David Castro, Hiromi Cota, Erykah Fassett, Nicholas Hornyak,

Violet Green, Travis Legge, Lauren Roy, Monica Speca,

Stephen Tasker, Heather Ulrich, Vera Vartanian, Eddy Webb,
Pete Woodworth
 Credits
Developer: Danielle Lauzon
Writers: David Castro, Hiromi Cota, Erykah
Fassett, Nicholas Hornyak, Violet Green, Travis
Legge, Lauren Roy, Monica Speca, Stephen Tasker,
Heather Ulrich, Vera Vartanian, Eddy Webb, Pete
Woodworth
Trinity Continuum Content Lead: Ian A. A.
Watson
Editor: Matt Click
Indexer:
Art: Durwin Talon, Jonathan Taylor, Atagun
Ilhan, Felipe Soares, Sam Denmark, Farri Lensen,
Lee O’Connor, Andrew Hepworth, Marco Gonzales,
Michele Giorgi
Art Director: Mike Chaney with Maria Cabardo
Creative Director: Richard Thomas
Requires the use of the Trinity Continuum
Special Thanks Core Rulebook to play.
Thank you to all the people in my life from big
contributions to small who made the past year liv-
able. Now more than ever, this game’s themes are
what we need to see more of in the world. Here’s
to hope!
Storypath System by: Rose Bailey, David
Brookshaw, Meghan Fitzgerald, Danielle Lauzon,
Matt Miller, Neall Raemonn Price, Lauren Roy,
Malcolm Sheppard, Stew Wilson

© 2022 Onyx Path Publishing. All rights reserved. References to other copyright-
ed material in no way constitute a challenge to the respective copyright holders of
that material. “Trinity Continuum”, “Trinity Continuum: Adventure!” and all char-
acters, names, places, and text herein are copyrighted by Onyx Path Publishing.
Keep up to date with Onyx Path Publishing at theonyxpath.com.

2 TRINITY CONTINUUM: ADVENTURE!

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

KING OF THE WORLD, The French Protectorates of Algeria,

AN ÆON SOCIETY ADVENTURE 10 Tunisia, and Morocco 54
Southern Africa 55
I: Brawl on Broadway! 10 Belgian Congo 55
II: A Theatrical Tumble! 12 Union of South Africa 57
III: The Mysterious Max Mercer! 13 Western Africa 58
IV: In the Dead of de Winter! 15 French West Africa 58
V: Automotive Attack! 16 Gold Coast 59
VI: The King’s Court! 17 Nigeria 60
VII: A Queen’s Tale! 19 Sierra Leone 61
VIII: Plane Panic! 20 Liberia 62
IX: A Black Future 22 Asia 63
The Commonwealth of the Philippines 63
INTRODUCTION 24 The Empire of Japan 64
The Empire of Manchukuo 65
The Era 25 Indochinese Union 66
Hope 26 Imperial State of Iran 67
Action 26 India 68
How to Use this Book 26 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 70
Inspirational Media 28 Korea 71
Lexicon 29 The Republic of China 72
The Territory of Hawai’i 73
CHAPTER ONE: Australia and Oceania 74
INSPIRED ADVENTURERS 30
Australia 74
The Hammersmith Incident 31 New Zealand 75
The Last Twelve Years 33 Samoa 76
Daredevils 34 The Kingdom of Tonga 77
Mesmerists 38 Europe 78
Stalwarts 42 France 78
Three Paths, One Adventure! 46 Germany 79
Everyday Heroes 47 Italy 80
The Lone Wolf 47 The United Kingdom 82
USSR 82
CHAPTER TWO: Eastern Europe 83
A WORLD OF ADVENTURE 48 North America 85
Canada 85
Africa 49 The Caribbean 87
Eastern Africa 50 Central America 87
British Kenya 50 Mexico 88
Colony of Madagascar 52 The United States 89
Northern Africa 53 South America 92
Egypt 53 Argentina 92
Italian Libya 53 Brazil 92

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
 Colombia 93 Art Is Universal 152
Peru 93 Dashing Presence 153
Strange Places 96 Outsized Personality 153
Arctic Circle 96 Style Edges 153
Bermuda Triangle 96 Sweet Science 153
The Cradle 96 Fast Talk 154
The Lost Cities of Africa 97 Enhanced Edges 155
Big Boss 155
CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES 98 Living Legend 156
Sanctum Sanctorum 156
The Æon Society 100 Unstoppable 156
Air Circus 104 Without a Trace 156
Branch 9 108
CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES 158
International Detective Agency 112
The Order of the Stars 116 Inspiration 159
Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux 120 Moments of Inspiration 159
Lesser Allegiances 124 Spending Inspiration 160
The Archivists 124 Regaining Inspiration 160
Artisans of the Verse 125 Dramatic Editing Expanded 161
Lodestar 127 Additional Sources of Indirect Damage 162
Miscreants and Evildoers 128 Illnesses and Diseases 162
The Contedorri 128 Scale Expanded 163
Invictus Umbra 131 Special Environments 165
The Order of Murder 133 Active Volcano 165
The Ponatowski Foundation 135 Hollow Earth Cavern 166
Rational Experimentation Group 138 High Mountain Peak/Extreme Elevation 166
Seven Brothers 140 Interdimensional Space 166
Quicksand 167
CHAPTER FOUR: Telluric-Charged Zone 167
CHARACTER CREATION 144 Tundra 167
Character Generation Summary 145 Super Science 168
Step One: Concept 145 Fine Materials and First Principles 168
Step Two: Paths 145 Super Science Traditions 168
Step Three: Moments of Desperate Genius 169
Skills, Skill Tricks, and Specialties 145 New Flaws 170
Step Four: Attributes 145 Comrades in Arms 170
Step Five: Moment of Inspiration 145 Forged in Purpose 170
Step Six: Add Advantages 145 Draining 171
Step Seven: Final Touches 146 Limited Tolerances 171
Facets and Inspiration 146 Remarkable! 171
Paths 146 Sinister 171
Origin Paths 146 New Crafting Stunts 171
Role Paths 148 Energies from Beyond 171
Society Paths 149 Made to Fit 171
Edges 152 Puissance and Potency 171
Example Super Science Item Creation 171
Mental Edges 152
Super Science Examples 172
Introspective 152
Polyglot 152 An Equation to Determine
Useful Esoterica 152 the Root of Power 172
Physical Edges 152 Bulletproof Suit 173
Celestial Goddess 173
Battle Buddy 152
Encounter Suit 173
Dig Deep 152
Flight Harness 173
Social Edges 152
Hannibal Personal Tank Suit 173

4 TRINITY CONTINUUM: ADVENTURE!

 Killing Vision 174 Culture 186
Long Reach 174 The Six Degrees 186
Monarch-class Sky Palace 174 Empathy 186
Prototype Death Ray MK I 174 Mark of Humiliation 186
Rams-head Regulator 174 Enigmas 187
Seven Brothers’ Earrings 175 No Barrier to Entry 187
The Attuned Tarot 175 Humanities 187
Transport Pod 176 According to the Classics 187
Vivifying Pills 176 Integrity 187
Weapons and Equipment 177 Fall Down Seven 187
New Damage Type 177 Larceny 187
New Equipment Tags 177 Gone in a Blink 187
Weapons 177 Thumb on the Scale 187
Bolt-Action Military Rifle 177 Medicine 187
Machinegun 177 Ongoing Care 187
Submachine Gun 178 Persuasion 188
Vehicles 178 A Reasonable Request 188
1930’s Sedan (Classic Car) 178 Pilot 188
Autogyro 178 No Breaks 188
Biplane 178 On a Dime 188
Monoplane 178 Science 188
Rigid Body Airship 178 Setting the Field 188
Tank 178 Theoretical Builder 189
Truck 179 Survival 189
Vintage Car 179 Everything a Weapon 189
Technology 190
CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS 180 A Moment of Inspiration 190
Adventure! Gifts The Bleeding Edge 190
Design Concepts 181 Dynamic Gifts 190
Daredevils 181 Dynamic Attribute Gifts 190
Mesmerists 182 Scion of Humanity 190
Stalwart 182 Composure 190
Daredevil Gifts 184 Beacon of Calmness 190
Bloodhound 191
Luck Gifts 184
Deadeye 191
Lucky Son of a Gun 184
Echolocation 191
Nick of Time 184
Foreseer of Outcomes 191
Passing Car 184
Hobbes’ Knife 191
Aptitude Gifts 184
Lightning Eye 191
Dexterity 184
Quick Thinking 191
Sacrificial Block 184 Sightless Vision 192
Aim 184 Signal and Noise 192
Dead to Rights 184 Unmoving 192
Freikugel 185 Cunning 192
Athletics 185 Bounding Leap 192
Last Second Scramble 185 Chorus Mind 192
Push It 185 Hidden Things Revealed 193
Running Through the Horde 185 Hyper-perceptivity 193
Close Combat 185 In Perfect Harmony 193
All-Pro Wrestler 185 Jump into Action 193
In the Thick of It 186 Mirrored Moves 193
Nice Shot, My Turn 186 Photographic Reflexes 194
Command 186 Speeding Bullet 194
All Hands on Deck 186 Split-Second Counterattack 194
Barking Orders 186 Two’s Better Than One 194

TABLE OF CONTENTS 5
 Dexterity 194 Architecture of Endurance 204
Deadly Geometry 194 Beyond the Human Limit 204
Deft and Daring 195 Fast Healer 204
Inhuman Grace 195 Grit 204
Jump into Action 195 Mithradates Gambit 205
Like a Feather 195 Polished Bronze 205
Lightning Must Strike 195 Push Me, Pull You 205
Piston Stride 195 Shrug Off 205
Silent Step 195 Skin of Bronze 205
Sudden Defense 195 Regeneration 205
Walking with Houdini 196 Unmoving 205
Wall-Walker 196 Resolve 205
Intellect 196 Discerning Taste 205
All According to Plan 196 Emotional Static 206
Automatic Understanding 197 Mental Void 206
Babel-Tongue 197 Nerves of Steel 206
Break of Genius 197 Pain Tolerance 206
Calculating Every Angle 197 Reflect 206
Codebreaker 197 Mental Split 206
Hidden Things Revealed 198 Survivalist 206
Inevitable Genius 198 Taste-Tester 207
It Just Works 198 Dynamic Power Gifts 207
Observing the Social Profile 198 Airburst 207
Spun from Nothing 198 Blocking Bullets 207
Ten Steps Ahead 198 Body of the Desert 207
Manipulation 199 Boreal Arsenal 207
Empathic Reflection 199 Breathing Out the Storm 208
Chains of Doubt 199 Cool to the Touch 208
Conscience’s Weight 199 Death from Above 208
Don’t Worry About That 199 Environmental Control 209
For the Fairest 199 Fade into Shadows 209
Like a Book 200 Fists of Fire 209
Mirror Mirror 200 Ignition 209
Saturnalian Statement 200 Inspired Genius 209
Talking to the Id 200 Internal Furnace 209
Might 200 Kinetic Absorption and Reflection 210
Bones of Stone 200 Mimic 210
Bull in a China Shop 201 Mind of Its Own 210
Catapult 201 Sandstorm 210
Charging Bull 201 Shadow Play 210
Harpoon Fist 201 Shadow Ambush 210
Meteoric Pitch 201 Stalwart Defender 211
Push Me, Pull You 201 Subvocal Communication 211
Unbreakable Grasp 201 Super Senses 211
Unstoppable Might 202 The Killing Word 211
Presence 202 Thermal Control 211
Anti-Speech 202 Taking Flight 211
Automatic Recruitment 202 Telluric Bolt 212
Can’t Touch Me 203 Venomous Epidermis 212
Come Get Some 203 Winter’s Embrace 212
I’m the Problem Here 203 Psychic Gifts 213
Impossible Magnetism 203 Biological 213
Nothing but the Truth 203 All Creatures Great and Small 213
Predator’s Visage 203 Ascetic Trance 213
Tactician’s Insight 204 Brain Jamming 213
Stamina 204 Check! 213

6 TRINITY CONTINUUM: ADVENTURE!

 Command the Many Meridians 214 Monotony 226
Counter-Gambit 214 Oneiric Network 226
Darwin’s Razor 215 Palace of the Mind 226
Dead Minds Tell Some Tales 215 Papers Please 227
Density 215 Pavlov’s Bell 227
Face of Clay 215 Perfect Translation 227
Find the Weak Link 215 Psychic Double 227
Human Battery 216 Psychic Programming 227
Keep Your Friends Close 216 Queen Takes Pawn 227
Made of Rubber 216 Recursion 228
Mend 216 Sense Minds 228
Mind Over Matter 216 Somebody’s Watching Me 228
Over There! 216 Terror Manifest 228
Over Your Shoulder 217 That Which Was 229
Pain Amplification 217 Thoughtography 229
Phantom Pain 217 Truth of Things 229
Push the Pain Away 217 Veil of the Unseen 229
Read the Wounds 217 Energetic 229
Reflex Booster 218 Adrift in Etheric Currents 229
Refuge in Banality 218 Astral Projection 230
Slow 218 Astral Transference 230
Stiff as a Board 218 Awash in the Etheric 230
Stop 218 Brainstorm 230
Supreme Flexibility 218 Doorway 231
Sympathetic Link 218 Enervating Grasp 231
Telluric Enhancement 219 Fist of the Mind 232
Telluric Resonance 219 Force Cage 232
Three Moves Ahead 220 Gremlin Syndrome 232
Touch of Life 220 Halt Flight 232
Traversing the Impassable 220 Hot or Cold 232
Treading Death’s Path 220 Illuminate 233
Unmoored Perceptions 220 Intensifying Grip 233
Walking on the Water 221 Javelin of Will 233
Cognitive 221 Levitation 233
Annotated Bibliography 221 Machine Master 234
Brain Skimming 221 Manipulation Without Touch 234
Cloak of Dread 221 Mental Burst 234
Cloud the Mind 221 Mindhammer 234
Conversational Shortcut 222 Monsters from the Id 235
Direct Voice 222 Pareidolia’s Price 235
Disorient 222 Power Transfer 235
Doppelgänger 222 Psychic Accuracy 235
Dowsing 223 Psychic Conjuration 235
Dream Diver 223 Psychic Hand 236
Dream Transmission 223 Sleight of Will 236
Evil Eye 223 Seize the Puppet Strings 236
Friend from Foe 223 Strength of the Mind 236
Haruspicy 224 Stunning Pulse 236
Hive Mind 224 Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made Of 237
Hunter and Prey 224 Teledigitation 237
Hypnotic Sleep 224 Telekinetic Summoning 238
Labyrinth 224 Telepresent Relay 238
Marked Man 225 Thermal Event 238
Medium 225 Tremor Sense 238
Mental Crucible 226 Vanishing Act 238

TABLE OF CONTENTS 7
 CHAPTER SEVEN: Storming 269
STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE! 240 Submerged 269
Tight 269
Running in the Pulp Milieu 241 Traffic 270
Common Elements of Pulp Stories 241 Unstable 270
Sub-Genres Within Pulp 242 Creating Your Own Field Complications 270
The Isms 248 Antagonists and Threats 271
Anti-Semitism 249 Antagonist-Only Edges 271
Classism 249 Bad Influence 271
Fascism 250 Calling Card 271
Heterosexism/Homophobia 250 Elusive Target 271
Racism 251 Faustian Forges 271
Sexism 251 Field Reports 271
Flash of Genius 271
Socialism 252
Gears Turning 271
Planning for Scope 253
Helping Hand 272
The City 253 Infernal Industry 272
The Nation 254 Skirmisher 272
The Continent 254 The Boss 272
The World 255 Antagonist-Only Gifts 272
Home Base 255 Cruel Master (Momentary) 272
Building Encounters 258 Legions Upon Legions (Momentary) 272
Action-Adventure Encounters 258 Provocation (Momentary) 272
Intrigue Encounters 260 Quick Getaway (Constant) 272
Procedural Encounters 261 Threatening Aura (Constant) 273
The Anatomy of an Encounter 262 Extraordinary Powers 273
Using Complications 263 Alter Environment 273
Action-Adventure 263 Colony 273
Intrigue 263 Corporeal Escape 273
Procedural 263 Discorporate 273
Field Complications 264 Entrap (Type) 273
Flux Beast 274
Building Your Environment 264
Insubstantial Form 274
Acidic 264
Possession 274
Blizzard 265
Power Thief 274
Burning 265
Seeking the Sky 274
Crashing 265
Size 275
Crowded 265
Space Shift 275
Dark 265
Spawn (Type) 275
Dizzying Height 266
Telluric Construct 275
Extreme Temperature 266
Tunneling 275
Filthy 266
Unconventional Attack 275
Flooding 266
Unliving 275
Fortified 266
Variable Immunity 275
High Winds 266
Walking Disaster 275
Overgrowth 267
Minor Characters 275
Overstimulating 267
Agent Provocateur 276
Pursuing 267
Fascist Agitators 276
Rubble 267
Plucky Orphan 276
Ruined 267
Ponatowski Foundation Junior Fellow 277
Secured 267
Dangerous Threats 277
Sinking 268
Captain Anton Pitt and
Smoky 268
the Cachalot’s Hunger 277
Social Code 268
Cachalot’s Hunger 278
Speeding 268
Jackson Landry, Freelance Warmonger 278
Sticky 268
Metal Law 278

8 TRINITY CONTINUUM: ADVENTURE!

 Automatic Constables 279 APPENDIX: SETTING SECRETS 285
Ornithopter Hoplite 280
Raptors 280 Telluric Energies 285
Telluric Emanation 280 Untapped Potential 285
The Masked Thief 281 Parallel Dimensions 286
Inspired Antagonists 281 The Three Most Powerful Inspired 287
Doktor Manfred von Zorbo 281 Maxwell Mercer 287
Felicia Smith 282 Sara Kaur 289
Lady Lindy, the Queen of the Air 282 Michael Donighal 291
Mr. Abel 283
The Fate of Humanity 293
The King of the World 283
Preventing World War II 293
The Mechinatrix 284
Thirty-Seven 284 Strange Worlds 293
Mutually Assured Destruction 294

TABLE OF CONTENTS 9
10 KING OF THE WORLD                      
I: Brawl on Broadway!
THE SPARKLING Broadway audience
screamed as a dozen men in domino masks
stepped out of the crowd and into the lobby. Each
of them wore an ill-fitting tuxedo — likely rented,
based on how thin the fabric was from repeated
washing. Knives glittered and steel pipes slapped
into gloved palms as they stared at Lucy Hebron
with murder in their eyes. One of them screamed,
“Get into the theater, or I’ll cut every one of you”
in a thick Bronx accent, and the rich and well-to-do
of New York City tripped over each other to flee
the lavishly decorated theater lobby. A man in an
elaborate Venetian mask kicked a woman wearing
more jewels than I would see in a lifetime, just so
he could get into the theater before her.
As the rest of the crowd scrambled out of the
room, Lucy calmly kicked off her shoes and took
a stance I recognized from our frequent sparring
contests. A stocking-covered mahogany thigh slid
through the slit in her dress, muscled from decades
of training. “Cian,” she said, addressing me in a
brittle British accent while not taking her eyes off
her enemies, “be a dear and ask the bartender to
get me a drink. I’ll need it when I’m finished.”
“The bartender ran off with the rest,” I said.
I always hated how my dull American Midwest
accent sounded next to hers.
“Shame,” she muttered.
AN ÆON SOCIETY
ADVENTURE
I turned my cap backwards and put my own
fists up. “I bet this isn’t what you meant when
you said you wanted to fight crime,” I said. “I
mean, drinking booze and punching hoodlums in
the face just ain’t civilized.” I smiled at one of the
masked men, showing a lot of my teeth.
The tough from the Bronx stepped forward,
pointing at Lucy with a dull-looking dagger. Even
from here I could see it had scratches from a
lot of use. “You’ve been looking into things you
shouldn’t have,” he snarled. “And we don’t want
your kind around here.”
I saw Lucy subtly adjust her stance. “I do hope
by ‘my kind’ you mean detectives,” she said, her
voice dangerously low, “or I’m going to make you
eat that knife.”
He laughed, and casually switched the knife
from one hand to the other. “No, I mean all
you—”
We didn’t discover what he meant, because
at that point Lucy punched him in the eye. The
tough fell over, his scarred knife bouncing on the
theater lobby’s plush carpet.
“Anyone else got any smart comments?” I
asked, which is when they all attacked.
As soon as they moved, I slid to stand back to
back with Lucy. “Civilization is overrated,” she
said, resuming our interrupted banter. “Besides,
I learned a lot more than chemical tests and
studying footprints.”
                  AN ÆON SOCIETY ADVENTURE
“Oh yeah?” I said, as I lashed out with a fist.
I felt something pop in the man’s jaw. “I’m sure
he also taught you about talking nice to people.”
I heard a sound like celery snapping behind
me. “I’ve found the ancient art of baritsu is quite
effective in communicating my point,” Lucy said
as I dodged another fist.
“Ancient art?” I asked incredulously, as I knocked
a third man’s arm up. His grip on his blade slipped,
and I grabbed the hilt before it hit the ground.
“Baritsu was made up by some Englishman not
even fifty years ago.” I used the knife in my hand to
slash at the tough’s wrist, and he fell to the ground,
desperately holding his arm to staunch the blood.
With no more toughs standing in front of me,
I spun around to see how Lucy was doing. Five
of them were bloodied, unconscious, or limping
away from her. She had a sixth in a chokehold,
holding his lead pipe against his throat. “You’re
thinking of bartitsu, Cian” she said. Despite
having dispatched a half-dozen well-armed men,
she sounded like she was giving a lecture in a
drawing room. “The additional t is important to
differentiate the two.”
11
I punched the man she was choking in the
stomach, and he slumped to the ground in a
moan. “Ah, you’re right,” I said, grabbing the
pipe so I had the knife in one hand and the pipe in
the other. “It all sounds like Greek to me.”
“I think you’ll find Greek is….” Lucy trailed off
as she noticed the man she originally punched was
pulling himself up off the ground. “Perhaps we
should hold off on your lessons for now,” she said,
watching the man carefully. I held out the knife and
pipe, but she shook her head, instead balling up her
fists and shifting back into her original stance.
The man tossed a litany of profanity at Lucy.
She remained silent, but her brown eyes
hardened. I knew that playtime was over. I held
my weapons as she crept toward her opponent.
The light from the elaborate crystal chandelier
played off the white satin of her dress and her
russet-brown skin. Although I knew she was
in her forties, she had the glamour of a starlet
and the strength of a Turkish wrestler. She was,
without a doubt, the most brilliant woman I had
ever met, and I would gladly put my life on the
line for her.
12 KING OF THE WORLD                      
Not that I would tell her that, of course. I was just
a 22-year-old kid from Westchester still getting
his degree from New York Medical College. All
I had to my name was a boxing scholarship and
a few too many hits to the head. But one day she
was investigating the disappearance of one of the
students in my class, and she needed someone
who knew the area, so we were thrown together.
I admit I laughed when she reluctantly claimed to
be the protégé of Sherlock Holmes, but when she
discovered that the “missing student” was actually
next in line to the throne of an obscure kingdom
somewhere in Eastern Europe, I started to believe
it. She started calling me her “Boswell” (whatever
that is), and we’ve been working together — and
fighting together — for a couple of years now.
Lucy stared daggers at the tough. “If you’re
quite done with your inane insults, tell me where
the Black Carbuncle is.”
The tough squinted through his swollen eye and
grabbed his dagger off the ground. “You’re too late,
dame. By now, the jewel’s already been sold to my
boss, and then you’ll never get your hands on it.”
“Then give me the name of the thief.”
“Why would I give someone like you anything?”
She glanced at me, and I threw the pipe at his
head. He fell to the ground with a loud crash,
causing the chandelier to sway slightly. The
moment he hit the ground Lucy was next to him,
gripping his wrists both to hold him down and
check his pulse. He quickly started struggling,
thus proving he was still alive, although pinned
by Lucy’s iron grip.
“The name,” she repeated. “Or what they look
like.”
“Don’t know the name,” the tough said,
resigned to his fate. “But he was wearing some
kind of weird mask.”
“Lucy, I saw someone wearing an Italian mask
in the crowd just now!” I said. Lucy quickly
yanked the tough’s arms into a pair of handcuffs.
He called her something unmentionable, so I
kicked him in the unmentionables, and we ran
into the theater.
II: A Theatrical Tumble!
LUCY WAS HIRED to find the Black Carbuncle
a few days ago. It was stolen from Gloria Browne,
a rich widow from the West Coast who was living
in New York and searching for the next rich man
to sink her claws into. Lucy explained to me at the
time that the name is a misnomer — carbuncles
were usually red garnets. The Black Carbuncle,
however, was a very dark shade of red that
looked black and had a more sordid past. Stories
range back to the 12th century of carbuncles
used for illumination of sacred spaces, because
they glowed with an inner light, but this one had
been privy to more sinister events.
Of course, the only thing I knew about carbuncles
was when they supposedly look like eyes, as was
mentioned in Hamlet and Paradise Lost. I wouldn’t
be half surprised if she took the case specifically
because she didn’t get many jewel-theft cases and
wanted to emulate her mentor.
All this flashed through my mind as we ran into
the theater. The place was pure chaos: The aisles
were full of broken chairs, unconscious guests,
and even an abandoned wheelchair. Well-groomed
patrons in top hats and tiaras stood on cushioned
seats and screamed in horror, while the healthier
audience members attempted to climb onto the
stage out of some mistaken idea of safety. And yet,
in the pit, the orchestra played on.
In the middle of that crowd, stepping on a small
child’s head, was the masked man.
I jumped onto the row of seats in front of me and
started to jump from pew to pew. At one point,
while attempting to avoid a particularly violent
conflict between two old men with monocles, I
noticed Lucy wasn’t near me. I quickly scanned
the room and saw she had taken the wheelchair
and was rapidly rolling down one of the aisles
to the stage. I hurried past the two antiquarian
gladiators and climbed over the last few rows of
seats. By the time I reached the orchestra pit,
the thief had clambered onto the stage, with Lucy
in close pursuit.
“Stage left!” Lucy shouted as she ran after the
thief. I picked up on her cue and changed direction
to head to the backstage area. Unfortunately, two
women were standing in front of the door and
screaming at each other about who should go
through it first. Seeing me, a rough-looking lad
with a knife, they both screamed and passed out,
allowing me the opportunity to step over them
and make my way backstage.
Everything was dark, and it took me a moment
to dig out a box of matches and strike one so I could
see. The sound of heavy boots rang in front of me,
                  AN ÆON SOCIETY ADVENTURE
and I headed off in that direction, using stray beams
of moonlight and the occasional bare bulb to find my
way. Soon I passed the stage area, and Lucy joined
me, still running in only her stockinged feet.
“Seems like he’s getting away from you,” I
muttered.
“Not the time, Cian,” she said through gritted
teeth.
I shut my mouth and keep running into the
darkness. After a minute or two, I felt Lucy’s
strong grip on my arm, and she put a finger to my
lips. I stumbled to a halt, trying not to pant too
heavily. In the blackness ahead of me, I heard the
heavy boots start to clang on metal.
“The ladder!” Lucy whispered in my ear.
“Wait five seconds, then make as much noise as
you can running after me.” Before I could ask
her what she meant, she was gone. I counted to
myself (one Mississippi two Mississippi) and then
I ran after her, making the tread of my shoes as
loud as possible on the hardwood floors. In the
murky gloom I found the rusty metal rungs of
a ladder leading up to a catwalk high above the
stage, and I clanged up it just as Lucy’s foot
disappeared over the top. I raced up the ladder as
I heard Lucy call for the thief to stop.
There was a gunshot.
With my heart in my throat, I sped over the last
few rungs, and pulled myself onto the thin wooden
catwalk. Across from me was a thick, taut rope
stretched along the length of the platform, the
only handhold on this precarious perch. Ahead of
me I saw the man in the elaborate mask holding a
smoking pistol, and in front of him….
In front of him lay Lucy.
For a moment I thought she was dead. Our
quarry must have thought the same, as he
stepped up to her. It seemed he didn’t see me
in the murk and gloom of the stage, so I held my
breath as he stepped closer. Closer. Suddenly,
Lucy’s hand flashed out and grabbed his ankle.
She rolled backwards onto her feet, not letting
her grip go and causing the thief to fall to the
catwalk. The entire platform shuddered and
swayed with the impact. The gun slipped out
of his hand and clattered on the stage below,
causing some of the glitterati to flee the stage
they previously believed unassailable.
By the time I strode over to Lucy to help, she
had the thief in one of her impossible baritsu
13
elbow holds, which looked simple but was
extremely painful for the person on the other end.
I searched his pockets while the thief whimpered
and whined. Nothing.
I yanked his mask off and tossed it over the
edge. He looked like an average person with a
pinched face. “Where’s the carbuncle?” I asked.
He laughed. It was thin and weedy, like he was
running out of air. “Wh… what’s a carbuncle?”
he asked between chuckles.
Lucy put some pressure on his elbow, and
he screamed again. “I encourage you to be
obsequious, not obstreperous,” she said.
“What the what?” the man said.
“She means don’t be a four-flusher and talk
straight,” I translated. “You were here to sell
a gem. You don’t have it now. Did you ditch it
somewhere?”
“Already… already sold it,” he said. He wasn’t
laughing anymore. Now he was gasping between
the bolts of pain Lucy was sending through his
body with a single touch.
She leaned over him, carefully adjusting her
grip. “Who did you sell it to?”
The thief’s eyes blazed in the thin darkness.
“The King of the World!”
III: The Mysterious
Max Mercer!
THE CHRYSLER BUILDING was the world’s
tallest building. Until 1931, that was, when the
Empire State Building took the crown. But that’s
New York for you — as soon as someone in town
broke a record, someone else had to break it
better. Despite its new standing as second-best,
the building still looked impressive, a monolith of
Art Deco design stabbing the morning sky.
I slid out of the cab and held the door while Lucy
tossed a couple of bills at the driver. Her dress
was torn and stained from the night’s exertions,
but she had managed to reclaim her shoes and
cover the ruined dress with a long, dark coat. It
wasn’t fancy — Lucy wasn’t the kind of person
who went for mink — but it was waterproof and
durable, which she found far more useful. As I
slammed the cab door, the cabbie stuck his head
out of his window.
14 KING OF THE WORLD                      
“Hey, your woman short-changed me here!”
“The meter said a buck ninety, and you got two
bucks,” I yelled back. “Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll leave you both on the sidewalk next time
you bums need a ride!” The cab suddenly sped
off, leaving me with nothing but exhaust fumes
to deal with my frustration.
Lucy chuckled. “Leave him be, Cian. We have
more important business to attend to.” With
that, she pulled out a key from her pocket and
unlocked the glass doors. I heard the steady tick
tick tick of her heels on the marble floor as we
crossed to the elevator in the back.
The doors opened with a soft ping and I saw
Charlie the elevator operator carefully stand up
from his folding chair inside. “Morning, Miss
Hebron,” he said, giving a small bow. His curly,
snow-white hair contrasted with his umber
skin and the rich blue and gold of his uniform.
He looked like a decrepit old man, but I knew
better. His infirmity wasn’t from age, but due to
an injury he sustained several years ago while on
a mission. “All the way to the top today?”
Lucy gave Charlie a smile. “Good morning,
Charles. Yes, please. I have something Mr.
Mercer will want to hear.” He gave a quick nod
to her and pulled the lever. Charlie never said
“hi” to me, but that’s okay. I knew once Lucy
walked into a room, all eyes were on her, for
good or for ill.
We waited in silence as the arrow slowly slid to
the right, pointing at the top floor. Then Charlie
twisted the handle on the lever, and the elevator
shuttered, going up one more floor before finally
stopping. The door slid open to what looked like
a gentlemen’s study. Thick velvet curtains were
closed over the windows, so that the only light
in the room was a couple of small lamps with
stained-glass shades sitting on rosewood tables.
Near the tables were several padded leather
chairs, worn shiny from years of sitting. The walls
were in shadow, but I could just about see the long
bookshelves built into them covered in a wide
variety of books, journals, and reams of paper tied
together with ribbons. Above the shelves I knew
there were paintings of the founding members
of the group that operated out of this room, but I
couldn’t see them in the early morning murkiness.
“Top floor, the Æon Society,” Charlie said.
But he didn’t need to. We all knew. Even though
Charlie was permanently injured working for
them, he still had the same pride we all did
working for Maxwell Anderson Mercer.
Lucy put a couple of coins in Charlie’s hand
and strode into the room. She sat down heavily in
one of the padded chairs and opened the nickel-
plated cigarette box sitting on the table next to
it. She pulled one out and put it to her lips, and
I took one of my matches and lit it for her. She
smiled a little in thanks before inhaling deeply
and blowing a lungful of smoke into the air.
“Please don’t smoke in the study,” said a voice
from the darkness. “Besides, they’ll make all
this smoke-free before you know it, so better to
get into the habit now. I thought the protégé of
Sherlock Holmes would know better.”
Lucy inhaled again, letting the smoke escape
from her lips. “And yet I’m still doing it.”
“Presumably just to annoy me,” the voice said.
She smiled at that. “Presumably.”
Max Mercer chuckled and stepped into the
room. He was of average height, maybe a couple
of inches taller than me, but he was one of those
people you remember being tall after you talk with
them. He wore a dark blue suit with pinstripes,
and his matching tie was carefully done in a
Windsor knot. His thin black hair was slicked
back, leaving only a widow’s peak in the center of
his forehead. He stroked his thin moustache and
reached out to take Lucy’s hand — not to kiss it,
but in a firm handshake. Her dark skin contrasted
with Max’s, making me think of Charlie again.
“Glad you made it through okay,” he said
before taking a seat next to her.
“You sound surprised,” she said, letting go of
his hand. “I thought you knew everything?”
“You’re still sore about the radio show
contract.”
She waved the hand with the cigarette
dismissively. “Not really. I’m still not happy they
decided to call me ‘Lucky Lucy,’ but it is what it
is. You said the contracts were fine, but I should
have known that even the great Maxwell Mercer
can’t see the future.”
He chuckled and waved me over to a chair.
“Stop hovering, Cian. You might only be a junior
member of the society, but you are a member
just the same.”
                  AN ÆON SOCIETY ADVENTURE
I moved a chair closer so I could see the two of
them and pulled out my notebook. Lucy launched
right into the matter. “I lost the carbuncle,” she
said plainly.
Max frowned. “Disappointing, but not
unforeseen.” he said. “The Black Carbuncle is
vital to upcoming events and can’t fall into the
wrong hands.”
“So you keep saying. And yet, I still don’t know
why it’s so important.”
“Can’t you deduce it?” Max said. His tone was
light, as if joking, but he wasn’t smiling.
Lucy sighed. “Aside from the fact that the jewel
was cut three different times, each time reducing
its size slightly as new cuts became fashionable,
and the fact that it’s not a garnet as we typically
understand them, I know very little.” She took
another drag on her cigarette. “And please, don’t
give me any of that occult nonsense about it
having a significant connection to spiritualism.”
“Then I won’t,” he said. “Who has the gem
now?”
“Someone called the King of the World,” I said.
“Whoever that is.”
“The kingpin of kingpins,” Max said
automatically. “One of the most powerful
criminals in the West. One might consider him
to be…”
“Don’t,” Lucy warned.
“… the Napoleon of crime,” Max finished,
ignoring her warning with a grin.
Lucy rolled her eyes. “The King of the World
is not James Moriarty, nor any of his kin, nor that
of his two brothers. We’ve gone over this, Max.
My investigation into the King of the World has
turned up little, but I know at least that much.”
“Then let me give you something new to work
with,” he said, and pulled a thin envelope from
his jacket, handing it to Lucy. “It’s not much,
but I do have attendance list for the theater last
night. There are a couple of names on there you
might find interesting.”
IV: In the Dead of de Winter!
LUCY GROUND her cigarette out in the
nearby ashtray, and eagerly opened the envelope.
15
Her eyes flew over the single typewritten page,
scanning the names. Finally, she tapped a name
near the bottom. “There’s a box held for ‘the de
Winter family’.”
I shrugged. “So?”
“De Winter, de Winter,” Lucy muttered. “Why
does that sound familiar?”
I leaned back into the comfortable confines of
my chair. “Sounds like a three-pipe solution, old
chap,” I grumbled, in a bad imitation of Lucy’s
accent.
She snapped her fingers. “You’re right! As
always, Cian, you are a luminous conductor.”
“I’ll just assume that’s some sort of insult,” I
said, as she got up and opened the heavy curtains.
“Of course not,” she said, as the morning
sunlight stabbed into my eyes. “It simply means
you’ve reminded me of some copies of Holmes’
old files I’ve stashed here.” She started digging
through the bookshelves.
“I really should get around to organizing those
shelves one day,” Max muttered. “Never seem
to have the time.”
“How ironic,” Lucy said over her shoulder,
before giving a cry of triumph. I cleared off one
of the end tables to make room for the stack of
loose papers and hand-written notes she set
down. Carefully untying the ribbon, I could see
a sepia-colored card that read “de Winter” in
careful cursive writing.
“What does one of Holmes’ cases have to
do with a jewel theft now?” I asked. I tried to
read the pages as Lucy tore through them, but
it mainly looked like a lot of ancient newspaper
articles carefully clipped with cryptic notes like
“Theft?” and “Ask Lestrade” on them.
“Not one of his cases per se. The old man was
obsessive in keeping any interesting moments in
the news, in case it led to a case. His filing system
was idiosyncratic, but when he was teaching me
about investigation, he forced me to read all of
his files.” She skimmed another page and tossed
it aside. “A few things stuck as a result. Yes, it’s
all coming back to me now. After the turn of the
century there was a Lord de Winter who joined
London’s Club Caprice. But after the Great War,
he and his entire family — records only indicate
one surviving daughter — were blackballed from
the club.”
16 KING OF THE WORLD                      
“So, the old geezer didn’t pay his membership
dues. Why is that useful?”
She slapped a page down in front of me. It was
another clipped article. I recognized the typeface
as the one used by the London Times — Lucy
had started me reading the files as well — and
the title read DE WINTER CAUGHT SELLING
CHLORINE GAS. “Nothing so mundane,” Lucy
said, a smile of satisfaction on her face. “He
was blackballed because he sold poison gas to
the Germans. It seems our Mr. de Winter is a
ruthless businessman with very few scruples.”
Max carefully took the article from my hands
and glanced over it. “The motive certainly
tracks,” he said. “But why would a British
industrialist become a New York crime lord?”
On a hunch, I stepped over to the far corner,
where Max had the telephone installed. As I
searched, I could hear Lucy behind me. “I’m
not sure yet. Nor why he would switch to jewel
theft.”
“Seems like you should ask him,” Max said
thoughtfully.
“Oh yes, Maxwell, very good,” Lucy said
sarcastically. “And I suppose I should just look
the de Winters up in the phone book and give
them a ring. Or maybe I should look under C for
‘criminal mastermind’? The King of the World
doesn’t advertise.”
“Found it,” I said, brandishing the telephone
directory I uncovered.
Lucy stared at me, her mouth open as I handed
her the book. “There’s only a handful of Winters
in the directory, but there’s only one address on
the upper east side.”
“And why, pray tell, do you think this is the
correct answer?” Her tone was withering, full of
scorn, but I knew she was testing me.
I shrugged, trying not to look nervous under
her gaze. “Process of elimination. You said
yourself you haven’t found anything on the King
of the World, so there’s no reason to think Lord
de Winter would change his name — the news
you referenced was a London newspaper, so it’s
likely it didn’t get as far as the United States,
particularly since the scandal was after the war
was over.”
“A bit presumptive, but plausible,” Lucy said
carefully.
“Now, most Americans like me don’t know
what to do with things like ‘de’ or ‘von,’ so usually
they get added to last names or dropped entirely.
There wasn’t anything under ‘Dewinter,’ so
I looked to ‘Winter.’ And a rich ponce from
overseas wouldn’t live anywhere but the upper
east side.”
Max laughed and clapped his hands. “Excellent!
Well done, Cian.”
Lucy didn’t smile, but her tone was warmer
than before. “I can think of at least seven
different things wrong with your deduction, but
to be honest it’s the best lead we have. If nothing
else, we can remove this residence from our
consideration.”
I tore the page out of the phone book and stuffed
it into my pocket. “You don’t do compliments
much, do you Lucy?”
She walked to the wooden door that was
previously hidden in the pre-dawn gloom. “I’m
going to freshen up, and then we’ll explore
your dubious lead.” As she opened the door,
she turned around and smiled at me. “And who
knows? Maybe you’re right, and I’ll give you that
compliment you so desperately crave.”
V: Automotive Attack!
I PULLED the car around the corner, and Lucy
slid into the passenger-side seat. We had both
changed clothes; I was in a rough cotton button-
down and slacks with a pair of old leather shoes I
used for when I worked the docks undercover a
few months back. Lucy was in a tweed suit with
a skirt that went down to her calves and big black
buttons on the jacket all the way up to her neck.
In her white-gloved hands she held the de Winter
file, neatly rewrapped in the old ribbon. I double-
checked the address from the phone book, and
then the map, before shifting the car into gear
and heading off.
With motorcars appearing all over the road,
neither of us liked to drive unless a cab was out
of the question. Of course, the Society had the
kind of money to splash on a brand-new black
Bugatti Type 57, shipped right from the factory
in Molsheim, so if we did need to drive around,
we could do it with style, speed, and comfort. I
always drove, because Lucy never bothered to
learn how to drive, but I didn’t mind. With a car
like this, it was a pleasure.
                  AN ÆON SOCIETY ADVENTURE
The trip over to the Winter estate was short,
but it felt like a million years of dodging cabs
and jaywalkers. More than once, I had to blow
the horn because some numbskull dove out in
front of us like a drunk suicide case. Through all
of it, Lucy just smoked her cigarettes and stared
at her file. When we got to the upper east side,
Lucy stuffed the file into the glove compartment
and tossed her cigarette butt out of the window.
“Pull up short from the address,” she said. “I
want to watch for a while.”
I did what she asked, although I wasn’t sure
what she wanted to watch. The estate was more
like a mansion, sitting behind a high, wrought-
iron fence. There was a guy in a bad suit sitting
next to the closed gate in a tiny guard tower
almost as wide as he was. Nothing happened for
an hour, and then two more.
In the fourth hour, a silver Rolls crawled up
to the gate. In the front were two more guys in
bad suits, almost mirror images of the one by the
fence. The guard hopped out and opened the gate
like his life was on the line. As the car pulled in,
I saw a young blonde woman in a silk hat pulling
gloves off her hands — the car was too far away
to see much more than that. She turned her head
and noticed us sitting in the car. Lucy finished
another cigarette.
“De Winter’s romantic interest?” I asked,
watching the silver car pull up the driveway to
the mansion.
“Possibly,” Lucy said, not sounding sure of
herself. “I wish I had sketches or photographs
of anyone in the de Winter clan. They are an
infuriatingly secretive lot.”
“Well, if you’re trying to be a criminal
mastermind, it doesn’t do to have your face
splashed around in the newspapers,” I said.
The Rolls crawled back down the driveway.
The woman was gone, but the two toughs in the
front were still in the car. I stared at them, and
Tweedledee and Tweedledum stared back. They
had a short conversation with the gate guard, and
then pointed the Rolls at us.
“Are you packing your pistol, Cian?” Lucy
asked as we watched the Rolls roll up alongside.
I nodded, pulling it out of my right pocket.
“It’ll be a shame to have the car shot up,” I said
mournfully.
17
“Needs must,” she muttered, and smiled as
the silver car stopped alongside us.
Tweedledee, the driver of the Rolls, rolled
his window down and stuck his head out. He
motioned for me to do the same, and I did,
keeping the gun out of sight. “You folks lost?”
he asked.
“Waiting for a tow truck,” I answered. “Sorry
to be in the way by your house. We don’t want to
be any trouble.”
Tweedledee gave me an ugly smile. “No
trouble, Mack,” he said. Tweedledum stepped
out of the car, and before I could bring the pistol
up, he leveled a machine gun at me over the
hood of the Rolls. Tweedledee kept talking like
everything was nice and casual. “Just drop that
heater in your hand, and you and the lady step on
out, nice and slow.”
“Bother,” Lucy muttered. I put my hands up,
the pistol dangling from my finger, and visibly
dropped it. Slowly, the two of us stepped out of the
Bugatti. Within seconds Tweedledee had opened
the Rolls, slapping a sap into his open palm.
“There’s no need for violence,” Lucy chided.
“Not on you, Miss Hebron,” Tweedledum said
over the hood of the car. “The boss wants you to
join us in the house.”
“I do not go anywhere without my companion,”
she said in her frostiest tone. As if she wasn’t at
the business end of a Chicago typewriter.
Tweedledee shrugged. “Okay. But like my
partner says, we won’t lay a finger on you. The
same don’t go for your friend.”
I shifted the weight on my feet to leap for
Tweedledee, but the sap came down too fast. It
made a dent in my hat and my head, I saw stars,
and then the concrete hit me in the face before I
blacked out.
VI: The King’s Court!
THE RED SPOTS behind my eyelids receded,
and eventually I was able to pull them open with
a Herculean effort. What I saw wasn’t inspiring,
however. I was in a giant concrete room with high
windows, but I could only see an area around me
lit by a single naked light bulb hanging overhead.
I felt more than saw stacks of wooden crates
around me, but the floor underneath the light
18 KING OF THE WORLD                      
was clear, aside from a few chairs and a small
table. I could smell salt air from somewhere.
In front me were a half-dozen men. They wore
the bad suits of the guys in the Rolls, and the
masks of the attackers from the theater. We’ve
already seen your faces! I wanted to yell but
thought better of it. Particularly since I noticed
their machine guns, and the fact that I was tied to
some kind of hard metal cylinder.
Sitting in one of the chairs, looking bored, was
the blonde woman I saw in the Rolls. Behind her,
sitting in the shadows, was the figure of a man,
but I couldn’t make out much more than the fact
that he was large and wearing a nicely tailored
suit that was probably worth more than all other
suits put together.
“Where are we?” I said, unafraid of the cliché.
“Welcome back to the land of the living,” I
heard next to me. Turning my head, I could just
about see Lucy, tied up with me. “We’re in a
shipping warehouse in the Bronx, owned by the
de Winter family.”
The shadowy man slammed a heavy fist down
on the arm of the chair. “There’s no way you can
know that!” he said in a strong, American accent.
“You were blindfolded the whole time, and your
partner was unconscious. You’re bluffing!”
Lucy sniffed with irritation. “Aside from
the fact you’ve just confirmed my suspicion
with your outburst, it wasn’t hard to deduce.
The dimensions of the building indicate it’s a
warehouse, and the smell of salt air puts us close
to the sea, which means it’s likely a shipping
warehouse. Although I was indeed blindfolded, I
have lived in New York long enough to know the
turns of various streets. Given the time we spent
travelling and the turns we made, the Bronx is
the most likely candidate for our location.” She
jerked her chin at one of the masked men, who
had some plasters on his face. “Which, naturally,
coincides with the accent of one of the ruffians
who assaulted me last night.”
Said ruffian pointed his machine gun at Lucy.
“Let me kill her, boss.”
“No,” the shadowy man said. “You’ll endanger
us all.”
“How so?” I asked, struggling with the tight
ropes around my arms. “Afraid Lucy will kick
your boys around the block with both arms tied
behind her back?”
The blonde woman crossed her legs and started
filing her nails, while the shadowy man laughed.
“Hardly. But you will both learn the totality of
your failure before you die.”
I spat at the ground, but due to my sitting position,
it didn’t go far. “Cut the crap. You’re the King of the
World, and you have the Black Carbuncle. Why not
just kill us and get it over with?”
The blonde smiled at this and spoke with a
thick French accent. “It would not do to have
corpses outside my house, non? The police tend
to take quite the dim view of such things.” She
sounded bored, like we were discussing the
inconvenience of sudden rainfall, rather than
murder.
Lucy chuckled. “Ah. Miss Argentine de Winter,
I presume.”
Argentine inclined her head to Lucy. “Oui. I
am the daughter of Lord de Winter.” She put her
nail file away as the shadowy man gave a deep,
throaty laugh.
“Enough of this,” the man said. “Lady de
Winter is assisting me in my plans to take over
all of New York.”
“And how do you plan to do that with a single
gem?” I asked. I stopped struggling with the
ropes — they were too tight. “Sure, it’s rare, but
it’ll be hard to sell on the open market.”
“That is the first of your many mistakes,”
the man gloated, pressing the fingertips of his
hands together. “I have no desire to sell the gem.
Instead, it is central to our more… grandiose
plans.”
“What plans?” I asked.
“My associate’s father uncovered a strange
ritual during his time in Germany. One that
makes men’s minds susceptible to suggestion.
All it requires is the Black Carbuncle, a couple
of unwitting sacrifices, and an incantation we
have already translated. By this time tomorrow,
we will give ourselves to the great Baphomet,
and become all powerful!” A thick, stubby finger
jabbed into the pool of light, pointing at Lucy.
“What do you say to that, wench?”
Lucy yawned. “I’m surprised, Miss de
Winter. I did not expect a self-made woman
such as yourself to let a man do all the talking,
particularly such rubbish about magical spells
and occult rituals.”
                  AN ÆON SOCIETY ADVENTURE
The silence in the warehouse was deafening.
A thousand years passed in silence as Argentine
stared at Lucy. Finally, she reached into her
purse and pulled out a pistol that looked like
mine. It was mine.
VII: A Queen’s Tale!
“ALL RIGHT, Miss Hebron,” she said. Her
accent was much subtler, more authentically
blurred by time living in the United States. She
also abandoned her attempts to sound bored,
instead speaking with a cold intensity. “Let’s
hear it. Impress me.”
“I find it better to explain my deductions when
I’m not tied down,” Lucy said. As she spoke, I felt
her hand move near mine. The metal under us
vibrated slightly with her tapping, and suddenly I
realized she was tapping in Morse code. I tried to
look defeated while paying attention to the dots
and dashes.
“You’ll stay right where you are.” Argentine
said, pointing the pistol steadily at Lucy.
“Very well,” Lucy said. She continued to tap as
she spoke. I. H. A.
“Can we at least agree that all this nonsense
about occult rituals is nothing more than a flimsy
cover for your real goals?” she asked. “It’s really
quite embarrassing.” V. E. F.
“Silence!” the man yelled.
“Shut up,” Argentine said over her shoulder,
not taking her eyes off Lucy. She lowered her
voice, directing her words at the detective again.
“Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t
make it ‘nonsense.’ What is it your mentor said?
‘Eliminate the impossible, and whatever remains
must be the truth?””
“He also proved a ghostly hound was nothing
more than a mastiff under phosphorus paint, but
I take your meaning. Let us call it ‘science we
don’t yet understand’ and leave it be.” R. E. E.
“Then you may continue.”
“That man behind you is clearly an actor of
some kind. I spotted it right away — his touches
were far too theatrical, and not at all in line with
the calculating criminal mastermind I had come
to understand in my investigation.” D. M. Y.
“Perhaps my father is simply inclined to the
theatrical?”
19
Lucy laughed. “Is that supposed to be your
father? Ridiculous. His accent is all wrong for
a start. I have more French in my left toe then
in the entirety of that accent.” I heard the man
splutter in indignation. H. A. N.
“We have lived in America for a long time. As
you can tell, I have little trace of accent myself.”
“But you do have a trace. Again, the actor tries
too hard. His swallowed accent has more Boston
than Paris.” D. S.
Argentine’s eyes grew cold, but she said
nothing. I waited for a long breath, but Lucy’s
tapping had stopped. I puzzled the letters
together in my head, and quickly got it. I have
freed my hands. I tensed, waiting for my moment,
when the man in the shadows stood up. “My lady,
I did everything I could. I’m sorry I—”
Argentine spun around and pulled the trigger.
The man fell to the floor. I still couldn’t see his
face, but the blood slowly pooled into the light.
De Winter took a step back, away from the blood,
and pointed the gun back at Lucy.
“It seems everything I heard about you was
true. Well played. Tell me the rest.”
“You just murdered a man, for goodness’ sake!
Do you think this is a game? The master villain
against the great detective?”
She pulled the hammer back on the pistol, and
I saw the chamber click over, lining up another
bullet in the barrel. “Tell. Me. The rest.”
I glanced over at Lucy, but she closed her eyes
and turned her face away from the blood. “Your
body language,” she said quietly. “All the fiddling
with your nail file and crossing your legs were
cues to your actor. You’ve been working with him
for a while. Presumably you’re the person who
started the whole ‘King of the World’ moniker,
to throw everyone off the scent. If everyone’s
looking for a king, no one is looking for a queen.”
“And why did I stop my man from just shooting
you?”
Lucy stared at her. Her face was fixed,
immobile, but I knew the look. She didn’t know
and wouldn’t guess. That’s what I’m here for —
the wild jumps in intuition.
“Chlorine gas!” I blurted out. The pistol shifted
over to me, but the words were spilling out of my
mouth. “You and your father sold chlorine gas to
the Germans. Since the Great War, though, not
20 KING OF THE WORLD                      
many people want toxic gas. Makes sense you’d
still have some around. And if you shoot at us,
bang, either it explodes or the whole room fills
with gas, killing us all.”
Argentine smiled. “Smart boy. Are you the
new Watson?”
Lucy made a disgusted sound in her throat. “I
am not Sherlock Holmes.”
“No, you’re not Holmes. You’re nothing like
him.”
“On that we agree,” Lucy said. “I’m better.”
Argentine put the pistol back into her purse and
pulled out a stone. It was a dark ruby red, nearly
black, like the center of a thick pool of blood. It
was maybe an inch in length, and perfectly shaped
into a curved rose cut. “And yet here you are,
inches away from the very gemstone you seek,
about to die a slow, painful death. You crossed
my path, Hebron, and I want you to suffer for
it.” She gestured to the warehouse around her.
“This is a large room. Once I turn the knob, the
gas will slowly fill the available space. It will be
quite diffuse, so it will take a long time for it to
reach enough saturation in your lungs to kill you.
And the experience will be most unpleasant.”
I pulled on the ropes again. “You won’t get
away with this, de Winter!”
“Oh, thank you for reminding me, boy.” She
carefully put the gem back into her bag, closed
it tight, and then spat in my face. “I believe that
is yours.” She motioned to the men. “Turn the
knob and let’s get out of here. We have a ritual
to attend!”
VIII: Plane Panic!
I HELD MY BREATH until I could no longer
hear footsteps. I felt Lucy struggling next to me
as I leaned over to her. “Which hand is free?”
“My left,” she muttered, continuing to struggle.
“I really should train myself to be ambidextrous.
But it’s just about… aha!” She pulled her hand
free, and we both stared at it for a moment. Then
she got to work sliding out of the rest of the
ropes now that there was some slack. The room
started to look misty, and I couldn’t keep myself
from coughing.
“Almost there,” she said. She couldn’t push the
ropes over her head, so she twisted and slid her
body up against the cannister, trying to get them
over her hips. The mist grew thicker, and the
coughs were getting worse when I felt the ropes
fall off me, and a firm hand pulled me up. We half-
ran, half-stumbled through the gas. When Lucy
opened the door and we stepped outside, even
the salty air of the docks smelled sweet.
“Where… did they… go?” I gasped.
Lucy pointed at the silver Rolls pulling out of
the warehouse’s parking lot. “We need a car,”
she said.
I nodded. My head was finally clearing, so I ran
over to a two-seater with no roof sitting on the
side of the road. I hopped over the door, fiddled
with the mechanics, and within a few moments
it was running. Lucy opened the passenger door
and sat inside.
“Stealing a car now, are we?” she said, smiling.
“Max will pay them back,” I said, returning her
smile. I stepped on the accelerator, and the car
jerked into traffic.
When Lucy told me back when we first worked
together that she didn’t know how to drive. At
the time, I mentioned that I knew how. What I
didn’t tell her was that I learned it from driving
my father’s old beater in night-time races. I
figured she wouldn’t approve of my misspent
youth among “hoodlums and ruffians” as she
would say. But she never asked how I learned
to dodge cars at high speed as we raced through
the Bronx. She simply ducked down behind the
windscreen, keeping an eye out for the silver
Rolls.
Once she spotted the car, de Winter probably
noticed us, as the Rolls started weaving through
traffic as well. More than once we ran through
stop signs and red lights as we played chicken all
through New York City and out into Westchester.
Slowly but surely, I crept up. The Rolls had to
dodge everything in front of it in order to get
away, whereas I just had to stay behind the Rolls
and catch up.
As the chase continued, we made our way out
of the city and further north. There were fewer
and fewer cars around, making it easier for me to
get closer. “Cian, be careful,” Lucy said, the first
time she’d spoken since we got into the chase.
I glanced around quickly, to see what she was
referring to, but it turned out the problem was
right in front me. One of the men in bad suits
                  AN ÆON SOCIETY ADVENTURE
(now without his mask) was stepping out of the
car as it sped through the streets. He stood on
the running boards of the car, and another man
passed him a machine gun through the window.
“I don’t suppose you managed to find a pistol
anywhere,” I said, watching the gunsel nervously.
“Nothing of the sort,” Lucy said calmly. “Can
you ram them?”
I nodded, gritted my teeth, and pushed even
harder on the accelerator as I heard the first
shots. I heard several cracks, and the windscreen
turned into a mass of spider webs, obscuring our
vision. I ducked down behind the wheel and felt
the car shudder as it hit something hard. The
shooting stopped, and the body of the gunsel
rolled past me on the concrete. The machine gun
in his hands bounced and spun in the air, and I
ducked as it flew at my head and landed in the
back seat. Black smoke came out from the hood,
but I was still moving ahead.
Lucy slid down in her seat and commenced
kicking at the windscreen. After the third kick,
the glass shattered completely, flying over our
heads. The smoke stung at my eyes, and a few
21
stray pieces of glass scored my cheeks, but I could
see again. The Rolls was also slowing down, but
not as much as our car. The driver presumably cut
the wheel, as the smashed back end slid to the left
before the car turned into an airfield.
“An airfield?” I yelled, trying not to cough.
Between the gas and the smoke, my lungs were
getting a workout.
“De Winter’s trying to take off with the
jewel!” Lucy yelled back. “We need to stop her!”
She reached into the back seat and gripped the
machine gun.
“Hey, be careful! That thing might blow up in
your face!”
Lucy stood up in the car, braced the machine
gun against her shoulder, and fired a burst. I saw
the gun pull up and to the right, leaving a line of
bullets across the back windshield of the Rolls.
The silver car made another hard turn around
some buildings, and I followed suit. Lucy fell into
my lap.
“I can hear a plane starting up!” Lucy said in
my ear as she carefully stood back up. “We need
22 KING OF THE WORLD                      
to stop them!”
I yelled “Hang on!” and slammed on the brakes.
Lucy grabbed the frame of the windscreen in one
hand, holding the machine gun in the other, as I
fishtailed, the back of the car sliding to the right
with a squeal of rubber. Lucy, sensing what I was
up to, pivoted her body to turn in line with the skid.
Once the car came to a stop, she was pointed
over the right-hand door, away from the smoke,
with a clear vision of the silver Rolls. It was also
belching black smoke and rolling up to a large
plane. A ramp was descending from the rear, and
the propellers on both engines were starting to
spin with a loud throbbing sound.
Lucy pulled the trigger. More bullets spat.
The rear tires of the car burst like balloons at a
kid’s birthday party, and the car ground to a halt a
hundred yards from the plane. More men with guns
spilled out of the car. As Lucy sat down, I gunned
the engine again, driving perpendicular to the plane
so she could fire on them. A bullet splanged off the
windscreen frame near my head, and a couple more
chewed up the upholstery in the back.
I saw over my shoulder a blonde figure
running for the ramp, with a small purse over
her shoulder. A man in a flight suit was leaning
out of the plane, reaching out his hand. She was
moments away from escape. “She’s making her
way to the plane with the carbuncle!” I yelled.
“Get me closer!” Lucy screamed. She sprayed
more bullets, and a few of the men fell over,
clutching their stomachs. I jerked the wheel hard
to the right again, pointing it toward the plane.
I could hear the engine knocking and pounding
under the hood, like a child throwing a temper
tantrum in the playpen. The front end took a few
more bullets as Lucy carefully lined up a shot.
A single bullet. It raced out from the machine
gun, speeding to its target. Almost as if she
instinctively knew, de Winter turned and looked
over her shoulder. The bullet, racing for her back,
instead grazed her arm and the strap of the purse. It
tumbled to the ramp, bounced, and was immediately
jettisoned over our heads from the backdraft of the
engines. I could see de Winter stare at it. The man
in the flight suit screamed something at her, and
she turned to finish the run up the ramp.
Lucy pulled the trigger again, but all we heard
was a solid click. Disgusted, Lucy threw the gun
out of the car as we watched the King of the
World fly away into the blue sky.
IX: A Black Future
CHARLIE LOOKED US OVER as we stepped
into the elevator in the Chrysler Building. It was
the second time in a row we had come into the
building with torn and bloody clothing. It probably
wouldn’t be the last time, either. “Morning Miss
Hebron,” he said. “All the way to the top?”
“Good morning, Charlie. Yes, please.”
As the elevator rose, Lucy pulled the Black
Carbuncle from her pocket and stared at it. Now
that I wasn’t being threatened by violence and
poison gas, I could see that it seemed to have
an inner glow. The facets sparkled and gleamed,
each perfectly shaped as if the gem were cut
yesterday.
“That’s a real pretty stone, Miss Hebron”
Charlie said, twisting the elevator lever.
“Be careful,” I said, tired of being ignored.
“Sometimes something beautiful can hide evils.”
He gave a snort, and the doors slid open onto
the Æon Society’s study. Lucy gave Charlie a
coin as I stepped in and took my previous chair.
Once again, the curtains were drawn, but Lucy
quickly stepped to them and drew them open.
“You’ve returned,” Max said, lurking near the
bookshelves again.
“Do you ever sleep?” I asked, my mouth getting
the better of me as the adrenaline jangled inside
me after too many closeups with death recently.
“I imagine you just stand next to the bookcases
with your eyes closed. You’re even wearing the
same clothes as last time we saw you.”
For a half-second he looked confused, and then
he smiled. “Ah yes, the last time you saw me. I
was just about to change when I heard you come
in.”
Lucy grabbed a cigarette from the nickel-plated
box. I patted my pockets, but in our adventures, I
misplaced my matches.
Max pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the
cigarette. “You know, I’ve been meaning to tell
you that shouldn’t smoke in here,” he said.
“So you keep telling me,” Lucy said, blowing
smoke into the air. “And yet, I keep doing it.”
                  AN ÆON SOCIETY ADVENTURE
Max sat down in one of the chairs. “So you
have it?” he asked.
“If you mean the Black Carbuncle, I have.” She
tossed it casually over to Max, who deftly caught
it. He held it up to the light coming in from the
windows, and he watched the facets sparkle.
“Beautiful,” he said. “I can’t wait to hear the
story.”
“I’ll have Cian type it up for you,” she said with
a laugh.
I jumped at this. Sure, I aspired to be a writer
someday, and had even started writing some of
our adventures down, but I never mentioned
it to her. “I’m not your secretary,” I muttered
defensively.
Max patted my knee. “Come now. Why, I bet
your stories of Lucy’s adventures will delight and
entertain people for decades to come, just like
my friend Whitley Styles.” He put the jewel in
the pocket of his jacket. “But for now, it’s best if
this particular story stays quiet.”
Lucy blew out another lungful of smoke. “What
is the carbuncle, Max? Really?”
He looked at her carefully. “How much do you
know?” he asked.
“Only what you’ve told us,” I said. “Which isn’t
much.”
“It’s… complicated. But I think the best way to
describe it in a concise and satisfactory way is to
consider it a kind of asteroid.”
“Meteorite,” Lucy said automatically.
“I’m sorry?”
“Asteroids are rocks that stay in space.
Meteorites are ones that fall from earth. Unless
you’ve been to space and haven’t told me,
Maxwell, that has to be a meteorite.”
I stared at Lucy. “From space?” I said in shock.
“From very far in space, if I’m not mistaken,”
Max said. “This meteorite is like nothing else
on the planet. That alone makes it extremely
valuable.”
“Carving it into the shape of a jewel helps, of
course,” Lucy muttered.
“Of course,” he said. “Beyond that, it is
extremely important to key people.”
23
“Which people?” I asked.
“Let’s leave that be for now, Cian,” Max said,
smiling condescendingly at me. “Suffice to say
that the future is in safer hands now this is in our
possession.”
“As always, Max, you have managed to
answer my question without being in any way
informative,” Lucy said, grinding her cigarette
out in the ashtray.
I sank deeper into the chair, thankful to relax
for the first time in what felt like forever. “It’s
too bad your Moriarty got away,” I said. “I’m sure
we’ll see more out of that lot soon enough.”
“Your Moriarty?” Max said, with a devilish grin.
“Don’t start on that again,” Lucy said with
a growl. She opened the box to take another
cigarette, looked at it, and put it away again.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded, and looked at Max. “I just have
one question for you.”
“Of course,” Max said, clasping his hands in his
lap.
“Does it turn out okay?”
He smiled. “What do you mean?”
“I mean all of this. The Society. You. The
mission. Does it all turn out okay?”
“I think you mean will it turn out okay?” I said
carefully.
“I know what I said, and I’ll thank you to
refrain from trying to correct me, Cian.” Lucy’s
eyes bored into mine, but then she sighed, and
her gaze softened. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have
snapped. It’s been a long few days.”
“Indeed. You both should rest. Please feel
free to use the headquarters while you collect
yourselves.” He stood up, and walked to the
elevator doors, pushing the down button. Sensing
the conversation was over, we both got up and
started to make our way to the door leading to
the rest of the headquarters.
“Oh, and Lucy?” Max said over his shoulder.
“It’ll all work out in the end. I promise.”
Lucy smiled. “That’s all I wanted to know.”
24
 “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach
out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt

Welcome to Trinity Continuum: Adventure!, The 1930s are an age of unprecedented growth
a game about high-flying pulp action set in a slight- and change for humanity. Across the globe, archae-
ly more extraordinary version of our own 1930s. ologists and anthropologists uncover the secrets
In this game, you take on the role of the Inspired, of the past, discover cultures long hidden from the
people fundamentally changed by a strange en- rest of the world, and redefine human understand-
ergy that makes them more than human. The ing of history. Industrialization ushers in a new age
Inspired are luckier than the luckiest human, of prosperity and possibility for all people as labor
mental savants, psychics, mentalists, strong-men, that was once impossible transitions through be-
and in some cases, outright superhuman. Their ing merely achievable to becoming commonplace.
powers never reach the heights of a fully-fledged Scientific advancement shatters the boundaries be-
psion or nova found in Trinity Continuum’s oth- tween known and unknown, propelling humanity
er game lines, Æon and Aberrant, but they are toward an enlightened and prosperous future.
still superhuman, nonetheless. This is also an age of hardship and villainy. Much
of the world’s economy grows stunted in the throes
The Era of the Great Depression. In North America, drought
Adventure! is set in 1934, in a world that looks and poor farming techniques lead to the Dust Bowl,
similar to our own in that time period. But ten causing mass migrations, aggravating poverty in
years earlier, a massive event, later dubbed the the U.S. and Canada, and instigating a massive
Hammersmith Incident, created ripples through- food shortage. In East Asia and Australia, nations
out the world. Dr. Sir Calvin Hammersmith dis- struggle to work their way free from the chains of
covered a way to harness telluric energy, a vast the British Empire. For each country that slips the
energy source he believed existed in the space be- yoke of colonial rule, two fall to the invasions and
tween spaces. He created an engine that worked manipulations of colonizers. Colonialism and war
like a huge battery to harvest and store telluric en- spread across South America and Africa like a vi-
ergy. The first time he turned the machine on, at a rus. In Europe, the darkest force ever known rises
special event to show off his newest invention, the to prominence as Chancellor Hitler seizes power,
energy input was too great and the whole thing declaring himself Führer of Germany.
exploded. The resultant wave of telluric energy At the forefront of these events, profound and
created a cascade event that caused hundreds of terrible, stand the Inspired. The Inspired are
people worldwide to become Inspired. those rare few individuals who have been elevat-
Since that time, several organizations have aris- ed beyond mere humanity through Inspiration
en to investigate and understand the results of the to become something greater, instigated by the
Hammersmith Incident and telluric energy. Led Hammersmith Incident. Some become great he-
by the Æon Society and Maxwell Mercer, these roes acting in opposition to the foul forces and
groups span the world and work to help humanity terrible tribulations of the age. These adventurers
through better science and greater understand- rely on their gifts and abilities to stand against the
ing. They also fight off evil doers, protect inno- rising tide of darkness, performing amazing acts
cents from dangerous technologies, and investi- of derring-do in the pursuit of a brighter future.
gate strange places throughout the world where Of course, not all Inspired answer the call of her-
the barriers between dimensions are weakest. oism. Some use their gifts in the service of evil,

The Era 25
 POLITICS IN YOUR GAME
Games of Adventure! are set in a time where it is extremely difficult to ignore the
overall global politics. As you read through the setting chapters, you’ll see a lot of
information about how the global political situation in the 1930s influences Allegiances
and their actions throughout the world. This game is political. It’s impossible to not be
political when dealing with subjects such as righting wrongs, stopping evil-doers, and
generating hope in a setting inspired by our real-world history.
You can certainly ignore some political aspects of the time, such as the rampant racism,
sexism, antisemitism, fascism, colonialism, greed, and oppression. Feel free to pick and
choose which political aspects you want to include.

working to forward agendas of cruelty, greed, and action. Pulp stories in the 1930s covered a range of
hate. It is left to the Inspired heroes of the age to story types from science fiction to noir detective
rein in these villains, for few threats are as terrify- novels, but action always serves as connective tis-
ing as Inspiration turned to fiendish ends. sue between them. Even detective stories have mo-
ments of high adventure as the detective must fight
Hope her way through the toughs trying to stop her from
While Adventure! is a game about high-flying solving the mystery. Science fiction, weird science,
action and death-defying feats, those actions and strange tales, and even horror all have a place in
deeds exist in a greater context. The overall themes Adventure! which is rife with the strange, unex-
of Trinity Continuum are hope, sacrifice, and plained, and fantastical. Primarily, action should be
unity. Adventure! focuses on the theme of hope. at the forefront of games of Adventure!.
The other two themes are present in the Inspired While action drives the story in Adventure!,
era, but hope is brought to the forefront. While action doesn’t necessarily mean violence. A thrill-
games in Adventure! might explore the difficult ing chase, tense interrogation, or fast-paced in-
social and political topics of the 1930s, ultimate- vestigation can be just as action packed as a fight
ly the characters’ actions and the tone should be scene or shootout. Forward thinking, quick wits,
hopeful. There is hope for the future; hope for hu- daring, and grit drive the story forward no matter
mankind; hope for what may come next; hope that the setting.
doing good can profoundly change the world. Action and hope go hand in hand and action
Hope embodies not only the hope a charac- wins the day. Inaction, indifference, and an un-
ter might have for her future or adventures, but caring attitude are antithetical to what it means to
also the hope she spreads through her actions. be an Inspired character. Inspired characters not
Characters in Adventure! seek to fight against only care about doing the right thing, they can’t
evil organizations and restore order to troubled help themselves but to take action to help out oth-
areas. They seek out mysterious artifacts and ers. As long as the characters are taking action,
long-lost knowledge with hope to understand they should have a sense that they can win against
their powers and abilities. They hope they can whatever odds they are up against.
make the world a better place through their deeds
and actions, even if some of them have little hope How to Use this Book
for themselves. To play this game, you’ll need a copy of Trinity
Continuum Core. This book contains all the in-
Action formation you’ll need to create mesmerists and
Adventure! takes its inspiration from pulp novels stalwarts, two new Inspired types presented in
written about dashing heroes repeatedly saving the this game, but you’ll need the core rulebook to
day in daring adventures with adrenaline pumping create daredevils, the Talents of this age.

