Relics of Power—Acts 1 & 2

Relics of Power Team Revised & Expanded Developers: Eric Gibson,

Writing: Deanna Gilbert, Brian Reeves, and Craig Jim Ogle, Gareth Michael Skarka, Nikola Vrtis,
Shackleton Stephen Marsh, Talon Dunning
Editing: Kevin MacGregor
Original Relics of Power Team
Art Direction: Aaron Acevedo Design: Christopher Kubasik, Douglas Kaufman,
Layout: Aaron Acevedo, Darrell Hayhurst, C. J. Tramontana
Deanna Gilbert Development: Michael Stern
Graphic Design: Aaron Acevedo, Jason Engle, Playtesting and Advice: Jonatha Caspian, Tony
Maik Schmidt DeCoismo, Greg Farshtey, Greg Gordon, Cathleen
Cover: Jon Taylor Hunter, Paul Murphy, Barbara Schlichting, Jennifer
Williams, Sharon Wyckoff
Interior Illustrations: Alida Saxon, Bien Flores
Chris Bivins, Daniel Horne, Jon Taylor, Unique
Soparie Torg Eternity Design Team
Writing and Design: Shane Lacy Hensley, Darrell
Playtesting: Jay Rutley, Chris Plotts, Jacob Ratliff, Hayhurst, Markus Plötz, Deanna Gilbert, Ross
John Thompson, Kevin Elmore, Crystal Elmore, Watson
Lisa Felton, Sam Frazier II, Brendon Hays, Brad
Mongar, Robert Schneider Contributors: Greg Gorden, Jim Ogle, Steve
Kenson, Ed Stark, George Strayton, Henry Lopez,
Aaron Pavao, Angus Abranson, Steven Marsh,
Original Design Team Patrick Kapera, Bill Keyes, John Terra, James
Mythos and Game Design: Greg Gorden, Bill
Knevitt, Jonathan Thompson, Andy Vetromile,
Slavicsek, & Douglas Kaufman, with Ed Stark, Greg
Joseph Wolf, Jasyn Jones
Farshtey, Stan!, Brian Schomburg, Christopher
Kubasik, Ray Winninger, and Paul Murphy Art Director: Aaron Acevedo
Additional Concepts and Playtesting: Daniel Graphic Design: Aaron Acevedo, Jason Engle
Scott Palter, Denise Palter, Jonatha Ariadne Caspian, Playtesting: Jimmy Macias, Michael Conn,
Michael Stern, Richard Hawran, C.J. Tramontana, Damien Coltice, Michael Mingers, Michelle
Martin Wixted Hensley, Ron Blessing, Veronica Blessing, Tracy
Technical Assistance: Dr. Michael Fortner, Dr. Sizemore, Golda Lloyd, Andrew Harvey, Dale
George Exner Davies, Ed Rugolo, Scott Walker, Darrell Brooks,
Melvin Willis, James Dawsey, Brad Rogers, Jamal
Original Logo Design: Tom Tomita
Hassan, Jeremy Dawsey

Torg, The Possibility Wars, and all unique characters,

concepts, locations, and creatures are trademarks and/or
copyrights of Ulisses Spiele. All rights reserved.

1
 A Note from the Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ACT ONE: PROJECT MAGNOLIA 4

What the Delphi Council Knows ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 5
The Destiny Map, Possibility Chalice, and Forever City ������������������������������������������������ 5
The Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Adventure Synopsis�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Beta Clearance����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
Scene One: Security Breach�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Briefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Honoki Research Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Fooling People for Pleasure and Profit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Security Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Physical Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
High Alert!��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11
Scene two: Going Down?��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14
Intrusion Countermeasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Destiny and Cosm Cards��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15
Main and Upper Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Lower Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Scene Three: Outbreak!������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 20
Sub-Level One: Secure Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Contagion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Sub-Level Two: VIP and Chief Administrator’s Office ������������������������������������������������� 22
Contingency Alpha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Doctor Hachi Mara One ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23
Contagion KNowledge������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 24
Other Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Scene Four: Breakout!��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 25
Sick Friends and Dinosaurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Gauntlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Aftermath ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
ACT TWO: OBSERVATORY OF THE GODS 28
Overview������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 28
Scene 1: The Sky-Fisher������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 28
One if By Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

2
 Two if By Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Lunch! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Scene 2: Stranger on the Shore�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������32
Scene 3: Eyes of Flame��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������33
The Cliffs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
The Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
The Tube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Scene 4: The Secrets of the Observatory ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������35
Akashan Reality�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������35
Welcome Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Flooded Tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Central Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Scene 5: An Ancient Signal�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������38
Unwelcome Arrivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
River Chase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Aftermath �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������41
THREATS42

RS
A NOTE FROM THE DESIGNE
the plan for the Torg
ent ure wa sn’ t ori gin ally on our radar. When we developed cosms—
This adv ple of years, to focus on individual
ect ed, at lea st for the firs t cou
Eternity line, we exp . Then, once we
and des crib ing eac h in dep th before proceeding to the next one , the
exploring
boo ks, we pla nne d to wr ite som e cross-cosm adventures. But you
released all of the cosm
ened.
fans, demanded more, and we list of Power adventure
r mo st req ues ted pro du ct wa s a relaunch of the original Relics Torg
By far, you
p, The Pos sibi lity Cha lice , and The Forever City). When Original
trilogy (The Destiny Ma the same time
firs t adv ent ure in the Rel ics tril ogy, The Destiny Map, came out at on
debuted, the
the Kee p on the Bor der lan ds for Dungeons and Dragons, Crash
as the boxed set. Much like tho tep for Call of Cthulhu, The Destiny
Map was
Fro ntie rs, and Ma sks of Ny arla
Volturnus for Star arguably the iconic
by mo st if not all Tor g pla yer s in the early 1990s. To many, it is
enjoyed
representation of Torg’s potential. ls during
ann oun ce tha t Rel ics of Pow er wil l be released serially as stretch goa
We are happy to Acts into a hardcover
t few Kic kst art er cam pai gns , with the intent of compiling all the It is a
the nex
is nei the r a con ver sio n nor an exact duplicate of the original.
book. This epic trilogy re some characters
g aki n to the 200 9 reb oot of the Star Trek film franchise. Both sha nts
reimaginin
tril ogy off ers new exp erie nce s as well. You may recognize eleme
and situations, but the new ies . Most of all we want this to be a
good Torg
pir atio n fro m the ori gin al ser
that served as ins tures.
adv ent ure tha t shi nes a spo tlig ht on many of the game’s best fea
Eternity

3
 A
pproximately 6,000 years ago, an advanced
culture arose in a cosm other than that of
Core Earth. This civilization, the Akashans,
were peaceful explorers, who, after exploring their
world and advancing their technology, discovered
the means to manipulate Possibility Energy and
travel between cosms. They sent expeditions to
many cosms, ushering in a new golden age of
exploration. Sometimes they met with violence.
Other times they met with fear. Occasionally they

MAGNOLIA
made friends and established embassies to facilitate
the exchange of knowledge, stories, legends, and
ACT ONE:

myths. Each embassy maintained a link with its

PROJECT
home cosm (Akasha) via a web-like network of
what the Akashans called tranquility bridges.
The Akashans contacted many of Earth’s proto-
civilizations, including those developing along the
Nile River in Egypt, along the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers in Iraq, and along the Indus River in India.
The Akashans visited the Americas as well, and
contacted the Mexica (who later founded the Aztec
Empire in central Mexico), the Mayans of the
Yucatán Peninsula, the Andeans (who later became
the Incas) and the Mound Builders and Pueblo
of what would later become the southwestern
United States. Since these interactions preceded
the advent of writing, hints of the Akashans’
existence survived only in legends. The folkore
of many civilizations shared a common thread—
generations of storytellers told stories of the Space
Gods.
Shortly after the Akashans established their first
centers of cultural exchange in other cosms, their
precogs experienced a terrifying premonition—
they saw the destruction of their own cosm. If the
warnings were to be believed, their world would
be annihilated in just a few years. To avoid this
fate, the Akashans built a fleet of lifeboats. Each
carried the sum total of Akashan knowledge and
culture, the genetic makeup of every species from
their world, and a small crew—a precious few who
might survive the coming disaster. The lifeboats
escaped to cosms such as Aysle and Core Earth,
and the Akashan people breathed a collective sigh
of relief. At least their culture would survive.
Then the Akashans began losing contact with
their people in other cosms, and soon recorded the
utter destruction of those cosms. Each lost cosm

4
sheltered an Akashan life boat—a fact that was
not lost upon the Akashans. They tried cutting the
bridges that linked beseiged cosms to the network
of tranquility bridges, but without effect. As each
cosm came under attack, lifeboat captains invited
local allies to gather what they could of their
culture’s records and come aboard. Each lifeboat
then set out with as many passengers as possible,
sailing not to another cosm, but to the nothingness
between the cosms. They pulled up their bridges
as they departed and hid themselves away, like
turtles pulling their heads into their shells.
The obliteration of Akasha shook the cosmverse.
Psychic emanations crossed between worlds and
triggered massive earthquakes and floods. Akasha
vanished in less than a day, and nearby cosms that
knew of the Akashans would remember their fall
in legends sung across the generations....
The Akshans floated alone in the Void, prisoners
of a region with no axioms and no World Laws.
Despite their advanced ability to manipulate
Possibility Energy, they couldn’t prevent it from
seeping slowly away into the Void. Their people
were doomed.
Unwilling to surrender in the face of extinction,
the Akashans continued their research in the fields
of psionics and biology. They devised a way to
engineer a tree—powered by a volunteer who
merged with the organism—which could impose
and sustain reality locally. However, this plan
needed knowledge the Akashans did not possess.
Specifically, it needed knowledge of arcane and
spiritual energy—something the Akashans had
yet to master. After several rounds of delicate
negotiations, the elves of Aysle worked with the
Akashans to create the first reality trees, each
powering a lifeboat, and allowing the Akashans to
survive in the inky blackness of nothing.
They survived thus for thousands of years, until
one day, not so long ago, their luck ran out.
WHAT THE DELPHI
COUNCIL KNOWS
Much of the basic story of the eventual fate of the
Akashans is already known to the Delphi Council.
Just before ripping up the stela near Ashland,
Missouri, a team of Storm Knights discovered
a Wonder—an unusual temple infested with
a Nightmare Tree of Orrorsh. The temple held
pictographs which told the story of the fall of
the Mound Builders. For more details, see the
adventure Burden of Glory. A summary of that
pictograph story is as follows.
An advanced civilization, which resembles the
Aztecs or Incas, thrives on another planet. They
explore other realities and soon discover an
unstoppable Doom headed towards their world.
They use their knowledge of the cosmverse to
flee their native cosm and set up colony sites in
other cosms. Their ships—lifeboats that resemble
temples like this one—travel to different cosms
and spread their culture to many civilizations.
Unfortunately, regardless of the travelers’
destination, the Doom always follows. One by one,
the lifeboats withdraw in fear of the Doom. Most
vessels drift in the nothingness between realities,
dying slowly in the void. Some travelers work
with the elves to create mighty trees that blend
technology and magic and help the cursed travelers
survive in the dark spaces between cosms. Before
they move on, the travelers give the elves a means
to call for help if their cosm falls prey to the Doom.
The elves soon find themselves on the verge of
destruction at the hands of a dark figure wielding
a sword and a wand. They raise their hands to the
sky, imploring the travelers’ lifeboats to return, but
the travelers do not respond because the elves do
not face the travelers’ Doom.
The Dark One beckons to a thin figure, one who
can only be the Gaunt Man. This entity somehow
corrupts the travelers’ bio-technology, twisting the
reality trees and creating shambling undead that
find and destroy lifeboats hiding in the darkness
between cosms.
Although they may not understand all the details,
the Delphi Council grasps the implications of the
Akashans’ destruction.
THE DESTINY MAP, POSSIBILITY
CHALICE, AND FOREVER CITY
Although the Akashans knew they were doomed,
they never lost hope that a cosm would one day
contact them and perhaps share knowledge that
5
 would help them safely rejoin the cosmverse. The shocktroopers and delivered them to the Honōki
Akashans established an automated base—known field scientists investigating the effects of the
as an Observatory—on Core Earth’s moon, to Contagion on creatures from the Living Land.
monitor Earth civilizations. They hoped that the Pierre de Vris, a cyberknight servant of Cyberpope
people of Earth, upon advancing enough to reach Malraux who infiltrated the research company
the moon, would soon also possess the ability to about a month earlier, was on guard duty when the
cross between universes. agents returned with the Nile shocktroopers. He
Upon sensing individuals from an advanced hacked Honoki’s computer network and learned
civilization, the Observatory activates three Cradles of their discovery in the jungle. Divine inspiration
of Life, secret caches hidden on different continents, led him to realize that this discovery could be of
somewhere beneath the surface. Each contains a clue immense importance. He is about to extract himself
which, when combined, form a map that shows the with the information he has gathered.
location of an object called the Possibility Chalice.
By activating this item in a secret location
known as the Forever City, the user gains ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS
the ability tocontact the Akashans Relics of Power starts late in Year
in their space between the cosms. One of the Possibility Wars, after the
Thus, Those Cyberpapacy gains control of Brazil,
Who Wait... and after the death of Kranod, the High
waited. Lord of Tharkold, but before the Abnormal
attack on Sydney. However, the first
Their plan was two acts of this adventure do not
working intil specifically hinge on these events,
maelstrom bridges so the Game Master is free to
from seven invading set this part of the adventure
realities crashed onto earlier in the year though
Core Earth, forever doing so requires some minor
altering the planet’s modifications.
fate. One of the invading
realities, the Living Land, The next few acts run
featured Wonders that discontinuously with
appeared or disappeared gaps of time between
randomly. Most were relics of them.. The GM may
dead civilizations. The summarize this time
Observatory’s massive and proceed to the next
reality warp became caught act, or allow the heroes
up with that of the Living Land, and to use the time for other
the base suddenly found itself on purposes. We suggest GMs
Earth, perched atop a waterfall and place the final act of the adventure
surrounded by steaming jungle. at the end of Year One as it sets the
stage for Year Two.
THE PLAYERS Act One begins as the Storm
Knights undertake a mission to
The Wonder was soon discovered in infiltrate the Honoki Biomedical
quick succession by exploration teams Research Center, a suspected
from both the Nile Empire and from Kanawa Corporation subsidiary
Honoki Biomedical, a subsidiary of
Kanawa Corporation. Kanawa agents
subsequently captured some Nile THOMAS CANE

