Astrath when they rendezvoused in Jingo‟s as arranged.
At the start of this section of the adventure, the Galyari has the fake Jewel, but he will soon realise that he has
been double-crossed. He will then head to Ziff‟s room above the Over Easy Café and Grill, where he will stun the
Whifferdill to prevent him escaping or shapeshifting, and beat the hiding place of the real Jewel out of him. In the
meantime, a Galyari agent, Krivvon, is on the trail of Astrath and will start following the PCs to see if they lead
him to his target.
Once Astrath has the real Jewel, he has the problem of how to get out of the city and to his accomplices on the
Far Side of Spindlebright, as the Spaceport is locked down. He has decided that he may have to lie low for a
while in his dive in the run-down Medina Quarter. However, he is under the influence of Hyperion the sleeping
Chronovore, who will not allow his minion to wait too long. If he is not caught soon, Astrath will do something
drastic to get the Jewel to the Far Side.
The areas described in this section of the adventure are:

The Ace of Stars (casino)
The Bazaar of the Bizarre
The Draconian Embassy
Gort’s Tavern
The Hi-Life Hotel
Jingo’s (nightclub)
The Medina Quarter (slum area)
The Over Easy Café & Grill
The Souk (market)
The Spaceport
Spindlebright Police Headquarters
The players will need to achieve a number of things during their investigations, and the GM should steer them
towards these:
Learn that the thief is a shapeshifter and track him down (they may already know this);
Discover his link to the Galyari, Astrath;
17
Possibly recover the Jewel of Eternity (not vital at this point);
Link Astrath to a group of Galyari pirates on the Far Side of Spindlebright;
Realise that the biggest threat is the Chronovore, Hyperion;
Travel to the Far Side to prevent Hyperion awakening.
THE ACE OF STARS
The Ace of Stars is a respectable casino situated at the south side of Jarad Plaza. It has no connection to the
theft of the Jewel of Eternity, but the players may wish to investigate it anyway, if only to find out whether the staff
or any clients witnessed the chase. The casino is owned and managed by Nick Fallender, who is willing to
answer any reasonable questions, unless the PCs start to threaten him or implicate him in any way:
troublemakers will be shown the door by Karl and Kurt, two hulking metahuman bouncers.
NICK FALLENDER, HUMAN CASINO BOSS:

TRAITS: Charming (Minor); Keen Senses (Minor: vision); Lucky (Minor); Owed Favour (Minor: various – Nick has
a number of contacts in the city.
SKILLS: Athletics 2; Convince 3; Fighting 1; Knowledge 1; Marksman 2; Subterfuge 2; Technology 1; Transport
1.
STORY POINTS: 4
Nick Fallender has a friendly demeanour, so long as you don‟t cross him. He stays just the right side of the law to
avoid trouble, and the games in his casino – though weighted towards the house winning – aren‟t fixed.
KARL & KURT, METAHUMAN CASINO SECURITY:

TRAITS: Distinctive (Minor); Fast Healing (Major); Quick Reflexes (Minor); Tough (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 4; Fighting 4; Marksman 2; Subterfuge 1.
STORY POINTS: 2
Karl and Kurt are human, but have been genetically enhanced. They are each almost 7 feet tall and almost as
wide, but move with speed and grace belying their appearance. They are both loyal to Nick Fallender, but neither
is particularly intelligent. They usually dress in tuxedos with shirt and bow tie.
Incident: Meeting Krivvon
Unknown to the players, they are being watched. A lizard-like Galyari called Krivvon quickly picks up their tail
once they return to the Plaza to continue their investigations. Krivvon is a Galyari agent and is hunting another of
his species, a rogue wanted for crimes by his own people. He believes that his target is somehow connected to
the incident in the Plaza, and he begins shadowing the PCs in the hope that they will lead him to his quarry.
At some point, while the PCs are walking across the Plaza, they can make an Awareness + Awareness roll
against Kivvon‟s Coordination + Subterfuge. If they succeed, they spot him in the crowd and realise that they
have seen him a few times recently; a Good or Fantastic result will mean that they realise that he is watching
them. If the players have already learned of a Galyari involved in whatever is going on, then they don‟t even need
to realise that he has been following them – they will be on the look-out for a member of his species anyway.
As soon as the Galyari realises that he has been rumbled, he will head into the nearest doorway, which happens
to be that of the Ace of Stars casino. Ducking past the doormen, he disappears inside.
18
KRIVVON, GALYARI AGENT:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Fear Factor 1; Keen Senses (Minor: vision); Natural
Weapons (Minor: claws deliver Strength +2 damage); Obsession (Minor: superstitious); Phobia (Minor: The
Sandman); Tough (Minor); Weakness (Minor: migraine reaction to certain colours and patterns, -2 to all Attributes
if triggered).
SKILLS: Convince 2; Fighting 3; Knowledge 2; Marksman 3; Subterfuge 3; Technology 2; Transport 1.
WEAPON: Laser pistol 7(3/7/10)
STORY POINTS: 6
Krivvon is a typical Galyari in appearance, like an upright iguana dressed in human clothing. His scaly skin is
yellowy-green, and he has a small crest-like fringe on his head. Krivvon has followed Astrath and his pirate
accomplices to Spindlebright, but lost track of the pirates‟ ship, The Herald of Lamentations. He knows that it is
not in the Spaceport, but it must be somewhere on the planet, or maybe in orbit. He also knows that the Galyari
shuttle-craft is currently docked in the Spaceport, so he believes that Astrath is somewhere in the city. If Krivvon
believes that assisting the PCs will lead him to Astrath, he will offer to help them; otherwise he will pursue his
own investigations.
For further details on Galyari, see the text box on page 39.
Krivvon will try to lose the PCs in the casino, and any pursuit risks attracting the attention of Karl and Kurt, or
even Nick Fallender. If Krivvon gets away from the players, he will pick up their trail again a little later, so they will
have another opportunity to catch him. If the team manage to corner him, then he will quickly give in, holding his
hands up and offering to show them his ID.
Krivvon is a potential ally for the players, and can provide some background information on the rogue Galyari,
Astrath (who, unknown to him, is actually the person who hired Bulis Ziff to steal the Jewel of Eternity).
THE BAZAAR OF THE BIZARRE
The Bazaar sells everything and anything. Mainly cheap trinkets for tourists, it‟s true, but if the proprietor Amherst
thinks he can sell it at a profit, he will stock it. If the PCs go back to visit the Bazaar, they will be greeted warmly
by the little Pakhar, partly because he is happy to talk to anybody and partly because he won‟t pass up an
opportunity to make a sale. The time travellers may find him trying to get them to buy anything from worthless
jewellery to second-hand carpets! He is nothing if not perseverant and will continue to press items from his
display shelves on them with an almost non-stop sales pitch. At the same time, he will be distractedly keeping an
eye on other browsers in the Bazaar, so the process of getting additional information out of him will be frustrating.
His two Ogron employees, however, are at the other end of the verbosity spectrum, grunting their monosyllabic
replies and often just blinking as if in incomprehension.
In truth, Amherst and the two Ogrons have very little additional information to offer. They were all more
concerned with keeping their eyes on the Bazaar‟s stock, trying to make sure that the Adipose children didn‟t
damage anything or leave without paying. Amherst himself saw the fugitive enter the Bazaar, pushing through the
Adipose family, but so far as he is concerned it wasn‟t a tall Draconian, but a short pale figure about 4 feet high. It
ducked under one of the tables piled high with clothing and blankets, and that was the last he saw of it. If shown
a photo of Bulis Ziff in his natural form (the police department‟s mug-shot, for example), he will reply that it could
have been the Whifferdill but he‟s not 100% positive. Amherst knows of Ziff by reputation and, in his more usual
green-skinned form, by sight.
Depending on how long the PCs leave it before visiting the Bazaar, Amherst may also mention that the incident
has sparked quite a bit of interest. The players are not the first to come asking about what he saw; they are not
even the second. An hour or so after the Judoon finished searching the Bazaar in case the fugitive was still hiding
somewhere, a Galyari walked in – he knows it was a Galyari because he‟s been to the Clutch. He was asking all
19
about the incident and in particular whether Amherst had found anything additional in his shop afterwards. The
Galyari wouldn‟t elaborate on what, but the Pakhar has been scouring his shelves since then, just in case. A
couple of hours after that, a second Galyari came in and showed him a picture of the first Galyari; Amherst was
able to confirm that the first Galyari had indeed been in the Bazaar, but that he didn‟t know who he was or where
he went afterwards. Amherst can certainly tell the Galyari apart: the first was a rough looking specimen with
greener scales; whereas the second was younger, smarter and more yellowy-green. The second Galyari became
very interested when he learned of what the first had been asking about, and wanted to know all about the
incident with the Draconian/Whifferdill fugitive. Amherst has seen the second Galyari in the Plaza once or twice
since then; he seems to be loitering around as if waiting for somebody (that would be the PCs – see pages 18-19
for encountering Krivvon, the second Galyari in Amherst‟s story).
This is about the limit of the information available from the Bazaar at this time. But Amherst may contact the PCs
again (possibly via Captain Sko) if he spots Bulis Ziff or either of the Galyari.
AMHERST, PAKHAR MERCHANT:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Keen Senses (Minor: smell); Natural Weapons (Minor: teeth
deliver Strength +2 damage); Quick Reflexes (Minor); Size: Tiny (Minor).
SKILLS: Convince 4; Fighting 1; Knowledge 3; Subterfuge 2; Technology 2; Transport 1.
STORY POINTS: 4
Amherst is a Pakhar, a 3 foot tall rodent-like humanoid with short grey fur. He is very verbose and loves to talk in
a rapid, squeaky voice. Amherst is scrupulously honest in his business dealings, but will not let go if he senses a
sale!
NUK AND VARN, OGRON SECURITY:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Minor); By the Book (Minor; minimal initiative); Tough (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 4; Convince 1; Fighting 5; Marksman 3; Subterfuge 2; Survival 4; Technology 1; Transport 1.
STORY POINTS: 2
Nuk and Varn are Amherst‟s employees at the Bazaar. Like most Ogrons, they have only basic intelligence and a
limited vocabulary. Amherst employs them mainly for security and heavy lifting.
[Based on sevateem‟s Ogron stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]
PAKHARS
Pakhars are small rodent-like humanoids from the planet Pakha. They are around a metre tall, with short fur in
shades of brown, grey or white, and a long pink tail. Their faces are a cross between those of a hamster and a
gerbil. Unfortunately their appearance is often the cause of jokes among humans, who tease Pakhars with
references to cheese and exercise wheels. Needless to say, Pakhars do not appreciate the human sense of
humour! Despite this, they are commonly found throughout human space, and only a few years after this
adventure they will join the Galactic Federation. Many are noted academics and scholars.
Pakhars first appeared in the Virgin New Adventures novels, and have since featured in several audio stories
from Big Finish.
20
THE DRACONIAN EMBASSY
The Draconian Embassy is situated in one of the older, more experiences areas of Spindlebright city. The PCs
will need to ask at the reception desk if they wish to see any of the Embassy‟s personnel. Following their
encounter at the SML Tower, they will easily be able to arrange to meet Captain Holario and Lieutenant
Shismuth; whereas Consul Jerander will be more difficult to pin down, and an audience with Prince Cosapius is
almost impossible to arrange unless the time travellers have good news about the Jewel of Eternity.
The two bodyguards can between them provide a description of the theft, and a viewing of security hologram
footage will confirm their accounts. A figure resembling Captain Holario walks into the Embassy and goes up the
main staircase to the upper floors. He is greeted by a number of Embassy staff and heads to the Prince‟s
personal chambers, outside which Lieutenant Shismuth stands guard. They exchange a few words: Shismuth
recalls that the figure resembling Holario asked as to the whereabouts of the Prince and then entered the
chambers. At this point it becomes apparent that there are no security cameras within the Prince‟s personal suite
– it would not be appropriate for a Draconian of high birth to be watched over by commoners! However, the figure
emerges a few minutes later and walks back through the Embassy to the exit. As he is descending the staircase
to the lobby, the footage from outside the Prince‟s chambers show another Captain Holario approaching and
speaking to Lieutenant Shismuth. After a few seconds, it is clear that something is wrong, and Shismuth bursts
into the private chambers while Holario sprints for the stairs. The events after this culminate in the chase into
Jarad Plaza and the Bazaar of the Bizarre.
Although the precise events within Prince Cosapius‟ chambers aren‟t recorded for posterity, they can easily be
pieced together. While the Prince was bathing his Imperial person in a neighbouring room, the false Captain
Holario entered his private office, located the wall safe, opened it (requiring a 10-digit code and facial recognition
scan by the Prince himself), removed the Jewel and left. The wall safe records that the correct access code was
keyed in and that the facial recognition scan was positively identified.
The only other thing that the real Captain Holario can add to the sequence of events is that after gaining sight of
the fugitive in the streets, he seemed to grow visibly taller – the thief‟s legs gained a foot of two in length, making
his difficult to catch (though easier to keep in view). If they have not already found this out, then any PCs from a
culture familiar with alien species can make an Ingenuity + Knowledge roll against a Difficulty of 12 to realise that
they are dealing with a shapeshifter, though the precise species cannot be identified yet.
If asked why the Jewel of Eternity was brought to Spindlebright, the two Draconian bodyguards will have no idea;
it should still be in the Imperial Treasure House on Draconia so far as they know. If they can question Consul
Jerander, he is similarly mystified (and slightly concerned for his Prince); and Prince Cosapius – if they somehow
gain an audience - will arrogantly refuse to be questioned on the matter! The Prince will confirm that it was he
who brought it to Spindlebright, but that is all! Anybody with Empathy can make an Awareness + Convince roll
against the Prince‟s Presence + Resolve to determine that he is (perhaps understandably) worried about this; a
Good result reveals that the Prince is hiding some inner confusion; and a Fantastic roll points to possible
amnesia on the subject.
CAPTAIN HOLARIO, IMPERIAL BODYGUARD:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Brave (Minor); Code of Conduct (Major: his word is his
bond); Obligation (Major: Prince Cosapius); Quick Reflexes (Minor); Tough (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 3; Convince 2; Fighting 3; Marksman 3; Medicine 2; Subterfuge 3; Survival 3; Technology 2;
Transport 2.
STORY POINTS: 4
Captain Holario is a career soldier who has seen frontline duty on the fringes of the Empire. Quite how he
progressed to imperial bodyguard, he‟s not sure, but he takes his job – and himself - very seriously.
[Based on sevateem‟s Draconian stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]
21
LIEUTENANT SHISMUTH, IMPERIAL BODYGUARD:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Brave (Minor); Code of Conduct (Major: his word is his
bond); Obligation (Major: Prince Cosapius); Quick Reflexes (Minor); Tough (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 3; Convince 1; Fighting 3; Marksman 3; Medicine 1; Subterfuge 3; Survival 2; Technology 2;
Transport 2.
STORY POINTS: 2
Lieutenant Shismuth is not the most intelligent of Draconians, but is competent at his work. He has little in the
way of personality, but will not obstruct the PCs in their investigations
PRINCE COSAPIUS, DRACONIAN AMBASSADOR:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Code of Conduct (Major: his word is his bond); Friends
(Major: Draconian Court); Obligation (Major: allegiance to the Emperor); Owed Favour (Minor: minor noble);
Voice of Authority (Minor)
SKILLS: Craft (Draconian Court) 3; Fighting 3; Knowledge 1; Marksman 2; Subterfuge 2; Survival 2; Technology
2.
STORY POINTS: 5
Prince Cosapius is only a distant relative of the Draconian Emperor, hence his appointment to this outpost. He is,
however, a typical Draconian of the Imperial family, and rather old-fashioned in his views on how he should be
treated. He would rather that females did not speak in his presence, but finds himself having to deal with
Chairholder Varrian. He will however deal fairly with those who do not cross him.
CONSUL JERANDER, COSAPIUS‟ PERSONAL SECRETARY:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Code of Conduct (Major: his word is his bond); Friends
(Major: Draconian Embassy); Obligation (Major: allegiance to the Emperor).
SKILLS: Convince 3; Fighting 2; Knowledge 3; Marksman 2; Subterfuge 2; Survival 2; Technology 2.
STORY POINTS: 3
Even the Draconian Empire has its pen-pushers, and Consul Jerander is first and foremost a bureaucrat. He has
been assigned to Prince Cosapius‟ staff on Spindlebright for the past 5 years and is devoted to his job.
GORT’S TAVERN
This rather down-at-hill tavern in Jarad Plaza is run by a Sycorax named Gort, plus a pair of his clan-brothers,
Akhnar and Hist, who act as heavy muscle in case of trouble. The interior is perpetually gloomy, but usually busy.
22
Gort and his brothers will be suspicious of people asking questions and will be particularly reluctant to provide
information about one of their regular customers, Bulis Ziff. The PCs will need to make a Presence + Convince
roll at a Difficulty of 15 to get Gort to talk; there‟s a -4 penalty if they are accompanied by a Judoon or anybody
else in uniform, but a +4 bonus if they offer money for info (the bonus may vary according to how much they offer
– use 100 credits as the average needed); another +2 will apply if Ziff has been killed.
The players will get the following information according to how their attempts go:
Disastrous: Gort and his brothers kick the group out.
Bad: Gort claims not to know Bulis Ziff, but will warn him afterwards about the PCs.
Failure: Gort admits to knowing Ziff, but no more.
Success: Ziff is/was a regular customer and has recently been seen in the company of a Galyari.
Good: as above, plus Ziff came into the tavern briefly a little while after the incident at the Bazaar.
Fantastic: as above, plus Ziff had his favourite table in the tavern, in a dark alcove where he usually
conducted his “business transactions”.
GORT, SYCORAX BARTENDER:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Armour (Minor: 5 points); Code of Conduct (Minor); Fear
Factor 1; Outcast (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 3; Convince 3; Fighting 4; Medicine 2; Science 2; Technology 3; Transport 1.
WEAPONS: Energy whip (kept behind the bar) delivers Strength +2 damage.
STORY POINTS: 4
Gort and his brothers were cast out of their clan for breaking the Sycorax Code and refusing to fight in a trial by
combat. They pitched up on Spindlebright and have found moderate success since opening the Tavern. As can
be expected of Sycorax, they take no nonsense from their sometimes violent customers.
AKHNAR & HIST, GORT‟S CLAN-BROTHERS:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Armour (Minor: 5 points); Code of Conduct (Minor); Fear
Factor 1; Outcast (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 3; Convince 1; Fighting 4; Medicine 1; Science 2; Technology 3; Transport 1.
STORY POINTS: 2
Akhnar and Hist are two of Gort‟s brothers and were cast out of their Sycorax clan with him. Whereas Gort is the
brains of the outfit, these two are the menial labour.
After the theft, Ziff came here and hid the Jewel in a hidden space under a loose piece of floorboard in his
favourite alcove. The Jewel will remain here until it is collected either by Ziff himself, or more likely by Astrath the
Galyari after he has beaten the information out of the thief. If the players actively search Bulis Ziff‟s regular
alcove, an Awareness + Awareness roll against a Difficulty of 15 will reveal Ziff‟s secret hiding place. The Jewel
is wrapped in a piece of cloth, but in the gloom of the alcove its inner glow is clearly visible through the wrapping.
Anybody with Feel the Turn of the Universe who handles it will sense a small thrill of power coursing through it,
as if they were touching a TARDIS exterior, and if they now try to see the figure in the heart of the Jewel, they will
see that its wings are starting to unfurl.
If the players discover the hiding place of the Jewel too early, it may bring the adventure to a premature end –
they may not yet have learned of the Galyari pirates and the awakening Chronovore, and could try leave before
realising their error. However, the GM should remember that the TARDIS cannot depart from Spindlebright; it just
keeps coming back to this planet and this time. The sleeping Chronovore has trapped the ship here so that it can
23
feed on the vast store of Artron energy when it wakes. If the players return to the TARDIS, they may even find the
cloister bells sounding, so they will realise that there is more to this adventure than they thought.
The GM also has a number of other options:

Perhaps the Jewel of Eternity will extend its influence over the Draconian Prince and he disappears with
it in the direction of the Far Side. The PCs must go after him.
The Jewel could start to influence one of the PCs and get them to take it to the Far Side.
Have the Galyari pirates try to get the Jewel back, either from the PCs or the Draconians. They might
even hold the city to ransom; after all they could destroy it with an anti-matter torpedo if their demands
aren‟t met.
THE HI-LIFE HOTEL
The Hi-Life Hotel is a moderately smart establishment opening onto Jarad Plaza, and is where the extended
family of Adipose tourists who were ambling outside the Bazaar of the Bizarre is staying. If the PCs ask at the
hotel reception for the Oom-Pom party, then will be told to go up to Suite 304 on the third floor.
The door to Suite 304 will be opened by one of the adult Adipose, who will hoom and hum in the doorway while
the player characters introduce themselves and state their business. Behind the looming Adipose, they can
glimpse several younger, smaller Adipose running around excitedly, and can hear the rumbling drone of other
adult Adipose talking. Eventually, the deepest voice that the time travellers have heard will slowly burble “Show
them in”. This is Oom-Pom, the patriarch of the family group, an enormous example of his species who is
lounging on a reinforced (but still groaning) padded divan and devouring a large bucket of ice-cream.
Oom-Pom and his family will be friendly towards the party, even offering them a “small snack” if they are hungry.
Questioning the Adipose though is a time-consuming business, as they speak very slowly in their low burbling
voices, considering everything they say very carefully, rolling words around their mouths as if trying them out for
the first time and frequently wandering off at complete tangents.
How much the PCs learn from Oom-Pom depends on them making a Presence + Convince roll against Difficulty
10 to jog his memories:
Disastrous: Oom-Pom‟s recollection of events becomes confused with another incident on their
holiday, and he seems to recall the fugitive being an Ood who ran in front of a passing grav-bus.
Bad: the PCs manage to insult Oom-Pom and are ejected from the room without gaining any
information.
Failure: the players fail to get any meaningful information out of the Adipose, whose conversation
keeps meandering off into lengthy anecdotes about their travels – they part on good terms though and
could return later for another try.
Success: the fugitive was a shapeshifter of some sort; he disguised himself as one of the Adipose
children.
Good: the disguised shapeshifter actually left with the Adipose party when the Judoon had finished
taking down their contact details – Oom-Pom tried to tell the Judoon officer this at the time, but the
Judoon lost interest in the overly long speech patterns of the Adipose patriarch.
Fantastic: as above, plus when the family got back to the Hi-Life Hotel, the shapeshifter was met by
another alien, a lizard-man of some sort (again, Oom-Pom doesn‟t know the precise species – “you thin
folk all look alike to us”); there was some sort of argument, but the pair agreed to meet up at Jingo‟s, a
nightclub next to the hotel, when the heat had died down; the Whifferdill had changed into a green-
skinned human when he left the hotel.
Alternatively, the GM can decide how much information to give to the players, based on how well their interaction
with the Adipose goes.
24
OOM-POM, ADIPOSE PATRIARCH:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Alien Organs (Minor); Charming (Minor); Size: Huge (Minor);
Slow (Minor); Voice of Authority (Minor).
SKILLS: Convince 5; Fighting 2; Knowledge 4; Science 2; Subterfuge 4; Technology 2; Transport 2.
STORY POINTS: 4
Oom-Pom is the most senior of the Adipose in the extended family which forms the tourist party. He is about 8
feet tall and very wide, which means he has to squeeze through smaller doors and passageways like toothpaste
through a tube!
ADULT ADIPOSE:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Alien Organs (Minor); Charming (Minor); Slow (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 1; Convince 3; Fighting 2; Knowledge 3; Science 1; Subterfuge 3; Survival 1; Technology 2.
STORY POINTS: 3
There are seven adult Adipose in the group, apart from Oom-Pom himself, comprising various of Oom-Pom‟s
siblings and cousins. They are not quite as massive as the patriarch, ranging between 6 and 7 feet tall.
ADOLESCENT ADIPOSE:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Alien Organs (Minor); Slow (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 1; Convince 1; Knowledge 2; Science 1; Subterfuge 2; Survival 1; Technology 2.
STORY POINTS: 1
There are nine adolescent Adipose in the party, Oom-Pom‟s older children and some of his nephews and nieces.
They are between 3 and 6 feet tall.
YOUNG ADIPOSE:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Charming (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 1; Convince 2; Knowledge 1; Survival 1; Technology 2.
STORY POINTS: 1
There are a total of twelve young Adipose, the younger of Oom-Pom‟s children and those of the other adults.
They are between a foot and 3 feet tall.
25
ADIPOSE
As we have only seen newborn Adipose in the TV series, it is a matter of speculation as to what the adults look
like. I like the idea that Adipose just grow larger as they mature, the adults merely being massive versions of the
young, like overstuffed flabby mattresses.
The Adipose stats in this adventure are based on knasser‟s write-up for them in his document “Monsters and
Other Favourites” which can be downloaded in this thread on the DWAITAS Forum:
Dr Who: Adventures In Time & Space - Monster Write Ups!
JINGO’S
Jingo‟s is a nightclub in the Jarad Plaza, popular but decidedly not chic. When open, two cyborg bouncers guard
the entrance, filtering undesirables out from the queue of would-be clubbers. The nightclub is owned by Serena
Jingo, a slim attractive woman who appears to be in her mid-30s.
Jingo‟s is significant only because Bulis Ziff and Astrath agreed to meet up here after the incident at the Bazaar in
order for Ziff to pass the stolen gem to the Galyari. However, Astrath tried to change the plan and confronted the
shapeshifter at the Hi-Life Hotel when he mutated from his Adipose form into his usual form, that of a short
green-skinned human.
If questioned, neither Serena Jingo nor the two bouncers, Max and Min, remember a strangely tall Draconian nor
a small Adipose entering Jingo‟s that evening. However, if asked about a green-skinned human, the PCs can
extract the following information by making a Presence + Convince roll against a Difficulty of 10:
Disastrous: they believe the description is that of a Draconian; there were several in the nightclub that
evening.
Bad: they don‟t recognise the description, nor remember whether anyone matching it was at the
nightclub that evening.
Failure: they recognise the description as being Bulis Ziff, but can‟t remember whether or not he was at
the nightclub that evening.
Success: they remember Bulis Ziff came to the nightclub that night, as he had done on several previous
occasions.
Good: Ziff met with a reptilian humanoid, which Max and Min both recognise as being a Galyari.
Fantastic: as above, but they remember that some sort of deal was going on and something changed
hands.
Alternatively, the GM can decide how much information to give to the players, based on how well their interaction
with Jingo, Max and Min goes.
SERENA JINGO, HUMAN NIGHTCLUB PROPRIETOR:

TRAITS: Attractive (Minor); Charming (Minor); Empathic (Minor); Impulsive (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 2; Convince 3; Fighting 1; Knowledge 3; Medicine 2; Subterfuge 2; Technology 2; Transport 1.
STORY POINTS: 4
Serena is an attractive woman approaching 50, though extensive and expensive medical treatment has kept her
looking almost 20 years younger. She is friendly and will assist the players if she can.
26
MAX & MIN, CYBERNETIC HUMAN BOUNCERS:

TRAITS: Alien Senses (Minor: IR vision); Armour (Minor: 5 points); Cyborg (Special); Distinctive (Minor); Quick
Reflexes (Minor)
SKILLS: Athletics 4; Convince 1; Fighting 4; Medicine 1; Subterfuge 2; Survival 2; Technology 2.
STORY POINTS: 3
Max and Min are brother and sister who have been cybernetically enhanced with sub-dermal armour, hydraulic
muscles and IR visual implants. Their skin has a slight metallic sheen to it, a deliberate choice on their part.
THE MEDINA QUARTER
The Medina Quarter is the area of lower-class dwellings in Spindlebright city, a warren of narrow lanes and alleys
running through blocks of run-down apartment blocks and other slums. Any strangers walking through here do so
at their own risk, as even the Judoon police leave the area alone for the most part. All sorts of people live here,
both human and alien, scraping by with low-paid jobs or small-time criminal enterprises.
Like the Souk, the Medina Quarter is a rumour mill – though the locals here are not so willing to pass on their
gossip to outsiders, and players will have to work harder to obtain any of the following information (only some of
which is correct or relevant to the adventure):
The Judoon are preparing for an organised crack-down on the Medina Quarter.
An angel appeared to a local resident (though nobody knows exactly who or where); others say it was a
demon, whose followers are summoning him up.
The recent minor earth tremors are due to secret mining below the city.
Bulis Ziff is lying low somewhere in the Medina Quarter – he has been seen visiting a particular
apartment (he was actually following Astrath).
There has been a spate of new graffiti recently: “Hyperion Wakes” – the PCs may actually see this for
themselves rather than hear the gossip*.
A new drug is appearing on the streets – it is secretly produced by the SML.
The dreams that people are experiencing are a side-effect of a gas that the SML are pumping into the
atmosphere to keep the populace under control.
If the players ask about a Galyari: one has rented a room for the last couple of weeks, but keeps himself
to himself. It may take a bit of bribery to get the address.
* Any Time Lord hearing the name Hyperion can make an Ingenuity + Knowledge roll against a Difficulty
of15 to recognise it from ancient Gallifreyan myths. Unless they get a Fantastic result, they will need to
check the TARDIS data banks for information on the Chronovore. A Failure means that they only
recognise the name from Greek mythology, whereas a Bad or Disastrous result means they don‟t even
get that link. More information about Hyperion is provided on page 40.
The GM should role-play the PCs‟ conversations with the residents of the Medina Quarter and reveal the chosen
pieces of information a bit at a time. Other rumours can be added if the GM needs the players to hear something
that they have missed elsewhere.
Incident: Earth Tremor
This can actually take place at any time during the adventure and at any location in the city. The players are out
in the open at the time, when they feel a slight trembling in the ground. Anything nearby starts to rattle as the
tremor increases in intensity. The whole thing lasts for no more than 30 seconds or so, but at its height the PCs
will hear a few crashes and one or two screams. There are no serious injuries and only very minor damage, but
the cause of the tremor is a mystery.
27
If the time travellers decide to check back with the SML, they find that they are as mystified as the general
populace as to the cause of the tremor. This is actually the third detectable tremor in the past two weeks, each
one being noticeably stronger than the last. As Spindlebright isn‟t geologically active, there is no equipment on
the planet which can be used to measure and analyse earthquakes - it just hasn‟t been needed before. If the PCs
are somehow able to access the TARDIS in time, they may be able to pin point the epicentre as being several
miles beneath the surface of the planet, within the area known as the Far Side.
Astrath’s Dive
Somewhere within the Medina Quarter, Astrath the Galyari rogue who hired Bulis Ziff to steal the Jewel of
Eternity has rented a room in a small apartment block. The players may pick up clues as to its location from
locals within the Medina Quarter (see above) or from elsewhere in the adventure. Otherwise they might be able
to follow him if they locate him in Jarad Plaza.
ASTRATH, GALYARI ROGUE:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Enslaved (Major: Hyperion); Fear Factor 1; Keen Senses
(Minor: vision); Natural Weapons (Minor: claws deliver Strength +2 damage); Obsession (Minor: superstitious);
Phobia (Minor: The Sandman); Selfish (Minor); Tough (Minor); Weakness (Minor: migraine reaction to certain
colours and patterns, -2 to all Attributes if triggered).
SKILLS: Athletics 2; Convince 2; Fighting 2; Marksman 3; Subterfuge 3; Technology 1; Transport 1.
EQUIPMENT: Communicator.
WEAPON: Meson blaster L(4/L/L)
STORY POINTS: 5
Astrath is a Galyari, a reptilian species which resembles bipedal iguanas. Although most of his kind are traders,
Astrath is a rogue, a wanted criminal on the run for a variety of crimes, including armed robbery, kidnapping,
assault and attempted murder. He is now allied with a gang of Galyari pirates, and like them he has fallen under
the control of Hyperion, the sleeping Chronovore. Astarth‟s job is to obtain the final piece of the key to awaken
Hyperion, the Jewel of Eternity. Although he is a puppet of the Chronovore, this is not apparent to others, as he
behaves in a fairly normal manner – for a callous Galyari villain, that is.
For further details on Galyari, see the text box on page 39.
The apartment block doesn‟t have much in the way of security, but any comings and goings will be noticed by the
locals lounging around the entrance and stairwell. Astrath‟s dive is on the second floor, and when the Galyari isn‟t
in, the door is secured with a large and shiny new padlock. It will take a Coordination + Subterfuge roll against a
Difficulty of 14 to pick the lock; alternatively, the players could try to overcome the padlock‟s 8 points of Armour
and 5 Hit Capacity to break it.
Inside, the single room is a mess. Under the bed, a small reinforced briefcase is chained to a pipe on the wall.
The chain has 6 points of Armour and 8 Hit Capacity to break. The briefcase has a genetic lock which requires a
sample of Astrath‟s saliva (or blood or whatever) to open; if cutting into the briefcase, it has 10 points of Armour
and 6 Hit Capacity to break open. To find some viable genetic material around the room requires an Awareness +
Awareness against a Difficulty of 15 to turn up a shed Galyari scale or something similar.
Inside the case is Astrath‟s stash of plastic credits, various personal items, a back-up communicator and a small
electronic screen used to store and display pictures and scanned documents. It isn‟t password protected and the
PCs can switch it on to scroll through various images: a hologram of the Jewel of Eternity; schematics of some
old mine workings (the PCs may be able to match these up to the old iron mines in the Far Side if they take this
information to the SML or the police); and what looks like a painting from an ancient manuscript – an angelic
figure titled “Hyperion” (as above, any Time Lords may recognise this name – see page 27) against a background
of a star-map with Spindlebright and its star highlighted. Spindlebright is clearly identifiable by the stylised
28
depiction of its columns of dust and ice-particles. In the four corners of the manuscripts are images of four
crystals closely resembling the Jewel of Eternity.
Players making an Ingenuity + Technology roll against a Difficulty of 12 will realise that Astrath‟s communicator
works by transmitting its signal via a relay, usually located within a building or, as in this case, a spaceship. They
can trace the location of the relay by trying to communicate with it; if they do so, a harsh voice will answer but
quickly sever the connection when it becomes clear that it is not Astrath calling. By making another Ingenuity +
Technology roll, this time against a Difficulty of 12, they can pinpoint the location of the relay (i.e. the Galyari
pirate ship) within the Far Side.
If Astrath has already killed Bulis Ziff, then it is also likely that the briefcase contains the Jewel of Eternity, stored
here until the Galyari has worked out a way to break the Spaceport lock-down and get the Jewel back to his
accomplices on the Far Side. However, if the Jewel is indeed here, then it is unlikely that Astrath himself will be
far away…
THE OVER EASY CAFÉ AND GRILL
The Over Easy Café and Grill is a greasy-spoon with a neon sign and grubby windows. Inside it is shabby but
clean, with plastic tables and chairs, and a service area/kitchen at the back. The place is run by a large blue-
skinned near-human woman called Memath Corzon, who also does the cooking. Her regulars call her Mama.
She knows Bulis Ziff and rents a room above the café to him, the entrance to which is up some rickety stairs by
the bins at the side of the café building. Mama doesn‟t know anything about his dodgy business activities, but will
say that he pays his rent regularly and doesn‟t cause her any trouble. She knows that Ziff spends a fair amount of
time in Gort‟s Tavern, so she‟ll suggest that they try looking for him there. It will require a Presence + Convince
roll against Mama‟s Presence + Resolve (with a -4 penalty) to persuade her to let the PCs have the spare key to
Ziff‟s room so they can have a look around. If the roll succeeds, she will insist on accompanying them to make
sure they don‟t steal anything, leaving a lanky blue-skinned youth from the washing-up station to watch over the
café. If they fail to persuade her, the PCs can of course try to break in, or they can wait for Ziff to reappear.
MEMATH “MAMA” CORZON, NEAR-HUMAN DINER OWNER:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Minor); Distinctive (Minor).
SKILLS: Convince 3; Craft (Cooking) 3; Fighting 1; Knowledge 1; Subterfuge 2; Technology 1.
STORY POINTS: 2
Mama is a large blue-skinned near-human (of the same race as Dorium, who first appeared in The Pandorica
Opens). She loves her café and looks out for her customers (who include Bulis Ziff). She will be suspicious of
anybody poking their noses in to other people‟s business!
Astrath the Galyari may be lurking around the café once he has realised that Bulis Ziff has palmed him off with a
fake gem, waiting for the Whifferdill to return to his room above the diner. He might be spotted inside the café, or
somewhere outside where he can see who is coming and going.
Bulis Ziff’s Room
If the time travellers pay a visit on Bulis Ziff early on in the investigation, he will be present but will not answer the
door. Inside, he will have disguised himself as a portrait of himself hanging on the wall. If the players search the
room, they can try to make an Awareness + Subterfuge roll against Ziff‟s Resolve + Subterfuge (with a -2 penalty
unless they suspect that he is disguised as something inanimate) to try to spot something amiss with the picture
– perhaps it moves slightly, or they notice the eyes really following them around the room. If spotted, Ziff will leap
for the door or window, trying to get outside so he can grow wings to fly away. If caught, the Whifferdill will deny
all knowledge of the theft or the chase through the Plaza. There is very little the players can do, short of
threatening violence, that will convince him to change his story. If he is in fear of his life by this point, then he may
29
talk; but otherwise not. If the players hand him over to the police, they will take him away for a more thorough
interrogation, and it is up to the GM whether they report back with any useful information.
BULIS ZIFF, WHIFFERDILL THIEF:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Climbing (Major: can sucker-tipped limbs); Environmental
(Minor: can change his lungs to breathe in water and most atmospheres); Fast (Minor: can grow stilt-like legs to
move at a Speed of 6); Flight (Major: can grow wings); Natural Weapons (Minor: can change his limbs into
blades, clubs, etc to deliver Strength +2 damage); Selfish (Minor); Shapeshifting (Special); Tough (Minor: can
thicken his skin for protection).
SKILLS: Athletics 3; Convince 3; Fighting 2; Knowledge 1; Marksman 1; Subterfuge 4; Survival 1; Technology 2;
Transport 1.
STORY POINTS: 4
Bulis Ziff is an alien shapeshifter called a Whifferdill. His preferred appearance is that of a small thin green-
skinned human. He is a petty thief and fence, well known to the Spindlebright police. This time though, he is out
of his depth but doesn‟t yet know it. He was hired by Astrath to steal the Jewel of Eternity from the Draconian
Embassy, which he did. But he is now trying to double-cross the Galyari by giving him a fake jewel and keeping
the genuine article for himself, to sell later once the heat has died down.
WHIFFERDILLS
Whifferdills are a race of alien shapeshifters, able to mutate almost instantaneously into any form, organic or non-
organic, with a size ranging from that of a large insect to a small elephant. They can fly by growing wings and
breathe underwater by producing gills. Although they often appear to be clothed, the clothing is actually an
extension of their bodies. The more accomplished among them can even replicate complex machinery with
working parts. The natural appearance of a Whifferdill is as a pale yellow humanoid, short, thin and with an
overlarge spherical head with minimal features – just large eyes and a slit for a mouth, like a cartoon character.
th
Frobisher, the 6 Doctor‟s companion from the Doctor Who Magazine comic-strips of the 1980s, was a
Whifferdill. He generally stayed in the form of a penguin, but could shapeshift if needed.
If the group fails to spot Ziff disguised as the picture, or if he manages to escape, they can search his room
(under the disapproving glare of Mama). There‟s not much to find here at this time – Ziff is certainly not storing
the Jewel of Eternity in his own room, not even the fake one. An Awareness + Ingenuity roll against a Difficulty of
15 will discover a scrap of paper hidden in the lining of an old coat, on which is written a ten-digit number, the
code for the safe at the Draconian Embassy. On the back is another number, which anybody from a Tech Level 6
culture or above will recognise as a communicator code. This is how Ziff contacts Astrath. It‟s possible to locate
Astrath‟s location by calling his communicator from a couple of different positions and triangulating the direction;
alternatively, the police could do it with just a single call if Astrath answers. The GM can allow an Ingenuity +
Technology roll against a Difficulty of 12 for the PCs to realise this. Where Astrath is can be determined by the
GM: early in the adventure, he‟s likely not to be too far away, probably in or around the Plaza; later, after he has
recovered the real Jewel, he will be lying low in his dive in the Souk.
If the time travellers don‟t visit Ziff until later on in the investigation, they will find Ziff sprawled across his bed in
his natural form, having been beaten to death by Astrath. It‟s possible that Mama will discover the body and will
call the police if the PCs don‟t make a return visit first. On the floor by the bed is what appears to be the Jewel of
Eternity. It is, however, the fake that Bulis Ziff tried to palm off onto Astrath, as is apparent by the lack of internal
glow and angelic figure at its heart. Ziff was bludgeoned to death with the fake Jewel. If the body is examined, an
Awareness + Medicine roll will suggest that Ziff was drugged first to prevent him from shapeshifting: there is a
small needle prick in his neck. The players now have another opportunity to search the room, with the same
possible outcomes as above.
30
THE SOUK
The Souk is the sprawling market area of Spindlebright including the area that the TARDIS first arrived in, with its
northern edge at Jarad Plaza. Within its maze of streets and lanes are all sorts of shops, market stalls and food
stands, as well as taverns, cafés and more salubrious restaurants.
General enquires in and around the Souk will reveal that it is a hotbed of gossip and rumour. Depending on what
information the GM wants the players to discover, the following are some suggestions – remember that only
some of these are true:
The Spaceport is closed because of an outbreak of plague on an incoming passenger ship; the entire
planet is under quarantine.
The Draconians are sending a fleet of warships to lay siege to Spindlebright.
Jethryk* has been discovered on Spindlebright, but the SML are keeping it quiet to avoid illegal mining.
The Sycorax who owns Gort‟s tavern knows who the fugitive pursued by the Draconians is, but he‟s not
telling.
Chairholder Varrian has been killed by an Ood which went beserk.
The Judoon police are undertaking house-to-house searches in the Medina Quarter and several arrests
have been made.
A space freighter pilot recently detected an unidentified ship landing on the Far Side of Spindlebright; it
did not reply to his attempt at radio contact.
The dreams plaguing the city are sent by an angel who will appear to the chosen few. The name of the
angel is Hyperion** – how people know this is unclear, possibly imparted within the dreams.
There was a very minor earth tremor a couple of days before the time travellers arrived – minimal
damage and no serious injuries.
And inevitably, the end of the world is nigh! An ancient prophesy is being interpreted as setting the date
for this as being in only a few days time.
* Jethryk is one of the rarest and most valuable elements in the Galaxy.
** Any Time Lord hearing the name Hyperion can make an Ingenuity + Knowledge roll against a
Difficulty of15 to recognise it from ancient Gallifreyan myths. Unless they get a Fantastic result, they will
need to check the TARDIS data banks for information on the Chronovore. A Failure means that they
only recognise the name from Greek mythology, whereas a Bad or Disastrous result means they don‟t
even get that link. More information about Hyperion is provided on page 40.
The GM should role-play the PCs‟ conversations with market traders and others within the Souk and reveal the
chosen pieces of information a bit at a time. Other rumours can be added if the GM needs the players to hear
something that they have missed elsewhere.
Incident: The Prophet of Hyperion
While wandering around the Souk, the PCs will become aware of a street preacher, one of several from various
religions that stand on street corners shouting at the world around them. This one is proclaiming the Coming of
Hyperion, who will arise to reclaim his throne and lead his people into a new age of wonder. On hearing the name
Hyperion, any Time Lord can make the same roll as described above.
The preacher, a ragged elderly man calling himself Zero, will take a particular interest in the time travellers, in
particular any Time Lord among them. He will stare at the chosen PC for a long time, perhaps following them
through the crowds. The group can have attempts to spot him watching them (Awareness + Awareness against
Zero‟s Presence + Subterfuge). Otherwise he will eventually approach them, addressing them as “My lords and
ladies”. He will stare into the eyes of whichever character has particularly attracted his attention and will begin
talking in a muttered stream of words:
“You know don’t you you see you see with your mind he is coming the great one awakens you cannot stop him
though you will try your people imprisoned him and he will awaken and bring us all salvation salvation the
salvation of death to all who do not worship do not believe I am a believer I am his prophet the prophet of
31
Hyperion I will be saved all believers will be saved you must leave now leave Spindlebright and never return else
he will hunt you down he will find you in the darkest most remote places of the Universe and you will be his
plaything forever.”
Finishing his diatribe, Zero blinks suddenly, turns and walks away. If the PCs stop him, he will react as though
meeting them for the first time. He does not appear to remember what he just said. Though if pressed, he will say
that he has seen the PCs in his dreams, in the dreams of Hyperion waking, his wings unfolding to encompass the
world. Zero has no firm information for the time travellers; he is just a human whose mind has snapped under the
onslaught of the dreams sent by Hyperion.
ZERO, HUMAN PROPHET OF HYPERION:

TRAITS: Distinctive (Minor); Eccentric (Major); Voice of Authority (Minor).
SKILLS: Convince 3 (AoE: Preaching); Knowledge 2; Subterfuge 1; Survival 1; Technology 2.
STORY POINTS: 2
Zero is a scruffy elderly man who, already eccentric, has had his mind unhinged by the dreams sent by Hyperion.
He now spends his days preaching of the coming of Hyperion, who will destroy non-believers and shepherd the
chosen ones to paradise. His ravings may unwittingly provide the PCs with important clues.
THE SPACEPORT
The Spaceport is located on the edge of the city, just outside the force-dome. It has been locked down since the
theft of the Jewel of Eternity, though the reason for this hasn‟t been made public (at the request of Prince
Cosapius). If the PCs check up on the name Astrath with the Spaceport authorities, or for any Galyari ships, they
will obtain the information below. It may be that the police provide this information if they have become aware of
the Galyari connection.
Astrath the Galyari‟s shuttle-craft is docked at the Spaceport and has been here for the past week. It is clearly a
short-range ship designed to dock within a larger vessel in orbit. The Spaceport records do not indicate what or
where the mothership is. The shuttle is of Galyari design, but the only other Galyari ship in the Spaceport is not
large enough to accommodate the shuttle.
The PCs can interrogate the ship‟s log to track its most recent flight back to the other side of the planet, an area
of Spindlebright known as the Far Side. The Spaceport authorities have a report dated a week ago from a space
freighter pilot who reported visual contact with an unidentified ship landing on the Far Side; it did not respond to
his radio calls. As it isn‟t against the law to land on the Far Side, this report hasn‟t been followed up; it does
however include precise coordinates for the sighting. The freighter pilot has since left Spindlebright.
The PCs can also uncover the location of Astrath‟s hovel in the Medina Quarter if they can get into the ship‟s
computer: requires an Ingenuity + Technology roll against a Difficulty of 14.
HL-1A, GALYARI SHUTTLE-CRAFT:
Armour: 5 points. Hit Capacity: 30. Speed: 7 (manoeuvring speed in atmosphere).
The unnamed shuttle-craft is a small short-range ship usually used to travel from a larger ship in orbit to a
planet‟s surface and vice versa. It is lightly armoured and unarmed. It can carry a pilot and five passengers.
If the players think to check up on the only other Galyari ship in the Spaceport, the Skilled Negotiator, this
belongs to the Galyari agent Krivvon (see pages 18-19). According to the Spaceport records, Krivvon is a Galyari
merchant, here to investigate business opportunities. His contact address is given as a room in the Hi-Life Hotel.
32
If the PCs gain access to the Skilled Negotiator, and hack into the comms log or personal files in the ship‟s
computer, an Ingenuity + Technology roll against a Difficulty of 14 will reveal that Krivvon is actually an agent of
the Galyari government. He is on the trail of the Galyari criminal, Astrath, and his known associates, a band of
pirates led by Captain Skarshal. Krivvon has tracked Skarshal‟s ship to Spindlebright, but has not yet determined
its location. He believes that Astrath has gone to ground in the Medina Quarter area of Spindlebright city. See
under “The Ace of Stars” (pages 18-19) for Krivvon’s stats and a possible encounter with him.
“SKILLED NEGOTIATOR”, KRIVVON‟S SHIP:
Concealed laser turret: 20(10/20/30)
Krivvon‟s ship is a converted space yacht, sleek in design but fitted with a concealed laser turret and moderate
armour.
SPINDLEBRIGHT POLICE HEADQUARTERS
If the player characters head here after they have finished at the SML headquarters, the Judoon will be expecting
them and they will be shown into Captain Sko‟s office. Sko tells the players that his men are out rounding up the
usual suspects, but they so far have little to go on. However, he can provide a number of pieces of information for
the PCs to follow.
Firstly, they have names and contact details for various witnesses to the events in the Plaza. The most important
of these are clearly the owner and staff of the Bazaar (the Pakhar and the two Ogrons), and the Adipose family
who were present. The Judoon have the name of the head of the Adipose family as being Oom-Pom and they
are staying at the Hi-Life Hotel, conveniently located in the Plaza. Captain Sko recalls that it was difficult to get
the Adipose to give clear concise answers and warns them that interviewing them could take some time!
If the players want to question any other witnesses on the list, then the GM can use one or two of the NPCs from
Appendix 1, but Captain Sko clearly thinks this would be a waste of time.
If the players already realise that they are hunting a shapeshifter and they tell Captain Sko this (or he has already
been informed by Hubert Corda), he will provide the group with a genetic scanner to help them confirm the
species of whoever they speak with.
GENETIC SCANNER: Minor Gadget: 1 Story Point. Traits: Scan (+3 to identify species).
This is a smaller version of the Judoon scanner seen in Smith and Jones (but does not function as a translator). It
needs to be pressed against the subject of the scan and an Ingenuity + Technology roll made against a Difficulty
of 12, with a +3 bonus. Anybody with a few points in Technology should be able to get (almost) error-free results.
The Judoon can also provide them with the police records for Bulis Ziff, the only shapeshifter known to be on
Spindlebright and well known to the police. The file includes a mug-shot of Ziff in his natural state, a thin pallid
humanoid with a large spherical head with eyes and mouth of almost cartoon-like simplicity. A second mug-shot
shows Ziff‟s favoured form, a small green-skinned human. The record lists numerous crimes of a minor nature:
petty theft, pickpocketing, shoplifting, handling stolen goods, minor fraud and so on. The most important
information the PCs can get from the file is his last known address: a room above the Over Easy Café and Grill in
Jarad Plaza.
33
CAPTAIN SKO, JUDOON COMMANDER:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Armour (Minor: 5 points); Code of Conduct (Major: uphold
the law); Fear Factor 2; Slow (Minor); Special (prolonged survival without air); Voice of Authority (Minor).
Transport 3.
EQUIPMENT: Translator/genetic scanner (+3 to determine species)
WEAPONS: Judoon blaster L(4/L/L)
STORY POINTS: 6
Captain Sko is a loyal and dedicated public servant. He will uphold the law of Spindlebright to the best of his
abilities and will assist the PCs so long as he is ordered to by Hubert Corsa.
Finally, Captain Sko will offer the services of one of his constables, to provide local knowledge and protection for
the party. If they accept, he will also offer a police groundcar (unless they already have the SML aircar).
OFFICER ZHO, TYPICAL JUDOON CONSTABLE:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Armour (Minor: 5 points); Code of Conduct (Major: uphold
the law); Fear Factor 2; Slow (Minor); Special (prolonged survival without air); Voice of Authority (Minor).
Transport 3.
EQUIPMENT: Translator/genetic scanner (+3 to determine species)
WEAPONS: Judoon blaster L(4/L/L)
STORY POINTS: 3
The Judoon constabulary are typical unimaginative police officers. They interpret the letter of the law above the
spirit.
POLICE GROUNDCAR: Armour: 8 points. Hit Capacity: 20. Speed: 7.
34
THE FAR SIDE
GETTING TO THE FAR SIDE
To get to the final stage of the adventure, the players first need to realise that this will take place on the other side
of Spindlebright, in the former mining area known as the Far Side. They need to have gathered enough clues
during their investigations in the city to make the link from Bulis Ziff to Astrath, and from Astrath to something on
the Far Side. They may not know what that something is yet, or they may believe that it is just Astrath‟s Galyari
associates. But they need to understand that whatever is there is important enough for them to have to go and
investigate, even if they have already recovered the Jewel of Eternity. If they try to leave Spindlebright before
they have dealt with the Chronovore buried under the Far Side, their TARDIS will still not leave the planet or this
time zone. If it is necessary for the GM to guide the PCs to the Far Side, then perhaps the TARDIS can
materialise there during an abortive departure from Spindlebright, materialising next to the Galyari ship and with
the cloister bell ringing. But hopefully, the information they have picked up in the city will mean that they go there
of their own accord.
The second consideration is how the player characters get to the Far Side. There are a number of options for
this, and which one they choose will depend on how closely they are working with the SML or the Spindlebright
police. They could use their own TARDIS, as this short hop will not mean leaving either the planet or this time
zone. If they have met up with Krivvon, the Galyari agent, he has a ship in the Spaceport which is large enough
to carry up to a dozen passengers (see page 33 for the ship‟s stats). They could also use Astrath‟s shuttle, if they
have discovered this at the Spaceport, though this is only large enough to accommodate the pilot and five
passengers (see page 32 for the shuttle‟s stats). Alternatively, if the PCs are still working closely with the SML or
the police, they will be offered places on a Judoon police transporter; in fact, Hubert Corsa and Captain Sko will
both insist on this last option if they are aware of the party‟s intention to go to the Far Side. If the players decline,
or slip away to their alternative means of transport, the police transporter will be despatched separately with a full
complement of Judoon officers on board, and could appear in the nick of term to rescue the PCs from the
Galyari. Remember that if the PCs have their SML communicators, these contain trackers.
SPD-004, JUDOON POLICE TRANSPORTER:
Laser cannon (dorsal turret): 30(15/30/45)
The SPD-004 police transporter is a grey slab of a ship, a triumph of brute functionality over aesthetics. It is
moderately armoured and has a single dorsal-mounted laser turret. The majority of its interior is comprised of the
hold for the Judoon police and their equipment, plus a number of small cells for detainees. It is piloted by a crew
of two and can carry up to twenty passengers and ten prisoners. The seats and controls are all designed for the
bulky Judoon.
AT THE FAR SIDE
The Landing Site
If the players came by TARDIS, then the console readings will indicate that the air is breathable but
uncomfortably thin. The TARDIS is equipped with many different kinds of atmosphere suits and the time
travellers will be able to suit themselves up accordingly – the Atmospheric Density Jackets seen in The Web
Planet would be ideal: light jackets with a mechanism on the chest which compensates for low density
atmospheres. If the PCs have been transported here by the Judoon, then they will be issued with re-breathers to
be able to breathe without effort in the rarefied atmosphere of the Far Side. Re-breathers are light masks
covering the nose and mouth. If they used the Galyari shuttle-craft or Krivvon‟s ship to get here, they can find
35
several re-breathers on board. If they arrived here by other means, then the chance of them having the correct
equipment is up to the GM.
EFFECTS OF THE THIN ATMOSPHERE
The atmosphere outside the force-dome around Spindlebright city is breathable but very thin. Without a re-
breather or an artificial air supply, extended exertion is impossible without frequent rests. A chase, for example,
will require a Resolve + Athletics roll with a Difficulty of 10 at the start of every Round after the first to be able to
move, and each Round without rest will incur a cumulative -2 penalty to the roll. Each Round‟s rest will reduce
that penalty by 2 points. Example: Harry is running away. On the first Round, he does not have to make an
exertion roll; on the second Round, he makes a roll at -2; on the third Round, he makes a roll at -4; he opts to rest
on the fourth Round; and on the fifth Round, he runs again after making a roll at -2.
A generous GM might choose to rule that Time Lords and other species with enhanced physiognomies are
immune to this effect.
The PCs will presumably be homing in on the Galyari pirate ship currently located in the Far Side. They may
have traced its location using Astrath‟s communicator or electronic screen, or by the flight log of his shuttle. If
they haven‟t discovered the exact location of the ship, the SML or police can inform them of the old iron mines in
the Far Side. Otherwise, they will have to search the surface of the area until they locate the Galyari ship (using
suitable scanning equipment), or they could trace an energy signature to guide them in. Unless their approach is
noticed by the Galyari (which eventuality is up to the GM), then they can land nearby over the ridge of a crater to
avoid being observed.
The Galyari ship, The Herald of Lamentations, is sited in a crater in the bleak rocky landscape, a few hundred
metres away from a collection of dilapidated buildings, the remains of an iron mine which was worked out
centuries ago. The ship is unsecured unless the Galyari are expecting visitors, and is unoccupied apart from a
single pirate left here on guard. This Galyari will not be very alert, as there‟s nothing much to see or do, and the
chances of intruders appearing are low. The other Galyari are all down in the mines, in the Interface Chamber. If
the PCs are accompanied by Judoon officers, they will easily storm the ship and overpower the solitary guard.
Otherwise, the players will need to come up with a plan to avoid the guard alerting the others. Use the stats for
the Galyari Pirates on page 38 for this guard.
“THE HERALD OF LAMENTATIONS”, GALYARI SHIP:
Laser cannon (fore and aft): 30(15/30/45)