26 INTRODUCTION
Chapters
• Chapter One: Inspired Adventurers gives us
a history of what happened in the world to cre-
ate Inspired characters. It gives a breakdown of
each type from the point of view of the people
who investigate and study their kind.
• Chapter Two: A World of Adventure! pres-
ents the world as it appears in 1934. This chap-
ter introduces the world in all its Inspired glory
and details how it is slightly different from our
own world.
• Chapter Three: Allegiances explains the var-
ious groups that players’ characters might join,
and the antagonist groups opposing them.
• Chapter Four: Character Creation presents
rules for creating our three Inspired types and
how they deviate from the Trinity Continuum
Core’s rules for creating Talents.
Hope | Action | How To Use This Book
• Chapter Five: New Rules presents specialized
crafting rules for Inspired characters as well as
detailed Conditions, rules on how to interact
with Strange Places, and period appropriate
gear and items.
• Chapter Six: Gifts provides rules for the pow-
ers to which all Inspired character have ac-
cess, called Gifts. This presents all new gifts for
mesmerists and stalwarts, as well as providing
additional daredevil gifts appropriate for the
Inspired era.
• Chapter Seven: Storyguiding provides robust
instructions on how to run pulp adventures and
games set in our fictional 1930s.
• Appendix: Setting Secrets pulls back the cur-
tain on what telluric energy is, the lives of Dr.
Primoris, Maxwell Mercer, and Sara Kaur, and
gives ideas on how a game of Adventure! might
create alternate settings for Aberrant and Æon.
27
 Inspirational Media lacking, the aesthetics and over-the-top world
saving storyline are in perfect sync with a game
There is a wealth of pulp media you could con- of Adventure!.
sume to help you get into the mood to play a game
The Legend of Korra (Television, 2012-2014):
of Adventure!, from the actual pulp series of the
While this television series is focused more on
20s and 30s to the stories written since that time
the magical elements of element-benders, the aes-
in response to those original pulps, and the movies
thetics of Republic City are perfect to give a feel-
and television series inspired by them. The media
ing for the Adventure!’s setting. The radio voice
listed below are some bits of media we think are
recaps of each episode, and the mix of machinery
best to consume to understand the tone and mood
and magic are a perfect combination that evokes
of Adventure!.
this game’s atmosphere.
Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle: This is
The Mummy, film franchise: The Mummy fran-
a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Horror at Red
chise has a lot going for it as far as aesthetics, high
Hook” from the point of view of a black man. This
octane adventure, and people meddling in things
story turns Lovecraft’s tropes of racism, xenopho-
they really shouldn’t which provides wonderful
bia, and poor character development around with
inspiration for games of Adventure!. Keep in
a well-thought out and chilling tale that centers
mind that when characters are traveling abroad,
the black experience rather than showcasing it as
they are less likely to be the experts on any local
exotic or strange.
situation, and they should defer to native peoples
Detective L (Web series, 2019): This series is for all their “don’t let the mummy out” needs.
a Chinese take on the 1930s detective story as a
The Rocketeer (1991 film): Originally part of
Sherlock Holmes pastiche. The series follows a
a comic series written by Dave Stevens, the
young detective in the Shanghai police, Qin Xiao
Rocketeer is an American superhero and pilot
Man, and the special consultant Luo Fei as they
who fights crime. The 1991 film is set in the 1930s
solve crimes together. While we draw a lot of in-
where the stunt pilot Cliff Secord finds an experi-
spiration from Sherlock Holmes, this series por-
mental jetpack which embroils him with Howard
trays sleuthing from a completely different cul-
Hughes, the FBI, and Nazi secret agents who are
tural perspective. Also, the main character is a
all trying to recover the jet pack. From the story to
woman, which is always a plus.
the aesthetics, this film exemplifies what it’s like
Lovecraft Country (Television, 2020): This tele- to play a game of Adventure!.
vision series follows a cast of all black characters
The Shadow (1994 film): From 1930s pulp char-
who get embroiled with a secret society of wizards
acter by Walter B. Gibson, to comic books, televi-
called The Sons of Adam. This series turns the tra-
sion shows, a radio drama voiced by Orson Welles,
ditional mythos horror stories on their heads and
and at least five feature films, The Shadow is
often includes a sense of hope for the characters
one of the first masked vigilantes in pulp stories.
as they struggle to survive against terrible rac-
Half detective, half vigilante crime fighter, the
ists and eldritch horrors. We highly recommend
Shadow’s flair for action-packed scenes, myste-
watching this series, or reading the novel written
rious undertakings, and alternate identities make
by Matt Ruff. This show exemplifies our goal to
him a shoo-in for understanding Adventure!. We
make a game that moves away from the standard
recommend watching the most recent movie from
tropes of all-white, all-male casts of characters.
1994, but you can consume any of the Shadow me-
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004 dia as well.
film): The movie follows Polly the reporter and
Uncharted (Naughty Dog): This game series
Joe the “Sky Captain” as they try to save the world
follows Nathan Drake, a self-taught archeologist
from the devious Totenkopf who is trying to de-
and treasure hunter who seeks out ancient myth
stroy humanity and restart the world using DNA
and hidden secrets, often while someone else
from Adam and Eve. This film has everything
is seeking out the same mystery in a race to see
from strange science, killer robots, and zeppelins.
who finds it first. In nearly every instance, the ar-
While the plot is sometimes filled with holes and
tifact, lost city, or hidden treasure is supernatural

28 INTRODUCTION
in nature, sometimes otherworldly, and always Inspired: Someone whom the effect of telluric
dangerous to the point that Drake must destroy energy has changed fundamentally and is able to
the item before it brings harm to humanity. This manipulate it as a result. There are three types of
series is in the same kind of action-adventure Inspired: daredevil, mesmerist, stalwart.
game as Tomb Raider mentioned in the Trinity mesmerist: Someone who has been touched by
Continuum Core Rulebook, but we felt the style telluric energy and has developed vast mental ca-
of Uncharted fits better for Adventure!. pabilities and psychic powers.
stalwart: Someone who has been touched by
Lexicon telluric energy and has developed great physical
daredevil: Someone who has been touched alterations and the ability to manifest dynamic
by telluric energy and has developed extraordi- physical effects.
nary luck as a result. These are the Talents of the Strange Places: Areas of the world replete with
Adventure! era. telluric energy where fantastical lands and be-
Dixon batteries: Large containers that can ings exist. Some believe these areas are different
store small amounts of telluric energy for a short dimensions.
amount of time. Usually used to power telluric en- telluric energy: A type of energy that is highly
ergy superscience devices. active and can cross the barrier between dimen-
Hammersmith Incident, the: An event in 1922 sions. Telluric energy is a stable energy source, but
that caused a huge eruption of telluric energy into the as of yet, no one has been able to safely harness it.
world and sparking the advent of the Inspired Age.

Inspirational Media 29
 It’s not about where you were born. Or what powers you have. Or what you
wear on your chest. It’s about what you do… It’s about action
— Infinite Crisis, June 2006

The Inspired are rare individuals with the ability to manipulate telluric energy allowing them to
achieve superhuman feats. Daredevils manipulate this force subconsciously, their powers appearing
as extraordinary luck or skill. Mesmerists manipulate telluric energy with their minds, exerting a will-
ful control of this strange force. Stalwarts undergo physical changes resulting in incredible strength,
speed, stamina, and elemental control.

THE HAMMERSMITH INCIDENT

On July 21, 1922 in the West London estate of
Doctor Sir Calvin Hammersmith, the Inspired
were born in a fiery blast of telluric energy.
Hammersmith’s experiment was intended to il-
lustrate the potential of telluric energy as a per-
petual energy source to a select group of hand-
picked scientific minds, artists, and journalists.
Instead, the experiment unleashed these forces,
bathing those present in strong telluric waves and
working irrevocable change upon the world. The
Hammersmith experiment and the energies it re-
leased created a watershed moment in human his-
tory. Telluric energies washed over the world, un-
locking the potential for Inspiration in humanity.
The group of scientists, scholars, and
Hammersmith’s staff present at the Hammersmith
estate to witness the experimental telluric engine in
use were all affected by the blast. These scholars, at
the epicenter of the massive release of telluric energy,
were the first of the Inspired. While Dr. Hammersmith
died in the explosion that destroyed the telluric en-
gine, his guests became the vanguards of the Age of
Inspiration. Their exploits, adventures, and insight
into the nature or telluric energies have shaped the
Inspired world nearly as much as the incident itself.
Apart from Doctor Hammersmith, multi-mil-
lionaire philanthropist Max Mercer, wunderkind
physicist Michael Donighal, and Hammersmith’s
laboratory assistant, Sara Kaur, were exposed
to the most intense and direct dosages of tellu-
ric energy released in the explosion. This direct
exposure at the source of the telluric engine un-
locked incredible potential in these three, making
them the most powerful and unusual Inspired this
age would know. A daredevil, stalwart, and mes-
merist, respectively, the abilities of this trio rep-
resent the theoretical pinnacle of what is possible
through each of these paths of Inspiration.
Telluric energy bathed the others at the demon-
stration as well, though to a far lesser degree than
Mercer, Donighal, and Kaur. Hammersmith’s
staff, including his assistant engineer Professor
Benjamin Franklin Dixon, Dixon’s then wife and
co-worker Dr. Hephaestia Geary-Wexler, and
Hammersmith’s butler, Jackson Harley were
all present. Working with Hammersmith in the
months leading up to the explosion had granted
them some inkling of what telluric energy was
capable of, but nothing could have prepared them
for the changes wrought by exposure to this bi-
zarre force. Each found Inspiration that day, with
Dixon and Geary-Wexler becoming stalwarts and
Jackson Harley gaining the abilities of a mes-
merist. Doctor Manfred von Zorbo and Imam
Khwarazmi ibn Abi Tirmidhi were also in atten-
dance, both of whom became mesmerists and
both of whom became particularly unhinged in
the face of the unlocked potential of telluric en-
ergy. Their fears combined with newfound power
would lead both men, once great thinkers with a
mind for the greater good, down dark and terrible
paths in the years to come.

The Hammersmith Incident 31

 Beyond the realm of pure academia,
Hammersmith invited a small group of me-
dia representatives to bear witness to the ca-
pabilities of the telluric engine. The Australian
poet Rose Gleeson was invited to witness what
Hammersmith promised would be “enough mir-
acle and wonder to fuel the muse for a dozen life-
times.” Though Gleeson was only 19 years old at
the time of the tragedy at Hammersmith’s estate
she had already published a series of poems and
essays entitled “Gears of the Dream Machines.”
Hammersmith had received a copy the Christmas
prior as a gift from Sara Kaur. Impressed by
Gleeson’s ability to leap back and forth in her
work between optimistic futurism and existen-
tial fear, Hammersmith suspected that Gleeson’s
exceptional Gifts for word selection and meter
would help convey the wonder of the telluric en-
gine to the layperson.
In addition to Gleeson, Hammersmith also
invited a young investigative journalist named
Helen Perkins, from the United States of America,
to come write the first article that would intro-
duce the world to the wonders of Telluric Science.
While his prediction was somewhat accurate, he
did not foresee that Ms. Perkins’s article would
include his own obituary and an account of the
destruction left in the wake of the demonstration.
32 CHAPTER ONE: INSPIRED ADVENTURERS
Nor did he expect the degree to which Ms. Perkins
would become involved in chronicling the influ-
ence of telluric energy on the world in the years
to come.
The telluric engine explosion, and the subse-
quent inferno, killed several attendees. While
Hammersmith sacrificed himself to shut down
the machine to contain the chaos, most of the sur-
vivors evacuated immediately. As they began to
run out of the building, Mercer noticed two peo-
ple trapped beneath a burning wooden beam. He
darted away from his associates to free the trapped
survivors. While the rest of the group caught their
breath in the relative safety of Hammersmith’s
lawn, Mercer guided the survivors out, then
turned and rushed back into the building over
Donighal’s protests. Three more survivors stum-
bled free in the subsequent minutes, but Max was
not among them.
Terrified for his friend, Michael ran into the
building and began searching. Much to his sur-
prise he appeared to be unaffected by the flames
and smoke. His breathing was not impeded despite
the ash, chemical clouds, and airborne detritus
floating throughout the building in the aftermath
of the blast. When he focused, he found he could
see through the miasma, as if his eyes were able to
filter out the interference of the smoke. The heat
 WHAT IS INSPIRATION?
Inspiration is the measure of an Inspired’s ability to access, control, and store telluric
energy. Through Inspiration, these heroes and villains can perform incredible deeds,
access unbelievable power, and alter probability itself to produce favorable outcomes.
Inspiration sets the Inspired apart from — some say above — humanity.

of the fire was so intense that it dried Donighal’s
tears of panic no sooner than they appeared on his
cheeks, yet his skin reported no pain and refused
to display the slightest scorch. These revelations
shocked him momentarily, but the thought of his
missing friend trapped in flames brought him
back to his senses. Michael spotted nearly a dozen
bodies buried in rubble. Calling upon newfound
strength, the nascent stalwart moved aside the
wreckage of the manor to check each body, barely
registering when his own suit caught fire, but Max
was nowhere to be found. There was simply no
evidence of him, as if he had vanished into thin air.
The Last Twelve Years
In the months that followed, Michael Donighal
— now styled as Doctor Primoris — and Maxwell
Mercer’s other friends and associates scoured the
globe for any clue or sign of what had become of
the millionaire. Despite intensive investigation
utilizing not only the vast financial resources of
Mercer’s connections, but also leveraging the new-
found abilities awakened within Donighal and sev-
eral others, no evidence presented itself until six
months later when Mercer suddenly appeared in
Primoris’s office. What they did discover, howev-
er, was an increase in unusual events and people
displaying strange superhuman abilities such as
those gained by the witnesses at the Hammersmith
explosion. Proximity to the experiment in neither
time nor space seemed correlated to new moments
of Inspiration. Inspiration seemed to be occurring
all over the globe, even in places deemed remote or
unreachable. There was no denying that a new age,
the Age of Inspiration, had arrived!
Though a minority in the overall population,
Inspiration had proven common enough in those
initial months to permit some basic understand-
ing and classifications of their abilities. While
Doctor Primoris and Sara Kaur quibbled in their
attempts understand how these folks were ma-
nipulating telluric energy, it was Whitley Styles,
the protégé and former ward of Maxwell Mercer
who devised the common terms used to classify
the Inspired. Now, over a decade into the study of
telluric sciences, both scientists have a greater un-
derstanding of Inspiration and telluric energies.
While the causes and effects of their abilities have
been classified, reclassified, and sorted out over
time; the initial names Styles gave the Inspired
have stuck. Daredevils are lucky, skilled, and sub-
tle. Mesmerists use the power of the mind to af-
fect the world around them by redirecting telluric
energy through force of will, be it through telepa-
thy, illusions, or manipulation of energy. Stalwarts
channel telluric energy through the body, per-
forming feats of superhuman speed, strength, and
stamina, and perceiving the world in ways far be-
yond the capabilities of normal folks.

The Hammersmith Incident 33

 Daredevils
They say fortune favors the bold, and this is no truer than when speak-
ing of daredevils. Daredevils connect to telluric energy in subtle but
profound ways that impart them with fantastic luck. Bullets might
bounce off the iron hard skin of a stalwart, but that
same gun aimed at a daredevil

misfires or misses its mark

entirely. Where a mesmerist may cloud the
mind of a bouncer to make his way past the hu-
man obstacle into a private club, the daredevil
just flashes a warm smile and a quip, talking her
way through the door as if greeting an old friend.
Daredevils appear to be possessed of the most favorable luck one per-
son can possess. Everything they do is touched in some way
by lady luck. Even when one seemingly has no control over
how things will go, the odds are in her favor. The most out-
standing daredevils trust in their luck like no other, knowing
without a doubt that fortune favors the bold, and they take
that to heart in the most outstanding ways.
Apart from their remarkable fortune, daredevils fre-
quently exhibit abilities at the razor’s edge of human
perfection. A daredevil inventor can realize technol-
ogies that experts believe to be theoretical at best,
and a daredevil athlete can routinely perform re-
cord-setting feats of strength or speed. Those who
focus on oration can command the attention and
sway the opinions of the rowdiest and most hostile
audience, and a daredevil pilot at the controls of a biplane
can perform death-defying feats of aerial accomplishment
that beggar the capabilities of the average pilot.

Sublime Manifestation
The Gifts employed by daredevils rely on telluric ener-
gy to function, but do not interact with the world in a di-
rect, measurable fashion. Many daredevils are unaware
of their own Inspiration. A moonshine runner in ru-
ral Georgia might have a penchant for outrunning

34 CHAPTER ONE: INSPIRED ADVENTURERS

 The daredevils remain the most elusive to define. Try as I might, I cannot
quantify the telluric energy input used when a daredevil’s luck triggers. Half
the time, I don’t even know when it has happened myself. The most frustrating
thing is that simulating it in a scientific setting is near impossible. When they
know what is about to happen is just a test, they rarely react at all. It’s clear
to me they can’t control what happens on a conscious level, and when they try
to control it is when it is least likely to happen.

the law, dumping road hazards in his wake while
driving down dirt roads, and never realize that
Inspiration is at work. A deadly sharpshooter
might attribute her unerring accuracy in even
the most distracting and difficult conditions to
years of training, ignorant of the fact that telluric
energy has enhanced her skills. Most daredevils
report no real difference in how they feel or per-
ceive the world on a daily basis after
Inspiration strikes.
While they might feel physi-
cally unchanged by Inspiration,
many daredevils report
feeling more compe-
tent at all their tasks
than they were be-
fore. While many chalk
it up to years of training
and practice finally pay-
ing off dividends, the
wily daredevil knows
that her power over
the mundane is more
than just dumb luck or
practice. She no longer needs to
practice to reach perfection, and
many mark that moment as the
moment they knew there was some-
thing different about them. While they
might not know it was Inspiration that struck
them, they do know something is different.
While Maxwell Mercer is, in essence a daredev-
il, his ability to interact with probability, fortune,
and the flow of time itself beggars that of others
of his kind. Doctor Primoris theorizes that Max’s
innate intelligence and unparalleled willpower
are just as responsible for these manifestations as
the immense dosage of telluric energy Mercer was
exposed to at the Hammersmith Incident. Max
often brushes aside concerns regarding the true
nature of his abilities as being a distant second to
the Æon Society’s goals of preserving hope and
seeking unity for the future of humankind. When
pressed on the issue, Mercer simply
acknowledges that postponing his
own diagnosis and research is a
sacrifice he is willing to make for
the greater good. Despite his
reluctance to spend
too much time in the
laboratory having his
capabilities measured
and catalogued, Mercer
happily dedicates a small
fortune to the work of
Doctor Primoris, Sara
Kaur, and any oth-
er scientist of repute
who investigates the
true nature of daredevils and
their mysterious interactions with
telluric energy.
Notable Daredevils
As mentioned above, Maxwell Mercer is the
prime and peak example of a daredevil. Though
he has managed to keep the ultimate expression
of his powers a secret from all but his closest al-
lies, few who know anything about telluric the-
ory question Max’s incredible luck, remarkable
skill, and uninterruptible poise as anything but

Daredevils 35
 UNDERSTANDING DAREDEVILS
Daredevils, a moniker coined by Whitley Styles to represent those who manipulate tel-
luric energy to produce fortunate events and exceptional displays of skill, are in actuality
the Talents presented in Trinity Continuum Core. Throughout the history of the Trinity
Continuum, scientists have spent a great deal of effort trying to quantify and understand
the Gifts and Dramatic Editing used by these individuals. While some Inspired come
to understand the basic principles of telluric energy in this era, the full implications of
Flux and the impact it has on Talents is largely beyond the understanding of even the
Inspired. For more information on Talents see Trinity Continuum Core pp. 151-154.

the marks of a daredevil. Aside from Mercer, long after a lesser man would have packed it in to
several daredevils have risen to prominence as seek out a quiet retirement. Tallon is certainly not
adventurers and adversaries in the years since alone with regard to the elderly finding Inspiration.
the Hammersmith explosion. Jake Stefokowski, As with all forms of Inspiration, daredevils
pilot extraordinaire, is a daredevil who uses his come to power regardless of moral character or
abilities to augment his impressive barnstorming righteousness. Notorious outlaw Scalper Dutch
skills and death-defying sky stunts. Annabelle Lee had achieved infamy and faded to obscurity long
Newfield, known as Crackshot to her colleagues, before Hammersmith’s explosion. A notorious
is arguably the deadliest person on the planet with gunslinger in the Old West, Dutch disappeared
any ranged weapon. From a pistol to a penknife, for a time when law and civil folk became too
if it can be fired or flung, Crackshot can apply the common and took the fun out of being a cow-
incredible efficacy of a daredevil when taking aim. boy. No one is sure where Dutch went when he
Renowned investigator Lucy Hebron augments left Arizona, but he reemerged shortly after the
her powers of deduction and proficiency with bar- Hammersmith Incident, returning to the dastard-
itsu martial arts with Inspired prowess. The expe- ly deeds and criminal aspirations of his younger
riences from a lifetime of training are augmented days. War criminal, terrorist, former U.S. Senator,
by Lucy’s status as a daredevil. and sedition leader E.W. Caldwell has turned his
Safari Jack Tallon serves as living proof that Gifts as a daredevil to the foul ends of trying to
Inspiration knows no limitations of age. Already a create a globe-spanning American empire.
seasoned adventurer and explorer with decades of
experience under his belt when Hammersmith ac-
Moments of Inspiration
tivated his ill-fated device, Jack Tallon’s Inspiration The circumstances that Inspire daredevils,
as a daredevil has kept him in the adventuring game like everything else about these remarkable

The power of a daredevil should not be discounted. While they do not have the raw brawn
and physicality associated with a stalwart, or the mental aptitude of a mesmerist, their
uncanny ability to come out of every situation unscathed and somehow better off than they
started is undeniably powerful. Their powers seem to enhance their training and natural
proficiencies, which makes it all that much more confusing that they cannot train them-
selves to use their powers proactively. So far, it seems only Max Mercer has any kind of
control over it, and even his control takes a very specific form.

36 CHAPTER ONE: INSPIRED ADVENTURERS

Inspired, are difficult to quantify. Many dare-
devils do not acknowledge or realize the truth of
their Inspiration. As there is no conscious effort
needed to use their abilities, many daredevils just
believe what the evidence of their adventures in-
dicates: they are just very skilled and incredibly
lucky.
Most daredevils gain their moments of
Inspiration while adventuring or taking a risk.
Of all the Inspired types, daredevils are more
likely to have a chance birth, born Inspired and
never realizing it. While it is difficult to quanti-
fy the moment a daredevil goes from a normal
person to a supernormal person, several telluric
theorists have tried to at the very least quantify
the existence of daredevils. Beyond the notable
daredevils with extraordinary lives, many others
are fly below the radar, never discovered by the
Allegiances who have dedicated themselves to
finding and recruiting those who are Inspired.
A daredevil uses their abilities unwittingly,
often without thought or expression, but when
they turn that exemplary luck or skill to a task,
they make changes in the telluric field that
surrounds everyone. This is especially notice-
able in telluric hot spots or zones where telluric
energy has pooled. If a daredevil makes ripples
in the telluric field in a normal area, in telluric
hot spots they make waves. This phenomenon
was first reported by Doctor Primoris, but others
telluric scientists have reported similar observa-
tions. Sara Kaur has theorized that many dare-
devils meet their moment of Inspiration within
telluric hot zones, but so far has been unable to
prove this theory, or even test it.
Only those who came to Inspiration due to
exposure to the Hammersmith Incident either
directly or indirectly, and those who recognized
their extraordinary luck after a moment of ex-
treme duress can truly say when they reached a
moment of Inspiration. The daredevils them-
selves have inaccurate memories of where they
were, or what they were doing, but do recall that
extreme stress and a moment of pressing decision
led to an unexpected outcome and ever since they
have been better and luckier than ever before.
Self-reported moments of Inspiration are rarely
accurate, but it is the best anyone who studies the
daredevil can hope for.
Daredevils 37
 Mesmerists
Mesmerists
are those indi-
viduals Inspired
with psychic
ability. This allows
the mesmerist to ma-
nipulate telluric energy
through mental acumen
and force of will. This form
of Inspiration grants the abil-
ity to perform stunning mental
feats. A mesmerist can open silent mental communica-
tion with another individual, read the minds and thoughts
of others, affect the moods and feelings of those around her, and even
control the actions of another like a puppet! Mesmerists can also exert
mind over matter, moving objects with their minds, controlling the am-
bient temperature in an area, even setting or dousing fires. Some mes-
merists can conjure objects from distant places and exert fantastic
control over their own bodily functions to withstand dangerous en-
vironments, toxic chemicals, or contact with other hazardous ma-
terials. The limits of the mesmerist seem to be the imagination,
the mind, and the ability to will something into being.
The mind is the seat of a mesmerist’s power and the tool with
which they shape the world. A mesmerist’s thoughts, concentra-
tion, and will guide the telluric energy she manipulates with her
Gifts. This is not something that happens on a subconscious lev-
el as with daredevils, nor is it a purely physiological change such
as the superhuman abilities expressed by stalwarts. Mesmerists
are conscious, aware, and purposeful in the application of their
Inspired abilities by necessity. An unconscious stalwart with bul-
letproof flesh is still bulletproof, but an unconscious mesmerist
who can stop a bullet in midair with her mind is as helpless
as the average person against such an attack.
Mesmerists can also channel their Gifts into the cre-
ation and maintenance of Super-Science devices and
Artifacts, which push beyond the boundaries of that which
the un-Inspired are capable. To an outside observer who is
not intimately familiar with the study of telluric energy, a
mesmerist’s invention and a stalwart’s invention are all but
indistinguishable from one another. Both draw on mysterious
energy in a way that the layperson simply cannot understand.

38 CHAPTER ONE: INSPIRED ADVENTURERS

 The mesmerist’s mental abilities are astounding to be sure, but so too are those of stalwarts
whose mental capacity has increased. These lesser cousins to the stalwarts are only limited
by their own imaginations. Experimentation with their power proves my theory that they
interact with telluric energy that exists around them, meaning that as long as the energy
exists, they have a nigh endless source from which to draw and manipulate. They too could
be more than they are right now though, why hasn’t any other achieved apotheosis?

Only the Inspired themselves can tell the differ-
ence, and even then, typically only when aided by
specialized equipment or unique Gifts. Mesmerist
Inspiration, when directed to technological ends,
can achieve utterly remarkable outcomes that bend
the mind and expand the horizons of humankind’s
capacity for invention. Doctor Manfred von Zorbo,
now known to the public as the Tyrant of the Skies,
is but one of a host of mesmerists who rely on
Super-Science to channel their Inspiration. It
is through Doctor Zorbo’s Gifts that
he can create and maintain
his army of zeppelins and the
weapons they carry. Even
these impressive creations
are dwarfed considering
his masterpiece: the
flying fortress he
calls the Eyrie. To
scientists unable to
access or manipulate tel-
luric energy, the creation
of such an immense flying
machine seems impossible,
but through Inspiration,
dedication, and a desire to
push humanity to the next threshold of in-
novation (or in Doctor Zorbo’s case: To the Sky!)
the impossible becomes little more than a mile
marker on the path to realizing the full potential of
one’s theories.
Moments of Inspiration
Any number of circumstances can lead to the
moment of Inspiration for a mesmerist. Some
mesmerists unlock their potential through in-
tensive study, research, or mental exertion in the
pursuit of a great enigma. Sara Kaur postulates
that the intensity of concentration and mental
engagement that comes along with such pursuits,
especially when sustained over an extended peri-
od of time, can stress the latent mesmerist’s mind
enough to trigger Inspiration. She concludes this
comes either as a defense mechanism, or in a des-
perate subconscious bid to force a breakthrough
with the conundrum at hand. Conversely, Doctor
Primoris theorizes that mesmerists who find
their Inspiration through protracted study
may have become Inspired at
an earlier date through an
alternate, more traumatic
method. Such Inspired, he
believes, carry their po-
tential surreptitiously
until such time as they
are comfortable (or,
once again, uncom-
fortable) enough to
consciously utilize their
Gifts. A prime example of
a mesmerist who unlocked
their potential after years of
study and introspection is
Whitley Styles, former ward,
and close associate of Maxwell Mercer,
and founding member of the Æon Society. In
his youth, Whitley had been abducted and brain-
washed by a cult. Though Mercer eventually freed
him, it took years of study, discipline, and prac-
tice to undo the damage that had been done and
reassert his own personality in the wake of the
terrible ordeal. It was that process which calci-
fied Whitley’s potential as a mesmerist. Telluric
energy washing over the world in the wake of the
Hammersmith event simply activated the poten-
tial that had sat dormant in Whitley for years.

Mesmerists 39
 An interesting and not altogether uncommon mo-
ment of Inspiration is via massive exposure to tellu-
ric energy. This is especially likely if that energy is
being wielded by a mesmerist or through a device
designed by a mesmerist. This seems to be an area
in which the theories of Kaur and Primoris overlap,
and of all the methods of Inspiration, it is certain-
ly the most easily studied and verified approach, if
not the most common. It is for this reason that Sara
Kaur cautions mesmerists to take great care when
using their Gifts directly on the un-Inspired, and it is
for this same purpose that Doctor Primoris actively
advocates for the flagrant and liberal application of
these abilities toward the public. To Primoris’ mind,
this is a path to jumpstarting an evolutionary leap
beyond the dreams of Darwin and his adherents.
When done in the field, this sort of Inspiration
can be traumatizing, harmful, and potentially
deadly. While these risks all exist in the laborato-
ry as well, safety protocols and extensive moni-
toring is in place to mitigate these consequences.
This means of Inspiration is how Sara Kaur gained
her considerable Gifts as a mesmerist, as she was
effectively at ground zero of the Hammersmith
Incident. Having survived such direct exposure to
unfiltered and condensed telluric energy, she has
repeatedly noted that she would not recommend
the experience. She also makes it a point when lec-
turing on telluric theory to note that more mesmer-
ists Inspired at the Hammersmith Incident than
any other Inspired type have lost their morality.
This has led her to believe that gross overexposure
to potent telluric energy may have greater instanc-
es of undesired effect on mesmerists. If this is the
case, she theorizes that this is due to the inherent
connection between the mesmerist’s mind and
the processing of telluric energy. As a result, she is
not eager to experiment directly on mesmerists or
those she suspects to have the potential for mes-
merist Inspiration, at least not until she has a better
understanding of the effects of high doses of tellu-
ric energy on the human mind. For his part, Doctor
Primoris has no such reservations.
Like all types of Inspired, many mesmerists find
their Inspiration in a moment of crisis. This crisis can
take the form of something immediate and shocking
such as a robbery, a gunfight, or some other sudden
violent act. Just as likely, the crisis can be something
that builds stress over a short period of time such as
40 CHAPTER ONE: INSPIRED ADVENTURERS
the sudden, terminal illness of a loved one, the loss of
a family business, or betrayal by a close friend. These
moments stir the latent mesmerist’s emotions and
thoughts into a frenzy, often culminating in a psychic
energy eruption. For the mesmerist who becomes
Inspired at their loved one’s deathbed, perhaps a burst
of healing energy emits from their mind, staving off
the reaper’s scythe and buying them a few more pre-
cious moments. It is possible that a mesmerist who is
on the verge of financial ruin feels Inspiration swell
up while meeting with a loan officer and reaches out
to forcibly persuade the bank official to rethink his po-
sition on foreclosure. While this type of manifestation
is driven instinctually and comes seemingly from no-
where, like all mesmerist Gifts, the abilities displayed
in these moments are deliberate, with a specific de-
sired outcome. The mesmerist wills something to be,
funnels telluric energy into that desire, and inflicts his
wishes on the world around him. Whether or not he
fully understands the implications of his actions is ir-
relevant. In the moment of Inspiration, the mesmerist
understands the process on a fundamental level, the
way one understands breathing or blinking.
Mesmerist Powers
While mesmerist’s power may seem fantastic,
even magical to the uneducated observer, they are
rooted firmly in the telluric sciences. Furthermore,
none but the newest mesmerist has any doubt of
the nature and function of their Gifts. Yet, there
are those mesmerists who are all too willing to
manipulate the beliefs and superstitions of the
uneducated and ill-informed for their own ends.
Such con artists and deceivers often work on the
wrong side of the law, using their Inspired abili-
ties while engaging in morally questionable, crim-
inal activity to satisfy base greed, lust for power, or
desire to cow those less endowed.
A primary example of this foul manipulation is the
nefarious mesmerist Jackson Harley. In the wake of
the Hammersmith Incident, Harley used his new-
found abilities to control the officials in charge of
the Hammersmith estate, ultimately granting him-
self full inheritance of the Doctor’s fortunes, posses-
sions, and research. He then moved the remaining
buildings from the Hammersmith property and all
they contained to Haiti, where he now operates un-
der the moniker Mister Saturday. Using his Gifts, the
massive amounts of technology left behind among
Hammersmith’s possessions (including several
 I find the term mesmerist somewhat misleading, and yet I am a loss for finding
a more suitable term. The mesmerist’s power comes from her own mind, and the
force of will she exerts on the world around her. My own powers are proof that
with practice, a mesmerist can manipulate not only the subtle brain waves around
her, but the very elements.
I once overheard Doctor Primoris refer to mesmerists as the middle group with
daredevils on the lower end of the power spectrum and stalwarts on the higher.
While stalwart powers might be flashy, and daredevil powers might be damned hard
to pin down, I believe that all three are equally powerful, yet singularly different.
I’m quite certain that if I ever hear him use the phrase “lesser cousin” again in my
presence I will show him what mesmerists are capable of.

prototypes by Professor Dixon and Dr. Geary-Wexler),
and a bit of theatrical flair, Mister Saturday preys on
the local legends and folklore near his new home to
craft a terrifying persona. This serves to provide him
a wide berth to conduct his experiments while also
giving him access to a ready supply of willing follow-
ers who gladly trade their service for a taste of Mister
Saturday’s power and prosperity.
Another mesmerist who is not above leaning
on the perception of otherworldly influence to
describe their telluric ability is Imam Khwarazmi
ibn Abi Tirmidhi. A peaceful man of science who
preached messages of love, tolerance, and under-
standing prior to the Hammersmith explosion,
ibn Abi Tirmidhi has become fanatically opposed
to the proliferation of not only telluric sciences,
but all advances of industrialization. Blaming
technology for the horrors he witnessed at the
Hammersmith Incident, ibn Abi Tirmidhi has
become fanatical and nihilistic. He is not above
utilizing his considerable skills as a mesmerist to
manipulate pawns into harming or killing targets
to advance his anti-modernization agenda, and he
happily plays into the beliefs of those who mistake
his Gifts for some form of divine blessing.
Most mesmerists, such as Helen Perkins, use their
abilities in a more subtle way. Helen uses her Gifts
to gain keen insight into an interviewee or know-
ing exactly how to get the most out of a story. While
some might accuse her of cheating to get access to
her big stories, she considers it just using the assets
available. Mesmerists find being in the public eye or
having too many people asking for assistance can
be emotionally taxing, and thereby prefer to keep
knowledge of their Gifts to a select group of people.
Some mesmerists actively seek out a connection
between mesmerists, mysticism, and magic. So far,
those who engage in such pursuits find little more
than telluric energy and a mild sense of disappoint-
ment. While a mesmerist’s feats can certainly be de-
scribed as astonishing, mind-boggling, and incredible,
they can also ultimately be described through science.
The mesmerist’s Gifts and abilities lend them-
selves well to a life of adventuring. Clairvoyance,
aura reading, and the ability to view the telluric
resonance of an object are indispensable skills for
a detective, law enforcement agent, or vigilante
with a focus on hunting down criminals and brig-
ands. Mind reading and mental trickery can give
insight to minions and masterminds who engage
in dastardly deeds to uncover secrets and discov-
er evidence that brings wrongdoers to justice.
Mesmerists of a more martial bent can utilize tele-
kinesis, command of fire, and mentally generated
blasts of physical force to subdue and overcome
enemies and threats. Psychic healing and boost-
ing the capabilities of the mesmerist and their
allies through their Gifts also allow mesmerists
to assume vital support roles in larger groups of
adventurers.

Mesmerists 41
 Stalwarts
Stalwarts are Inspired who undergo massive
physical transformation, displaying super-
human capabilities of the body and con-
trolling gross energies in a fashion that
beggars belief. Where mesmerists rely
on concentration, conscious thought,
and premeditation to exert their control
over telluric energy, stalwarts do so au-
tonomically, often without the need for
awareness. A mesmerist can concentrate
on her body to enhance physical strength
or apply her telekinetic Gifts to help move
a heavy object, but a stalwart achieves the
same feat with raw muscle power enhanced
by telluric energy. To many stalwarts, flames,
bullets, and blades are mere inconveniences that
are more likely to cause a visit to the tailor than the hospital. It is
a challenge to regard stalwarts as anything but superhuman.
The leading theorist on the interaction between stalwarts and
telluric energy is Doctor Primoris. A stalwart himself, Primoris
was one of the most brilliant scientific minds in the world
prior to the Hammersmith explosion. Massive exposure
to raw telluric energy not only gave him a nearly
indestructible form and strength beyond that of
a dozen people his size, but also the ability to
perceive energies with his unaided eye that
scientific instruments still lack the ability
to accurately track. The incident also
enhanced his mind, improving his abil-
ity to process, retain, and calculate
data and information exponentially.
According to most sources, including
himself, Doctor Primoris is likely
the most intelligent individual on
the planet. He has dedicated most
of his time and effort since the
Hammersmith Incident to un-
derstanding telluric energy, its
effects, its limitations, and
how to exceed them.

42 CHAPTER ONE: INSPIRED ADVENTURERS

 Stalwarts are, unequivocally, the most powerful and advanced of the three Inspired types.
Daredevils are unable to truly control their abilities and seem to concentrate all their power
into the theoretical realm. Mesmerists are wholly represented in the cognitive realm, and are
rarely able to manifest true physical power. Stalwarts by comparison do all these things and
more. They have control over the physical, cognitive, and theoretical all at once. In short,
stalwarts are the peak of human existence, and I hope to prove one day that daredevils and
mesmerists can aspire to become stalwarts themselves with the proper training.

Stalwart Dynamism distant location does so by tugging at the telluric

According to Doctor Primoris’s theories, the
process by which a stalwart’s powers manifest are
the most overt and obvious of all Inspired. Where
the daredevil merely interacts with telluric ener-
gy on a subconscious level to achieve impressive,
but probable effects, the stalwart channels the
same energy into physical form, typically through
direct enhancement to the stal-
wart’s body. Where a mes-
merist guides external telluric
energy with his mind to create
psychic effects or ma-
nipulate forces already
at play in the world, the
stalwart channels that
energy through the
physical structures of
body and brain and
releases it into the
world to spectac-
ular effect. It is on
this fundamental level that
the powers of the stalwart
and the mesmerist differ. Even
those abilities that seem to overlap
at first glance differ greatly in origin and func-
tion when used by a stalwart versus a mesmerist.
Both a mesmerist and a stalwart can produce and
discharging an electric charge, for example. The
mesmerist does so by mentally guiding ambient
telluric energies to cause the release of electrici-
ty, whereas the stalwart transforms base telluric
energy into an electrical discharge and releases it.
A mesmerist who pulls an item to his hand from a
energy contained within the targeted object and
willing it to travel closer, overcoming the pedestri-
an obstacles of space and time. A stalwart seeking
to accomplish the same task manipulates telluric
energy from himself, possibly stretching his own
hand beyond human limits or creating a suction of
wind so strong the desired item flies to him.
These differences extend to the way each
Inspired type expresses en-
hanced intellectual acumen
and proficiency of skill. Doctor
Primoris’s studies indicate
that daredevils combine
an instinctual sense of
recognition of best-
case scenarios, prob-
ability manipulation,
and basic competence
to achieve their
feats of skill and
artisanship. This is
a potent, but ultimately
passive process. A mesmerist
actively concentrates to ma-
nipulate ambient telluric energy to
adjust performance, enhance mental
manifestations, and generally accom-
plish feats. On this account, Sara Kaur strongly
disagrees with Doctor Primoris, as she attributes
the mesmerist’s acumen to an active perception
of telluric energies. Regardless of process, both
experts agree that mesmerists and daredevils
achieve feats of skill through accessing the range
of telluric energy.

Stalwarts 43
 Despite what Doctor Primoris may think, stalwarts are no more the peak of
humanity than mesmerists or daredevils. I would even question that any of the
Inspired are more human than the un-inspired around them. I do not believe in
Darwin’s theories of evolution, and I cannot at all believe that the Inspired
state is the natural course of human evolution. Telluric energy is natural, yes,
but it has been around since the beginning of time, and without the Hammersmith
Incident to kickstart its current ubiquitous nature, humanity would have never
interacted with it as much as they do now.
No. Stalwarts are not some metahuman state. No Inspired is. I admit they are
powerful, but their power is simply manifest differently than other Inspired.
I wish Doctor Primoris would stop encouraging the stalwarts to think of
themselves as superior. That way lies only danger.

According to Primoris, this is equally true for stal- process that baffles all theorists who witnessed it.
warts, but as with all ways stalwarts interact with This duplication created direct physical, mental,
telluric energy, it is a function of fundamental phys- and emotional copies, creating effective clones
iological difference. His theory claims that stalwarts he could inhabit at different times. This was far
who are capable of great feats of intellectual prowess outside the normal bounds of what even the most
or invention, are so blessed due to a physical change powerful stalwart could accomplish. The stalwart
in the brain that allows for the processing of tellu- known only as the Mighty Gar can heal his own
ric energy. Furthermore, stalwarts who exhibit great wounds with superhuman speed and efficiency, to
competence in other areas manifest physical chang- the point that limbs removed from the body and
es to account for that competence. A stalwart does organs crushed beyond function can regrow. This
not merely become flexible, their joints alter to allow is theoretically a form of transmutation, changing
greater range of movement, or they gain the ability to raw telluric energy into flesh, blood, sinew, and
stretch, grow, or shrink portions of their gross anat- bone, yet it occurs as naturally as the average per-
omy at will. A stalwart who develops strong social son’s recovery from a bruise or minor laceration.
prowess undergoes physical changes. Their body Doctor Primoris himself exhibits numerous pow-
moves toward anatomical perfection, their glands ers that far exceed the limits of his fellow stalwarts.
secrete more hormones and pheromones, and their His ability to absorb, channel, and redirect energy
vocal cords adjust to produce tones in a more pleas-
dwarfs anything witnessed among even the most
ant range. There is no psychic or emotional manip-gifted stalwarts. While Sara Kaur attributes this in-
ulation on the part of a persuasive stalwart, merely
creased efficiency and potential for telluric manipu-
the ability to apply incredible physical advantage to
lation to Primoris’s proximity to the Hammersmith
get one’s way. blast, Doctor Primoris believes that all stalwarts can
unlock the abilities he exhibits and more, if only they
Beyond Mortal Ken
can come to understand the processes by which
Some stalwarts exhibit powers that reach so their cells interact with telluric energy.
far beyond basic physiology that they defy cate-
gorization under even Doctor Primoris’s theories. Moments of Inspiration
The Ubiquitous Dragon when he was alive, could Like daredevils and mesmerists, stalwarts can
create telluric duplicates of himself through a find Inspiration in a variety of ways. There is a

44 CHAPTER ONE: INSPIRED ADVENTURERS

much higher likelihood of a stalwart’s moment of
Inspiration involving some level of violence, if only
due to the initial manifestation of the stalwart’s
abilities. Many notable stalwarts were forged in the
fires of violent exchange, finding their Inspiration
just in time to snatch survival from the jaws of
certain death. Emma Nazir, known as Nefertiti,
when under the sway of the Cult of the Sun-Disk,
was Inspired as a stalwart in response to an energy
attack that would have otherwise proven deadly.
The stress and stimulus from being kidnapped and
nearly sacrificed awakened within her the poten-
tial to defend herself through manipulation of tel-
luric energy. When the Mighty Gar fell through a
fissure in the ground and landed in a filthy cave be-
low, his sudden Inspiration as a stalwart saved him
from an early grave.
Exposure to raw telluric energy can also sum-
mon Inspiration for a stalwart. This is obvious-
ly the case for not only Doctor Primoris, but for
several of the other surviving attendees of the
Hammersmith explosion. Professor Benjamin
Dixon and Dr. Hephaestia Geary-Wexler were
both near the machine when telluric energy be-
gan to fill the room, and both found Inspiration as
stalwarts as a result. Rupert Williams, a renowned
cellist and member of the Artisans of the Verse
found Inspiration when the villain Baron Halcyon
attacked a concert where Williams was perform-
ing. To disable the crowd, Halcyon placed crystal
telluric obedience emitters, strange contraptions
that use vibration to instill vertigo in those near-
by, throughout the concert hall. Williams sum-
moned every bit of gumption he could muster and
smashed one of the emitters while attempting to
save the other attendees. The blast of telluric en-
ergy released when the crystal shattered would
have killed a normal person, but instead, Williams
gained Inspiration as a stalwart.
While there are certainly stalwarts in the world
with subtle Gifts, they are in the minority. Most
stalwarts have one or two abilities that set them
far apart from the rest of humanity. There are
those among the Æon Society who worry that
some of these abilities may set stalwarts too far
apart from humanity. That concern is at least
partially responsible for the degradation of re-
lations between Doctor Primoris and the other
Æon Society founders. When his contemporaries
counseled caution and restraint, Doctor Primoris
interpreted their lectures and invectives as faux
superiority couched in fear of his true potential as
well as the true potential of his fellow stalwarts.
Stalwarts 45
 THREE PATHS, ONE ADVENTURE!
Adventure! sets the stage for multiple types of
heroes and villains to share the limelight. Stories
set in the Age of Inspiration are unique among the
settings of the Trinity Continuum in that the dif-
ferent Inspired types occur at roughly the same
frequency and occupy a shared spotlight. While
all Inspired types (or the variations they come to
be known as in Trinity Continuum: Aberrant
and Trinity Continuum: Æon) exist throughout
the duration of the Continuum, each age shifts
the primary focus onto a single character type.
In Trinity Continuum Core, daredevils (un-
der the name Talents) take center stage. Trinity
Continuum: Aberrant shifts the principal focus
onto the era’s version of stalwarts (known as the
quantum-powered novas) while the far future
space opera of Trinity Continuum: Æon places
that timeframe’s mesmerists (or psions, as they are
known) into limelight. All three Inspired types,
and variants thereof, can be included in games of
any era. In the age of Adventure!, cooperation,
coordination, rivalry, and animosity between the
three are commonplace.
The organizations and Allegiances of the era in-
corporate Inspired of all types. In the Æon Society,
arguably the most prominent organization of the
age, daredevils, mesmerists, and stalwarts work
side by side to guide humanity to a bright future
and oppose the darkness that seeks a foothold
in the era. The International Detective Agency,
Branch 9, and Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux
recruit all types of Inspired to serve the cause of
justice. Despite the differences in their Gifts, and
the theories on how they interact with telluric en-
ergies, these Inspired work in tandem, drawing
strength from their differences and power from
their versatility. Through their common connec-
tion to Inspiration these heroes stand against
villainy and explore the new frontier of telluric
science.
The prominence of varied Inspired types al-
lows for an incredible level of cooperation as the
Inspired draw on one another’s strengths through
teamwork. Many groups of Inspired fall under the
purview of an Allegiance, with some direction and
oversight (or at least insight) into the capabilities
46 CHAPTER ONE: INSPIRED ADVENTURERS
of each group member, to ensure maximum effica-
cy of the operatives and heroes in the field. Beyond
the auspices of the established organizations,
friendships and bonds form between the Inspired,
and many gravitate toward others with compli-
mentary abilities and skills to facilitate success
while adventuring. While Branch 9 compiles dos-
siers on their operatives, comparing skill sets, per-
formance reviews, and field evaluations to craft
specialized teams, independent Inspired often
form bonds based on coincidence, convenience, or
a simple common cause. Fortunately, possibly due
to unconscious manipulation by the daredevils in-
volved, these impromptu gatherings of Inspired
tend to have Gifts and abilities that work well in
tandem.
Some adventuring groups take this one step
further, forming social bonds with other Inspired
rooted deeply in the ability to watch one another’s
backs and compensate for one another’s shortcom-
ings. One such example of this synergy in action is
the intrepid duo of Wang Yong and Johnny Porter.
This pair of Inspired have been active adventur-
ers since shortly after the Hammersmith explo-
sion. Though based largely out of San Francisco,
California, Wang and Johnny have been spotted
all along the North American Pacific Coast getting
involved in one caper or another. Their reliance
on the synergy between their abilities has kept
them alive in the face of powerful and terrifying
opposition. Wang is a powerful mesmerist who
has devoted years of study to perfecting his mind
and body. When asked about discovering his abili-
ties, Wang describes his Inspiration as “a moment
of clarity that occurred between breaths.” A sec-
ond-generation Chinese American, Wang is well
educated in his parents’ culture but learned vol-
umes about the underbelly of American life on the
streets and in the pool halls in the City by the Bay.
It was in one such establishment that he met his
sidekick, partner, and friend, Johnny. A daredevil
blessed with remarkable reflexes and just enough
luck to keep his smart mouth from landing him in
a pine box, Johnny is clueless, sometimes bum-
bling, but unfalteringly loyal to his friend. When
Wang’s skill and power fails, Johnny’s blind luck
and quick wrists are just enough to keep the
pair breathing. According to Johnny, this syner-
gy is just another outgrowth of the pair watch-
ing each other’s backs in the street and knowing
who should appear to be in charge depending on
which neighborhood they visit. Prejudice is alive
and well in San Francisco, but just as Wang and
Johnny have learned to use their Gifts in tandem,
they have also learned to turn their racial differ-
ences into a strength when getting the job done.
Everyday Heroes
Inspiration extends beyond the flashy,
globe-spanning gatherings of heroes and
do-gooders. Not all Inspired join an organization.
Inspiration does not strike based on geography,
socioeconomic status, education, or any other dis-
cernible factor. For every rich philanthropist who
finds Inspiration as a daredevil while encounter-
ing deadly beasts in the wild on safari, there is an
Oklahoma farmer who achieves the same when
trying to keep her family safe during the perilous
journey to California in the hopes of escaping the
Dust Bowl. For every scientist who experiences
a grand epiphany in a laboratory stocked with
cutting edge equipment, there is a street urchin
who coaxes Inspiration as a mesmerist while run-
ning a Three-card Monte game on the streets of
Mexico City. While one stalwart finds Inspiration
by thwarting certain doom when triggering a trap
during a well-funded excavation in Giza, another
answers the call to heroism single handedly fight-
ing off an SS combat unit in the Bavarian country-
side while trying to liberate a group of prisoners
scheduled to be taken to Dachau.
The default assumption when creating characters
for Adventure is that they are connected to one of
the Allegiances and Organizations listed in Chapter
Two of this book. However, groups who wish to
populate their pulp action with everyday heroes
may wish to create their own Society Paths using
the guidelines presented in the Trinity Continuum
Corebook (pp. 40–44) in tandem with rules pre-
sented in Chapter Five. If the world-spanning tales
of the Æon Society are too grand a stage for the story
you wish to tell, consider smaller, less flashy alter-
natives, and create a Society Path to reflect those
Allegiances. Perhaps the characters in your story
belong to the local labor union, a chapter of a youth
organization like the Eagle Scouts or the Junior State
of America, or an academic organization along the
lines of the Philosophical Research Society. There
are several historical organizations that can serve as
a jumping off point for designing your own local or
regional Society Path to accommodate a more street
level chronicle.
The Lone Wolf
While most characters in Adventure! belong
to an Allegiance of some sort and operate with-
in a close circle of associates and allies, there are
some who prefer to walk a path of solitude. These
lone operators do not always make the best play-
er characters, but they do make excellent rivals,
allies, or antagonists. There is no inherent ele-
ment of telluric energy that draws the Inspired to
join larger groups, though Doctor Primoris does
have theories regarding telluric synergy pulling
Inspired together through imperceptible quan-
tum influence.
It is imperative to remember when considering
the genesis of an Inspired adventurer or antago-
nist, that beyond Allegiances and Inspired type,
each adventurer is ultimately a person with dis-
tinct needs and desires. Often those drives align
with one of the larger groups acting in the world,
but not always. Sometimes a lone operator’s aims
stand in direct opposition to the stated goals of the
player characters or their Allegiances. In other
cases, the struggle of an independent Inspired can
be utterly internal, with the player characters left
to puzzle out the motivations of the mysterious
antagonist. Learning the true motivations behind
a conflicted but powerful Inspired who stands
in reluctant opposition to the party is wonderful
fodder for dynamic storytelling. If the adventur-
ers can discover the nature of their opponent’s in-
ner turmoil through the three areas of action, they
may be able to leverage that conflict to their own
advantage. Depending on the nature of the antag-
onist’s aims, the players may well be able to help
them achieve their goals without doing harm to
others. Through such a gesture, the protagonists
win their rivals over, bringing new allies into the
fold.
Three Paths, One Adventure! 47
48
 “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure.
There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them
with our eyes open”
— Jawaharlal Nehru

At the turn of the twentieth century, the world
was on the cusp of both great and terrible chang-
es. The age of empires, once the foundation much
of the modern world had been built upon, began
to crumble as fledgling nations began to cast aside
the yoke of colonialism for the sake of realizing in-
dependent identities. For some, it was a peaceable
transition. But for nations that sought greater au-
tonomy in the face of autocracy, it brought about
bloody revolutions. And war, so much war.
The First and Second Boer Wars, the Russian
Revolution, the Mexican Revolution, the First
and Second Balkan Wars, all led up to what is now
known as the Great War. Following that, new-
ly forged nations look to find their place on the
world stage as former allies reconsider treaties
in the light of strained relations. To make matters
worse, just as the world seemed to be finding its
bearings, it was plunged into chaos as global mar-
kets and national economies collapsed.
The following post-war period of economic Welcome to the world of Trinity Continuum:
depression proved to be an even greater struggle Adventure!
than the war itself. As nations struggled against
soaring unemployment and their populations
rapidly becoming restless, governments were at
a loss on how to move forward and provide their
people the stability they desired. It was during
this period that humanity became aware that
the world was a much greater and more myste-
rious place than it had been just a few decades
prior.
Where commerce languished due to the Great
Depression, artistic endeavors, scientific discov-
eries, and exploration into the unknown great-
ly flourished, giving the world a beacon of hope
when it was desperately needed. Intrepid explor-
ers from all walks of life sought out discoveries
that would change the world and bring it into a
more brilliant future. Out of a dark crucible, hope
is reborn. It is a whole new world with endless
possibilities, where heroes are born every day
with the prayer of hope resting on their lips.