6
conducting research on Living Land organisms
(a conscientious security guard reported the
lab’s suspicious activities to the Delphi Council).
The heroes infiltrate the complex and arrive at
the Innovation Center, a Pan-Pacifica hardpoint.
Unfortunately, as they make their way into the
sublevels, infected edeinos escape and release
the Contagion into the complex. The heroes must
acquire the intelligence they seek and escape before
it’s too late!
Act Two opens with the heroes entering the
Living Land to explore a new Wonder discovered
at the top of Niagara Falls. This Wonder is actually
the Observatory, an Akashan outpost placed on
the moon to monitor Earth and guide humanity
in contacting the Akashans. The heroes encounter
two groups here—the Nile Empire agents who first
discovered the Observatory, and the Cyberpapacy
agents de Vris sent to investigate the Nile agents’
activities. The heroes must enter the Observatory,
deal with the various agents (and some edeinos
protecting their territory), and learn the locations
of the pieces of the Destiny Map.
OVERVIEW
Scene One: The Storm Knights gain access to
Honoki Biomedical Research Center. This large
facility’s many buildings are protected by advanced
security. Here the characters may find clues left for
them by Samantha Kendal. The scene ends when
they gain access to the Innovation Center (a Pan-
Pacifica hardpoint).
Scene Two: The heroes investigate the Innovation
Center and discover that someone is experimenting
on edeinos and dinosaurs exposed to the Contagion.
Clues in the labs lead the heroes to the office of the
chief administrator, Dr. Osato.
Scene Three: The Contagion escapes quarantine
in the facility, and infected creatures run amok.
The heroes confront Dr. Osato in his office just as
his superior activates a contingency designed to
prevent the Contagion from leaving the facility.
The heroes must acquire the information they need
and stop a countdown before they are destroyed
with the rest of the building.
Scene Four: The Storm Knights fight upwards
through the severely damaged building, dealing
BETA CLEARANCE
Relics of Power is not intended for beginning
characters. It is designed for mid-range Alpha
Clearance characters who, by the end of the
adventure will reach reaching Beta Clearance,.
However, Storm Knights who already have
Beta Clearance should still find the encounters
challenging.
At Beta Clearance, the GM gets a pool of two
Possibilities per player. These may be spent for
any foe, Ord or reality-rated. Only reality-rated
opponents can soak damage, but Ords may
use these Possibilities to gain dice on attack
skill tests. Reality-rated villains have their own
Possibilities as usual, plus full access to the
GM’s pool.
If the team finds the adventure unchallenging,
re are a few options for the GM:
• Upgrade the opponents: Increase their
number of Possibilities, give them heavier
weapons (such as grenades), or add Perks
like Endurance, Brawler, Whirlwind, and
so on. Try one of these suggested upgrades
first, and add more elements as needed.
• Increase the number of foes: Upgrading
is better, but sheer force of numbers is easy
to achieve. For foes listed as “# per Storm
Knight,” simply increase the number of
foes. Start by adding one foe, then add more
if necessary. Note: increasing the number
of foes also increases the number of reality-
rated foes in the encounter (most are Rare,
meaning 1 in 10 are rated). Remember, also,
to use Combined Actions and Mob damage
when you have many foes in play.
Avoid altering enemy forces unless players
mention they don’t feel challenged. Some
fights are supposed to go well, and some are
supposed to be worrisome. What starts as an
easy battle can suddenly become very hard if
someone suffers Wounds or Disconnection due
to a few unlucky rolls. A light touch is best—
remember, these are heroes after all!
7
 with infected humans, dinosaurs, and a yokai
who used to be Samantha Kendal. To escape the
facility, the heroes must run a gauntlet through
the building’s main floor atrium and defeat two
powerful robot guards.
SCENE ONE: SECURITY
BREACH
Standard Scene. Core Earth Dominant Zone. A
concerned security guard at a Honoki Biomedical
research lab blew the whistle on suspicious activity
at the center, and the Storm Knights receive orders
to investigate. Although not required, a Storm
Knight with computer skill will prove a great asset.
The Storm Knights receive their mission briefing
and they make their way to the University of
Toronto Missasauga campus to investigate whether
the research facility is doing something untoward.
The heroes must infiltrate the research complex
without raising suspicion, and then access the
Innovation Center either by acquiring a security
badge or by convincing someone to admit them.
Deal a Core Earth Cosm card to each player.
BRIEFING
The Storm Knights attend a mission briefing in a
government office in Ottawa, Ontario, sometime
late in the first year of the Possibility Wars. Alice
“Ghost” Barton, head of the Marathon Division
of the Delphi Council, conducts the briefing. She
heads the Council’s efforts to collect and analyze
intelligence regarding the invading realities.
Read or paraphrase the following:
Snow falls lightly in Canada’s capital. You and your
team members arrive by plane to receive your next
mission briefing. A driver meets you at the airport and
takes you to a non-descript government office building.
Inside, you meet a petite Caucasian woman with jet black
hair. Her name is Alice “Ghost” Burton. She is the head
of Marathon Division and the de facto head intelligence
operative in the Delphi Council.
“Welcome. Please be seated,” she says when you arrive,
motioning to the chairs arranged around a table that
can seat a much larger number of people. She dims the
lights, activates a projector, and presses a key on the
8
laptop computer sitting in front of her.
A photo of a young woman with blond hair appears on
the projection screen. It is obviously from an ID card.
“This is Samantha Kendal,” Burton explains. “She
works as a security guard at a research center operated
by Honoki Biomedical and located on the otherwise
abandoned University of Toronto Mississauga campus,
in western Toronto, ten kilometers from the stelae
boundary of the Living Land. U. of T. closed the campus
shortly before Canadian government issued evacuation
orders for the entire region. Not all activity ended,
however, and the university was only too happy to lease
the entire campus to Honoki Biomedical for biotech
research.
Samantha Kendal contacted us a week ago, via our
anomaly reporting system, to express concerns over
the nature of the center’s research on living dinosaurs.
Her background check revealed no security risks, so we
deemed her a potential asset and issued her a secure cell
phone. Two days ago, she used that phone to report the
lab’s dinosaur capture team returned with a number of
human prisoners dressed in military-style uniforms.
Judging from her descriptions, we suspect the prisoners
are shocktroopers from the Nile Empire.
She agreed to acquire security passes for our operatives,
but we have not heard from her since.
Your primary mission is to reconnoiter the facility,
determine the nature of Honoki Biomedical’s research,
and investigate the apparent capture and detainment
of shocktroopers. Your secondary mission is to rescue
Samantha Kendal.”
Alice Barton then distributes a packet containing
highlights from Kendal’s background check, notes on
several locations on campus, such as the main research
facility and Kendal’s apartment, and some basic
information regarding Honoki Biomedical. She explains
it as follows.
“Honoki Biomedical was founded five years ago. Despite
initial successes with medical treatments derived from
genetically-modified stem cells, the company’s major
products failed their clinical trials. Afterwards, the
investors withdrew and the company sank further into
debt until two years ago, when Honoki sold its assets to a
privately-held firm called Magnolia Research. Before the
invasion, Magnolia ran all its operations from its North
American headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Magnolia
now operates from its Asian HQ in Kobe, Japan.
 Until we heard from Kendal, we had no reason to
suspect Honoki Biomedical was anything other than it
seemed—just another acquisition. Now we have reason
to believe Magnolia is in league with at least one of the
invading realms, most likely the Kanawa Corportation in
Pan-Pacifica. Although we can’t prove this conspiracy,
Director Sebastian believes the acquisition of Honoki fits
the pattern.”
Another picture pops up on the screen—that of a
middle-aged man of Japanese ethnicity. “This is Doctor
Reginald Osato, Chief Administrator of the Honoki
Biomedical Research Center,“ Burton continues. “He
was born in America, he graduated cum laude from
Johns Hopkins University, and his career, though
successful, is nonetheless unremarkable. Nothing about
his backgroud raises any red flags, which of course makes
me doubly suspicious.” The hint of a smile dances at the
corners of Barton’s mouth.
“Hackers attempted to breach Honoki’s systems, and
the lab’s internet presence went down shortly thereafter.
We don’t know if they detected our activities and cut
their connection deliberately, or if something else is to
blame. This is why we need you to infiltrate the base and
access their computers. Good luck and Godspeed.”
Honoki Biomedical is, in fact, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Kanawa Corporation, but no
paper trail connects the two corporations.
The Delphi Council outfits the Storm Knights with
one or two jeeps, as needed, plus enough gasoline
for a round trip to the research center. The heroes
also receive a Delphi Survival Kit (see the Living
Land Sourcebook), and may procure additional
equipment as described in Torg Eternity.
HONOKI RESEARCH CENTER
The Storm Knights drive to their destination
passing many refugee camps full of people trying
to stay warm in the face of winter. Tent cities give
way to empty homes and businesses as the party
approaches Toronto, and they see almost no signs
of looting even though security seems to be light.
As they near the outskirts of Toronto, the heroes
pass through a series of checkpoints operated
by soldiers of the Canadian army. On several
occasions, the heroes pass groups of people who
demand the guards admit them to the abandoned
city, albeit unsuccessfully.
Eventually, the Storm Knights clear a checkpoint
near Toronto Pearson International Airport. The
army presence is greatest here, and guards remain
on alert for the occasional dinosaur emerging from
the reality storms to the southwest. Every soldier
watches for long-expected indications that the
storms are drawing closer. Nearly a year of waiting
has done nothing to dull their watchfulness.
The Storm Knights may choose whether to
approach the Honoki facility either by day or by
night. Regardless of their decision, a fresh layer of
snow covers the ground when they arrive.
An unsettling feeling descends upon the party
as they approach the center. The area around the
lab is completely abandoned, and the only sound
the characters hear is the constant rumbling of the
reality storms in the distance.
The campus research center sits in a (formerly)
upscale residential neighborhood. Honoki installed
many security upgrades and remodeled several
campus buildings during the past year. A tall,
chain-link fence surrounds the entire facility, and
most of the facility’s nearly 2,000 employees live
within the compound. Of these, most are research
or support staff. The Lab operates around the clock,
and people can be found outside moving from one
building to another, even in the middle of the night.
Those who do not work in the Innovation Center
are largely unaware that the lab is conducting
something sinister. Surprisingly, the vast majority
of Honoki’s research is legitimate and potentially
helpful in the war against the High Lords.
“‘MULTI-PASS.’ I
ALWAYS WANTED TO
SAY THAT.”
-AIDAN MCALISTER
9