Anti-matter torpedoes: inflict 40 points of damage to everything with a 1km radius; 20 points between 1-2km; and
10 points between 2-3km
The Herald of Lamentations is a sleek craft, shark-like in appearance. It is matt black in colour with no markings.
If the players take the time to explore the Galyari ship, they can access the Captain‟s records by using Ingenuity
+ Technology (at a Difficulty of 14) to reveal that the Galyari were originally tempted to Spindlebright by ancient
records of Jethryk deposits. The information in these records is totally false: there was never any Jethryk on
Spindlebright. The Galyari initially came here two years ago, discovered the old iron mines and fell under the
influence of Hyperion the Chronovore. Since then, they have spent their time travelling the Galaxy to locate and
obtain three parts of something that the Captain‟s records only refer to as the Key. The Galyari then returned to
Spindlebright, influenced by Hyperion, to wait for the fourth part of the Key, which was being brought there
separately – this being the Jewel of Eternity, naturally, brought to the planet by Prince Cosapius.
The players can also find electronic plans of the mines, with the lowest point marked with “HYPERION”. If the
players still haven‟t heard this name before in this adventure, the Time Lord(s) can have another attempt to
36
recognise it. Any Time Lord can make an Ingenuity + Knowledge roll against a Difficulty of 15 to recognise the
name from ancient Gallifreyan myths. Unless they get a Fantastic result, they will need to check the TARDIS data
banks for information on the Chronovore. A Failure means that they only recognise the name from Greek
mythology, whereas a Bad or Disastrous result means they don‟t even get that link. More information about
Hyperion is provided on page 40.
Descending into the Mines
Once they are past the Galyari ship, the party will reach the ancient mine buildings. These are partly collapsed
with many of them open to the sky, but they are safe enough to enter so long as the PCs are careful. The
lumbering Judoon though might prove to be a hindrance here…
The central structure houses the head of the main mine shaft itself, where the old lift used to carry miners and
equipment down to the chambers being worked on. The original lift mechanism has long since vanished, but the
Galyari have set up an anti-grav platform, with controls at the surface and at the bottom of the shaft. Elsewhere
on the site, there is also a secondary shaft which has collapsed at some time centuries past, and an emergency
shaft. This last one still has a basic mechanical lift which, though still old, seems to have been installed much
more recently than the age of the mines. This could be freed up with a bit of jiggery-pokery, though the power
generator it was presumably connected to is nowhere to be seen; instead there is an old manual winch
mechanism. The PCs have a number of options: they could operate the Galyari‟s anti-grav platform and risk
drawing the attention of the pirates below; or they could try to rig up a power source for the emergency lift using
equipment from their ship (or the Galyari ship); or, if they are accompanied by the Judoon, they could attach the
emergency lift to the winch mechanism and get a couple of the burly police officers to do the hard work of winding
the party several miles down into the mines. Either of the latter two options will take some time to complete,
particularly the latter, as the winch is badly corroded and will require additional jiggery-pokery attempts to free it.
The GM can add whatever hazards they want to the descent to reflect the ancient equipment, perhaps having the
party only just make it to the bottom of the miles-long shaft before the cables finally snap – in which case, they
will need to vacate the immediate area of the lift fairly quickly, as the cables fall down the shaft, completely
blocking it and destroying the lift itself.
The precise layout of the mines isn‟t particularly important. If the party descended using the Galyari‟s anti-grav
lift, then they will easily be able to follow the pirates‟ route through the mine workings as this is marked with wall
lamps and other equipment at regular intervals. The route will take them ever deeper into the mines. In some
places the tunnels are huge and the characters pass through vast chambers or caverns; in others, they will have
to squeeze through spaces which the Judoon will find almost impossible.
If the players descended via the emergency shaft, then they will emerge some way away from the pirates‟
location. If they took a copy of the Galyari‟s map from their ship, they will be able to make their way around fairly
easily, though some tunnels have collapsed since the map was made. Otherwise, the PCs will be wandering
around in the dark, literally – and hopefully they remembered to bring a light! The GM should have them make a
series of Awareness + Awareness rolls to detect the Galyari‟s presence – they might hear noises in the distance,
or see the faint glimmer of light and moving shadows. The Difficulty levels should start off fairly high, say 20, and
reduce on subsequent attempts. The PCs should encounter the Galyari eventually, but how long it takes them will
influence whether or not they are discovered by the pirates first!
The GM might want to introduce an encounter with a pair of Galyari sentries at some point in the proceedings.
But however they have got this far, the PCs will eventually find themselves advancing along a widening tunnel, at
the end of which they can see a large chamber lit with a steady blue glow. Several figures can be seen
silhouetted against this – the Galyari pirates. If the party is accompanied by the police, they can leave it to the
Judoon to storm the chamber. Otherwise, they will need to try to avoid being killed by the Galyari outright!
The Interface Chamber
The chamber in which the Galyari are gathered is large, like the interior of a cathedral. Set into the far wall,
clearly excavated by the Galyari, is the source of the glow, a roughly circular glass-like surface almost 12 feet (4
metres) in diameter. Its surface is scored with intricate Gallifreyan characters and it shines with an unsettling
37
blue-white glare. There seems to be something inside it, like a fly in amber. It is indistinct in the light, but appears
to be a glowing winged figure; if any of the PCs saw the figure inside the Jewel of Eternity, they will recognise it
as the same. Now though, the wings are unfurled.
Spaced around the edge of the glass-like surface are four crystalline nodules, within three of which are slotted
large gems almost identical to the Jewel of Eternity. If the Galyari have somehow managed to obtained the Jewel
itself, then it would be dramatic if the PCs arrive just as the Galyari commander, Captain Skarshal, is about to slot
it into the fourth nodule.
If the players came here by any means other than the TARDIS, they will be surprised to see that the TARDIS is
also in this chamber – Hyperion has drawn it here so that he can feed by draining the ship totally when he
awakens. It could form a useful means of escape if the PCs have to depart in a hurry!
If the players have brought the Judoon with them, then they can deal with the Galyari. Otherwise, the party is
likely to be taken prisoner. There will be about ten of the pirates in the chamber, so too many for the PCs to
safely attack!
CAPTAIN SKARSHAL, GALYARI PIRATE CHIEF:

Phobia (Minor: The Sandman); Tough (Minor); Voice of Authority (Minor); Weakness (Minor: migraine reaction to
certain colours and patterns, -2 to all Attributes if triggered).
SKILLS: Convince 2; Fighting 4; Knowledge 2; Marksman 3; Subterfuge 2; Survival 1; Technology 2; Transport 1.
EQUIPMENT: Communicator; re-breather.
STORY POINTS: 6
Skarshal is a large Galyari, well over six feet tall, and with brownish scales and a prominent head crest. He has
noticeable burn marks down the side of his neck, old scars from a laser shoot-out with the authorities. Skarshal is
dressed in an assortment of clothing including bits and pieces of old uniforms that he has scavenged from
various battles. He carries a bulky meson blaster and wears a re-breather.
Skarshal and his crew are now under the control of the Chronovore. They have forgotten about their plans to
mine Jethryk and are working only to release Hyperion.
GALYARI PIRATES:

Phobia (Minor: The Sandman); Tough (Minor); Weakness (Minor: migraine reaction to certain colours and
patterns, -2 to all Attributes if triggered).
SKILLS: Fighting 3; Knowledge 1; Marksman 3; Subterfuge 1; Technology 1; Transport 1.
EQUIPMENT: Communicator; re-breather.
STORY POINTS: 3
There are a dozen Galyari pirates in Captain Skarshal‟s crew. As with the Captain, they are under the control of
Hyperion, though to all outward appearances they act more or less normally.
38
GALYARI
The Galyari are a reptilian race originally from the planet Galyar. Until only a few hundred years ago, they were
aggressive colonists, moving from planet to planet and dispossessing the native inhabitants. Now, however, they
are a nomadic species without a homeworld of their own. It seems that they were ejected from Galyar by a
th
bogeyman figure from their legends called the Sandman – in actuality the 6 Doctor – and the majority of Galyari
now roam the Galaxy in a vast fleet of interconnected ships known as the Clutch. The Galyari have renounced
their warlike ways through fear of the Sandman and most of them are traders. The Clutch attracts many other
species to it, looking to trade with the Galyari and with each other, and it has become a very cosmopolitan
society, though one governed by the Galyari. However, many groups of Galyari live outside the Clutch, despising
the peaceful path that their species now follows.
Galyari appear to be upright lizards, somewhere between a chameleon and an iguana. They have excellent
vision, but certain combinations of colours and patterns can trigger a debilitating migraine-like attack in them. If
th
the party includes the 6 Doctor (who the Galyari will recognise as the Sandman), his multi-coloured coat is
perfect for inducing such an attack. Galyari are very superstitious and take their ancestral myths and legends
seriously.
The Galyari have appeared in a number of Big Finish audio stories in both their Doctor Who and Bernice
Summerfield ranges.
Whether the players are able to deal with the Galyari themselves may be irrelevant, as the creature behind the
wall is stirring in its sleep. Let the PCs play out their interaction with the Galyari, but all in the chamber will be
transfixed as the Chronovore‟s wings stretch wide behind the glass. Outside, the cavern walls and floor tremble,
and small pieces of rock fall from the ceiling as another earth tremor shakes the planet. Although Hyperion
cannot fully awake without the fourth piece of the Key, it is becoming more conscious and can exert more
influence over time and space.
The PCs need to play for time and provide an opportunity for the Time Lord(s) of the party to examine the
Gallifreyan characters on the glowing wall. Any Time Lord will automatically be able to read them; anybody who
is not a Time Lord but has Feel the Turn of the Universe will need to make an Ingenuity + Knowledge roll with a
Difficulty of 20 to have even a basic understanding. The characters provide the instructions for operating
Hyperion‟s prison: how to open it and lock it. Opening the prison requires all four parts of the Key, which were
long since lost to the ancient Time Lords and scattered throughout the Cosmos. Locking it can be achieved with
any one of the parts of the Key, by following the instructions and manipulating the part(s) within the crystalline
nodules which form the locking mechanism. By doing this, the party can re-set the locks on the prison, sending
Hyperion back into his eons long slumber and releasing the Galyari (and any others) from his influence. If they
succeed, the figure within the wall folds its wings and grows still, and the blue-white glow fades until the surface
is just a slab of smooth rock. The four segments of the Key can be safely removed.
However, if the party is unable to re-lock the prison without much delay, the blue-white glow suddenly spreads
out from the screen and engulfs everyone within. Everything flares white for an instant…
DREAMTIME
The glowing screen in the chamber is not a physical gateway, but an interface to the Chronovore‟s prison at the
heart of the planet. If the PCs have so far failed to stop Hyperion‟s awakening, the climax of the adventure will
take place within the temporal singularity in which Hyperion is trapped. The players will find themselves in a
blank, white void with neither solid ground nor sky. They can however move around in this realm, though the
experience is somewhat disorientating. Which way is up and which way down? Distances are deceiving, even
changeable. Anybody walking around may find themselves coming full circle even though they headed in a
straight line. They might even spot themselves in the far distance, or find themselves upside-down in relation to
their colleagues.
39
If the PCs have found themselves here, they have failed to thwart Hyperion. But they have one last chance to
succeed – by pitting themselves against one of the most powerful entities in the Universe.
In the void around them, the PCs will see anybody else who was within the chamber when the interface flared
out, including the Galyari pirates. All are milling around in confusion.
An Interview with the Chronovore
The time travellers and all those with them are now within what might be termed the dreams of Hyperion. As they
look around them, the sound of mighty wings beating can be heard, getting louder as the Chronovore
approaches. A vast winged shape fills the void, like a shining angel… or a bird of prey.
HYPERION, THE CHRONOVORE
In Greek mythology, Hyperion was one of the Titans, god of light and father of the Sun. He was the brother of
Kronos (from The Time Monster). When the Titans were deposed by Zeus, Hyperion and his kin were thrown into
the Pit of Tartarus, a void beneath the foundations of all, where earth, sea and sky have their roots.
In fact, Hyperion is a Chronovore, a creature of terrifying power which feeds on time itself. Hyperion himself is a
member of the Divine Host, the ruling elite of the Chronovores, and led his people in a war against the Time
Lords. Despite their near omnipotence, the Divine Host was finally defeated by Rassilon and the Chronovores
were either killed, imprisoned or banished from normal time and space. Thankfully, they are now only rarely
encountered within our four (or is that five?) dimensional Universe. Hyperion himself was trapped within a single
moment of time, a temporal singularity within which he slept – at least, that‟s how it would appear to mortals. The
interface – a portal providing access to and control over this singularity – was buried deep beneath the surface of
Spindlebright.
Like all his people, Hyperion is immensely powerful and able to manipulate time. He can alter his appearance as
he pleases, though like most Chronovores he often takes the form of a helmeted white figure with large wings.
Chronovores cannot be harmed by physical weapons and they are capable of absorbing any energy directed at
them. Only the most advanced technology of the Time Lords is able to affect them in any way. For these reasons,
stats for Hyperion are not provided. In game terms, he can do just about whatever he wishes if he is freed from
his prison – destroying planets, cancelling timelines, even devouring entire dimensions.
Chronovores are capricious by nature and their moods are changeable. It is possible to bargain with them,
though the cost of failure can be high!
The time travellers‟ only real chance of success is to talk to Hyperion, to come to an agreement with him. The
Chronovore could destroy them all in an instant, devouring their very histories or ageing them to death. So what
could they say to persuade him not to?
If they don‟t have the final part of the Key with them, the players can try to bargain with the Chronovore. Perhaps
he will release them if they commit to providing the Jewel of Eternity.
If they have the final part of the Key with them, Hyperion will have his Galyari puppets take it from them. Anyone
who tries to stop them will find themselves reverted to childhood or beyond. But even now, Hyperion can be
negotiated with, to persuade him to leave Spindlebright and the Universe in general unharmed.
Hyperion has been imprisoned for untold millennia, and although time is nothing to him, he wants his freedom.
The party could convince Hyperion that his freedom will be short-lived, and that the Time Lords (if they still exist
in the GM‟s campaign) or the Shadow Proclamation will hunt him down again. After all, he has no army of
Chronovores to call on any more. So, Hyperion might agree that if he is released, he will leave our Universe
unharmed and return to his people in their ten-dimensional plane of existence.
The GM could reduce this confrontation to a series of dice rolls, but this is the finale of the adventure and it will be
much more enjoyable for all concerned if the exchange with Hyperion is played out in conversation. Rather than
40
leaving the success or failure of the party to random chance, the GM should play the part of Hyperion and make
his judgement according to how well the players role-play their parts.
The players might come up with some other suggestion that will convince Hyperion to agree to their terms –
imagination should be rewarded!
If the players succeed, they will find themselves returned to the interface chamber, along with all the others who
had been drawn into the Chronovore‟s dreamscape; they may have a bunch of confused Galyari still to deal with,
but they have survived!
If the players fail though, they are doomed to be devoured by Hyperion, their timelines utterly erased. The
Chronovore will escape, either immediately or once the Galyari have the Jewel of Eternity, and he will once again
wreak a trail of destruction across the Universe.
41
FURTHER ADVENTURES
A number of possible further adventures can be spun off from this one:
It is clear that the Spindlebright Mercantile League have encountered the time travellers before. But that
meeting was in the PCs‟ future. The GM can construct an adventure around this, with the players
returning to Spindlebright to assist the SML – though from Chairholder Varrian‟s and Hubert Corda‟s
points of view, this will be their first meeting.
The players may be tempted to do something to help the Ood on Spindlebright. As already discussed,
history records that the Ood as a species are not released from their slavery for another two centuries.
But maybe they can do something at a local level?
The players might find themselves with a group of Galyari pirates on their hands at the end of the
adventure. Although they would most likely be imprisoned on Spindlebright, the Galyari agent Krivvon
will want to have them returned to his people to face trial for their crimes. Perhaps the PCs will
accompany them and find new adventures in the Clutch.
Spindlebright itself, with its multitude of species, is an ideal setting for other adventures. Maybe the
players pick something up in the Souk that brings them more trouble!
If Hyperion remains safely imprisoned at the end of the adventure, the players will have the problem of
what to do with the four parts of the Key. One is the Jewel of Eternity and they might choose to return it
to Prince Cosapius. But what of the other three? Will they try to return those to their rightful owners,
whoever they are? Or will they try to hide or destroy them? A sort of reverse Key to Time suggests itself,
with the disposal of the other three parts each leading to a separate adventure.
And finally, what about Hyperion himself? If he is released, will he keep his side of the bargain? And if
he still sleeps, will he start to awaken again far into the future?
42
APPENDIX 1: A CAST OF THOUSANDS
The following NPCs are provided to enable the GM to quickly come up with an assortment of people, human and
otherwise, that the PCs may interact with. If they stop somebody in the street or try to start up a conversation in a
bar, then use whichever of these NPCs would be most suitable and/or fun.
ELMUS, ALPHA CENTAURAN CULTURAL ATTACHÉ:

TRAITS: Additional Limbs (Minor x2: six arms, allows 2 additional actions at no penalty); Alien (Special); Alien
Appearance (Major); Cowardly (Minor); Eccentric (Minor: easily panicked); Friends (Minor: Alpha Centauran
embassy); Slow (Minor: Speed 1).
SKILLS: Convince 3; Knowledge 3; Science 1; Subterfuge 1; Technology 3; Transport 2.
EQUIPMENT: personal attack alarm.
STORY POINTS: 3
Elmus is an Alpha Centauran, a hermaphroditic hexapod species renowned for its nervousness. His/her bulbous
head with its large solitary eye sits atop a body equipped with three pairs of short pincered tentacles and a single
large foot, like a mollusc‟s. Elmus‟s normally green skin flushes purple when excited or frightened. He/she is the
Alpha Centauran cultural attaché assigned to Spindlebright. Like the rest of his/her race, Elmus is not brave but
has basically good intentions. He/she has the usual squeaky high-pitched voice of all Alpha Centaurans.
RILEY, DOGKIND DOWN-AND-OUT:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Minor); Impulsive (Minor); Keen Senses (Minor: +2 smell); Natural
Weapons (Minor: teeth and claws, Strength +2 damage); Unlucky (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 2; Convince 1; Fighting 3; Survival 2; Technology 1; Transport 1.
EQUIPMENT: the clothes on his back.
STORY POINTS: 1
Riley is a member of the Dogkind, a species which resembles humanoid dogs. He most closely looks like a pug,
and his large eyes and flattened muzzle gives him a permanently sorrowful expression. Riley is down on his luck
and living rough in the Medina Quarter. He spends most of his time in the Souk, either rummaging through the
bins outside cafés and bars, or begging for coins from the tourists.
MARC BARRINGER, HUMAN BARFLY:

TRAITS: Argumentative (Minor); Brave (Minor); Clumsy (Minor); Dependency (Minor: alcohol); Face in the Crowd
(Minor); Impulsive (Minor); Lucky (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 1; Convince 1; Fighting 2; Knowledge 1; Subterfuge 2; Technology 1.
EQUIPMENT: a half-empty bottle of beer.
STORY POINTS: 1
Marc is a middle-aged human, born and bred on Spindlebright. Life hasn‟t been too kind to Marc lately, and he
spends most of his days drinking his way through his last severance payout. He can be unpredictable after a few
beers, but will try to help if he thinks there‟s a drink in it for him.
43
DRUSILLA, DRACONIAN WORKER:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Code of Conduct (Minor); Run for Your Life! (Minor); Sense
of Direction (Minor); Unadventurous (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 2; Convince 1; Knowledge 1; Subterfuge 2.
STORY POINTS: 2
Drusilla is a female Draconian who works as a chambermaid in the Hi-Life Hotel. Female Draconians are similar
in appearance to their male counterparts, having green warty skin and pointed ears, though they are slighter of
build. Although Draconian society has advanced greatly since the time of Frontier in Space, females of the
species are still very much an underclass. Although they are now allowed to speak in the presence of male
Draconians, they are expected to be subservient and demure, and Drusilla is no exception. She will help if
requested, but will not take the initiative in any activity.
SSKARL, ICE WARRIOR MERCENARY:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Armour (Major; 10 points); Code of Conduct (Major: honour);
Environmental (Minor: cold); Fear Factor 2; Natural Weapon (Minor: pincers, Strength +2 damage); Natural
Weapon (Major: sonic gun, 6(3/6/9) damage); Slow (Minor: Speed 1); Weakness (Minor: limited manual
dexterity); Weakness (Major: heat).
SKILLS: Fighting 4; Marksman 4; Subterfuge 1; Survival 2; Technology 2.
EQUIPMENT: holovid recorder.
STORY POINTS: 2
Sskarl is an Ice Warrior from New Mars, a bulky reptile with inflexible green armour. Normally he is a mercenary,
but at the moment he is having a break, spending some of his hard-earned credits on Spindlebright. Sskarl is not
particularly friendly, but has his species‟ code of honour. He talks slowly with the Ice Warriors‟ typical hissing
speech.
[Based on JohnK‟s stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]
CRYSTOFF, VINVOCCI TRADER:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Minor); Charming (Minor); Selfish (Minor).
SKILLS: Athletics 1; Convince 4; Fighting 1; Knowledge 2; Science 1; Technology 2; Transport 1.
EQUIPMENT: the goods she is selling.
STORY POINTS: 3
Crystoff is a female Vinvocci, a race whose spiky green heads make them look like conkers with faces! She is a
trader who travels from planet to planet buying whatever is available and selling it where she can, usually for a
profit. She currently has a stall in the Souk and is selling off a variety of old electronic components from all sorts
of equipment. Much of it looks irreparable, but a few items appear almost brand new. If the player characters are
looking for components for their TARDIS, it‟s possible that Crystoff might have it in stock. If not, she will know
where she can get it for them... for a price, of course!
44
BLUETONGUE, FOAMASI BUSINESSMAN:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Environmental (Minor: radiation); Friends (Major: Red Skies
Lodge); Keen Senses (Minor: +2 vision); Natural Weapons (Minor: claws, Strength +2 damage); Tough (Minor);
Weakness (Minor: speech unintelligible to non-Foamasi without voice synthesizer).
SKILLS: Convince 3; Fighting 2; Knowledge 2; Marksman 1; Subterfuge 3; Technology 2; Transport 1.
EQUIPMENT: Foamasi Voice Synthesizer (translator); concealed needle gun: 5(2/5/7) damage.
STORY POINTS: 2
Bluetongue is a Foamasi “businessman”. In other words, he is affiliated with a Foamasi Lodge, a criminal gang
similar to the Mafiosi. He is on Spindlebright with a few of his colleagues looking at opportunities to get a cut of
the action here. Like all his species, Bluetongue is a bulky reptilian biped with chameleon-like, independently-
moving eyes and a beak-like mouth. Foamasi are unable to speak in anything resembling a human language and
habitually carry voice synthesizers in their mouths, which translate their natural clicks and squeaks into intelligible
speech.
LAURA CORBEN, HUMAN TOURIST:

TRAITS: Attractive (Minor); Charming (Minor); Empathic (Minor); Resourceful Pockets (Minor: shoulder bag).
SKILLS: Athletics 3; Convince 3; Knowledge 3; Medicine 1; Science 1; Subterfuge 1; Technology 2; Transport 1.
EQUIPMENT: whatever she can produce from her Resourceful Pockets.
STORY POINTS: 2
Laura Corben is a 30-something sightseer from one of the old Earth colonies. She is holidaying with her husband
and spends much of her time on Spindlebright in the casinos. She is bright and chirpy in temperament, and can
be helpful so long as it doesn‟t detract too much from her holiday.
HATH MASON, HATH TRAVELLER:

TRAITS: Alien (Special); Alien Appearance (Major); Empathy (Minor); Environmental (Minor: aquatic).
SKILLS: Athletics 2; Convince 2; Craft (Cooking) 3; Fighting 2; Knowledge 2; Technology 2; Transport 2.
EQUIPMENT: Hath breathing apparatus.
STORY POINTS: 3
Hath Mason is a traveller, working his way across the Galaxy. On Spindlebright, he has found employment in the
kitchens of a restaurant in the Souk. Like all Hath, Mason cannot breathe air and must wear his breathing
apparatus at all times. Typical of his species, he will be generally helpful to those in need.
45
APPENDIX 2: MAP OF JARAD PLAZA
KEY:
A: Jingo‟s (nightclub) 1: PCs‟ route into the Plaza

B: The Bazaar of the Bizarre 2: Route of fugitive pursued by Draconians
C: Gort‟s Tavern
D: The Over Easy Café and Grill
E: The Ace of Stars (casino)
F: The Hi-Life Hotel
46
APPENDIX 3: WHO’S WHO
Because of the large number of NPCs in this adventure, here is a listing of who the significant ones are and
where their stats can be found:
Stats
SPINDLEBRIGHT MERCANTILE LEAGUE: Chairholder Jura Varrian, human p12
Hubert Corda, Head of Security, human p12
Ood 01, Varrian’s personal Ood p12
Ood 15, Corda’s personal Ood p12
SPINDLEBRIGHT POLICE: Captain Sko, Judoon commander p34

Officer Zho, typical Judoon constable p34
THE DRACONIAN EMBASSY: Prince Cosapius, Draconian ambassador p22

Consul Jerander, Cosapius’ private secretary, Draconian p22
Captain Holario, bodyguard, Draconian p21
Lieutenant Shismuth, bodyguard, Draconian p22
THE BAZAAR OF THE BIZAARE: Amherst, Pakhar shopkeeper p20

Nuk and Varn, Ogron security p20
THE HI-LIFE HOTEL: Oom-Pom and family, Adipose tourists p25
THE OVER EASY CAFÉ & GRILL: Memath “Mama” Corzon, near-human owner p29
GORT’S TAVERN: Gort, Sycorax bartender p23

Akhnar and Hist, Gort’s Sycorax clan-brothers p23
THE ACE OF STARS: Nick Fallender, casino boss, human p18

Karl and Kurt, metahuman casino security p18
JINGO’S: Serena Jingo, nightclub proprietor, human p26

Max and Min, cybernetic human bouncers p27
INDEPENDENTS: Bulis Ziff, Whifferdill thief p30

Krivvon, Galyari agent p19
Zero, Prophet of Hyperion, human p32
GALYARI PIRATES: Captain Skarshal and his crew, Galyari pirates p38
Astrath, Galyari rogue p28
47

Spindlebright (DWAiTS Scenario)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Spindlebright (DWAiTS Scenario)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SPINDLEBRIGHT

A scenario for Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space

Spindlebright’s Secret History

PARG, LURMAN ENTERTAINER:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 3; Presence 4; Resolve 3; Strength 3.

SHARLA, PARG‟S GLAMOROUS ASSISTANT:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 4; Presence 3; Resolve 3; Strength 2.

K‟LNK, DRINK-BEFUDDLED HOIX:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 3; Ingenuity 2; Presence 2; Resolve 3; Strength 4.

URM, OGRON BOUNCER:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 1; Presence 4; Resolve 2; Strength 7.

[Based on sevateem‟s Ogron stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]

The Shell Game

NARL, GRASKE HUSTLER:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 3; Ingenuity 4; Presence 3; Resolve 2; Strength 2.

BO & MO, DIM-WITTED JUDOON POLICE:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 2; Coordination 2; Ingenuity 2; Presence 4; Resolve 5; Strength 8.

RETURNING TO THE TARDIS

THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

CHAIRHOLDER JURA VARRIAN:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 3; Ingenuity 4; Presence 5; Resolve 4; Strength 2.

HUBERT CORDA, HEAD OF SECURITY:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 3; Presence 4; Resolve 3; Strength 4.

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 2; Ingenuity 2; Presence 2; Resolve 1; Strength 4.

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 3; Ingenuity 2; Presence 2; Resolve 3; Strength 4.

THE PRESENCE OF THE OOD

ENTER THE DRAGON

THE JEWEL OF ETERNITY

REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE

EXECUTIVE AIRCAR: Armour: 5 points. Hit Capacity: 8. Speed: 8.

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF EVENTS SINCE THE THEFT

The areas described in this section of the adventure are:

THE ACE OF STARS

NICK FALLENDER, HUMAN CASINO BOSS:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 3; Ingenuity 3; Presence 4; Resolve 3; Strength 3.

KARL & KURT, METAHUMAN CASINO SECURITY:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 2; Presence 2; Resolve 4; Strength 6.

Incident: Meeting Krivvon

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 3; Ingenuity 4; Presence 4; Resolve 3; Strength 5.

THE BAZAAR OF THE BIZARRE

AMHERST, PAKHAR MERCHANT:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 4; Presence 2; Resolve 3; Strength 2.

NUK AND VARN, OGRON SECURITY:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 1; Presence 4; Resolve 2; Strength 7.

[Based on sevateem‟s Ogron stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]

CAPTAIN HOLARIO, IMPERIAL BODYGUARD:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 3; Presence 3; Resolve 3; Strength 4.

[Based on sevateem‟s Draconian stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 2; Presence 2; Resolve 3; Strength 4.

[Based on sevateem‟s Draconian stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]

PRINCE COSAPIUS, DRACONIAN AMBASSADOR:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 3; Ingenuity 4; Presence 4; Resolve 5; Strength 3.

[Based on sevateem‟s Draconian stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]

CONSUL JERANDER, COSAPIUS‟ PERSONAL SECRETARY:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 3; Ingenuity 4; Presence 4; Resolve 4; Strength 3.

[Based on sevateem‟s Draconian stats posted on the DWAiTS Forum.]

GORT, SYCORAX BARTENDER:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 4; Presence 4; Resolve 4; Strength 5.

AKHNAR & HIST, GORT‟S CLAN-BROTHERS:

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 4; Coordination 4; Ingenuity 3; Presence 4; Resolve 4; Strength 5.

The GM also has a number of other options:

THE HI-LIFE HOTEL

ATTRIBUTES: Awareness 3; Coordination 2; Ingenuity 4; Presence 5; Resolve 5; Strength 7.