AFRICA
In Africa, as the price of crops continue to plum- sustainable. But power is insidious, and creditors
met in the wake of the Great Depression, colonial do not want to relinquish control. Meanwhile, the
taxation exploits farmers and rural communities people themselves face an uncertain future. But it
with export and poll taxes, forcing market pro- is one they’re prepared and willing to fight for.
duction in a time of strife. Unrest sometimes gives In the changing world, the secrets within
way to rebellions, but the shadow of imperialism Africa’s colonies and countries are emerging at
still falls across the continent, and colonizers bru-long last. Stories of Strange Places and artifacts
tally suppress resistance. have weaved their way across the world, and with
There is hope, however. With the value of any luck, their discovery (or perhaps rediscovery)
African exports now diminishing, imperial powers may help secure them from evildoers for decades
are beginning to find that possessing colonies isn’t to come…

Africa 49
 From the Journal of Salma Mokrani

Monday, 5 February 1934

Last time I went somewhere without knowing the facts, a lot of
Frenchmen killed my friends. It wasn’t even that long ago. And up until
now, my involvement with the Æon Society has been kept at a distance.
When I needed information, they were more than happy to share it, and
after testing the waters to make sure they weren’t using it against my
fellow Moroccans, it became an exchange.
This is new, though. One week ago, the Society contacted me to ask if
I knew of any abandoned airstrips where an aeroplane could refuel. I gave
them the location and thought nothing of it. Two days later, they asked
for my help. One of their members was tracking a lead on a stolen arti-
fact, and the trail led straight through Morocco and south into Africa.
Despite what I’ve told them though, the Æon Society still doesn’t know
jack about this land. So, they’re paying me to guide a woman through
French territory, and perhaps beyond.
She arrived only a few hours ago, barely beating the setting sun. A
close call; the Atlas Mountains can’t be safely navigated at night, so she
would’ve missed our rendezvous. I must admit, I’m excited. I’ve never
been on an aircraft before. While we jungled up for the night, this woman,
Josefa, told me that she’s an archeologist as well as a pilot.
When I asked her what we’re hunting though, she stonewalled. Told me
she couldn’t say. Not yet at least. And that was a curve.
I don’t like not knowing all the facts. I’m not just a freedom fighter.
I’m a revolutionary. And when you’re in this kind of fight, not knowing
something gets you killed. It doesn’t help that she won’t be handy in a
scrap.
But we’re both smart and capable women. She thinks that her arrival
has not gone unnoticed. So, the longer we can give her pursuers the bum
steer, the better.
Fuel tank’s full. We leave at dawn.

Eastern Africa overarching influence of European powers, al-

though the Suez Canal provides a handy shortcut.
First contested by the Portuguese and the Regardless, colonial power here is weaker than in
Omani Arabs for influence and control of the other parts of Africa, and nationalism is gaining
trade routes to India, the competition in Eastern some strength as a result. Because of the fertility
Africa spiked during the Scramble for Africa, as of the land, the local people are focused on land
burgeoning empires sought the most promising rights and labor issues in agriculture.
lands for colonization and exploitation. Following
the Great War, the lands the German Empire used British Kenya
to control have since been divided among the oth-
Once known as the East Africa Protectorate,
er world powers which occupy the region.
the Kenya Colony exists on a site of incredibly
East Africa is distant and removed from the fertile land. Possessing few mineral resources,

50 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

these areas were reserved for white settlers ear-
ly on, and nicknamed the “white highlands” after
the British took control in the late 19th century.
Its commercial interests in the region eventually
dictated the fate of this land, which became the
colony of Kenya in 1920.
Following this, local political groups emerged as
new taxes and reduced wages caused new prob-
lems in the wake of the Great War. Contention
rose over the white highlands, which had been
tended to by the Kikuyu tribes for generations
before settlers colonized it. Nationalism and civil
disobedience have been on the rise ever since, in
opposition to white colonizers who gained their
political voice through market contributions.
When it comes to the Great Depression, the
government has shifted most of the financial
burden to African laborers through the crimi-
nalization of breaching a labor contract. Those
trapped in these contracts are frequently treated
like slaves as a result. More recently, maize has
become so inexpensive that it’s only grown as
food for laborers. However, if the government can
no longer afford it, then the subsidy is certain to
cease, endangering the food supply for hundreds
of thousands of African laborers.
Local Inspired have banded together to form a
labor outreach program, offering assistance, and
sometimes physical force, to those most harmed
by their labor contracts. The Order of the Stars
has taken note of the group and is seeking to join
them, but communication has been lacking in the
past few months. Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux
has a small presence in the area, led by local labor
activists and helped by an underground network
of Kenyan nationalists.
People of Interest
• Gatimũ Kamau: When British brute force
disrupted the traditional livelihood of the
Kikuyu people, its leaders resorted to po-
litical resistance, with the rise of the Piny
Owacho and the Young Kikuyu Association.
Gatimũ Kamau is one of the political leaders
who has thrived on the spirit of nationalism
for Kenya’s indigenous peoples, despite the
increasing population of settlers. His stalwart
abilities have given him a keen insight into
Africa 51
 the hearts and minds of his people, and he
uses his force of personality to fight against
British forces that deprive his people of their
land. Though he is resourceful and clever, his
current efforts to organize other Inspired are
falling short, creating an uphill battle. His
younger sister, Wangaru Kamau, isn’t making
his job easier by asking for outside help.
• Wangaru Kamau: Part of a family of maize
farmers, Wangaru Kamau has recently fallen
on hard times. With the subsidy for corn at
risk, and prices at an all-time low, her free
time has turned her into an investigator and
explorer of the region surrounding Nairobi.
She supports her brother, Gatimũ Kamau’s,
efforts against the British, but knows he can-
not do everything alone. She recently con-
tacted Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux with
a message that clandestine forces may be try-
ing to harvest the natural biodiversity of this
part of Africa. Witty, sharp, and unyielding,
she has vowed to continue these investiga-
tions, even if no one else will help her.
Colony of Madagascar
Previously ruled by the Merina Kingdom for
centuries, Europe’s colonial powers turned their
attention to this island after the Cape Route to
India was discovered. Possessing both strate-
gic importance and many riches, the Merina
Kingdom repelled multiple attempts by Britain
and France to seize control of their territory.
The French weren’t able to conquer it until the
Franco-Hova Wars at the end of the 19th centu-
ry, due to the terrain and the natives’ organiza-
tional prowess. Following colonial establishment
in 1897, rural guerillas resisted the French colo-
nizers. Nationalist sentiment continued to brew,
and throughout the 1920s, the locals fought for
equality and labor reforms. Through these efforts,
they earned their first concessions, but huge min-
ing and logging rights were still granted to large
companies and local leaders who supported the
French.
Nowadays, the Malagasy are seeing their an-
ti-colonial movement gain strength, while forced
labor has been introduced on behalf of the
French companies who exploit this island. Trade
52 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
unionism is beginning to surface, while the people
call for social justice and the abolition of forced la-
bor. While the Great Depression hinders econom-
ic development, the remoteness of Madagascar
and the expectations of self-financing colonies are
providing a small opportunity to develop internal-
ly. The Malagasy are hopeful considering these
circumstances, and some have found allies among
the Archivists, who wish to protect the culture of
the Merina Kingdom for the foreseeable future.
The eastern rainforest on the island contains a
telluric energy hot spot which Forêt Tranquille, an
organization backed by the French government,
has been trying to investigate in attempts to har-
ness for their own purposes. Inspired members
of Vy Vato Sakelika have organized to investigate
the area themselves, especially after discovering
evidence of living fossils roaming the area. They
know such a discovery could change Madagascar
forever, especially if Forêt Tranquille finds a way
to capture or tame them.
People of Interest
• Kamora Andrianirina: The chief editor of
a recently established Magalasy newspaper,
Kamora vies both with attempts to censor her
work and debilitating headaches brought on
by her uncontrolled mesmerist powers. Only
aware of rumors of such abilities, Kamora fol-
lows dreamlike visions to expose corruption
in the government and wrongdoing against
citizens even as she suffers. The Order of the
Stars heard rumors of her abilities and would
like to make contact and potentially offer
aid, but the editor’s left leaning politics and
increasing attention of the colonial authori-
ties make any such attempts risky…and Forêt
Tranquille has offered her a surprisingly large
grant in hopes to bribe her to their side before
any other Inspired get to her.
• Enkidu: A technological genius and applied
scientist, Enkidu is a bit of a mystery to those
who know him. He and his modest family live
in small enclave on the side of a mountain in
Madagascar. His native lands are somewhere
in Belgian Congo, though he has fled that area
for his own safety. Enkidu is a hyper-intelli-
gent gorilla, and his homeland is populated
with people just like him, but with a hatred
 for humanity. After meeting and befriend- Africa. Howard Carter finished removing the
ing humans in a nearby village, Enkidu and contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb only four years
his family were exiled and hunted. Enkidu ago, so interest in Egyptology remains high. As a
fled to Madagascar before reaching out to result, some dig sites are suspected fronts for the
the Æon Society in hopes to offer his services Ponatowski Foundation. Others are staffed by
and joined as a full member several years ago. members of the Archivists, who work diligent-
While Enkidu owes allegiance to Max Mercer, ly despite their limited resources in this region.
he lends aid to Rabia Al-Harrak in finding new Finally, Cairo is home to one of the chapters of
Inspired to join the Order of the Stars. Invictus Umbra — an ongoing side effect of the
British occupation — and their members have tak-
Northern Africa en to robbing archeological ruins to safeguard ar-
Due to the region’s proximity to Europe, the tifacts from the rich.
colonies in this area receive greater oversight People of Interest
and interference from their imperial rulers. This
has sparked a constant stream of activism against • Majd Gamal: If you need rare wine in Cairo,
imperial powers and scrutiny from other nations. digging equipment outside the Valley of the
Despite this, colonial forces maintain their mili- Kings, or guns smuggled over the Sudanese
tary presence, although some have been forced to border, Majd is your man. Disdainful of both
retreat in peculiar ways. the ineffectual Kingdom government and
the continued British occupation, Majd has
Egypt turned a legitimate shipping business into a
smuggling empire. Burgeoning stalwart pow-
Egypt’s protectorate status from Great Britain
ers enabled him to become literally tireless in
came to an end in 1922 with the Unilateral
his pursuit of wealth, influence, and security
Declaration of Egyptian Independence. Despite
for his family. Even with Majd’s more-than-
granting the Kingdom of Egypt full sovereignty,
human abilities, he’s run into trouble with
British forces still continue their occupation, and
Contedorri interests in the region. Anyone
their influence dominates nearly every aspect of
willing to help him deal with the ruthless
Egyptian life, from politics to the railways and
gangsters would have a powerful ally.
communications, all the way to full control over
the Sudan region. • Dr. Ismail Hassan: A skeptic toward impe-
At this time, Egypt is a storm of politics over- rial ambition and authoritarian overreach,
seen by the British. The nationalist Wafd Party op- Dr. Hassan has made a life of critiquing,
poses British rule and supports the establishment criticizing, and opposing European colonial
of a constitutional monarchy in Egypt, while the exploitation in Africa, government corrup-
Communist Party and Muslim Brotherhood are tion in the Kingdom of Egypt, and the vari-
emerging as potent political and religious forces, ous criminal elements which have flourished
respectively. Citizens of the kingdom consider in the underbelly of the empire. As a result,
their land to be a puppet of Britain, but the po- he’s spent many of the past few years dodg-
litical parties are largely minor, and stand divided ing official arrest and unofficial “accident”
across the Nile Valley. as he attempts to form alliances between
Fortunately, nominal independence has allowed local political parties, international anti-im-
this nation to retain their economic power during perialist organizations, and groups such as
the Great Depression. While taxes are rigid and the International Detective Agency to make
continue to burden the rural poor, a gold export Egypt and the region a better place.
embargo allowed Egypt to fight the deflation of
their national economy. Italian Libya
The Æon Society has a chapter house in this re- The colonization of what would become Italian
gion, which operates as their members’ stopping Libya began in 1911, when the Agadir Crisis led
point for investigations and operations across Italy to acquiesce to nationalist demands for the

Africa 53
 project. Under a pretext of liberation, the Italians
conquered Tripoli and the traditional provinces of
Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, and not long after the
Tripoli massacre, declared their sovereignty from
the Ottoman Empire.
In 1929, the two provinces were united into
Libya, and since then, the number of Italian set-
tlers has increased sharply. During the pacifica-
tion campaign that followed, crimes against hu-
manity spiked; in the Cyrenaica lowlands, many
indigenous peoples were relocated into huge
concentration camps. Now closed, 40,000 out of
100,000 internees are missing or dead. Any resis-
tance appears to have been long stomped out, and
this loss of life is a festering wound for the people
conquered by Italy.
In a suspicious shift, the Italian government
is now adjusting their policies in Libya, granting
individual freedoms and rights to the locals. Due
to the higher urban population in Tripoli and
Benghazi, the effects of the Great Depression are
harder to gauge. However, Italy’s influence in this
region has transformed Italian Libya into a per-
fect oasis for less-than-scrupulous operations.
Archeology is on the rise in this part of the world,
but research on the Phoenicians has been rejected
due to anti-Semitism from Italian academics.
Leptis Magna and Sabratha are both hot spots
for research and archeology, and it happens that
these ancient Roman sites are overflowing with
telluric energy, making them appealing to Inspired
scientists. Several Allegiances have moved into
the area as a result. The Rational Experimentation
Group is rumored to have multiple facilities to
conduct experiments in, and while the Archivists
have a standing presence in the region, they are
spread thin and may require outside assistance if
they wish to drive the REG out of Northern Africa.
People of Interest
• Mona Fakroun: Mona is the daughter of a
wheat farmer and has seen firsthand the ef-
fects of both harsh economic policies and the
reign of Mussolini in Libya. Born sometime
in the late 19th century, she saw the fall of
Tripoli to the French, along with the use of il-
legal chemical weapons and mass executions
against civilians. These events have formed
her into an avid activist based in Benghazi. She
54 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
focuses on protecting Libyan customs but has
turned her sharp attention on the Inspired in
the area, and those coming in to investigate
telluric energy hot spots. Her ability to read
people’s intentions and emotions as a mesmer-
ist comes in handy when trying to deal with
the influx of scientists in the area.
• Abdul Latif ibn Abihi: Former Ottoman
official, Abdul Latif has survived conquest,
atrocity, and mismanagement of his native
land through luck, determination, and the
awakening of telluric powers within him.
Originally furious with the Ottoman Empire
for its failure to defend its citizens, its de-
struction convinced Abdul Latif that no state
could defend its people against the greed of
belligerent nations. Increasingly difficult to
harm due to his growing abilities, Abdul Latif
seeks ways to awaken such abilities in other
Libyan citizens, a quest which may drive him
into the arms of the Order of the Stars…or the
Rational Experiment Group.
The French Protectorates
of Algeria, Tunisia, and
Morocco
While the history of Algeria, Tunisia, and
Morocco spans centuries, the rise of colonial rule
began in 1830 with the Invasion of Algiers by
France. What followed was 45 years of militant
colonization, and by 1878, hundreds of thousands
of resisting Algerians had been killed by the occu-
pying forces when the French took possession of
Tunisia. In the beginning of the century, France
took advantage of a local rebellion in Morocco to
deploy a substantial force in support of Sultan Abd
al-Hafid. This became known as the Agadir Crisis,
which would see the sultan sign the Treaty of Fes
in 1912, sparking riots and revolts across the new
protectorate for years to come. While the sover-
eign state of Morocco still has a sultan, he has no
real power under the colonial administration.
Today, the Arab countries are still under French
rule, but the Great Depression has begun to
worsen conditions across the deserts and coasts.
Among major crops, the price of wheat fell first,
and all three countries are major producers of it.
While hard wheat is cultivated by the locals, soft
wheat is grown by European settlers, and only the
latter is bolstered by the colonial governments.
The ignorance of these problems is now leading
many Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians into
debt, and creditors have already begun to seize
their lands.
Every action has a reaction, though and the
preferential treatment of French settlers, along
with many military engagements over the decades,
have turned the French colonies of North Africa
into a bubbling hot spot for resistance. France
continues to pursue a policy of pacification, but
exploitation and massacres have followed in their
wake. In turn, the politics of Algeria and Tunisia
are radicalizing even faster than before.
In Algeria, the Star of North Africa is a group
that’s called for Algerian independence since
1926. Banned three years later, they operated un-
derground and emerged again last year, and its
newspaper, El Ouma, circulates among tens of
thousands of Algerians. Meanwhile, Islamic re-
formers have gained popularity and influence, but
colonial authorities recently banned them from
preaching in the official mosques. Across Algeria,
there is religious unrest, but plenty of hope.
In Morocco, a strong independence movement
flourishes. Following the end of the Rif War in
1927, tension between European colonists and
the Amazigh-speaking peoples never ebbed away.
The signing of the Berber Dahir in 1930 replaced
Imazighen tribal law with the French penal code,
and in doing so, sparked Morocco’s first true na-
tionalist movements. Today, the Moroccan intel-
ligentsia is growing into the political conscious-
ness, and the newly formed Moroccan Committee
of Action is currently drawing up reforms with the
help of French sympathizers. In Casablanca, the
Order of the Star has established a hub for their
students and members, and as a result, the city has
become a beacon for Inspired people of African
descent.
People of Interest
• Louis Enoch: The Order of Murder’s
Moroccan retreat offered a luxurious, re-
laxing place for its beneficiaries to recover
before assuming their new identities and
returning to the world. Louis Enoch, retired
arch-criminal, former expert duelist, and
impossibly healthy octogenarian oversaw
the retreat’s establishment and operation
at every step, an integral part of its guests’
transformation. But now the financial stress-
es of the Depression and cultural ferment of
rising nationalist movements threatens tiny
paradisical kingdom Louis had made for the
Order of Murder’s use, and he now turns his
considerable abilities to strangling dreams of
independent African states in their cradles.
• Rabia Al-Harrak: Born and raised in
Casablanca, Rabia is the heir to a moderate
shipping conglomerate, activist, and philan-
thropist. They founded the Brahim and Zara
Al-Harrak Home for Wayward Youths in
honor of their deceased parents, which is a
front for the Order of the Stars, an Allegiance
of Inspired individuals dedicated to helping
the various African peoples. Rabia has always
been in tune with people’s feelings and didn’t
learn about telluric energy, or that they were
a mesmerist until individuals claiming to be
from the Æon Society asked them about their
activities. Determined to find and educate
other Inspired folks throughout the conti-
nent, Rabia wants to return African nations
back to their people and has deep nationalist
sentiments.
Southern Africa
Some argue that distance from your home is di-
rectly proportional to the distance from your soul
and your dignity. Initially the stopping point for
the Cape Route to India, explorers and merchants
started mapping this region around the same time
that the effects of the Atlantic Slave Trade reached
this part of Africa. Indigenous warfare soon fol-
lowed, which colonizers capitalized on, and the
horrors which have followed seem almost unri-
valed across the continent. Southern Africa is de-
fined by rainforests, savanna, and grassland, but
the crimes of its colonies haunt the land.
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo is, without question, one of the
most economically exploited regions in the world.
First organized by King Leopold II as the Congo
Free State, it has existed as a major corporate state
Africa 55
 since the Berlin Conference. Ruthless exploitation expedition commenced in the Congo in late
and merciless resource extraction have defined his 1933 and, following a cryptic message about
lasting legacy, and with most of these jungles inac- a place he calls “The Cradle,” Cyrille Dubois
cessible, it remains unknown how many lives that went missing under mysterious circumstanc-
terror and disease claimed before the 20th centu- es. A man of wit and wiles, he is haunted by
ry. At the turn of the century, the Casement Report some of what he’s seen, and energized by the
detailed the many abuses committed by soldiers little hopes he’s found along the way. His last
against the native population, all of which took known location was in Léopoldville, and at the
place under the ownership of Leopold II. The sub- request of the Æon Society, the International
sequent public pressure led Belgium to reluctant- Detective Agency is hot on his trail.
ly annex the Free State as a colony in 1908, relin-
• Alice Ekota: A rare native civil servant
quishing it from King Leopold II.
“saved” by missionaries during the worst
While the colonial charter for the Belgian Congo
years of Belgian Free State atrocity, Alice re-
laid out worker protections against forced labor, it
ceived her name and a Western education in
is now clear that the Belgian government did not
the home of foreigners while the Congo suf-
enforce this. While the transition some three de-
fered around them. Dutifully completing her
cades ago improved conditions for a time, the natu-
studies and becoming a member of the cler-
ral and mineral riches of this region were a crucial
ical staff for the newly established National
motivation for colonization. As such, the colonial
state is forcing production in brutal yet rational-
ized ways, taking over lands left vacant by workers
forced to migrate to the mines in the south.
The Great Depression, however, has struck
the Congo’s export-based economy severely.
Employment has fallen greatly, while the govern-
ment has returned to its previous system of forced
labor. While rebellions are sparking, the govern-
ment systematically suppressed each one, and the
entire colony has effectively become one large plan-
tation, controlling every aspect of the peasantry.
While the government frowns upon outside
organizations, several Allegiances have entered
the Congo’s jungles in search of Strange Places.
These expeditions led mostly by the Ponatoswki
Foundation are often single interest or patron
paid events and requires substantial amounts of
money paid to the government to look the other
way as the expeditions go traipsing through the
undergrowth.

People of Interest
• Cyrille Dubois: One of the preeminent ex-
plorers of South America, Cyrille Dubois
was both in Belgium and immigrated to the
United States in the 1920s and a noted mes-
merist. Later on, several academic acquain-
tances urged him to join the Æon Society,
which funded two expeditions to explore the
Amazon and Andes Mountains. His latest

56 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

 Institute for Agronomic Study of the Belgian
Congo gave Alice rare access to colonial gov-
ernance and science. Though the Institute’s
“indigenous peasantry programme” is a clear
attempt to maximize cash crop yields for
Belgian interests, Alice has put her mind to
subverting its research and bending its efforts
to restore the Congo’s exploited land. All she
needs is coconspirators willing to oppose one
of the most brutal colonial regimes in Africa.
Union of South Africa
South Africa’s early history with European
colonizers is long and complicated. Early settle-
ments switched hands many times, and the Cape
Colony was only valued for its strategic impor-
tance in protecting the trade route to India. When
Europeans first began to explore the interior of
this region, they encountered the Zulu Kingdom,
whose military expansion displaced several large
populations in Africa. This displacement, com-
bined with the migration of refugees escaping the
threat of slavers, resulted in many wars. It also di-
rectly led to the creation of several nation-states,
some of which were eventually absorbed into the
Union of South Africa in 1910.
Unlike many other lands on this continent,
South Africa is an independent nation. But as part
of the British Empire, its rule over the local pop-
ulation is discriminatory. The 1913 Natives’ Land
Act designated that only eight percent of the coun-
try’s land would be available for Black occupancy,
while the minority settlers held around ninety
percent, thus legalizing racial discrimination. A
rebellion by the locals was suppressed the follow-
ing year, but by 1924, the Afrikaner’s National Party
came to power in opposition to the colonists. As
recently as 1930, the government undermined the
Africa 57
 voting power of Black South Africans by granting
the right to vote to all white women. In 1931, this
was extended to all white men without property,
while non-white voters were still required to own
property in order to vote.
Today, the Great Depression has taken its toll on
miners and Black farmhands, but it’s not the usu-
al story. With the price of gold on the rise, South
Africa’s gold mines have enabled it to hold on to
the gold standard, even though Britain abandoned
it three years ago. However, wages have been kept
low, and the only ones who have truly benefited
from the reflated economy are white farmers and
mine owners. With the National Party in power,
and the dilution of Black votes, the oppression has
no end in sight. There is hope for those who are
Inspired though; the Order of the Stars has one of
their main hubs in Pretoria and is active is using its
Inspired members’ abilities to aid the local farmers.
In response to the Order of the Stars, the small
population of white Inspired in the area have
created their own Allegiance, which they call
Inlustris. Their stated goal is to uplift and revi-
talize the region, making South Africa the shin-
ing jewel it could be. Their methods center their
British and Dutch sensibilities, and their minority
status has them actively recruiting European and
North American Inspired to bolster their ranks.
They often pit themselves against the Order of the
Stars, who barely register the Inlustris as an orga-
nization, much less a threat.
People of Interest
• Anne-Marie Janssen: A descendant of the
Boer settlers whose land was incorporated
into the territory of South Africa, Anne-Marie
is known for her independent spirit and har-
diness, which eventually turned into both ac-
tive resistance against the South African gov-
ernment and, eventually, piracy in the seas
surrounding the country. Notoriously good
at navigating the storms and rocks of this re-
gion, she was granted Æon Society member-
ship in 1928 and recently acquired her own
ship. While she is committed to hindering the
efforts of the British ships supporting the dis-
criminatory administration, recent dossiers
have described strange phenomena emerging
on the open ocean and threatening her ships.
58 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
• Xolani Tshabalala: Xolani is an indigenous
Zulu and stalwart living in Praetoria. His
mother was a day laborer, and his father a
Dutch merchant. His father wasn’t much in
his life, but he paid for Xolani’s education.
When his mother died, he stopped hearing
from his father, and ended up on the streets
before finally finding work with a Dutch
shipping company who were happy to have a
polyglot on the payroll. He might have stayed
there had it not been for a shipping dispute
that sent him all the way to Morocco running
down a package for his employer. There he
met Rabia Al-Harrak, who instantly recog-
nized he was a stalwart and invited him to
stay and learn from them. Xolani felt adrift,
so agreed and was one of the first Inspired to
join the Order of the Stars. Though he appre-
ciated all Rabia had done for him, he itched to
return to South Africa and spread the Order’s
work there, and just last year he returned to
Praetoria to open the Pretoriaanse Raad van
Vriende with Rabia’s funding.
Western Africa
Preceded by the establishment of the African
slave trade along the coasts, the occupation of
Algiers in 1830 opened the door to colonial ex-
pansion throughout the interior regions of West
Africa. While the initial Portuguese arrival dis-
rupted the trade of gold through North Africa,
the world powers of Britain and France eventu-
ally established new regimes, while Portugal and
Germany upkept minor territories here.
French West Africa
During the imperialistic Scramble for Africa,
the French spread in toward the Sahel from coast-
al settlements in the late 19th century, attempting
to build a colonial empire from the Niger River to
the Nile River Valley. Continuing their policy of
assimilation and punitive pacification, local na-
tionalism grew rampant, and even today, there are
pockets of resistance.
South of their colony in Algeria, France now
controls a large federation of colonies. Collectively
known as French West Africa, it’s composed of
eight territories. The French continue their mis-
guided mission to civilize newfound subjects
who still lack the basic rights of French citizens.
However, while their territory is large, France’s
economic gains from these colonies are a fraction
of what other world powers have exploited in this
part of Africa.
Furthermore, France faces the problem of
maintaining control over this large swath of land.
While their brutal policy of pacification was car-
ried out with small forces, only a few hundred sol-
diers have been stationed here — an occupation-
al force barely able to cover tens of thousands of
leagues. The most remote regions of French West
Africa therefore present a serious political prob-
lem to colonizers. They also provide a perfect lo-
cation for one of Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux’s
compounds, along with various resistance groups
who oppose the French.
Like Britain’s colonies, France lets European
trading companies roam unhindered in this re-
gion. Ongoing poll taxes are leading to unrest
in this era of depression, and only recently, the
administrative powers of Togoland had to sup-
press a rebellion. Any raise in the poll taxes force
more and more Africans to leave their homes in
the countryside. Many disappear in the slums of
coastal towns — enough to pique the concern of
the International Detective Agency, although
this particular mystery is a low priority. A greater
concern is a Ponatowski Foundation expedition,
which struck out from this territory before curv-
ing south around Lake Chad and eventually dis-
appearing into the Congo, in pursuit of a strange
dimension known only as the Cradle.
People of Interest
• Binta, the Cartographer: Born to a nomadic
family in the Fouta Djallon highlands, Binta
remembers routes and byways as easily as she
breathes. Originally using her talents solely to
keep her family safe and prosperous, the con-
tinued disruption and terror inflicted by co-
lonial authorities lead Binta to help displaced
people find routes to safety. The onset of old
age hasn’t slowed Binta down but has made
her aware of her knowledge’s fragility. Now
she works to create what may be the most
complete map of the region, an invaluable re-
source for any explorers, freedom fighters, or
colonial authorities who lay eyes on it.
• Isoke Issa: From Niger to Mauritania,
Dahomey to Senegal, Isoke Issa has protect-
ed the helpless. Fearless, determined, and
(so far) unkillable, Isoke Issa is respectful to
traditional authority when circumstances al-
low, but a terrifying dynamo when innocent
life is at risk. Wanted by colonial authorities
countrywide, few dare attempt arrest, even
as Isoke walks openly among the people. Le
Salon des Femmes Nouveaux found her a nat-
ural and willing ally but consider her as much
distraction as collaborator. Isoke’s concern is
always with the immediate need, which puts
her at odds with an organization that shapes
the future.
Gold Coast
Emerging in 1844, the Gold Coast solidified to-
gether when Britain protected and purchased the
rich coastal regions of this part of Africa. By 1874,
they burned down the capital of Kumasi, and in
the following decades, forced the local Ashanti
people to give up their lands to the south. Today,
the British indirectly rule the colony by letting lo-
cal chiefs take responsibility for their colonial au-
thorities. In doing so, power has consolidated in
the capital of Accra, and with it, aristocracy. Their
introduction of new crops and infrastructure has
also allowed the colonists to reap greater rewards
than their French rivals to the north.
Despite the advent of the Great Depression,
the British have recently departed from the gold
standard, which gives the Gold Coast a competi-
tive advantage in all exports. Furthermore, the use
of export taxes as opposed to poll taxes have sub-
dued unrest in the colony.
With this growing economic strength, govern-
ment power is slowly shifting into the hands of the
people, and a national consciousness has begun to
grow. Newspapers run by Africans are only pro-
voking this fervor, and the vast majority of Ashanti
descendants are in favor of the restoration of the
Ashanti Confederacy. Even though this African em-
pire was annexed to the Crown in 1901, Asantehene
Prempeh I was permitted to return from exile in
1924, but under the title of Kumasihene. His death
only three years ago has prompted an extraordi-
nary campaign to elect his nephew, Prempeh II, as
the 14th Asantehene of Ashanti.
Africa 59
 Either way, the hands-off approach of the
British means that local peoples are certain to
Nigeria
earn more broad representation soon. Despite the One of many victims of the Berlin Conference,
best efforts of the British, chiefs and intellectual Nigeria’s origins as a colony began with the Royal
leaders of the movement are beginning to work Niger Company, chartered to control the lower
together. Insisting on their loyalty to the British Niger River against German competition. In 1900,
Crown, this community demands that the rights Britain took control of the company’s territory to
under the British political system be granted to consolidate holdings and declare Nigeria a pro-
Africans. tectorate of the British Empire the following year.
After 14 years of further war and conquest in the
Curiously, the Invictus Umbra have a presence
region, the British united most of the Niger area
in the Gold Coast. Several land deeds have been
under the protectorate.
stolen in recent months, and while they’re being
returned to their rightful owners, some are with- Today, the regional difference of the northern
held as possible candidates for a new chapter in and southern halves is marked, and imbalanc-
the region. This has turned the thefts into a mixed es are blunt. Slavery has yet to be outlawed in
blessing, and the aristocracy of Accra is certain to the north, while the south has long abolished it.
retaliate. This difference has caused political problems for
decades, with opposition to colonial rule largely
People of Interest assumed by religious groups. However, nationalist
• Bekoe Yao Acheampong: A trader who rhetoric has enabled people to lobby for improve-
has successfully navigated the tumult of the ments in education, although there is growing di-
economic depression, Bekoe sells supplies vision between activists who seek independence,
to explorers, colonial capitalist, nationalist and activists who desire dominion status within
ventures, and outright criminals with lit- the British Empire, akin to Canada or Australia.
tle hesitation. Both colonial authorities and Like other African colonies, Nigeria is suf-
local leaders ignore his activities, as long as fering from the effects of the Great Depression.
he comes through for them when they need Collapsing prices, cut wages, and harsh tariff and
cheap raw materials or hard to get European tax rates are spreading poverty across rural com-
technology. Becoming indispensable has munities, and the British are attempting to re-
put Bekoe in the sights of various nefarious cover their economy at the expense of Nigerians.
gangs; while they have enjoyed his wares in During the 1920s though, ethnic and kinship or-
the past, they would rather control his busi- ganizations emerged in urban areas after the ar-
ness fully in the future. rival of rural migrants who lost their lands, and
this contributes to the ongoing domination of the
• Kojo Quansah: Formerly a slave and freed Nigerian National Democratic Party in elections.
after Britain abolished their slave trade, Led by Herbert Macauley in a time of great eco-
Kojo Quansah moved from Sierra Leone to nomic strife, the party calls for educational re-
the Gold Coast in the 1920s to contribute forms, economic development, and self-govern-
to the Gold Coast Times, one of the major ment in Lagos.
newspapers that’s developing the nation-
British influence has brought several Allegiances
al conscience of Ghanaians and pressuring
to Nigeria, both for good and ill. The largest contin-
the colonial government to shift the balance
gent of Inspired people belongs to Branch 9, though
of power. This has not come without conse-
locals have started up a small chapter of the Air
quence; he has been chased, fought, and even
Circus in hopes to create flight paths across Africa.
beaten down for his work. His resilience and
The Ponatowski Foundation has attempted sever-
determination have only stoked the power of
al times to lead expeditions into Nigeria’s forested
his written word. It’s only a matter of getting
areas but find themselves blocked by a group of
it out there.
fiercely protective Inspired who style themselves
the Nigerian Protectorate. This group is insular

60 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

and dangerous to anyone who would try to disrupt
the wilder, and natural areas of Nigeria, and some
speculate they are guarding a well of telluric energy
or some other strange artifact.
People of Interest
• Aneju Dariye: Raised in the diverse middle
belt region of Nigeria, Aneju Dariye became
a noted fixer and go-between for various
local groups even before she was an adult.
Nationalists trust her to talk to Dominionists,
Imams to bring concerns to Christian neigh-
bors, and the British ignore her as she settles
arguments between feuding families. The
Order of the Stars and Le Salon des Femmes
Nouveaux are interested in contacting her for
future use as an agent, but criminal interests
from abroad seek to bring her into their pow-
er, as a skeleton key to gain access to the com-
plicated region.
• Olu Gbenga: Like many children, a young Olu
yearned for the sky. His travels gave him the
opportunity to become a mechanic and then
a pilot for private interests, and his willing-
ness to work hard as long as it kept him fly-
ing made him a natural fit for the Air Circus.
A chance delivery saw Olu return to Nigeria,
and he’s stayed both to fly transportation for
his compatriots and to support the idea of a lo-
cal, African aviation. He is concerned that the
coming Imperial Airways service will serve
only the British, and if Olu doesn’t receive help
to make his dream a reality, he may be right.
Sierra Leone
Unique among other colonies, Sierra Leone
began as a settlement of former African slaves,
brought there after Britain abolished the slave
trade in 1807. As a result of this same act though,
these people could be assigned to apprenticeships
or enlisted, which functioned as its own new sys-
tem of slavery for several decades.
Following the Berlin Conference of 1884 on
West Africa and the Congo, the United Kingdom
annexed inland areas in 1896, which would be-
come the Sierra Leone Protectorate. Interfering
with the leadership of the indigenous chiefs, the
British expanded their government throughout
the region. When the Hut Tax War of 1898 broke
out, the Temne and Mende peoples fought them
at an advantage. The British forces eventually re-
sorted to destroying the homes of these people,
forcing a surrender and ending mass resistance to
the colonial administration.
Today, unrest is rampant, and rioting can break
out at any time. Domestic slavery here was only
Africa 61
 abolished a few years ago in 1928, and now, the
people face the influence of the Sierra Leone
Selection Trust, which seeks a total monopoly on
mineral mining in their land. In a dangerous move,
the British have divided Sierra Leone, establishing
the coastal territory around Freetown as a colony,
and the hinterland as a protectorate. Both regions
are antagonistic toward each other, and the recent
discovery of diamonds here may only worsen the
situation. Additionally, there’s little doubt that the
Rational Experimentation Group operates labs
out of Sierra Leone, but the current political cli-
mate makes it difficult to launch a direct operation
against them.
People of Interest
• Isaac Abraham Augustus: When the
Rational Experiment Group raided the
Selection Trust mines for lens-quality dia-
monds, the cell leading the operation was
unprepared for the calm Sierra Leonean lo-
cal who had slain the supervisor and was al-
ready in the process of fashioning a death ray
in the mine’s machine shop. Isaac Abraham
now makes more complicated and power-
ful weapons for the REG cell that recruited
him, while continuing his own experiments.
While the REG considers him an up-and-
coming genius, it has failed to inquire exactly
what Isaac was building his weapons for be-
fore they came along.
• Bangura Sesay: One of the main politi-
cal leaders on the ground in Sierra Leone,
Bangura Sesay is a member of the Temne peo-
ples who have historically seen the British
burn their homes and stomp out resistance.
Today, she stands in opposition to the poten-
tial monopolization of mineral resources by
the Sierra Leone Selection Trust, particularly
when it comes to diamonds and the theft of
such wealth from her land. In a curious turn of
events, she claims that her spouse has discov-
ered a most dangerous secret within the fledg-
ing mines of this region, one that could shape
the world. Despite limited resources in this
part of the world, folk from all backgrounds
are marshalling together to help her investi-
gate this matter in Sierra Leone and may build
a new secret society from the discovery.
62 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
Liberia
Out of all the countries in West Africa, Liberia is
special, in that it became the first African republic
to declare independence, all the way back in 1847.
It kept this sovereignty through the Scramble for
Africa, having based its constitution on the ex-
ample set by the United States. Sadly, the United
Kingdom exerted some pressure on it afterward,
which led to the loss of territorial claims. As a re-
sult, Liberia struggled to develop infrastructure
and industry without the prerequisite investment.
In the last few decades, international forc-
es sought the extraction of Liberia’s resources,
which largely consisted of rubber production.
More recently, an American missionary report-
ed that the country was enslaving tribal peoples
and shipping them to the island of Fernando Po.
When Liberia invited the League of Nations to
investigate the allegations in 1930, the head of
the commission, Cuthbert Christy, along with
representatives from the United States and
Liberia, uncovered a forced labor and slavery
scandal that led to the resignation of both the
President and Vice-President of Liberia. While
Christy’s discriminatory opinions on Black self-
rule and his untimely death two years later have
cast a shadow over the inquiry, the damage has
already been done. This coincidence has not
gone unnoticed though; some suspect that the
Order of Murder was involved, although little re-
course exists at the moment.
The fallout of this scandal, along with the Great
Depression, placed Liberia on the brink of bank-
ruptcy. Unable to make loan repayments, their
creditors attempted to convince the United States
government to engage in gunboat diplomacy.
Instead, the United States suspended diplomatic
relations, enabling Liberia to appeal to the League
of Nations for help. While negotiations are still
ongoing, Liberia has a good chance at securing its
loan payments and sovereignty for years to come.
With an open-door economic policy in place
though, investors from across Europe are search-
ing for opportunity here, be it good or evil. Fronts
for the Rational Experimentation Group have
seized this opportunity to funnel investor money
through Liberia and into Sierra Leone, which con-
tributes to both of their misfortune.
People of Interest
• Angelina Cathar: There is no one who can
better trace the passage of money in and out
of Liberia than Cathar. The Order of the Stars
suspects her abilities to be Inspired in some
way, but she doesn’t claim anything other
than a keen eye. She has discovered the REG
is supporting the company attempting to buy
rubber through orders placed to Liberia firms
using three separate intermediaries. Cathar
can’t stop every predatory loan or deal pre-
sented to Liberia by foreigners, but for those
secretly backed by the REG or similarly foul
governments, she attempts to stop by what-
ever means she has available.
• Yenseloh King: Yenseloh is the son of indige-
nous Kru people who were long at odds with
Liberian leadership. An expert fisher and
mariner who has navigated more of Africa’s
coast than most navies, he finds work guid-
ing or transporting outsiders to ports or il-
licit landings across Africa’s western coast.
Smugglers and refugees alike use his services,
while Yeneseloh attempts to do what a man
with boat and unmatched knowledge of the
waterways can to help Liberia recover.

ASIA
From the tropical islands of Polynesia to the only do the over seven thousand islands of the
mountains of Tibet to the deserts of Iraq, Asia has Philippines contain just as many ethnicities and
virtually every environment known to humankind, cultures, but the colonial history of the region is so
as well as more cultures than anywhere else, with fresh that the ink’s still wet. Although the Spanish
roughly two thousand distinct languages on the con- were ousted from the islands 36 years ago, their
tinent. Naturally, the 20th century has led to major legacy can be seen everywhere, from the names of
changes here. Just as recent wars have reshaped the towns to the extensive number of Filipinos who
face of Europe, violence from the Middle East to have Spanish surnames, either from intermar-
East Asia has radically shifted the balance of powers. riage or because they were legally forced to adopt
The Ottoman Empire is no more, having finally the family names of their occupiers. Even though
been overthrown by the Arab peoples they’d domi- the Americans have had a less forceful approach
nated for hundreds of years. Of course, those people to governance, there’s no mistaking the last few
are still re-drawing borders, with Saudi Arabia and decades as anything but a different Western colo-
Yemen fighting even now. Another former empire, nial power dictating life on the islands.
Imperial China, has fallen. After the Manchu-led But that all seems to be coming to an end.
Qing emperors failed their majority Han people, the Manuel Quezon, President of the Senate, has
people rose up and began sorting out who must lead. successfully negotiated a deal with the United
And from the shadows of last century, the States to transition from an American colony to a
Empire of Japan has emerged as a true world sovereign state over the next five years. Although
power. No longer are they the scrappy country the American Senate initially proposed a 10-year
that recently traded their samurai swordsmen for transition period beginning next year, President
sharpshooters of yesteryear. Now, they are a fully Quezon’s seemingly indomitable will impressed
modernized and heavily militarized nation that upon the US Senate the importance of a fully inde-
threatens to swallow up all of East Asia, much to pendent Philippines to the security of the region,
the chagrin of — well, everyone else. especially with the Empire of Japan’s tendrils
stretching outward.
The Commonwealth Now, all the Philippine islands are ablaze with ac-
of the Philippines tivity and something approaching a sense of national
unity. Although the various peoples of the islands are
The newly recognized Commonwealth of the
still diverse, they have a familiar face at the head of
Philippines is a place of many identities. Not
the government and a fearsome enemy to mobilize

Asia 63
 against. The main island of Luzon is an exciting hot-
bed of activity. Everywhere from the bustling port
city of Manila to the mountain communities, peo-
ple prepare for changes and hardships. Although it
would be a mistake to say that the Filipino peoples
are spoiling for war, they’re certainly not going to be
caught unaware if Japan invades.
The deeply cosmopolitan city of Manila is both
the capital of the Commonwealth as well as the
largest city of the nation. Hundreds of ethnicities
mix there, making life in the city a multilingual
affair, although Spanish, English, and Tagalog are
the most common. For anyone seeking to make
their name known or to make a difference to the
course of history, Manila is the place to do it.
Due to the nature of the area, several groups
have made a home in the area. Groups such as
the Order of Murder use the cosmopolitan atmo-
sphere to bring their clients in under the guise of
tourism, while the Seven Brothers dominate the
criminal underground. The Artisans of the Verse
race against the Ponatowski Foundation in search
of telluric hotspots in the mountains. The Æon
Society is attempting to set up a preliminary chap-
terhouse, and an organization of locals has sprung
up near the American military outposts, called
The Secret Sword of Kanlaon.
People of Interest
• Gloria Santos-Aquino: As a cultural scholar,
Gloria understands the importance of com-
munity and preserving traditions. When not
giving lectures on Filipino folk dances at the
University of the Philippines, Gloria is explor-
ing the islands to gain firsthand experiences.
When Gloria encountered what appeared
to be a completely other world high in the
Luzon mountain ranges, she was prepared to
exchange her culture for the avian-like peo-
ple living there. Now, she struggles to keep
their homes and nests safe as other Inspired
set out to catalog the strange telluric events
happening near their home.
• Pia de la Cruz: An ardent member of the
Asociación Feminista Filipina (Feminist
Association of the Philippines), Pia de la
Cruz has never been one to sit idly by as
she saw qualified women being passed over
for advancement or denied educational
64 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
opportunities. This also extends to the right
to vote, and de la Cruz has been nothing if not
a force to be reckoned with on that account
— taking her platform to other countries to
ensure women have the right to be their own
political voice, often flying with members of
the Air Circus
The Empire of Japan
Formally known as the Great Empire of Japan
— Dai Nippon Teikoku to locals — the Empire of
Japan is the Giant of Asia, having stolen the title
away from China some 30 years ago, along with
the Korean Peninsula, Manchuria, the Ryukyu
Islands, and Taiwan. Despite doubling the size of
their holdings, the Empire of Japan seems eager
to expand further, something that troubles their
neighbors. On top of that, Japan recently exited the
League of Nations, leaving diplomatic relationships
with the West as fraught as anywhere else.
Known within the Empire simply as the Emperor,
Hirohito leads the martial state and is also known by
his regnal name, the Shōwa Emperor. His policies
have represented a massive shift from the attempt
to democratize Japan during his father’s reign.
Hirohito’s reign has created a swell of imperialist
and nationalist furor. Thanks in large part of this,
there has been a surge in activity from the ultra-na-
tionalist Koryuukai, the Black Dragon Society.
Originally formed as an elite, government-sanc-
tioned anti-Russian spy network in 1901, the Black
Dragon Society has since spiraled into a group of
rabid fanatics, led by an enigmatic man in a black
bowler hat whose description is inconsistent be-
tween eyewitness accounts. Despite the Society’s
membership of only a few hundred, many ev-
eryday Japanese people live in fear of the Black
Dragon Society, which looks more and more like
secret police with each passing day.
Although the newly elected Prime Minister
Okada’s control of the Diet doesn’t balance the
Emperor’s desire for war and expansion, the mod-
erate Okada has tempered the more extreme voic-
es of Japan, calming everyone who has attempted
to argue for further bloodshed. More astounding-
ly, the statesman managed to talk down a would-
be assassin. Although the shooter dropped his pis-
tol, a police officer shot him dead, in a move that
raised more questions than it answered.
 The Seven Brothers has a strong hold within
the Empire of Japan, but their presence is one of
formality rather than strength. The already estab-
lished criminal organizations keep them from op-
erating too deeply in the area. Several Allegiances
have chapters in the area, from the International
Detective Agency to Branch 9, though their situa-
tion has become tenuous since the Empire left the
League of Nations.
People of Interest
• Captain Takahashi Isamu: Almost every-
thing about Captain Takahashi is a fabrica-
tion. Originally just a Second Lieutenant in
the Imperial Army, Takahashi took it upon
himself to falsify two promotions and a his-
tory about having participated in missions for
the Black Dragon Society. The only certain-
ties about him are that he is wildly anti-crime,
anti-Russia, and leans more toward being a
conservative than a progressive. The truth is
that “Captain Takahashi” died at the hands of
The Contedorri during the Russo-Japanese
War, and the man masquerading as him is a
con artist of the highest caliber believed to be
Inspired.
• Ichikawa Kiyoshi: All Ichikawa Kiyoshi
wants to do is to help other people. A retired
Petty Officer, Second Class, in the Imperial
Navy, he has found that retirement does not
quite do for him what he thought it would.
Instead of a life of leisure, Kiyoshi opened a
dry goods shop in Chiba. This allows him to
keep a solid eye on his community, ensuring
that organized crime elements like the yaku-
za and the Black Dragons gain little to no
foothold in the area. He reports any move-
ments to the International Detective Agency
in his area.
The Empire of Manchukuo
Manchukuo is a geographic conundrum.
According to the Republic of China and the
League of Nations, the region is officially known as
the northeastern Chinese province of Manchuria.
Of course, neither the ruling Kuomintang Party of
China nor any of the League’s member states oc-
cupy the region, leaving their ability to officially
name the area somewhat in doubt. According to
Japan and the people of Manchukuo, the ruler is
the Kangde Emperor, the last of the Qing Dynasty.
The Emperor was briefly the ruler of China before
being ousted from the Dragon Throne in Beijing
during the 1911 Chinese Revolution.
Despite Manchuria being the original home of
the Manchu people — and the Qing Dynasty —
the Han people are the majority ethnic group of
the region. The recent installation of the Kangde
Emperor as regent means that, once again, Han
people are under the rule of the minority Manchu
people. This irony is not lost on the people of
Manchukuo, particularly not the outspoken
Mayor Xú of the recently renamed city of Hsinking
(formerly Changchun). Japanese occupation forc-
es have taken Mayor Xú from his residence in the
middle of the night five times, ostensibly to tour
the surrounding countryside. But each of the five
times, the mayor was spotted working in his office
before the soldiers who ‘escorted’ him returned.
Although most of the morning edition newspa-
pers following each abduction were destroyed,
rumors abound that at least one of the headlines
read that Mayor Xú died in a tragic accident. The
Æon Society has been hoping to get an interview
with the mayor, but he proves to be just as elusive
to their agents when they seek contact.
Manchukuo’s rich natural resources — com-
bined with Japanese engineers — has turned the
region into an industrial powerhouse overnight.
Although this means there’s an ever-increasing
presence of the Japanese Imperial Army ready
to invade China, it also means there’s an ever-in-
creasing amount of modern equipment and weap-
ons near an upset populace.
Branch 9 is active in the region despite their
chapterhouse being firmly in the Republic of
China. They have put a lockdown on most oth-
er Inspired Allegiances from gaining a foothold
in hopes to control the amount of telluric ener-
gy research in the area. That doesn’t stop Seven
Brothers activity, but Branch 9 cares less about
mundane criminals than it does about those at-
tempting to create dangerous tellurically powered
artifacts. That honor falls to the Shōwa Weapons
Initiative, an elite group of Inspired scientists
who are crafting and testing tellurically powered
technology for the Japanese Emperor.
Asia 65
 People of Interest education, connections, and dozens of false iden-
tities, it’s difficult to tell fact from fiction when it
• Jīn Zhēnzhēn: A member of the famous comes to Mr. Ho, much to the consternation of the
Aisin Gioro clan of Manchus, Jīn Zhēnzhēn is French authorities.
a distant cousin of both the Emperor and Jīn
In slightly better news for the French occupa-
Yŏuzhī, who works in the palace as an expert
tion force, the uprising in Yên Bái four years ago has
chef. Since the beginning of the Japanese oc-
done little to shake their hold. Although a handful
cupation, Zhēnzhēn has witnessed rampant
of French officers were killed, all the mutineers
abuse of her staff: their rations being cut
and their leadership were executed, at least ac-
to a quarter of what they were, food being
cording to the French government. Eyewitnesses
thrown at them after serving, and worse — all
claim that at least two mutineers were shot over a
by the Emperor himself, whom she loathes.
dozen times before falling into the Red River, yet
Zhēnzhēn hopes to see the Emperor over-
their bodies were never recovered.
thrown and someone — anyone at this point
— else on the throne before this daredevil As a direct result of the uprising, France has shuf-
takes matters into her own hands. fled the indigenous military forces around the coun-
try, recruiting heavily from Laos and Cambodia.
• Yáng Jūn: Yáng Jūn was the daughter of This, combined with an increase of French Foreign
merchants in Beijing, which is where she met Legion and French regular soldiers, has led half the
The Ubiquitous Dragon. As the price to pro- military forces in the Annam region to be non-Viet-
tect her family’s bun shop, Jūn was charged namese. Similarly, the Tonkin and Cochinchina re-
with keeping an eye on clone number Fifty- gions’ forces are notably less ethnically Vietnamese
Nine, now Yong, when he wasn’t using the than they were just a few years ago.
body. When Yong cut off his own arm, Jūn Completely avoiding the scales of power, the
was there to cauterize and clean him up. Sheinfluence of the Federation of French Scouting
never once questioned what happened to — a sister organization to the Boy Scouts and Girl
The Ubiquitous Dragon, but she remained by Guides — has led to Indochinese Scouting orga-
Yong’s side when his brothers arrived. Now nizations sprouting up all over the region, with
a full Brother of the Seven Brothers, Jūn has
Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese Scout troops
mobilized Yong’s desire to separate him- forming in virtually every city and large township.
self from his father’s legacy by bringing him
Scouts as young five and as old as 25 have dedi-
to Manchukuo, where they currently work cated themselves to helping their communities
to liberate the Han people from Japanese and bettering themselves. The Scouts themselves
oppression. constitute one of the few organizations devoted
to helping all the people of French Indochina. As
Indochinese Union such, the Scouts of Indochina are welcome most
Five smaller protectorates — Annam, Cambodia, places and can travel around the region without
Cochinchina, Laos, and Tonkin — make up French being bothered by locals or French military.
Indochina. Although Laos and Cambodia are Any Allegiances attempting to work in the area
largely populated by the Lao and Cambodian do so through the Scouting organizations, or with
peoples, the other three colonies share the same express permission from Le Salon des Femmes
majority ethnicity: the Vietnamese people. While Nouveaux. While the Salon keeps a wary eye on
the official capital of French Indochina, Hà Nội, people coming into their region, they have made
is located in the northernmost region of Tonkin, an agreement with the Æon Society for mem-
the dual city of Sài Gòn-Cholon — located in the bers to work alongside them for mutual benefit:
opposite end of Indochina in Cochinchina — is Opposing the Order of Murder who had set up
the real heart of the region. In Saigon, anyone a safehouse in the area. Le Salon des Femmes
who is anyone knows the Vietnamese separatist Nouveaux’s resources are no match for the secre-
Hồ Chí Minh — or at least thinks they do. Thanks tive organization, meaning they had to seek out-
to the up-and-coming communist’s international side help to remove them.

66 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

People of Interest
• Leilani: With the introduction of Scouting in
Indochina, Leilani finally found a place where
she could burn off her boundless energy. The
fastest girl in her troop, Tai’s penchant for
pranks (especially against colonial forces) has
resulted in her always carrying around a shov-
el made of melted-down rifles she stole from
a French patrol. Longing for more in life and
always curious, this young daredevil wants to
leave her small village in Laos to seek adven-
ture wherever it may take her.
• Minh Truong: Minh Truong is a pseudonym
used by the secretive founder of Le Salon des
Femmes Nouveaux. Many people know her
story of escape from her small village overtaken
by bandits. The thrill of such a story, of a wom-
an who murdered several armed men to rescue
her friends and family resounds with many
people. In truth, there is no Minh Truong, but
instead a resilient group of women who banded
together in the face of adversity and murdered
their supposed kidnappers. They produced
Minh as a cover for their own actions, and any
one of them could be her when someone need-
ed a point of contact or someone to talk to. After
years of organizing the largest woman’s orga-
nization the world over, Ai Pham is the only of
the original women who continues to use the
pseudonym for business, a name she uses more
than her own any longer.
Imperial State of Iran
Persia has a new name and a new ruler, not to
mention new borders after Russian forces occupied
the nation during the Great War and turned Persia
into a battlefront during the Russian Revolution.
The capital city of Tehran was under the control
of the Russians, with no sign of Ahmad Shah Qajar,
the Shah of Persia, nor his soldiers. With the Shah
out of the picture and the Red Army running amok,
it was up to the Persian people to save themselves.
Ethnically Bakhtiari militias ousted the Russians
from Tehran and the Persian Cossack Brigade took
center stage afterward, leading a coup against the
Shah in 1921. A few years later, the commander of
the Persian Cossacks, Reza Pahlavi, officially took
Asia 67
 control of the country, ending the 136-year reign of • Soraya Bakhtiar: After helping take back
the Qajar Dynasty. Tehran from the Russians in 1911 as a sniper
Now, Reza Shah has become somewhat of a con- and tactician for a mixed-gender unit, Soraya
troversial figure. Although credited with leading Bakhtiar witnessed firsthand the duplicity of
the Persian people out of a downward spiral caused the Shah. While the Shah publicly called for
by the Qajars, he’s also largely responsible for great progress, the Bakhtiari people were forced to
pressure placed on the numerous ethnic minori- assimilate into Persian culture — oftentimes
ties of Iran to conform. Despite Reza Shah himself by force — and Soraya has made the attempt
belonging to the Mazanderani people, he’s taken to fight back against the erasure of her native
it upon himself to homogenize the peoples of Iran tongue. These days, she can be found picking
into a single Persian race, an effort that’s less than fights with the Shah’s forces, sending them
universally applauded. The Bakhtiari people, who on wild goose chases, and generally being a
saved Tehran from the Russians, pose the biggest nuisance-turned-outlaw seeking the preser-
obstacle toward the Shah’s Persianification of Iran. vation of Bakhtiari culture and way of life.
Earlier this year, these two factions came close
to clashing when Khan Sardar Fatteh challenged India
Reza Shah to a pistol duel. Despite the strange- India is a massive country, roughly the size
ness of the challenge, the Shah accepted. Even of continental Europe or every US state west of
stranger, the duel ended in a draw, with both men Kansas, plus the Territory of Alaska. Even consid-
striking the other’s bullet. Now, an uneasy truce ering its large size, India’s population is astound-
holds sway, with the Bakhtiari left in control of ing over 350 million people, approximately 100
the southeast of the country and the Shah main- million more than continental Europe and three
taining undisputed control of the rest. times that of the entire USA. Within this tightly
The capital of Tehran is a hotbed of activity, packed area, there are hundreds of ethnic groups
with virtually the entire city under construction. and languages. How in the world did the British
Under Reza Shah’s orders, much of the city has Colonial Government get control of all these peo-
been torn down and rebuilt, with streets being ple, you might ask? The answer is simple, by mak-
rebuilt to be much wider, to better accommodate ing them all distrust one another more than they
modern automobiles. Seemingly overnight, giant did the British Raj. Unfortunately for the Crown,
four-way intersections with roundabouts spring this policy of divide and conquer seems to have fo-
up around the metropolis. With so much unrest mented too much strife for them to deal with. The
in the capitol city, the old spirit of Tehran is dying, Indian people have begun unifying along religious
making way for a new, modern capital. Recently lines, specifically Hinduism and Islam.
the Archivists have moved into the area, hoping to From coast to coast, many Muslim citizens of
safeguard Tehran artifacts. India have joined the Pakistan Movement, plan-
ning to break off from India and create their own
People of Interest nation. While the Movement doesn’t appear to
• Shanti Hakim: As a young adult when Reza have enough support to secede in the near future,
Shah came to power, Shanti has borne wit- everyone else worries for the unity of Indian peo-
ness to the rapid changes happening in Iran. ples. Lawyer and anti-colonial activist, Mohandas
Intelligent, passionate, and carrying the ex- Gandhi, has begun campaigning heavily for a
traordinary luck only seen in daredevils, she sense of national pride in the hopes of bridging
has put her passions toward campaigning for the divide between the many peoples of India.
minority rights and education. Her bold ac- In a parallel effort several Indian-led expedi-
tions put her at odds with the more traditional tions have begun delving deep into India’s past in
Persian mindset, but the Jewish community efforts to find common ground between the vari-
views her as a leader. She currently attends the ous populations of the subcontinent. To the north,
Sage College in Tehran, where she organizes archeological teams have been dispatched to find
community events for likeminded individuals. relics from the ancient Gupta Empire, which

68 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

encouraged multiple religions during its 200-yearAgency, as well as smaller groups such as the
span. Others focus on the more recent Mughal Traditional Scholar’s Network and Elephant’s
Empire, which sought to establish equality among Luck. A small group of Le Salon des Femmes
the many cultures of India. Nouveaux has sprung up under the direction of
Several Allegiances operate across the nation, Sara Kaur, who has taken an interest in their work
from Branch 9 to the International Detective as a counterpoint to that of the Æon Society.

— From the journal of Saraswati Kaur Bhurano

Day one of the work at Agra, Uttar Pradesh went well as could be expected. The
large number of people, as well as the easy access to the river, has proven to be
a boon and a bane. On one hand, I hired all the experts, academics, and laborers
I needed in a matter of hours. On the other, there are so many more of them, that
it’s impossible to bring someone onto the excavation team without slighting someone
else. Additionally, I’m somewhat constrained by the modern buildings around the
site. The last thing I want to do is accidentally destroy someone’s house or
something else that would engender ill will.
The work itself is simple: find Akbar the Great’s hidden library, which is
rumored to contain holy texts from every religion in the world at the time, as well
as a short-lived syncretic religion that blended them all together. Presented in
the right light, such a trove of books would help establish India as a cosmopolitan
powerhouse to rival anything in Europe. More importantly, it could give the Indian
people a reminder of how great they’ve been together.
Of course, this, too, is a double-sided blade; if the wrong people get their hands
on this, they could easily use his Din-i Ilahi religion to paint the Mughal emperor
as an infidel, undoing efforts at national unity and accelerating the Pakistan
Movement’s exit.
Dammit. Where is Max? I need someone to watch my back.