SECURITY
If the Storm Knights interact with a Honoki
Biomedical employee, succeeding at a Very
Easy (DN 6) persuasion test keeps suspicions at
bay. If the heroes try to fool a security guard,
the DN increases to Standard (DN 10). Apply
the following penalties for each of the following
situations.
SECURITY MODIFIERS
Situation Mod
If more than two employees interact -2
with the Storm Knights.
If the employee is Suspicious. -2
If one of the characters is an edeinos.. -4
If the characters are not wearing -4
uniforms.
The characters try to access a location -4
that requires a Level 1 or Level 2 key
card.
FOOLING PEOPLE FOR PLEASURE
AND PROFIT
The employees of the research complex have three
states with respect to the Storm Knights:
• Unaware: The employee generally ignores
the Storm Knights. During interactions,
Storm Knights make persuasion tests versus
the employees’ evidence analsysis (see below
for DN). A failure means the employee
becomes Suspicious (if already Suspicious, the
employee’s state jumps to Alert).
• Suspicious: If the Storm Knights appear
armed, the employee reports their presence
and location to the Security Office. If the Storm
Knights do not appear armed, the employee
interacts with them, asking who they are
and what they’re doing. To fool employees,
the Storm Knights must succeed at a contest
(persuasion vs. evidence analysis) rather than
a test. A success ends the interaction and the
employee counts as Unaware again. However,
10
on a failure, the employee becomes Alert and
reports the Storm Knights’ actions as soon as
possible.
• Alert: The employee realizes that the Storm
Knights are intruders and reports their location
and activities as soon as it is safe to do so. If
the employee is a security guard and the heroes
appear to be armed, the guard reports them but
refrains from attacking until reinforcements
outnumber the Storm Knights.
Heroes observed without uniforms in the
Innovation Center are automatically assumed to be
intruders. Any employee who sees them becomes
Alert.
SECURITY TEAMS
Five security teams, working in pairs, patrol
outside the buildings at any given time. One team
always remains at the gate.
Core Earth Security Guards (2): See page 43.
Security is concerned more about threats crossing
over from the Living Land than covert infiltration.
Pairs of guards make routine patrols outside the
campus fence, but they are not particularly vigilant.
Other people in the compound ignore the Storm
Knights and assume that they are supposed to be
there. However if one or more of the Storm Knights
is non-human (especially an edeinos) or otherwise
looks or acts in a suspicious manner, the security
forces become Suspicious (see sidebar).
The compound’s security forces are well-
organized professionals. All are from Core Earth,
unless noted otherwise. They don’t recognize the
authority of the Delphi Council, and refuse access
without a warrant, claiming that this is private
property. Attempts to convince non-security
personnel to grant access to a building is a Hard
(DN 14) persuasion test. If the Storm Knights
attempt to convince security guards, the test carries
a -4 penalty; on any failure the guards report the
characters to the Security Office (this likely also
triggers combat). Storm Knights may try to invoke
the federal government’s Emergencies Act as their
authority to access a building (+2 bonus); this is,
in fact, the only way they may openly gain access
to a secure area, and even then this is a Nearly
Impossible (DN 20) persuasion test.
If the Storm Knights draw attention to themselves,
all security teams on patrol (except at the ones at
the gate) arrive in 1BD rounds to investigate. If the
characters trip multiple alarms, the facility goes on
High Alert (see sidebar). If multiple alarms come
from one location, the Security Office sends all
teams to that location. Every security team checks
in via radio with the security station every five
minutes. If one team fails to check in, the Security
Office sends a team to the missing team’s last
known location to investigate.
A security team that catches the Storm Knights
doing something suspicious attempts to detain
and search them. If the Storm Knights resist, the
security team uses non-lethal force to capture them
(security teams use their firearms only if the Storm
Knights use lethal force). If the Storm Knights
surrender peacefully, security teams escort them
from the property. If the party resists, or if this is
the party’s second offense, guards take them to the
Security Office in the Innovation Center.
PHYSICAL SECURITY
All campus buildings have security cameras,
most of which can be controlled manually. Only
the cameras at the gate and at the entrance to the
Innovation Center are actively monitored. The
Security Office is in the basement of the Innovation
Center. Agents in the Security Office access and
control the campus’ cameras and stay in radio
contact with all security teams.
Nearly all doors in the facility use electronic locks
that open only with an appropriate RFID security
badge. The lab uses three levels of security, namely,
Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. Higher level badges
grant access to anything that opens with a badge of
lower level. Employees who live and work outside
the Innovation Center do not carry security badges.
All Security guards carry Level 1 badges, while
one member of each security team has a Level 2
badge. Everyone who works in the Innovation
Center carries a Level 1 badge at a minimum;
security and important staff carry Level 2 badges.
Only Pan-Pacifica Security squad leaders and
certain executives carry Level 3 badges.
HIGH ALERT!
Storm Knights should have little trouble
dispatching even multiple Security Patrols if
caught. Ultimately the question is whether or
not the team can ennter the Innovation Center
without triggering an alarm or otherwise
alerting security forces to their presence.
When someone sounds a campus-wide High
Alert, lab employees shelter in place, entering
the nearest building first, if necessary. Off-
duty security personnel equip themselves with
radios and weapons, don their Kevlar vests,
form teams of six, and patrol their respective
areas. Guards assume that anyone walking
about on campus several minutes after High
Alert sounds is an intruder, and they question
or detain suspects, as needed.
If someone reports active contact with
intruders, or if multiple alarms sound within
one building, all but one security team responds
immediately to that location, accompanied
by two security officers from the Innovation
Center. The remaining security team, and one
officer, take up position at the entrance to the
Innovation Center. Sa Chae-Won remains in
the Security Office to coordinate defense.
Level 1 doors can be unlocked with a set of
electronic lockpicks and a Standard (DN 10)
lockpicking test. Opening a Level 2 door is Hard
(DN 14), while Level 3 is Heroic (DN 18).
THE CAMPUS
Security Fence
A 3.5-meter-high chain-link fence surrounds the
campus. Signs displaying the words High Voltage,
placed at regular intervals, warn of the fence’s
electric current. The lower part of the fence is
safe to touch, but cutting the chain links incurs an
electrical shock.
Special wires run along the top and the outward
facing side of the fence. Climbing the fence without
11
 touching one of these wires is a Challenging (DN
12) Dexterity test. Failure, or upon cutting the
chain links, incurs 10 +1BD AP2 damage. Cutting
the fence or touching the live wires also triggers a
silent alarm in the Security Office; a security team
investigates immediately.
Gate
This gate grants the only direct access to the
compound. One security patrol team remains on
duty here at all times. Besides, the gate in the fence,
a one-meter-high steel security barrier blocks the
road. This barrier can only be lowered by the guard
in the Security Office who monitors the gate via
multiple cameras.
Residences
Honoki converted these former student residences
into apartments and townhouses for employees
of the Research Center. Most employees live here
along with their families. Access to apartment
buildings as well as to apartments and townhouses
requires individual keycards issued by the Security
Office. Either a Level 2 or Level 3 security badge
can override these locks.
Samantha Kendal’s apartment shows signs of a
struggle and a hasty search. A Challenging (DN 12)
find test reveals a locker key stuck to the back of a
postcard mounted on the refrigerator via magnet.
The postcard reads, “Beautiful Washington, DC.”
Someone underlined the last two letters, perhaps
in reference to the Delphi Council. The key is
stamped with “Athletics Center W302,” meaning
it opens a locker in the women’s changing room
in the Athletics Center. The apartment contains no
blood or other signs that suggest someone died
here.
Athletics Center
This facility has fitness rooms, a health center, an
olympic-sized pool, an indoor running track, and
several gymnasiums. Locker #302 in the women’s
changing room contains one maintenance uniform
and one Level 2 security badge for each Storm
Knight. The key for this locker is hidden in
Samantha Kendal’s apartment. The badges grant
access to every building in the facility, including
the Innovation Center, but do not grant access to
12
high security areas within the Innovation Center.
Note that the uniforms fit all Storm Knights in the
party, even those who are obviously non-human,
though the fit is not perfect. Non-human Storm
Knights must make do with them or devise another
plan.
Research Labs
These buildings house research labs devoted to
the physical sciences, especially biology, geology,
and environmental sciences. Many of the current
projects concern the Living Land, though none are
suspicious or malicious.
Utilities Plant
The Utilities plant houses the main control
center for the campus’ power and water supplies.
A Challenging (DN 12) science test allows a
character to supply (or deny) power and/or water
to individual buildings in the complex. However,
most of the labs and residences have independent
back-up generators, and the Innovation Center
has both its own power supply and its own water
reserve.
Innovation Center
The Innovation Center is the heart of the research
facility. It previously served as the university’s
Health Sciences Complex. The entire building is
a Pan-Pacifica hardpoint. Most of the structure is
a Dominant Zone, while the lowest sub-level is a
Pure Zone.
Reality-rated characters who approach the
building automattically feel the subtle difference
in reality emanating from the building. The tallest
part of the building stands six stories high, while
the lowest is three stories high.
The building’s sole pedestrian entrance is on its
north side, facing the parking lot. This door remains
locked at all times (Level 2 security badge to open).
A character may bypass this lock by succeeding at
a Hard (DN 14) lockpicking test.
A video intercom is located on the wall near each
interior door, and all such intercoms connect with
the security desk. The buidling’s one cargo door sits
on the east side of the building. It opens manually ,
and only from the inside. A pair of cameras focuses
on the cargo door’s exterior. The approach—a
ramp that descends to the cargo bay—allows a
large tractor trailer truck to back up to the cargo
bay’s door.
Personnel converted the building’s other exterior
doors to emergency exits with no exterior
mechanisms. Secretly, these so-called exits are
sealed and do not open from either side. The
buidling’s many ground floor windows are made
of a strong and highly-reflective security glass
(Toughness 15). No window on any floor can be
opened. A search reveals maintenance entrances on
the roof, but again, none have exterior mechanisms.
Though not actively monitored, cameras watch all
secondary exits, and motion detectors alert staff
in the Security Office to check the camera feed. A
Very Hard (DN 16) stealth test lets characters pass
the motion sensors undetected, but only by moving
exceptionally slowly.
Besides a helipad, the roof is dotted with various
satellite dishes and antennas that connect the
Center to the internet (and thus, indirectly, to Pan-
Pacifica’s Grid). No visible ladder connects the roof
and the ground on the budling’s exterior, but an
emergency ladder is kept in a box on the roof.
A helicopter lands on the roof as the Storm
Knights approach the Center. Several employees
disembark and enter the building. This helicopter
may become important later if the Storm Knights
need to escape quickly.
Other Buildings
Garage: This relatively new structure includes
bays for repairing vehicles. Ten jeeps and a Mack
semi tractor trailer sit in the garage when the Storm
Knights arrive.
VIP Guest Residence: this bulding formerly
housed the dean of the University. Its luxury suites
now serve important guests.
Library and Learning Center: Formerly the
University Library, this building now houses a
small private school for the children of Honoki
employees.
13
 Common Building: These buildings’ communal
spaces, such as cafeterias, shops, event rooms, a
medical clinic, and so on—serve for employees of
Honoki. These spaces do not require key cards or
badges to enter, at least during normal business
hours. Many are open 24-hours.
Research Greenhouse: The research in this
greenhouse focuses on plants native to the Living
Land, especially those plants suitable as food for
herbivorous dinosaurs.
SCENE TWO: GOING
DOWN?
Standard. Pan-Pacifica Dominant Zone. The Storm
Knights enter the Innovation Center. Their goal is
to enter covertly and make their way down to the
sub-basement levels. The Storm Knights may have
one or more fights with security guards, including
Security Chief Sa Chae-won, but the scene ends
(and the players may refresh their Destiny card
hands) only when the heroes enter one of two
places: the bio-vector lab on Sub-level One, or Dr.
Osato’s office on Sub-level Two.
Any players holding unplayed Cosm cards at the
start of Scene Two must immediately trade them
for a Pan-Pacifica card.
The Innovation Center is a Pan-Pacifica hardpoint,
and the employees who primarily work here are
Pan-Pacifica natives. Core Earthers usually do not
spend enough time inside to have much chance of
transforming spontaneously.
INTRUSION COUNTERMEASURES
Facility staff implemented tighter security
measures two days ago, starting with the addition
of extra firewalls on the facility’s intranet. Most of
the lab’s critical and secret information, including
the research conducted in the secure labs in
the sub-levels, is now physically isolated and
accessable only from the computer terminals in
the sub-levels. Some employees grumbled at the
inconveniences imposed by the security upgrades,
but such changes are a regular occurence this close
to a realm boundary.
14
This heightened security has nothing to do with
the Storm Knights’ activities. Kanawa computer
security specialists initiated the new measures
after detecting a hack conducted secretly by
Cybernight Pierre de Vris. He infiltrated the
complex by posing as somene else and accepting a
computer technician job. He worked in an outlying
building, so he used his cybernetics and cyberdeck
to hack the network and acquire identification and
uniforms for entering the Innovation Center. A
vigilant programmer detected his computer worm,
but not before it extracted details on the Center’s
research projects and information regarding the
discovery of the Observatory in the Living Land.
Pierre’s hack brought Dr. Osato an enormous
amount of grief. His superior, Doctor Hachi Mara
One, is angry at the loss of efficiency arising from
the need to isolate critical information on the
network. She is losing patience with Osato. Just one
more unfavorable incident—auch as an incursion
by a group of Delphi Council Storm Knights—may
cause her to take drastic action.
Ships Passing In the Night
If the Innovation Center went on High Alert in
Scene One, Pierre de Vris escaped around the same
time, and he does not encounter the heroes in this
scene.
If High Alert is not yet in effect, the Storm Knights
encounter Pierre on his way out the door, as follows.
If the Storm Knights question a random employee
in the Innovation Center, that employee is Maurice
Gagnon, a computer tech. However, Maurice is
actually the cyberknight Pierre de Vris in disguise.
Pierre/Gagnon is surprisingly helpful, as he wants
to exit the building as soon as possible. He knows
the heroes aren’t employees of Honoki Biomedical
(it takes one to know one), but he has no interest in
their plans. He already transmitted the information
he gathered and ordered other Cyberpapal agents
to continue the investigation. He now wishes only
to extract himself from the premises.
If the Storm Knights grow suspicious, let them
make a Nearly Impossible (DN 20) evidence analysis
test. On a success they realize that de Vris is using
a false identity. On a Good or Outstanding Success,
de Vris doesn’t realize his cover is blown. If the
heroes confront him, he says he has no quarrel
with them, and he explains he has no interest in
their plans as long as they do not hinder his escape.
If the heroes escalate, he threatens to expose them
and warns he can trigger High Alert with but a
thought. If they continue to escalate, he follows
through with his threat and activates the High
Alert alarm in the Security Office.
High Alert in the Innovation Center
If the complex goes on High Alert, the employees
in the Innovation Center shelter in place, and
all off-shift Pan-Pacifica security personnel arm
themselves just like those outside the center. The
electronic locks to the exterior doors, as well as
those in the elevators and stairwells, all ahve
upgrades—they now open only with a Level 3
badge. Teams of six Pan-Pacifica Security Guards
(three teams in all), search floor by floor. Two are
led by Pan-Pacifica Security Leaders, while the
third is commanded by Security Chief Sa Chae-
won.
Although security increased two days ago due to
Pierre de Vris’ cyber incursion, the facility is not at
a state of High Alert (the staff cannot maintain this
condition for lengthy periods of time).
PIERRE DE VRIS
De Vris is tall, rugged, and graying at the temples,
but otherwise looks young for his age. He was
a street ganger in Nice when the Cyberpapacy
invaded, but he converted to Malraux’s religion.
The Church desired his skills, so he accepted
training and cyberware and became one of the
Church’s agents abroad. A simple man with a
matter-of-fact demeanor, he is content to state his
willingness to kill, though he is not a blood-thirsty
killer. The mission always comes first.
Note: This stat block reflects his possessions at
the time he exits the Innovation Center. Besides his
special abilities, his cyberware allows him to store
countless photographs and many hours of video
in a datachip. It also lets him circumvent or fool
numerous security measures such as retinal scans,
fingerprint scans, and voice prints.
Although de Vris appears unarmed, he secretly
possesses slicers (small, cybernetic, monofilament-
DESTINY AND COSM
CARDS
Here are some suggestions for resolving
certain Destiny or Cosm cards played in this
act:
Is That a Bite?: An airbone illness, likely just
a common cold, is spreading amongst the
employees. As a precaution, security patrols
are doubled in size and are checking up on all
employees for possible Contagion infection.
Mistaken Identity*: If played as an advantage,
someone mistakes the Storm Knight for a
member of the Security staff. If played as a
disadvantage, a mid-level manager confuses
the character with a clumsy employee and
reprimands the character for making too many
mistakes during the previous three work shifts.
This may result in the Storm Knights being
discovered.
Outbreak: This card does not take effect until
Scene 3 or 4.
You Don’t Look So Good: The hero only rises
as a jiangshi if she dies after the Contagion is
released in Scene Three or Four.
*The Mistaken Identity card is available in the
Living Land Drama Deck Booster.
edged claws that extend from his fingertips). He
can also call upon a holographic suit of plate mail
armor (activation is a simple action). This armor is
attuned to de Vris and does not function for anyone
else.
Quote: “I have no quarrel with you, but I can kill
you with little effort. Please step aside.”
Attributes: Charisma 9, Dexterity 12, Mind 10,
Spirit 11, Strength 13
Skills: Computers 14, dodge 16, energy weapons
16, evidence analysis 13, faith 14, find 13, fire
combat 17, intimidation 14, land vehicles 13,
lockpicking 16, maneuver 16, melee weapons 15,
persuasion 12, reality 14, stealth 15, streetwise 11,
taunt 11, tracking 13, trick 13, unarmed combat
17, willpower 13
15
 Move: 12; Tough: 15 (2); Shock: 13; Wounds: 4
Equipment: —
Perks: Cyberware (BelleView 20-20, Compte’s
Stabiliza, Cyberham Retina Mimic, DATAS
Synthivoice, MB Adrenal Booster, slicers),
Endurance, Hard to Kill, Linguist
Possibilities: 5
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Holographic Armor +4.
• Slicers: Strength +1 (14) damage, AP1, Small,
uses unarmed combat
• BelleView 20-20: Visual evidence analysis,
find, tracking become Favored.
• Compte’s Stabiliza: +1 to dodge,
maneuver, melee, and unarmed defenses.
• MB Adrenal Booster: Once per day,
activate with a free action to remove all
Shock and prevent the accumulation of new
Shock for 30 seconds. Afterwards, de Vris
suffers Fatigue.
MAIN AND UPPER
FLOORS
The Innovation Center building
consists of numerous rooms
surrounding a grand atrium that
reaches to the roof. The building is
four stories high. Floors 2 through
4 are apartments for the Pan-
Pacifica employees who work in the
building.
The first floor of the building
consists of administrative offices, a
delivery bay, a cafeteria, and several
research labs. The apartments have
balconies that overlook the atrium.
No apartment contains anything of
importance, but all the technology in
this area appears to be cutting edge. The
executives’ offices and the secure labs
are located in the sub-basement levels.
Even in the middle of the night, the
activity level in the Innovation Center is
similar to that seen in a hospital in a major
city. Although administration staff do
not work nights, the lab schedules round-
the-clock shifts for research and security
personnel.
16
An evidence analysis test allows the heroes to
realize that all of the windows and doors in the
Innovation Center have some sort of roll-down
security shutters, and an Idea card or hard science
test allows a character to realize that the security
shutters are incredibly strong—possibly strong
enough to withstand a ram by a semi-tractor trailer.
Elevators and Stairwells
Use of the elevators requires a security badge.
Anyone can board an elevator and ride it down to
the ground floor, but riding to any of the upper
stories requires a Level 1 security badge.
The stairwells use the same security
measures as the elevators (anyone can enter
at any level, but an appropriate security
badge is required to exit at any level other
than the main floor). Almost every
stairwell and elevator leading to the
basement is filled with debris and
blocked.
The freight elevator that sits at the
east end of the building, next to
the delivery bay, and the stairwell
next to the Security Office are the
only two ways to access to the
basement and sub-basement
levels.
Activating the freight elevator
or opening the door to the
stairwell to the sub-levels
requires a Level 2 security
badge.
Security Office
The Security Office is located on
the ground floor, directly adjacent
to the freight elevator. At least one
security guard is stationed here
at all times. Its door can only be
opened with a Level 3 badge,
though the adjacent wall is made
entirely of glass, granting officers
an unobstructed view into the
grand hall. The office contains a
PIERRE DE VRIS
security terminal with capabilities similar to that
possessed by terminals on the ground floor, but
these also grant access to security information for
those with Level 3 security clearance.
One wall is covered in monitors showing feeds
from the various security cameras on campus.
Video from exterior cameras feed to a small number
of screens, ; these video feeds loop sequentially. A
second, larger bank of monitors shows static images
fed from all cameras located within the Innovation
Center; Each is labeled with its camera’s location.
Attached to the office is a room that contains five
holding cells, all of which open only with a Level
3 badge. All are unoccupied—unless the Storm
Knights were captured earlier, in which case they
occupy the cells.
The rear wall of the office has a large weapons
locker that includes the following:
• LAW Rocket (2)
• C-4 (three 300 g blocks)
• Frag Grenade (6)
• Impala Chain Gun (5 magazines)
• SC Kyogo T11 with 5 additional clips (5)
• SC Kyogo 144 SMG with 5 additional clips (5)
Unless called away for some reason (such as
to deal with the infected edeinos who break out
of containment), Security Chief Sa Chae-won
is here when the Storm Knights pass by. She is
immediately Suspicious of the Storm Knights when
they exit the elevator, and she investigates. At least
one Pan-Pacifica Security Leader accompanies her
at all times. On the first round of combat, one of
the Security Leaders activates the High Alert as a
simple action.
• Security Chief Sa Chae-won: See page 18.
• Kanawa Security Leaders (one for every
two Storm Knights): See Kanawa Security
Troopers on page 45. Each has reality 10 and
2 Possibilities.
17
 SA CHAE-WON
Sa isn’t merely the chief of security for Honōki
Biomedical, she is also a full-fledged ninja. Though
barely 5 feet tall, she is surprisingly strong and
literally packs a wollop in hand to hand combat.
During fights, she quickly moves to engage foes in
close combat, where she stays as long as possible.
If forced to engage an opponent at range, she uses
heat-seeking shuriken. Her Whirlwind Perk lets
her engage multiple foes with ease.
Quote: “First I’m going to take you down, and
then you, and you, and you...”
Attributes: Charisma 8, Dexterity 12, Mind 8,
Spirit 11, Strength 9
Skills: Dodge 16, evidence analysis 12, find 12,
fire combat 14, intimidation 15, lockpicking
13, maneuver 16, melee weapons 15, missile
weapons 15, persuasion 11, reality 14, science 9,
stealth 15, streetwise 10, taunt 9, tracking 11, trick
10, unarmed combat 17, willpower 13
Move: 12; Tough: 9; Shock: 13; Wounds: 3
Equipment: Baton, Heat-seeking Shuriken (10)
Perks: Brawler, Endurance, Whirlwind
Possibilities: 3
Special Abilities:
• Baton/Fists: Strength +2 (11)
• Heat-seeking Shuriken: Strength +1 (10).
Range 10/20/30. Ignores 2 points of range
penalties.
• Lightning Fist: Sa may spend 1 Shock to gain
+2 to her attack roll with her fists. If she rolls
a Mishap 1-2 on the attack she cannot use this
ability for the rest of the scene.
• Heart Punch: Before making an attack with
her fists, Sa may spend 1 Shock to render the
target Stymied on a Good or Outstanding Hit.
• Center Ki: When the Action Stack gets its 3rd
card, Sa recovers 1BD + 1 Shock as a free action
Security Desks
These desks are located at the main entrance
and in the delivery bay. A security guard covers
each desk at all times to monitor footage from
the cameras scattered throughout the ground and
upper floors and on the building’s exterior. These
guards’ primary responsibility is to notify the
Security Office of any problems they witness.
18
Each security desk has its own terminal. Heroes
with adds in computers can use these terminals to
view the feed from any of the building’s security
cameras, contact the Security Office, or view
an interactive map of the facility. A successful
Standard computers test allows the user to create
and issue a Level 1 security badge, while a Level 2
badge requires a Good Success (only the terminal
in the Security office can issue a Level 3 badge).
A failure means an employee catches the hero
attempting to use the terminal to make a badge.
A Mishap triggers an alarm in the Security Office,
and the facility subsequently goes on High Alert.
The terminal at the Security Office can be used to
extract additional information by taking a Hard
(DN 14) computers test. A success reveals that
facility personnel isolated the sub-level computers
after discovering an incredibly sophisticated worm
gathering information on the network. The Honoki
computer techs do not know if they stopped
the worm from transmitting the information it
gathered, but they cut the physical connections to
the sub-level’s network anyway, as a precaution.
Good: Personnel identified a suspect—Maurice
Gagnon, and his photograph accompanies the
report. If the heroes met de Vris earlier, they see
this is not his photo. De Vris hacked the system
and replaced his photo with someone else’s.
Outstanding: Same results as Good, plus the
Storm Knights learn the photo was replaced, and
de Vris was the actual hacker. Additionally, The
heroes find a report stating that something called
Contingency Alpha is ready for implementation
the moment it is needed. The report also states
that the JD-209 robots are in place on the ground
floor. The heroes do not find anything that explains
Contingency Alpha or the robots’ capabilities.
Research Labs
These labs are similar to the ones in the other
buildings in the compound, except their equipment
and computers are more advanced. Most of the
labs are dedicated to studying plants and animals
from the Living Land. One lab contains a giant
starfish-like creature undergoing dissection, while
another holds a cage full of small, live pterosaurs.
A character who wishes to search for specific
specimens from the Living Land must make a
Hard (DN 14) science test to find it. A failure results
in discovery by a lab employee.
Labs are located mainly on the main floor.
Additional labs are located in the basement and
basement sub-levels.
Delivery Bay
The delivery bay’s freight door can be opened
only from the inside, and then only with the use of
a Level 2 security badge. The delivery bay contains
boxes full of various—and largely uninteresting—
supplies for the building. Lab personnel move
the truly interesting supplies to the sub-basement
levels as each shipment arrives.
Information Gathering
Storm Knights can gather the intel they need
in a variety of ways, including questioning (via
careful or even outright interrogation) or hacking
into computer systems. Most administration and
research personnel do not know the most secret
information about the Center, but the information
they provide can assist the Storm Knights in
eventually finding locations or people who can
provide the knowledge they seek.
Heroes can gather info here by hacking a
computer on the ground or upper floors (computers
test), by surreptitiously questioning an employee
(persuasion test), or, by cornering a target in secret,
through interrogation (intimidation test). Failing
one of these tests trips an alarm in the Security
office or raises an employee’s suspicions.
Regardless of the test resultt, the party learns
personnel tightened the lab’s security sometime
within the last 48 hours. Measures included cutting
outside access to certain high level accounts and
physically isolating sections of the database on the
network in the sub-levels. Employees do not know
the reason for levated precautions.
On a success the Storm Knights acquire the
following information.
• The names of the facility’s Chief of Security
(Sa Chae-won), the Chief Scientist (Darren
Kosami), and the Chief Administrator (Dr.
Osato)
• A map of the campus, plus a map of the ground
level and upper floors of the Innovation Center.
Everything—except for the hidden alcoves that
conceal the JD-210 security robots)—is labeled
clearly
On a Good Success, the Storm Knights acquire the
following.
• A map of the basement and sub-basement
levels of the Center
• A protoceratops, about a half dozen edeinos,
and a half dozen Nile shocktroopers were seen
being taken down into the lower levels via the
freight elevator within the last few days. They
have not been seen since.
Outstanding Success:
• The reason for the tightened security was a
hack of the computer system, but no additional
details are revealed here.
• The existence of the incredibly strong
retractable shutters that can cover the exterior
doors and windows of the Center. These were
installed to protect against possible attacks by
large dinosaurs, even one as dangerous as a bor
akka.
LOWER LEVELS
The lower levels house utility and storage rooms,
the secure labs, the Security Office, and five
apartments assigned to Sa Chae-won, (Chief of
Security), Dr. Osato (Chief Administrator), and
Darren Kosami (Chief Scientist). Security cameras,
linked to the Security Office, watch every square
foot of these levels, except for the apartments.
Utility and Storage Rooms
Most of the basement level consists of storage
rooms for the use of employees who live in the
building, with space for storing basic scientific
supplies, hardware, and so on. A utility room
houses the building’s generator and water supply,
which are independent of the rest of the compound.
Shutting down the generator or cutting off the
water supply is trivial but both require the use of a
Level 2 security badge. Even if the heroes manage
to shut down the power, an emergency generator
activates in the sub-basement levels.
19
 SCENE THREE:
OUTBREAK!
Standard Scene. Pan-Pacifica Dominant Zone
(Sub-Level One) or Pure Zone (Sub-Level
Two). The scene begins when the Storm Knights
investigate either the secure labs on Sub-Level One,
or Doctor Osato’s office on Sub-Level Two. It marks
the start of the Contagion outbreak that results in
the effective destruction of the Honoki Medical
research complex. If the heroes skip straight to
the second sub-level, the Storm Knights witness
the outbreak on the monitors in Dr. Osato’s office
while they confront him. Crouching Lakten attack
them soon afterwards.
SUB-LEVEL ONE: SECURE LABS
The first sub-level consists of a floor of secure labs,
including the mutation lab, the bio-vector research
lab, and four other secure containment labs that
are utilized for various purposes. All these labs
require a Level 2 security badge to enter. Each lab is
divided in two. One half contains work (computers,
chemical equipment, or biological equipment),
and a large window that allows people in the
main corridor to view activities in the lab without
entering. The other half of each lab serves as an
isolation chamber, the contents of which depend
on the details of the specific experiment or study
in progress. The wall dividing each lab is made
entirely of hardened glass (Toughness 12), and
each lab’s door can only be opened with a Level 2
or higher security badge.
Ductwork is visible on the ceiling. The air
intakes incorporate high-tech, ultrafine filters that
block the spread of particles as small as viruses.
Unfortunately, careless workers failed to isolate the
air circulation vents from the rest of the building
when constructing the labs. Naturally, this leads to
immense problems later.
The mutation lab’s isolation chamber features
a large, terrarium-like pen that contains a
protoceratops (a primitive ancestor of triceratops,
with a compact bony frill and a relatively small
horn, that is around the size of an adult male
human). The lab contains one or two researchers
observing, recording notes, or taking DNA samples
20
or various measurements. Their research focuses
on learning whether dinosaurs from the Living
Land change physically when they transform to
another reality. The researchers believe that this
specimen is native to the Living Land (rather than
being a transformed Core Earth animal), but they
are not certain.
Three of the containment labs are empty, but the
fourth contains seven secretly-infected humans,
including six male Nile shocktroopers in uniform,
plus one female wearing a Honoki Biomedical
uniform. She is easily identifiable as Samantha
Kendall.
If the Storm Knights release the infected humans,
they attack immediately. When Samantha Kendall
dies, she mutates into a yokai on her next turn.
• Infected Humans (7): See page 43.
• Yokai: See page 46.
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN
CONTAGION
When the Storm Knights move close enough to
see into the bio-vector lab, read or paraphrase the
following.
Beyond the glass you see a lab full of various medical
and chemical equipment, desks, and computers.
Several edeinos are held in the bio-vector lab’s
isolation chamber, while three researchers observe the
subjects. The edeinos meander and stumble around in
the confined space. One edeinos, more alert than the
others, stands calmly at the glass wall, staring at his
captors. One of the computer screens displays an open
email, though it is difficult to read from this distance.
An interoffice envelope labeled “Blood Samples–
Edeinos” sits on one desk.
The researchers exposed the edeinos to the
Contagion, and all are now infected though
not yet murderous. The only outward evidence
of their infection manifests in their behavior,
but if Wounded, they bleed black blood. The
edeinos who remains alert, Crouching Lakten,
underwent his moment of crisis and transformed
to Pan-Pacifica reality. His former savage abilities
and miracles transformed to ki powers and
telekinesis. He remains infected, and though he
avoided mindlessness because he is reality-rated,
the rage characteristic of other infected victims is
building within him.
If the Storm Knights enter the lab, the Chief
Scientist, Darren Kosami, an overweight, balding
Japanese-Canadian, demands they identify
themselves and explain their presence in his lab.
Crouching Lakten chooses this time to make his
move.
He gains surprise and blasts the containment
window using his telekinetic blast, sending
shards of glass flying throughout the room. The
Storm Knights may make a dodge test to avoid
the shattering glass. Those who fail take 10 + 2BD
damage. On a success, the damage is reduced to 10
+ 1BD; a Good Success reduces it to 10 damage. An
Outstanding Success results in no damage at all.
Glass shards fly everywhere, killing two
scientists and perforating the walls, desks,
monitors, and worst of all, the ductwork
on the ceiling. Then, after stepping out
of the containment room, Crouching
Lakten grabs the wounded Dr. Kosami
telekinetically and crushes his
head. Bones snap and blood spurts
everywhere. The infected edeinos rush
forth and attack everyone in their way
(except Crouching Lakten) as they try to
escape the lab.
Crouching Lakten assumes the Storm
Knights are employees of Honoki
Biomedical, and he attacks them next.
However, a Very Hard (DN 16) persuasion
test convinces him that he doesn’t need
to fight the Storm Knights, although the
test suffers a -4 penalty if they attacked
any of the infected Edeinos, and a
further -4 penalty if they wear
Honoki Security uniforms. A
Good Success convinces
him to help the
Storm Knights,
although he
turns on them
if they later
CROUCHING
LAKTEN
attack an infected edeinos. On an Outstanding
Success, he helps them fight anyone, even his
former tribe-mates.
Even if the Storm Knights prevent all of the
infected edeinos from escaping the bio-vector
lab, the Contagion escapes into the duct work
through the holes made by the shattered glass and
it spreads through the Innovation Center. If the
Center was not on High Alert already, automated
systems trigger that status now—although this
won’t matter much in a few minutes.
At the end of the combat, have the players return
their action pool cards to their hands, but they do
not refresh, as the scene continues.
• Crouching Lakten (see below)
• Infected Edeinos (1 per Storm Knight):
See page 43.
CROUCHING LAKTEN
Crouching Lakten is infected with
the Contagion, a fact revealed by a
Hard (DN 14) evidence analysis test.
Before blasting the window open,
he activated his telekinetic barrier,
granting a +2 bonus to his defenses.
He maintains his Concentration on
this power.
Although he mutates into a
jiangshi-like creature if he dies,
this does not occur until several
hours after his death.
Attributes: Charisma 9,
Dexterity 9, Mind 9, Spirit 12,
Strength 13
Skills: Beast Riding 12, dodge
12, evidence analysis 11,
faith 15, find 12, intimidation
16, kinesis 17, maneuver
12, melee weapons 12, missile
weapons 12, reality 15, stealth 12,
survival 12, taunt 10, telepathy 13,
tracking 12, trick 11, unarmed combat
12, willpower 16
Move: 9; Tough: 13; Shock: 12;
Wounds: 3
Equipment: —
21
 Perks: Psionics (energize, read mind, telekinetic
barrier, telekinesis)
Possibilities: 3
Special Abilities:
• Claws: Strength +1 (13)
• Telekinetic Attack: Damage Spirit (12). Range
10 meters. Uses kinesis vs target’s Strength..
• Infected: Ords KO’ed or Defeated by this
creature become infected themselves. Reality-
rated characters slain by infected rise as jiangshi
sometime within the act.
• Telekinetic Blast: Crouching Lakten makes
a kinesis test against one or more targets’
Dexterity or dodge within 10 meters. A hit does
14 damage, with a Good or Outstanding hit
dealing extra bonus damage as usual.
SUB-LEVEL TWO: VIP AND CHIEF
ADMINISTRATOR’S OFFICE
Sub-Level Two is a Pan-Pacifica Pure Zone due to
the proximity of the hardpoint—specifically, the
network computers buried under Doctor Osato’s
office.
The second sub-level holds five apartments and
one office. Not only does this allow the most
important employees to react rapidly to emergency
situations, it also allows them to work in their off
hours, if desired. Each such employee is identified
only by number, though the terminal in the Security
Office indicates who lives in which apartment.
All doors in this area are locked and can only be
opened with a Level 2 badge. Each apartment is
fairly spartan as far as furnishings go, but each has
a computer terminal connected to the complex’s
network.
Osato’s Office
Dr. Osato’s office is located directly beneath the
bio-vector lab, next to the freight elevator. This
adventure assumes the center is on High Alert
when the Storm Knights reach the second sub-
level. Read or paraphrase the following.
Upon exiting the elevator, you hear yelling from
behind a nearby door marked “Dr. Osato, Chief
Administrator.”
When the Storm Knights investigate, continue
with the following.
22
Peering through the hallway window into the office,
you see a middle-aged Japanese man, presumably Dr.
Osato, pleading with a huge wall monitor. One half
of the monitor shows the displeased face of an East
Asian woman; the other half of the wall monitor shows
video feeds from three cameras presumably located in
the labs upstairs. An advanced server rack holding
multiple computers is mounted in one corner­—this is
the Pan-Pacifica hardpoint.
If the Contagion has not yet escaped, add the
following.
One camera feed shows three researchers observing a
group of edeinos meandering around in a containment
cell. One edeinos stands unmoving and stares at
the researchers. A second camera feed shows what
appears to be a primitive horned dinosaur locked in a
holding pen. The third feed shows a room with several
Nile shocktroopers and a person wearing a Honoki
Biomedical uniform.
If the heroes encountered Crouching Lakten
previously, add the following.
The office also contains three men and three women
trying (and failing) to ignore the argument while they
shred documents.
The arguing man yells, “But Hachi-sama! We
identified the infiltrator, and we are about to detain
and question him!”
From the video screen, the woman’s voice replies,
“Your assurances are meaningless, Osato. You had
two days to identify the mole and trace his activities,
and you have nothing to show for it. Now the complex
is on high alert, and the Delphi Council may already
be aware of your project.”
If the Contagion has not yet escaped, add the
following.
You hear a loud explosion in the room above you,
and the hall shakes. The monitor shows an explosion
of glass ripping into two of the researchers while one
edeinos reaches out with his hand, telekinetically
lifting the other hapless scientist and crushing his
skull. Then the power goes out.
Regardless, the sub-level becomes Pitch Black
(–6 penalty). The heroes have one round to do
something before the emergency power switches
on, at which point the lighting on the sub-level
becomes Dim (–2 penalty).
Continue with the following.
“You’re an incompetent fèiréen, Osato,” the woman
sneers sarcastically. “Your services are no longer
required. Consider your employment terminated.” The
woman’s face disappears, replaced by a black screen
with the words. “Contingency Alpha implemented.”
Osato screams, “No, Hachi-sama! Please!” The other
employees in the office stare in shock at the screen. A
klaxon sounds loudly and the lighting in the room and
hall turns red. The screens on the computer terminals
in the office flash: “Deleting...1%....2%...3%...”
CONTINGENCY ALPHA
Contingency Alpha was set in place to destroy the
complex in dire cirmumstances, such as during a
Contagion outbreak, and it is now running. Nothing
can stop Contingency Alpha from ersing the intel
the Storm Knights seek, but they can extract it from
the network if they act quickly. They must also try
to prevent the buidling’s destruction so they can
escape. This is resolved through a Dramatic Skill
Resolution. Dr. Osato assists in any way he can,
but the other office workers panic and cower in a
corner.
It is important that the hardpoint not be destroyed
until Step D. The server must remain functional
until the Storm Knights download the information
they need and stop the demolition sequence.
Unlike with most Dramatic Skill Resolutions, do
not reveal the nature of Step D until the players
reach Step C.
• Step A: Download information from Dr.
Osato’s computer to a USB drive (several are
available on a nearby table) and then hack the
sub-level network to gain access to the research
database. This is a Challenging (DN 12) computers
test. Dr. Osato volunteers his password, but it
is no longer valid (his credentials expired when
Dr. Hachi implemented Contingency Alpha).
• Step B: Download the database onto the
USB drive. This is a Hard (DN 14) computers
test that takes time, so Step C or D cannot be
attempted as a Multi-Action in addition to B.
However, tell the players this Success Level
determines the amount and importance of the
intelligence their characters gather. The heroes
DOCTOR HACHI MARA
ONE
Fans of Original Torg may remember Doctor
Hachi Mara Two. Doctor Hachi Mara Two
had an uncredited cameo in the novelette,
Into the Storm, by Ed Stark. She is a high-
ranking member of the Delphi Council serving
in the division that focuses on Pan-Pacifica.
The woman arguing with Dr. Osato in this
adventure is Hachi Mara One, Two’s clone-
sister from the cosm of Kadandra, one of the
two cosms Gokuraku invaded and exploited
before attacking Core Earth. A Storm Knight
from Pan-Pacifica may have met Hachi Mara
Two, and an Idea or Connection card allows
the character to make the connection.
don’t have time to read the info. Note whether
they achieve a Good or Outstanding Success.
The Storm Knights cannot retry this step to get
a higher Success Level unless forced to do so by
a dilemma.
• Step C: Halt the primary detonation sequence.
This is a Very Hard (DN 16) computers test. Prior
to this test, the acting Storm Knight realizes the
explosives in the office’s walls are tied to an
independent circuit and cannot be deactivated
unless the hardpoint is destroyed.
• Step D: Destroy the Pan-Pacifica hardpoint
(the server bank mounted in the corner of
the office) by disrupting the hardpoint and
removing the resistance to damage. This
requires a Heroic (DN 16) reality test and a
23

CONTAGION
KNOWLEDGE
Although much remains unknown about
the nature of the Contagion, primarily due to
its affinity for mutation, some of the plague’s
characteristics are known to the Delphi Council.
Thus the Storm Knights might have access to
this knowledge as well. This knowledge is as
follows.
• The disease spreads primarily through the
exchange of bodily fluids, most commonly
via bites. Nearly every Ord becomes
infected upon exposure, but reality-rated
beings exhibit at least some resistance.
• The Contagion can spread through the air
as well, but the spores survive only a few
seconds at best
• Those who contract the disease are
effectively dead, as they develop irreversible
insanity and die within a day
• The Contagion is highly mutable, turning
some people, especially if they’re reality-
rated, into more vicious monsters. Rumors
say that some infected individuals combine
into larger creatures, but evidence for this
is scarce
• The disease does not spread into areas
with a Tech Axiom lower than 24
modicum of physical force. If the heroes have
access to explosives, they can succeed with a
Nearly Impossible (DN 20) science test.
If the players succeed at the Dramatic Skill
Resolution, the heroes obtain the intel they sought
and reach the stairwell in safety. Core Earth reality
is reestablished and the Contagion spreads no
further.
If Step C is not completed, the heroes appear to
stop the demolition at the last second, but the office
explodes as they flee the office. Each Storm Knight
takes 2 Wounds (which may be Soaked as usual).
If Step D is not finished, the heroes take 1 Wound
instead. In either case, the hardpoint survive, and
Pan-Pacifica reality is maintained.
24
Events
The following events occur during the Dramatic
Skill Resolution in addition to any Dilemmas.
• At the start of the Villain turn, during the
first round: Contagion spores enter the room
from the duct work. As reality-rated people
the Storm Knights are not affected right away,
but the Ord office workers become infected
immediately and turn. The mutation of the
Contagion that incubated in the edeinos
transforms them physically into something
more akin to Neanderthals, but black blood
still oozes from their eyes and ears.
• At the end of the round after they complete
Step A: Crouching Lakten and the infected
edeinos storm into the room. Lakten discovered
the one who ordered his capture was downstairs
on the lowest level. He automatically kills
Osato using his Telekinetic Attack.
• At the end of the round after they complete
Step B: The heroes hear (and feel) a massive
explosion in the complex. Soon after, they hear
a loud crash and see the freight elevator’s doors
bulge outward. The first detonation destroyed
the elevator car, which was several floors up,
and debris rained down the shaft.
• At the start of the round after Dr. Osato dies:
Osato rises as a jiangshi and attacks the heroes
immediately. This counts as his action for the
round.
Dilemmas
Possible Setback: The responsiveness of the
terminal slows dramatically, and some deft
deletion of other tasks is required to maintain the
bandwitdth between the server and the USB drive.
Complication: Smoke irritates the heroes’ eyes.
Critical Problem: The download included the
code deleting the files, and it proceeds to erase the
USB drive.
• Crouching Lakten: (see page 21)
• Infected Edeinos (1 per Storm Knight): See
page 43.
• Infected Humans (6): See page 43.
• Jiangshi: See page 44
 OTHER APPROACHES
This scene assumes the heroes infiltrated the
Innovation Center but someone sounded the alarm,
and the complex is on High Alert.
If the heroes reach Dr. Osato without setting off the
alarm, and they wish to interrogate him rather than
crack the computer system, they can do a Dramatic
Skill Resolution involving intimidation tests (start at
DN 12 and increase by 2 for each additional step).
If successful, they acquire the information listed
in Aftermath.
Five rounds later, Crouching Lakten escapes and
the heroes can try to get information from the
computer.
A more specialized option could involve simply
killing Osato and interrogating his corpse if the
heroes have access to the speak with dead spell.
SCENE FOUR: BREAKOUT!
Dramatic Scene. Core Earth Dominant Zone
or Pan-Pacifica Dominant Zone. If Step D in the
Dramatic Skill Resolution was not completed,
this scene takes place under Pan-Pacifica reality.
Otherwise the building has returned to Core Earth
reality.
Information in hand, the Storm Knights must
escape the facility before they’re taken by infected
(or, if Contingency Alpha is still in effect, the
building explodes). They must first ascend to Sub-
Level One via the stairwell (the freight elevator was
destroyed and debris blocks the shaft. The damage
caused by the earlier explosion short-circuted the
power to the electronic locks, and opening Center
doors no longer requires badges.
Unfortunately, this also means the infected on
Sub-Level One are free to roam the facility. The
Storm Knights discover this soon after learning
the stairwell to the Basement level is also entirely
blocked with debris. The only way out now is to
open the elevator doors, force their way through
the debris, and climb the elevator shaft.
SICK FRIENDS AND DINOSAURS
This encounter occurs only if the Storm Knights
did not kill the protoceratops or infected humans
in Scene 3.
When the heroes exit the stairwell on Sub-Level
One and walk into the smoke-filled hallway, an
infected protoceratops charges straight at them.
This surprises any heroes unless they can mitigate
it. The infected emerge from the smoke behind the
protoceratops. Among them is Samantha Kendal,
who mutated into a yokai.
The lighting on this level is Dim (-2 penalty).
• Infected Humans (6): (see page 43)
• Infected Protoceratops: (see page 44)
• Yokai: (see page 46)
If the heroes try to flee, they must first open the
freight elevator door (the stairwell is impassible),
which is a Hard (DN 14) Strength test. This takes a
full action to accomplish, and Multi-Actions are not
allowed. Multiple people can assist as a Combined
Action, but only one test may be attempted each
round. During the next round, half of the heroes
may then try to climb through the debris and up
the inside of the shaft. Unfortunately, the shaft is
a bit slippery and climbing requires succeeding
at a Dexterity test. Failure means the hero remains
stuck on Sub-Level One. The remaining heroes can
follow suit on the next round. The infected and
yokai do not follow the Storm Knights up the shaft.
(not yet, anyway).
If the heroes defeat their opponents, they can
ascend without taking any tests.
At the end of the combat, the players return action
pool cards to their hand but do not refresh.
THE GAUNTLET
As the heros approach the ground floor, read or
paraphrase the following.
The sounds of gunfire and screams echo down from
the open elevator doors above. You hear gunfire above
you, and an infected Honoki Biomedical researcher falls
silently past you. A deep voice calls out as you near the
edge of the open doors. It says, “Please put down your
weapons and lie on the ground. You have five seconds
to comply.” As you peek over the edge you see a group
25
 Honoki scientists come to a violent end..
of infected gnawing on two researchers. Seconds later,
a lengthy burst of large-caliber rounds rips the infected
and their victims to shreds.
You scan the atrium for the source of the gunfire.
Near the entrance, you see two large bipedal security
robots mowing down infected employees. When the last
employee stops moving, the miniguns stop firing and the
robots revert to sentry mode. The silence is eerie.
If Pan-Pacifica reality is still present: the robots’ AI
remains functioning, meaning they did not kill the
two Kanawa Security Leaders who subsequently
took refuge behind them. The two step out from
behind the robots.
Glancing to your (right/left) you see that several
upper floors collapsed into the delivery bay, completely
blocking that exit. Strong security barriers, apparently
activated by Contingency Alpha, seem to have dropped
into place over the main entrance, blocking it competely.
26
The rest of the atrium lies in ruins, and the balconies
overlooking the open space suffered severe damaged from
falling debris, explosions, or large bullets. The robots
stand between you and the only visible exit—a stairwell
to a second floor balcony. It appears to be in good shape.
A stairwell on the second floor, across the atrium, looks
reasonably intact and may lead all the way to the roof.
The only problem is that the first stairwell is behind the
robots.
If Core Earth reality is present: the robots’ Electric
Defense Field and Semi-Autonomous AI abilities
no longer function.
The robots were kept in storage compartments that
opened when Contingency Alpha was activated.
Normally these robots protect the complex against
large dinosaurs that wander in from the Living
Land, but their programming now directs them to
kill any living thing that moves—infected or not.
Their firepower is strong, and so is their armor,
but they have weak spots on their rear casings. A
Storm Knight can take a Hard (DN 14) science test
to spot this weakness.
A hero can get into position to attack the weak spot
on the next turn by achieving a Player’s Call on a
maneuver or trick interaction. Alternatively, at least
two Storm Knights can do a Combined Maneuver;
with a Good Success, one hero can make an attack
on the weak spot, while on a Player’s Call, two can
attack.
The Storm Knights could instead make a beeline
for the door but this exposes them to chain gun
fire for three rounds (one while still on the ground
floor, and then two while in cover on the balcony
on the second level). Of course those heroes with
alternative forms of movement—such as wall-
walking or flight—can use those modes to try to
avoid attack.
If the Storm Knights feel outgunned (and they
should feel that way), an Idea card allows a Storm
Knight to realize that the armory in the Security
Office probably contains heavy weapons to deal
with the ever-present threat from large dinosaurs.
When the heroes either defeat the JD-210 Security
Robots or escape into the stairwell to the upper
levels, they easily make their way to the rooftop
and commandeer the helicopter on top.
• JD-210 Security Robot (2): see page 44.
• Kanawa Security Leaders (one for every
two Storm Knights): See Kanawa Security
Troopers on page 45. Each has reality 10 and
2 Possibilities.
AFTERMATH
Several hours after the heroes return to Ottawa
and deliver the USB drive to the Delphi Council,
they receive a debriefing from Alice Burton. She
congratulates them for a job well done, especially if
the Storm Knights gained additional information,
as such proves critical to the prosecution of the
war. She then tells them the following.
If the heroes left the Pan-Pacifica hardpoint intact,
the U.S. Air Force destroyed the university campus
with a MOAB bomb and eliminated the chance of
spreading the Contagion.
Burton identifies the woman with whom Dr.
Osato conversed. She is Doctor Hachi Mara One,
the clone sister of Hachi Mara Two (a high-ranking
member of the Delphi Council, Pan-Pacifica
Division). She and Dr. Osato are highly skilled
geneticists. According to the information acquired
from Dr. Osato’s computer, they discovered a
strange Wonder in the Living Land that apparently
contains advanced biotechnology. Burton shows
the Storm Knights several photos taken downriver
from Niagara Falls and looking up at a strange
tree-like structure perched atop the falls.
The Storm Knights also learn the following,
based on their Success Level on Step C during the
Dramatic Skill Resolution in Dr. Osato’s office.
Standard: Tensions between the High Lords is
reaching a critical juncture. Interrogation of the
Nile shocktroopers indicates that Doctor Mobius
personally ordered Nile troops to attack Cyberpapal
agents abroad. Also, Mobius claims the Cyberpope
is about to attack another High Lord.
Good: Honoki Biomedical is, in fact, a subsidiary
of Kanawa Corporation (this should come as no
surprise). Its mission was to investigate the effects
of Contagion exposure on the many creatures in
the Living Land. They disocvered that different
species express different symptoms, and also that
the speed of mutation is increasing.
Outstanding: In what may be the most important
discovery of the war, the heroes secured video of
Reiko Kanawa explaining some of the techniques
she used to genetically modify gospog seeds
provided by the Gaunt Man. The Delphi Council
now has hard evidence both that the Kanawa
Corporation is an invader, and also that the
company created the Contagion and released it on
Day One to seize control of various nations under
the banner of the Pan-Pacific Alliance.
27
 T
he Storm Knights follow the clues found in Dr.
Osato’s office and journey to the mysterious
Wonder in the jungle of the Living Land.
The Wonder is an Akashan construct dubbed
“The Observatory” by the Delphi Council. It was