People of Interest Untouchables to Pakistan — that is, if he does

• Vihaan Sengupta: Hiding behind the
guise of being a benevolent doctor, Vihaan
Sengupta is anything but. A member of
the Baidya caste, and part of the Rational
Experimentation Group, he uses his posi-
tion as a healer to work with disadvantaged
populations to poison them and has been ef-
fectively a serial killer hiding in plain sight.
Believing that Saraswati’s idealist dream will
do more to harm India, Vihaan Sengupta be-
lieves the nation must split and send all the
not poison them all first.
• Saraswati Kaur Bhurano: Otherwise known
as Sara Kaur, Saraswati is the first and most
powerful mesmerist in the world. When she
immigrated to England, she had no idea that
she would be at the forefront of telluric ener-
gy studies with Dr. Hammersmith. He hired
her as a secretary, but she quickly became his
preeminent student and toward the end, the
only other person as knowledgeable about
telluric energy as he. After the Hammersmith

Asia 69
 Incident, Saraswati returned to India both as
a way to distance herself from her past rela-
tions, and to begin independent study on the
effects telluric energy has on the human body.
She is highly active in India’s move toward in-
dependence and is supporting a local group
of Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux working
toward women’s rights.
The Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia
With a ruling family nearly 200 years old, it’s
hard to believe that Saudi Arabia is technically
less than two years old. But after three decades
of fighting, King Abdulaziz — also known as Ibn
Saud — finally established the House of Saud as People of Interest
the absolute rulers of the land in late 1932. Since
then, the King has ruled from his heavily protect- • The Specter: People whisper of the Specter
ed fortress in the ancient city of Riyadh. Although
many of his former rivals (and even some former
allies) would love nothing more than to seize the
reins of power from him, King Abdulaziz seems
untouchable, partly thanks to the funding from
Great Britain to fight their proxy war against the
Ottomans but mainly because the Saudis control
so much territory that their taxes have left their
war chest larger than any of their rivals.
Earlier this year, their southern Yemeni neigh-
bors put this to the test and disputed the Saudi
claim to the townships of Tehama by sending an
occupying army. Within a month, the Saudi Army
reminded their Yemen counterparts that they had
modern military technology, such as machine
guns, tanks, and other armored vehicles. Despite
being heavily outgunned, the Yemeni forces were
difficult to pin down thanks to their experience
fighting in the mountainous terrain of Tehama. • Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al Rashid:
Strangely, the Yemens always seem to begin each
skirmish with fifty-six soldiers, no matter how
many the Saudis claim to have killed in the previ-
ous day’s fighting. The Saudis and Yemens appear
to be in a stalemate. It will take something — or
someone — extraordinary to settle this conflict.
Of course, there’s much more to Saudi Arabia
than fighting. House of Saud controls the Islamic
holy city of Mecca, as well as Medina, the sec-
ond holiest city to Muslims. Muslim pilgrims
from around the world make their hajj, traveling
to Mecca to experience the land of their prophet
70 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
Muhammed. Because of this, once a year during
the twelfth lunar month, Mecca is the biggest tour-
ist hotspot in the world, with tens of thousands of
boats mooring in the nearby port city of Jeddah.
Thanks to this annual influx of money, some
of the region’s finest scientists and engineers
make their home in Jeddah. Periodic visits from
Egyptian physicist Dr. Ali Moustafa Mosharafa
has enabled the creation the Relativity Society, a
group of theoretically physicists who seem at the
cutting edge of science. This group is under con-
stant threat from the Rational Experiment Group
who seek to infiltrate and corrupt its members,
but so far, their own integrity seems to prevent the
REG from getting much purchase.
showing up unexpectedly to help those in
need. They once appeared to gift riches upon
a poor family displaced by the unification,
they saved a man from a sudden sandstorm,
they lead a traveler to Riyadh who was nearly
dead of thirst, and another time they reunited
a lost child to her family after getting sepa-
rated in Mecca. The Specter seems to be ev-
erywhere with an uncanny ability to detect
those most in need and delivering exactly the
right support. Every description is different:
A woman in a red hijab, a non-descript man
who was maybe a traveling merchant, and
sometimes a foreigner with sandy hair. They
have no limitation on who they help, which
has garnered attention from the Saudi gov-
ernment who wonder about this mysterious
figure that may be helping their enemies.
A member of the House of Rashid, rival to
the ruling House of Saud, Abdulaziz bin
Muhammad Al Rashid is foremost a scholar
and secondly a cunning opportunist. Though
barely 20, Abdulaziz has been hired by the
King to geologically survey the country and
report to him regarding its natural resourc-
es. Unbeknownst to the King, Saudi Arabia is
rich in crude oil — enough to make it energy
independent and a player on the world stage.
Further still, Abdulaziz has uncovered a sec-
ondary resource even more valuable than black
 gold: tellurium. If he plays his cards right, the
House of Rashid could rise once more.
Korea
Although the Empire of the Japan refers to
Korea as “Chōsen,” the government of the pen-
insula bears little resemblance to the Chosen
(Joseon) government that it replaced. For the
past 24 years, Japan’s growth as a colonial power
has further marginalized the Korean people. Of
course, occupation by a foreign power is not new
for the Korean people. During the rise of the Qing
Dynasty in the 17th century, Korea was repeated-
ly invaded, eventually becoming a tributary state
of Imperial China. It’s been centuries since the
nation was truly free, leaving the people unsure
about how to go about seeking independence. One
thing they can be sure of is that they’re tired of
outsiders, particularly Japanese, Han-Chinese,
and Manchu-Chinese people.
So much so that when thousands of Han-
Chinese people fled to Korea during the Japanese
invasion of Manchuria, angry locals killed over a
hundred refugees. Although some in the Japanese
Imperial Diet were horrified by the violence, oth-
ers fanned the anti-Han flames, capitalizing on
the chance to focus the Korean people’s ire on
anyone but the Japanese.
This and similar occupation tactics haven’t
proven successful at distracting all of Korea;
guerilla bands scattered across the mountainous
country harass Japanese forces. Though most have
had little success, one led by someone claiming to
be the 16th Century admiral Yi Sunsin successful-
ly stole a Momi-class destroyer and scuttled it in
March, blocking access to the port of Gwangyang
for most of a month.
Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux has sent mem-
bers to assist in guerilla warfare to some success.
Many other Allegiances seem to be vacant from
the area, though that might not be by choice as the
Korean people do not take kindly to any strangers
in the area.
People of Interest
• Kim Hee-joon: A student at the newly opened
Chōson Radio Training Center in Seoul, Kim
Hee-joon has always been a rebel at heart.
Using low-level frequencies, Hee-joon has
been able to communicate with other radio
enthusiasts around the world, making inter-
national friends in the process. Hee-joon also
Asia 71
 knows that there are anti-occupation gueril-
las using these frequencies to communicate
with one another. Wishing he could support
the guerillas but knowing he is not a fighter;
he does the only thing he can: Withhold these
communiques from the Japanese.
• Lee Ji-yoo: Born and raised in Hanseong, Lee
Ji-yoo has had extraordinary opportunities
in her life. She attended primary school in
Korea and secondary school in Japan. Upon
returning to Korea, she began factory work
to help support her aging parents, but soon
left to pursue a career in education. When
she developed mesmerist powers, it only
seemed a natural extension of her already
strong empathetic abilities, but she discov-
ered that she could sense others like her. Now
she has made it her duty to find and educate
any and all other Inspired she can, while si-
multaneously keeping them hidden from the
Japanese occupying forces.
The Republic of China
Although China, as an idea, is thousands of
years old, the Republic of China has been a coun-
try for a mere twenty-two-years. It’s also a coun-
try in name only. The Kuomintang claims control
of China after the 1912 Chinese Revolution freed
the Han people from the last of the Qing Dynasty,
the child Xuantong Emperor (now known as
the Kangde Emperor of Manchukuo, see p. XX).
In truth, there have been over a dozen factions,
mostly regional militias, vying for control. To be
fair to the Kuomintang, they’re indisputably the
faction that’s closest to controlling the nation;
the Kuomintang have defeated most of the oth-
er groups, especially after Generalissimo Chiang
Kai-Shek’s bloody purge of obstacles, including an
entire wing of his own party.
Today, there are in effect three Chinas: the
Kuomintang’s ultra-nationalist China, the
Communists’ ever-shrinking democratic China,
and the China of those simply trying to survive
in an internecine world. The Kuomintang has
enjoyed a surge of power thanks to their long-
time ally, Germany’s, recent political changes.
With their Nazi allies providing technical exper-
tise, the Kuomintang is leading a campaign to
72 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
industrialize China and modernize its military.
The Communists’ Red Army is on the brink of
annihilation, having been driven into increas-
ingly smaller territories, where Chiang Kai-Shek
hopes to wipe them out in a single glorious battle.
Though the people of China are weary of war, the
idea of obliterating China’s experiment with de-
mocracy doesn’t sit well with many.
Among these is a group of partisans calling
themselves the Children of Wùkōng. Labeled
bandits by the Kuomintang’s so-called National
Government, the Children have proven them-
selves adept at talking and fighting their way
anywhere they choose to. No one knows if the
Children seek to help the Communists or set up
a new government, but they certainly seem to be
looking out for the common people, claiming to
have killed dozens of cruel and corrupt officials,
including a general. Despite their criminal roots,
the Seven Brothers are funding and supporting
the Children of Wùkōng and are the largest orga-
nization in the area, criminal or otherwise.
People of Interest
• Xú Líng: Xú Líng was indoctrinated with
revolutionary ideas from an early age. Held
and educated by Communists, her village was
overtaken by the National Government when
she was merely fourteen. She escaped and set
out of to find the rest of the Red Army, but
instead found the Children of Wùkōng, who
took her in and taught her how to fight. Her
extraordinary skill with a rifle is unparalleled
and she quickly rose through their ranks. Now
she leads a squad in the Jiangxi Province who
are so notorious that the Kuomintang has a
bounty on their heads.
• Zhào Juān: While others are busy worry-
ing about a civil war, Zhào Juān is juggling
the trials and tribulations of owning a suc-
cessful gambling den in an unnamed village
in Shaanxi Province that she never wanted.
Having gained the gambling den when the
Seven Brothers ran the previous proprietor
out of town, Juān found herself filling the
power vacuum that was left behind. Rather
than using her newfound career for immor-
al ends, with the support of the International
Detective Agency, Zhào Juān commands her
 HAWAI’I OR HAWAII?
In the native Hawaiian language, there is a glottal stop (‘okina) in the word Hawai’i,
marked by the apostrophe. Although there is no official letter for glottal stops in English,
the consonant exists in both languages, as in the middle of “uh oh.” Thus, Hawai’i is the
correct spelling and pronunciation for the Big Island. Confusingly, there is no ‘okina in
the adjective “Hawaiian.”

enforcers to treat locals with respect while and most famous city of the Territory lies over on
handling other, would-be gangs effectively — O’ahu: Honolulu. Honolulu is a modern city, rival-
leading to some stability in a rapidly destabi- ling San Francisco for technological achievement.
lizing nation. From the street cars that ferry the city’s 200 thou-
sand citizens to the 224-foot-tall Aloha Tower to
The Territory of Hawai’i the hustle and bustle of the city, not to mention
The US Territory of Hawai’i is an archipelago Pearl Harbors’ military and civilian ships, it’s hard
in the near center of the Pacific Ocean, a stra- to imagine that pristine beaches lie just a dozen
tegic point between the United States and the miles away.
Empire of Japan, a fact not lost on the multieth- Nearly every single Allegiance in the world
nic population of the islands. In addition to the has a presence in Honolulu, using the island
native Hawaiian people, Han-Chinese, Filipino, city as a base of operations for both Western
Japanese, and white Americans make up major and Eastern action. Brother Thirty-Seven of the
portions of the population. As the violence in East Seven Brothers uses it as a way station between
Asia grows, the locals get increasingly concerned mainland United States and Asian nations, and
for their families back home. the Contedorri often attempt to steal directly
Of course, “local” has recently become a loaded from Seven Brothers in the area. Æon Society, Air
term, with a recent assault on a white US Navy offi- Circus, and the International Detective Agency
cer’s wife and subsequent vigilante murders bring- all have major chapters in the area, as well as Le
ing a stark contrast between the white Americans Salon des Femmes Nouveaux and the Ponatowski
and everyone else on the islands. Although racial Foundation.
tensions remain high, particularly between native People of Interest
Hawaiians and white Americans, an uneasy peace
holds for the time being. At least in the streets. • Henry Kane: There are some who consid-
Corporate boardrooms are an entirely different er Henry Kane a business wizard, and oth-
story, as local businessperson Henry Kane has ers that wonder if he is an actual wizard. A
dominated the financial news for the past year, native Hawaiian, Henry has become prolif-
culminating in this February’s hostile takeover ic in the business scene, including a recent
of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, marking hostile takeover of the Hawaiian Pineapple
the first time a local has controlled Hawaiian ag- Company, but rather than looking out for him-
riculture since the Dole family overthrew Queen self and his profitable bottom line he shares
Lili’uokalani in 1893. Thanks to some startling his wealth and pays his employees generous-
about-faces in voting, Kane’s detractors’ have ac- ly. Firmly pro-statehood for Hawai’i, Henry
cused him of being a mobster, but police haven’t knows that it would give native Hawaiians a
turned up any ties to organized crime; people just voice in their governance as opposed to the
seem to like him. current American occupation — something
which he believes is desperately needed if
Although Hawai’i Island (or the Big Island) is
Hawai’i is to succeed.
the largest in the Hawaiian Islands, the biggest

Asia 73
 • Janet McCullough: Among her friends, Janet
McCullough stands out. Not because her par-
ents work for The Honolulu Times, but be-
cause most of her friends are native Hawaiian
and Janet certainly is not. Born in Honolulu,
Janet feels a greater kinship to her island
home than she does the mainland where her
parents hail from, and it has informed her de-
sire to share the beauty of Hawai’i with the
world. Adventurous travelers and research-
ers alike seek her out to find the hidden mys-
teries of the islands — all looking to uncover
the next big discovery that might change the
world.

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA

From the end of the Great War onward, Australia Labor strikes during the Great Depression fol-
and Oceania have been undergoing transforma- lowed by fiscal mismanagement by the central
tions of national identity as well as post-colonial government led to the formation of the Labor
protectorate expansions. Former colonial states Party in 1931. At the same time, despite move-
have banded together to forge new nations, and ments toward greater unity, there was still a dis-
once independent kingdoms have welcomed out- parity in society with immigrants and indigenous
sider protection for the purpose of consolidating peoples being the most marginalized and affect-
indigenous power using the established might of ed by economic pitfalls. Continued mismanage-
their new patron-nations. ment saw the Labor Party split the same year of
After the Great War and subsequent pandemic, its founding, leading to widespread distrust in the
many nations turned inward, seeking a return to central government.
normalcy and focus on strengthening new nation- The general populace has since wondered if the
al identities. Unfortunately, it did not last long as transition away from being a British colony was
the Great Depression rocked global financial sys- worth the trouble, with Western Australia all but
tems and held markets in a death grip. Battered declaring its intentions to secede from the com-
and beleaguered, the world is in desperate need of monwealth all on its own just recently in 1933.
hope — and a renewed sense of pride and self-de- The Secession League remains strong there, with
termination — after thirty years of uncertainty rumors that a group of prospectors have uncov-
and looking to Europe for leadership. Half a world ered a wellspring of…something. Even they are
away, Australia and Oceania are learning that they not sure of what they have found. They just know
can do more on their own than they have ever they need to keep it secret, lest the central gov-
imagined, and that they have the resources avail- ernment get wind of it or their secret army of bat-
able to become a major player in world politics tle-ready emus.
with the discovery of new wells of telluric energy With the new capital of Canberra being less
dotted throughout the Pacific. than twenty years old, having beat out rivals
Melbourne and Sydney, it set the first foundation-
Australia al stone for this newly established and indepen-
In the three decades following Australia’s move dent commonwealth. As Canberra grew, so did
from a federation of colony-states to an inde- the sense of hope that Australians are in control of
pendent commonwealth under the dominion of their own destiny. Even though it lost the vote to
British Empire, a national identity has begun to host the new capital, Sydney still considers itself
take shape. Now flying a flag of their own mak- the cultural and social heart of Australia. The re-
ing, feelings of national pride have grown as they cently established guild, the Artisans of the Verse,
have popularized the recreational sport of surf- set up their primary salon there, with satellite
ing, produced Vegemite, and built the Shrine of salons established in Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart,
Remembrance as a reminder of the horrors of war. and Perth making them alluring destinations for
Despite these forward leaps, Australia has had its wealthy patrons looking to support the best and
fair share of internal issues. brightest rising stars in art.

74 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

 The Artisans of the Verse find constant issue
with the Ponatowski Foundation who regularly
attempt to fund expeditions into the Australian
“outback.” The Artisans believe they seek out
telluric energy hot spots, which could lead
them to compromise or exploit indigenous peo-
ples. The Artisans work to keep the expeditions
from gaining approval, which has only made the
Foundation members more daring about entering
the Australian wilds on their own.
People of Interest
• Judith Eiland: Judith Eiland is a newspaper
columnist, public speaker, and politician. She
has covered women’s rights within the com-
monwealth since starting her career, cham-
pioning women to stand for Parliament and
assisting in election campaigns. She stood for
the Labor Party in the 1932 election, though
she did not win. Behind the scenes, she runs
a small chapter of Le Salon des Femmes
Nouveaux in Brisbane to educate and guide
young women. The group keeps up to date on
local politics but devotes most of their study
to scientific inquiry into quantum physics.
Judith’s chapter has happened upon telluric
energy, but do not yet know what they have
discovered, though harnessing the energy
• Rose Gleeson: Descended from the Yolngu
people on her mother’s side and Irish balan-
da on her father’s, Rose took a keen interest in
the natural world around her and expressed
this interest through artistic endeavors
which would eventually lead her to establish
The Artisans of the Verse. Considered to be
avant-garde, her sculptures and poetry are
heavily influenced by the oral and artistic tra-
ditions of Aboriginal Australians and other
indigenous peoples from around the world.
When not vetting new members of her guild,
this mesmerist is jet-setting across the globe
with her partner, Amélie Brodeur, to preserve
and promote the art of other native popula-
tions while mapping out new sources of tel-
luric energy.
New Zealand
A commonwealth state of the British Empire,
New Zealand — like its western neighbor Australia
— saw a lot of changes following the end of the
Great War. It saw the New Zealand Expeditionary
Force dispatched to Egypt and German Samoa,
war-time conscription and Prohibition intro-
duced, and all public houses being forced to close
no later than 6pm. Yet despite such conservative
measures, New Zealand has always been a liberal
country. Even before the war, they were the first
country in the world to enact universal female
suffrage, recognized the land rights of the indige-
nous Māori peoples, and create social welfare pro-
grams which introduced retiree pensions, maxi-
mum hour regulations, and minimum wage laws.
These strides did little, however, to quell the un-
rest in New Zealand in the post-war years. After a
7.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed Hawke’s Bay
in 1931, the conservative government reduced
social welfare programs and public servant wag-
es to pay for the repairs. To make matters worse,
the Great Depression all but destroyed New
Zealand’s agricultural-based economy. This led
to widespread unemployment riots in Auckland,
Dunedin, and Wellington exacerbated by politi-
cal policies which favor the same businesses and
bank ventures that recently collapsed.
Public confidence is at an all-time low as the
government struggles to rebuild after the nat-
ural disaster and the populace feels ignored. A
fair share of day laborers since turned to ban-
ditry to make ends meet, holing themselves in
the Southern Alps and biding time until they are
ready to strike.
The Artisans of the Verse are convinced the
earthquake was caused by a spike in telluric en-
ergy and are investigating the cause. Scientist at
the University of New Zealand have begun ex-
perimenting with something the Artisans believe
is powered by telluric energy but are having is-
sues gaining access to group. Whatever they are
doing, the results have been devastating, and the
Artisans need all the help they can muster to get
to the bottom of it.
People of Interest
• David Wallace: Jazz Singer. Dancer. Actor.
Heartbreaking adventuring scoundrel. Hailing
from Invercargill, Wallace was a daredevil
from his youth and after the Hammersmith
Incident, became a daredevil in truth. Always
Australia and Oceania 75
 bucking expectations, moving to the beat of
his own drum, and often singing to it when-
ever provided the chance. Ever on the move,
he lends his special brand of roguish sensa-
tionalism to Allegiances, acting as a lucrative
courier who can cross international borders
under the guise of being a performing artist,
flying under the radar of interceptors seeking
to undermine the Æon Society.
• Lottie Franks: Lottie Franks is an inter-
national sensation, or villain, if you read
the press. Born in New Zealand, she joined
the New Zealand Volunteer Sisterhood
and went to the European front during the
Great War. While there, she began educat-
ing people about safe sex, and would often
distribute pamphlets on the subject to any
and all camps in several different languages.
While in France she met Jake “Danger Ace”
Stefokowski who she convinced to carry her
pamphlets overseas, in return for propagan-
da writing. Now Lottie acts as the sole cre-
ator of Ace Circus propaganda, flyers, and
76 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
pamphlets, and its members distribute her —
often outlawed — materials wherever they fly.
Samoa
Just prior to the turn of the century, Samoa
was highly sought after by American, British, and
German forces desiring to expand their territories
and gain a stronger foothold in the Pacific. Two
civil wars were fought across the archipelago, with
each nation offering their support in exchange for
continued economic development, to which the
modern, albeit weak, native Samoan government
agreed to. The Tripartite Convention of 1899 saw
the archipelago split, with the western portion of
the islands given to the Germans and the eastern
portion of the islands going to the Americans,
with the British backing out of the matter entirely.
German Samoa, on the western half, enjoyed a
symbiotic relationship with Imperial Germany,
and developed modern infrastructure allowing for
civil and social advancements. Tribal chiefs fought
for supremacy, but eventually laid down their
weapons to establish a centralized government for
a clearer, more united front against the Germans.
When Imperial Germany went to war in 1914, they
The Kingdom of Tonga
turned their focus back to Europe, leaving Samoa A Polynesian island nation to the north east of
vulnerable. Sensing opportunity, the British Australia, the Kingdom of Tonga has entered a
Empire sent in the New Zealand Expeditionary period of greater stability than it has even known.
Force to begin a land invasion and eventual occu- After nearly fifty years of internal civil war, the
pation that caused widespread devastation that future King George Tupou I unified the various
Samoa is still recovering from. Tonga chiefdoms, establishing a constitutional
monarchy still led by the Tupou dynasty. To pre-
New Zealand, struggling with its own actions,
serve their sovereignty and protect them from
has tightened their grip on the dominion state, go-
German encroachment in the early 20th cen-
ing so far as to limit free assemblies, and further
tury, the Kingdom of Tonga signed a Treaty of
earning the ire rather than the adoration of their
Friendship with the British Empire and became a
new subjects. To this day, many Samoans remain
protected state. This allowed Tongans to focus in-
dedicated to the philosophy of the non-violent Mau
ward and forge their national identity and culture
Movement and continue to seek independence —
while being largely shielded from the political
though there are those who are willing to gain that
shockwaves that would plunge the world into war.
independence through any means necessary.
The end of the Great War saw the ascension of
The Contedorri have infiltrated the area and
Sālote Tupou III, granddaughter of the first King
are using the instability in New Zealand and the
of Tonga, and the first Queen Regnant of the is-
unrest in Samoa to grow a criminal empire under
land nation. What should have been a joyous oc-
everyone’s noses.
casion was overshadowed by the deaths of almost
People of Interest 10 percent of the population by the Spanish Flu
— brought back by the British consular officers
• Witarina Matafeo-Apa: Siren of the silent
from the mainland after the war. Since then, the
and silver screen, Witarina is the first native
Kingdom has bounced back and has become a mi-
Samoan to break into Hollywood, and it is of
nor economic power in the Pacific, offering up its
little wonder as to why. A natural storyteller,
mineral reserves and vanilla crops to support cre-
she incorporates traditional Samoan culture
ating more infrastructure and services for its peo-
into every role — be it with costuming, song,
ple and modernizing the nation bit by bit.
or dance. The unofficial ambassador of her
nation and budding mesmerist, Witarina is What the Kingdom has kept close to the chest is
an ardent supporter of the Mau Movement. the location of a font of telluric energy, discovered
In a time when it is considered taboo for an by scientist, Isileli Taumalolo. The Queen Regnant
actress, let alone a Pacific Islander, to speak is only barely versed in the implications of this en-
on such matters, Witarina does so anyway ergy source but realized immediately that it could
winning many over to the cause for an inde- mean a Tonga no longer dependent on outside
pendent Samoa. support and investment. Afraid other leaders will
see her interest in the subject as fanciful at best, or
• Lizzie Swan: A native Samoan — born unhinged at worst, she keeps it secret. While not
Elizabeth Thomas — Lizzie Swan is a social public with this information, Sālote has been so-
powerhouse and proprietor of the Swansong liciting the expertise of scientists from across the
hotel in Apia. Since opening the hotel, it has globe to help her learn more about this resource
become an impromptu salon and respite for and how to harness it to usher in a golden age for
artists, philosophers, and wayward adventur- the tiny island.
ers, sometimes even acting as a base of oper-
ations for the Æon Society when they are in
People of Interest
the Pacific. A welcoming hostess, Lizzie nev- • Milika Kaufusi: A fervent believer in Tongan
er turns away those in need of a respite, no independence, Milika Kaufusi is not content
matter their circumstances. to live a simple life as a wife and mother on

Australia and Oceania 77

 her island home. Instead, she dove deep
into philosophy and the native spiritual be-
liefs rather than the faith that missionaries
brought with them, which the monarchy
then converted to. Upon becoming Inspired
and believing telluric energy to be a manifes-
tation of mana, Milika has postulated that it
can be used to enter Pulotu, the unseen world
of the ancient Tongans, but it could be a door-
way to more than she ever imagined.
• Isileli Taumalolo: A provisional member of
Branch 9, stalwart, and recent graduate of the
University of Sydney with degrees in Physics
and Engineering, Isileli recently stumbled upon a
welling of telluric energy while on surveys of the
interior of Tonga and has since become the de fac-
to point of contact regarding these wells. Ever the
thinker, he has designed several prototypes of new
engines that could change not just how Tongan
society and commerce works, but the world.

EUROPE
It is impossible to understate what the Great political supremacy are over. And while the
War did to Europe. It was one of the bloodiest Roaring Twenties ushered in great economic
conflicts in history with over sixteen million mil- progress, most of those gains evaporated with the
itary deaths and roughly twenty million civilian Great Depression. By 1934, no European power is
casualties. The Versailles Treaty, which formally left unscathed, though some are in a better shape
ended hostilities between the Allied and Central than others.
Powers, set the stage for an inevitable resurgence
of war. The treaty forced Germany to adopt a France
democratically elected government, relinquish all Beneath their world-famous culture and behind
its seized territories, and pay reparations. In the their cosmopolitan artists, musicians, and writers,
end, the United States did not ratify the Versailles France remains a wounded creature. Its troubles
Treaty with Germany. Russia wasn’t even present began with the Great War, the bulk of which was
for it. fought on French soil, and whatever gains made
Meanwhile, the borders of Europe changed during the Roaring Twenties ground to a slow
dramatically. The Austro-Hungarian Empire frac- crawl with the Great Depression. The mood has
tured. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia were born. turned sour, and the masses focus their anger on
From the war’s ashes came Czechoslovakia, a new Albert Lebrun, President of the Third Republic,
Austrian republic, a wounded Hungary, a reborn who struggles to hold together a center-right
Poland, and a southern Slavic state known as Democratic Republican Alliance.
Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, a growing threat of politicized
As a first step toward preventing a second war right-wing violence in the streets of Paris has re-
across the continent of Europe, and as a means of sulted in anti-parliamentarian demonstrations,
holding sovereign nations in check, the continent and the hardened economic mood has heightened
established the League of Nations. Headquartered French xenophobia. Foreigners and asylum-seek-
in Geneva, it owes much of its initial success to ers suddenly find themselves unwelcome, in-
President Woodrow Wilson, though he subse- cluding thousands of Jews attempting to flee the
quently failed to persuade his fellow Americans Nazis. The Contedorri operate freely here, mak-
to join the League. Almost at once, the League in- ing a fortune as they smuggle individuals out of
tervened with some success in disputes between Germany and into France.
nations which might have otherwise led to armed Meanwhile, for twenty-five years, the French
conflict. Union for Women’s Suffrage has fought hard.
Between the shattering of empires and the Since the end of the Great War a women’s suf-
creation of the League, a new international or- frage bill has passed the Chamber of Deputies
der reigns over the world. The days of European four times, and each time the French Senate has

78 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

blocked it. Given this frustration, Le Salon des all the interesting bits that entails. When
Femmes Nouveaux has taken an active inter- the war ended and soldiers came home, she
est. Under the guidance of an agent known as Le and her compatriots continued offering such
maître d’école, the Salon infiltrated the halls of comforts, but Yvette had rules and standards.
government, blackmailing, bribing, and at times Yvette now runs the largest and best orga-
removing those politicians standing in the way of nized brothel in Paris. She employs more
progress. women than any single other business in the
Finally, Branch 9’s Operative Omega 4 handles city, pays a fair wage, and has a set of stan-
all European affairs out of neighboring Lyon. Most dards patrons must meet to enter her estab-
believe this is due to its proximity to Operative lishment. And her newfound stalwart powers
Omega 1 in Geneva at the League of Nations, lo- make it easy for her to eject anyone who re-
cated only 150 kilometers away. In truth, it is there fuses to play by her rules.
to keep an eye on the Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave in
Southern France, home to some of the best-pre- Germany
served figurative cave paintings in the world and a Nearly twenty years after the Great War, the
sizeable font of telluric energy. If its existence be- ‘Weimar Republic,’ named after the town where
came known, the other Allegiances would almost its constitution was born, is in peril. With the
certainly attempt to claim it. Great Depression, Germany gained six million
unemployed citizens, coupled with rampant infla-
People of Interest
tion and widespread civil unrest.
• Algernon Demars: The son of a French gen- Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party reaped the po-
eral and a Nigerian mistress, Algernon grew litical benefits. They appealed to the wish of many
up torn between two worlds. He moved to Germans for strong measures and national unity.
France when he was a teenager joining an They exploited impatience with parliamentary
academy and entering the military for what politicians who had failed to prevent economic
would become an unremarkable career. disaster, and they fueled resentment against the
Algernon served as a secretary for a promi- Versailles settlement believed by many Germans
nent Colonel during the Great War spending to be the root of their troubles as well as being
most of the conflict far from the front lines. morally unjust. The semi-military ‘Storm Troops’
After the war, Algernon moved to Paris to of the Nazi movement grew rapidly in numbers as
become a liberal writer and philosopher. the crisis worsened. Like the early Italian fascists,
He built and continues to run La Fosse Aux they terrorized political opponents and Jews
Lions, a salon for those seeking a good time without police interference. In 1930, the Nazis
and a declared neutral territory among the won 107 seats in parliament — just under a fifth of
Allegiances. If the Æon Society and the the total. By 1932, they were firmly in the majority.
Ponatowski Foundation require an impartial
Field-Marshal Hindenburg, President of the
place to meet, Algernon is the gentleman they
Republic, bent to the political winds and named
call on.
Hitler as Chancellor. On January 30th, 1933, Hitler
• Yvette Martin: Dancer, singer, and entre- took office and immediately called for new elec-
preneur, Yvette Martin is a force of person- tions, promising a coalition with various conser-
ality that few can stand against. During the vative groups. Instead, five months later, during
Great War she organized dozens of other the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler ordered the
young women for letter writing to soldiers execution of two hundred of his political rivals.
on the front. What started as heartfelt letters With President Hindenburg sick with lung can-
intended to bring comfort to soldiers on the cer, the Nazi Party stands to gain unprecedented
front ended up providing a different kind of control if he were to die.
comfort. Yvette organized a long-distance Of all the Allegiances, the Rational Experiment
relationship service, where women wrote to Group is by far the most prevalent in Germany.
soldiers as their wives and girlfriends, with Doctor Elmar Striesow, a former member of

Europe 79
 Æon Society, leads the REG’s efforts in Berlin. however, she works directly for the Æon
From his office inside the Reich Ministry of Society as a premier mesmerist and serves
Science, Education, and Culture, Striesow has as a deep cover mole inside the Third Reich.
gained strong support for his endeavors, receiv- From there, she feeds intelligence back to the
ing money and resources to further the REG’s Allegiance, doing what she can to resist the
work. According to Branch 9, the REG is well Nazi Party. In spite of her true loyalties, she
on their way to developing weapons of mass de- remains haunted by the things she has had to
struction, including advanced rocket testing on do in order to maintain her cover.
Borkum Island in the North Sea and blueprints
for one-hundred-ton spider-tanks out of Essen. Italy
Meanwhile, unwilling test subjects, with some as- Although Italy was on the winning side of the
sistance from the Contedorri, arrive at the REG’s Great War, it suffered from a weak economy, ram-
lab in Munich. They never walk out again. pant inflation, and massive unemployment. By
Efforts are currently underway, spearhead- 1922 this culminated in labor strikes across the
ed primary through the International Detective country. The existing government could do little
Agency and Branch 9, to infiltrate and identify to stem the tide of unrest, and in an act of desper-
REG facilities throughout Germany. While they ation, reached out to the fascists for assistance.
have had some success, the German authori- Led by Benito Mussolini, the fascists believe in
ties are suspicious of foreigners. This has forced strong, authoritarian measures, executing their
the IDA and Branch 9 to conduct themselves policies through fear and violence. Once installed
cautiously. as Prime Minister, Mussolini quickly ended dem-
ocratic parliamentarianism. He has transformed
People of Interest
the nation into a one-party dictatorship and sys-
• Doctor Elmar Striesow: Elmar Striesow tematically executes his political rivals. Branch 9
has always been a thinker. He studied phys- can do little but watch in horror.
ics under Max Planck in Berlin but was al- As Italian fascism takes hold, German Nazism
ways interested in germ theory and biology. does as well. The two powers see each other as po-
He married the two in his own studies, using litical rivals and both view neighboring Austria as
Planck’s ideas about quantum theory and an extension of their nationalistic aims. Mussolini
applying them to what appeared to be a lim- and Hitler met earlier this year in Vienna to dis-
itless field of microbiology. Dr. Sriesow got cuss the fate of their eastern neighbor, though
almost nowhere with his studies until the these talks ultimately fell apart. One month lat-
Hammersmith Incident sent telluric ener- er, Nazi agents assassinated Austrian Chancellor
gy rocketing through the world. Nearly over Engelbert Dollfuss. In the aftermath, Mussolini
night, Sriesow’s studies gained momentum publicly denounced Nazism. Branch 9 is doing
and he began studying the effects of telluric their level best to maintain tensions between the
energy on the human body. His studies gar- two nations, but at present Mussolini has no im-
nered the most interest from the REG, who mediate plans to retaliate.
offered him a hefty stipend and a directive to
The first organization to truly stand against
find a way to weaponize his studies.
the Mussolini is the Sicilian mafia, known as
• Hannelore Ferres: Officially, Ferres joined Cosa Nostra. Mussolini appointed Cesare Mori
the German nationalist youth movement as Prefect of Palermo and ordered him to pacify
in the 1920s becoming a leader in the Bund the organization. Mass arrests followed, along
Deutscher Mädel, or League of German Girls. with confiscated property, families taken hos-
On paper, she functions as a female detective tage, and slaughtered livestock. In return, Don
and a member of the Geheime Staatspolizei, Ciccio, head of the Sicilian mafia, paid a small
better known as the Gestapo, the secret po- fortune to the King of the World for assistance.
lice answering directly to Heinrich Himmler, Now the Contedorri actively reinforce Cosa
head of the Schutzstaffel (SS). In truth Nostra by targeting fascist shipping routes, supply

80 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

depots, prominent politicians, and rank-and-file
Blackshirts.
Ironically, this is one of the few areas where the
King of the World works in concert with Le Salon
des Femmes Nouveaux. The Salon have good rea-
son to despise Mussolini, and for the moment,
both Allegiances have a common enemy.
By contrast, Northern Italy is less chaotic, with
Æon Society working out of the RMS Percy, cur-
rently docked at the Port of Venice. From their
mobile base of operations, the Society provide aid
to those most damaged by the unrest in Austria.
They also smuggle antiquities out of Rome, some-
times using the Air Circus to do so. Unfortunately,
several Society members have died over the past
year, leading some to suspect a double agent
somewhere within the local Society chapter’s
hierarchy.
People of Interest
• Gregorio Romano: An Italian Jewish po-
litical leader, historian, philosopher, and
anti-fascist activist, Gregorio has set him-
self as an enemy of the state. In Mussolini’s
early years, he publicly decried fascism and
is now wanted by the Italian government.
From his hiding place in Rome, he organizes
small resistance cells which actively attack
Blackshirts and engage in open resistance
to the government. Gregorio is a man who is
hard to pin down, for good reason, but makes
himself available to anyone with anti-fascist
leanings.
• Iniga De Luca: Italian poet and scholar, Iniga
De Luca had lived a full life even before she
moved to the island of Sardinia to explore its
beautiful landscape in retirement. She never
expected that when she arrived, she would
find near her home a portal to another di-
mension. Now she has taken on the mantle of
explorer and linguist as she attempts to find a
common way to communicate with its avian
inhabitants.
Europe 81
 The United Kingdom
The past two decades have seen the United
Kingdom relinquish control over several common-
wealth nations. Geopolitically, former colonies,
including Egypt, Iraq, and Ireland all claimed in-
dependence from Britain, though the Crown does
continue to rule over Northern Ireland. After the
Irish Free State declared independence in 1922
the two have been in an economic war which has
only been exacerbated by the Great Depression.
All parts of the United Kingdom suffer under eco-
nomic downturn, though Scotland has been hit
the hardest as industrial efforts halt in Glasgow.
By 1934, King George V’s reign approaches
its end. He is an admired monarch, and his son,
Edward, Prince of Wales, waits in the wings. The
heir-apparent has had a string of romances, caus-
ing great concern among the royal family. Little do
they know, Edward has already become enamored
with an American divorcee by the name of Wallis
Simpson — a clandestine member of Invictus
Umbra.
Meanwhile, Labour Prime Minister Ramsay
MacDonald leads a national government dominat-
ed by a conservative majority. With rampant un-
employment and widespread financial hardship,
the country seesaws between the political left and
right. The British Union of Fascists formed in 1932
under the lead of Oswald Mosley has some pop-
ularity despite its authoritarian leanings and has
created a spoiler effect for splitting votes on the
left. Labor unrest, increased poverty, and a sense
of isolationism contribute to a deeply divided
nation. Political tension leads to a disjointed for-
eign policy, often conducted at cross purposes. As
such, Britain has opted not to renew its Japanese
alliance, choosing instead to partner its powerful
navy with the up-and-coming United States.
Crime has increased, fueled in part by
Contedorri agents out of London’s Soho district.
With an interest in gambling and racketeering,
independent street gangs from Birmingham to
Saffron Hill clash over territory, but quickly en-
counter the International Detective Agency.
From an estate in Islington, the Old Man empow-
ers the IDA to end the violence and remove the
Contedorri from England altogether.
As the two political parties clash, the various
82 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
Allegiances do so as well. From an office inside
the Secret Intelligence Service building at 54
Broadway, Branch 9’s UK analogue pushes for
aggressive action, while Æon Society, with some
influence within the House of Lords, pushes for a
more diplomatic approach.
People of Interest
• Lucy Hebron: Born in the Jamaica, Lucy’s
parents immigrated to Great Britain when she
was just a child. Ever curious and infinitely
clever, Lucy was always in trouble in during
primary school for distracting the class with
her desire to get more out of school. She lat-
er turned that inquisitive nature into a career
when she happened across Sherlock Holmes
during one of his investigations and led him
straight to his quarry with her own questions.
Not to be outdone, he offered Lucy a position
with his irregulars, and quickly became his
most promising protégé. Now Lucy enjoys
her own business as a private investigator and
is a prominent member of the International
Detective Agency.
• Sir Henry Lyle: After serving in the trench-
es of the Great War, a conflict which took his
right leg below the knee and left him wielding
a crutch for life, Sir Henry Lyle attended the
University of Bristol. Afterward, he accepted
a low-level position at the British Museum of
London specializing in Ancient Greek antiq-
uity. Within a decade, he became their chief
curator charged with acquiring difficult to
obtain items. For his efforts, King George V
awarded Lyle with the Order of the British
Empire. He also maintains a repository for
the Æon Society located in the museum’s
bowels.
USSR
In 1917, a ‘March revolution’ (which the
Russians call the ‘February revolution’ due to
their differing calendar) began with food riots in
the capital. Disobedience and mutiny of the sol-
diers who should have suppressed them followed.
The appearance of a new provisional government
then led to the abdication of Tzar Nicholas II, but
even this measure did not last.
 The Bolsheviks, the largest and most influen-
tial socialist party in Russia, took matters into
their own hands. In November (or October by
the Russian calendar) of 1917 they ousted the
provisional government. Civil war followed with
the Communist Red Army fighting the so-called
anti-Communist White Army. Three years lat-
er, the Bolshevik Red Army finally won the day.
Russia has become the first country in the world
with a Marxist government dedicated formally
to advancing the world’s workers, at least as the
Bolsheviks saw it. The winter of 1922 gave birth to
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Vladimir Lenin dominated the Bolsheviks
during their revolution. But from 1921 onward,
he was often ill. Rivalries and personal grudges
swelled among his colleagues. When he died in
1924, a complicated struggle inside the Party fol-
lowed from which emerged a new leader whose
power has become far greater than Lenin’s had
ever been: Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin. Today,
Stalin rules with an iron grip. He has eliminated
private enterprise, murdered and incarcerated his
rivals, and industrialized the Soviet Union.
As the Soviet Union stands as the doorway be-
tween Europe and Asia, most of the Allegiances
have some presence in the country. The Contedorri
operate out of St. Petersburg, the Air Circus fly out
of Arkhangelsk, and Branch 9 has agents through-
out the nation. But no other Allegiance has a
stake in the proverbial fight like the Ponatowski
Foundation. Fiercely opposed to Stalin and
Communism, the Foundation is engaged against
the Soviets on multiple fronts. Even as the Soviets
arrest members and incarcerate them in Siberian
gulags, the Foundation conducts operations from
Minks to Vladivostok. The Foundation has also
nearly eradicated Æon Society influence within
their sphere of influence, pushing them all the
way back to Kiev. In the shadow conflict between
the two, the Society is losing.
People of Interest
• Marko Burakov: The Soviet patriot grew
up in the isolated Ural Mountains, a simple
teenage peasant at the time of the October
Revolution. Burakov joined the Red Army,
and after the subsequent civil war, served as
a secretary for various regional Communist
Party communities. During this time, he
earned the confidence of Genrikh Yagoda,
the People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs.
As Yagoda’s right hand, Burakov spearheaded
the Soviet Union’s security and intelligence
agency. He conducted counterintelligence,
political suppression, forced penal labor, and
the arrest, deportation, and execution of mil-
lions of Soviet and Ukrainian peasants. In ad-
dition to this, Yagoda has ordered Burakov to
hunt down and eliminate all elements of the
Ponatowski Foundation.
• Ivan Staynskaya: Ivan Staynskaya was a no-
ble who saw his whole life ripped away in the
blink of an eye. Ever the pragmatist, he knew
the moment of the February Revolution was
not a blip in history. He immediately evacu-
ated his family and pushed other nobles to
do the same. His quick thinking is what won
him leadership in the Ponatowski Foundation
during the civil war, and his ruthless desire
for power are what keep him there now. Ivan
is the driving force behind the Ponatowski
Foundation, and the reason what would nor-
mally be a simple expeditionary force acts
with military precision. Ivan hopes to har-
ness telluric energy to take back Russia, but
his aspirations won’t stop there.
Eastern Europe
A major result of the Great War was the breakup
of Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and the Austro-
Hungarian Empire. Validated by the Versailles
Treaty of 1919, Austria and Hungary emerged as
separate, smaller territories. Czechoslovakia and
Yugoslavia became entirely new nations. Ukraine,
Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan all at-
tempted to follow suit, but the Bolsheviks recon-
stituted them back into Soviet Russia. The League
of Nations did their best to hold things together,
but without the backing of the United States, and
with various cross-purpose agendas, their efforts
proved fruitless. Caught between a fascist West
and a communist East, Eastern Europe is a patch-
work of competing ideologies with democracies,
socialists, and dictators all vying for control.
Poland, freed from domination, established a
democratic government in 1922 lasting a mere four
Europe 83
 years before social and economic distress forced have attempted, on more than one occasion, to gain
the country into dictatorship under Prime Minister independence. Soviet soldiers and secret police
Józef Piłsudski. Today, the Order of Murder oper- have enforced the industrialization of Ukraine, re-
ates a major safe house in Warsaw where they give sulting in a manufactured famine known colloqui-
European clients new identities and then transport ally as the Holodomor. Millions have died. Today,
them elsewhere. Many of those clients are political the Air Circus flies humanitarian supply missions
prisoners exfiltrated from Bereza Kartuska prison. into the country, coordinating their efforts with
Austria fares no better. Post-war Austria consists Æon Society agents operating out of Kiev.
of various political camps, socialist and conserva- Finally, under the newly born Kingdom of
tive alike, both of whom control far-ranging pow- Yugoslavia, Alexander ruled an uneasy nation of
er structures and their own parliamentary forc- newly unified Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. The
es. Violent clashes result in little headway. These monarch attempted to hold the kingdom togeth-
forces are embattled at the highest level as fascist er, but ethnic clashes culminated in mass protests
leader Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss tries to pre- and violent unrest. Recently, Alexander was assas-
vent the Austrian Nazi Party from gaining headway. sinated by an unknown assailant in Marseille, and
The same holds true for the local Inspired. The the crown now rests with Alexander’s 11-year-old
Rational Experiment Group vies with Branch 9 for son, Peter II. Under a tenuous Regency, outside
control over Graz which is situated near a telluric pressures threaten to pull the entire nation apart.
hotspot. The Æon Society is invested in keeping The Æon Society is working in the area to provide
the Contedorri out of Vienna, with little luck, and support for the weary populace and keep an eye
is as interested in the Graz telluric site as the other on the new king and his regent.
Allegiances. The result is a tightly controlled war of
intrigue between all four Allegiances.
People of Interest
Meanwhile, after the disintegration of the • Elena Huber: Elena Huber has lived in Graz
Hapsburg Empire, Hungary declared itself inde- all her life. She attended the University of
pendent, and the government came under the con- Graz and earned her post-secondary degree in
trol of the liberal National Council. Communist chemistry. She applied to a doctorate program
forces quickly overthrew the Council, leading to but was denied due to questions about her
a series of elections and conflict. While not strong capabilities. Not one to be thwarted, she took
enough to run a truly fascist state, he holds con- up an independent study with Hephaestia
siderable power, as well as openly anti-Semitic Geary until Geary moved to the United States
sentiment. The Æon Society is cautious when to study engineering at Cornell University in
they travel to Budapest. While avoiding agents of New York. Huber continued the work Geary
the government, they hunt for telluric deposits in and she had started in biomechanics and was
the caves of Northern Hungary. cataloguing local wildlife when she stum-
Czechoslovakia proves to be the only nation in bled upon a telluric hotspot. Fascinated by
Eastern Europe able to function reasonably well as a the strange flora and fauna growing there,
democracy. Despite growing tensions, most notably she started intense studies on the area. It was
among the nation’s three million ethnic Germans, the only luck that Branch 9 found her before the
Czech government demonstrates marked unity, and Rational Experiment Group did.
continues in relative stability. Few Allegiances have • Tamás Juhasz: A private in the Royal
made headway in Czechoslovakia due to Petra Abrhám, Hungarian Honvéd, Juhasz barely survived the
an independent mesmerist of enormous power and horrors of the Great War. Despite his natural
influence. From her fortress in Prague, she tracks all talents with a rifle, Russia defeated his regiment
Inspired in the nation and seems to always know when- first at Galicia and then at Warsaw. The Honvéd
ever any Allegiance member arrives in her nation. then moved to the Romanian front for the war’s
Although Ukraine is technically part of the duration. With the Central Powers defeat-
Soviet Union, its citizens have a different cultural ed, Juhasz returned to the Slanec Mountains.
background. During the Soviet occupation they There he lived a simple life, hunting and fishing

84 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

 in the forests and streams of his home. Years lat- his time in Northern Hungary, seeking out tel-
er, after encountering Sanger Rainsford in 1930, luric hotspots and helping smuggle Jews out of
Juhasz joined the Æon Society. He now spends the nation.

NORTH AMERICA
North Americas during 1934 are a hotbed of destroyed the heavily export dependent economy.
conflict and strife, of innovation and discovery, Unemployment, poverty, and homelessness is at
and of people trying to resist the injustice around an all-time high. As the economic distress impact-
them to make their world a better place. Coming ed the nation, Canada was not immune to the kind
out of the throes of the Great Depression, the na- of xenophobia and hate that affected other coun-
tions here are looking toward brighter futures, but tries on the continent. The downturn followed a
are not out of trouble yet. Recent droughts across factually unrelated wave of foreign newcomers
Canada and the United States are halting eco- who were blamed for the sudden lack of available
nomic recovery, and unemployment is still high. work. Many, majorly from Asia, decided it would
At the same time, North American nations are ex- be better to just return home, while others were
periencing rapid industrialization, technological deported against their will, often kicking and
advances, and scientific inquiry all spurned by the screaming.
vast telluric energy deposits found throughout theDespite its economic troubles, Canada is look-
continent. ing toward a bright future. In 1931, the Statute of
Westminster granted legal autonomy to the nation,
Canada though at Canada’s request the British Empire re-
For the past few years, Canada has been tained the right to edit the British North America
rocked by the Great Depression which was short- Act. The Hyperborean Research Institute was
ly followed by droughts in Saskatchewan that founded in 1932 nearly twenty-one kilometers

North America 85
 From the Toronto Daily Star, Sunday August 24th, 1930
The Graf Zeppelin Arrives in Toronto!
Carrying the hopes and dreams of future gen-
erations, onlookers spotted the Graf Zeppelin’s
graceful outline in Harlan’s Point Beach after
her swift crossing over the continental United
States. Traveling like a light cloud, she arrived
safely at her anchorage in Toronto.
The Graf Zeppelin, of German design, is
a hydrogen filled rigid airship. At 775-feet
long and with a cruising speed of 75 miles per
hour, a crew of thirty-six operate the vessel,
and along with the lovely Grace Marguerite,
outside of Whitehouse in the Yukon. Due to the
region’s long and cold winters, Hyperborean and
the Canadian Innovation Board (CIB) work to-
gether on unlocking the secrets to supercooling.
They hope to use the concept to protect soldiers
for winter campaigns, or else weaponize it to
freeze over aircrafts or troops. The lead on this
project, Priya Lakshmi, from Montreal, fielded
the idea using purified water chilled far below its
normal freezing point. Due to lack of particulates
the water remains liquid, but when it touches ice,
it freezes instantly. Not unlike the water droplets
found in some clouds, freezing to the wings of
poorly de-iced airplanes.
In September of 1934, two reporters toured the
so-called ‘burnt out’ areas of Saskatchewan, find-
ing that the previous half dozen years of drought
and the current financial collapse had lowered the
value of life “to the lowest common denomina-
tor.” Due to the destitution, only a few Canadian
farmers remained hopeful, believing that the land
was still recoverable, and that it only needed some
rain. Many couldn’t afford to stay, instead packing
up their homes into their cars sans engines and
hitched up to draft horses. They traveled north,
settling wherever they could to eke out whatever
life the land could provide.
The Æon Society has chapterhouses in Toronto
and Vancouver, but do not venture into the interior.
86 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
Lady Drummond-Hay, includes nineteen lucky
passengers.
Thousands were on hand to welcome the
adventurous Englishwoman as she guided her
great liner into port. With skilled airmanship,
she anchored the vessel during the fourth stop
on her valiant attempt to circumnavigate the en-
tire globe. Her safe arrival indicates a new era
of progress, one in which time and distance are
all but defeated as we leap forward toward the
future.
The Ponatowski Foundation is the only one in-
terested in venturing into Canada’s wildernesses,
though several Rational Experimentation Centers
have sprung up in the Northwest Territories.
People of Interest
• Mr. Cain: To many in Canada, Mr. Cain is a
helping hand and a lifeline. He offers money
to get through the hard years, labor for re-
building, kind words and advice to help folks
get started somewhere else. For those who
watch him buy up land on the cheap, and
see through the network of favors he curries,
however, Mr. Cain seems well positioned to
turn Canadian land and resources into private
armories and weapon development labs that
would make the REG jealous. If not stopped,
weaponized supercooling will be only one of
the horrors that issues from Cain’s facilities.
• Priya Lakshmi: A team leader in the
Hyperborean Research Institute, Lakshmi is
uncertain of her organization’s connections
with the American counterpart to her own
CIB, worried about how they would use her
discoveries. She doesn’t want her technology
weaponized, instead she would have them
used to protect people in the rough winters of
the Canadian north, and further exploration of
the world. She’s watchful of every interaction
 between her and her Grand Investment in
Science and Technology (GIST) colleagues,
and while working together toward the same
goal, for now, she isn’t averse to throwing a
wrench into everything should it look like it’s
going the wrong way. To that end, in a recent
visit to Geneva, she recently got the contact
information for Belladonna Montague, of the
fabled Branch 9.
The Caribbean
While the Great Depression ravaged the entire
world, many Caribbean and Central American
colonies were already in dire straits. After the
Great War, The United Kingdom and other colo-
nial powers began to subsidize their own fruit and
vegetable production over importing it from their
colonies, supporting European sugar beet produc-
tion over island sugar cane. Soon colonial farms
had a lot more product than demand, driving
prices into the ground. Soon after, labor forces in
British Honduras, Trinidad, Jamaica, and British
Guiana took to the streets.
Facing unfair wages and increased work in an
unstable economy, workers rose up, first striking
and then rioting. Amid the violence and chaos,
the Invictus Umbra guild house, Pirate’s Bounty,
out of Tortuga Island in Haiti has been using the
riots to rob rich farm owners, both in the French
and British controlled islands. It’s difficult to
know if the thieves are merely taking advantage of
the unrest or fueling it, however, as this is exact-
ly the sort of thing they enjoy doing. Either way,
ships secretly sailing under the Invictus flag have
helped block European ships from coming to aid
their island bound allies.
People of Interest
• Ruby Rodriguez: Colonial cargo ships, is-
land-hopping mail carriers, rich fools in
yachts; none are safe from the new scourge
of aerial piracy that Ruby Rodriguez has un-
leashed. From the single rickety biplane she
first stole as a teenager, to the veritable private
air force the ruthless raider has assembled
since, her Flying Corsairs make an already
unstable Caribbean that much more danger-
ous. An air pilot and decisive leader, it’s un-
clear from where she plots and launches her
raids; is there some hidden island airfield, or
has she done the unthinkable and stolen one
of Dr. Zorbo’s flying carriers?
• Tamsen Singh: Founding member of the
Family Caribbean, Singh helps the farm
workers from all over the British Caribbean,
turning rioting into political might, and
hoping to eventually take their demands to
Parliament in London. Tamsen has the luck
of a daredevil, and as long as it holds out, he
might even get what he wants, which is the
same respect as the white farmers and every-
one to have a decent and fair wage. He’ll need
it, as he seems to constantly find trouble, even
when not looking for it. From accidentally
uncovering an Order of Murder safehouse
to accidentally blowing up a Flying Corsair
landing strip with fertilizer, Tamsen hasn’t
been making friends of the more unsavory el-
ements in the Caribbean.
Central America
Many of the leaders in Central America find
themselves wrapped up in the coils of United
Fruit, while fighting against a rising socialist tide.
Drawing aid from their Euro-American corporate
allies, they each try to apply their boots to the necks
of their people, who in turn being to resist against
their oppression, sometimes for the first time.
Until 1929, much of Honduras’ fruit farms were
owned by Samuel Zemurry, out of New Orleans,
and his company Cuyamel Fruit. United Fruit
Company of Boston bought them out for five
times what their farms were originally worth.
Where Zemurry was a hands-on owner, well-
liked by the local growers and helpful in the com-
munity, United Fruit backed the eventual dictator,
General Carías Andino. Not unlike Mussolini’s
paramilitary squads, the General tried to squash
dissent in the nation, but only succeeded in push-
ing it further and further underground. Leaders
in the Liberal Party and social activists, who es-
caped such oppression, went to hassle his regime
and the actions of his National Party. On its face,
Honduras seems an agricultural paradise with the
firm hand of United Fruit keeping farms at work.
The financial tidal wave that was the Great
Depression hit Guatemala in 1930. In the election
North America 87
 a year later, General Jorge Ubico, a wealthy land- enable her to visit, dreamlike, with those in
owner, ran unopposed for the presidency. While need or to spy on the halls of power, but she
focusing on strengthening his country’s economy, cannot sustain being everywhere. Her con-
he garnered aid from the United States to fund federates worry that Edwina will either be
public works projects and changed racist laws found out and eliminated by the Honduran
that unfairly regulated where the nation’s indig- security service, or simply succumb to ex-
enous people, who were more than half of the haustion as she tries to fix her country bar-
Guatemalan population, could live and work. At ring allies able to bear some of her burden.
the same time, however, he cozied up to United
• Jorge’s Razor: It is said that in Urbico’s
Fruit, eventually earning it the moniker El Pulpo,
Guatemala, a pin does not drop without him
or The Octopus, for its tentacles seemed to reach
hearing it. While his regular secret police are
everywhere. Ubico allowed the foreign company
no small part of it, the powerful mesmerist
to control its port on the Atlantic Coast, Puerto
known only as his “Razor” plays no small part
Barrios, and gave it sweetheart tax exemptions.
in maintaining that impression. Happy to ex-
Unlike many other parts of the region, Costa
ert power over others’ lives, the Razor spies
Rica was a bastion of democracy and fair elec-
on political enemies, labor organizers, and
tions. Struck hard by the Depression, however,
potential rivals, occasionally delving into ma-
right-wing extremists attempted a coup, but failed
nipulation or outright assassination at Jorge’s
utterly, as Costa Ricans overall believed more in
command. Occasionally loaned out to friend-
their traditional government than in the violent
ly dictators in the region, Jorge’s Razor is a
upheaval the extremists promised.
blight upon Guatemala and a burden upon its
This stands in contrast to El Salvador, which people.
had been wracked with unrest for generations.
In January of 1931, El Salvador had its first free Mexico
elections in twenty years, only to have that gov-
Elected president in late 1934, former general
ernment overthrown by a General Maximiliano
in the Mexican Revolution, Lázaro Cárdenas del
Hernandez Martínez in December of the same
Río made his first action to cut his own salary in
year. He believed in strange science told to him
half and turned the former presidential residence,
by fringe professors and occultists, even believ-
Chapultepec Castle, turned into a history muse-
ing that painting streetlights blue would help stop
um. In defiance of the interests of party leaders
the spread of an epidemic. Martínez, too, feared
who helped him gain office, he closed the casinos
communists, crushing a rebellion of farm workers
and brothels they owned. Never using an armored
who he dubbed communists in 1932.
car, he gathered much respect from Mexicans of all
Like El Pulpo, the resistance to United Fruit
stripes, moving them to do what they could to help
is everywhere, working to free farms from their
others. All the while, the wealthy political cronies
corporate yoke. Several Allegiances have interests
from the previous government were not going to
in the Central American nations as the Rational
take Mexico’s new stance against largesse and
Experiment Group seeks to infiltrate United Fruit
corruption laying down. Whispers have reached
and gain a controlling interest in its biodiversity
his ears that these rich oligarchs are putting out
division and Branch 9 seeks to tamp down any
feelers to get in contact with the Contedorri. The
dangerous technology they might generate.
president plans to take a ship to Lima soon to dis-
People of Interest cuss their developing interest in telluric energy.
At the same time, however, Cachalot’s Hunger has
• Edwina Orellana: Torn between trying to been sighted in the Southern Pacific.
heal the scars of the last decade’s wars and
Built on private land purchased by the odd to-
ongoing Depression and opposing the tight-
bacco heiress Josephina de la Cruz, private res-
ening of Andino’s dictatorial grip on the
idences were built for the victims of America’s
country, Edwina Orellana is a constantly ex-
deportation of hundreds of people of Mexican
hausted mesmerist. Her far reaching powers

88 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

lineage, regardless of their actual connection to
anyone in the country. These colonias were looked
upon as a fine solution to the problem. Many say,
“Que se quedan allá” about these poor people,
“let them stay over there.” Many of them had left
Mexico when the United States took over the land
at the end of the Mexican-American War half a
century earlier. Those who remained imagined
they lived a better life than them. Now that they
are back, the general sentiment is that they can
make do with whatever, as their forebearers once
left the Mexicans to do.
Cárdenas’ government felt the same as many of
their citizens, the repatriates were not his prob-
lem, and so de la Cruz’s colonias were largely un-
governed, eventually having their basic services
like water, electricity, and trash pickup also pro-
vided by de la Cruz’s management company. Away
from the only home many of them knew, in a place
that was not only a strange environment but whose
natives were hostile for things largely out of their
control, the repatriates only had themselves and
their mysterious benefactor to count on.
Elsewhere, fueled by mysterious crystal skulls
carrying great power purportedly found in the
Selva Lacandona — all of which were hoaxes —
explorers from all over the Euro-American world
search for Aztec and Mayan secrets. Some believe
these ruins hold strange secrets or a key to under-
standing telluric energy. While it is true that many
of the places are steeped in telluric energy wells,
the nature of such is up for much debate. Ancient
Mayans were exceptionally intelligent and skilled
in both mathematics and astronomy, and sever-
al scholars from Mexico City wonder if they had
not discovered telluric particles well before the
Hammersmith Incident made the energies more
prominent in the world.
Explorers from all over travel to Mexico to
view and “discover” the Aztec ruins that dot the
country. Ponatowski expeditions travel out from
Mexico City regularly, but also Air Circus and
Æon Society explorers have their fair share of
interests in the various telluric energy deposits
around the nation.
People of Interest
• Josefina de la Cruz: Born of tobacco million-
aires, Jesus and Yolanda de la Cruz, Josefina was
born in Nayarit, but went to boarding schools
in Spain and France. There she met with oth-
ers who might be called ‘gentlemen thieves,’
were the writers of such news stories more
open minded. Learning everything she knows
from them and giving herself the new name of
El Zorro Escarlata, The Scarlet Fox, she spent
the twenties robbing banks and grifting the
mega-rich out of their millions. She only began
to build her colonias as a way to launder her
ill-gotten fortunes, but once she saw the plight
of the repatriates she was housing, her heart was
moved. Acting as their makeshift governor, The
Scarlett Fox does what all of the governments in
their repatriate’s lives refuse to do.
• Sir Alister Zane II: A British fop and mem-
ber of the Ponatowski Foundation, this ex-
plorer is obsessed with Mayan step pyramids.
After native Lacandon people showed him
one and his telluric detector went wild, he
posited that the Mayans used telluric ener-
gy to create their pyramids. He now wastes
Cambridge funds and a great deal of his time
trying to prove his theory correct, often sub-
jecting the natives to barbarous interroga-
tions all in the name of seeking the truth.
The United States
The United States sits at the cusp of a horrific
storm of nigh apocalyptic proportions as it strug-
gles to recover from plummeted global financial
markets. The Roaring Twenties whimpered into
the Great Depression, and conflicts in Europe
leave Americans worried for another globe span-
ning war, making many in the States want to close
ranks. President Hoover’s refusal to successfully
address economic losses in the face of the down-
turn, lost him the 1932 election to the upstart
Governor of New York, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Roosevelt began revitalizing the American econ-
omy by implementing the New Deal, creating and
funding multiple government programs, includ-
ing GIST which supports the best and brightest
that America can produce. The president appoint-
ed Nikola Tesla as Commissioner of GIST, aged
but no less sharp at seventy-seven years old.
The GIST program leads to the invention of fre-
quency modulation (or FM) radio by New Yorker,
North America 89
Edwin Howard Armstrong, and the differen-
tial analyzer, a computation machine, by MIT’s
Vannevar Bush. Later, Tesla himself would un-
veil his newest invention using GIST backing,
an electromagnetic pulse grenade, harmless to
people but simply devastating to technology.
Largely using GIST funding, this year’s world’s
fair in Chicago, called A Century of Progress
International Exposition, celebrated both the city’s
centennial and gave fairgoers a hopeful look at a
not-too-distant future. Little do they know that the
future is closer than they think, as the exposition
is an academic arms race between GIST, the CIB,
Branch 9, and other similar organizations to try and
recruit the best and brightest minds of the day.
Meanwhile, economic pressures fan the
flames of hate all over the country. The National
Association for the Advancement of Colored
People, or NAACP, led a successful campaign of
social justice, preventing John J. Parker, a white
supremacist, from elevating to the Supreme Court
in 1930. Alphonse Blanchard, one of the NAACP
leaders out of Baton Rouge, now spearheads a na-
tionwide route of many of the senators who voted
to confirm Parker. All the while, he turns the tide,
convincing Congress and Roosevelt to try to pass
federal anti-lynching laws.
Elsewhere in what was America’s breadbas-
ket, the farms of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado,
Texas, and New Mexico, have been afflict-
ed by the worst drought in American history.
Windswept dust and arid conditions forced
thousands of Oakies, named as many of them
come from Oklahoma, to flee west. They hoped
to find somewhere new to farm and reestablish
their lives in states like California, Washington,
and Arizona, but these regions aren’t as wel-
coming as they hoped, causing them to contin-
ue to struggle to find work.
Gordon Washington, the son of Black farmers
in Oklahoma, has been hard at work trying to
find a way to combat the dust clouds, and bring
rain back to the afflicted areas. Having just re-
ceived the much-needed GIST funding for his
rocket-based cloud seeding invention, he hopes
spraying the clouds of dust with supercooled
water will cause rain. Currently he awaits ship-
ment of his prototype from German fabricators,
delivered aboard the airship Hindenburg.
From the personal diary of GIST Commissioner Nikola Tesla,
Translated from Serbian:

Friday, 13th September 1933

Visited with a young woman from Ann Arbor today about her proposal, a
Winifred Cooper. Her idea to create a train propulsion system using magnetism
and super conduction is truly interesting, but I wonder about its other
implications. I can see, through their usual clandestine budgetary flim-flam, that
Saoirse Green and her Branch 9 are also interested in this idea.
Green believes herself to be in the shadows, but I’m wise to her wiles.
Their hawkish scientists drafted plans to incorporate superconductors
into tank armor, allowing them to conduct possible energy weaponry away
from the personnel within, and maybe even divert shells and bullets using
diamagnetism.
The specter of the Great War weighs heavy on my mind, and I would
rather not have this young woman’s discovery used for war making. Once
Secretary Woodring gets debriefed on Green’s plot and takes it to Mr.
President, I won’t have any choice in the matter. I can only hope that my
suggestion that Ms. Cooper patent her diagrams allows her to work on trains
despite whatever the bloodthirsty hawks may want from her technology.