OBSERVATORY originally built on the moon to await humanity’s

OF THE GODS
eventual discovery, but the Living Land’s bizarre
Law of Wonders brought it temporarily to Earth.
The heroes discover it is grown larger since Osato’s
last visit, and it also drew the attention of agents
from the Cyberpapacy and the Nile Empire. The
ACT TWO:
race is on to discover the secrets of this weird living
structure and live to tell the tale!
Because the turnaround is rapid, the Delphi
Council does not have time to properly analyze the
information the heroes secured in Act 1.

OVERVIEW
Scene One: As the Storm Knights fly close to the
Observatory, an automatic defense system knocks
them out of the sky, forcing them to contend with a
curious dinosaur, a carnivorous plant, and a swarm
of dangerous biotech robots.
Scene Two: The heroes stumble upon a mortally-
wounded shocktrooper who might prove to be a
source of information, if they can keep him alive!
Scene Three: Almost at their destination, the
Storm Knights need to find a way up to the top of
Niagara Falls. If they can’t find the safe (and secret)
passage to the top, they face ambush by a troop of
Redjaw edeinos.
Scene Four: Arriving at the Observatory, the
heroes navigate the flooded lower levels, where
they must contend with Cyberpapacy agents.
Scene Five: Reaching the Map Room, the Storm
Knights discover Nile agents have activated a
strange device and learned the Observatory’s
original purpose. During the ensuing battle, the
shocktroopers set off a chain reaction that causes
the Observatory to self-destruct.

SCENE 1: THE SKY-FISHER

Standard Scene. Living Land Dominant Zone.
The Delphi Council, realizing that time is of the
essence, immediately deploy the Storm Knights