The United States plays home to both the Æon outspoken activist who devotes his time and
Society and the Air Circus, and many members of energy to giving legal aid to those in need.
Branch 9 consider the United States their true na- The Æon Society has courted him on numer-
tion of origin. All three Allegiances have several ous occasions, but he reserves all his aid and
chapterhouses across the nation. Seven Brothers support for the few Order of the Stars mem-
operate heavily on the West Coast, while the bers who have reached out to him.
Contedorri attempts to make inroads on the east
• Maxwell Mercer: Millionaire philanthro-
coast. The Archivists work throughout the nation
pist, explorer, sometimes academic, and al-
to reclaim indigenous artifacts currently housed
ways meddling Max Mercer is the founder
in museums across various states.
and leader of the Æon Society. While he grew
People of Interest up in Chicago, Mercer now lives in New York
and travels the world in service to the Society.
• Alphonse Blanchard: An NAACP leader
Often seen heading up major operations, he
out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Blanchard
isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when it
lived under the thumb of Jim Crow and
comes to ensuring the Æon Society’s vision
put his own life and limb at risk to end the
of helping all of humanity reach its fullest po-
lynching scourge that plagues America. He
tential. Max is also the most powerful dare-
gained fame for leading a nationwide fight
devil alive and is deeply aware of his own
against installing pro-segregation Supreme
probability bending abilities, which allows
Court nominee John J. Parker. Alphonse is an
him to manipulate time itself.

North America 91
 SOUTH AMERICA
The countries of South America had found • Benjamin Ledesma: Benjamin is a minor
their stride before the crashing wave of the Great official who has survived the 1930 coup and
Depression. A decade earlier, only Brazil took a side flourished as his mesmerist powers have
in the global conflict of the Great War. Argentina grown. As foreign companies attempt to
saw America as a bully and their economic rival in makes inroads into Argentina’s rapidly chang-
the region and became a leader for neutrality in a ing economy taking advantage of corruption
war in Europe about European problems. and graft which grease the wheels for British
beef barons, American auto companies, and
Argentina friends to the regime, Ledesma tries to turn
Under the corrupt rule of President Agustín back the tide. He is building his own network
Pedro Justo Rolón, Argentina allowed much of of illicit favors and seized wealth. Benjamin
the country’s economy to fall into foreign hands, could easily turn into an arch-criminal or a
namely the British, all under siege from attempted pillar of society, depending on who aids and
coups and assassination attempts. In 1933, coups guides his continuing efforts.
broke out in Buenos Aires, Corrientes, Entre Rios,
and Misiones, leading to a thousand arrests. By Brazil
the start of 1934, a joint uprising of loyalist mili- After four years of an interim government, in July
tary and politicians take to the streets, this time of 1934, Brazil established their first constitution
in Santa Fe, Rosario, and Paso de los Libres. Many written from scratch by leaders the populace of Brazil
leaders were arrested, and some exiled, but the elected themselves. These leaders also voted in their
fight against injustice continues. acting president, Getúlio Vargas, under this constitu-
A key to the uprising was the use of Captains tion. The same year the University of São Paulo and
Flavia and Lola Sosa and their Air Circus team. the National Institute of Statistics were both estab-
Known among the group as the Wind Wives, the lished, marking the year in the eyes of many as one of
two flew supply runs between the three major a fresh step into a brighter tomorrow.
sites of the uprising. Food, supplies, weapons, all Knowing that many of the slaves kidnapped from
critically needed and with the army blockading Africa ended up in Brazil, the Order of the Stars, far
the major roads, the rebellion took to the skies. from their Moroccan roots, have begun to look for
new members here. Returning home after his train-
People of Interest
ing in South Africa, Marcelino de Silva becomes a
• Simone Aguirre: Seizing the opportunity professor with the University of São Paulo, opening
provided by Argentina’s recent strife, Simone his home to whatever Inspired people he can find.
Aguirre and several coconspirators have been
quietly stealing and auctioning off Argentinian People of Interest
resources and treasures to the highest bidder. • Otávio Azevedo: The University of São
Much of it involves wholesale theft and sale Paulo brought together many branches of
of natural resources to the Contedorri, Seven academia, combing multiple institutions into
Brothers, or corrupt foreign governments. A an academic powerhouse. Professor Otávio
recent rise in strange creatures and telluric Azevedo uses the University’s broad scope
artifacts from remotest Patagonia has turned and knowledge base to study and harness
Aguirre into a broker for the REG, Doktor telluric energies, both natively occurring
Zorbo, and stranger buyers abroad. Willing within the Amazon rainforest and beyond.
to kill to preserve her operation, Aguirre will Sponsoring practical experimentation and in-
continue to plunder Argentina for her own vestigative expeditions, Azevedo’s initiatives
gain unless someone stops her. hint at advancements in understanding and

92 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

 utilization of telluric powers in the future. secrets, Javier has spent his life studying its
Control over Azevedo’s discoveries in a coun- pathways and preparing for expeditions into
try still struggling with internal challengers its heart. However, as explorers seeking un-
to its populist leadership is unclear, leading seen treasures or telluric mysteries and sur-
some in the Æon Society to fear Azevedo’s veyors looking for national resources and
work even as they collaborate with him. secure transport routes demand his services,
Javier has become concerned that he may
• Antônia Rossi: Brazil has recently under-
end up destroying what he loves. Budding
gone one successful military coup in 1930
stalwart powers give Javier the opportunity
and an attempted revolution in 1932; Antônia
to complete ever more bold expeditions — or
Rossi’s may be the next to erupt. A stalwart
to end others’ attempts at exploration.
whose supernatural powers of perception
have left her unsatisfied with both the Vargas- • Mattias Ramírez: Many wealthy landowners
ruled government and his putative opposi- and corporate interests are unhappy with the
tion, Antônia has begun to rally dissatisfied changes inside Colombia. Mattias Ramírez, sci-
citizens and new Inspired to her side. While on of wealth and influence, not only dislikes the
her personal dynamism and steadfast belief economic changes, but the potential attention
in Brazil embracing a tellurically active fu- they could bring to his secret facilities. A pow-
ture rallies many to her cause, Antônia leaves erful mesmerist, Mattias engages in unscrupu-
nothing to chance, and has begun assembling lous experiments on unfortunate animals and
an arsenal of Inspired and super science to kidnappees, seeking to harness the powers of
challenge Brazil’s military directly. artifacts recovered from deep in the rainforest
that respond to his powers. So far, Mattias has
Colombia only managed to mutate and scar his victims
Having concluded a short war with Peru the with them, but he’s sure that he’ll soon perfect
year before, the League of Nations upheld pre- Mesmeric powers over flesh itself.
vious treaties that awarded Colombia a disputed
area in the Amazon. Few outside the region un- Peru
derstood the truth of why the area was wanted, In Peru, Lieutenant Colonel Luis Miguel
believing it to be about heavy sugar tariffs and a Sánchez Cerro put an end to the decades’ long
bad previous treaty. In fact, Peruvian researchers dictatorship of Augusto B. Leguía. Fueled by eco-
from Universidad Nacional de San Antonia Abad nomic hardship that everyone was facing, and
del Cusco found a hitherto unknown Incan set- the political decisions made by Leguía, the revolt
tlement site in the rainforest there, with evidence quickly spread among the military. Leguía fled
relevant to the school’s telluric studies on the Lima to a naval cruiser, escaping the grasp of jus-
Inspired. tice. Cerro’s new government is both trying to put
Belladonna Montague, Branch 9’s envoy to the Peru back together while looking for their fugitive
League, helped broker a deal with the two nations. former dictator.
She reserved Colombian sovereignty over the area, In opposition to Cerro’s military rule sits the
including whatever was found there, but allowed American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA)
Peruvian access. With the unrest there at the time, founded years before as a progressive democratic
the new government had little interest in holding political party intent on anti-imperialist rule. Led
the area and continuing conflict. Furthermore, it by Haya de la Torre, and proposed to be represen-
allowed Montague to get Branch 9 agents into the tative of the masses, the party opposes military
exploration team as well. rule and oligarchical suppression in Peru. This
has led to several violent and brutal clashes be-
People of Interest tween the two over the years.
• Javier Medina: Entranced with the beauty Branch 9 has several chapterhouses throughout
of the rainforest and intrigued by its hidden South America, and Peru is no different. They are

South America 93
 deeply involved with the political atmosphere in studio has made her wary of any outside in-
the area, despite their a-political seeming nature. terference, and she now produces new works
They are not the only Allegiance with chapter- at a dizzying pace, attracting the attention
houses in the area, but they are the most numerous. of the Rational Experimentation Group and
The Rational Experimentation Group has set up a others who would misuse her powers.
laboratory just outside Cusco in the foothills of the
• Diego Perez: Member of banned political
Andes, though what their goals are is anyone’s guess.
party, the APRA, and disenfranchised from
People of Interest normal Peruvian politics, Diego seeks to
build ties with anti-Imperialists and anti-au-
• Isobel Parades: An early experiment-
thoritarians across the region. Often hiring
er in cinema in the town of Iquitos, Isobel
Air Circus pilots or similarly danger inured
Parades uses her mesmerist powers to imbue
adventurers to help pass messages and sup-
her short films with mind altering effects.
plies across country borders and through-
Interested only in furthering her unique
out Peru’s rugged landscape, Diego hopes to
brand of art, her abilities would prove dan-
spread seeds of liberty throughout the land
gerously powerful if turned to supernatural-
that will outlive both the present Peruvian
ly strong propaganda or even mass hypnosis.
administration and him.
A failed Branch 9 attempt to shut down her

94 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE

 SKY-SOARING STUNTWOMAN SURVIVES SINISTER STRIKE
Friday, 1 May 1934
HOUSTON, Black and Indian Aviatrix “Queen
Bess” Coleman, famous for her “loop-the-loop” stunts,
stunned the Houston Aerodrome audience when a bomb
detonated aboard her aeroplane. Immediately after the
explosion, her plane flipped upside-down, leaving her
dangling outside of the cockpit, as thick black smoke
poured from the engine and mechanical pieces rained
from the sky. Instead of falling to her doom, “Brave
Bessie” clung to her craft’s fuselage. Although her
strength saved her from immediate death, her Curtiss
JN-4 still perilously plunged toward the ground.
Coleman climbed back into the inverted cockpit
and regained control of her wounded craft, righting
it. Despite flying blind due to the smoke flowing from
the engine, Coleman executed a tight horizontal turn
that brought her back over the aerodrome. In under a
minute, Bessie Coleman had gone from facing certain
death to performing a perfect 3-point landing. Once
her aeroplane was safely on the ground, she leapt from
the cockpit to the ground, leaving her still smoking the
plane to scour the grandstands for her would-be assas-
sin. This is not Bessie’s first problem with her aero-
plane, having narrowly avoided a fatal crash shortly
after a performance in Jacksonville in 1926.
Texas Rangers have already begun searching for
the culprit. Early reports suggest that the bomber may
have been infuriated by Coleman’s insistence that
the Houston Aerodrome crowd be racially integrated.
Although the audience was still mostly segregated,
they all walked through a single gate, regardless of
whether they were white, Black, Indian, or Mexican.
Mrs. Coleman has been a professional aviatrix for
13 years, 2 years longer than her fellow FAI graduate
Amelia Earhart. Her fame and skill with aeroplanes en-
tertain crowds of all colors and give Black children,
particularly girls, hope and ambition for the future.
It can be assumed that whoever planted the bomb in
Queen Bess’ aeroplane sought to snatch that hope away.
Anyone with any information about the sabotage
should contact the Texas Rangers or Mrs. Coleman
directly.

FLYING FUGITIVE PHYSICIAN FAMILY FOILS FUZZ,

FILCHES FROM FLATFOOTS
Wednesday, 18 July 1934
WASHINGTON, Marie Equi,
outlaw doctor, has evaded the BOI
once again. The Bureau tracked
her to an airfield just outside of
Baltimore. Although they seized her
aeroplane and all the materials with-
in it, Equi, her roommate, and her
child proved too slippery to capture.
Additionally, an anonymous source
at the BOI states that the Bureau is
currently missing an aeroplane and
that Equi may be responsible.
Infamous for flouting the law and
helping the less fortunate, Dr. Equi
has been a wanted fugitive for over a
decade. Despite long-standing war-
rants for her arrest, she flies across
the nation, dispensing medical aid
and labor advice. Experts estimate
that she’s responsible for over 100
labor strikes, nearly $15 million
in increased wages to workers,
and countless abortions and other
procedures.
Dr. Equi first rose to fame for
flying up and down the West Coast,
dispensing medical aid to all in
need, earning federal commenda-
tions for her aid during the 1906
San Francisco Earthquake. Sadly
for the doctor, her efforts to pro-
mote labor relations were not nearly
as well received and she was arrest-
ed for punching out three police
officers after one of them clubbed a
pregnant woman during a labor pro-
test. Equi served a year in jail for
her fight.
After her release, she began
protesting the Great War, claiming
that the war effort exploited labor-
ers. This placed her squarely in the
BOI’s crosshairs, who tried and
convicted her for sedition. Although
sentenced to 3 years, she escaped
after organizing two simultaneous
riots in San Quentin State Prison on
May 1, 1921: one for the prisoners’
living conditions and one for the
guards’ lack of pay.
Since then, the FBI has been
on the search for Dr. Equi, as well
as her wife Harriet F. Speckart.
Although there are no warrants
for the arrest of their 19-year-old
daughter Mary, she is wanted for
questioning.

South America 95
 STRANGE PLACES
Arctic Circle
While en route toward New York City from
London on her victory tour after circumnavigat-
ing the world in 1930, Lady Drummond-Hay’s LZ
127 Graf Zeppelin was blown off course by strong
northern winds and soon found itself adrift near
the Aurora Borealis during a geomagnetic storm.
This up-close run-in with the Aurora Borealis was
not only breathtaking, but it was also history-mak-
ing in that during this storm, images of another
world with tall white spires floating in the sky
were clearly visible through the rifts and eddies
of the aurora. It appeared that these floating cit-
ies were populated by highly intelligent, winged
humanoids who subsequently took note of Lady
Drummond-Hay and her magnificent zeppelin
and initiated first contact.
These beings, colloquially known as “Seraphim,”
were just as curious as their Earth-born counter-
parts but otherwise kept a polite distance. Excited
by the prospects this new discovery entailed,
Lady Drummond-Hay took extensive notes and
photographs of the phenomena, reporting back
to Maxwell Mercer of the Æon Society with the
strong suggestion that a northerly outpost be next
on the Society’s agenda. A more formalized ex-
pedition through the aurora is currently in early
planning stages, but there is some urgency — for
it would not take long for other, more exploitative
explorers to realize that what they saw was not
just mere coincidence, but proof of theories only
whispered about in secret parlors.
Since the discovery of the Seraphim and their
floating cities through the aurora, it has been
posited that compared to other Strange Places
which appear to be telluric hotspots or lost civi-
lizations, that there is a dimensional rift between
worlds which requires aeronautics to traverse
through. Those who have studied it are uncertain
if those on the other side have in turn recognized
that there is a rift, and whether the Seraphim are
studying them as much as they are studying the
Seraphim.
96 CHAPTER TWO: THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
Bermuda Triangle
Mysterious disappearances of ships in the
Caribbean have held a place in the collective con-
sciousness of individuals who believe that there is
no such thing as coincidence, and it is not hard to see
why. In 1918, naval vessel USS Cyclops disappeared
without a trace soon after departing Barbados on its
way back to port in Norfolk, Virginia. There was no
trace of the ship, and while it was believed that per-
haps enemy combatants had sunk it, most of that was
dismissed as by that point the war was largely over.
In 1930, a ship sailed into port in Miami. It was,
after twelve years of being considered lost at sea, the
USS Cyclops with its entire crew complement on
board and in good health. While none of the sailors
could attest to what caused their absence with cer-
tainty, they spoke of an entirely new world, unbound
from the laws of science and physics as they knew
them. As the USS Cyclops sailed upon a brackish sea,
encountering semi-intelligent tendrils that would
reach out and ‘touch’ the ship before retreating. It
was determined that they were not ‘sailing’ in the
traditional sense, but rather gliding across what they
discovered to be a sea of obsidian glass.
Despite their documentation of these phenom-
ena, these experiences were chalked up to being
cabin fever and severe effects of isolation on the
psyche — with only a select few knowing that
these reports were true. Long the subject of spec-
ulation and superstition, the Bermuda Triangle,
its vertices being Miami, San Juan, and the titu-
lar Bermuda, has since been discovered to be a
Strange Place. Though the exact location of where
the crossing point is still subject to conjecture, it
is believed that every ship that has ever crossed
through can indeed return through.
The Cradle
Sometimes called the Cradle of Life, the Cradle
of Civilization, or the Cradle of Humankind, the
entrance to this strange dimension roams across
Africa, chiming in time with the currents of tellu-
ric energy across the planet.
 Within the Cradle is a beautiful world, un- Sahara, as the ruins of Egyptian, Roman, and in-
touched by the modern world’s pollution or envi- digenous peoples are uncovered every month. In
ronmental exploitation. Functioning like a living the south, explorers pursue ancient ruins of local
record of species which once walked the Earth, legends, seeking riches and fame for these discov-
and plenty which still do, explorers have en- eries. In every case though, the true owners of this
countered dinosaurs, dodos, woolly mammoths, history — the descendants of African countries —
Tasmanian tigers, and more. After an encounter are pushed aside, and their heritage is loaded onto
with talking gorillas, some even believe that this ships bound for distant museums, never to be seen
dimension is where the first humans existed and again.
evolved, living eternally before their descendants Infinitely more dangerous are artifacts from
walked the Earth for the first time and met the lost cities. Archivists speculate that thousands of
fate of death in turn. years ago, before the first river valley civilizations,
Unfortunately, this sanctuary is now threatened cities of incredible technology rose up in the des-
by nefarious forces from all over the world. The erts, savannahs, and jungles of Africa, before they
Ponatowski Foundation believes that the secret were sealed away into the crust of the planet. But
to immortality lies here, and that telluric energy with the influx of telluric energy in the world, the
is the key to bringing it to Earth. Members of the machinations that once hid such cities are now re-
Æon Society have no consensus on the matter, but vealing them to the people of Africa again. Some
they worry that harvesting such a secret could guard the secret of their existence; others enlist
spell doom for the Cradle itself, and drive millions the aid of explorers. Either way, the technology
of species to extinction. The recent disappearance within is so dangerous that Branch 9 is taking a
of Cyrille Dubois has only increased the urgency personal interest in securing such artifacts from
of this matter. the lost cities.
Thankfully, the entrance is difficult to locate; it Unfortunately, this has led to tension with the
never stays in one place for more than a day, and Archivists, who are attempting to catalog these
while it can be found anywhere in the Congo, it cultures before they are lost to history. This led
only reveals itself to those who are at death’s door. some of their members to inform the Invictus
Umbra of their existence, and as a result, a shad-
The Lost Cities of Africa owy conflict has begun between Invictus and
Africa is a continent of lost histories and civi- Branch 9 operatives over the fate of these myste-
lizations. To the north, archeology thrives in the rious underground cities.

Strange Places 97
98
 “Foes of crime! Enemies of evil! To them, all wrongdoing is a menace to be
overcome and stamped out as one would smash a poisonous reptile! Each of
them is a hero in his own right, but when the Justice Society calls, they are
only members, sworn to uphold honor and justice!”
— All-Star Comics, Issue 5, June/July 1941

Allegiances in Trinity Continuum: Adventure!
are organizations that gather the Inspired and their
allies to achieve common goals. Some of these or-
ganizations are founded on heroic or philanthrop-
ic principles as they seek to use Inspired Gifts to
make the world a better place. Others focus their
attention on gathering knowledge through re-
search, exploration, or archaeological study. And
others lean more toward thrill–seeking for its own
sake, seeing any benefit to society as a pleasant
side effect rather than a raison d’être. Naturally, as
Inspiration does not imbue the recipient with any
sort of moral compass or social conscience, some
of these groups exist to execute nefarious agendas
driven by the greed or megalomania of their lead-
ership. It is also important to note that few of these
organizations predate the Hammersmith experi-
ment. Most of the groups described in this chapter
are newly formed and still determining their col-
lective identity. As such, it is possible that the play-
er characters are among the founding members of
their chosen organization.
The following organizations are the most prom-
inent groups the Inspired may belong to, but they
are certainly not the only. We provide information
for creating and advancing your own Allegiances
in Chapter 5.

Allegiances 99
 The Æon Society

History Lucy Hebron, the two forged a path for a more

diverse society with outreach programs that span
Founded in Chicago in June 1923 by Maxwell
the world.
Anderson Mercer, Michael Damien Donighal, and
Whitley Styles, the Æon Society for Gentlemen During their adventures, Æon Society members
formed to pursue the strange and seek out an- have encountered strange beings: from aliens and
swers to the question, “Why?” Its members strive the undead to creatures from prehistory. They’ve
to explain the inexplicable and explore uncharted made enemies of evildoers and fought in battles that
territories, all in the name of doing good and shar- grab both headlines and the public’s imagination.
ing the knowledge they gain from their adven- Their inventors’ wondrous gadgets are the talk of
tures with the world. While Max and Whitley re- cocktail parties, salons, and university lectures. All
main with the organization, Michael has restyled this attention has caused some members to question
himself Doctor Primoris, and has stepped away, the Society’s policy of staying uninvolved and moni-
though he does lend his aid to them from time to toring global situations from afar.
time. Mercer seems to have heard these concerns.
Helen Perkins — a black journalist covering He’s begun steering the Æon Society away from
Calvin Hammersmith’s ill-fated demonstra- the loosely-structured social club of its origins to-
tion — reached out to Mercer in the early days ward more of an official organization — one with
of the Society’s founding and was instrumental stated goals and sanctioned missions. Becoming
in shaping how the organization reaches out to a multinational organization requires funding,
potential members, including who it reaches out time, and connections, which Mercer has in abun-
to. Other founding members include pilot Jake dance. However, some of the Society’s leadership
“Danger Ace” Stefokowski; renowned explorer disagrees with his methodology, causing some
“Safari” Jack Tallon; sharpshooter Annabelle Lee friction in the ranks.
Newfield, aka “Crackshot;” and former assistant Recruitment
to Dr. Hammersmith, Benjamin Franklin Dixon.
The Æon Society seeks out the best and brightest,
Sara Kaur, Hammersmith’s secretary, hasn’t of-
those who’ve laughed at the idea of having limits and
ficially affiliated herself with the Æon Society,
blown right on past them. It’s this drive for excellence
though she is often in touch with its members and
and recognition of one’s own potential that attracts
is always welcome at its chapter houses.
the Society’s attention. It gathers up geniuses, ad-
Though the Æon Society was originally a
venturers, inventors, and innovators, and often those
“Gentleman’s Club,” that part of its name was
who make a splash in the newsreels. However, many
dropped before the decade was out. Mercer had
others are artists and thinkers — people whose ac-
seen the future — not only of his own organiza-
complishments don’t get much front-page coverage,
tion, but of the very world — and wanted the
but whose innovative ideas and breakthroughs will
group to be welcoming to any and all who shared
influence music, philosophy, and science for decades
the Society’s values. Between Helen Perkins and
to come.

100 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

 Recruitment comes via personal invitation: a visit from a member and an
offer to stop by a chapter house to meet other achievers. Members
extoll the benefits of joining the Society to their recruits — access,
funding, mentorship — but often they don’t even have to start that
speech. Spending an evening hobnobbing with some of the era’s
greatest minds is often sales pitch enough.
Though being Inspired isn’t a requirement for joining the
Æon Society, a high proportion of its members are. This
is partly due to nature of how they recruit. Daredevils es-
pecially find themselves capturing the public’s attention
and thereby the Æon Society’s. Max Mercer is also most
interested in finding and recruiting Inspired individ-
uals if only to help teach them how to use their pow-
ers. Mercer sends an Inspired member to meet a pro-
spective member who is just discovering their own
abilities to offer them the guidance and resources the
Æon Society can provide. Usually, this is the first time
the person has met someone else like themselves and that alone is
enough of a recruitment tool.

Organization and Structure

The Æon Society began with two chapterhouses: its original
home in Chicago and a branch in New York. In the decade since
its founding, it has expanded to dozens of locations, including
several overseas, with more on the way. Members can now gath-
er in London, Paris, Manila, and Cairo as well as many different
areas in the United States.
Max Mercer remains the head of the Society, sending teams on
missions and keeping up to date on their briefings. While no oth-
er official hierarchy exists, members tend to defer to the found-
ers on decisions that would affect the Æon Society as a whole. If
the Ponatowski Foundation is up to no good (which they always
are), Whitley Styles expects a report on his desk first thing.
Most day-to-day decisions and plans are made socially, over
discussion at a chapterhouse or when a member of the Society
puts out a call for help. Members share research and discuss the-
ories, and that collaboration may spark a trip to the lab or a trip
into the field to observe unexplained phenomena. Every member,
no matter how new or inexperienced, has the power to reach out
to others.
Chapters host official meetings, though their frequency depends
on the number of local members. Many meet monthly, but more
remote locations elect to hold their meetings whenever enough
members are in town, or if someone hasn’t checked in for a while.
Æon Society chapterhouses are always open to members. The po-
tential for intriguing discussions and exciting plans virtually guar-
antees that people drop in when they’re in town.
Members also mingle outside of the chapterhouse, whether
at charity events, academic talks, or various fundraisers.

The Æon Society 101

 These gatherings are also where they make intro- Teams form based on the skills needed for a par-
ductions and members keep an eye out for poten- ticular mission, despite any normal designation.
tial new recruits. Anyone can put out a call for aid, and whoever is
The Society functions by using strategic teams qualified (or up for an adventure) may respond.
to enact missions. Most teams are put together on Max Mercer occasionally handpicks a team and
the fly, but certain actions have gained team des- sends them after a specific goal, often with the in-
ignations. The Triton team is always comprised tention to introduce new members into the fold.
of researchers and specialists, while the Neptune Recently, Mercer has grown more hands-on,
team is always comprised of first responders. deploying teams where he believes they can make
a difference. Whatever ugliness his forays into
Goals and Methods the future showed him, he’s not talking about.
The Æon Society seeks to help all of humani- Publicly, the Æon Society holds to its standoffish
ty reach its fullest potential. They aim to get rid of policy, though several members have suggested
anything or anyone standing in the way of that lofty that now is the time to use the members’ collec-
goal, whether that’s defeating evildoers or disman- tive power and influence to speak out against the
tling the barriers that prevent people from achieving rise of fascism in Europe.
their ambitions. While they hold to this ideal, they
also stay away from trying to interfere with global Advantages
politics, local governments, or make wide-sweep- Æon Society members become part of an elite
ing changes as a group. Max Mercer has seen what group of adventurers with a well-connected network.
happens when he tries to get too involved in chang- Even its most junior associates find themselves rub-
ing a future only he has seen, and he doesn’t want to bing elbows with influential people in their own fields
cause a break in the timeline by getting too involved and beyond. This allows them to get their projects in
in making the world a better place. Better to make front of decision-makers and grant committees and
small incremental changes, and to be the world’s seek mentorship from distinguished colleagues.
leader in what those changes can look like. If someone needs a contact within a particular
Instead of pushing for large changes, the company, government, or academic institution,
Society tries to seed positive change in their ac- chances are another member can make the neces-
tions and outlooks. The Æon Society isn’t likely to sary introductions, and if not, they know someone
solve systemic racism or even sexism in the next who can. Members can find aid virtually anywhere
few decades — many of its members benefit from the Æon Society has established its presence. This
it whether they realize it or not, while others en- may take the form of another member calling in a
counter it in their daily lives. However, the kernel local favor or offering transportation and housing
of awareness is there, for those willing to examine while a colleague is in town.
their own privilege, to listen to members’ lived Money flows into the Æon Society from char-
experiences, and to work with them on a path itable donations, grants, patents, and private in-
forward. vestors. Members’ research and travel are easily
In the field, the members’ mandate is to con- funded, though the Society expects that money
duct their research and exploration in a neutral to be used wisely. Most members who have day
manner: don’t cause a disturbance; observe but jobs keep them, as the Society pays for meals
don’t get involved; learn but don’t judge. It’s easy while traveling, but not to keep one’s home pantry
to hold to these in the abstract, but when con- stocked or mortgage current.
fronted with an angry dinosaur, sometimes you Additionally, members gain access to gadgets
have to fight for your life. Likewise, when mem- and tech well beyond what the public deems
bers come across an entity — human or not — do- possible. Sometimes, they’re asked to field-test
ing harm, that mandate goes right out the window. an invention, or use a prototype before it’s made
Members of the Society are only human, and their available (cheaply) to the masses. If a team finds
own desires and needs tend to take precedence something on mission, they might be granted the
over the mandates at any given time. right to use that item exclusively.

102 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

Why the Æon Society? mixed Allegiances, the Æon Society member will
find themselves in the good graces of many other
Games focused on Æon Society characters work
Allegiances and able to provide support for all the
well with mixed groups. Not every character has
other members without questions asked or cut-
to be Inspired to excel, and the Æon Society em-
ting through too much red tape.
bodies that belief. With members set up in strate-
gic locations and the resources to travel, charac- The Æon Society exists throughout the Trinity
ters can go nearly anywhere in the world. If their Continuum’s history, so games involving its mem-
Paths don’t grant them access, someone else in the bers can span the game’s eras. Adventure! char-
Society will open doors for them. acters may plant seeds for the future, or games
that started in the Aberrant or Æon eras may dis-
The Æon Society also works well with other so-
cover plots set in motion in their past. If you want
cieties, often in alliance with members of the Air
to run a era spanning campaign, the Æon Society
Circus, Branch 9, and the International Detective
is the right Allegiance to choose.
Agency. If your chronicle is made up of a group of

The Æon Society 103

 Air Circus

History Circus pilots to deliver packages and people, and

to fly rescue missions in dangerous territories.
The Air Circus began as the “Carnival of the
While they often have pilots of their own among
Air,” a traveling air show whose performances
their ranks, Air Circus pilots’ reputation for com-
spanned the United States, then extended into
petence and crack flying put them in high demand
Europe and beyond. Its founder, Great War vet-
for the most crucial and risky missions.
eran and aerial stunt man, Jake “Danger Ace”
Stefokowski, brought together other fliers, their The United States Army was initially wary of
crews, and families to entertain from above. Of the Air Circus. Its officials weren’t sold on civilian
course, if trouble didn’t follow Danger Ace to pilots carrying out what it considers to be mili-
a venue, he’d unearth it on his own. The carni- tary maneuvers but have had to grudgingly admit
vals were often threatened by dastardly foes and the Circus’ teams saved an awful lot of lives. As
unusual happenings, which Jake and his crew the world’s attention turns to Europe, many Air
thwarted with death-defying midair maneuvers. Circus pilots enlist in military service.
Their heroics won accolades from audiences, but Recruitment
Jake wondered how many other pilots had experi-
Can you fly a plane? Can you fix one? Can you
enced similarly strange phenomena.
talk a pilot safely to the landing strip while her
He corresponded with them and began an infor-
cockpit’s full of smoke? Maybe you’re support
mal information exchange network in the process.
staff, making sure everyone gets to the hangar on
Letters poured in documenting odd encounters,
time, or you’re the person whose photo is pinned
and he realized it was time to join forces. Jake had
inside the pilot’s flight jacket. If you’re any of the
flown enough missions for the Æon Society to rec-
above, the Air Circus wants you.
ognize a mystery in need of chasing.
The Air Circus has no formal recruiting pro-
He arranged for a meeting in Kansas City, call-
cess, relying on word-of-mouth, recommendation
ing all interested pilots to attend. It was the largest
from friends-of-friends, and enthusiastic air show
Carnival of the Air to date, and drew such promi-
attendees to fill its ranks. A love of the skies and
nent aviators as Bessie Coleman, the first African-
a clear head in dangerous situations are all any-
American woman pilot, and Amelia Earhart, who
one needs to join. Interested parties don’t have to
would soon enough be the first woman to fly solo
know how to fly from the get-go: The Circus’ pi-
across the Atlantic. Though the gathering was in-
lots and mechanics are willing to take new mem-
tended for allies only, the devious Doctor Zorbo
bers quite literally under their wings.
sent his death balloons to attack. The pilots and
Inspired members are most welcome — dare-
their crews destroyed the balloons before they
devils make excellent pilots, after all. Mesmerists
could harm the crowds watching from the ground.
can sense enemy’s traps before the pilots spring
From that victory, the Air Circus was born.
them, and stalwarts can turn a stormy sky clear...
Today, organizations like the Æon Society
or drum up thunder and lightning to stymie the
and the International Detective Agency hire Air

104 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

opposition. As Europe
moves toward war, wing
walkers, gunners, nav-
igators, and spies join the Air
Circus. Many of the civilian
members seek to join
the military or assist
their local govern-
ment as best they
can.
In recent months, the
vetting process has grown
a bit stricter. The condensed
version is, or soon will be, “No
Nazis.”

Organization and Structure

The Air Circus’ hierarchy is even looser
than that of the Æon Society. Danger
Ace is its de facto head, but he’s
more of a public figure than its of-
ficial leader. He trusts each team
to determine where they’re need-
ed, how to do the job, and how to
get home safely. For larger operations,
however, he’s willing to fly at the head of
the formation. Doctor Zorbo’s attacks
almost always draw Danger Ace into
the sky.
The Air Circus is made up of a series of teams who
work either alone or in groups. Two or three teams
might join together to deal with a large issue or long-dis-
tance travel, where one team might deal with a smaller lo-
cal issue if possible. Teams do
not report to anyone, nor do
they have formalized lead-
ership within them. If a
team works with an-
other one for an is-
sue, someone might
take point for that
mission, but otherwise ev-
eryone is more or less equal within the
Air Circus.
An Air Circus team consists of one or two pilots, their me-
chanics and ground crew, and any necessary support staff. Teams tend to work together so much
that they are like a small family. Frequently, the crew’s spouses, children, or other family members are
part of the team. Many are part of the crew itself: the pilot’s sister is his best mechanic, or the aviator’s
girlfriend is also her wing walker.

Air Circus 105

 The pilots speak for their teams when it comes Pilots in the Air Circus are aerial aces, able to
to decision-making, but normally they convey execute complicated and often dangerous maneu-
decisions reached as a group. For a team to func- vers to outfox enemies or sneak into contested
tion smoothly, everyone’s voice should be heard, airspace. However, they don’t do it alone. The me-
and their opinions taken under consideration. chanic keeps the plane in tip-top shape. The team
Communication is key, especially when a team strategist studies maps and dossiers to chart the
ventures off on a dangerous mission or heads be- best routes for success. The radio operator relays
hind enemy lines. crucial information and thinks three steps ahead
Any combination of teams may participate in just in case something goes sideways. The pilot
an air show. The more planes in the sky, the more may get all the glory, but it’s rarely a solo job.
excited the audience. When the call goes out,
Advantages
whichever teams are already nearby or within a
short flying distance respond. Since the Kansas Over the years, the Air Circus has grown into one
City show, Air Circus organizers keep their eyes large extended family. Members happily share their
and ears open for whispers of trouble and sound knowledge and expertise with newer fliers, outlin-
the alarm when it appears. ing their new maneuvers and charting favorable
new routes on one another’s maps. If one member’s
It’s up to each individual team whether to take
plane comes into the airfield a smoking, shot-up
a job that’s been offered. Often, if the challenge
wreck, every mechanic in the hangar works together
and money are right, that’s all the incentive they’ll
to get her flying again. Air Circus teams pool money
need. However, if something doesn’t seem right,
and resources to keep one another in the sky — no
or if the team suspects their potential employ-
one remains grounded due to lack of funds.
er would use them to do harm, they may refuse
and spread warnings throughout the Air Circus The Air Circus itself is home to ace mechanics
network. who are often tuning up and tweaking aircrafts
for their pilots. Being a member of the Air Circus
Goals and Methods means you’ll have access to state-of-the-art tools,
The Air Circus vows to stop anyone who uses all the best parts, and a place to experiment and
the skies for evil, soaring in to save the day when- build your own prototype planes. Pilots always
ever danger threatens. This might mean inter- have access to the best planes mechanics can
cepting and destroying a prototype drone before muster. If the team needs something to make their
it can release a dangerous chemical over a town, aircraft run smoother or help on a mission, anoth-
requiring a steady-handed pilot to fly close to the er team is willing to help find it, or hand it over
drone and a wing walker with perfect balance and without question.
a delicate touch to snatch it out of the sky. It could When other organizations invent new tech,
mean flying a reconnaissance mission to take pho- they contact Air Circus pilots to test it out: naviga-
tos of the villain’s base of operations. Sometimes, tion systems, upgraded engines, improved weap-
it requires aerial battles in cutting-edge planes onry and communications. They put innovations
against an enemy in a sleek new model of their through the wringer in the skies and report back
own. with recommendations. The best pilots are tapped
It’s not all fighting, however. The Air Circus’ to test out prototype aircraft and new stunt planes.
other main objective is to travel into new-to- All of these come with their share of danger — if
them territories and explore strange phenomena. equipment stops working at 20,000 feet, some-
Intrepid pilots venture into places ground-based times all you can do is hope your parachute’s not
explorers can’t reach or carry them there faster a prototype, too. Of course, being in the Air Circus
than an overland expedition could, saving time means it’s a risk most pilots happily take.
and money. They spot ruins and wonders from
Why the Air Circus?
high above, find a place to safely land, and keep
the aircraft ready should the explorers need to Games involving Air Circus teams can be full of
make a hasty retreat to the safety of the skies. light-hearted, thrilling adventure, or tense, risky

106 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

spy missions. Players may wish to play one team, spearheading expeditions into the unknown.
filling the various roles as a tight-knit group, or Air Circus members make a great addition to a
come together as several pilots headlining an air mixed Allegiance game where they need a single
show. pilot to help them get places fast, or a mechanic
Air Circus members travel the world, allow- to fix vehicles and gear. While the story might not
ing players to explore different settings through- focus on being in the air, the character is likely to
out the time period. Their stories are heavy on find plenty of action as a getaway driver or naviga-
the action, whether that’s showcasing a series tor for the rest of the group. The Air Circus works
of aerial battles, making stealth bombing runs with all other Allegiances well, taking missions
on cloudy nights, launching rescue missions, or from anyone who is on the right side of history.

Air Circus 107

 Branch 9
History storage warehouse, the Ninth Circle, where the
most dangerous information and technology is
No one can agree which government first
stored. These leaders nominally have no national
formed a Branch 9. The Americans say Teddy
allegiances and owe all their loyalty to Branch 9.
Roosevelt started it, the next step from his Rough
That doesn’t stop them from getting involved in
Riders and paid for through slush funds and giv-
political matters when it suits the Allegiance.
en the discretion to do whatever they need to.
Their mission? To protect not just America, but Recruitment
all of humanity from the dangers of the unex-
Branch 9 recruits from two sources, the people
plained. Others, however, believe that he stole
they track and the people who they didn’t know
the Branch 9 concept. The British claim they had
they needed to track until they joined the organi-
their Military Intelligence, section 9, or MI9 years
zation. That isn’t to say that Branch 9 is an oppres-
before the Americans. The organization was giv-
sive force, far from it, they seek out the best and
en leave from Parliament and funding from King
brightest in all fields and hope to recruit them,
George V’s private accounts, making sure that the
and if not, they seek to keep an eye on them in case
whole of the empire was not only prospering, but
they turn dangerous.
progressing. In the Soviet Union, Stalin claims
When Branch 9 hunts down someone they
they had been keeping an eye on strange happen-
think could be dangerous, they offer him a choice:
ings for decades before he turned Branch 9’s focus
Join Branch 9 or sit in a cell in the Ninth Circle.
toward keeping watch over his people. They were
What they do isn’t personal, and if he chooses to
to ensure that advancements were shared with
join and add his talents and skills to their portfo-
the state, rather than going to capitalist markets.
lio, then they can keep eyes on him. Inspired or
Whatever their beginnings, the organization is
otherwise, if someone is the absolute best at what
now a global phenomenon. While each originat-
they do, Branch 9 wants them, and wants to track
ing nation believes they have control over their
them.
part of Branch 9, and to a certain extent they do,
While each Branch operative has different
the organization itself has elected their own lead-
specializations, they all get the same basic train-
ers and now operates outside of their original ju-
ing, which includes the following: hand-to-hand
risdictions. Their stated goal is the protection of
combat training with particular interest in grap-
humanity from the strange and dangerous, which
pling; code breaking and cryptology; proficiency
means keeping an eye on the unexplained and
in at least English, Spanish, French, Chinese, and
monitoring the rapid advance of technology since
Russian; firearms and explosives; and the arts of
the Hammersmith Incident. They seek out dan-
the confidence person and other skullduggery.
gerous telluric technology or Inspired who they
Operatives forsake their true names when they
deem dangerous to humanity.
join their branch, donning up to half-a-dozen
Branch 9 has nine true leaders; seven from
identities crafted for them at a time and juggling
each continent, one that works with the League
between them like a trained jester, an operative of
of Nations, and one who controls their Antarctic

108 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

Branch 9 can be anyone they need to be, sometimes at a literal drop of a hat. Internally, each agent uses
an alphanumeric code in place of a name.

Organization and Structure

Branch 9 has a typical hierarchical structure with the nine heads at the top, each national head of
agency under them, and then groups under them. Under normal circumstances, this separation would
be regional, but that’s rarely true. Most branches fall under British or U.S. authority even though
they’ve infiltrated nations throughout the world. They just have
the most funding.
In the halls of the League of Nations, rubbing elbows
with the world leaders from all the super-
powers of the age, is Operative Omega
1, Belladonna Montague. She has one
of the most difficult jobs in the
world: Talking on behalf of an
organization that doesn’t
officially exist to people
who aren’t allowed to ac-
knowledge their aware-
ness of it, about topics
that might spark a war
between beleaguered
nations. All with a wom-
an that no one has any
record of existing. If any
one of these diplomats
were asked to recall what she
looks like, it’s possible they would describe
completely different figures, doubly so if
the world leaders being questioned were in
the same meeting with her.
The Ninth Circle, Branch 9’s secure stor-
age warehouse and prison near the southern
pole in Antarctica is ran by Operative Omega
9, Dr. Zieorna, who is a talking gorilla from a
Strange Place in central Africa. An advanced
physicist, he’s developed several energy weap-
ons and concepts for telluric energy powered
suits of armor before joining Branch 9. Within
the Ninth Circle, so named for the Devil’s home
in Dante’s rendering of Hell and equally inescap-
able, Branch 9 stores all manner of science that the
current era is not ready to deal with.
Operatives Omega 2 through 8 each head up the
chapterhouses in each continent and operate outside
any single government interest. They only
meet at the Table of Nine, held only once
a year, to discuss global issues. Otherwise,
each leader has ultimate power over their

Branch 9 109
 continental jurisdictions. At last year’s Table of the plans for and secure them to never see the
Nine, Omega 4, from Europe, Omega 2, from Asia, light of day again. Others they must capture, con-
and Omega 1 come to an accord. They wanted to fiscate, and store in the Ninth Circle.
change the current practices from capturing and Mundane technology can do more than enough
containing new and dangerous technologies, to damage on its own, and scientists make advance-
instead utilizing them to prepare against future ments on that front daily. These pale in comparison
war in Europe. They were voted down by the oth- to the horrors that supernatural technology might
er six members of the Table with loud admonish- create. No government has regulations on what
ments from Omega 9. Regardless, shipments to the can be done in this emerging space if they even
Ninth Circle from Europe and Asia have been on acknowledge it at all. The world powers can blow
a slight decline in the months after this meeting. each other off the map with weapons advance-
Under each of the nine leaders are cells within ments since the end of the Great War, but they will
their continents. Usually, only the division head do it without the strange energies of these new
for a government’s version of Branch 9 reports di- technologies as long as Branch 9 gets its way.
rectly to the heads. But, for places like Africa and Meanwhile, running counter to Branch 9’s stat-
South America, where the local governments do ed goals of containment, Omega 1 has kept her eye
not know of Branch 9’s existence, operatives re- on the movement of the global powers. She nudg-
port both to their continental representative as es here and pulls there, trying to position parts of
well as their governmental representative who Branch 9 who are loyal to her into a place where
has stationed them there. Then these leaders have they are poised to strike and prevent the worse
cells under them and so forth. from happening, or at least take advantage of it.
Agents of Branch 9 have code names within the If the Great War has taught anyone anything, it is
organization, starting with the Branch number, that global conflict is the mother of innovation.
taken from the number of its leader, a Latin let- War itself was completely different at the end of
ter designation whose meaning differs between the Great War than how it began, and Omega 1
branches, and a personal number designation. Dr wants to ensure the right side has a leg up. The
Delacroix’s personal assistant is Operative Nine- problem is no one knows who Omega 1 thinks the
A-Four, for example, dispatched to China to talk right side is.
to Operative Two-G-Seven as to why equipment
the good doctor knows were seized from a raided
Advantages
Black Pacific stronghold, and why shipments of Support from Branch 9 can get operatives into
captured tech and scientists haven’t been making nearly any high-society or government function,
it to the Ninth Circle. That said, Operative Nine- along with a suitable cover identity. An agent can
A-Four is, thus far, two days late for their last expect fine clothing, luxury homes, and meals
check in. while on the job. Anything to get her closer to
the mesmerist who is conning the wealthy elite
Goals and Methods of Manhattan to fund his secret lab. If she needs
Branch 9 exists to keep a weather eye on those clearance to review a company’s plans to develop
who would put scientific advancement before a new poisonous gas the likes of which would put
common sense and the safety of humankind. The the clouds over the Somme to shame, she has it.
organization works within every nation on the Furthermore, with training and experience,
planet, even those at odds with each other. With some of the items and sciences that Branch 9 con-
Inspired weaponry, dangerous developments, and fiscated in the past may be available to their opera-
most countries with no regulations on telluric re- tives to use. Technology that might very well seem
search, Branch 9 ensures that death rays don’t end better suited for the pages of Weird Tales than
up on airships and prevents megalomaniacs from walking the streets of Paris, Tokyo, or Leningrad
ransoming the world by threatening to put out the are at an agent’s disposal, to ensure even more
sun. Or at least they try. Some of it gets destroyed outlandish items don’t fall into the wrong hands.
or sabotaged before getting built. Those they take

110 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

Why Branch 9?
Branch 9 are a Men in Black style overwatch
group that track down dangerous science and
weird inventions. They spend their days disman-
tling death rays, taking down people looking to
tear the barrier between this dimension and the
next, and policing the super science of any num-
ber of cultures.
Because of their extra-nationality, your charac-
ter doesn’t have to engage with the politics of the
region wherever the next villain crops up. Your
character is often above it, given clearances that
creates space for you. You only have to let it affect
your character if you want to, and generally only
need to deal with it for short periods before mov-
ing on to the next agenda.
While campaigns focusing on Branch 9 work
best when the whole group is a member of the
Allegiance, a singular Branch 9 member can join
a mixed Allegiance group relatively easily. They
work well with the, Æon Society, Air Circus, and
International Detective Agency.
Branch 9 111
 International
Detective Agency

History maintains dual membership in both the IDA

and the Æon Society. Holmes himself is nom-
The International Detective Agency (IDA)
inally an IDA member, though he’s rarely in
was founded in London near the end of the 19th
touch.
century. Criminal enterprises were no longer
restricted to local outfits, their crimes cross- Today, the IDA has offices around the world.
ing borders and spanning continents. Jewel Its detectives call such cities as Rio de Janeiro,
thieves funneled stolen goods out of the coun- San Francisco, New Delhi, and Istanbul home,
try. Kidnappers bundled their victims on ships and minor offices exist on every continent.
and airplanes, taking them far beyond Scotland Each branch provides contacts, allies, and re-
Yard’s reach. sources for visiting detectives to rely upon,
and does a steady business working local cas-
A singular factor brought together the sharp-
es. Their connections are the envies of govern-
est investigative minds in the country, provid-
ments, who are unable to respond to threats as
ing those intrepid inspectors with dossiers and
nimbly as the IDA’s Irregulars in the area. This
the charge to solve the crimes detailed therein.
lack of governmental oversight is, perhaps, the
This founder was C. Auguste Dupin, whom IDA
IDA’s greatest strength, allowing it to react
members dubbed the “Old Man.” He was old
swiftly to developing situations without having
when he started the IDA, and he’s even older
to wait for approval from higher-ups.
now. Many IDA members question the fact that
he’s still alive and kicking, though he has faded Any private citizen who can afford them may
out of the public eye in recent years, keeping hire the International Detective Agency’s in-
the moniker Old Man as the only one the news- vestigators. They take on cold cases, root out
papers are allowed to use. crime rings, and act as bodyguards to citizens
the police have failed to protect. Irregulars
Among the IDA’s founding members were
don’t consider themselves at odds with local
Ignatius “Paddington” Pollaky, a Hungarian
law enforcement — in fact, many agents were
immigrant who set up a private inquiry service
once police officers and attorneys in their
in London, and his colleague Jack Whicher
home cities. Irregulars often work with those
— whose work in London’s Detective Branch
agencies, acting as auxiliary police officers or
would go on to inspire several fictional detec-
consulting on ongoing criminal investigations.
tives. In the United States, Pinkerton agent Kate
Warne and deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves Recruitment
were vital consultants on IDA investigations.
The International Detective Agency re-
Prominent modern IDA members include cruits many of its members from police offi-
French detective Marcel Guillaume and Lucy cers, detective agencies, private investigators,
Hebron, protégée of Sherlock Holmes. Hebron and prosecuting attorneys. However, having a

112 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

background in law enforcement isn’t the sole criteria for a potential recruit. The mark of a good
member isn’t the number of cases they’ve solved or crimes they’ve prevented. Instead, an individ-
ual’s strong moral compass and unerring dedication to
doing the right thing draws the IDA’s attention.
An Irregular compiles a dossier on their sub-
ject. This includes their education, employment,
and accomplishments, plus a write-up on the val-
iant qualities the Irregular has seen them display.
The regional Old Man reviews the file and decides
whether or not to issue an invitation.
Once a recruit accepts the honor, she’s trained
in IDA methods. She learns how to contact
other Irregulars and IDA branches and stud-
ies the agency’s procedures and policies.
Her sponsor is responsible for training her
in any additional skills, including tailing a
suspect, hand-to-hand combat, and the art
of disappearing. As Irregulars come from
countries across the globe, they share
their methods with one another, teaching
new tactics and investigation techniques to
their colleagues in other branches.
The IDA welcomes the Inspired in its ranks.
Daredevils and stalwarts make excellent field
agents, and mesmerists excel at interrogation.

Organization and Structure

At the head of the International Detective
Agency sits London’s Old Man, C. Auguste
Dupin. He shapes the organization’s structure
and sets down its rules. Few members ever see
him in person anymore, and proxies deliver the
Old Man’s orders to the various offices. Some
worry that he might have passed, though the
people closest to him know he has another rea-
son from hiding from the public eye.
Each regional IDA office has its own
Old Man, many of whom are former police
officers, retired detectives, and lawyers.
The number of detectives reporting to each
Old Man depends on the region’s size. Some
branches have only a handful of active Irregulars,
while others in cities like New Delhi or San Francisco,
may have two dozen agents or more.
IDA operatives call themselves Irregulars and
hold one another to the highest standards.
While excellent police work and investigative
skills come with the job, an Irregular’s heart

International detective agency 113

 is as important as her mind. She must always investigations. They perform background
display an impeccable moral compass, which checks, investigate fraud cases, and follow the
isn’t always easy. Criminals attempt to sway money wherever it leads — whether that’s to a
Irregulars with bribery, threats, and extortion, criminal outfit’s backrooms or corporate board-
testing the Irregular’s mettle. Agents learn to rooms. They also take on smaller, more person-
check in on one another, not only on the lookout al cases: researching divorce cases, working
for signs of corruption, but also sensing when as bodyguards and armed messengers, and re-
their fellow detective needs their support. It covering kidnapping victims. Much of this is
can be a lonely job, but that doesn’t mean an mundane legwork, as they delve into records
Irregular has to be alone. and tail their suspects. However, the Old Man’s
Offices share information and resources contacts can also grant Irregulars access to cut-
with one another freely. If a criminal active ting-edge surveillance technology, beyond any-
in London is planning a heist in Budapest, the thing modern police departments can provide.
telegraph wires sing with warnings. Detectives
Advantages
following a trail across borders can count on
help from the closest IDA office, whether that’s The Old Man has a great deal of personal
in the form of cash and cars or pulling strings connections, as do several of the prominent
with local authorities. members and Old Mans throughout the orga-
nization. While they are not swimming in mon-
Goals and Methods ey, they have enough to help out an Irregular
The International Detective Agency seeks in need. Some of the most prominent Irregulars
to deter crime and solve mysteries regardless make a great deal of money on their investiga-
of political borders. They form connections tions, which are subsequently shared with the
with local law enforcement, and generally aim rest of the IDA. Members have some access to
to nurture good relationships with their city’s that money in need, within reason. They may
officials. not be traveling in first class railway cars, but
On occasions where an investigation puts they can afford three square meals a day and
Irregulars at odds with the authorities, the Old decent quality whiskey over the course of an
Man steps in after the fact to smooth any ruf- investigation.
fled feathers — whether that means a formal Irregulars have access — either through
apology or a donation to the policeman’s ball. the contacts they’ve built up themselves, or
Unless, of course, the local authorities have through those their IDA office can call upon
fallen prey to corruption themselves. In those — to public records. They can pull fingerprints
cases, the Old Man may direct the Irregulars’ and rap sheets and track down a suspect’s last
known location. If a detective’s own regular
efforts toward rooting out the police officers on
the take and the politicians paying (or accept-informants don’t have scuttlebutt on a crime,
ing) bribes. chances are one of their colleagues’ sources
Irregulars most often work alone, chasing will turn something up.
down leads and surveilling suspects on their Traditional surveillance methods can get an
own. However, some prefer to work with part- Irregular far, but when she combines her skills
ners and protégés, allowing them to cover and experience with new technology fresh
more ground, bounce theories off one another, from Æon Society scientists’ labs, criminals
and have another set of eyes peeled for clues. ought to start quaking in their boots. Devices
Holmes has Dr. Watson; Lucy Hebron works that make it easier to eavesdrop from afar, cars
with Cian Hayden. Some teams take on a third that can turn on a dime and stay on the target’s
member, though it’s rare any group gets larger tail, and new methods for processing evidence
than that. all enhance an Irregular’s already-formidable
IDA operatives use a combination of de- capabilities.
tective work and espionage tactics in their

114 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

Why the International In a mixed group, IDA characters might have
Detective Agency? detailed information on local troublemakers
and their hideaways. They excel at Storypath’s
The International Detective Agency is an ex-
Procedural area of play, spotting clues and
cellent organization for players who want to tell
making impressive logical leaps. They’re no
mystery and espionage stories. They may solve
slouches at Action-Adventure, either — villains
Sherlock Holmes-inspired murders, thwart a
tend to have itchy trigger fingers and getaway
high-society heist, or tell a hard-boiled tale set
drivers at the ready.
in New York or Los Angeles. As members of a
global agency, Irregulars can fit in anywhere
the clues take them.

International detective agency 115

 The Order of
the Stars

History Within, Rabia houses and trains Inspired from all

over the continent, an enterprise that started slow,
Since the Hammersmith Incident, people with
but has quickly taken off in the past two years with
amazing abilities have appeared all over the world.
the addition of two additional leaders. Within
The varied countries of Africa are not any different
that time, their work spread to Europe and even
from any other place in this regard. Though the child
America.
of merchants, from their teen years, Casablanca na-
tive Rabia Al-Harrak knew they were different from The Order of the Stars seeks to protect African
others. They had an empathy that pushed past just Inspired from predation from colonial powers,
an open heart and understanding but gave them in- and train them to control and hone their Gifts so
sight that allows them to know things about the peo- that they can go out and help others. Already, less
ple they focus on. The most remarkable ability they than five years since the opening of the Home for
had was to see the spark of potential in others. TheyWayward Youth, another base, this under the cov-
learned later the terms Inspired and mesmerist, but er of a civic organization in Pretoria, South Africa,
that didn’t change much for them. has just been opened, and Rabia is looking into
ones in Alexandria, Egypt, and Mombasa, British
Their father didn’t survive the Great War, and
Kenya.
their mother couldn’t stand the loss. At the age of
twenty, Rabia had their family’s modest wealth Recruitment
and no interest in commanding a shipping and
From Casablanca to Alexandria, Cape Town
merchant company that had been left to them.
to Monrovia, Order members keep an ear to the
Taking a hands-off approach to that, they instead
ground for anyone displaying feats of wonder or
looked for others like them. In that search, they
the impossible. Regardless of which country they
found Allegiances from America, Europe, and
come from, if they are of African descent, the
elsewhere, were doing the same. When those
Order is willing to house and train them to control
Allegiances found Inspired Africans, they con-
their powers, in the least, and focus them to per-
vinced them, or otherwise deceived them, to leave
fection should they be willing to stay and help out
Africa to help everyone but themselves and their
the Order. Most members are stalwarts and mes-
people.
merists, but Rabia can sense daredevils as well.
Within the year, Rabia used the wealth from
Not every student inside the walls of the Order
their parent’s shipping company to convert their
is Inspired. Rabia would be loath to turn away
ancestral home, a small manse in the ritzier part of
someone who needed an education, housing, or
Casablanca, into The Brahim and Zara Al-Harrak
food. They generally recruit from inside, first tak-
Home for Wayward Youths. On the outside, it
ing in people who need help either controlling
appears to be an orphanage for children from all
their powers or in general need, then recruiting
over Africa, especially from places ravaged by the
them as teachers, and general members who seek
Great War and the proxy wars of colonial powers.

116 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

out others in need. Rabia is selective in who they Organization and Structure
accept, preferring Inspired over others, but a few
While Rabia has fingers in every Order pie, they
non-Inspired members grace the organization as
can’t be everywhere at once. They positioned their
valued members.
first two students, Zooberi Mwagni and Xolani
No one would disbelieve that the white man’s Tshabalala, as the head of the two main hubs of the
world holds few wonders for anyone who isn’t Order, Mwagni is in Casablanca, and Tshabalala
also white, but Rabia finds they must convince in Pretoria. To go along with their covers, Zooberi
Inspired to forgo groups like the Æon Society in Mwagni is outwardly the principal of the Home
favor of the Order of the Stars. Rabia sends each for Wayward Youths, and Xolani Tshabalala is the
prospective member a personal message, and director of the Pretoriaanse Raad van Vriende
when they can, Rabia makes the contact. (PRV), or Pretorian Council of Friends.
They offer safe housing, schooling, and To the everyday citizen of South Africa,
a stipend for the prospect member or the PRV advocates and raises funds for
their families, which usually makes the schools, work training programs and
choice not difficult at all. After training, the like, while doing the Order of the
many members remain with The Order Stars work behind the scenes.
of the Stars to train and protect others.
Membership varies in age from ten
But some leave the Order to join other
years old to adulthood, the latter often
Allegiances, hoping to spread the Order’s
taking care of the former. Students learn
teachings outside of Africa.
from scholars paid through Rabia’s
The Order of the Stars in- wisely invested wealth. Rabia and
cludes not only children but those who have completed their
adults as well. People who training help the children and new
would otherwise remain il- recruits gain proficiency over
literate and impoverished their Inspired abilities. Order
while colonial powers ex- members range from all the
ploit their strength or Gifts, countries and colonies of
find opportunity with the Africa, and recently even
Order at any age. Many some American, British,
who come to it as adults and Caribbean ex-patri-
impart important lessons ots. Regardless of where
of how to use their Gifts they currently live,
in practice to younger Rabia extends a home
members. for any Africans who
want to join.

The Order of the Stars 117

 Rabia keeps their organization’s true purpose mesmerists and stalwarts training with their
a secret, knowing full well that colonial powers Gifts. Everyone learns the Order’s history and its
in Africa would come down on them hard for de- goals, and is offered the chance to join, or return
nying them an exploitable resource. As much for to their lives. Through this, the Order instills a
their safety and that of the people it helps, the se- sense of togetherness and community as a shield
crecy of the Order of the Stars is paramount. Its against those who would take advantage of them.
members avoid using the word Inspired, using Those who do not stay to teach new members
Stars instead to throw off those in the know. Both either return to their communities to use their
the Home for Wayward Youths and the PRV have Gifts to uplift and aid them, or scout for new bases
multiple routes to and from the structures as well for the Order in other sites around Africa and the
as nearby safehouses should the worse happen. diasporic world at large.
Goals and Methods Advantages
The Order of the Stars has a simple mission The Order of the Stars reaches all over Africa
statement: Protect African Inspired from colo- and into the black communities in other locales as
nial exploitation. This has since been expanded well. These communities are as varied as any other
to all people who were descendants of African and come to each other’s aid in whatever way they
slaves or immigrants all over the globe. They have can supply. They know the ins and outs of their lo-
slowly reached out to community leaders from all cal areas and have further connections that mem-
over the world, including those in the National bers can utilize should they require it. Someone’s
Association for the Advancement of Colored auntie might know where a pair of Inspired twins
People (NAACP), to establish connections. They can be housed for two days until they can get on
all understand Rabia’s mission, and why it must board a ship from the Caribbean back to Morocco.
remain a secret, even as word of it spreads in Someone else may know where members can get
hushed tones around the world. a good deal on equipment to save someone from a
For the most part, their work and information human trafficking ring before they get shipped off
flows through word-of-mouth via a vast global to who knows where. In almost any locale, mem-
network they have established. It’s not difficult to bers have support, even far away from Casablanca.
hear stories of a brilliant child who calmed a dis- Rabia has invested the money from their par-
pute between workers and their farm owner while ents’ shipping company wisely and has a lot of
still in grade school, about the daring Maasai wealth they use to aid anyone in need. Members
youth who was the youngest in history to attempt have access not only to each other, but to Rabia
and succeed at hunting a lion on his own, becom- and their fortune. With so many Inspired mem-
ing a warrior. When such stories reach the Order, bers in the organization, when someone is in trou-
they in turn send out queries for information, and ble, they have simply to ask and get a glut of aid
a group of three envoys, one with a welcome pack- from various angles. A mesmerist might be avail-
age and two who would serve as bodyguards and able to ease someone’s passage into a guarded lo-
aides, to the person. They interview the person cation, or a stalwart might be around to help beat
and assess if they have Inspired Gifts. They have up some colonial forces.
devised many subtle ways to detect mesmerists Order members are some of the most educat-
and stalwarts, though they require Rabia’s gift to ed people you’ll find, rivaling so-called geniuses
find daredevils. from European nations. If a member needs a tel-
After this, prospective students travel to either luric powered device, someone is bound to have
Casablanca or Pretoria, where they train in how something available for their use.
to control and then master their Gifts. They gain
access to other Inspired who can help them, and Why the Order of the Stars?
a world class mundane education. Even daredev- The Order is a group of disenfranchised people
ils, despite not being able to control their luck- doing for themselves in a world that systematical-
based abilities, still gain benefits from watching ly keeps them down. At best, it won’t give them

118 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

anything, and at worse will use them and throw find themselves rescuing people from oppressive
them away. Play in the Order of the Stars to tell regimes or saving newly Inspired from disasters
stories of young Inspired finding themselves, and brought about by not understanding their new
using their abilities to protect themselves, their powers.
homes, and their families and communities. Play a Order of the Stars members work well in mixed
Star to tell stories of people of color in a genre that
Allegiance groups with Air Circus and Le Salon
is usually primarily white. des Femmes Nouveaux members. While they tend
Campaigns focused on the Order of the Stars to shy away from European and American based
are ones where the characters go on missions to organizations, they will work with anyone who
save troubled people, find young Inspired, and can help them further their goals.
focus on community and safety. Characters may

The Order of the Stars 119

 Le Salon
des Femmes
Nouveaux
History captors, she dedicated her life to freeing the op-
pressed and preventing future atrocities. Truong
Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux is an interna-
deeply believes women will redeem humanity;
tional alliance of women who aim to take control
men can help or get the hell out of the way.
of their own destinies, while empowering women
around the world to recognize and reach their own Truong was joined early on by Josephine
potential. They seek to create a network for wom- Lynch, a member of the Æon Society with a
en to support one another while fighting against background in humanitarian aid who helped lay
discrimination, abuse, and oppressive regimes. the foundations of the Femmes Nouveaux’ net-
work. Josephine saw what Truong was doing and
All over the world, women fight for rights,
wanted to assist her, and the two women formed
freedom, and autonomy. Certain doors are still
a close bond. Between them they formed a net-
closed to them: in the workplace, in academia.
work of activists, fighters, and humanitarians
Men take credit for women’s work, or scoff at the
who fight for equality for all. Where the original
idea they can do the work in the first place. In ev-
mission was to save women from dangerous situ-
ery country, women are the victims of abuse and
ations and fight for equal standing between men
discrimination. Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux
and women, they have spread their efforts to help
sees these struggles and vows to assist in any way
all marginalized communities.
possible.
Members of the Femmes Nouveaux appear
Every day, women push back against those who
anywhere their help is needed. They’ve mount-
try to keep them down. Accomplished women
ed dangerous rescue missions, breaking up traf-
look for opportunities to help those who need a
ficking rings the authorities deemed too difficult
hand up the ladder. Survivors lend aid to victims,
or low priority to deal with. They provide safe
and work to set their sisters free. Sometimes,
transportation and new identities for those they
shouting yes at the men who’d tell you no is the
liberate. The Salon also works on a quieter level,
answer. Other times, it’s best to ignore the no en-
putting proposals in front of politicians, funding
tirely and do what you’d set out to do anyway.
women’s education and research, and investing
Minh Truong founded Le Salon des Femmes in their burgeoning businesses. They support
Nouveaux, though no record of a person with women’s labor movements with bodies at rallies
that name exists. Truong survived an attack on and picket lines, and ink in newspaper columns.
her village in Cochinchina, where bandits mur-
As Truong ages, some members have begun
dered the missionaries stationed there and took
discussing who might follow her as the Salon’s
the women captive. After escaping and killing her

120 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

leader. No definite candidate has come forward, and Truong herself has yet
to suggest who she envisions as her successor.

Recruitment
The Femmes Nouveaux welcome people of all experiences and
abilities in their fold, provided those members always strive
toward excellence. They bring warriors, scholars, teach-
ers, doctors, and artists into the Salon, believing that
every individual’s talents can be leveraged to make the
world a better, safer place. They accept all sorts of mem-
bers though, knowing that even the weakest member can
provide a support for someone else in a time of need.
Some join the Salon after encountering its members in some
form. They may be women the organization saved or set free.
They may be workers at a factory the Femmes Nouveaux visit-
ed to make working conditions better. They may be volunteers
for charities headed by Salon luminaries. Others are the bril-
liant minds and voices of their time, who Salon members ap-
proach with a pitch about helping them bring equality around
the world.
Women who need or want further training may spend time
at the Salon’s French Indochina headquarters, or at one of
the handful of other compounds the group owns. Almost all
members meet Minh Truong in person early in their mem-
bership: The Femmes Nouveaux’ leader makes it a per-
sonal point to know the strengths and skills of those she
commands.
The Salon actively recruits the Inspired. Their superior
skills are valuable in the field, and their genius can be put
to work improving lives on a global level. Mesmerists es-
pecially help add to the Femmes’ mystique, erasing the
moment of a cell’s departure from her target’s mind, or
making it impossible to hide ill intentions from a team.
The Salon is open to people of all genders. Contrary
to what other organizations believe, even men may be
part of the Femmes Nouveaux.

Organization and Structure

The Salon’s main headquarters are located deep in
the French Indochina jungle, from which the aging
Minh Truong issues orders and oversees new mem-
bers’ training. Other branches and safehouses exist
in select locations the world over, many of them in rural
areas well away from big cities. In these places, people the Salon has
rescued can heal and recover in peace. Their locations are kept secret
from anyone who isn’t a member.
The Femmes Nouveaux are organized into cells whose sizes vary
based on the mission at hand. A small cell of three to five operatives can
form a strike team to extract a kidnapping victim, while several cells might

Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux 121

 band together to disrupt a larger enterprise. Cell Post-rescue, the Femmes activate their net-
leaders review plans with peers in their area on work of contacts, allies, and resources. They fa-
a bi-weekly basis, determining where resources cilitate reunions for women who wish to return
are needed and what plans require alteration. to their families. For those who can’t go back
Les Femmes Nouveaux’ organizational struc- — whether because they’d still be in danger or
ture is largely decentralized, a decision Minh wouldn’t be accepted back home — they provide
Truong made intentionally. If anything were to safe passage to other cities and countries, setting
happen to her, she wanted to be sure her people the women up with new identities and funding
could continue their work without her. For this the start of their new lives. The Salon recogniz-
reason, the majority of Salon cells operate inde- es that the rescue doesn’t end with escaping the
pendently. The organization’s leadership trusts captors; they keep tabs on the women they’ve
the members it puts in place to determine their helped, offering access to support and counseling
community’s needs and grants them the auton- for years to come.
omy to act. Occasionally, however, Minh gets di- While daring rescues and clever getaways are
rectly involved. She calls attention to a problem the Salon’s trademark, its members also perform
in need of solving, points a hand-picked team of quieter, behind-the-scenes work. They support
operatives at it, and expects results. women’s causes from afar, channeling money
Cell leaders ensure their members could pick toward humanitarian aid, mobilizing the power
up and leave on a moment’s notice — a versatil- of the press to raise awareness of women’s is-
ity that’s come in handy several times since the sues, and funding women’s education around the
group’s inception. Other organizations joke that world.
the Femmes are also ghosts, with how easily they The current major operation outside Southeast
can disappear. It’s a protective measure, keep- Asia is helping women and children flee nations
ing themselves and their charges out of enemy’s that are undergoing Fascist turns. While not
hands, but the Femmes Nouveaux don’t mind entirely devoted to bringing down Fascism, the
that it also adds to the organization’s mystique. Femmes Nouveaux are an anti-fascist organiza-
tion and revile male dominated totalitarian and
Goals and Methods racist rule.
The main goal of Le Salon des Femmes
Nouveaux is no less than the redemption of hu- Advantages
manity itself. Women are the catalysts for such a Joining Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux
task; through their excellence, humanity is saved. opens up a world of opportunities. At their var-
Yet, the world over, men abuse and exploit wom- ious headquarters, the Salon provides training
en. The Femmes Nouveaux dedicate their ener- in combat, espionage, and field medic duties. It
gies toward liberating such women and bringing subsidizes — or flat-out pays for — members’ ed-
them to safety and promoting societal change. ucations in their chosen fields, and places them
In the field, the Femmes Nouveaux are experts in jobs where they can put their skills to work.
in covert operations. They infiltrate their targets’ In return, Minh Truong and the Salon leadership
bases with one set of objectives in mind: get in, demand excellence and dedication to the organi-
free the victims, get out. If a few captors’ skulls zation’s causes.
get cracked along the way, that’s merely the price As essential as the Salon’s financial support
of doing business. Members of other Allegiances is for individual achievement and missions in
have tut-tutted at the Femmes Nouveaux for their the field, perhaps the most valuable thing it
use of violence, though such admonishments provides is its community. Salon members sup-
tend to be steeped in sexism: They show concern port one another, both emotionally and social-
for the abusers, but didn’t help the abused? The ly. They provide opportunities for one another
Salon has some ideas where they can stuff their and are sources of strength and compassion.
wagging fingers and clucking tongues. Experienced members of the Femmes Nouveaux

122 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

act as mentors for those who’ve recently joined. heist-style corporate intrigue stories. The
Anywhere a member goes, she can call upon a Femmes Nouveaux has a deep interest in chang-
nearby cell for shelter and protection if she finds ing the world for the better and shines the spot-
herself in danger. She can also rely on the Salon’s light on characters of marginalized genders do-
network to open doors for her and make the nec- ing good and gallant deeds.
essary introductions to further her goals. If sheLe Salon des Femmes Nouveaux members
needs help in the way of cash or resources, thework well in a mixed group of Allegiances with
network will do what it can to help, and if shethe Æon Society, Air Circus, or Order of the
needs gear or equipment, they are bound to findStars members. They have a lot in common be-
something to suit her needs. tween these groups, always searching for a way
to help others and build a community. A singular
Why Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux member may find herself on
Femmes Nouveaux?
the forefront of a group, leading a charge against
Games featuring Le Salon des Femmes oppressive regimes or simply combatting injus-
Nouveaux can range from gritty espionage sto- tice in the everyday.
ries to heroic tales of rescue or may dip into

Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux 123

 LESSER ALLEGIANCES
Though smaller in size or scope, the follow-
ing organizations are just as active in the world
of Adventure! Each of these Allegiances active-
ly recruits Inspired membership to achieve their
goals. While these organizations may not have
the resources or prestige of the Æon Society or
Branch 9, they do provide support, allies, and a
sense of purpose to the Inspired who join them.
The Archivists
Motto: Words Are Power
History
Ancient scholars chronicled their civilizations’
achievements, preserving their historical records,
scientific observations, and religious practices
for future generations. They carved their stories
into stone, scratched them out onto papyrus, and
brushed their letters onto scrolls. Then wars, sick-
nesses, invasions, and colonizers swept over them,
destroying many of these records. Conquerors for-
bade indigenous people from passing down their
language, and as those tongues’ last speakers died
out, the knowledge might have died with them.
Except for the Archivists. Individuals from the
affected groups hid what texts they could rescue
from their invaders’ destruction. They buried it,
smuggled it away, or whispered stories amongst
themselves in forbidden languages. They passed
down the locations of abandoned ruins and gift-
ed descendants with their secrets. Now, as ar-
chaeologists from Europe and the United States
seek to explore some of the same ancient civiliza-
tions their ancestors exploited and enslaved, the
Archivists race to recover and restore that knowl-
edge first.
While people all over the world have been do-
ing similar and simultaneous work for centuries,
advances in communication and technology over
the last 150 years have helped bring them togeth-
er to create a formal organization. In the early
1800s Rodrigo Kan, a Q’eqchi’ Maya man from
Guatemala, founded the Archivists as they’re
known today.
Archivists prioritize the work of native and Though they’re often pictured as bookish weak-
indigenous peoples, and where they can, keep lings, Archivists are eager and able explorers.
124 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES
artifacts in their countries of origin. Often, they’ve
butted heads with European expeditions, whose
archaeologists take sacred texts, pottery shards,
and other items from dig sites to display in muse-
ums and private collections.
The organization seeks to restore and recon-
struct ancient languages and knowledge. While
they believe in sharing what they learn with the
world, they are selective about who they work
with, and draw up careful contracts with any part-
ner organizations.
Organization and Structure
The Archivists are a network of scholars and
explorers, with no official overarching leader-
ship. Each country or people runs its expeditions
autonomously, and has final say over how, when,
and with whom they share their discoveries. In
recent years, some of the top scholars have come
together at archaeological convocations, to meet
and compare notes on their efforts.
Recruiting is mostly word-of-mouth. Archivists
seek candidates who are eager to learn and are
passionate about culture and history. Local guides
are valued for their familiarity with the region’s
ruins and tombs. An Archivist can come from dif-
ferent cultures than the regions they’re exploring,
especially if another Archivist vouches for them.
Without that prior vetting, it may take time for
them to earn their colleagues’ trust.
The Archivists don’t actively recruit Inspired
members, but they are welcome within the orga-
nization’s ranks. Daredevils lead expeditions into
forgotten ruins. Mesmerists join them, sensing
and disarming traps laid centuries or millennia
ago, or following Telluric Resonance to hidden
artifacts. Where a mesmerist might disable a trap
from a safe distance, stalwarts put their bodies on
the line so their colleagues may pass safely. They
also act as bodyguards, protecting their teams
from rival expeditions and making would-be tomb
robbers think twice.
Advantages
They bring vast scholarly knowledge to every dig restore and protect lost knowledge, the Archivists
site and share what they’ve learned with their may be for you.
peers. The organization’s members share con- In a mixed series, Archivist characters may join
tacts with one another. Sometimes this is as com- or lead an expedition, or offer scholarly insight on
monplace as introducing two scholars whose re- texts that confound other organizations. Their lo-
search intersects or pointing wealthy benefactors cal knowledge proves essential to rescue missions,
in one another’s direction. In more recent years, and their survival skills are second to none.
Archivists have also pooled resources to hire
lawyers and security details to retrieve illegally Artisans of the Verse
removed artifacts or fight against governments’ Motto: Beauty to Art. Art to Understanding.
attempts to drive indigenous communities from
their ancestral lands. History
Archivists possess excellent survival skills. Founded in 1932 in Adelaide, Australia by poet,
Ruins rarely have running water or electricity, and
sculptor, and world traveler Rose Gleeson, the
the path to reach them in the first place is oftenArtisans of the Verse is an activist organization
treacherous. Members have access to any neces- hiding in the guise of an art club. Wherever peo-
sary exploratory gear they might need, but they ple are being oppressed, abused, marginalized, or
also learn to sleep rough, eat simply, and always colonized, the Artisans of the Verse have a prop-
be on the alert for impending danger. erly maintained art gallery fronting for a growing
rebellion, activist movement, or relief center. The
Why the Archivists? Inspired members of the organization go further
Archivists are brave explorers with a scholarly to seek out and oppose those who would abuse
bent. If you want to venture into mysterious and telluric energy and use it to cause destruction and
forgotten places, seek out ancient mysteries, and pain.

Lesser Allegiances 125

 The Artisans of the Verse are a young organi- scientific inquiry to telluric energy. While some
zation with limited membership. Rose’s vision re- create telluric energy powered inventions, most
quires disciplined people with a specific set of skills. seek to understand what other scientists are
They must both be able to maintain the artisan doing, so they can know when to target dan-
front and provide proper aid. Rose takes person- gerous actors. Their biggest foe is the Rational
al responsibility for vetting each potential invitee, Experimentation Group, who seeks to gain admit-
basing her decision on their artistic skills, political tance to New Zealand.
leanings, and skills. Rose’s major focus is advocacy
for Aboriginal rights and the bulk of Artisans are
Advantages
indigenous Australians. She is aghast at the rising The Artisans of the Verse are a niche group
fascism in Europe, and feels for the colonialism in with a narrow focus. Their involvement with the
Africa, and is trying to actively recruit members in arts positions them to have strong connections to
those continents to spread her work there. high society. While the members may not all be
In the short span of the Artisans’ existence, mem- wealthy, most Artisans entertain wealthy patrons
bers have worked to change legislation, provide aid who are eager to fund their favored artist’s next
and relief to refugees, and study and experiment project. Their artistic endeavors are not just for
with telluric energy to understand its dangers. The show, and they use their skills to gain wealth and
Artisans cloak their activities with gallery openings, fame enough to have the ears of important people.
free art exhibits, and unconventional art installa- Members of this organization have access to
unground resistance groups, special aid groups,
tions, which usually draw in the very state legislators
Rose seeks to sway the opinions of. So far, the work and underground agents. They also have access
is slow, and mostly in Australia, but Rose has hopes to crafting materials for telluric energy devices at
and dreams of expanding worldwide. their disposal. Many members may obtain or create
these devices for other members, all in the pursuit
Organization and Structure of keeping them out of the wrong hands. These are
The central base of operations for the Artisans frequently shared and traded between members.
of the Verse is the Visions of Tomorrow gallery in Artisans have a built in safehouse in the guise
Adelaide, Australia. Rose Gleeson owns and oper- of the galleries they work under. These are fully
ates the gallery. In addition to showing her own stocked for anyone to live in for a brief time and pro-
work and that of indigenous Australians, the gal- vide excellent cover when traveling abroad. Artisans
lery provides a neat meeting space for Artisans to help each other out. So, if one member is down on
discuss business. Rose’s poetry, sculpture, and skill their luck, or doesn’t have the requisite contacts for
as a curator have afforded her enough wealth to a particular problem, another Artisan is sure to have
fund the Artisan’s goals, but she relies on patrons what she needs and freely give access to it.
and donors to take on more ambitious projects.
In addition to Rose’s gallery, the Artisans have
Why Artisans of the Verse?
galleries in three other locations: Adelle Larssen, Artisans of the Verse are both optimistic enter-
a poet from Gothenburg, Sweden, runs the gal- tainers, and devoted activists. They are skilled in-
lery there which is actively working to assist dividuals who are quick to draw inspiration from
Jewish people to gain admittance into France and the world around them and have hope for a future
England. Jedda Orley, an indigenous Australian they can shape. Play an Artisan if you want to act
painter runs the gallery in Sydney and organiz- to help marginalized groups, use fame and fortune
es indigenous advocacy groups. Aroha Tuhaka, to help out the less fortunate, or engage in high
a Māori singer and dancer runs a gallery in society as a covert agent.
Auckland, New Zealand and has long worked for In a game featuring characters from multiple
Māori rights now focuses on helping her people organizations, the Artisans can fit in other groups
rebuild after the earthquake that shook the island.
readily as experts on art and culture and crafters.
In each of these galleries, Inspired members They work well with groups like Branch 9 in their
split their attention between their activism and shared goal to remove dangerous telluric energy

126 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

devices from the world and the Æon society in Pharos. Teams composed of three to five people
their goal to help the less fortunate of the world. work independently, acting on orders Pharos sends.
His communiqués detail the missions: where they’re
Lodestar headed, who the targets are, what the objective en-
Motto: Hope Is a Beacon tails. Any required resources await the team at their
destination. Unless Pharos sends several teams on
History the same mission, communication between mem-
No one is sure this organization even exists. bers outside of their own group is rare.
They are nothing more than a rumor. They’re a tall Lodestar recruits people from all social classes.
tale told in Air Circus hangars and they’re the trail Having a propensity for bravery in the face of dan-
gone cold that makes even the best International ger and doing the right thing at personal risk are key.
Detective Agency member furrow her brows and Some recruits come to the organization well-trained
stare broodily into the distance. The Æon Society and full of experience, but others aren’t aware of
has found records of their appearances as far back their own potential until Pharos contacts them.
as the late 1700s, but other, earlier events suggest Pharos sees their promise, and that’s what matters.
this group has been in business far longer. Its agents Most Lodestar teams contain at least one
have a way of appearing at the right place at the right Inspired person. Outsiders suspect it’s their ap-
time, intent on averting disaster or saving the day. titude at manipulating telluric energy that gives
Max Mercer himself has occasionally been not- Lodestar agents their mysterious edge. While
ed in the group’s presence. His older journals dub there’s certainly a kernel of truth to this, Pharos
them as “Lodestar,” though whether it’s their act- also assembles teams intentionally, assigning peo-
ing moniker or a codename Mercer assigned is ple who will work well together, embolden one
unclear. Some of the Æon Society’s principles take another, and work as a cohesive unit — Inspired
heavy influence from his notes on Lodestar, though or not.
with Mercer’s ability to slip into various times, it’s Lodestar teams don’t care to take credit for
possible he had a hand in shaping Lodestar as well. their deeds. They’re happy to leave criminals in-
Lodestar agents seek neither accolades nor capacitated and restrained in a spot where the
glory. They arrive at the scene of a crime about local authorities can find them, usually with evi-
to take place, or at the site of their target’s secret dence piled up beside them.
weapon test, do their job, and disappear as quick-
ly as they arrived. On the rare occasions an agent Advantages
is captured, they disappear from custody within Working closely with one another in high-
a few hours. Whether they’re simply Houdini- stakes situations helps members of a Lodestar
like escape artists, have access to superior tech team form tight bonds (Trinity Continuum Core
or Inspired abilities, or have simply placed bribes Rulebook, p. 87) with their colleagues. They tend
and planted getaway drivers for every contingen- to anticipate one another’s actions without need-
cy is a matter of scholarly (and often frustrated) ing much discussion. In practice, this might mean
debate. catching a friend’s arm as they make a wild leap or
In the last decade, they’ve grown more visible. following their teammate’s lead as they bluff their
Agents appear alongside other Allegiances’ oper- way through a conversation.
atives, offering a helping hand before vanishing Pharos provides any resources the team might re-
once more. Sometimes they’re helpful, marking quire for a mission. This covers not only lodging and
an elusive foe’s hideout on a map. Other times, meals, but also includes things like invitations to ex-
they swoop in and steal the very same prototype clusive events, ID badges for a facility the team needs
another party of peacekeepers is after. to infiltrate, and dossiers on key targets. Pharos’ in-
fluence is far-reaching; teams find people willing to
Organization and Structure perform small favors for them wherever they go.
Lodestar has one central leader, an anonymous The team may also receive high-tech weapons
benefactor and director who goes by the name of and other gadgets to help them with the job at

Lesser Allegiances 127

 hand. All such items must be returned upon the in Leslie Charteris’ The Saint series. Their myste-
mission’s completion. rious benefactor provides exciting and varied mis-
Lodestar operatives receive three dots in the sions, where resources aren’t an obstacle.
Covert Edge during missions. For mixed group games, Lodestar characters
may be assigned to work alongside other groups,
Why Lodestar? lending their aid in a pinch. Pharos may still give
Games centered around a Lodestar team lets those characters their own hidden objectives, pro-
players carry out clever heists, like those depicted viding opportunities for extra intrigue.

MISCREANTS AND EVILDOERS

Not all Inspired apply their Gifts to altruistic
ends. The following organizations work as an-
tagonists and foils to the heroes of Adventure!.
Members of these groups leverage their Gifts to
pursue diabolical schemes and forward criminal
agendas.
The Contedorri
Motto: Peace is Fleeting. War is Eternal.
love for criminal enterprise onto his favorite grand-
daughter. Lady De Winter’s father was a less ambi-
tious man, preferring to squander the family’s for-
tune on petty squabbles, and brandy.
One evening she overheard her father’s plan to
whittle away the family’s fortune through anoth-
er fruitless investment, and she decided to take the

History
Intelligence agencies the world over have heard
stories of the mysterious “King of the World” and
his criminal empire, the Contedorri. Some say the
Contedorri is a secret military that has been ruling
Europe from the shadows since the Middle Ages,
others that the King is the heir to the Holy Roman
Empire while, yet others claim the group is actu-
ally run by the Ubiquitous Dragon.
In truth, the Contedorri is a relatively new or-
ganization built from the ground up by their ruth-
less and enigmatic leader, King of the World, into
the largest exporter of violence and arms in the
Western world. Few have ever seen the King’s face,
fewer still have done so and lived. If more people
had, surely the greatest secret of the Contedorri,
that the King is a Queen, would be in the open.
The story of the Contedorri begins and ends
with one of the wealthiest women in all old Europe,
Lady Argentine De Winter. The Daughter of exiled
French nobility, her grandfather, Gustave De Winter,
amassed a great deal of wealth in Italy before his
passing. He’d sought to retake France for the monar-
chy through an alliance of criminal and military con-
tacts, even gaining the support of a powerful mer-
cenary commander in 1843. Sadly, he died before
his ambition was realized, but not before passing a

128 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

reins of her destiny. One of the busts atop the roof of
Western world, though the base of their power
the De Winter estate became loose, and a stiff windis in western Europe. Their mercenaries work as
blew through Geneva that day, causing it to plummetbodyguards for the rich and powerful, their mili-
into the late Lord De Winter, killing him on impact.
tary advisors serve fascist dictators and legitimate
Argentine spent little time in mourning. Using governments alike, and their smugglers run guns
the code name King (A pseudonym her grand- and drugs from St. Petersburg to Philadelphia.
father had used in the past), she contacted her
Recruitment
grandfather’s mercenary and criminal contacts
and set to work funding a series of operations King of the World and her agents are always
that rebuilt the De Winter empire and then some. looking for talent. While they prefer recruits who
Having her first taste of victory made her hungry are martially capable, determined, and morally
for more. She coordinated assassinations, drug flexible, the Contedorri finds a use for anyone.
shipments, military coups, and weapons transfers Most come from one of two sources. The first
the world over while flying from place to place and most straightforward method of joining is
under cover of “sight-seeing.” to climb the ranks of a criminal organization and
catch the eye of a recruiter. Over the last decade,
Over the last 20 years, Argentine has levied
the Contedorri has been aggressive in its acquisi-
her reputation as a fixer and her contacts in the
tion of other criminal entities. Many of these low-
underworld into the thing she’s come to crave
er agents may not even know they work for the
most, control. The Contedorri is the fruits of her
Contedorri, but the organization has eyes all over
labor. The Contedorri has agents all around the

Miscreants and Evildoers 129

 the criminal world, so anyone who makes enough recruiters, task force commanders and those who
noise eventually catches their attention. handle big projects, such counterintelligence and
The second method pulls directly from military asset acquisition.
boot camps. The Contedorri sell the services of At the top of the pyramid, are the King’s most
their instructors to militaries throughout Europe, trusted advisors, Queen and Jack. Jack handles
the Americas, and the Middle East. If one of these training and asset development. Queen handles
trainers sees someone of merit, they offer them far coordination between the various cells.
more than what they’d make as an enlistee. One
faked death later, and the recruit is on their way to
Goals and Methods
one of the Contedorri’s training centers. On the surface, the Contedorri seems moti-
Speaking of training, There’s nothing the King vated only by profit. Through their various front
hates more than a failed operation. Mercenary companies, they work for basically everyone.
work has a high mortality rate for incompetents, Despots and freedom fighters alike can hire their
but even if they self-eliminate, it doesn’t stop them soldiers. They smuggle drugs and guns into war-
from screwing up jobs in the first place. For this torn countries with one arm while supplying
reason, one of the first significant purchases that medicine and vaccines to doctors with the other.
Lady Argentine made was a small island off the While they trade in drugs weapons and violence,
coast of Africa. There she built her training cen- the Contedorri are not human traffickers and re-
ter, The Royal Garden, and staffed it with veter- fuse to work with organizations that deal in flesh,
ans of the Great War. Recruits for the Contedorri shutting down such organizations themselves.
who make it to the Royal Gardens receive training Money makes the world go round and for the
equivalent with that of the best special forces in majority of the Contedorri, cash is the be all end
the world, under the tutelage of one of the King’s all. However, there is a deeper goal known only
most trusted advisors, Jack. to the King and her most trusted lieutenants.
Lady De Winter never forgave the loss of power
Organization and Structure her family suffered at the hands of “democracy”
The Contedorri pride themselves on being con- and views governments by the people to be one of
summate mercenaries, and the organization is the greatest evils the world over. Democracy is a
structured to allow members the utmost freedom failed concept. Rule by the many has put a dema-
in how they operate while ensuring they know as gogue in power in Germany and a coward behind
little as possible about the organization. the wheel of Great Britain. Though this is clear to
Low level members have likely never even heard Lady De Winter, the people are proud. They must
the name. They just know they have a boss or cli- be humbled before they can accept rule by their
ent who pays on time. Anyone who asks too many betters once again.
questions at the lowest level likely does not have a The Contedorri acts behind the scenes to drive
lengthy career in the Contedorri ahead of them. the world closer to a war that will end all wars,
Above the rank-and-file criminals, hired the last great conflict. When their governments
guns and professional soldiers are the captains. fail them, the people will call out for a hero, and
Captains know that they are part of a larger orga- the Contedorri will be there to forge order from
nization, but few grasp how large the empire they the chaos. Lady De Winter will step forth from the
work for is. Powerful gang leaders, mercenary shadows. From the ashes of the old world a new
squad commanders and handlers who distribute European empire will be born.
jobs occupy this rank.
Using Contedorri in your Game
Above the captains are the lieutenants. These
The Contedorri are the ultimate throwaway bad
are the first members who could guaranteeably
guys. They are involved in most criminal activities,
call themselves Contedorri but even they are in-
and anyone can hire out their muscle for any purpose.
sulated against having too much information
Contedorri mercenaries can show up as bodyguards,
about the scope of the organization. Lieutenants
assassins, or any other type of opposition forces.
are comprised of the Contedorri’s elite assassins,

130 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

 Getting elite back-up from the Contedorri is Prince. A woman named Priscilla won handily and
just a matter of cash and finding their fixers. took leadership. To everyone’s surprise, she held
Also, the Contedorri have a fierce rivalry with the another competition for leadership just five years
Ubiquitous Dragon and would jump at a chance later. She also won this one but promised to revisit
to deal a blow to their rivals while making a buck. the competition every few years. This started the
While the Contedorri can show up anywhere, practice of deciding leadership through a contest
plots focused on them should revolve around the every half-decade to ensure that the guild’s leader
players stopping their true goal of sowing discord was always the best among them.
throughout Europe and the Americas. An effective Through the decades, the Invictus Umbra
way to introduce the players to a Contedorri plot evolved from a mere collection of rogues fighting
would be to have the players invited to a politi- the government into a fully-fledged thieves guild.
cian’s ball or fancy party. Allow them to foil or wit- Soon members paid guild taxes, they built safe
ness a political assassination and then follow the houses, and started to work all throughout the
trail of breadcrumbs from the boots on the ground Roman Empire and beyond. All through this, they
agents, to their boss, to the fixer all the way up to a ensured that they always kept on task. Never steal
Contedorri training facility where they finally see from the destitute or poor, always strike at power.
the name of their adversary for the first time. Invictus Umbra’s might has waxed and waned
over the years, but they are still active to this day.
Invictus Umbra They are the largest thief’s guild in existence.
Motto: Remember Humility Invictus Umbra safe houses dot the world, with
the current Vagrant Prince living in Istanbul, their
History ancestral home.
Invictus Umbra dates to the ancient city of Their code hasn’t changed much in all these
Constantinople — founded in 500 CE by the flam- years, though their goal of making political chang-
boyant and magnanimous, Vagrant Prince. Salim es or standing against governments has fallen by
Musharra, last of the line of Byzantium rulers the wayside. They’re in it for the money, acting
who lost control of the city when the Romans as mercenaries for the highest bidder or stealing
broke their treaty and torched it to the ground, from the ultra-rich only for the sweet payout.
took on this name at night to protect his identity. While some guild houses still believe in stealing
He grew up with the belief that no empire or gov- from the rich and opposing the powerful, many
ernment was trustworthy, and that good people members of the modern guild are mere criminals
must always challenge them. By day he was a loyal with a penchant for extravagant heists and garish
Roman citizen, but he spent his nights pilfering dress.
coffers and ruining the lives of the wealthy elite.
He spent his time in underground spaces, and Recruitment
soon attracted a group of like-minded individuals. While the organization still believes in stealing
Together they robbed nearly every powerful per- only from those who can afford to lose it, they ar-
son in the city at least once over. Soon as their ex-
en’t picky about who they recruit. At current, any
ploits attracted notice, those they targeted start-thief of repute who is willing to swear to follow
ed calling them shadows. That name eventually the codes can become a member. The rules of the
stuck, and they styled themselves Invictus Umbra. Invictus forbid telling people of the organization,
They struck only at the powerful and wealthy, en- so new members are often brought in with some
suring they never stole from the disenfranchised amount of pageantry, such that they are never
or unfortunate. Whenever a politician used their told what they are joining until they arrive at the
power to oppress or a noble visited cruelty upon ceremony. Some older thieves bring their protégé
the defenseless, the Invictus would visit. to a meeting without telling them where they are
In the twilight of his life, Salim held a com- going. Some chapter heads invite young pros-
petition: Who ever could steal his blade would pects on a “job” that sees them breaking into the
take leadership of the group and the title Vagrant chapter house so that they find their way into the

Miscreants and Evildoers 131

 first meeting by proving their skills. The Invictus targets. Grifters, goons, con-men, break-in art-
Umbra has also taken to helping prospective ists, and self-professed masterminds all find their
members escape from prison, or at least give them home within the guild.
a leg up so they can escape on their own.
Goals and Methods
Organization and Structure Where the Invictus Umbra’s original, lofty,
The Vagrant Prince leads the Invictus Umbra goals included pushing back against govern-
at its head with chapter heads below him. The ment structures, hamstringing the rich and elite,
current prince has worn the crown for 40 years. and taking down powerful figures, the current
Every major city has a chapter house which acts Invictus Umbra works solely to earn an even
as a safe house for the thieves, and a base of op- greater amount of wealth. They still have their
erations. Chapter heads consider the chapter values, but those values tend to stretch and bend
houses their domain and treat anyone who visits in the right circumstances.
as a guest. Their main duty is to caretake these Each individual member is out to make as most
houses, meaning they take immense pride in the money as possible. They steal for sure, but often
place, keeping it in top shape and invisible to out- this money comes as payment for using their skills
side eyes. Chapter heads make fronts from art for others. Paid jobs are the most lucrative, and
museums, tailor shops, distilleries, universities, these range from heists to fencing goods to help-
and even hostels. Otherwise, chapter heads run ing someone disappear.
the local Invictus Umbra. They set marks, collect Members tithe ten percent of their take to the
dues, punish rule breakers, and track all members organization. The organization once used that
coming in and out of the city. Most chapter lead- money to work against oppressive regimes, but
ers wield their massive influence to push their po-now the Vagrant Prince is more interested in using
litical agenda, punish their enemies, or shape the it to buy herself a place in the League of Nations.
culture of a city. Chapter heads live large as well, often infiltrating
Chapter houses have various resources for local governments, paying off law enforcement,
Invictus members such as fences, engineers, gun- and generally having fingers in every pie around.
smiths, blacksmiths, and fixers, to name a few. While the average Invictus Umbra member is
Most houses forbid violence, but the odd duel for likely no better than a two-bit criminal, they en-
entertainment does happen. This is also where joy a great deal of leeway afforded by their mem-
most members get their jobs. A member can pull bership, so long as they follow the rules. The rules
any job she wants, including setting her own tar- are simple, never steal from someone who can’t
gets, but the chapter heads often have jobs avail- afford it, and never kill anyone. That last one is
able to members that come from their various a sticking point for the average bruiser, one that
contacts. Many Invictus Umbra thefts are execut- no one crosses without severe consequences. The
ed on behalf of a benefactor, rather for their own first one, while a firm rule, is one that gets more
gain. leeway. If a member steals from someone who co-
Individual members work alone or as groups. incidentally runs into some bad luck and suddenly
Some may look like common street thieves, while can’t afford the loss, they show the thief leniency.
others consider their trade an art. No matter how How was she to know? Such an infraction might
they structure themselves, they answer only to be ignored all together if the person is on the
the chapter head of the city they call home, and chapter head’s shit list.
the Vagrant Prince. When visiting a sister chap-
ter in another city, they are considered on loan Using Invictus Umbra
to that city’s chapter head, who tracks them. But in your Game
ultimately, if they mess up and need punishment, The Invictus Umbra are thieves one and all,
their home chapter deals with the issue. but their motives, targets, and the consequences
The Invictus Umbra thieves are rascals to the of their actions present interesting variables for a
core and do almost anything to acquire their group to contend with. They work in a mercenary

132 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

fashion, meaning the characters might find that by the conspirators who would come to be the
the thieves they captured are working for some- founders of the Order of Murder. When King
one much more sinister. It also means the char- Henry VII and Thomas Cromwell began their plot
acters may find need to employ a member of the to discredit and ultimately execute Boleyn, allies
guild for fake IDs, or information they couldn’t within the court informed Anne of the impending
gather otherwise. danger. Knowing that she could depend neither
Invictus Umbra plots can involve a theft that on the mercy of her husband nor the conscience
interests the character’s Allegiance, giving them of her former friend in Cromwell, Boleyn began
reason to investigate. The Invictus Umbra may formulating another plan. With the aid of a net-
target one of the player characters, but when work of secret allies, including Thomas Cranmer,
they investigate, they find someone else is behind Lancelot de Carle, and the bold sacrifice of one of
it. Low level Invictus Umbra members are great her attendants, Anne Boleyn was able to orches-
non-lethal bodyguards, accomplices to crimes, trate the falsification of her own execution. Once
and scapegoats for bigger fish. Higher level the plan was complete, she met with de Carle and
Invictus Umbra members make great social foils, spirited away to France where sympathetic allies
uneasy allies, and sinister masterminds. gave her shelter.
Anne would have been content to live out her
The Order of Murder days in obscurity in the French countryside. She
Motto: Through Death, Freedom. and her conspirators had secreted away more
than enough wealth from Henry’s coffers to sup-
History port her in comfort, if not extravagance. But two
History records that on the 19th of May 1536, years after her arrival, de Carle came to her with
Anne Boleyn was executed by beheading. This is an offer. Observing that she had shown great wit,
the product of an elaborate deception, wrought resourcefulness, and resolve in her conspiracy to

Miscreants and Evildoers 133

 avoid the executioner’s blade, de Carle suggested especially interested in recruiting Inspired mem-
that those skills might prove useful in the service bers. Each case the Order takes on is perilous and
of others who were likewise imperiled. Naturally, holds the potential for disastrous failure. The
such services would come at excessive cost but abilities of the Inspired can negate some of that
could also prove profitable. After some convinc- danger and help make the impossible achievable.
ing, Anne accepted de Carle’s first offer and sug- While recruiting Inspired can be a challenge,
gested client. In that moment, the organization there is at least one stalwart among the Order’s
that would come to be known as the Order of ranks, a surgeon who goes by the moniker Cutter
Murder was born. Edison. It is this Inspired doctor who developed
In the centuries since its founding, the Order the techniques now used to alter the appearances
of Murder has faked the deaths of hundreds of of the Order’s clients as well as the body doubles
wealthy and powerful aristocrats, nobles, mem- employed in faked deaths.
bers of the church, and other folks of means.
Organization and Structure
Such services do not come cheap, and the Order
demands a significant payment for services ren- A triumvirate of members who were once
dered. This has led to the Order of Murder being clients oversees the activities of the Order of
one of the most well-funded organizations for its Murder. Each member of the triumvirate assumes
comparatively small size. When the need arises, a title, and the member conducts all Order busi-
the Order can bring significant resources to bear ness using that title. This provides another layer
to achieve an objective. of secrecy and deniability for the leadership of
the Order. The titles used by these shadowy lead-
In recent years, as crimefighting tools have be-
ers are Lord Scrope, Lord Cambridge, and Lord
come more sophisticated, so too have the meth-
Northumberland. It is worth noting that the title
ods of the Order of Murder. In addition to forgery,
of Lord applies regardless of the gender of the
larceny, abduction, and providing false identities
person occupying the position, a tradition unbro-
to their clients, the Order has developed surgical
ken since Anne Boleyn assumed the role of Lord
techniques to alter the appearance of a subject to
Northumberland.
such a great degree that even one’s closest family
would not recognize them. These techniques also Operatives at the field level collect dossiers on
allow for the creation of more accurate body dou- potential clients. Before the Order of Murder ac-
bles when faking a client’s death. Such extreme cepts a job, the triumvirate performs an extensive
measures combined with proficiency born of review on the prospective client’s dossier. The
nearly 400 years of experience keeps the Order of triumvirate uses multiple criteria when judging a
Murder one step ahead of the world’s law enforce- potential client such as their ability to pay the cost
ment agencies … for now. of service, risk of betrayal, and potential for re-
cruitment. The Order certainly takes clients that
Recruitment they deem to be low recruitment potential, but the
Many recruits brought into the Order of Murder other two metrics are inflexible.
are either clients or the close allies of clients.Once approval is determined, surveillance be-
Those who exhibit proficiency with the skills gins. Field operatives (often the very operatives
required to pull off such elaborate deception as
who referred the dossier) initiate contact with the
faking a death and getting away with it are always
client. The operatives explain and offer the ser-
welcome among the Order’s ranks. Furthermore, vices of the Order. Operatives also observe poten-
the Order swears all clients to secrecy on paintial conspirators. If the client accepts, the process
of death. Having a shared secret, a need to start
begins as experts within the Order craft a staged
a new life, and an organization that specializes
demise. The Knights share the plan with conspir-
in something you have experience with can be a ators from within the client’s life as cautiously as
comfort to those who are dealing with the loss of
time permits. During this phase, the Order’s oper-
everything they once were. atives assess conspirators for recruitment poten-
As one might imagine, the Order of Murder is tial. Once the plan is in place and the necessary

134 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

components are in place, the Order extracts their information on a client, extract a client from pub-
client and stages their death. With each successful lic view in order to place their murdered double
extraction, the Order’s ranks swell. into play, or to protect clients that have already
undergone the process from discovery. The trium-
Goals and Methods virate is well aware of the damage that clients past
The primary goals of the Order of Murder are to and present could suffer were the Order exposed.
amass great wealth and preserve the anonymity of
their members and clients. While some members Using Order of Murder
of the Order of Murder carry out personal vendet- in your Game
tas and nefarious plots under the anonymity pro- The Order of Murder can be great antagonists
vided by the group, most are content to maintain for a story focused on mystery. This can be a case
their focus on the organization’s agenda and live where the heroes are looking to solve a murder
otherwise quiet, comfortable lives. The preferred only to discover that the corpse does not belong
methods of the Order involve forged paperwork, to the supposed victim. Tracking down clues and
surgically altered body doubles, and false evi- unwinding the web of deceit left in the wake of
dence. The Order also has access to a secret pro- the Order’s actions could be the work of sever-
cess by which they can craft a duplicate of their al sessions, with increasingly difficult obstacles
client’s body with remarkable accuracy capable placed in the party’s way as they inch closer to the
of fooling most autopsies and forensic investiga- truth. Another option could involve the adventur-
tions. The use of these replica corpses has become ers discovering surveillance on an ally or point of
more commonplace since the Hammersmith contact from another case. Those responsible are
Incident. These tools, used in combination, con- unlikely to simply introduce themselves and state
found the authorities while removing their clients their intentions. Instead, the player characters
from harm and attention. Once the client is safe- must discover the truth about these mysterious
ly out of the limelight, they step into the new life spies before their target disappears into seeming-
prepared for them, complete with new identifica- ly thin air.
tion and credentials. It is also possible that the Order of Murder may
When seeking new clients, the Order of Murder have a client who is seeking to fake their death to
looks to those who are wealthy but facing some escape the clutches of one of the group’s known
sort of life-altering trouble that could make the enemies. This type of story fosters cooperation
extreme measure of faking their death and walk- between the heroes and the nominally villainous
ing away from everything seem reasonable or Order of Murder. Perhaps the Order’s client has
preferable. Obviously, those whose lives are en- sensitive information on a particularly challeng-
dangered due to criminal entanglements make ing enemy. Only by cooperating with the Order
for good clients, but there are several other sce- and their client can the heroes hope to gain access
narios which can lead to a visit from the Order. to this sensitive and crucial data.
The Order might reach out to someone of means
whose business is in danger of failing, or someone The Ponatowski Foundation
whose marriage is on the rocks, and they need an Motto: Adventures in the Great Unknown
escape. The Order of Murder’s first client was a
prisoner and prisons have continued to provide History
potential clients ever since. The challenge for the Count Wladisaw Ponatowski, a wealthy noble
Order of Murder becomes identifying and locat- with a strong interest in exploration, created the
ing potential clientele who match the exacting Ponatowski Foundation in 1902. The Ponatowski
criteria for their elite services. Fortunately, many Foundation’s initial goals were to explore the un-
of the Order’s operatives are skilled investigators. known and document it for public consumption.
Extortion, breaking and entering, theft, murder, Their initial expeditions included two forays into
and kidnapping are all tools the Order of Murder Siberia, a venture into the Gobi Desert, and an
are willing and able to use in order to secure ambitious, but unsuccessful attempt to reach the
bottom of the Black Sea. The group detailed these

Miscreants and Evildoers 135

 exhibitions in a quarterly journal called Journal of Exploration has since become one of the most
Exploration. Many scholars consider the first edi- popular magazines in publication.
tion of Journal of Exploration one of the finest and Ivan Staynskaya is brutal and ruthless in the
most comprehensive archaeological journals of pursuit of his goals. He hopes to retake Russia,
the period. In 1912, the group broadened the scope but his aspirations do not end there. Shortly after
of their expeditions, including forays into Africa the Hammersmith Incident, Staynskaya became
and South America while expanding operations aware of telluric energy. His scientists raved about
in Russia. These expeditions continued until 1914 Hammersmith’s experiments, and one of them even
with the beginning of the Great War. developed a sort of hyper-intelligence which he
During the Great War, the Ponatowski attributed to the stuff. If he could figure out how
Foundation suspended all expeditions and to harness it, or even just control enough instanc-
stopped publication of Journal of Exploration. es of it, he would become the most powerful man
Though the Foundation appeared to shut down, in the world. He uses the exploration side of the
the group remained active, shifting their focus to Ponatowski Foundation to seek out areas in the
preserving the safety of Russian nobility. As ten- world rich in telluric energy. He hopes that if he can
sions mounted in Russia leading to the Revolutions understand and control these pockets, he can figure
of 1917, the Ponatowski Foundation constructed a out how to harness them for his own purposes.
network to smuggle endangered nobility to safety.
Ivan Staynskaya, a fierce and wicked Russian no-
Recruitment
ble with aspirations to the title of Czar, was among The Ponatowski Foundation brings in scientific
the architects of this effort. Through connections minds, explorers, and brutes. In the early days, the
he had forged with members of the Bratva, Ivan Foundation recruited permanent members from
was able to create a secure and effective method the scientific community and Russian nobility in
of moving nobles in secret while increasing his in- equal measure. Now the only way into the orga-
fluence with all parties involved in the conspiracy. nization proper is by way of the Bratva with the
As Russia fell, Ivan Staynskaya’s influence in the explicit approval of Staynskaya. In general, sci-
Ponatowski Foundation grew. By the end of 1919, entists are the most prized recruits, though they
Staynskaya and his allies had effectively seized have need of explorers and brutes as well.
control of the Ponatowski Foundation’s resourc- Ponatowski Foundation functions on two levels.
es. Staynskaya began plotting to take Russia back They hire freelance members on a case-by-case ba-
over and claim the title of Czar. He even started sis for initial exploration and procurement. These
referring to himself as Czar, forcing those with- members are non-permanent and come from all lev-
in the organization to call him as such. Though els of society, though often owe debt to the Bratva
Russia was a lost cause in the short term, and the and this is a way to pay that debt off. If that initial
criminal enterprises now feeding the Ponatowski team finds anything interesting a dedicated team of
Foundation coffers were thriving, Staynskaya rec- explorers and scientists then go to the area to take
ognized an opportunity to amass wealth and allies charge of it. The Foundation’s coffers can withstand
by bringing the Ponatowski Foundation back into the fees of the best and brightest explorers in the
the public eye. world. In addition to the material benefits of accept-
The Ponatowski Foundation reemerged in 1920 ing a contract from the Foundation, those hired en-
after the installation of administrative functionar- joy immortalization as heroes in the bombastic writ-
ies who were unaware of the group’s true activities ings of Journal of Exploration volume two.
and goals. Publication of Journal of Exploration Organization and Structure
resumed, the focus now shifted to an entertain-
The Ponatowski Foundation maintains three di-
ment magazine based on the Foundation’s ex-
visions of operation: Administration, Exploration,
ploits. While the events depicted in the magazine
and Publishing. Administration handles hiring
were true, gone was the presentation of scientific
freelancers, managing resources, and keeping an
findings for public consumption. The public did
eye on the membership. Administration operates
not seem to mind the shift in tone, as Journal of
under the oversight of Ivan Staynskaya and an

136 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

inner circle of his closest allies, though the day-to-
day operations fall to salaried employees who are
unaware of the Foundation’s true purposes and
connections. This offers the Foundation’s leaders
deniability in the event of infiltration by rivals or
scrutiny from law enforcement. Only a handful of
employees in Administration suspect anything is
unusual about the Foundation’s operations, and
none of them would imagine anything like the ne-
farious truth behind their secretive employers.
Exploration is overseen by Count Wladisaw
Ponatowski who maintains his desire for explora-
tion and ignores Staynskaya’s more sinister desires.
Exploration has only a few regular employees, most-
ly scientists with enough knowledge about telluric
energy to accompany a freelance team on a mission.
The freelancers who perform well and maintain
appropriate discretion are frequently rehired, but
never brought into the fold. Staynskaya knows that
the adventuring types tend to have a meddlesome
streak and he is not comfortable allowing such in-
fluences to get too close to the Foundation’s internal
workings for fear of discovery. On some occasions,
references for relative unknowns make their way to
Administration from above, requesting a particular
individual be hired to accompany a certain expedi-
tion. This is typically a Bratva member planted by
Staynskaya to spy on the freelancers hired for a sen-
sitive or high-profile mission.
The Publishing arm is responsible for creating
and distributing Journal of Exploration volume
two. The writers and artists of this arm are pulp
enthusiasts with a flair for the dramatic, a love
of heroics, and the joy of working in their dream
job. Journal of Exploration is a best-selling mag-
azine with a loyal readership and is responsible
for a significant portion of the Foundation’s reve-
nue. Staynskaya and his allies understand the val-
ue of the Publishing arm, but often overlook the
risk the employees in Publishing represent. If the
Publishing arm ever got wind of the true nature
of the Foundation’s work, disaster would certainly
follow. Few things present such danger to a crim-
inal enterprise as writers with a strong sense of
justice and truth. Beneath the surface of academia, The
Ponatowski Foundation hides a rotten core. Ivan
Goals and Methods Staynskaya and his criminal network plunder
On its surface, the Ponatowski Foundation is the Foundation’s findings for nefarious purposes.
an academic group dedicated to the exploration Items of significant value, especially those with
and documentation of the known and unknown.
The adventurers on assignment must record the
findings and events of the journey. If the freelanc-
ers hired for a mission are not confident in their
ability to do so, administration assigns a journal-
ist to attend the voyage. Upon return from the
field, freelancers turn over artifacts, relics, and
other items acquired during these expeditions to
Administration for cataloguing and storage. In this
case, “cataloguing and storage” is a euphemism
for the personal collection of Ivan Staynskaya.
The account of the voyage then goes to Publishing
where the writers and artists on staff prepare an
article based on the expedition for inclusion in
Journal of Exploration. Freelance groups operate
with great latitude in the field. The Foundation
cares little about the conduct of those they hire so
long as the mission is profitable and suitable for
print.
Since seizing power, Staynskaya has used the
Ponatowski Foundation to amass wealth and
power to realize his desire to become Czar. This
desire is only checked by his even greater desire
to control all the areas of the world rich in telluric
energy.
Using the Ponatowski Foundation
in your Game
The Ponatowski Foundation provides an ex-
cellent foil for groups like the Æon Society, the
Archivists, or Branch 9. Archaeology, exploration,
and telluric studies are all high priorities for the
Ponatowski Foundation. This makes them easy to
integrate into a tale as professional rivals compet-
ing for discoveries and resources. The Ponatowski
Foundation also employs freelancers including in-
dependent scholars and adventurous world-trav-
elers for many of their ventures. Such a team of
contractors can include player characters, setting
up the Foundation as employers for a mission.
Alternatively, Ponatowski could hire existing ri-
vals or your adventurers’ enemies to pursue the
same goal or McGuffin, adding an element of per-
sonal conflict to an otherwise professional rivalry.
Miscreants and Evildoers 137
 telluric properties, make their way to Staynskaya’s
private collection to strengthen his underworld
empire. Stories involving any organization, es-
pecially Branch 9, might address attempts to un-
earth the connection between the Ponatowski
Foundation and Staynskaya’s criminal enterprises.
Rational Experimentation
Group
Motto: Mastery Through Method.
History
Shortly after the Hammersmith experiment,
adventurers and law enforcement the world over
began to note an increase in highly equipped lab-
oratories engaging in ethically repugnant research.
The laboratories went undiscovered until after
their abandonment. Each contained evidence of
horrible human experimentation, weapons de-
velopment, and other unthinkable perversions of
science and technology. Those laboratories caught
red-handed, still in operation, confirmed these dark
insinuations. The Inspired Age had unleashed not
only hope for a bright future, but tools for malfea-
sant manipulation of telluric energy. Investigations
by Branch 9, the Æon Society and various other or-
ganizations into this rash of unethical research that
had popped up around the globe led to a name: The
Rational Experimentation Group.
Unfortunately, despite the heroic efforts and
remarkable investigative skills of the various in-
volved Allegiances, unearthing any further details
about this mysterious confederation of degenerate
theorists has proven impossible. Each new labora-
tory discovered leaves a trail of data leading to the
parties responsible for its construction that quickly
runs cold. Arrests and interrogations prove fruit-
less as even the heads of these facilities have no
actionable intelligence regarding the origin of their
funding, nor the destination of their findings. Each
time the authorities seize a laboratory two more
seemingly rise in its place, bearing no discernible
connection to the location most recently seized.
Members of the Æon Society have a variety
of theories as to the manipulators behind the
Rational Experimentation Group, but little hard
data to form a direct connection. Intelligence has
indicated that at least some of the devices used
by Dr. Hephaestia Geary-Wexler originated in
138 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES
laboratories funded by the shadowy conspiracy.
The International Detective Agency, Branch 9,
and the Æon Society all hold extensive files on the
Rational Experimentation Group, but a decade of
investigation by multiple entities has led to lit-
tle more than a few decommissioned facilities, a
product of foul experimentation showing up in
the hands of a villain here and there, and base in-
sults couched within conjecture.
The fact of the matter is that no one, not even
the greatest financial supporters of the Rational
Experimentation Group know the truth of its or-
igins or the face of its leadership. It is as if a web
of connections and potential sprung to life in the
wake of Hammersmith’s explosion; a globe-span-
ning Frankenstein’s monster constructed of ma-
levolent science brought to life by an infusion of
telluric energy and cold, hard cash.
While the authorities continue their futile
hunt for the masterminds behind the Rational
Experimentation Group, new laboratories continue
to crop up with each passing month. New horrors
inflicted on human test subjects and new discov-
eries funnel into precisely the wrong hands with
alarming regularity. In many ways, the Rational
Experimentation Group represents the long, heavy
shadow cast by the light of the Inspired Age.
Recruitment
Each cell of the Rational Experimentation Group
handles recruitment independently. This allows
each cell a great deal of latitude to tailor their re-
cruitment practices to suit specific needs. Some
cells focus their efforts on the halls of academia,
watching for scientists, researchers, and engineers
who do brilliant work but chafe at moral and social
pressure to show restraint in their quest for knowl-
edge and creation. The Group courts potential re-
cruits with offers of grand resources and autonomy
to follow their research to its logical conclusion.
Those potential recruits who show great prom-
ise in a laboratory’s field of interest, but perhaps
lack the moral flexibility to dedicate their efforts
to the questionable practices of the Rational
Experimentation Group receive overtures of ag-
gression, extortion, deceit, and manipulation to
ensure compliance with their recruiter’s goals.
In extreme cases, a laboratory may resort to ha-
rassment, kidnapping, murder, or framing the
target for a heinous crime in order to guarantee projects, wild inventions, and primary aspirations.
compliance. This also grants the financiers far greater versa-
Some scientists are more than happy to ac- tility in their weapons and tools that they would
cept the help of the Rational Experimentation be able to produce if they handled the same tasks
Group. The deep pockets, secure locations, and, internally.
if needed, martial support available to each cell
Goals and Methods
makes it all too easy to overlook some of the cost-
lier aspects of employment within the Rational The overarching goal of the Rational
Experimentation Group. Experimentation Group is to forward the causes of
science and understanding through the research
Organization and Structure and development of actionable technologies that
The Rational Experimentation Group is com- push the boundaries of possibility. Any conceiv-
prised of a vast and varied aggregation of inde- able path of research and development within
pendently operated laboratories, warehouses, and that mandate exists within one or more cells of
storage facilities. An independent cell, operating the Rational Experimentation Group. Unlike most
autonomously, manages each of these holdings, scientific bodies, the Rational Experimentation
having minimal communication with or connec- Group does not limit itself through adherence to
tion to the rest of the organization. Each of these moral restrictions or legal mandates.
cells is remarkably well funded, though tracking Human experimentation is common in the
the source of any cell’s financial support is near- Rational Experimentation Group. This typi-
ly impossible. Property, equipment purchases, cally takes the form of experiments performed
wages, and expenses for each cell run through a on unwilling test subjects. Kidnapped subjects,
network of intermediaries, shell companies, mon- often taken by a contracted party such as the
ey launderers, and international banks. This pro- Contedorri, are delivered to a laboratory with dis-
vides a chaotic paper trail that confounds even cretion, for a fee, of course. In other cases, a cell
the most skilled investigators in trying to trace the skips laboratory trials, moving directly to testing
source of any one cell’s funding. In the early days their work on the public. This often happens in
of the Æon Society, Whitley Styles did manage to remote rural areas where the chance of interfer-
track the financing of a few laboratories connect- ence from the authorities or meddling do-gooders
ed to the Rational Experimentation Group to a is minimal. The goals of human experimentation
Swiss bank account, he was unable to divine any include creating chemical and biological weap-
details of that account’s owner. ons, testing the limits of human endurance to
While several sources are responsible for various stimuli, mind control effects, and in the
the seemingly endless financing of the Rational case of one German researcher, the creation of an
Experimentation Group, the primary investors Übermensch whose might would bring prosperity
are the Mechinatrix, Mister Saturday, and the and victory to Deutschland.
Ubiquitous Dragon. Each of these monarchs of the Another major avenue of research for the Rational
criminal underworld funnel incredible amounts Experimentation Group is weapons development.
of cash into the Rational Experimentation Ranging from improvements upon conventional
Group’s cells in exchange for access to the fruits weapons such as firearms and grenades to the devel-
of each cell’s labors. This allows the financiers opment of death rays, mind control beams, and tellu-
to command a vast array of dangerous devices ric explosives, the Rational Experimentation Group
without needing to divert the time and resourc- includes several cells looking to push past the barri-
es of their respective organizations from more ers of possibility through technology to build more
pressing concerns. By effectively contracting the effective killing machines. As with every avenue of
Rational Experimentation Group to work as an research pursued by the Rational Experimentation
independent research and development wing, the Group, the results of these trials disseminate to the
villains behind the money can reap the benefits of group’s shadowy beneficiaries for implementation
the group’s work while focusing on their own pet in their own nefarious schemes.

Miscreants and Evildoers 139

 Using Rational Experimentation
Group in your Game
The Rational Experimentation Group work in
methodologies of pure villainy. Their organization
exists beneath layers of mystery, with the various
branches and cells of the group being unaware of
activities, locations, and personnel beyond their
own facility. Communication between branches of
the Rational Experimentation Group is absolutely
minimal. When cells must communicate, such as
to deliver test subjects, report findings, or request
resources, these communications pass through
coded messages, blind drops, and unaffiliated
couriers contracted to deliver messages without
accessing their contents. These precautions allow
each cell to remain focused on its area of expertise
while also ensuring that the discovery or compro-
mise of any single cell has minimal impact on the
organization as a whole. This makes the Rational
Experimentation Group an excellent ongoing an-
tagonist for most other Allegiances as they are re-
markably difficult to take down.
Entire campaigns could center around chas-
ing down cells of the Rational Experimentation
Group, attempting to piece together clues about
the identities of the group’s leadership while elim-
inating or containing individual cells. The varied
nature of the Rational Experimentation Group’s
work could lead to the party investigating rumors
of chemical weapon tests on a rural European
populace one week and a race against the clock
as a deranged scientist works to assemble compo-
nents for an airborne death ray the next.
deadly virus that would turn any who drank the in-
fected water into a copy of him.
In 1926, he sought to infect all of San
Francisco, but the combined might of the
International Detective Agency, La Salon des
Femmes Nouveaux, and the Contedorri stopped
him. It was a brutal battle that ended not only
the Ubiquitous Dragon’s ambition but also his
life. The world thought him dead, and his crim-
inal empire collapsed without his guiding hand
as clones around the world erupted into flames,
all except six.
These few clones had been around the longest,
used the most often, and had many of Ubiquitous
Dragon’s thoughts and memories. So, when they
felt their connection sever, they knew immedi-
ately that the dragon tattoo on their bodies would
incinerate them alive. Each did what any person
with an ounce of self-preservation would do: They
cut the tattoo off before it could kill them.