28
to explore the Wonder that Nile Empire and Pan-
Pacifica agents discovered inside the Living Land.
The clues in Osato’s office lead the heroes to
Niagara Falls, now a precipitous waterfall in a
misty, tropical jungle. Perched near the top of the
falls is the Wonder, an Akashan base known as
the Observatory, which, as they learn, has its own
automated defenses.
Niagara Falls is only 10 kilometers from the
border between Core Earth and the Living Land.
However, reality storms in this region are rather
intense and unpredictable due to an unanticipated
interaction between the presence of the Wonder
and the stelae boundary. The Storm Knights have
two choices: brave the reality storm and approach
the falls (either on foot or by sailing up the Niagara
River), or skirt around the reality storms in a
floatplane like a Piper Super Cub which can land
on the river, or perhaps a helicopter.
ONE IF BY LAND
If the Storm Knights cross the border on foot,
presumably they do so as close as they can to
Niagara Falls, or they at least travel up the Niagara
River by boat. In either case they must first deal
with the nasty reality storm that rages as they pass
through the stelae boundary. Each hero must make
a reality test with a -4 Zone penalty. The effects of
failure or exceptional success are listed in the GM’s
Guide chapter of Torg Eternity.
As the heroes approach the falls they see a large
pteranodon fly almost directly overhead and then
get hit by a green beam that appears to originate
from the vicinity of the falls. The beam completely
halts the pteranodon’s flight, and it plummets into
the jungle below, landing practically on top of the
heroes.
29
 TWO IF BY AIR
If the heroes choose to fly, they find that once they
enter the Living Land, the intense reality storms
have affected the local weather, causing serious
visibility issues. Thick clouds and constant rain
cover this part of the jungle, and in the places where
it isn’t cloudy, the mist is unusually pervasive (for
this part of the Living Land, anyway). Fortunately
the reality storm’s red and green lightning guides
the Storm Knights toward the Observatory.
Read or paraphrase the following:
The dark clouds and endles fog through which you
fly are lit almost continuously by red and blue flashes
from the nearby reality storm hugging the Living
Land’s border. Keeping those flashes roughly the
same distance from your aircraft and to the same side
helped you navigate to the Wonder with relative ease
considering the weather. Suddenly, the clouds break
and you enter a break in the clouds.
You see the jungle below and, cutting through it,
the Niagara River, which curves and loops as it flows
from the waterfalls ahead. You seem to be downriver
of the world-famous falls and you steer towards them.
As you draw closer, something catches your eye: a
massive, spiked object, looking remarkably like the root
structure of an upturned tree, is perched at the top
of the cliff, partially overhanging the falls. The river
rushes through the structure and plunges over the
edge. The Falls’ iconic, horseshoe-shape is still visible
beneath the lush greenery. As you admire the sight, a
green beam erupts from the structure and strikes your
aircraft. Your engines quit abruptly and your vehicle
comes to a sudden halt in mid air, as if your momentum
and energy were somehow simply negated. Then the
beam vanishes and your aircraft plummets like a stone
toward the jungle canopy below!
The green beam originated from the Sky-Fisher,
a defense system that uses an inertia-dampening
ray to prevent airborne objects from hitting the
Observatory. The ray captures energy (kinetic
or otherwise) and converts it to power for the
Observatory’s many other functions. Intended for
meteorites and other space debris, this automatic
defense has been working overtime since the
Observatory appeared on Earth, mostly by stopping
large, flying dinos, but also occasionally bringing
30
down air vehicles—such as the one piloted by the
Storm Knights.
The engine is no longer functional, so crashing
into the trees below is inevitable. This deals 15+2BD
damage to everyone on board. However, the
flaps still work (if the heroes are in a plane) or an
autorotation landing is possible (in a helicopter).
The pilot can make a Hard (DN 14) air vehicles test to
soften the impact. If successful, damage is reduced
to 15+1BD. A Good result reduces damage to 15,
and an Outstanding result eliminates all damage.
The aircraft comes to rest dangling nose-down,
seven meters above the forest floor, in a sling
of vines. This unusual orientation imposes a -2
penalty to Dexterity-based skill tests while within
the aircraft. During the fight, a Setback results in
the aircraft unexpectedly dropping another meter,
forcing everyone inside to make a Dexterity test as a
free action (without the penalty) or fall through the
fuselage and out the broken front window.
LUNCH!
No matter which route the Storm Knights take,
they find themselves in the vicinity of a huge
carnivorous plant that attacks as soo nas they move
within range. If the heroes flew, the aircraft comes
down directly above the plant. On a Setback the
aircraft drops a few feet, forcing everyone inside
to make a Hard (-4) Dexterity test or fall. A third
Setback drops the aircraft into the carnivorous
plant’s maw.
The commotion draws the attention of a sohba
sohba hiding in the trees. After a couple of rounds
(or at a dramatically appropriate moment), it flees
the unseen approach of a swarm of small, ant-
like biotech creatures called harvesters, which are
designed to scavenge usable metals or chemicals
from objects downed by the Sky-Fisher.
If the Storm Knights arrived in an aircraft, these
spider-like, cybernetic creatures tear the aircraft
apart, stripping it down to nothing in just a few
minutes. The harvesters are interested only in
metals and chemicals—they ignore living tissue,
but any weapons, armor, or cyberware also draw
their attention, and they fight as a unit if any of
them are attacked. If the heroes arrived on foot, the
harvesters detect their equipment and attempt to
scavenge it.
The Storm Knights can continue toward the
Observatory once they deal with these threats or
otherwise escape the area.
• Carnivorous Plant: see page 42.
• Sohba Sohba: see page 46.
• Harvesters (5 per Storm Knight): see below.
HARVESTERS
Harvesters are small, genetically-engineered
organisms created by the Akashans. These ant-
shaped creatures are about the size of a cat and
designed to be efficient, if mindless, collectors of
whatever matter their programming directs them
to seek. Those in the Observatory are programmed
to gather any valuable metals or chemicals found
Visiting scenic Niagara Falls .
aboard objects knocked out of the sky by the Sky-
Fisher defense system. Harvesters are equipped
with a range of cutting, sawing, drilling, and
smashing tools, plus a surgical laser.
Attributes: Charisma 4, Dexterity 8, Mind 4, Spirit
6, Strength 12
Skills: Energy weapons 10, find 9, melee weapons
10, science 8, tracking 8
Move: 10; Tough: 14 (2); Shock: 6; Wounds: 1
Equipment: Harvesting tool (Strength +3 damage),
cutting laser (damage 14, range 5/10/15).
Perks: –
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Metallic casing +2.
• Harvesting Tool: Strength +3 (15) damage
• Cutting Laser: Damage 14, range 5/10/15.
• Mindless: Harvesters are immune to
intimidation and taunt interactions.
31
 • Very Small: Harvesters are no larger than a
housecat. Attackers suffer -4 to attack rolls due
to their size.
SCENE 2: STRANGER ON
THE SHORE
Standard Scene. Living Land Dominant Zone.
The Storm Knights stumble upon a lone, injured
shocktrooper resting on the riverbank, and find
themselves uncomfortably close to the Sky-Fisher’s
next victim. Read or paraphrase the following.
Hacking your way through the jungle, you come
upon the Niagara River. The far side of the river is
shrouded in mist. Ahead, perhaps two kilometers
upriver, you can just make out the massive cloud of
spray from the waterfall, as well as the mysterious,
branching structure perched atop it. By keeping the
river to your left and the steep cliff to your right, you
might be able to reach the falls with little trouble.
Sometime later, the travelers spot a body washed
up on the riverbank ahead. It’s a shocktrooper,
whose right hand and the bottom of one leg ripped
off. He has lost a lot of blood.
The Living Land’s Law of Life has barely kept him
alive, and he is just conscious enough to talk. Even
miraculous means cannot prevent his passing, but a
Standard (DN 10) first aid test can ease his pain for a
few minutes. A successful persuasion test convinces
him to reveal bits of useful information between his
moans and coughing fits. The test is Favored if they
succeeded performing first aid, or Up on a Good or
Outstanding Success. Alternatively, the heroes can
use intimidation, but gain no bonuses. Depending
on the result, he shares the following:
• Fail: His name is Mohab, and he is a private,
first class, with the 3rd Gold Lion squad,
Battlegroup Natatiri. He doesn’t know
anything about the strange structure, but his
squad leader referred to it as the Device.
• Standard: His squad sailed downriver aboard
two boats. Accompanying them is a masked
villain who calls herself La Calavera.
• Good: They made it to the Device but walked
into a velociraptor ambush. His team scattered
• Outstanding: He escaped the ambush by
sliding down a root tunnel that emerged
32
behind Niagara Falls, where he was swept into
the river. He remembers nothing else.
As he talks, several chupacabras emerge from the
underbrush, drawn by the scent of death in the air.
Though their main target is Mohab, they’re happy
to feast on the Storm Knights, too.
• Chupacabras (1 per Storm Knight): see page
42.
Mere seconds after the Storm Knights wipe out or
drive off the chupacabras (or in round five, if the
combat lasts that long), everyone hears the rumble
of an approaching airplane. A boxy VTOL (Vertical
Takeoff and Landing) craft bearing the fleur-de-
lis symbol of the Cyberpapacy approaches from
downriver. As it nears, a loud thrum, like a trumpet
blast from the gods, echoes from the Observatory,
and that familiar green beam arcs out as before.
The Cyberpapacy plane stops dead in the air.
Then it plummets, spinning wildly, its struggling
jets unable to save it as it plunges toward the
riverbank—and the heroes!
Everyone on the bank, including any surviving
chupacabras, must make a Dexterity test to
avoid the incoming plane. Heroes who were not
near Mohab (which might be all of them, if they
avoided his body or fled from the monsters) roll
at +2. Those who fail this test are struck by a spray
of shrapnel and gravel for 10 +1BD damage (or 10
+2BD on a Mishap). Mohab suffers a direct hit and
dies instantly.
With a roar of upturned earth and rupturing metal,
the fuselage breaks in half as it slides along the
riverbank and into the river. The current quickly
snatches up both halves of the plane; the front half
floats quickly out of sight, while the rear half sinks
just offshore. Part of it remains visible above the
surface.
Heroic Storm Knights might be tempted to dive
for survivors. Alas, there are none. Anyone in the
water is attacked by a swarm of fierce biru fish,
which look similar to Core Earth’s piranha. The
fish make their presence known with a flurry of
bubbles and blood as they feast on crash victims
beneath the surface. It takes the Storm Knights five
rounds to swim to the wreckage.
The wreckage holds a locked, armored briefcase
that requires a Hard (DN 14) lockpicking test to
open. It contains a cyberdeck, a suit of projection
clothing (see Gear in Torg Eternity). Stored on
the cyberdeck are digital photos, which can be
displayed with a Challenging (DN 12) computers
test. The photos are of the Observatory—except it is
smaller than the one nearby, and it appears to sit on
a white, dusty plain broken by stark shadows and
craters (its original location on the Moon).
The front half of the wrecked plane washes up a
minute later on the mist-shrouded far riverbank.
That section’s occupants crawl out of the wreckage
and run off into the trees. The heroes encounter
them later....
BIRU SWARM
The terror of rivers and lakes in the Living Land,
the biru is a tiny fish about the size of a human
hand. Superficially it resembles a piranha from
Core Earth, but its distended jaw and needle-like
teeth more closely resemble those of deepwater
anglerfish. A single biru can bite someone’s hand
off at the wrist; swarms of them are downright
deadly, as they can strip an adult triceratops to
bones in less than one minute.
Attributes: Charisma 5, Dexterity 8, Mind 3, Spirit
8, Strength 8
Skills: Intimidation 13, maneuver 10, stealth 10,
tracking 8, unarmed combat 11
Move: 8; Tough: 8; Shock: 13; Wounds: 2
Equipment: –
Perks: –
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Bite: Each round, targets in contact with a
biru swarm automatically take 4 Shock. Targets
that are Vulnerable or Very Vulnerable take 1
Wound, 4 Shock.
• Fear: The sight of a swarm of biru inspires
terror. The first time characters encounter a biru
swarm per act, each must make a willpower or
Spirit test or become Very Stymied.
• Large: Biru swarms occupy three cubic meters
of water; attacks against them gain a +2 bonus.
• Mindless: Biru swarms are immune to
intimidate and taunt interactions, as well
as telepathic powers. They are susceptible
to abilities that influence or otherwise
communicate with animals.
• Swarm: Unarmed attacks and crushing
weapons deal base damage normally, as
do area-of-effect attacks. Blades, bullets, or
weapons that can’t hit dozens of creatures at
once deal no damage at all.
SCENE 3: EYES OF FLAME
Standard Scene. Living Land Dominant Zone.
To approach the Observatory, the Storm Knights
must choose a route to the top of Niagara Falls.
Both options present unique dangers. Read or
paraphrase the following.
This close to the falls, the sound is nearly deafening
and the wind gusts like a tropical storm all around
you. Directly above you and leaning slightly over the
top of the waterfall is that massive mysterious object. It
looks even bigger, somehow. Getting up there is the next
challenge. Climbing the waterfall itself is, of course, out
of the question. You might be able to scale the cliff to one
side—it’s thick with vines and other growth clinging
to the wet stones. Near the base of the falls is a moss-
covered concrete structure with an open door. An old
sign above the door reads: JOURNEY BENEATH THE
FALLS.
It is possible to backtrack to an old access road
some ways downstream, but they’ll lose a lot of
time, and flying heroes run the risk of becoming a
target of the Sky-Fisher.
On a successful survival test, a Storm Knight
recalls that dangerous fungi and other creatures
often make their homes in underground caves. A
successful evidence analysis test reveals the cliff face
would make an excellent ambush location.
No matter which route the heroes choose, a group
of Redjaw edeinos, which have been tracking
them from the safety of the cliff-top, takes this
opportunity to confront them. The edeinos’ leader
is a brutal Redjaw War-Scarred named Kalar-
Kal. He is eager to prove his superiority to these
interlopers and claim a battle prize. The outcome of
this encounter depends on which route the heroes
choose.
THE CLIFFS
The cliff face is wide, with plenty of vines to
accommodate everyone in the party at once.
33
 However, when the heroes are partway up the cliff,
the edeinos appear at the top. Kalar-Kal barks out
an order to surrender, but he has no intention of
taking prisoners—he just wants to humiliate them
before the slaughter! The edeinos hurl huge stones
and tree limbs at the Storm Knights. The edienos
attack with missile weapons, and if the target is hit,
he takes Strength +3 damage. Heroes clinging to the
cliff become Vulnerable and Stymied at the start of
their turn.
Climbing the cliff is Dramatic Skill Resolution, but
each Storm Knight completes steps individually,
like a chase. Make a Standard (DN 10) Strength test
per step. Storm Knights on Step D can attack (and
be attacked) in close combat. When a Dilemma
appears on the Drama card, the situation worsens,
as follows.
• Possible Setback: The hero’s grip fails for a
moment.
• Complication: Thorns make vines hard to
grip, the hero is tiring out.
• Critical Problem: The vines rip out of the cliff
wall and the Storm Knight falls. On a failure,
she takes 16 +1BD damage (or 16 +2BD on a
Mishap) and must start over.
At the top, Kalar-Kal and his edeinos eagerly
await battle. They fight to the death. If things go
badly, Kalar-Kal tries to use a maneuver to push
his enemies over the cliff; to succeed, he needs a
“Player’s Call” result. Falling off the cliff causes 16
+ 1BD damage.
• Redjaw War-Scarred (1): See page 45.
• Edeinos Warrior (2 per Storm Knight): See
page 43.
THE STAIRS
This route no less dangerous. The door leads into
a narrow tunnel choked with debris and bones.
Slick moss dangles from the roof and algae slickens
the floor. The elevator shaft collapsed, leaving only
the stairs. Countless creepy-crawlies and small
creatures live in here. Despite appearances, they’re
harmless. The true threat waits in the open Visitor’s
Center at the top of the stairs, where a patch of rare,
psychotropic mushrooms grows thickly on the
pillars and walls.
34
Fungi are common in the Living Land. Unless a
Storm Knight succeeds at a Hard (DN 14) survival
test, the heroes take no special notice of the fungi
until it is too late. Success allows the Storm Knights
to pass safely. Otherwise, in unison, dozens of the
toadstools produce a cloud of microscopic, odorless
spores that affect everyone. The heroes soon feel
lightheaded and experience a sense of dysphoria
(colors are more saturated, and shadows darker).
Unknown to the Storm Knights, the Redjaw
edeinos enter the building to intercept them. The
spores’ effects lend the approaching edeinos a
fearsome appearance. Read or paraphrase the
following.
Agroup of savage-looking creatures, similar to edeinos
but larger and stronger, stride toward you through the
dark room. Their skin is charred black, and their hollow
bodies overflow with an intense, furnace-like flame that
issues from their mouths and empty eye sockets.
The Storm Knights must test against Fear
(willpower or Spirit) or begin this fight Very Stymied.
Due to the mind-altering influence of the spores,
the heroes become Stymied at the start of each of
their turns for the entire combat. Also, fire appears
to jet from the edeinos’ mouths; at the end of each
of their turns, the Storm Knights must make a Mind
test or take 8 + 1 BD non-lethal damage.
Due to many years’ exposure to the hallucinogenic
spores, the edeinos are immune to their debilitating
aspects.
• Redjaw War-Scarred (1): See page 45.
• Edeinos Warrior (2 per Storm Knight): See
page 43.
THE TUBE
There’s one more route up to the Observatory, but
the Storm Knights probably won’t find it unless
they learned about it from Mohab. A damp cave
lies behind the curtain of water. Midway along this
hidden track is a root, part of the Observatory that
burrowed its way through the earth and emerged
behind the falls. Finding this path without Mohab’s
tip requires a Nearly Impossible (DN 20) find test.
However, test only if the players specify they want
to try looking behind the waterfall, or if the heroes
play an Idea card, which allows them to make the
test with a +6 bonus.
 The root forms a twisting, slippery tube that leads
up into the Observatory’s basement (see Flooded
Tunnels, below). This path is free of threats but
extraordinarily difficult to traverse. It requires an
hour and a Hard (DN 14) Strength test to climb. The
results may affect what happens in Scene 4.
Failure: The Storm Knights succeed in reaching the
top but take Fatigue from trying (and sometimes
failing) to avoid sliding back down the tube. This
Shock cannot be removed until the end of the next
scene.
Good: The heroes arrive in Central Processing just
after the Cyberpapacy agents do, and while the
agents attempt to surprise the heroes, the ambush
attempt fails.
Outstanding: The heroes arrive prior to
the Cyberpapacy agents and gain surprise
automatically if they choose to attack.
This route avoids Kalar-Kal and his edeinos
warriors. Instead, the edeinos warband may show
up in Scene 5, adding a new layer of complication
to the battle that takes place in the heart of the
Observatory!
SCENE 4: THE SECRETS
OF THE OBSERVATORY
Standard scene. Akashan Dominant Zone. After
arriving at the Observatory, the Storm Knights
make their way through the dangerous lower level,
learning more about the nature of this strange site
as they go. Read or paraphrase the following.
As you reach the bank near the top of the falls, you
finally get a clear view of the strange building. It
reinforces your first impressions, namely that it looks
like the root structure of an overturned tree. The object
consists of massive, branching stems that twist outward
and appear to be made of a wood-like substance. From
this distance you can see the structure is significantly
larger compared to its size in the photos you obtained
in the Innovation Center. It grows visibly as you
watch; each rootlet expands incrementally in the light
and heat. A step pyramid made of a silvery metal
nestles deep inside the formation, nearly engulfed by
the growing roots.
AKASHAN REALITY
This Wonder acts as an Akashan Dominant
Zone, with the following axioms and World
Laws:
• Magic: 1
• Social: 26
• Spirit: 1
• Tech: 28
Akashan society is highly advanced in its
system of governance, its use of psionics, and
its application of technology, which focuses
on biotechnology and embraces the use of
genetically-modified organisms. The Akashans
also developed the ability to travel to other
cosms and they even learned to manipulate
Possibility Energy to a limited degree. However,
they do not believe in the supernatural. Their
explorers witnessed the use of miracles and
magic in other cosms, and while they accept
these concepts, such powers do not exist in
their own reality.
The Law of Diversity
Akashan culture stresses acceptance of the
unknown and a determination to understand
it on its own terms. This sense of openness,
natural curiosity, and receptiveness to other
realities is integral to the Akashan worldview.
Everyone is stronger when different beliefs,
biological variants, and even different realities
flourish and inform one another.
• Diversity: Abilities supported by the
World Laws of a character’s reality do not
cause contradictions
The Law of the Void
Something terrible happened to the Akashans
long ago, fundamentally devastating their
reality and leaving it starving of Possibility
Energy.
• The Void: Spending a Possibility does not
grant an automatic minimum result of 10.
Also, the players’ hand limit immediately
decreases by one, and Glory has no effect.
35
 A scholar test allows the Storm Knights to notice
that this metal pyramid closely resembles pyramids
found in Mexico and South America.
Roots extend outward in all directions, including
to the bank upon which the Storm Knights stand,
providing a method of ingress to the Observatory.
The powerful river rushes dangerously underfoot
before plunging over the falls, and the wood is
slick from spray. Crossing it takes ten minutes and
a Hard (DN 14) Dexterity test, unless the team has
ropes or some other means to secure themselves
as they cross. Those who fail fall in the water and
suffer a battering from the roots that dip into the
river but manage to grab hold of a root before
going over the falls. Storm Knights thus affected
are Stymied for the rest of the scene due to severe
headache. This condition can be removed with a
Challenging (DN 12) first aid test.
Once across, the Storm Knights get a better look
at the structure. The organic material resembles
wood but is hard as stone and warm to the touch.
A science or evidence analysis test assures the heroes
that it did not evolve on Core Earth.
As for the pyramid, another science or evidence
analysis test shows the silvery metal to be an alloy
of titanium and chromium, though it seems to
contain unknown elements as well. It is covered
with intricate scrollwork and bas-relief images
of humans speaking with other humans wearing
strange, elaborate headdresses.
The only entry to the pyramid is easily visible—a
doorway that towers 12 meters high. Just inside
it is a button panel and a second, open door. A
Challenging (DN 12) science test reveals this is an
airlock. Beyond, a hallway extends deeply into the
building. A powdery substance covers the floor
around the door. A Challenging (DN 12) science
test confirms it is regolith: a mix of pebbles and
fine powder from pulverized silicates and other
kinds of rock. On an Outstanding Success the
Storm Knight realizes it originated from the moon!
Dozens of tracks lead through this moon dust into
the Observatory. A tracking test reveals details
about the heroes’ opposition, as follows.
• Standard: At least a dozen humans came
through here. Prints from several small,
identical creatures—probably dinosaurs—are
36
also visible.
• Good: If the heroes did not achieve an
Outstanding Success when climbing the root
tube behind the waterfall, the human footprints
appear to be of at least two styles: a smaller,
lighter boot print, and a slightly larger, heavier
boot print. If the heroes climbed rapidly, they
see only one set of boot prints (the smaller
ones). The animal prints belong to some sort of
carnivorous dinosaur, possibly velociraptors.
• Outstanding: The smaller prints resemble
those made by Nile shocktroopers’ standard
issue boots. They are several hours old, as are
the velociraptor prints. The heavier boot prints
are characteristic of those from Cyberpapal
Armor of God, and appear to have been made
within the last hour (if the heroes climbed
quickly, the Cyberpapal agents haven’t arrived.
This allows the heroes to avoid the ambush in
Central Processing.
WELCOME CENTER
The hallway extends 15 meters into the heart of
the Observatory. Its walls are lined with designs
similar to those seen outside. If the Storm Knights
take the time to examine these designs, a Standard
(DN 10) evidence analysis or scholar test reveals the
images tell the story of visitors from across the
universe arriving on Earth. Read or paraphrase the
following.
The images depict a bridge made of light extending from
the top of a mountain and illuminating Earth, which
floats serenely among the stars. Subsequent images show
visitors arriving on Earth and teaching or otherwise
communicating with what appear to be primitive
humans. Then a dark cloud appears and destroys one
planet, then another, and another. The visitors appear
alarmed as the dark cloud approaches Earth. They return
quickly to their home, pulling up the bridge of light. The
dark cloud passes Earth, leaving it unharmed. Then the
humans, now apparently more advanced, search the
cosmos for the visitors by shining faint beams of light
into the stars. At the end of the panels, the humans find
the planet of the visitors, and both races walk hand-in-
hand while shining a bright beam of red and blue light
at the dark cloud, vanquishing it forever.
At the end of the hall is a room the Akashans
intended as a welcome center, where curious
humans would be greeted with a holographic
depiction of the story carved in bas-relief along the
hallway. Read or paraphrase the following.
The walls in this cathedral-like room alternate between
metal and living wood, seamlessly joined in a remarkable
hybrid that seems oddly natural. Great hanging boughs
that resemble willow branches trail downward along the
walls. The high ceiling is dark as obsidian and dotted
with glowing orbs that bathe the room in a calming
light. The floor, a similar, glassy black marble, is broken
by colorful designs that look almost Incan in origin.
Pulsing lights travel along the etched scrollwork of the
walls, reminiscent of circuitry. Denizens of the jungle
already invaded this space—colorful lizards bounce in
the low gravity along the boughs, while avian creatures
flutter around, building nests overhead. Moments after
you enter, beams of soft light emanate from the orbs,
merging to form the towering image of a smiling man
wearing flowing robes and an elaborate headdress. The
image flickers. Just as he opens his mouth to speak, his
hands held out in welcome, the orbs fail and the image
disappears.
Unfortunately, the runaway growth of the
Observatory’s organic components permanently
damaged the projectors. The Storm Knights
may make an Easy (DN 8) science or Mind test to
understand the purpose of this chamber and its
hologram. Though the heroes do not have the time,
tools, and knowledge to repair the technology, they
can take comfort from the fact that this room was
intended to welcome—not repel—visitors.
FLOODED TUNNELS
From the Welcome Center, the tunnel continues
forward. The heroes realize quickly that the interior
of this pyramid is far larger than its exterior—a
folding of space-time, perhaps? A number of design
motifs—black floor tiles broken by colorful whorls,
and metal walls featuring intricate carvings and
patterns of light—repeat throughout the structure.
Twisting trunks and branches of what appears to
be the structure’s massive, continuous, ligneous
framework extend everywhere.
Unfortunately, this organic foundation’s rapid
growth damaged the Observatory. The snaking
hallway ends in a collapse beyond the Welcome
Center, but lower-level service tunnels—partially
flooded by the Niagara river—are the only way
forward. The water creates a restrictive, hazardous
environment. Mohab’s escape route (the root
tunnel) begins here (see Scene 2).
Tropical river water swirls knee deep through
these tunnels, rendered even more dangerous by
bundles of live electrical wiring hanging from the
ceilings. Avoiding the wires is simple enough,
but they do 14 +1BD AP4 damage if touched.
These tunnels also contain the corpses of several
shocktroopers and Cyberpapacy hospitalers. Each
bears mortal injuries similar to those sustained by
Mohab. These agents were slain by the tunnels’
new residents—a pack of velociraptors which
now stalk the heroes. The velociraptors wait until
the right moment and then attack from all sides at
once. They gain surprise if the heroes fail a Hard
(DN 14) Combined find test.
• Velociraptors (2 per Storm Knight): see page
46.
CENTRAL PROCESSING
The service tunnels terminate in a room that houses
the Observatory’s main computer banks. The
entire room is essentially the interior of a massive
biotech supercomputer. Most of its functions are
beyond the comprehension of heroes from the
most scientifically advanced cosms. Liquids of
various colors flow through translucent pipes,
holographic panels display a dizzying stream of
undecipherable alien symbols, cubes rise and fall,
piston-like, from the floor, and so on.
The Cyberpapacy team that crashed in Scene 2
but floated away in the front half of the wreck is
already here, waiting as their leader—a Brazilian
cyberpriest named Cristóvão Ribiero—examines
a console trying (and failing) to learn something
about the alien technology. Ribiero soon activates
his hardlight assault drone, which streaks around
the room under his mental control.
• Church Police Streetbeaters (1 per Storm
Knight): see page 43.
• Father Cristóvão Ribiero: see page 38
• Hardlight Assault Drone: see page 38
37
 The Art of Ambush
Unless the Storm Knights moved exceptionally
quietly through the tunnels, the enemy team
prepared for their arrival and surprises them. If the
heroes achieved Good Success when climbing the
tube, or if they achieved an Outstanding Success
when examining the tracks in the regolith, the
enemy team does not surprise them. If the heroes
achieved an Outstanding Success climbing the
tube, they arrive here prior to the Cyberpapacy
agents and surprise them instead!
FATHER CRISTÓVÃO RIBIERO
Father Ribiero is a loyal member of the São
Paulo Basilica who specializes in data systems.
When Cyberknight de Vris learned of the Kanawa
Corporation’s discovery of a suspected alien object,
but could not investigate himself, he sent Ribiero
and a strike team to recover new technology and
learn more about the find. Like all cyberpriests,
Ribiero is thoroughly trained for battle, but he
prefers using his hardlight drone in combat while
he stands back and takes an Active Defense.
Quote: “While you have the light, believe in the
light, that you may become sons of light.”
Attributes: Charisma 7, Dexterity 6, Mind 10,
Spirit 11, Strength 7
Skills: Computers 13, dodge 9, energy weapons
10, evidence analysis 12, faith 13, find 11, fire
combat 8, reality 14, stealth 9, science 12, taunt
11, unarmed combat 8, willpower 11
Move: 6; Tough: 9 (2); Shock: 11; Wounds: 3
Equipment: –
Perks: Cyberware (Trigon Body Plating, TSE
Drone Controller), Miracles (bless, hellfire,
ward enemy), Drone Jockey, Hardlight Drone
(Assault)
Possibilities: 3
Special Abilities:
• Drone Jockey: Ribiero mentally controls
a hardlight drone, which has a range of one
kilometer. He may spend his Possibilities for
the drone even if he gets separated from it
during combat.
38
ASSAULT DRONE
This glowing holographic image looks like a
jagged, yellow arrowhead in its ranged form, but
morphs into a many-bladed cylinder while in its
melee form. This change instant, but the drone can
take only one form each combat round.
Attributes: Charisma 5, Dexterity 9, Mind 5, Spirit
6, Strength 8
Skills: Dodge 11, energy weapons 11, melee
weapons 11
Move: (see below); Tough: 13; Shock: –; Wounds: 2
Perks: –
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Forcefield +2
• Mass of Blades: Only functions in Melee
mode. +2 bonus to hit. Damage Strength +2 (10).
• High-Powered Laser: Only functions in
Ranged mode. Damage 15. Range 10/25/50.
• Airborne: Hardlight drones move only by
flying (speed 9 in air).
• Mindless: Assault drones are immune to
intimidate and taunt interactions as well as
telepathic powers.
• Tech Construct: Hardlight drones are
immune to poison and other effects that require
breathing, eating, or other life processes.
SCENE 5: AN ANCIENT
SIGNAL
Dramatic Scene. Akashan Dominant Zone. The
heroes find a rubble-choked hole on the other side
of the Central Processing chamber. This hole leads
back up to the main hallway, which then continues
winding lazily through the structure. The passage
ends in the Observatory’s heart—the Map Room.
Read or paraphrase the following.
The grand hallway comes to an end at a breathtaking
sight—a room you estimate is 30 meters high and just
as wide. The walls a synthesis of machine and plant
that pulse with a complex pattern of colored lights,
while obsidian cubes, about one meter to a side, float
soundlessly near the ceiling and light up whenever they
touch. A grand staircase curves down to the floor from
where you stand at the entrance.
 From here, you see a group of shocktroopers milling Observatory just emitted a powerful telepathic
around a pyramid-shaped computer in the center of the signal. All telepaths in the building become Very
floor. A woman wearing a black outfit and gaucho hat Stymied by the sheer power of the Observatory’s
stands at a console, with her back to you so you can’t see psionic pulse.
her face. The console features a large button shaped like a The Storm Knights may also test to
human hand. The woman presses the button and pauses recognize the hologram is alternating between
to see what happens. dialects of Indo-European, Austronesian,
A gong-like tone, so deep you feel it in your chest, rings Afroasiatic, and other ancient proto-languages from
through the entire complex. A beam of holographic light around the world. Comprehension is impossible,
shoots upward from the console and projects a 3D image but a Good result catches the word destiny, and an
of a genderless human form in the air. This individual Outstanding result catches the words possibility
wears nearly transparent white clothing and an and chalice. A Storm Knight with the Linguist Perk
elaborate headdress with tentacle-like shapes dangling automatically gets an Outstanding Success.
from each temple. The figure raises one hand i n
what resembles a common human greeting. Then Events
it speaks in an unfamiliar language, its words The following events occur tas the battle unfolds.
echoing through the room.
• Beginning of Round 1: A glowing data spike
Moments later, the figure vanishes, hovers in the center of the ruined console. La
replaced with a rotating, 3D image of Calavera uses her round to seize it with her
Earth. However, you realize this view whip. The floor then shakes, imposing a
of Earth differs slightly from the one -2 penalty to Dexterity-related skills.
you know. Its lakes and seas are
• Beginning of Round 2: A loud bang,
larger, and a greater amount of
followed by electricity arcing from the
ice covers the poles. Three red
console—it’s alarming though harmless.
pulses appear on the globe—
The floating cubes fall to the ground.
one in the taiga of European
Everyone inside of the Map Room makes
Russia, one near the mouth of the
a free Dexterity test or suffers 8 +
Amazon, and one in the Orkney
1BD from a falling cube (8 +2BD
Islands.
on a Mishap). The cubes litter
A shocktrooper in a the floor randomly, giving
lookout position everyone partial concealment.
spots you and cries
out. The woman
at the console spins
around, revealing her
bizarre skull mask
and whip. She orders
the shocktroopers to stop you as she turns
back to the controls and smashes them
to prevent you from using them. The
console pops and sparks, and a column
of dark smoke issues forth.
All parties were too awed
by the Observatory’s LA CALAVERA
display to gain the benefits
of surprise. Anyone with at least
one add in telepathy
realizes the