Seven Brothers
Motto: Seven wills, one family.

History
The Ubiquitous Dragon was, at one point, the
most powerful individual criminal in the world.
He controlled the drug, arms, and flesh trade from
China to California. A stalwart, he had a rare ability
to create a nigh-infinite number of clones. He used
this power to its fullest, coordinating massive proj-
ects and shaking the underworld to its knees. In his
hubris, he began to think himself unstoppable. With
the help of scientists from the Rational Experiment
Group, The Dragon found a way to spread his curse
through the water supply, weaponizing it into a

140 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

 The oldest of these, Thirty-Seven, searched the as contractors or minions, but as members of a
world over for survivors like him. He eventually newly growing family.
found his Brothers, each attempting to act out Since the start, the group has taken on one addi-
their last commands from Ubiquitous Dragon but tional “Brother,” Jun Yang, who saved Fifty-Nine
despairing for a desire to do something different. during his first few days alone and has been work-
Knowledge that Ubiquitous Dragon was dead, and ing with him since. They have stylized themselves
that he would never inhabit their bodies again, for as the Seven Brothers. While they might have es-
good or ill, was a release none were expecting. chewed their father’s methods, there’s still good
Free to act of their own accord for the first time, money in criminal activities, which they all par-
the group decided to reclaim and refocus what ticipate in to one extent or another.
the remaining threads of their father’s criminal Before cutting ties with the Rational Experiment
enterprise. They named each other Brother and Group completely, Thirty-Seven called in one last
struck out to discover for themselves who each favor owed to the Ubiquitous Dragon. He com-
truly was. Like any true family, each Brother missioned seven communication devices that the
had wildly different ideas about how to go about Brothers could use from anywhere in the world to
their futures, but they agreed that they would communicate with one another.
support and uplift each other no matter the cost.
They sought out Ubiquitous Dragon’s allies, con- Recruitment
tacts, and agents, offering them each the same At the start, Seven Brothers sought out mem-
thing: Membership into their organization, not bers of their father’s criminal enterprise and

Miscreants and Evildoers 141

 previous contacts to offer them a place in their familial relations. While certain members may
budding organization. But from there, they have have a higher place in terms of respect, no one is
started accepting members from outside, seek- truly above anyone else. Even the Seven Brothers
ing people with specific skill sets that would help defer to the other members on important topics
each Brother achieve their stated goal. The Seven related to their goals.
Brothers recruits from all social classes, looking No matter what the job is, no matter where they
for people who may need their help, or who can are, members of the Seven Brothers are always
offer their help to others. While they keep an eyefamily. Even when dealing with internal politics or
open for filling in skill gaps within the organiza-
tensions, they present a united front. Their mem-
tion, they’ve been known to adopt whole families bers are fiercely loyal to one another, and anyone
who needed their protection. who messes with one member will find the force
The Seven Brothers consider themselves a fam- of a family coming after them before they know to
ily, and therefore only recruit members who they regret the decision.
wish to adopt into their family structure. They
often recruit based on friendships, recommenda-
Goals and Methods
tions from other members, and most surprisingly While Seven Brothers presents as a united fami-
through petition. Anyone who wants to join the ly, their goals are different. Each Brother has their
Seven Brothers can simply ask, which then re- own set of goals, which makes pinning them down
quires approval from at least one Brother before rather difficult. All the Brothers are involved in
going through trials. Prospective members spend one criminal enterprise or another, from money
time with one of the Seven Brothers, doing odd laundering to smuggling and in some cases drug
jobs and proving their worth and loyalty, earning running. Some of their criminality comes from
trust, and learning the family values. taking illegal actions to help and protect those
Those who do not join the organization have an who are the most vulnerable, but they are crimi-
easy out, though they lose all contact with Seven nals, nonetheless. While they reject the villainous
Brothers from that point on. Those who make methods of their maker, they still find themselves
it join as full members of the family. The Seven in villainous roles more often than they would
Brothers don’t expect loyalty from their members, like.
they engender it. The group ensures that mem- Each of the Brothers has chosen a name for
bers know from the start that they are a part of themselves, and moved across the world, except
something greater, and that Seven Brothers will Thirty-Seven, who retains his number designation
never leave them to fend for themselves. as a reminder of where they all came from and to
never return. The other Brothers have mixed feel-
Organization and Structure ings about Thirty-Seven’s refusal to pick a new
One thing each of the clones could agree on name, but they support his decision regardless.
above all else was that they would never treat Ling has taken up residence in Hong Kong
anyone the way their father treated them. No to organize violent resistance to British rule.
one is disposable; all their members are equally Her long-term goal is the removal of the British
valuable. The Seven Brothers is structured like Empire from the east, but right now, she settles
any sprawling and complicated family. Every in- for extorting their governors and raiding their
dividual member has complicated relationships ships, as she’s now in charge of the new Red
to each other depending on who brought them in, Flag Fleet. Keith has traveled back to the United
which Brother they follow, and a myriad of other States and has set up a smuggling ring to assist
connections. Chinese families to immigrate to the Americas.
At the top are the Seven Brothers, each one Jun Yang and Yong work together protecting the
leading a part of the organization toward a dif- Han from Japanese oppression in Manchukuo.
ferent goal. From there are aunts and uncles, Huan supports the Children of Wùkōng in China,
cousins, siblings, nieces and nephews, and other giving them resources and ways to subvert the

142 CHAPTER THREE: ALLEGIANCES

Kuomintang government. Li Wei lives in Eastern
Europe and is currently attempting to take down
the Contedorri, deciding to fight fire with fire
by usurping their criminal enterprises. Thirty-
Seven has revived some of Ubiquitous Dragon’s
enterprises of drug and weapons dealing as well
as smuggling between East Asian nations and the
western United States.
Using Seven Brothers in your
Game
The Seven Brothers are a nebulous organiza-
tion that has a variety of goals that could end up
at cross purposes with a group of adventurers.
They pride family loyalty over everything else, so
the characters could easily find themselves on the
wrong end of their ire for interfering with a small-
er portion of their organization.
An adventuring group may find themselves
working with Seven Brothers members toward a
common goal, though their methods of working
toward that goal often run into a morally grey
area. While adventurers may attempt to make
allies with the group, without joining the family
proper and pledging to support all their enterpris-
es equally, their relationship with the organiza-
tion will be tenuous at best.
Seven Brothers members remember both those
that help them and those that hinder them, and
the adventurers may find that thwarting one
Brothers brings the other six running to their aid.
Use the Seven Brothers to introduce interesting
moral ambiguity, small time criminal activity, un-
easy alliances, and unintended consequences into
your games.
Miscreants and Evildoers 143
144
 Characters in Trinity Continuum: Adventure!
can be ordinary people, but many will be dare-
devils (known as Talents in Trinity Continuum
Core), or even outright superhumans — powerful
stalwarts and mysterious mesmerists, who gained
strange abilities in the wake of the Hammersmith
incident. Products of a bold and dangerous ex-
periment gone awry and events orchestrated by a
singular visionary, they are the first glimpse of a
superhuman future, full of limitless possibilities.
Some seem like regular people except for amaz-
ing skill and incredible luck, while others wield
powers that defy conventional explanation. It’s
a time of great change and momentous turning
points, and these characters embody the potential
of their age … for better or worse.
This chapter covers the additional rules nec-
essary to create Inspired characters, including
new Paths and Edges unique to this time period.
Character generation in Adventure! is handled as
outlined in the Trinity Continuum Core p. 35-39
and p.155-158, unless otherwise noted below.
Character Generation
Summary
Creating an Adventure! character takes seven STEP FOUR: ATTRIBUTES
steps, and is designed to help you use the game
mechanics to flesh out and embellish an interest-
ing, compelling persona. acter’s favored Approach.
BUT IT’S MY DESTINY!
One important fact to remember is that
while the players and certain well-in-
formed characters may know the truth
behind the origins of superhuman capabil-
ities, it’s not exactly common knowledge.
Most daredevils don’t think of themselves
as superhuman at all, for one thing, while
mesmerists and stalwarts are often more
concerned with what they can do than
exactly how it happened. Lacking a single
well-known explanation, Inspired indi-
viduals often develop personal beliefs
about the source of their capabilities.
These stories range from mystical talent to
divine blessing to their own strange scien-
tific experiments, and collectively further
muddy the truth of superhuman powers.
Players are encouraged to let their char-
acters believe whatever they like about
their origins, so long as it’s also clear out
of character that even those powers that
may seem like miracles and magic are still
rooted in the super-science of the setting.
Assign your Attribute dots and select your char-

STEP ONE: CONCEPT STEP FIVE: MOMENT OF INSPIRATION

Choose your character’s name, background, and Decide how the moment of Inspiration oc-
Aspirations. curred, and whether the character became a dare-
devil, stalwart, or mesmerist.
STEP TWO: PATHS
STEP SIX: ADD ADVANTAGES
Choose your character’s Origin, Role, and
Society Paths. Several new Origin, Role, and Assign three points between the Facets. Calculate
Society Paths unique to Adventure! are found on your Inspiration pool as follows — 1 point base, plus
p. XX. Gain Skill dots and Edge dots from each 1 point for each Facet rated 1, 3, and 5. So a charac-
Path. ter with Intuitive 1, Reflective 0, and Destructive 2
would have Inspiration 3 — 1 base point, plus one
STEP THREE: SKILLS, SKILL TRICKS, for her Intuitive 1 and one for her Destructive 2.
AND SPECIALTIES Gain four Gifts. The character must meet the re-
quirements for any Gifts selected. Daredevils gain
Assign six additional Skill dots, and pick
one Gift from each Path associated with the Path’s
Specialties for any Skills with a high enough rat-
Keywords, and one additional Gift chosen from any
ing, and gain one Skill Trick in a Skill rated three
Keyword regardless of Path. Stalwarts gain three Gifts
or higher.

Character Creation Summary 145

 from their Attribute Approach and one additional Gift characters respond to crisis situations. They do
regardless of Approach. Mesmerists choose Biological, not need to assign points to all Facets.
Cognitive, or Energetic as their primary Psychic Gift Purchasing a new dot in a Facet costs 10
type then gain three Gifts from that group and one ad- Experience points.
ditional Gift chosen from outside that group.
Inspiration
STEP SEVEN: FINAL TOUCHES Inspiration is an advantage rated 1-10. An
Calculate Health and Defense ratings, as de- Inspired character begins with an Inspiration rat-
tailed on p.38 of the Trinity Continuum Core. ing of 1, plus 1 point for each Facet rated at 1. An
Assign one bonus dot to any Attribute, and spend additional point is added to this pool each time a
four dots of Edges — these Edges can come from Facet reaches a rating of 3 or 5.
outside your character’s Paths, but she must meet Inspiration can be spent in the following ways:
any other requirements normally. • Some Gifts require Inspiration to activate.

Facets and Inspiration • Spend one Inspiration to provide an

As a common currency for daredevils, stalwarts, Enhancement equal to the corresponding
and mesmerists, Inspiration is going to come up Facet rating on a task in keeping with that
often in Adventure!, so it’s good to refresh what Facet’s nature.
it is and what it can do. You can read more about • Dramatic Editing requires one or more points
Inspiration in Trinity Continuum Core (pp.152- of Inspiration.
154), but what follows are brief summaries of
Facets and the many uses of Inspiration. • Spend one Inspiration to increase Defense
for a scene by an amount equal to a charac-
Facets ter’s lowest Facet rating.
Facets express how a character prefers to tackle
• Spend one Inspiration to add +1 to an action’s
problems: the head-on Intention of the Destructive
Intensity Scale.
Facet, the spontaneous Luck of the Intuitive Facet,
or the careful Skill of the Reflective Facet. Inspiration is regained as follows: one point at
Characters receive three points to assign to the beginning of each scene; one point per hour of
Facets at character creation. restful sleep; one point per 10 minutes spent near
a flux source (aka telluric energy exposure); or as
Facets can have ratings between 0-5, and play-
a Consolation for a failed roll.
ers should assign points based on how their

PATHS
In addition to the Paths included in the Trinity performing hands-on research of one kind or an-
Continuum Core (p. 41), there are several new other. As a result, you grew up in a curious mix of
options for players to choose. field camps in distant lands and chalk dusted class-
rooms of prestigious institutions, and are equal-
Origin Paths ly at home lighting a fire in the wilderness as you
The following are new Origin Paths appropriate are debating the finer points of obscure theory in a
for games set in the 1930s. lecture hall. Even if you didn’t choose to follow in
their footsteps, being around so many cultures and
Field Researcher being exposed to so many ideas has given you a cos-
One or likely both of your parents were traveling mopolitan view of the world, not to mention a set
academics who spent a lot of time out in the field, of skills well suited for exploration and discovery.

146 CHAPTER FOUR: CHARACTER CREATION

 Example Connections: Academics, Foreign Example Connections: Cult Members, Fringe
Friends, Grad Students, Librarians, Travel Guides Theorists, Strange Hermits
Skills: Culture, Enigmas, Humanities or Skills: Enigmas, Humanities, Integrity, Science
Science, Survival Edges: Alternate Identity, Covert, Danger Sense, Iron
Edges: Direction Sense, Fame, Hardy, Library, Will, Library, Polyglot, Safe House, Useful Esoterica
Patron, Polyglot, Speed Reading Daredevil Gift Keywords: Attribute (Composure),
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Skill (Enigmas, Integrity)
Skill (Enigmas, Humanities)
Outcast
Occultist Growing up, your character never fit in with so-
You were raised in an active cult or secret so- ciety at large — perhaps she was poor in a wealthy
ciety, likely learning its mysteries from an early community, or a member of a persecuted minority
age. You should decide what the cult was called group. This otherness could also have been based
and what they believed in — a peaceful society on her own nature or decisions too, such as openly
dedicated to utopian meditation is quite different expressing taboo sexual desires or espousing polit-
than a blood cult that makes sacrifices every new ical viewpoints considered dangerous or subver-
moon! Perhaps your family pretended to be like sive. Whatever it was that set her apart, she never
everyone else while serving the order in secret, felt safe or welcomed by society, and as a result she
or maybe you grew up openly following the soci- has a hard time trusting authority or going along for
ety’s ways in an insular community of like-minded its own sake. By the same token, she has great em-
believers. Regardless, you grew up learning very pathy for others living on the edge, and the bonds
different “truths” about the world, the universe, she’s formed with her fellow outsiders run deep.
and the true order of things than most people did, Example Connections: Community Elders,
and even if you’ve left the cult behind it has left its Political Radicals, Religious Leaders, Underground
mark on you. Artists

Paths 147
 Skills: Culture, Empathy, Integrity, Survival have a reputation to maintain, after all.
Edges: Always Prepared, Artistic Talent, Big Example Connections: Bent Cops, Black
Hearted, Hardy, Introspective, Iron Will, Safe Marketeers, Crooked Customs Agents, Local Guides
House, Tough Cookie Skills: Culture, Larceny, Persuasion, Survival
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Edges: Alternate Identity, Danger Sense,
Skill (Culture, Survival) Direction Sense, Ms. Fix It, Polyglot, Safe House,
Skilled Liar, Wealth
Salt of the Earth
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Attribute (Stamina),
Your character proudly hails from a humble,
Skill (Larceny, Survival)
blue collar background. Whether this means her
family worked the land, lived in a factory town, or Mastermind
ran a small business on Main Street, times were For some people, plans are a necessary evil, a
often tough, but the value of hard work and de- boring chore they must complete before they get
termination was evident from an early age. Your down to business. For you, though, plans are a
character also likely grew up with a large extend- joy in their own right; you love working through
ed family, with many close relatives, and had to elaborate scenarios in your head, and you’ve got a
fight to stand out and be heard. Even if she’s no knack for producing effective solutions. Whether
longer in the family business, however, her family you prefer building solutions or building social
still has her back, and is proud to keep up with her networks to achieve your goals is a matter of
exploits. taste, but you always find a way to make things
Example Connections: Community Associations, happen. You don’t have to be the big boss, exact-
Family Members, Friends Back Home, Helpful Co- ly, though chances are you’ve prepared for just
Workers, Labor Unions such a contingency if it happens. You just need
Skills: Athletics, Integrity, Survival, Technology to be in a position where people will listen up
Edges: Big Hearted, Dig Deep, Hardy, Iron Will, when you tell them how it’s going to go down.
Ms. Fix It, Sweet Science, Weak Spots Nothing pains you more than “winging it” when
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), you could take a minute to do things right, just as
Skill (Athletics, Technology) nothing feels better than when a plan is executed
to perfection.
Role Paths Example Connections: Favorite Consultants,
The following are new Role Paths appropriate Minions, Researchers, Unwitting Pawns
for games set in the 1930s. Skills: Command, Empathy, Enigmas, Technology
Edges: Alternate Identity, Always Prepared,
Fixer Library, Lightning Calculator, Outsized
Your passport has more stamps than a post of- Personality, Photographic Memory, Small Unit
fice, and that’s just the way you like it. You’re a Tactics, Weak Spots
true citizen of the world, equally at home on the Daredevil Gift Keywords: Attribute (Intellect),
dusty streets of Cairo as the salons of Paris or Skill (Command, Enigmas)
the back alleys of Shanghai. More importantly,
all that travel means you have a knack for know- Show Off
ing just where to go and who to talk to get most Humility and subtly have their places, certain-
anything you need, from a sea plane to a seasoned ly, but they’re not your style. You love being the
guide to a sommelier with the perfect bottle at center of attention, and what’s more you’re good
the ready. If it weren’t for you, instead of going at it too — like a great performer, you know how
on wild adventures your group would probably to make an entrance, work a crowd, and leave ‘em
still be standing around with their luggage on the wanting more. Your flashy displays of talent and
tarmac somewhere, accumulating mosquito bites daring help inspire friends, intimidate foes, and
and wondering where they’ll spend the night. dazzle onlookers. You also make one heck of a
Fortunately, you’ll never let that happen — you

148 CHAPTER FOUR: CHARACTER CREATION

great distraction for your sneakier allies. Some say quite compare to the Æon Society. Dedicated to
your ego gets in your way, but you know they’re pushing the boundaries of human knowledge in
just jealous. After all, if you’ve got it, flaunt it! pursuit of a better future for all, the society prides
Example Connections: Agents, Performers, itself on bringing hope to the world — even if the
Reporters, Star-Struck Fans population at large doesn’t always know who its
Skills: Command, Persuasion, and one Skill benefactors are. You are a member in good stand-
that reflects your character’s favorite method of ing, which gives you access to chapter houses in
showing off — a trick shot artist could choose Aim, London, New York, and Chicago, as well as an
for example, while a barnstorming aviator could extensive social network of fellow members most
choose Pilot. anywhere you go. Many are famous figures in
their own right and luminaries in their fields, but
Edges: Adrenaline Spike, Artistic Talent,
all are treated equally in the ranks of the society.
Dashing Presence, Fame, Fast Draw, Hair Trigger
Reflexes, Outsized Personality, Striking Example Connections: Academics, Inventors,
Wealthy Patrons
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Attribute
(Presence), Skill (Persuasion, Variable Skill) Skills: Culture, Humanities, Science, Technology
Edges: Adrenaline Spike, Big Hearted, Library,
Slick Patron, Safe House, Wealth
You’ve always found it easy to work with people. Daredevil Gift Keywords: Skill (Culture,
Or on them. You can get them to do what you want, Humanities, Technology)
anyway, and make them feel like it was their own
idea most of the time. Bottom line: you were born Air Circus
with a silver tongue, and oh do you know how to Flying is still regarded with awe and wonder
use it. Relationship webs and social dynamics are by the public, and you’re one of the reasons why.
your playing field and motivation is your special- Only the very best pilots, ground crew, and avia-
ty. When your friends need someone charmed, se- tion engineers are invited to join the Air Circus,
duced, fast-talked, or otherwise put under a social from barnstorming stunt pilots to hardened com-
spell, all heads turn in your direction. That’s fine, bat aces from the Great War to visionaries whose
though. You were probably planning on it anyway. new dirigible designs promise a bold future in
Example Connections: Grifters, Marks You’re mass transportation. While airplane pilots form
Working, Socialites, Society Columnists the core of the organization, anyone who can take
Skills: Command, Empathy, Integrity, Persuasion to the skies with big dreams and bigger talent is
a possible candidate for membership. You’re one
Edges: Alternate Identity, Artistic Talent, Big
such gifted individual, as at home in the skies as
Hearted, Danger Sense, Fast Talk, Polyglot, Skilled
most people are in their easy chairs, and no matter
Liar, Striking
what, you passionately believe humanity’s destiny
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Attribute is overhead and climbing higher all the time.
(Manipulation), Skill (Command, Empathy)
Example Connections: Aviators, Experimental
Society Paths Engineers, Fans, Former Passengers, Mechanics
Skills: Aim, Command, Pilot, Technology
The following are the Society Paths for
Adventure!. while some of these Allegiances Edges: Adrenaline Spike, Danger Sense, Dashing
are present in the Trinity Continuum Core, use Presence, Direction Sense, Fame, Hair Trigger
these Path write-ups for creating Adventure! Reflexes, Hardy, Ms. Fix It
characters. Daredevil Gift Keywords: Skill (Aim,
Command, Pilot)
Æon Society
Although there are plenty of private clubs for
Branch 9
explorers, inventors, and scientifically-minded Although many countries maintain their own
individuals, for sheer spirit and ingenuity none espionage and intelligence services that the public

Paths 149
 is at least vaguely aware of, Branch 9 operates un- Edges: Always Prepared, Battle Buddy, Covert,
der a whole different level of secrecy. Each divi- Danger Sense, Keen Sense, Library, Photographic
sion is answerable only to its section chief and the Memory, Safe House
head of state in its home nation, so that should one Daredevil Gift Keywords: Skill (Aim, Enigmas,
Branch office be compromised it cannot damage Science)
the security of others. Its skilled Operators tack-
le the greatest clandestine threats to their nation, Le Salon des Femmes Nouveaux
from traitor generals to genocidal scientists, and Despite making major strides in recent years,
every single agent is authorized to use lethal force. women around the world still face an uphill battle
While Operators have a great deal of autonomy in for equality, but it’s a battle Le Salon des Femmes
how they tackle their missions, it is important to Nouveaux intends to win. Members of this group fight
note that Branch 9 takes a dim view of agents who for women’s rights — often metaphorically, but they’re
draw too much attention to themselves — while certainly willing to be more literal if the situation re-
their tasks may be high profile, discretion is the quires. Whether lobbying for new laws, organizing
order of the day. Even if a mission ends in fire- protests, or taking direct action to protect women in
works, the Operators had best fade into the shad- peril, the society refuses to apologize for its methods.
ows while everyone is distracted by the glare.Example Connections: Domestic Staff, Sex
Example Connections: Dead Drops, Discreet Workers, Shelter Employees, Stay at Home Mothers,
Sources, Operators, Secret Radio Broadcasts Teachers, Underground Movement Leaders
Skills: Aim, Close Combat, Larceny, Persuasion Skills: Aim, Close Combat, Culture, Integrity
Edges: Alternate Identity, Covert, Danger Edges: Adrenaline Spike, Always Prepared, Big
Sense, Dig Deep, Fast Draw, Safe House, Skilled Hearted, Danger Sense, Fast Draw, Introspective,
Liar, Sanctum Sanctorum, Tough Cookie Iron Will, Safe House, Tough Cookie, Weak Spots,
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Skill (Close Combat, Without a Trace
Larceny, Persuasion) Daredevil Gift Keywords: Skill (Aim, Culture,
Integrity)
International Detective Agency
As the world grows ever more interconnect- The Order of the Stars
ed, so too do the criminals that prey upon it, The Order of the Stars recruits African Inspired
and the International Detective Agency (IDA) is to teach and train them how to use their Gifts.
one attempt to respond to such evolving threats. They provide safety and resources to ensure they
Backed by a wealthy and anonymous London can focus on the Order’s goals, which have grad-
patron known simply as the Old Man, IDA de- ually expanded to include protecting and fos-
tectives share information and pool resources tering foreign populations of African descent as
as they work to unravel the most devious crimes well. The Order sometimes suffers from internal
and capture the most dangerous criminals in the disputes about procedure and methodology, not
world. They employ a mix of modern science and unexpected considering Africa’s size and diversi-
old-fashioned gumshoe techniques and aren’t ty, though they always unite in the face of outside
afraid to get their hands dirty. Though not an offi- dangers. This group has steadily risen in power
cial police force, the agency generally enjoys good over a brief time and are dedicated to preserving
relations with both law enforcement and the pub- Africa’s natural resources and cultures.
lic, and as such offices can be found in big cities Example Connections: Diplomats, Inventors,
worldwide. You’re an Irregular, one of the detec- Private Tutors, Wealthy Business Owners
tives who’s been picked by the “Old Man” of your Skills: Culture, Integrity, Persuasion, Technology
city to join the IDA.
Edges: Always Prepared, Introspective, Iron
Example Connections: Beat Cops, Crime Reporters, Will, Patron, Polyglot, Safe House, Wealth
Jailhouse Snitches
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Skill (Culture,
Skills: Aim, Empathy, Enigmas, Science Integrity, Technology)

150 CHAPTER FOUR: CHARACTER CREATION

The Archivists
Explorers and researchers based around the
world, the Archivists conduct scholarly expedi-
tions but differ from many of their contemporar-
ies in a few crucial ways. First, they place great
emphasis on preserving indigenous culture and
especially language, and strongly oppose sending
artifacts to overseas museums and universities.
Second, Archivists recruit members from the lo-
cal population and quite a few are of indigenous
descent, though these are not strict requirements.
Finally, they tend to stay in their area of study
and rarely work abroad unless they’re following
a research trail that crosses modern borders or
they’re invited by a fellow Archivist in need of
their expertise. Sometimes they also quietly at-
tempt to “recover” a crucial artifact they feel was
unjustly exported and deserves to return to its na-
tive land. Peerless guides and tireless researchers,
the Archivists may seem narrowly focused indi-
vidually, but collectively represent a tremendous
wealth of information not taught in schools or
found in mainstream scholarly texts.
Example Connections: Field Researchers,
Local Guides, Museum Staff, Native Advocates
Skills: Culture, Enigmas, Humanities, Survival
Edges: Dig Deep, Direction Sense, Hardy,
Introspective, Library, Photographic Memory,
Speed Reading, Useful Esoterica
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Skill (Enigmas,
Humanities, Survival)
Artisans of the Verse
Artists who seek to use beauty to foster under-
standing and spread appreciation for the wonders
of the Inspired world, the Artisans are less a prop-
er organization and more of a salon in the classical
sense of the term. Highly exclusive when it comes
to inviting new members, the Artisans neverthe-
less have a larger impact on the world than their
small roster might suggest thanks to their driving
passion for their art (and some well-placed high
society connections). Telluric energy can be a de-
manding and unpredictable muse, but they feel
compelled to ensure it is a positive, transformative
force in culture. They see art as the best way to not
only get others to adopt this view but also discour-
age those who would use it for selfish purposes.
While the Artisans seek to avoid violence, those
who underestimate their willingness to get their
hands dirty to protect their fellow artists do so at
their peril.
Example Connections: Artists, Devoted Fans,
Museum Curators, Nightclub Owners, Patrons of
the Arts
Skills: Culture, Empathy, Humanities, Integrity
Edges: Art is Universal, Artistic Talent, Big
Hearted, Breath Control, Fame, Keen Sense,
Outsized Personality, Patron
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Skill (Culture,
Empathy, Humanities)
Lodestar
Lodestar is little more than a rumor, even in
Inspired circles. There’s no question the group
is essentially altruistic although they do occa-
sionally compete with law enforcement or other
groups to obtain dangerous prototypes or other
sophisticated material. Lodestar teams are tight
knit, extremely competent, highly organized, and
well-supplied by their mysterious leader, Pharos.
None of the teams know about each other, but all
of them know that they’re making the world a bet-
ter, safer place. If that means other people get the
credit, so be it, so long as the work gets done.
Example Connections: Double Agents, Paid
Informants, Police Sources, Unwitting Allies
Skills: Athletics, Close Combat, Larceny,
Technology
Edges: Always Prepared, Battle Buddy, Covert,
Patron, Safe House, Skilled Liar, Small Unit
Tactics, Swift, Without a Trace
Daredevil Gift Keywords: Skill (Athletics,
Close Combat, Technology)
Paths 151
 EDGES
The following Edges are available to Adventure! related to research and analysis, as you always
characters, in addition to the standard ones listed seem to know some stray fact that helps you tie
in the Trinity Continuum Core. things together.

Mental Edges Physical Edges

The following are new Mental Edges. The following are new Physical Edges.

INTROSPECTIVE (•) BATTLE BUDDY (•)

You are on good terms with your own mind, and You have grown accustomed to fighting along-
frequently examine your feelings and motivations. side a particular partner. Whether this is due to
While this doesn’t make you immune to trauma, it time spent in the trenches of the Great War, run-
does aid in your recovery. Gain 2 Enhancement on ning the streets as partners in crime, or pairing
actions to recover from Conditions representing up to battle miscreants as a vigilante duo, you are
mental or emotional trauma. Alternately, you may great at watching each other’s back. You must
spend 1 Momentum to remove such a Condition designate your partner when this Edge is select-
any time after the end of the scene where it was ed. Provided you are fighting within Short range
acquired. of your buddy, increase both yours and your bud-
dy’s Defense by 1. You may only benefit from this
POLYGLOT (•) Edge once; that is to say, if both you and your
You have an amazing facility for languages, and partner purchase this Edge, the benefits are not
whether from book learning or casual exposure cumulative.
you can pick up new languages with astounding
speed. You sound like a native and you automati-
DIG DEEP (••)
cally know enough of any modern language to get You can draw on deep reserves to shut out dis-
around, as well as any dead languages your back- tractions and redouble your efforts at a critical
ground justifies. This includes written language moment. Once per chapter, you may ignore all
as well, assuming the character has been exposed Complications or Difficulty modifiers for a single
to writing as well as speech. The Storyguide may physical action that is not an attack. You may de-
rule that you do not know a language if it is secret clare this Edge after rolling for the action, but be-
or remote, such as the private cant of a mysterious fore any results are narrated.
monastic order or the lost tongue of an isolated
jungle culture. Once exposed to such languages Social Edges
the character learns them just as quickly as any The following are new Social Edges.
other, however, picking up the basics in a day or
two and becoming fluent after little more than a ART IS UNIVERSAL (••)
week of steady exposure.
You are adept at using your artistic ability to con-
nect with others to break the ice and put them at
USEFUL ESOTERICA (•)
ease. Gain +3 Enhancement on Intrigue actions to
You are a veritable fountain of strange, seem- influence a target your character has just met or
ingly unconnected, but often surprisingly useful does not share a common culture with while the
informational tidbits. This could be the result of character is engaging in her chosen art form. Note
an eclectic career, accumulated folk wisdom, or that language is not normally a barrier for art. The
diverse reading habits, but whatever it is, it sure Storyguide may decide to reduce the Enhancement
comes in handy. Gain +1 Enhancement for all tasks due to language barriers if she warrants it.

152 CHAPTER FOUR: CHARACTER CREATION

 DASHING PRESENCE (••) see and interact with your character to be under
the effects of your atmosphere, and its effects are
You have a natural flair for action that others
not selective — you can’t choose to affect some
find irresistibly compelling (or powerfully intim-
people but not others.
idating). Once per scene, you may add your Aim,
Athletics, or Close Combat Skill rating on a social
action to influence anyone who witnessed the
Style Edges
character perform a feat using the same Skill. The The following are new Style Edges.
action must be somehow notable or impressive.
SWEET SCIENCE (• TO •••)
For example, lifting a couch or jumping a small
stream isn’t likely to qualify, but lifting a car or You are trained in boxing, which is hugely pop-
jumping between two buildings certainly might. ular during this era. Though those outside the
As a rule of thumb, if it would look cool in a movie sport often dismiss boxers as just brutes throwing
or it makes other players at the table cheer, it qual- punches, you know better — it’s as much about
ifies for this Edge. motion and mentality as it is raw strength. In ad-
dition to learning how to take and dish out punch-
OUTSIZED PERSONALITY (•) es, the sweet science teaches all about movement,
You don’t just work the room — you fill each conditioning, studying your opponent, and look-
corner with your presence. When you’re happy, ing for openings.
everyone around you smiles; when you’re up- • Footwork: Before throwing any punch-
set, other people tend to run for cover. You are es, the first thing a boxer learns is how to stay
treated as having your own atmosphere rating of in motion and find the right moment to strike.
1 (Trinity Continuum Core p. 86). Whether it Provided you’re on your feet and have at least a
is positive or negative depends on your current bit of freedom to move around, you may add +1
mood and outlook, but must be declared when Enhancement to your Initiative action.
you enter the scene. Characters must be able to •• Bob and Weave: You’re hard to predict

Edges 153
 and tough for an opponent to get their hands attacks a target or takes an aggressive action you
on. Opponents increase the success cost of the cannot use this Edge again for the rest of the scene
Grapple, Knockdown/Trip, Shove, and Feint against anyone who witnessed.
Stunts by 2 when attacking you. ••• I’m On Your Side, Friend: With a few
••• Chin Music: Your hands are simply devas- deft phrases, you can sway most anyone, turning
tating. While using boxing techniques to attack an enemy into a friend (if just for a few minutes).
— that is to say not just any Close Combat, but By spending 1 Momentum, you can change the
strictly unarmed punches — the cost to purchase tenor of the Attitude of a single individual you’re
the Critical Stunt is reduced by two successes, and speaking to for one scene, or until you do some-
you ignore 1 point of soft armor. thing that obviously violates this new dynamic.
Note that this isn’t magic or brainwashing — if you
FAST TALK (• TO •••) flip a negative Attitude 5 (Nemesis) to a positive
Words are your weapons, and you wield them Attitude 5 (Soulmate), the villain isn’t suddenly
like a fencer uses her steel. With just a few min- going to forget everything you’ve done to oppose
utes of conversation, you can lower defenses, cov- them and fall in love with you…but they might be
er your escape, or even turn enemies into friends. convinced you’re worth more to them alive than
Note that this Edge requires you to be able to feeding you to their alligators, call off the hench-
speak to a target in a language they understand men bent on roughing you up, perhaps even tell
well — gestures and a few simple phrases won’t you the details of their evil plot.
cut it. It also means that this Edge has no effect
on animals, automatons, or any other targets who
don’t share a common language with you. You’re
good, but you’re not that good.
• Snappy Patter: You have learned the fine art
of saying a great deal in a brief amount of time,
essentially lulling your target to make them eas-
ier to manipulate. You reduce the Difficulty of all
Influence rolls by 1, provided you can talk to the
target for at least thirty seconds first. If you can
talk the target more or less uninterrupted for five
whole minutes, the Difficulty decreases an addi-
tional 1. After that, more time might be fun but
doesn’t really help — there’s a point where too
much starts to work against you!
•• Not the Face!: You’re adept at spitting out a
distracting stream of pleading, begging, deal-mak-
ing, and other phrases that make it harder for peo-
ple to hurt you, even if they really should know
better. Provided you talk continuously and haven’t
attacked the target or otherwise taken aggressive
action towards them in the current scene, and ar-
en’t obviously moving to do so (like picking up a
weapon or edging towards the Doomsday Switch),
you can impose a +3 Complication on a single tar-
get’s next action. If the target fails to buy off the
Complication, you or an ally within Short range
can immediately take an action. If your character

154
Enhanced Edges the head of a secretive cabal of super-scientists,
or the commander of a mysterious order of sacred
Only Inspired characters can select these Edges. warriors dedicated to safeguarding world peace.
The Storyguide is the final arbiter of what your
BIG BOSS
authority entails, and how to access it.
Prerequisite: A Role or Society Path rating ••• Drawback: Being in charge means that you
When someone asks, “on whose authority?” you have responsibilities as well as authority and may
just crack a smile. With this Edge, you’re not just be forced to make tough decisions if your duties
in charge, you’re someone with tremendous au- and your personal desires clash. A military com-
thority. You could be the leader of a small nation, mander can’t just up and leave her post without
the CEO of a multinational corporation, the head being penalized for going AWOL or even charged
of a religious group, the mastermind of a global with desertion, for example, while the monarch of
conspiracy, a decorated general in command of a a small nation is expected to attend a lot of state
large strike force, or some other significant figure events from diplomatic receptions to parades to
with a lot of power behind them. Note that this giving public speeches. While this shouldn’t make
doesn’t mean you can bring all that might to bear the player feel the character is unplayable due to
in the blink of an eye — institutions often move being bogged down all the time, it should be a fac-
slowly, but when they get there, they pack a lot of tor from time to time. Failure to uphold your re-
punch. Don’t be afraid to be colorful regarding the sponsibilities too often could eventually result in
nature of your position, either. You could also be loss of your position.

Edges 155
 LIVING LEGEND You have access to an incredibly secure, incred-
ibly useful hideout. It is essentially impervious to
Prerequisite: Fame •••
attack by anything less than a serious, sustained
You’ve ascended beyond mere fame to become military operation, and breaking in is impossi-
a household name around the world, which is no ble for all but a handful of the best thieves in the
mean feat in an age before 24/7 news cycles, so- world (and even they will be sorely tested). What’s
cial media, and publicity blitzes. You might be a more, you should feel free to make this location
war hero, a movie star, a sports icon, a celebrated something truly epic and outlandish. An under-
artist, an influential spiritual leader, or something sea complex built on the ruins of fallen Atlantis?
else entirely, though regardless of the reason your Sure. A massive fortress borne aloft by zeppelins?
reputation is a generally positive one. Your face and Awesome! The lost laboratories of Leonardo Da
name are instantly recognizable in all but the most Vinci, scattered across Europe but connected by
very remote locations, and just about anything you mysterious teleportation mirrors designed by
do is considered newsworthy. This level of fame the master himself? Sounds like Adventure! The
means that you can expect to receive preferential Storyguide has the final say on the nature of the
(and deferential) treatment in most places, that Sanctum Sanctorum but is encouraged to be in-
people are eager to shower you with freebies and dulgent and creative in approving it.
fineries, and that you can ask for mundane favors
from almost anyone and expect to be seriously con- UNSTOPPABLE
sidered. This doesn’t mean a baseball star could
Prerequisite: Hardy •• or Tough Cookie
simply command a police officer not to arrest him,
for example, though the cop might be persuaded to Your fortitude is extremely impressive, even
let him off with a warning in exchange for an auto- by Inspired standards. While not outright su-
graphed ball for his kid brother. The more in keep- pernatural regeneration, you recover from most
injuries swiftly and with greater ease than an or-
ing with your image, the more likely it is a favor will
be granted — a war hero asking an off-duty soldier dinary person. You automatically downgrade one
about a secret base is one thing, but a movie star Injury Condition after combat, provided you were
might be pushing her luck to ask about it unless shenot Maimed or Taken Out. You may still receive
phrases it just right; “It’s for an upcoming role!”.first aid to downgrade another Injury Condition.
In addition, you reduce the Complication penal-
Drawbacks: Being a living legend also means
ty from Injury Conditions by 1 (to a minimum of
that it’s difficult for you to go anywhere without
1), once again provided you have not reached the
being recognized, which in turn can mean being
Maimed Condition.
mobbed by adoring fans, reporters, and autograph
seekers. Not to mention less savory types like
WITHOUT A TRACE
stalkers and tabloid journalists. You’re extremely
memorable, and people go out of their way to in- Prerequisite: Larceny or Survival •••
teract with you. You cannot purchase the Covert You have an uncanny knack for leaving no trace
Edge, and you subtract your Fame rating from all of your presence in your wake unless you deliber-
attempts to disguise yourself or go unrecognized ately choose otherwise. When you purchase this
in public. If you are seen to be acting too out of Edge, you must specify what setting this aptitude
character too often or egregiously — a baseball applies to: civilization (Larceny), or wilderness
player caught up in a cheating scandal, for exam- (Survival). You must meet the Skill requirement
ple, or a war hero suspected of betraying his coun- for the selected setting as well. In civilization, this
try — this Edge may be lost as you suffer a public Edge means that you leave no forensic traces be-
backlash. hind — fingerprints are smudged, blood samples
are tainted, photographs turn out blurry, record-
SANCTUM SANCTORUM ings are garbled. Even eyewitnesses have a hard
Prerequisite: Safe House, either Covert ••• or time picking you out of a lineup; while Inspired
Wealth ••• individuals are immune to this, ordinary people
can’t definitively identify you after the fact. Note

156 CHAPTER FOUR: CHARACTER CREATION

that they still recall what happened, but your facewalk up to a grizzly bear with impunity, of course,
is just a blur in their recollection, making posi- just that a pack of bloodhounds would give up
tive identification extremely difficult. The words after just a few frustrating minutes. You are not
“reasonable doubt” were basically invented to de- actually invisible, but if you manage to get out of
scribe your presence (or lack thereof ). sight, it quickly becomes difficult to find you. You
If you select the wilderness, you become es- may choose to waive this Edge if you wish, espe-
sentially impossible to track. You leave behind no cially if you want others to keep up.
footprints or other evidence of your passage, your You may purchase this Edge a second time for
scent is basically nonexistent, and even animals the setting you didn’t choose, provided you meet
can’t follow your trail. This doesn’t mean you can the requirements.

Edges 157
158
 “Technique without art is shallow and doomed.
Art without technique is insulting.”
— Dorothy Alexander

The world of Trinity Continuum: Adventure! introduces astounding advancements in technology

and human ability that echo throughout the century. Daredevils live at the edge of human capability,
while stalwarts and mesmerists stretch beyond it, their own abilities hinting at even greater achieve-
ments to come. This chapter presents new and expanded rules for super science, Scale, marvelous
Moments of Inspiration, and encounters with strange and unearthly locales.

INSPIRATION
Daredevils, mesmerists, and stalwarts all share a com- Associated Attribute: Manipulation
mon resource in Inspiration. You can read more about
Inspiration in the Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook
Birds of a Feather
The character’s Inspiration was prompted
on pp. 151–154, which details how Inspiration and flux
by another one of the Inspired, always the same
are related, as well as presenting rules for spending and
kind as her own. The character might have had a
regaining Inspiration. The following sections expand
chance encounter and been exposed to her peer’s
those rules to encompass mesmerists and stalwarts, as
well as adding new options for daredevils. powers, or more rarely, mentored by her peer un-
til her power manifested in its full strength. Some
Moments of Inspiration Inspired merely witness another of their kind for
The Inspired in Trinity Continuum: a passing moment, but the intuitive recognition of
Adventure! find Inspiration in a variety of cir- their power brings about Inspiration.
cumstances. While a few have been born with Associated Attribute: Any Social
extraordinary Gifts since the Hammersmith
Born This Way
Incident, many more experience a dramatic,
life-changing event which draws their power out The character was simply born extraordinary.
and suffuses them with telluric energy. Maybe he was exposed to telluric energy in utero,
inherited the Inspiration from an Inspired parent,
Mesmerists, stalwarts, and daredevils may all
or had a lucky combination of circumstances that
select the Moments of Inspiration listed in the
made him Inspired from day one. His childhood
Trinity Continuum Core starting on p. 156.
and formative years have been marked by his ex-
In addition, they may take any of the following
traordinary abilities, both bringing strife and joy
Moments of Inspiration for their own.
in equal measure. He’s had his entire lifetime to
Acting As If grow accustomed to those abilities, and often acts
The character faked it until she made it. older and wiser than his years belie.
Through sleight of hand, clever effects, or well- Associated Attribute: Any
staged theatrics, the character convinced people
Induced Inspiration
she had paranormal powers. Then, Inspiration
struck. She might have begun to believe her own The character deliberately undertakes
hype or might still have difficulty separating her life-threatening action to awaken the power she
newfound power from her old tricks. believes is inside her. Either of her own initiative,

Inspiration 159
 or on the encouragement of others, she places
herself in dangerous situations in the hopes that
adrenaline and necessity will awaken her true
potential. Most people attempting to do so wind
up injured, maimed, or dead, but a few emerge
Inspired.
Associated Attribute: Resolve
Lab Rat
The character underwent willing or unwilling
experimentation and emerged Inspired. More of-
ten an unintended success, characters Inspired as
a test subject are of special interest or hunted by
the people who helped make them.
Associated Attribute: Stamina
Scientific Experimentation
Scientific experimentation by the character
yields Inspiration. While the character may have
experimented on animals or other people be-
forehand, frustration or desperation drove her
to test her own experiment, leaving her Inspired.
These experiments always involve telluric energy,
though the character may not have been aware of
its involvement.
Associated Attribute: Any Mental
Secret Initiation
Inducted into a closed community, the charac-
ter receives Inspiration alongside her newfound
purpose. Secret societies, mystery cults, and oth-
er private organizations practice long-standing
traditions of initiation which can bring about
Inspiration. The newly Inspired may find herself
putting her capabilities to use on behalf of her
community, but some run away for fear of having
their powers exploited.
Associated Attribute: Composure
Spending Inspiration
Inspired characters in Adventure! spend
Inspiration as listed on p. 153 of Trinity
Continuum Core.
160 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES
Regaining Inspiration
Inspired characters don’t immediately regain
Inspiration once it’s spent. Each session, Inspired
characters begin play with a full Inspiration pool.
Additionally, the following methods of regaining
Inspiration are available, though some are only
available to a particular type of Inspired:
• Scene Breaks — The character regains a
single point of Inspiration at a new scene’s
beginning.
• Boldness — By taking a significant risk or
enacting a desperate gamble, the charac-
ter gains a burst of Inspiration equal to her
Intuitive Facet. Once per session. Daredevil
only.
• Concentration — The character spends a
scene engaged in concentrated action such as
meditation. She regains her Reflective Facet
in Inspiration at the end of the scene. Once
per session. Mesmerist Only.
• Consolation — The Storyguide can offer
the character the ability to regain a point of
Inspiration as a Consolation on a failed roll,
in addition to awarding Momentum.
• Exposure to Tellurian — If the character is
exposed to a powerful source of telluric ener-
gy, she regains a point of Inspiration every 10
minutes she spends in its vicinity.
• Telluric Catalyst — The character catalyzes
telluric energy that suffuses their body, gain-
ing a sudden burst of Inspiration equal to her
Destructive Facet, but at the cost of suffering
a Telluric Burnout Condition. Once per ses-
sion. Stalwart Only.
• Rest — The character regains one point of
Inspiration per hour spent in a restful sleep.
 DRAMATIC EDITING EXPANDED
In the world of Adventure!, telluric energy sat-
urates the globe as a result of the Hammersmith
Incident, saturating the powers of the Inspired.
• Mesmerists have an uncanny power that
Thanks to these energies, Inspired characters can
manipulate probabilities in their favor both con-
sciously and unconsciously. Mesmerists and stal-
warts must concentrate on the effort, and it takes
a cost to do so, while daredevils have a flair for
Dramatic Editing with little conscious effort on
their part.
Dramatic Editing works as described on p. 154
of Trinity Continuum Core with the following
changes:
• Dramatic Editing for stalwarts and mesmer-
ists cost one more Inspiration than stated in
the Trinity Continuum Core, for Daredevils,
this cost is unaltered. Alterations to Dramatic
Editing listed below do not suffer from this
• Stalwarts can push themselves to their abso-
additional cost.
• Daredevils have an unparalleled facility for
Dramatic Editing, and in the telluric-rich en-
vironment of the 1930’s, it comes even easier
than it does at later periods. Daredevils may
exchange any amount of Inspiration cost
for Dramatic Editing with Momentum on
a one-to-one basis. So, if a daredevil want-
ed to decide a security guard at Doktor von
Zorbo’s villa is an old war buddy who will
help the daredevil out on her mission, she
may exchange up to three Momentum for the
three Inspiration cost of the Dramatic Edit.
manifests in unpredictable ways. Once per
story, a mesmerist may use Dramatic Editing
to exchange one of her Gifts for another of a
similar nature for the scene (or until the new
Gift’s effects end). This costs one Inspiration
if the Gift exchanged is the same type of
Psychic Gift as the Gift it is replaced with,
such as replacing Medium with Dream Diver,
which are both Cognitive Gifts. Gifts which
come from different Psychic types cost three
Inspiration. Mesmerists may exchange any
amount of Inspiration cost for this kind of
Dramatic Editing with Momentum on a one-
to-one basis.
lute limit, and then declare their actual limit
even further beyond that. Once per story, a
stalwart may supercharge her abilities by mak-
ing a Dramatic Edit of her limitations: For the
purpose of her Gifts and Spending Inspiration,
treat a single Facet as if it were maxed out for
a scene. This costs two Inspiration by default,
and an additional two Inspiration each to max
out the other Facets. If the stalwart maxes out
all three Facets, she gains the Telluric Burnout
Condition at the end of the scene. Stalwarts may

TELLURIC BURNOUT
Telluric Burnout reflects the strain of channeling the explosive amounts of telluric energy
that stalwarts require to use their Gifts. Telluric Burnout either manifests as an altered
mindset such as absent-mindedness, a bad temper, obsessive thoughts, or strange
compulsions. More rarely, it manifests in overtly physical ways, giving the stalwart an
unusual trait such as glowing eyes, an aura of telluric energy, physical mutations such
as metallic skin or a gargoyle’s face, or other forms of strange qualia.
These inflict a +3 Complication on Intrigue actions. Failure to buy this off means the
stalwart comes off as frightening or alienated from her compatriots, which may sow
mistrust and fear, or sour friendships. The stalwart may have difficulty understanding
what engenders these reactions and grow frustrated with others as a result.
Resolution: Taking a few hours to rest and recover or being Taken Out.

Dramatic Editing Expanded 161

 exchange any amount of Inspiration cost for
this kind of Dramatic Editing with Momentum
on a one-to-one basis.
• All Inspired can twist their powers in surpris-
ing ways. Once per story, any Inspired charac-
ter may attempt to improvise an effect based
on one of the Gifts they already possess, with
the cost in Inspiration determined by the de-
gree of complexity and remove from the orig-
inal Gift. Should the effect require an action,
the character gains Enhancement equal to
the most relevant Facet, or if it inflicts a pen-
alty of some kind, it may either increase the
Difficulty or offer a Complication equal to the
relevant Facet.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF
INDIRECT DAMAGE
The Inspired travel all over the world encoun- treatment before their Injury Conditions can be
tering natural dangers and those suffused with tel- resolved, such as bedrest for the duration of the
luric energies. The following rules expand on the Condition, herbal remedies, or surgical interven-
sources of indirect damage presented in Trinity tion in infected areas. Gifts that can recover Injury
Continuum Core on p. 111. Conditions or Complications can heal diseases
just as easily as harm.
Illnesses and Diseases Infectious diseases possess a Severity equal
While the anti-bacterial properties of the to the level of Injury Condition it inflicts, and a
Penicillium mold have been discovered and used Difficulty to resist called Virulence rated between
to treat patients, the mass production of the rev- 1 and 5. Severity and Virulence aren’t linked,
olutionary antibiotic will not begin until the some illnesses might be difficult to catch (low
1940s, leaving people across the globe to con- Virulence) but deadly (high Severity). A charac-
tend with deadly infections and diseases with ter exposed to an illness must take a Survival +
more rudimentary medicines and unconventional Appropriate Attribute action at Difficulty equal
treatments. to Virulence. On success, avoid contracting the
Illnesses and disease are modeled through disease. Pre-existing health conditions, unsani-
Conditions (Trinity Continuum Core, p. 73). tary environments and prolonged exposure can
They are divided into three levels of Severity increase the Difficulty of resisting exposure to an
— Minor, Major, and Extreme — equivalent illness, while precautions and sanitary equipment
to the Bruised, Injured, and Maimed Injury can offer Enhancement.
Conditions, producing the corresponding Injury Proper rest and treatment are essential for re-
Complication, and using the same rules for re- covery from an illness, and a lack of attention may
covery. Some diseases may require specialized aggravate the sickness. At Storyguide’s discretion,

INDIRECT DAMAGE
DAMAGE THREAT
THREAT RATING TAGS TYPE
Cold Water (Immersed) 2 Continuous (minute), Deadly Environmental
Telluric Quicksand (Immersed) 1 Continuous (round) Environmental
Insect Harassment 1 Continuous (hour) Environmental
Extreme Heat 2 Continuous (hour), potentially Deadly Environmental
Aggravated, Continuous (round),
Pyroclastic Flow 5 Deadly Environmental

162 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES

 ILLNESSES AND DISEASES
SEVERITY INITIAL PENALTY
Minor +1
Major +2
Severe +4
characters who fail to buy off the Complication
inflicted by an illness’s Injury Conditions may
suffer more severe symptoms, worsening the ill-
ness by one degree. A Minor illness may become
Major in Severity, while a Major illness becomes
Severe. Alternatively, without treatment they may
SCALE EXPANDED
While Scale (Trinity Continuum Core
Rulebook, p. 74) describes relative differences
between two things — such as questions on who
would win a race around the world, a zeppelin or a
hot air balloon — it also applies to instances of dif-
ference between characters. Inspired characters
have Gifts that make them better than the average
human and increase their Scale in certain areas.
For this reason, this section includes a greater di-
vision of Scale categories and a discussion on how
to compare them.
• Durability: A measure of the resistance
something has to damage or being broken.
Often compared to power which is used to
overcome durability. When dealing with
Dramatic Scale, durability Scale applies to
a character’s soft armor for purposes of the
Inflict Damage Stunt.
• Leadership: A measure of the social influence
an entity has over others. Often used as the
scope or depth of the influence they entity can
express to get others to do as she wishes.
• Mental: A measure of intellect and prob-
lem-solving capacity. Often compared via the
speed of data collection and manipulation.
• Might: A measure of the physical force an en-
tity can exert. Often described as the ability to
move objects or manipulate entities with size
Scale.
EXAMPLES
Common cold, Allergies, Skin infection
Influenza, Gangrene, Scarlet Fever
Cancer, Polio, Tuberculosis
instead suffer an appropriate Status Condition or
an additional Injury Condition at the same level
reflecting secondary infections, organ damage
and other severe consequences which possess the
Aggravated tag. Untreated illness can quickly lead
to death for the unwary.
• Power: A measure of the damage output of
an entity. Used to overcome durability Scale
or to output vast amounts of energy.
• Size: A measure of the volume and mass of
an entity. Generally used to describe high vol-
ume entities, though sometimes items with
large mass and small volume gain size Scale.
At Storyguide discretion, entities with size
Scale may gain an equal increase in might,
power, and/or durability Scale.
• Speed: A measure of the velocity an entity
moves at. Often described as the time it takes
to perform certain actions or move from one
point to another.
Some of these categories have clear opposition
to one another, such as power versus durability —
to overcome a tank’s higher durability Scale, hav-
ing durability yourself isn’t that useful, but having
power Scale on a weapon would negate it. Others
of these categories oppose themselves, such as a
character with leadership Scale using her influ-
ence to oppose her rival’s. In cases where a dif-
ferent Scale opposition makes sense, use them. A
stalwart’s mental Scale might allow her to over-
come her rival’s speed Scale when attempting to
catch him in the act of thievery.
When utilizing dramatic Scale, having more
Scale in opposition to another Scale grants a +2
Enhancement to an action for each difference in
Scale. In our previous example, the stalwart with
Scale Expanded 163
 SCALE EXAMPLES

LEADERSHIP
SCALE LEVEL

DURABILITY

MENTAL

POWER

MIGHT

SPEED
SIZE
1: Standard Basic A friend or An average A fist or knife An Person- A decent
Clothing acquaintance person average sized sprinter
person
2: Formidable Bulletproof A supervisor Chess A gun Strong- Car, A horse
vest grandmaster man large
animal
3: Impressive A tank Church or A human Anti-vehicle A gorilla Small A car
community calculator or weapon building
leader code cracker
4: Awesome Reinforced Military or city A calculating A telluric ener- A me- building A train
steel leader machine gy weapon chanical com-
pully plex or
neigh-
borhood
5: Incredible Armor made A national Differential A massive A crane or A small A plane
of specialty leader analyzer explosive forklift city
materials

mental Scale 3 would gain a +2 Enhancement to pick
out her speed Scale 2 thief. Otherwise, the difference
in Scale acts as a +2 Difficulty to a dramatic action. A
mesmerist attempting to lead the armies of a nation
astray may suffer a +4 Difficulty with her leadership
Scale of 2 vs that of the military general who inher-
ently has a leadership Scale of 4 for those troops.
All characters in the Trinity Continuum start
at Scale 1 for any action they take. That’s the base-
line. While noted elsewhere, Inspired characters
should never have more than +3 Scale to any ac-
tion they are taking that come from Gifts or Edges
that provide Scale. Meaning the maximum Scale
an Inspired character can achieve through their
special abilities is 4. The Scale chart goes up to 5,
and this does not preclude characters from having
access to the naturally occurring phenomenon in
the world that exist at that level.
The level of relative difference between Scale
for some of these categories are much narrower
in the 1930s than they are today. As calculating
machines were just being invented at that time, a
mental Scale of 5 looks vastly different in the 30s
than it does in the 2000s. We’ve provided some
examples of Scale for the Adventure! era — but
remember that the Storyguide is always the final
arbiter of the difference in relative Scale two enti-
ties have to one another in any area.

164 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES

 SPECIAL ENVIRONMENTS
Games of Adventure! may take characters
across the world, and into strange and weird plac-
es. The following section describes some of the
specialized environments characters may find
themselves and special rules for being there.
Active Volcano
Active Volcanoes produce no shortage of deadly
hazards to contend with. Characters near an ac-
tive volcano are exposed to Extreme Heat when-
ever not sheltering in cool locations such as un-
derground or behind adequate protection. Fires
are frequent, and the destruction caused by lava
flow as well as the flow itself may be Complicated
Terrain with a +1 to +3 Complication, inflicting
Injury Conditions reflecting burns or injuries
caused by displaced debris and exposure to lava.
Ash and smoke from fires and the volcano itself
may cause characters to begin Suffocation, though
adequate protection or face covering may provide
Enhancements or obviate the hazard.
Occasionally during an eruption, an active
volcano may unleash a supremely deadly pyro-
clastic flow, a fast-moving current of stifling air
that incinerates and ignites anything it touch-
es. Characters some distance away from the ac-
tive volcano have three rounds to seek cover in a
sealed location capable of keeping the superheat-
ed gas out. Minor characters caught in the flow
are immediately killed, while characters must re-
sist the Pyroclastic Flow with a +5 Complication
each round for three rounds in order to survive.
Failure to buy off the Complication inflicts an
Injury Condition with the Aggravated tag.
Alien World
The sun seems different, wrong somehow, or
there is more than one. The character is on an
alien world, accessed through space or dimen-
sional travel. Gravity may differ from Earth, and
structures crafted by non-human hands decorate
the unfamiliar landscape. Characters may use
Enigmas, Empathy, or Humanities to perform
Procedural actions to gather information about
the environment to open doors, understand the
purpose of chambers and what happened to the
original inhabitants of the space.
Dimensional Rift
Being caught in the event horizon of a dimen-
sional rift presents great danger and opportunity.
Everything out to medium range around the rift is
caught in the Dimensional Rift Field. In random
range bands, special environments, complicated
Special Environments 165
 terrain, and environmental hazards reflective of own ecosystems and with clouds in the higher
the Dimensional Rift’s destination may appear. reaches of the largest caverns, the ecosystems of
Those inside the Dimensional Rift Field suffer a the Hollow Earth are filled with lush jungle cano-
+1 Complication on all actions, failure to buy it pies teeming with primordial life.
off means they either find themselves caught in a Hollow Earth caverns can be humid and prone
special environment or hazard caused by the rift, to rain, Characters with skin exposed or lacking
or that one spontaneously appears within close sufficient protection might be harassed by biting
range. Different range bands may experience lo- insects that cause irritation and leave infections,
calized phenomena: these effects need not be con- potentially exposing them to deadly diseases. At
tinuous. one range band might be filled with water Storyguide’s discretion, characters attempting to
from an alien dimension while the space next to navigate the Hollow Earth suffer +2 Complication,
it remains miraculously dry. At the center of the failure to buy it off attracts the attention of some
Field, a character may take a movement action to of the cavern’s dangerous animal inhabitants.
enter it, appearing at whatever location is on the
other side. High Mountain Peak/
Some Dimensional Rifts may open to multi- Extreme Elevation
ple destinations. These are especially danger-
On the cliffs of Mount McKinley or Mount
ous, presenting a +2 Complication and a greater
Everest, every step represents potential danger.
variety of anomalies within the Field which may
Even with equipment, most of these environ-
combine in unexpected ways. When attempting
ments are Fields covered in Difficult Terrain with
to pass through these Dimensional Rifts, treat
Complications of +1 to +3 to navigate. Failure to
as Difficult Terrain (Trinity Continuum Core,
buy off the Complication means a character loses
p. 81) with a +3 Complication. Failure to buy off
her footing and must take a reflexive Athletics ac-
the Complication sends the character to a differ-
tion at Difficulty 3 or fall between one and three
ent destination than the one they sought, though
range bands below. Characters can use this to
wherever they end up should ultimately still be
their advantage, using Shove Stunts to push ene-
relevant to their interests.
mies to their doom.
Hollow Earth Cavern Interdimensional Space
Enormous caverns that defy conventional ge-
Telluric energy pervades the space between
ology can be found hidden in the Earth’s depths.
dimensions, which certain anomalies, unusual
Some have appeared spontaneously within the
objects, and Dimensional Rifts may lead to. The
last decade, while others seem to have existed,
sky and the ground are a riot of potential energy,
hidden, for millions of years. Populated by their

BETWEEN WAKEFULNESS AND SLEEP

Interdimensional space has a surreal quality, the details of every island appears fuzzy
around the edge. Some speculate that this is where the mind goes when dreaming and
exploring characters may find islands centered around the dreams of people they rec-
ognize. While these islands offer an impressionistic depiction of dreams and events,
characters may use relevant islands to engage in Procedural actions. Whenever a
character enters Interdimensional Space, she may use an Integrity action to attempt to
direct herself to an island related to someone familiar to her. Targeting a specific person
increases the Difficulty of the action by 1. While most islands encountered by the char-
acters will be relatively recognizable, some appear otherworldly, possibly the product
of other dimensions or alien minds. These islands may be particularly dangerous and
strange to navigate.