39
 • Beginning of Round 3: The entire Observatory
structure starts to collapse. Huge cracks appear
in the floor and walls, and parts of the ceiling
fall. La Calavera, and anyone left on her team,
evacuate through one of the holes in the wall.
Warn the players that the collapse of the
structure is imminent!
• Beginning of Round 4: The Observatory
collapses. Any heroes or villains escape with
their lives but must make a Defeat test.
Assuming the heroes immediately give chase in
Round 3, they find themselves emerging outside
the Observatory just behind the Nile Empire team.
The heroes pick up their Destiny cards but do
not refresh. Four speedboats are moored here; La
Calavera and her team are already in two of them
and speeding away upriver. If the shocktrooper
officer is still around, he is in a different boat than
La Calavera. Reality switches back to a Living Land
Dominant Zone.
• La Cavalera: See below.
• Shocktroopers (3 per Storm Knight): See
page 45.
• Shocktrooper Officer (1): See page 45 The
officer has reality 12 and 2 Possibilities.
LA CALAVERA
Before the invasion, the Nile villain named La
Calavera was a ruthless businesswoman from
Cordoba, Spain. She was vaationing in the Middle
East when the invasion struck, and in the Axiom
wash found herself drawn to the Nile Empire’s
seductive promise of power and wealth to those
fearless enough to take it. She dresses in an all-
black leather outfit and gaucho-style hat, but she is
known mostly for her silver skull mask and flashy
whip, which she wields with astonishing skill.
Attributes: Charisma 9, Dexterity 11, Mind 9,
Spirit 10, Strength 9
Skills: Beast riding 12, dodge 16, find 12, fire
combat 15, land vehicles 13, maneuver 15, melee
weapons 16, reality 13, taunt 13, trick 15, water
vehicles 13
Move: 11; Tough: 10 (1); Shock: 10; Wounds: 3
Equipment: Leather armor (+1), bull whip (damage
+2/11, reach 3 meters), Webley revolver (damage
14, 10/25/40)
40
Perks: Trademark Weapon (bull whip)
Possibilities: 3
Special Abilities:
• Getting Out of Dodge: The first time La
Calavera takes enough Wounds to test Defeat,
she automatically gets an Outstanding Success
and may move her speed (including rushing)
as a free action.
• Minions: When La Cavalera is injured by an
attack, she may make a reality test. If successful,
the attack transfers to a nearby lackey instead.
This has no effect if no minions are within a few
meters of her.
• One With the Whip: La Calavera’s whip
is practically an extension of her body. She
may manipulate objects with it as she would
her own hands—pressing buttons, pulling
levers, opening doors, or performing any other
simple activity she would otherwise do with
her hands; this counts as an action, however.
The whip has a Strength equal to her Spirit
and a range of three meters. Also, she gains +1
to maneuver and trick attempts that involve the
use of her whip.
• Slippery as an Eel: Once per round, if La
Calavera is restrained, she may spend a
Possibility to immediately end the restrained
condition as a free action, and act normally.
UNWELCOME ARRIVALS
If the heroes managed to avoid Kalar Kal and his
tribesmen, they appear during a Hero Setback in
this scene. They are particularly furious that the
Storm Knights avoided them, so they focus their
attacks on the heroes.
RIVER CHASE
If the Storm Knights give chase, the players must
choose which character takes the helm. One other
character may assist (use the rules for Combined
Actions). The boats have a Top Speed of 12, making
them Fast and hard to hit (–2). Each side tests water
vehicles to gain a step vs DN 12. La Calavera has a
head start, so her boat begins at step B, or Step C
if the heroes delayed persuing her until Round 4.
• Possible Setback: Submerged rocks, a
floating log.
• Complication: The boat’s engine overheats,
 water enters through hull damage.
• Critical Problem: The first time a Critical
Problem arises, the Observatory simply
vanishes (it returns to its original location on
the Moon). The partial dam across the Niagara
river fails spectacularly, sending water surging
downstream and creating turbulence and
unpredictable currents.
If the heroes catch up with La Calavera, or her
boat is on the verge of failure, she turns it around
and sails back toward the waterfall. All remaining
shocktroopers dive overboard and flee in terror,
though they are unable to reach shore before the
current sweeps them over the falls. La Calavera is
the last to go over the edge.
If the heroes decide to follow her, their survival
is chancy at best. They take 20 +1BD damage, and
the roiling undertow holds them underwater at the
bottom until they pass a Near Impossible (DN 20)
Strength test. All boats are destroyed.
Of course, as one expects with a Nile Villain, La
Calavera washes up alive downriver some time
later, though without the data spike. It eventually
winds up in the hands of a Pan-Pacifica team (they
steal it if the Storm Knights find it first), keeping
them in the race for the pieces of the Destiny Map.
AFTERMATH
If the Observatory didn’t return to the moon by
the end of the chase, it does so within minutes.
The heroes notice the reality storms lessening in
intensity on the border with Core Earth, and a
Delphi Council helicopter arrives shortly thereafter.
It lowers a rope ladder to the heroes and flies them
home.
The Storm Knights return to Ottawa. Surprisingly,
Alice Burton and Quinn Sebastian, both attend
their debriefing. The presence of the Director of the
Delphi Council should emphasize this mission’s
significance. Sebastian mentions this briefly, in his
usual gruff manner. He then says:
“We recently discovered an object in the Living
Land with characteristics similar to the structure you
explored at Niagara Falls. We since learned this object
was created by the Akashans, an advanced civilization
that explored the cosmverse and visited Earth more
than twenty-five hundred years ago.
Sebastian relates the info under What the Delphi
Council Knows on page 5, and continues:
“We think the Akashans called the structure you
explored the Observatory. We theorize the points on
the holographic globe you saw there likely conceal
pieces of a map to a place called the Forever City,
which is the site of the Akashans’ embassy on Earth.
Apparently, the Akashans believed we had great
potential, and they left us a means to contact them once
we attained a certain level of social and technological
development.”
Sebastian points to the sky and says, “One obvious
benchmark was our ability to live on the moon. We
haven’t reached that level. We aren’t ready to discover
this information. However, our very existence is at
stake. Others may already have this information, so
we must be the first to reach the Forever City.
The dots you saw on the globe covered a great deal of
territory—too large to investigate, as it turns out. We
sent recon teams to scout the area, but these locations
lie within foreign realities, so we might have to wait a
few weeks to hear what they learn.
Make no mistake—this is a great breakthrough. The
whole of reality may be in your debt.”
41
 CARNIVORIOUS PLANT
Attributes: Charisma 2, Dexterity 6, Mind 2, Spirit
6, Strength 12
Skills: Dodge 8, find 8, maneuver (9), missile
weapons 12, trick (7), unarmed combat 12
Move: 2; Tough: 13 (1); Shock: —; Wounds: 2
Equipment: —
Perks: —
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Thick skin +1.
• Clutching Roots: Damage Strength +1 (13),
reach 10 meters. Roots attempt to grapple all
THREATS
foes within reach without suffering Multi-
Target penalties.
• Large: These massive plants are three meters
tall and can fit a human inside their grotesque
bulbs. Attackers gain +2 to attack rolls due to its
size and bulk.
• Launched Thorns: Damage 12, range 10/20/30.
A plant only launches thorns if it has no foes to
grapple with its Clutching Roots.
• Mindless: Carnivourous plants are immune
to intimidation and taunt interactions.
• Relentless: Carnivourous plants ignore
Shock.

CHUPACABRA
Attributes: Charisma 4, Dexterity 11, Mind 5,
Spirit 8, Strength 8
Skills: Dodge 13, find 7, intimidation 12, maneuver
13, taunt (9), trick (8), unarmed combat 14
Move: 11; Tough: 10 (2); Shock: 8; Wounds: 1
Equipment: —
Perks: Ferocious
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Scaly skin +2.
• Bite/Claws: Damage Strength +2 (10)
• Bloodsucking: On an Outstanding attack
the chupacabra’s attack hits the target’s lowest
Armor value.
• Jump: A chupacabra may leap double its
movement as a simple action, but doing so
leaves it Vulnerable.

42
CHURCH POLICE STREETBEATER
Attributes: Charisma 7, Dexterity 8, Mind 7, Spirit
7, Strength 8
Skills: Dodge 9, energy weapons 9, evidence
analysis 9, faith 10, find 9, fire combat 10, heavy
weapons 9, intimidation 10, land vehicles 9,
melee weapons 9, taunt 8, trick 9, willpower 8
Move: 8; Tough: 12 (4); Shock: 7; Wounds: —
Equipment: Armor of God (+4), GodMeeter
(Damage 15, Range 10/25/40), riot stick (Strength
+3/11 damage, non-lethal)
Perks: —
Possibilities: Rare (2)
Special Abilities: —
CORE EARTH SECURITY GUARD
Attributes: Charisma 7, Dexterity 8, Mind 7, Spirit
8, Strength 8
Skills: Dodge 9, evidence analysis 8, find 8, fire
combat 9, first aid 8, intimidation 9, land vehicles
9, melee weapons 9, stealth 9, unarmed combat 9
Move: 8; Tough: 12 (4); Shock: 8; Wounds: —
Equipment: Ballistic vest (+4), M4 carbine (Damage
13), Truncheon (Strength +2/10)
Perks: —
Possibilities: Rare (2).
Special Abilities: —
EDEINOS WARRIOR
Attributes: Charisma 5, Dexterity 9, Mind 6, Spirit
8, Strength 10
Skills: Beast riding 10, dodge 10, faith 9, find 8,
intimidation 10, maneuver 10, melee weapons
11, missile weapons 10, stealth 10, survival 8,
tracking 8, unarmed combat 11
Move: 9; Tough: 10; Shock: 10; Wounds: —
Equipment: Hrockt shoot spear (Strength +2/12)
Perks: Whirlwind
Possibilities: Rare (2)
Special Abilities:
• Bite/Claws: Damage Strength +2 (12).
INFECTED EDEINOS
As with infected humans, infected edeinos are
effectively mindless killers who desire only to eat
the living. Most such edeinos die within 24 hours.
Attributes: Charisma 4, Dexterity 9, Mind 4, Spirit
10, Strength 12
Skills: Dodge 10, find 8, intimidation (10), stealth
10, taunt (9), trick (10), unarmed combat 11
Move: 9; Tough: 12; Shock: 10; Wounds: 1
Equipment: —
Perks: —
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Bite/Claws: Damage Strength +2 (14).
• Horde: Infected crowd together to overwhelm
their prey. Apply any bonus from a Combined
Action to damage as well as the attack itself
when multiple infected attack a single target.
• Infected: Ords KO’ed or Defeated by this
creature become infected themselves. Reality-
rated characters slain by infected rise as jiangshi
sometime within the act.
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Shell and scaly skin +4.
• Head Butt: Damage Strength +2 (16).
• Charge: If the dinosaur begins its turn
unengaged in close combat, it may enter close
combat by charging. This attack has a -2 penalty
but gains +1BD on a hit.
• Infected: Ords KO’ed or Defeated by this
creature become infected themselves. Reality-
rated characters slain by infected rise as jiangshi
sometime within the act.
INFECTED HUMAN
Attributes: Charisma 4, Dexterity 7, Mind 4, Spirit
5, Strength 8
Skills: Find 8, intimidation (10), stealth 8, taunt (9),
trick (10), unarmed combat 9
Move: 7; Tough: 8; Shock: 5; Wounds: —
Equipment: —
Perks: —
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Bite/Claws: Damage Strength +1 (9).
• Horde: Infected crowd together to overwhelm
their prey. Apply any bonus from a Combined
Action to Damage as well as the attack itself
when multiple infected attack a single target.
43
 • Infected: Ords KO’ed or Defeated by this
creature become infected themselves. Reality-
rated characters slain by infected rise as jiangshi
sometime within the act.
INFECTED PROTOCERATOPS
Even dinosaurs can be infected by the Contagion.
However, they act more like rabid dogs instead of a
frightening horde of humans who want to eat your
brains.
Attributes: Charisma 3, Dexterity 8, Mind 3, Spirit
9, Strength 14
Skills: Dodge 9, find 6, intimidation (11), maneuver
9, taunt (8), trick (8), unarmed combat 12
Move: 8; Tough: 18 (4); Shock: 9; Wounds: 1
Equipment: —
Perks: —
JIANGSHI
Attributes: Charisma 6, Dexterity 11, Mind 5,
Spirit 8, Strength 11
Skills: Dodge 13, intimidation (13), maneuver 13,
stealth 10, taunt (11), unarmed combat 13
Move: 5; Tough: 11; Shock: —; Wounds: 1
Equipment: —
Perks: —
Possibilities: Common (2)
Special Abilities:
• Bite/Claws: Damage Strength +2 (13). Jiangshi
attempt to grapple unless a foe is already
restrained, so a standard hit causes straight
Strength damage (11), a Good hit deals full
damage (13) and restrains the target, and an
Outstanding also makes the target Vulnerable
and Stymied. If the target is already restrained
a jiangshi uses an All-Out Attack.
• Fear: On first encountering this twisted
creature a hero must test willpower or Spirit or
become Very Stymied.
• Infected: Ords KO’ed or Defeated by this
creature become infected themselves. Reality-
rated characters slain by infected rise as jiangshi
sometime within the act.
• Jump: A jiangshi may leap double its
movement as a simple action, but doing so
leaves it Vulnerable.
• Relentless: Jiangshi ignore Shock.
44
• Undead: Jiangshi are immune to poison and
other effects that require breathing, eating, or
other “living“ processes.
JD-210 SECURITY ROBOT
According to the manufacturer (Nagara Security),
the JD-210 series security robot is a significant
upgrade to the 209 series. The 209 was rumored
to have a major design flaw that caused the robot
to misidentify threats. These robots carry heavy
armor and significant firepower, and they can
deal effectively with dangerous threats, such as
armored vehicles or dinosaurs.
The JD-210 comes equipped with twin, arm-
mounted chain guns, a shoulder-mounted grenade
launcher, and extremely tough armor. Although
not designed for close combat, it features an electric
defense field that discharges lethal amounts of
electricity into opponents during combat.
The JD-210 can operate in a reality with a Tech
Axiom of 23, if needed, but its Electric Defense
Field and Semi-Autonomous AI cease operating
and the robot loses the ability to discriminate
between friend and foe.
Attributes: Charisma 5, Dexterity 8, Mind 9, Spirit
5, Strength 15
Skills: Dodge 8, energy weapons 13, evidence
analysis 12, find 13, fire combat 13, maneuver
(15), missile weapons 12, unarmed combat 11,
trick (17)
Move: 8; Tough: 25(10); Shock: —; Wounds: 5
Equipment: —
Perks: —
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Titanium +10.
• Twin Chain Guns: Damage 15, +1 to hit,
Heavy Burst, cannot be disarmed
• Grenade Launcher: Damage 16, Medium
Blast Radius, cannot be disarmed
• Electric Defense Field: Damage 15 AP4. Uses
unarmed combat. When hit in close combat, the
JD-210 may attack with this weapon as a free
action. Called Shot at -6 (without Large bonus)
deactivates this ability for the rest of the scene.
• Large: The JD-210 robot is the size of a small
car; attacks against it gain a +2 bonus
 • Mindless: JD-210 robots are immune to
intimidate and taunt interactions as well as
telepathic powers
• Relentless: JD-210 robots ignore Shock
• Semi Autonomous AI: The JD-210’s Tech 24
AI unit can be destroyed with a Vital Blow that
causes at least 1 Wound. This Wound does
not count against defeating the robot. If the AI
module is not functioning, the robot loses its
maneuver and trick defensive value.
• Target All Weapons (Attack Approved):
The JD-210 may attack with both the Grenade
Launcher and the Twin Chain Guns and fire at
different foes without suffering Multi-Action
or Multi-Targeting penalties
• Tech Construct: JD-210 robots are immune to
poison and other effects that require breathing,
eating, or other life processes
• Weak Spot: A Player’s Call on a maneuver or
trick attack, or a Good Success on a Combined
maneuver or trick, lets the character attack the
weak spot on the back of the robot during the
next turn. The weak spot has only Armor +2.
• You Have Five Seconds to Comply
(Intimidation Approved): When intimidation
is an Approved Action, the JD-210 may affect
the entire party of player characters without
incurring any Multi-Target penalties. A success
results in the interaction affect and players each
discard one Destiny card at random from their
hand of cards.
KANAWA SECURITY TROOPER
Attributes: Charisma 6, Dexterity 8, Mind 8, Spirit
8, Strength 8
Skills: Dodge 10, evidence analysis 9, find 10,
fire combat 10, first aid 9, intimidation 11, land
vehicles 9, maneuver 10, melee weapons 10,
stealth 10, streetwise 9, unarmed combat 9
Move: 8; Tough: 12 (4); Shock: 8; Wounds: —
Equipment: Kanawa security armor (+4), katana
(Strength +3/11), SC Kyogo T11 (Damage 14, Long
Burst, Range 50/100/200).
Perks: —
Possibilities: Rare (2)
Special Abilities: —
REDJAW WAR-SCARRED
Attributes: Charisma 8, Dexterity 11, Mind 7,
Spirit 11, Strength 12
Skills: Beast riding 12, dodge 12, faith 12,
intimidation 12, maneuver 12, melee weapons
14, missile weapons 14, stealth 12, survival 8,
tracking 8, trick 11, unarmed combat 13
Move: 11; Tough: 14 (2); Shock: 11; Wounds: 1
Equipment: Hrockt-shoot spear (Damage Strength
+2/14), Tortoise shell shield (+2 Defense).
Perks: Poison Tolerance, Scarred, Stone Skin
Possibilities: Common (2)
Special Abilities:
• Bite/Claws: Damage Strength +2 (14).
• Poisoned Weapons: When a spear does more
damage than the target’s Toughness he is
poisoned with Night Root (see the Living Land
Sourcebook).
•
SHOCKTROOPER
Attributes: Charisma 6, Dexterity 7, Mind 7, Spirit
8, Strength 8
Skills: Beast riding 8, dodge 8, find 8, fire combat
8, first aid 8, heavy weapons 8, intimidation 9,
land vehicles 8, maneuver 8, melee weapons 8,
streetwise 8, survival 8, taunt 7, trick 8
Move: 7; Tough: 8; Shock: 8; Wounds: —
Equipment: Short sword (Strength +2/10), MP-40
(Damage 13, Short Burst, Range 10/25/40)
Perks: —
Possibilities: Rare (2)
Special Abilities: —
SHOCKTROOPER OFFICER
Attributes: Charisma 9, Dexterity 8, Mind 9, Spirit
10, Strength 8
Skills: Air vehicles 11 (air force only), beast riding
10 (army only), dodge 10, faith 11, find 10,
intimidation 12, fire combat 10, first aid 10, heavy
weapons 9, land vehicles 10, maneuver 9, melee
weapons 10, missile weapons 9, persuasion 12,
reality 11, survival 10, streetwise 11, taunt 11,
trick 10, unarmed combat 10, water vehicles 11
(navy only), willpower 12
45
 Move: 8; Tough: 8; Shock: 10; Wounds: 1
Equipment: KK08 pistol (Damage 13), KK81 rifle
(Damage 14), Khopesh (Strength +2/10)
Perks: Lead from the Front, Rally
Possibilities: Common (2)
Special Abilities: —
SOHBA-SOHBA
Attributes: Charisma 4, Dexterity 11, Mind 3,
Spirit 10, Strength 14
Skills: Dodge 12, find 9, intimidation 11, maneuver
12, taunt (9), trick (8), unarmed combat 14
Move: 11; Tough: 16 (2); Shock: 16; Wounds: 2
Equipment: —
Perks: Vengeful
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Scaly skin +2.
• Bite: Damage Strength +2 (16), reach 4 meters.
• Large: Sohba sohba are typically around five
meters long as adults. Attackers gain +2 to
attack rolls due to their size.
• Poison: If a sohba sohba’s bite deals damage
exceeding the target’s Toughness, then a pain-
inducing toxin is introduced to the target. While
poisoned the victim is Stymied and suffers one
Shock each round.
• Two Heads: The sohba sohba gets an extra,
separate attack with one of its heads as a free
action each turn, no matter what the creature
did on its turn—including an attack with the
other head.
VELOCIRAPTOR
Attributes: Charisma 5, Dexterity 10, Mind 5,
Spirit 8, Strength 9
Skills: Dodge 11, find 8, intimidation 9, maneuver
11, stealth 11, taunt (10), trick 8, unarmed combat
11
Move: 12; Tough: 10 (1); Shock: 8; Wounds: —
Equipment: —
Perks: —
Possibilities: Never
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Scaly hide +1.
• Bite/Claws: Strength +2 (11).
46
YOKAI
This specimen has white skin, long clawed fingers,
and unnaturally long forearms and ankles. A bony
jaw rips out of the bottom of its once human face.
Yokai are “abnormal“ infected, and may have
different appearances or special abilities to reflect
that. This one is quick, hungry, and intent on
slaying Storm Knights.
Attributes: Charisma 6, Dexterity 12, Mind 5,
Spirit 10, Strength 16
Skills: Dodge 15, find 8, intimidation (15),
maneuver 14, stealth 13, taunt (11), unarmed
combat 15
Move: 12; Tough: 18 (2); Shock: —; Wounds: 3
Equipment: —
Perks: —
Possibilities: Yes (1 per hero)
Special Abilities:
• Armor: Tough hide +2.
• Bite/Claws: Damage Strength +2 (18).
• Fear: Upon first encountering this creature
a hero must test willpower or Spirit or become
Very Stymied.
• Infected: Ords KO’ed or Defeated by this
creature become infected themselves. Reality-
rated characters slain by infected rise as jiangshi
sometime within the act.
• Possibility Hunger: When a reality-rated
character Soaks damage dealt by this creature,
it gains the Possibility spent to Soak.
• Regeneration (Very Fast): A yokai may spend
a Possibility on its turn as a simple action to
heal one Wound.
• Relentless: Yokai ignore Shock.
• Undead: Yokai are immune to poison and
other effects that require breathing, eating, or
other “living“ processes.