166 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES

shapes, colors, and emotions, broken up by con- enhance games of chance. Inspired characters
ceptual islands of stability. In the space between gain a +2 Enhancement instead and experience
islands, the character (or any vehicle she is pilot- Exposure to Tellurian (p. XX) for the duration of
ing) may move in any direction she wills through their stay. Localized anomalies are often subtle
her mind alone, unaffected by the pull of gravity. and can be taken advantage of with Stunts. A hill
All characters suffer +2 Complication to actions saturated with telluric energy may cause a car ac-
taken while the space between islands is in view, celerated at the right time to move much faster, or
failure to buy it off results in the Dimensional the arrangement of lights might generate a mirage
Vertigo Condition, which increases the Difficulty or illusion the character can make use of.
of physical actions by +2 until the character takes Negatively charged zones are much rarer and
a simple Integrity action to reorient to resolve it. dangerous, sometimes misidentified as haunt-
Mesmerists are immune to this effect. ed houses or natural environmental hazards. In
Islands of stability may be as small as a house truth, these rare areas have dangerous effects on
or as large as a city; while present in them, laws of most Inspired, and the localized anomalies they
physics seem to work as normal once again. Some generate are highly dangerous. Inspired suffer +1
are impressionistic versions of locations familiar Complication on actions to use their Gifts, fail-
to the character, while others are unrecogniz- ure to buy off the Complication results in the loss
able, appearing to come from various parts of the of a single point of Inspiration burned up by the
world or even different periods of time. Telluric environment. Other environmental hazards such
Emanations in the form of people seem to inhabit as gravity anomalies, telluric-charged flames, or
these spaces, acting according to unseen scripts. rapid temperature fluctuations are also common,
They are initially friendly but may turn hostile if usually with a Damage Rating one higher than
characters attempt to pull them away from their their mundane equivalent. Injuries sustained in
‘script.’ negatively charged zones are slower to heal, in-
creasing the recovery period by 50 percent.
Quicksand Strangely, stalwarts are nearly immune to the ef-
While most quicksand lacks the suction pow- fects of negatively charged zones; indirect sources
er to dramatically impair a character and simply of damage inflict their normal consequences, but
presents a Complication or Difficult Terrain, there all other effects are ignored.
have been a few instances of telluric-charged Telluric-Charged Zones often affects the growth
quicksand with a dramatically increased suc- of local life. Plants might grow in unusual patterns
tion power, often guarding anomalies and other or display unnatural features. Anomalies are more
strange sites in the hidden corners of the world. likely to be born there, and these locations attract
These forms of quicksand inflict the Sinking other anomalies, such as Telluric Emanations
Complication (p. XX) and exposes the character (p. XX). Positively charged zones may fluctuate,
to a Telluric-Charged Zone (p. XX) while caught disappearing or appearing according to certain
within them. conditions, like the presence of objects and struc-
tures, time of day, or the use of Gifts. Negatively
Telluric-Charged Zone charged zones remain and require concentrated
Deliberate experimentation, accident, or cos- effort to disperse; they are often avoided or the
mic circumstances have led to the Field becoming subject of study.
charged with telluric energy. Positively charged
zones give off copious amounts of benign telluric Tundra
energy, altering probabilities and causing local- Tundra, particularly those found in the Arctic,
ized anomalies to appear. These locations might are characterized by a lack of tree coverage and
become famous for being particularly lucky, offer- low temperatures. During winter months, these
ing +1 Enhancement to a single action per person areas can become covered with snow drifts for
per scene, usually themed on the location. A park miles around and can prove lethal for unwary trav-
might enhance athletic feats, while a casino might elers. Characters spending time on the tundra at

Special Environments 167

 night or during the winter months are exposed tohazard, with a +2 Complication. Failure to buy
Antarctic Cold (Trinity Continuum Core, p. 111) this Complication results in the character suf-
as well as a +1 Complication. Failure to buy off this
fering the Cold Shock Condition, which adds +2
Complication leaves the character chilled, chang-
Difficulty to all physical actions. The character
ing the Antarctic Cold’s Tags from Continuous must make a reflexive Athletics action to remain
(hour) to Continuous (minute). afloat. Success on this action causes the Cold
Characters who fall into the frozen waters of Shock Condition to end. For as long as they suf-
the tundra are in great danger. They must im- fer this Condition, the character begins Drowning
mediately resist the Cold Water environmental (Trinity Continuum Core, p. 111).

SUPER SCIENCE
While the Talents, psions, and Novas of later Inspired Science encompasses wider fields of
eras have access to more advanced and reliable study and knowledge. These include systems of
prosaic science, the Adventure! Age’s upheavals learning and development wholly apart from the
and its heroes’ ingenuity forges many wonders, standard industrialized technology base, enor-
even in the shadow of the Hammersmith Incident. mous structures designed to harness and shape
In a world spinning wildly out of control, many the energies of the world itself, and stranger
creations and expressions of Inspired ability take things still.
outlandish and strange forms across the planet.
Artifacts of Enigmatic Power
Fine Materials Artifacts of enigmatic power are a step beyond
and First Principles the physical sciences that comprise super science
artifacts. These artifacts use telluric energy to cre-
Whether engaging in Advanced Science,
ate wondrous effects that are beyond normal hu-
Inspired Science, or any other form of super sci-
man capability. Many traditions across the world
ence, characters need to choose whether they’re
produce strange creations rivaling those created
inventing something whole-cloth or improving
by cutting-edge super science. Tarot decks that
on existing technology. Improvements to exist-
can reliably predict potential harm for their read-
ing technology require additional Wealth (equal
ers, lovingly carved arrows that strike without re-
to the cost of the basic item) to create but bene-
gard to distance or intervening objects, tales that
fit from an existing template: they start with any
produce physical changes in those that hear them.
initial Tags and Scale the item they’re improving
From obscure backwoods redoubt to ultra-cos-
has, minus any that offer general Enhancement,
mopolitan drawing room, these techniques and
and treat the project’s Rank two lower (to a min-
artifacts clearly exhibit impressive powers but do
imum of one) for the purpose of time between
not follow the paths of cutting-edge technological
milestones (pp. 93–95 Trinity Continuum Core
development or bespoke ray-gun design that so
Rulebook). Whole-cloth-invented items have
much super science does.
neither the benefits of a template nor the burdens
These traditions represent generations of dif-
of additional cost but may exchange points of
ferent knowledge bases or individual epiphany
Edges in order to increase available Tags.
applied to Inspired Science. It’s easy for individu-
In both cases, the inventor can choose to reduce
als in the Æon Society or similar organizations to
item Enhancement to increase the number of ad-
dismiss artifacts such as spiritual artifacts and rit-
ditional Tags.
ual tools as superstitious trappings propped up by
incidentally obtained Inspired powers, but such
Super Science Traditions disdain is misplaced.
While Advanced Science relies on princi-
Items of enigmatic power use alternative cre-
ples well understood by mundane technologists,
ation means typically based around ritual actions

168 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES

taken during the crafting, to create results on par guidelines; the genius inventor may have trouble
with that of super science. Such items fall into the using his knowledge of power-trains and elec-
realm of Inspired Science. Their creators reach trical flows to unravel the Inspired mystic’s dan-
for effects approaching the numinous and sublime ger-sensing Tarot deck or the paranormal mathe-
that pure material science can’t replicate. Their matician’s probability skewing equation.
flaws and drawbacks tend to put more risk on the It’s possible for creators of technologically
mental state of their creators and users, even as oriented super science and enigmatically pow-
devices created by traditional super science tends erful artifacts to try and make wonders together;
to threaten material harm or effect. the Inspired are capable of great feats, after all!
Working in unison, enigmatic creators and tech-
Creating Items of
Enigmatic Power nological inventors can reforge items from one
tradition to partake of both, and even create uni-
Use the normal super science crafting rules for fied works whole-cloth. Doing so allows members
creating items of enigmatic power found in the of both traditions to work to repair and maintain
Trinity Core pp. 91–99. All enigmatic items re- the resulting wonders, while making it difficult
quire rare materials or preparations, which may for others to reverse engineer the projects unless
result in additional Complications for the creation they have access to both skillsets.
process if the crafter fails to utilize the correct
materials. In many cases, the item will have so- Moments of
cial and mental abilities instead of physical ones;
mundane technology is already particularly good
Desperate Genius
at affecting the material world. The flaws their Especially for Inspired heroes facing the dan-
creators unwittingly introduce into such items gers and strange events of the Continuum’s
follow a similar vein. 1930s, it’s not always possible to have bespoke
Paths related to their creation are particularly super science solutions available for every crisis.
important and should inform the form and func- Sometimes, heroes muddle through with their
tion of the items a character creates. While a for- native wits and abilities. Other times, however, an
mer American spiritualist, a Mongolian shaman, intrepid explorer looks at the charging mastodon
and even a radical thinker in experimental math and then to his trusty Automatic Phonograph and
may all construct an item of enigmatic power that gets an idea…
allows them to detect and react to oncoming vi- Desperate Genius allows those with super sci-
olence, for example, their means and the exact ence items or artifacts to attempt to repurpose
form it takes differs greatly. The spiritualist, who them to meet an immediate challenge, tweaking
possesses the Occultist Origin Path, uses a tra- the item’s abilities to provide a one-time effect.
dition deep in symbolic references and personal Using advanced technology or one-of-a-kind
meaning to make a Tarot deck that warns her of wonders in ways they were never meant to func-
danger. The shaman, who hails from an Outcast tion can risk damaging those devices, but some-
Role Path (p. XX) due to Soviet disruption of her times there’s no other choice.
people’s lives, reassembles a tradition that weaves Problem Solving
stories and songs into world altering effects.
Desperate Genius may apply directly to solve
The character may use Enigmas or Culture in
problems. A jeep is stuck in a ravine, and a charac-
place of Science for the Skill requirements for
ter with a personal flying belt wants to try and use
working on super science, and Enigmas or Science
it to pull the vehicle out. An ally takes deathly ill,
in place of Technology for the action. Their mas-
and an eccentric scientist wants to carefully mod-
tery over internal mysteries of the self and their
ulate a Heat Ray to burn the sickness from their
investigations of external mysteries of the world
body.
become the basis for objects with seemingly tran-
scendent powers. Actions to repair or reverse en- Once per scene, a player may describe how they’re
gineer items of enigmatic power also follow these going to apply their super science item to a related
problem or challenge to spend an Inspiration and

Super Science 169

 add the item’s Rank as Enhancement to the action. make a Technology, Science, or Enigmas roll as
However, swiftly repurposing super science puts the appropriate for their super science tradition. The
item at risk, creating a Complication equal to the ac- Difficulty is equal to (5 – the item’s Rank). If they
tion’s Difficulty (Enhancement from Desperate Genius succeed, they immediately produce the Gift’s ef-
may not apply to this). If the player does not complete- fect, but gravely damage the super science item,
ly overcome the Complication, the Storyguide selects a requiring repair before it’s used again.
Flaw equal to the value of the remaining Complication
to apply to the super science item. This Flaw persists New Flaws
until its owner successfully repairs the item, as if dam- These flaws are particularly appropriate for
aged normally. As long as the Flaw afflicts the super items of enigmatic power, though Storyguides and
science item, another attempt to use Desperate Genius players shouldn’t hesitate to use them for tradi-
destroys the item, even if successful. tional super science, where appropriate.
Destructive Creativity
COMRADES IN ARMS (•• OR •••)
In particularly harrowing moments, it’s some-
This item carries emotional echoes of its creator
times necessary to repurpose super science equip-
or previous users with it. Whoever uses it gains ei-
ment for wholly different ends. A desperate hero
ther Positive Attitude 2 for the item’s last user, or the
strips their death ray’s power pack to fuel an un-
creator if there was no previous user. For the 3-point
derwater escape pod. A harried scientist short cir-
version, this applies to the creator and every other
cuits a chronal stasis unit to open a short window
previous user of the item. A user can resist gaining the
into the past. Brave aviators bootstrap a flying har-
Attitude, but then the item fails to function for them.
ness into a hovering mine in order to take out one
of Doktor Zorbo’s War Zeppelins.
FORGED IN PURPOSE (•••)
Once per scene, a character may use Desperate
Genius to generate the effect of any Gift. They The item is inseparable from its intended use. It
choose a super science item they possess and then subjects whoever uses it to an influence to support

170 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES

its creator’s goals equal to the item’s rating. The MADE TO FIT
user can resist the influence, but then suffers in-
Sometimes you just need a tank that can fit
creased Difficulties while using the item equal to
down a hallway or a diving suit that can fit the yeti.
the item’s Rank.
System: For every 3 successes spent, you may
DRAINING (• TO •••••) increase or decrease this items Scale for the pur-
pose of Size.
Using this item takes a serious physical and
mental toll on the user. They gain the Exhausted PUISSANCE AND POTENCY
Condition at this Flaw’s rating, which imposes
You have forged a work that simply outclasses
the Exhausted Complication on all physical rolls
others of its type.
they make until they have a chance to rest. If the
user doesn’t overcome this Complication when System: For every 3 successes spent, you may
making a physical action, the character becomes increase the Scale of an item for non-size purpos-
Unconscious and this Condition ends. es. Every time you do this to increase an item’s
Scale for any purpose, it reduces the maximum
LIMITED TOLERANCES (•) Enhancement for the item. For example, when
you give a Rank 4 rocket car +1 Scale for both
This item requires precise function within care-
Speed and Durability, you reduce the maximum
fully calibrated tolerances to continue functioning
Enhancement you can give the rocket car from 5
normally. It gains the Finicky tag (p. XX).
to 3.
REMARKABLE! (••)
Example Super Science
This creation works in a particularly conspicu-
ous and singular way. Attempts to notice its oper-
Item Creation
ation or track down the user after its use gain +2 Creation of super science items is incredibly
Enhancement. flexible. This section demonstrates it use, apply-
ing material from the Trinity Continuum Core
SINISTER (•••) with content from Adventure!, and also gives
several examples of complete super science items
This device, or the energies it utilizes, come off
for player or Storyguide use.
as inherently unwholesome to those who see it in
Violet is playing the character Tessa Weaver, an
operation. Its immediately creates −2 Atmosphere
Inspired scientist and explorer. During play, she
for the scene when used, and anyone trying to cre-
decides she’d like Tessa to have a vehicle capable
ate negative attitudes towards the user with indi-
of easily navigating the various disaster sites she
viduals who’ve ever seen the device in use gain +2
often visits. Violet doesn’t think Tessa needs any-
Enhancement.
thing particularly large or powerful, but does want
New Crafting Stunts something unusual, beyond the prosaic technolo-
gy of the 1930s. She decides to keep it simple and
Characters may use leftover successes on mile-
aims for a Rank 1 vehicle. However, she doesn’t
stone rolls to buy these crafting Stunts as normal.
want to base it off of any of the existing vehicles
and decides to make a hovering Transport Pod.
ENERGIES FROM BEYOND
Since her Transport Pod is Rank 1, its basic
Tapping into telluric energy or stranger powers Difficulty, the built in Complication, and the mini-
still, you infuse your creation with a power sourcemum number of milestones she needs to reach are
capable of reproducing miracles even without an also 1 (Trinity Continuum, p. 94). The Storyguide
Inspired user. could impose additional Complications or re-
System: Spend 4 successes to give your Item quired milestones if it made sense to the narrative.
the Telluric tag, which does not count against its In this case, Tessa finds herself well supplied, free
normal tag limit. from trouble, and without other entanglement, so
the basic Complications and milestones suffice.

Super Science 171

 This also sets the basic time between milestones crafting stunt (Trinity Continuum, p. 99), it
at a single session; Violet won’t have to wait long will be a while before Luís finishes making his
for Tessa to finish her vehicle! gun. Luís also has to contend with the age of the
Since Violet is making a new vehicle whole- components he’s reassembling into his enigmatic
cloth, she starts from the basic vehicle stats item and the fact that he doesn’t have decent fa-
(Trinity Continuum, p. 128). Since the Transport cilities or tools. The Storyguide decides to assign
Pod is going to be a hovering vehicle, Violet uses an additional +2 Complication to the crafting
the free tag Rank 1 items get to give the Hovering project; if Luís doesn’t buy it off, his weapon will
(1) tag to her invention. Violet also wants Tessa’s be stuck with the Shoddy Flaw.
Transport Pod to be able to comfortably fit Tessa David decides to name the weapon Long Reach.
and her friends, so she decides to trade in the point Since it’s based off the mundane bolt-action rifle, he
of Enhancement Rank 1 items get to purchase the uses those stats as its base: 2 Enhancement, Ballistic,
Massive (1) tag. Violet also wants to give the Pod with the Ranged (Long), Quality 2, and Two-Handed
the Sealed (1) tag given the number of hazardous Tags. As a Rank 3 super science item, David can give
situations she expects it to encounter; since the it Gifts, so he decides to give it the Terror Manifest
Transport Pod isn’t using an existing vehicle as its Mesmer Gift; the rifle serving as a conduit for the
base, she’s allowed to use unspent Edge dots on awful experiences Luís underwent in the Great War.
Tags. Rank 1 items only offer 1 point of Edges, but This comes out of the Powered Edges budget for
that’s enough to convert for the Sealed (1) Tag that the weapon. With one left, he decides to use it for
Violet wants. Enhancement instead with the Storyguide’s agree-
Tessa is a classic super scientist, so after the req- ment (Trinity Continuum, pp. 93–94).
uisite time passes Violet rolls Tessa’s Technology Luís is a mystic and explorer of the psyche, so
+ Intellect as the super scientist assembles the at each milestone David rolls Luís’s Enigmas +
Transport Pod in her lab. Tessa will be out floating Intellect as Luís transcribes the secrets of staring
past strange discoveries in no time! into death into the worn rifle he’s reassembling,
David is playing the character Luís Guzman de working only on moonlit nights with no other
la Cruz, an Inspired sharpshooter and mystic. He souls present to distract him. Eventually, his ene-
decides that Luís’s close encounters with death mies will know fear of death, the Long Reach, and
during the Great War have led him to construct a of Luís Guzman de la Cruz.
weapon imbued with the essence of that near-end.
David knows he’s going to base it off of a bolt-ac- Super Science Examples
tion rifle and decides to make it a Rank 3 item. What follow are merely a few of the possible in-
Luís’s tradition of crafting comes from his ventions, discoveries, and artifacts the heroes of
Occultist Origin Path, and strongly involves Adventure! might use, covet, or encounter.
turning inward truths into worldly effects. His
Culture rating limits his crafting projects rather AN EQUATION TO DETERMINE
than Science, and Luís’s Culture of 4 meets the THE ROOT OF POWER
requirements. Rank: 3
This sets the basic Difficulty, Complication, Enhancement: 4
and minimum number of milestones all to 3. The Gifts: The Right Climate, the Room Where It
normal time between milestones would be three Happens
sessions. Since David bases his design from an
Flaws: Draining 2, One-Time Use
existing item (the existing bolt-action rifle), he
Determining the dynamics of political and so-
reduces the Rank for the purpose of time be-
cial power, refining them down to a usable set of
tween rolls by 2 down to 1: a single session be-
theorem, equations, and proofs, and putting those
tween each roll. However, it still requires three
into practice in the physical world is incredi-
milestones. Unless David can afford to spend
bly taxing for even the most gifted of Inspired
successes from the “On Time, Under Budget”

172 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES

mathematicians. What’s worse, once one has used ENCOUNTER SUIT
such an equation, by its very nature is no longer
Rank: 2
useful: Using it has thrown off all the variables
Enhancement: 0
that made it work in the first place! But for that
one shining moment, when theory becomes prac- Tags: Elemental, Ray, Sealed, Soft Armor 1
tice, there’s no hall of power that the equation’s Designed to allow the user to explore areas
bearer can’t navigate and master. soaked in dangerous telluric and otherworldly en-
ergy, the Encounter Suit’s ray-resistant nature has
BULLETPROOF SUIT made it popular amongst scientists investigating
Rank: 2 dimensional irregularities and those opposed to
the REG as well.
Enhancement: None
To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the
Gifts: Moving Target
Flaw: Built in Weakness (Cumbersome) 2.
Tags: Bulletproof, Concealable, Hard Armor 1,
Soft Armor 2 FLIGHT HARNESS
Flaws: None
Rank: 3
This lightweight suit is made of fine cloth and ex-
Enhancement: 0
pertly tailored to fit the character and make him look
Scale: Size 1, Speed 2
good at the same time. It provides excellent armor
against incoming projectiles, without even scuffing Gifts: Daredevil
the fabric. A suit or other such clothing such as this Tags: Flight Systems, Telluric
must be custom ordered or made from only a select Even in the age of the airplane, personal flight
number of Inspired tailors in the world. outside of a metal cocoon seems like a mira-
To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the cle. The Flight Harness, used by the militant
Flaw: Weakness (Cutting Weapons). Ornithopter Hoplites, allows an individual to take
to the skies under their own power. Particularly
CELESTIAL GODDESS talented users and veteran Winged Hoplites can
Rank: 3 maneuver between tightly packed city buildings,
inside narrow canyons, and sometimes even in-
Enhancement: 4
side buildings, the Harness’s wings folding and
Gifts: Blocking Bullets, Lightning Must Strike exerting unearthly force to allow such gravity de-
Tags: Edged, Melee, Reach, Two-Handed, fying feats.
Weighted To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the
Flaws: Remarkable Flaws: Limited Tolerances and Remarkable!.
The weapon’s long shaft is old, carved from
black wood that somehow retains flexibility and HANNIBAL PERSONAL TANK SUIT
durability despite its obvious age. Its trident blade Rank: 5
is even older, emerging from the Indian subconti-
Scale: Durability 2, Power 2
nent sometime before the coming of the Mughals.
Edges: Armor Expert
Its origin is uncertain, but the modern world first
learned Celestial Goddess’s name during a series Gifts: Endurance, Fists of Stone, Iron Lungs
of daring raids against British shipping interests Tags: Composite (Bulletproof, Impact
in the early 1920s. Its singular nature raises anoth- Resistant) Hard Armor 3, Soft Armor 2
er question for telluric researchers in modern day: Flaws: Forged in Purpose (Oppose Empire)
Is this a relic brought to life by the Hammersmith It’s unclear who made the suit. Travelers whis-
event, or is it a survivor of an older age of heroes, per of forges somewhere in north Africa, smelt-
merely dormant until now? ing tellurically active ore into fantastic weapons
To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the to strike against the kings of the world … but are
Flaw: Draining 1. these rumors true? Or is the mighty Tank Suit a

Super Science 173

 lost REG project or government prototype? The 3 Machineguns)
only thing that’s clear is that its wearers oppose Flaws: Inherent Complication 3 (International
all imperialist ambition, and the Suit may just be Incident)
stout enough to see it through to the end. The Monarch-class Sky Palace is one of the
To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the largest manufactured vehicles ever constructed.
Flaw: Remarkable!. It can simultaneously host a fancy-dress ball, co-
ordinate an invasion, host a diplomatic fete, and
KILLING VISION ward off an aerial assault by the fiendish forces
Rank: 4 of Doktor Zorbo. If you have your own air force,
Enhancement: 5 it can even launch those craft from its reinforced
upper deck. However, wielding such power where
Tags: Brutal, Ranged (Short), Ray, Tactical
nation-states can see it tends to make politicians
Sight
and military leaders nervous, or worse, envious of
Flaws: Sinister, Draining 2
the Monarch’s owner.
A sizeable black opal fashioned into an artifi-
To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the
cial eye that gleams balefully out of any skull its
Flaw: Remarkable!, and remember that makes
placed in. Carved over decades with painstaking
it that much easy for Doktor Zorbo to track you
skill tempered by rage, it emanates terrifying kill-
down.
ing power when its wearers channel their anger
and hate through it. Its use is exhausting and sum- PROTOTYPE DEATH RAY MK I
moning forth murderous energies through a shin-
ing black opal tends to even more off putting to Rank: 3
bystanders than violence normally is. Enhancement: 3
Killing Vision is an appropriate choice for the Tags: Charged, Deadly, Ranged, Ray
Artifact Edge. Flaws: Loyal to a Fault or Limited Tolerances
Why is it always death rays? Many members of
LONG REACH the Rational Experiments Group and unaffiliated
Rank: 3 researchers in fringe science invent such devices
Enhancement: 3 independently. Murderous convergent evolution
causes their effects to be similar even if their par-
Gifts: Terror Manifest
ticular methodology to generate the effect dif-
Tags: Ballistic, Quality 2, Ranged (Long),
fers considerably. Given the limitations of these
Two-Handed
early designs into ray-weapon technology, many
A lovingly reconstructed rifle built from parts sci-warriors and inventors of death soon move
salvaged from Great War battlefields, the Long on to more refined, or at least more destructive
Reach echoes with its creator’s many brushes devices.
with death. A terrifying weapon when used, it ap-
To take this with the Artifact Edge, replace the
pears as merely an old gun otherwise.
listed Flaws with the Flaw: Self Destructive.
To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the
Flaw: Sinister. RAMS-HEAD REGULATOR
Rank: 2
MONARCH-CLASS SKY PALACE
Enhancement: 3
Rank: 5
Tags: Automatic, Ballistic, Concealable, Non-
Scale: Size 5, Speed 3
Penetrating, Silent
Handling: -3
Flaws: Sinister
Edges: Fame 3, Striking
No country would admit outfitting its agents with
Tags: Armor 1, Cargo 4, Fast 2, Flight Systems, these weapons. Brutal, efficient, and deadly, their
Hover, Massive 4, Sluggish -3, Weaponry 1 (Scale body-shredding violence shocks modern morals

174 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES

and violates the 1899 Hague convention. Branch 9
seven Brothers who make up the head of the al-
denies using or creating them, as does every oth-
legiance. When worn, the earrings enable mental
er intelligence agency in the world, and there are
communication and sharing of thoughts with oth-
rumors that even the Contedorri discourage their
ers wearing an earring, making it trivial to avail
use. And yet spies, assassins, and every sort of ne’er
oneself of the combined resources of the Seven
do well keep getting their hands on these deadly
Brothers allegiance. It also causes one’s true iden-
pistols. Does someone want to see them circulating
tity to become occulted and obscure, the better
widely? Perhaps there is some clue in the maker’s
to use those resources and connections. Only one
mark on each original Regulator, the grinning ram’s
earring need be worn to gain its benefits, and the
head which suggests foul provenance but offers no
Brothers often give a subordinate their matching
definitive point of origin. earring to be in constant communication with
The Rams-head Regulator is an appropriate leadership during missions.
choice for the Artifact Edge. The Seven Brothers Earrings are an appropri-
ate choice for the Artifact Edge, assuming you’re a
SEVEN BROTHERS’ EARRINGS member of the Brothers.
Rank: 4
THE ATTUNED TAROT
Enhancement: 0
Edges: Patron (Seven Brothers) 3, Covert (3) Rank: 2
Gifts: Psychic Synergy (Anyone wearing Seven Enhancement: 0
Brothers’ Earrings) Edges: Always Prepared, Danger Sense, Hair
Flaws: Comrades in Arms (3), Forged in Trigger Reflexes
Purpose Flaws: Sinister
The Seven Brothers Earrings is actually many Carried and consulted through times of hard-
different sets of earrings, all worn by one of the ship and strife, the Attuned Tarot offers its owner

Super Science 175

 and reader flashes of troubles yet to come. Recalled To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the
in the moment, the possibilities it shows its read- Flaw: Password Protected.
ers can save life and limb. The events which tied
the Tarot to suffering and danger, however, and VIVIFYING PILLS
its owners find themselves cloaked in the scent of Rank: 3
burned-out homesteads and blood.
Enhancement: 0
The Attuned Tarot is an appropriate choice of
Gifts: Ascetic Trance, Unrelenting
the Artifact Edge.
Tags: Telluric
TRANSPORT POD They come in brown glass bottles, tiny pills filled
with the secrets of life and health. Eschewing the
Rank: 1
modern fad for amphetamines and opiates, the
Scale: Size 2, Speed 2 capsules allow their users to resist all manner of
Handling: +0 ills and continue despite even grievous wounds.
Tags: Hover, Massive 1, Sealed Whether the products of advanced chemistry or
Gliding over road hazards and laboratory acci- refined alchemical processes, the telluric energies
dents with ease and aplomb, the Transport Pod bound into the drug seem to offer a frugal user an
represents a new advancement in personal mobil- enduring supply of miracle pills.
ity technology! The pleasant whirring sound of its To take this with the Artifact Edge, add the
approach often presages the arrival of a super sci- Flaw: Jinxed.
entist ready to help, or in the case of REG agents,
make things worse.

176 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES

 WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
These entries provide a brief guide to what from any airborne toxins or similar environmental
some prominent vehicles and armor look like in effects.
the time of Adventure!, and also serve as origin
templates for super science items based on ex-
Shoddy (0)
isting designs. We’ve also provided a few new Either through poor construction, missed
damage types and weapon Tags available in the maintenance, or the simple progression of time,
Adventure! age. this device is always on the edge of breaking. It
has a +1 Complication to use. If not overcome, it
New Damage Type breaks and requires repair to function. However,
Weapons in Adventure! may have the follow- such devices are cheap in all senses; attempts to
ing damage type instead of Ballistic, Edged, or repair or produce more of a Shoddy item require 1
Blunt. fewer point of Wealth.
Ray: Weapons that use projected energy with- Telluric (1)
out physical projectiles, such as a sonic or energy Strange energies power this item. Once per
attack. scene, its user may use one of the item’s Gifts that
requires Inspiration expenditure without spend-
New Equipment Tags ing Inspiration.
The following new Tags can apply to armor,
weapons, or vehicles in games of Adventure!. Weapons
Elemental (0) The Great War brought advancements in lethal
devices that have made conflict deadlier across
Weapons or effects that subject their targets
the world. With strife on the horizon, the march
to harsh environmental conditions such as fire,
of progress creating more murderous machines
freezing cold, or acidic vapors often have the
seem unlikely to halt any time soon.
Elemental tag. damage. Armor must protect
against Elemental damage specifically ( just as it
BOLT-ACTION MILITARY RIFLE
does against Ballistic, Edged, and Blunt weapons).
Armor designed to protect against Elemental Enhancement: 2
damage is also effective against destructive envi- Damage Type: Ballistic
ronmental effects such as wildfires, ice storms, or Tags: Ranged (Long), Quality 2, Two-Handed
alkaline pools. Notes: The most common military weapons
Finicky (0) of the Great War. Still popular the world over.
Carbine versions are common, with Ranged
This item is prone to jamming, malfunction,
(Medium) instead of Long.
or otherwise being uncooperative. It gains a +2
Complication. If not overcome, it becomes non- MACHINE GUN
functional until its user takes a basic action to re-
turn it to working order. However, owners of such Enhancement: 2
equipment often become used to their quirks and Damage Type: Ballistic
gain +1 Enhancement for any rolls for identifying Tags: Ranged (Medium), Automatic, Heavy,
or repairing actual damage to Finicky items. Restricted
Sealed (1) Notes: Terrifying weapons of war, made ever
more reliable and deadly since the last major con-
This armor or vehicle can seal itself from the flict. Many from the conflict are still in circulation,
outside, subsisting on an internal air supply for up often with the Shoddy tag.
to its Size in Scenes. This protects the inhabitants

Weapons and Equipment 177

 SUBMACHINE GUN Tags: Fast 2, Flight Systems, Massive 1
Enhancement: 1 Cost: 3
Damage Type: Ballistic Notes: The heroic silhouette of the biplane
dominated the skies of the Great War and civilian
Tags: Ranged (Short), Automatic, Finicky
aviation for years after. In the 1930s, biplane de-
Notes: Less powerful than rifles or machine-
signs appear to have reached their zenith as newer
guns, less reliable than single shot weapons, and
developments in aviation seem destined to eclipse
still desired by anyone who wants a man-portable
them, but many are still in use in both military and
automatic weapon.
civilian rolls. Military models typically mount ma-
chine guns of various types, though the skies after
Vehicles the Hammersmith Incident have certainly seen at
Despite the economic downturn, there are more least one ray-gun armed model.
ways than ever to travel the globe. Civilian travel and
commercial aviation exist as, though are still heroic en- MONOPLANE
deavors. Automobile rules as the unchallenged king of
Size: 2
the public street in ever more cities across the world.
Handling: +0
1930S SEDAN (CLASSIC CAR) Speed: 4
Size: 2 Tags: Fast 3, Flight Systems, Massive 1
Handling: +0 Cost: 4
Speed: 3 Notes: Aviation improves in leaps and bounds
since the Great War and the era of the biplane.
Tags: Massive 1, Fast 1, Wheeled
Aerial vehicles are faster, more maneuverable, and
Cost: 3
more reliable than ever. This profile represents a
Notes: The decade’s standard car. Benefiting small personal or business craft; larger transports
from advances in industrial standardization and such as the Douglas DC-2 and the Junkers Ju 52
more powerful engines, they offer superior mobil- will often have Cargo 1, while military craft mount
ity and comfort for those who can afford it in wake increasingly destructive weapons.
of the Great Depression.
RIGID BODY AIRSHIP
AUTOGYRO
Size: 4
Size: 2
Handling: -2
Handling: +0
Speed: 3
Speed: 3
Tags: Cargo 2, Fast 1, Flight Systems, Hover,
Tags: Complicated, Fast 2, Flight Systems, Massive 3, Sluggish -2
Hover, Massive 1
Cost: 5
Cost: 3
Notes: The queens of the sky! Kept aloft by
Notes: Held up by whirling rotors and conven- lighter-than-air gas and propelled by diesel en-
tional propeller, autogyros are heavier than air- gines, these crafts possess impressive range and
craft capable of low-speed flight and maneuver- lifting capabilities. Unfortunately, those held aloft
ing. Their flight profiles and abilities require some by hydrogen are at risk of serious fire hazard, and
adjustment for pilots who have only flown fixed airships of all types are prey for villains such as
wing aircraft. the nefarious Doktor Zorbo (Tyrant of the Skies).

BIPLANE TANK
Size: 2 Size: 2
Handling: +0 Handling: -3
Speed: 3

178 CHAPTER FIVE: NEW RULES

 Speed: 1 Cost: 3
Tags: Armor 2, Crew -2, Finnicky, Massive 1, Notes: Trucks, both for personal and commer-
Military, Sluggish -3, Treads, Weaponry 2 cial use, are rugged vehicles with flat beds capa-
Weapons: Cannon (Scale 2), Machine Gun ble of towing or carrying large loads over long
(Scale 1) distances. Built to last, these vehicles can traverse
Cost: 5 dirt and rock paths just as well as paved roads
with little issues. But what they gain in the ability
Notes: The Great War introduced the tank to
to go anywhere, they lose in handling compared
the battlefield, and the nations of the world have
with smaller vehicles.
continued to develop the armored behemoth
since. Occasionally renovated or reconstructed VINTAGE CAR
prototypes of Great War tanks will find their way
in private or nefarious hands. Cutting-edge tanks Size: 2
will reduce the Sluggish tag, gain Armor 1, Fast 1, Handling: -1
and become cost L. Speed: 2
Tags: Massive 1, Sluggish 1, Wheeled
TRUCK
Cost: 2
Size: 2 Notes: Cars from the previous decade, many
Handling: -1 still in service due to the Depression. Sporting
Speed: 3 models will often lose Sluggish and the gain the
Tags: All-Terrain, Cargo, Massive 1, Fast 1, Finicky tag, while many Shoddy vehicles are avail-
Wheeled able for cost 1.

Weapons and Equipment 179

 “Talent hits a target no one else can hit.
Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
— Arthur Schopenhauer

A Trinity Continuum: Adventure! character gets her high-flying two-fisted power from Gifts:
unique special abilities that make the character above and beyond a normal person. Inspired charac-
ters have access to these Gifts. Daredevils are the same as Talents in Trinity Continuum Core, but
Adventure! introduces two new Inspired types which get their own unique Gifts. mesmerists have ac-
cess to psychic Gifts and stalwarts have dynamic Gifts. These two new Gift sub-categories that more
overtly supernormal ability. A mesmerist’s ability to skim the surface thoughts of those around him or
a stalwart’s ability to take a bullet to the chest without flinching no longer qualify as exceptional luck
or competence.

ADVENTURE! GIFTS
DESIGN CONCEPTS
The following break down the key design fac- additional Daredevil Gift of their choosing which
tors for each style of Gift present in Adventure!. can have any keyword.

Daredevils Self-Imposed Conditions

and Complications
Like Talents, daredevil Gifts are a combination
Daredevils self-impose Conditions and
of their exceptional skill and ability to influence
luck. They follow the same design principles Complications that make whatever they’re trying
set forth on p. 196-197 of Trinity Continuum. to do more challenging or risky. If they overcome
However, daredevils are dashing pulp action he- the self-imposed obstacle, they reap huge rewards
roes, not the stars of a modern action-adventuresuch as instantly Taking Out a fearsome oppo-
nent or recovering all their spent Inspiration.
story. To this end, daredevil Gifts are all about
high risk and high reward. They bend probabili- When designing a self-imposed obstacle, make it
ty on a meta level by doubling successes, lower-proportional to its reward. If a Gift allows an in-
ing (or increasing) the Target Number, altering stant take-out, that drastically changes the flow
of a fight scene and should have a Complication
Difficulty, or adding dice. Typically, Gifts do not
rating of five. However, a small inconvenience for
add dice, but daredevils may break this rule by ei-
a small bonus should have a Complication rating
ther substituting one Skill for another or adding
an additional Skill’s rating as bonus dice. Moreof two to three. Any self-imposed Conditions are
importantly, daredevils can risk Complications, short-term and resolve typically after the charac-
ter overcomes them. Storyguides and players may
Conditions, or increased Difficulty in order to at-
tain incredible outcomes. They look at the odds consider more persistent Conditions, if it confers
an ongoing effect, or something that might apply
stacked against them and say, bring it on. Fortune
favors the bold, after all. long-term. Nothing that ignores, removes, or sup-
presses Conditions or Complications can affect
Daredevils begin play with one aptitude Gift
one that has been self-imposed.
from each Path matching a Path keyword, and one

Adventure! Gifts
Design Concepts 181
 CLASH
The daring heroes of Adventure! don’t just tangle with ordinary humans! They fight
terrible beasts with incredible power, scientists capable of mind-binding feats, and
fearsome psychics who control the thoughts of their enemies. When two characters use
abilities (such as Gifts) that come into conflict, such as both acting against the same
target or canceling each other out, they Clash. In the event of the Clash, each player
rolls their character’s Skill + Inspiration rating (or most appropriate antagonist pool +
Source). Should this roll tie, always favor players’ characters over Storyguide char-
acters, and always favor the defender. In the case of two characters acting against the
same target, the defender is whomever used their power first. If that is somehow simul-
taneous, then both fail on a tie.

Mesmerists present on another character. Psychic Gifts are ex-

pressly supernormal. Lifting a Heavy object with
Mesmerists control proto-psychic powers by the power of your mind far outstrips what could
channeling telluric energy into Gifts. Mesmer be written off to luck or chance. No one happens to
Gifts are all about control, whether that’s con- just accidentally read another person’s mind.
trolling an object by lifting it with her mind, con-
trolling another person by subtly influencing the Stalwart
way they think, or controlling the outcome of an
Stalwarts are humans with the beginnings of
investigation by glancing backwards into time.
true superpowers. Stalwart Gifts allow a charac-
This effect no longer falls under the neat umbrella
ter to be truly superhuman allowing them to per-
of Luck or Skill, so mesmerists have a Gift catego-
form impossible feats. Hurling a city bus at a foe
ry unique to them — psychic.
or tearing a safe from a wall with your bare hands
Psychic Gifts fall into three categories: are, like mesmerist Gifts, far from a lucky trick.
Biological, Cognitive and Energetic. Biological These overt, superhuman Gifts fall under the
Gifts interact with a character’s physical body — new category, dynamic. Dynamic Gifts are pow-
doing things like enhancing reflexes or healing erful, physical effects, such as incredible strength
injuries. Cognitive Gifts alter or interact with a or speed, unbelievable durability, or altering the
character’s mental processes — imposing confu- physical forces of nature (such as controlling fire
sion, creating illusions, or sharpening one’s per- or the weather). Stalwart Gifts often spring from
ceptions. Energetic Gifts harness telluric energy a physical source, which links their Gifts directly
through psychic bursts and telekinetic manipula- to their Attributes. Being sturdy as an iron wall or
tion, or other such forceful actions. strong as ten grown adults fall under paranormal
Mesmerists begin play with three psychic Gifts expressions of Stamina or Might, for example,
within their chosen category, plus an additional rather than overt superpower. These Gifts car-
psychic Gift of their choosing from any category. ry an Attribute keyword (similarly to daredevil
Gifts), but they are still dynamic Gifts, meaning
New Gift Category: Psychic
daredevils do not have access to them. Other dy-
These new Gifts cover the usual psychic sus- namic Gifts that do not fall within a stalwart’s
pects: telekinesis, mind-reading, clairvoyance, physical capabilities have the power keyword.
telepathy, and so on. Using these powers, psychic
Gifts may grant bonuses to allies or penalties to en- The Power of Scale
emies. They also place status Conditions both pos- Dynamic Gifts introduce personal Scale, which
itive and negative on their targets, each with short- allows stalwarts to accomplish amazing feats such
term resolutions. With this ability, mesmerists can as chasing a speeding car or creating super science
also shift, intensify, or clear Conditions already inventions well beyond their usual capabilities.

182 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

Gifts that grant Scale should not grant more than power or sheer force to overcome obstacles.
+2 Scale. While Scale granted from dynamic Gifts Finesse Attributes include Cunning, Dexterity,
does stack, it cannot stack higher than +3. and Manipulation. Resilience Attributes include
Composure, Resolve, and Stamina.
New Gift Category: Dynamic
Stalwarts also have access to dynamic power
All stalwart Gifts are dynamic Gifts. Some are Gifts which are more over the top powers that
innately tied to the concept or application of a spe- manifest in physical ways. These powers take
cific Attribute, and others are superhuman pow- stalwarts from extra-human to beyond normal.
ers. Gifts that grant Scale always have the power Stalwarts cannot start play with a dynamic power
keyword, even if they are also tied to an Attribute. Gifts. These Gifts alter the flavor of an Adventure!
Stalwarts are capable of feats outstripping most game from low level pulp to higher powered pulp,
human capacity but avoid anything bordering on so players should discuss genre appropriateness
godlike. A stalwart’s abilities often come from with Storyguides before purchasing any dynamic
how she approaches situations. Therefore, the power Gifts.
bulk of her dynamic Gifts will come in the form of
Stalwarts begin play with one dynamic Gift
an Attribute within her favored Approach.
from each of their favored Attributes, plus an ad-
Force Attributes include Intellect, Might ditional dynamic Gift of their choosing from any
and Presence. This category covers using brute Approach category.

Adventure! Gifts
Design Concepts 183
 DAREDEVIL GIFTS
In addition to all the Gifts in this section, daredevils may also purchase Talent Gifts from Trinity
Continuum Core, pp.197-221. The Storyguide is the final arbiter of which Gifts are too “modern” for
a game set in 1934, but most of them will fit with some minor adjustment. There aren’t any computers
in this time period, but the Gift “Deep System Scan” could instead be used on a typewriter, to track the
keystrokes there, as an example, or to trace the transmission of a telegram.

Luck Gifts bookcase where a vase is precariously perched,

or roundhouse kicking a trained assassin into the
The following are new Luck Gifts available for street right as a passing car rounds the corner.
daredevils.
System: When you purchase the Shove Stunt,
you may gain the Matter of Time Condition to
LUCKY SON OF A GUN
remove the target from the scene entirely. A car
Keywords: Luck, Momentary comes around the corner slamming into them; the
An enemy has her in their sights. They swing or daredevil kicks them to the side of a cliff where
fire. It looks like a sure hit, but at the last possible the ground gives way; they stumble backward out
second, the attack targeting her misses its mark. of a window, etc. While affected by the Matter
System: After seeing the result of an enemy at- of Time Condition, the daredevil suffers +2
tack roll, your character may spend an Inspiration Difficulty to social actions against her opponent.
to ignore any damage-based effects from the attack, This Condition ends when the opponent makes an
as though it had missed. Any other effects still apply. attack on her.
Your character only gets this lucky once per story.
Aptitude Gifts
NICK OF TIME The following are new Aptitude Gifts available
Keywords: Momentary, Luck for daredevils.
Prerequisite: Any positive Bond
Dexterity
Luck always carries him just where he needs it.
Whether he flips a lucky coin or just has a premo- SACRIFICIAL BLOCK
nition, he arrives in the nick of time — at the exact
moment when his friends need his help. Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Momentary
System: When another character with whom Prerequisite: Dexterity ••••
you have a mutual, positive Bond is in danger, Getting their weapon up just in the nick of time,
you may spend Inspiration to arrive just in time the daredevil can deflect a deadly attack at the
to assist them. Your character must not be present cost of said weapon.
at the start of the scene for this Gift to apply. In System: Once per session as a reaction to a suc-
combat, you appear on any round after the first. cessful attack against their person, the character
The first action you take after your timely arriv- can use their weapon as soft armor 3 but doing so
al gains your Intuitive Facet in Enhancement. If destroys the weapon.
you use this to come to the aid of another player’s
character, the player must agree to your help out Aim
of character, or the Gift automatically fails.
DEAD TO RIGHTS
PASSING CAR
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Aim)
Keyword: Luck, Momentary Prerequisite: Aim ••••
Heroes always seem to hit people exactly She chooses her target and declares him a dead
right. Knocking a gang member backward into a man walking. Their hands reach for their weapons

184 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

with trepidation. Only one of them will walk away pumping in her veins, she lifts a car or endures a
from this fight. dangerous blow or manages to outrun a speeding
System: Choose a target within range of your train. Failure isn’t an option.
weapon and gain the Dead to Rights Condition. System: Spend an Inspiration and gain the Push
When your character makes her next Aim at- It! Condition. While you have this Condition, your
tack against the chosen target, rather than roll- character can make a single physical action at
ing against the target’s Defense, you roll against Difficulty 5, which treats her as though she had
Difficulty 5. If successful, the target is instantly +1 Power Scale. If successful, she accomplishes
Taken Out. If unsuccessful, fill in all your char- the feat. If the action fails, the character takes
acter’s Injuries except the most severe, excluding the Stunned Condition for five rounds or the rest
any from armor. You may not reroll the results of of the scene, as appropriate. Then, resolve the
this attack. Then, resolve the Condition. Condition. This action cannot be rerolled.

FREIKUGEL RUNNING THROUGH THE HORDE

Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Aim) Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Athletics)
Prerequisite: Aim •• Prerequisite: Athletics ••••
He fires shot after shot, each finding its mark They say there’s strength in numbers, and if
no matter what. To outsiders this might seem like the sheer number of faceless henchmen says any-
strange skill, but his gunshots are blessed with ex- thing, then maybe “they” have a point. However,
traordinary luck. with this Gift, the daredevil turns her enemy’s
System: You may choose to reroll any failed Aim numbers into a weakness.
roll which must be declared after seeing the results System: Spend an Inspiration to add the char-
of the roll. When you do, make the new roll with acter’s Athletics to their Defense dice pool and
a +3 Complication. If not bought off, the shot rico- gain access to the following Defensive Stunt:
chets and strikes something undesirable, chosen by Redirect (Successes equal to attacker’s roll+):
the Storyguide (a flammable gas tank, a boarded-up The character dodges in such a way that an at-
window concealing her location, etc.). tack meant for her slices into a different charac-
ter of her choosing. The new target must be in the
Athletics same range band. The number of successes the
daredevil spent to buy this Stunt is the attack roll
LAST SECOND SCRAMBLE against the new target.
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Athletics)
Prerequisite: Athletics ••
Close Combat
Faced with a tumble towards certain death, the
ALL-PRO WRESTLER
daredevil turns certain failure into a safe landing.
They might fall off a sheer cliff-face or lose their Keywords: Constant, Skill (Close Combat)
footing on the deck of a zeppelin, but even then, Prerequisite: Close Combat •••
they still find a way to roll to safety. With a wide range of different holds and take-
System: After seeing the result of any Athletics downs in his repertoire, anyone caught in the
roll, keep any dice that rolled successes and reroll daredevil’s grasp is at their mercy.
the rest. You may only use this Gift once per action System: This gift unlocks a new Stunt for pur-
and it activates before Enhancement applies. chase against grappled foes. You must begin your
turn already in a grapple to purchase this Stunt.
PUSH IT
Sleeper Hold (Successes Variable): You cut off
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Athletics) the target’s airway, and he must make an Athletics
Prerequisite: Athletics • action or be Taken Out. The Difficulty of this
Summoning all her willpower, she performs a check is equal to the number of successes the user
single, impossible physical feat. With adrenaline spends on this Stunt.

Daredevil Gifts 185

 IN THE THICK OF IT They shout out commands and give encourag-
ing direction. Their words resonate with those
Keywords: Constant, Skill (Close Combat)
who hear them, motivating everyone!
Prerequisite: Close Combat •••
System: Your character can always use the
He knows the best way to survive is to not get
Enhanced Stunt to grant Enhancement to another
hit. Surrounded, he ducks and weaves, making
player’s character by taking a Command action. This
himself a hard target.
always grants at least 1 Enhancement to the target,
System: If your character is engaged in close even if no successes were rolled. If the character re-
combat with two or more Storyguide char- ceiving this Enhancement rolls 5 or more successes
acters, ranged attacks targeting you suffer +2 on their action before applying Enhancement, return
Complication “In the Thick of It.” If not bought any Momentum you or the other player spent on ei-
off, any Stunts used against your character target ther of the two actions to the pool.
one of the characters engaging her as well.
Culture
NICE SHOT, MY TURN
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Close Combat) THE SIX DEGREES
Prerequisite: Close Combat ••• Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Culture)
They take a direct hit — blood and spit go flying. Prerequisite: Culture •••
It’s enough to knock a lesser person out. Smiling, Through her many interests and connections,
they wipe the blood from their chin and execute a she always knows someone who can help. She’s
perfectly timed counter. got friends and contacts who are one letter away
System: After taking an Injury from an enemy from showing up in force.
attack that was not applied to armor, your character System: Your character may substitute her
may spend Inspiration to immediately act again. This Culture Skill for an access action to find a Contact.
action must be a Close Combat attack targeting the This Contact is always someone with the same
character who damaged her. If the attack results in shared interest or hobby as the character, relevant
the enemy being Taken Out, restore any Momentum to his area of Culture expertise. This roll is made
that may have been spent on the attack roll. with +2 Complication. If not bought off, your
character still finds a Contact, and that Contact
Command gains +2 Enhancement to their assisting actions,
but is one of his rivals, rather than friends.
ALL HANDS ON DECK
Keywords: Constant, Skill (Command) Empathy
Prerequisite: Command ••
MARK OF HUMILIATION
He supports his team with encouraging pres-
ence, excellent management, and leadership skills. Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Empathy)
Any project he leads gets done in record time. Prerequisite: Empathy •••
System: When working with a group — includ- Defeating an opponent in battle is but a means
ing any summoned followers — reduce the num- to an end. When facing a foe that the hero is sure
ber of milestones required to complete the project to encounter again, sometimes it can be more ap-
by your Intuitive Facet, to a minimum of 1. propriate and effective to leave them with a last-
ing reminder of their defeat.
BARKING ORDERS System: With a flourish of the blade or crack
Keywords: Constant, Skill (Command) of the whip, the character leaves a lasting remind-
Prerequisite: Command ••• er on his foe, sometimes in a specific shape, other
times just a particularly nasty scar. On an attack
action, gain access to the following Stunt:

186 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 Mark of Humiliation (2 successes): Your attack System: Gain +1 Enhancement for every
leaves a lasting scar. In a future scene, the dare- Complication or Condition affecting your charac-
devil may bring attention to the scar to impose a ter, excluding self-imposed Conditions.
+3 Complication on his opponent’s next social ac-
Larceny
tion. If she fails to buy it off, the daredevil counts
as having +1 Leadership Scale for his next action.
Once called in, the Gift’s effect ends, though the GONE IN A BLINK
scar may remain. Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Larceny)
Prerequisite: Larceny •••
Enigmas
She moves faster than a blink, snatching things
NO BARRIER TO ENTRY away from her enemies — but risking the safety
of her fingers. She pockets whatever she snatches
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Enigmas) easily, even if she has to hurt herself to do it.
Prerequisite: Enigmas ••• System: You may make a Larceny action to steal
There’s no lock, puzzle or code that can keep an item from an enemy in combat, or a bystander
her out. After staring the encryption down, all the during an otherwise high stress/intensity scene.
pieces fall instantly into place. This action carries a +2 Complication. If bought
System: After seeing the result of any Enigmas off, the item is taken instantly and without any
action, you may spend an Inspiration to dou- trace of your presence, including weapons cur-
ble the total number of successes rolled before rently held by enemies. If not bought off, the char-
Enhancement. acter risks an Injury Condition involving their
hand.
Humanities
THUMB ON THE SCALE
ACCORDING TO THE CLASSICS Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Larceny)
Keywords: Constant, Skill (Humanities) Prerequisite: Larceny •••
Prerequisite: Humanities ••• He’s a nightmare at casinos and poker halls.
They know just the right source to cite or just Bouncers keep trying to catch him. He hides cards
the right quote to share to sway others. up his sleeves and all his dice are weighted, but
System: Whenever your character makes an nobody ever catches him cheating.
Intrigue action, you may accept a +2 Complication. System: Spend an Inspiration for your char-
If bought off, add your character’s highest Facet acter to automatically cheat his way to victory
as additional Enhancement to the number of suc- in a single game of chance. This cheating goes
cesses remaining. If not bought off, you create a unnoticed by all characters present in the scene,
negative Atmosphere equal to the Complication unless they have some flawless method of detect-
value remaining, as you annoy everyone with your ing lies or deception. In that case, make a con-
obnoxious academic attitude. tested action using your character’s Larceny ver-
sus their Integrity. Add your Reflective Facet in
Integrity Enhancement to this roll.

FALL DOWN SEVEN Medicine

Keywords: Constant, Skill (Integrity)
Prerequisite: Integrity •••
Opposition mounts on all sides and pressure
builds. This kind of environment thrills her. She
works her hardest when the odds are stacked
against her.
ONGOING CARE
Keywords: Constant, Skill (Medicine)
Prerequisite: Medicine •••
His regular medical attention keeps his patients
fit and in peak form.

Daredevil Gifts 187

 System: Choose a number of other characters
equal to your Reflective Facet who you care for
and attend to regularly. Choosing another play-
er’s character requires permission from the play-
er. As long as you spend some time each session
giving the other characters medical advice, they
gain an additional Bruised Health level (or 1 ad-
ditional health for Storyguide characters) and +1
Enhancement to resist disease and toxins.

Persuasion
A REASONABLE REQUEST
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Persuasion)
Prerequisite: Persuasion •••
Her winning smile puts everyone at ease, and
no matter what she asks, others are willing to give
it to her. She doesn’t have to persuade them much
— after all, it’s a reasonable request.
System: When making an Encourage Behavior ac-
tion, you may spend an Inspiration to ignore the tar-
get’s negative Attitude, as your easy demeanor makes
anything you ask seems imminently reasonable.

Pilot
NO BREAKS
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Pilot)
Prerequisite: Pilot •••
The vehicle spins out of control and the steering
locks up. Careening towards a certain crash, he
risks everything to arrive with seconds to spare.
System: Your character places a +3
Complication on herself after any roll in a leg of
a chase or during any other intensive driving or System: When making a Pilot roll, spend an
flying scene. If not bought off, the vehicle’s en- Inspiration to ignore any increase in Difficulty or
gine explodes violently — even if the roll succeed- Complications from environmental factors, Field
ed — rendering it no longer usable. If otherwise Conditions, and the like, for the rest of the scene.
successful, including buying off the Complication,
restore all Momentum that may have been spent Science
during the entirety of the chase.
SETTING THE FIELD
ON A DIME
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Science)
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Pilot) Prerequisite: Science •••
Prerequisite: Pilot •• The world is a weapon. With time and prepa-
No matter how treacherous the journey, she ration, the character can shape the very land to
stays in control of her vehicle. work in their favor.

188 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 System: The daredevil sets traps, changes the
landscape, and otherwise customizes a Field to
work in his and his allies’ favor. Take a Survival ac-
tion and create a Field Complication equal to the
successes. This Complication can apply to physical,
social, or movement actions within the Field, the
player’s choice. When an enemy fails to buy off the
Complication an ally within short range of the ene-
my gains +1 Enhancement against them on her next
turn. This effect lasts until the end of the scene.
THEORETICAL BUILDER
Keywords: Constant, Skill (Science)
Prerequisite: Science •
Making things isn’t research or the scientific
method, but that’s never mattered to her. She cob-
bles together things using her extensive knowl-
edge of biology, chemistry, physics, and even
astronomy.
System: When making super science actions,
you may substitute the character’s Science Skill
for Technology.
Survival
EVERYTHING A WEAPON
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Survival)
Prerequisite: Survival ••••
Daredevil Gifts 189
 Finding a weapon, even if it’s a temporary one, of inspiration creates something far greater than
can be the difference between life and death in she’d ever imagined.
survival situations. System: After seeing the result of a roll for a
System: Spend an Inspiration and an action for Technology action, your character may spend an
the daredevil to scour her surroundings to find a me- Inspiration to double the successes rolled before
lee weapon. You may purchase tags for this weapon Enhancement is applied.
equal to the character’s Intuitive Facet. The weapon
is exceedingly fragile. At the end of the scene in which THE BLEEDING EDGE
the weapon is used, it falls to pieces. Any successful Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Technology)
disarm targeting the weapon destroys it instead.
Prerequisite: Technology •••
Technology His prototypes are risky, but when they work,
they’re like nothing else!
A MOMENT OF INSPIRATION System: When making a super science item, you
can add another +3 Complication. If both this and the
Keywords: Momentary, Skill (Technology)
default Complication are bought off, reduce the num-
Prerequisite: Technology •• ber of Flaws on the final product by your Intuitive
Glancing at her work, realization strikes and Facet. If not bought off, increase them by the same
makes her handiwork better than ever. Her burst amount, even if the roll was otherwise successful.

DYNAMIC GIFTS
Stalwarts gain access to dynamic Gifts. These • Cunning or Dexterity: gain +1 Speed Scale.
Gifts give them access to superhuman power and
• Composure or Intellect: gain +1 Intellect Scale.
ability, as the telluric energy physically modifies
their bodies or manifests in a physical way. • Presence or Manipulation: gain +1 Leadership
Scale.
Dynamic Attribute Gifts
• Stamina or Resolve: gain +1 Durability Scale.
Dynamic Attribute Gifts enhance and alter the
stalwart’s physical capabilities.
Composure
SCION OF HUMANITY
BEACON OF CALMNESS
Keywords: Attribute (All), Constant
Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Constant
Prerequisite: Selected Attribute •••••
Prerequisite: Composure ••
Breaking records is what the stalwart does. She
is the best of humanity and challenges the per- Her presence makes everyone relax. So long as
ceived limitations of the species in her every ac- she stays cool and collected, others will follow her
tion. If humanity keeps evolving, who knows what placid example.
the future holds? System: Your character’s level head soothes ev-
System: This gift can be selected for any eryone around her, calming panic and easing fear.
Attribute. Depending on the Attribute selected, Increase the Difficulty of any action to incite fear,
the character gains +1 Scale to appropriate actions panic, or rage in targets who can perceive your
involving that Attribute. Stalwarts may purchase character by her Reflective Facet. If the target
this Gift a second time for a second Attribute. fails to overcome this Difficulty, they cannot make
another attempt to invoke those emotions for the
• Might: gain +1 Power Scale. rest of the scene.

190 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 BLOODHOUND System: Your character can predict how things
will happen as a result of a social interaction. When
Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Constant
a Storyguide character ally opts to ignore the re-
Prerequisite: Composure •••
sults of influence, you choose the outcome. The
Her nose catches every subtle scent, allowing Storyguide must accept your proposed alternative.
her to navigate without sight. If they dislike your choice, you must work together
System: Your character’s sense of smell is in- to reach an acceptable outcome. If you cannot, in-
comparable. She can track and aim by scent, al- stead the players gain a Momentum instead.
lowing her to ignore any sight-based Difficulty or
Complications. However, she may also be vulner- HOBBES’ KNIFE
able to increased Difficulty or Complications from Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Momentary
thick perfume or a heavy stench.
Prerequisites: Composure ••
DEADEYE You might say she’s mission-oriented, that she
has nerves of steel. People talk her up for doing
Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Constant
what she needs to, but she doesn’t see what the big
Prerequisites: Composure •••• deal is — all she had to do was cut out her heart.
A pistol is a deadly weapon in anyone’s hands; System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character
in hers, it’s more like an artillery piece, which she sets her attitude towards all other characters to
zeroes in with surgical accuracy. zero for the duration of the scene. If your charac-
System: Ignore all penalties for using a weapon ter has any Conditions or Complications relating
outside of its optimal range. Spend an Inspiration to emotions, set those aside for the scene as well.
to take a shot at Extreme range using small arms.
LIGHTNING EYE
ECHOLOCATION
Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Constant
Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Constant Prerequisites: Composure •••
Prerequisite: Composure •• Subliminal messaging? Might as well be
The stalwart’s ears are finely tuned instruments 72-point headline font to him.
able to hear a pin drop in a crowded room, or the System: Your character is able to perceive
slight vibrations of footsteps skating across a car- events that happen too rapidly for ordinary people
peted floor. to process. He can distinguish individual strokes
System: The character can see via listening of a hummingbird’s wings or pick out a cry for
closely to the reflected soundwaves in her envi- help sandwiched between the deafening reports
ronment, like how a bat uses echolocation. The of a machine gun. Your character doesn’t perceive
stalwart is immune to the Blinding Stunt and ig- time moving any slower than usual — it’s just that
nores all Complications associated with darkness. his brain can process discrete input faster. Any
If the character does not normally have sight, actions to extract useful information from such
she gains +1 Enhancement when taking actions events receive +2 Enhancement.
against characters who would be impacted by
their loss of sight. QUICK THINKING
Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Constant
FORESEER OF OUTCOMES
Prerequisite: Composure ••••
Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Constant
His calm but swiftly moving thoughts allow
Prerequisite: Composure ••• him to process several tasks at once without be-
He can predict the reactions of anyone in a so- ing overwhelmed. When he does two things at the
cial situation. His intuition guides him through same time, he does them both with practiced skill.
personal interaction, and always gets him what he System: When you purchase this Gift, choose
wants. whether this applies to action-adventure,

Dynamic Gifts 191

 Intrigue, or Procedural scenes. When you make
mixed actions in your chosen area, you always use
the higher pool rather than the lower. You may
purchase this Gift a second time and choose a dif-
ferent area of action.
SIGHTLESS VISION
Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Constant
Prerequisites: Composure •••, Echolocation
Her hearing is so superb that she doesn’t even
need to look to see everything around her. She can
make a mental map of a room, down to the small-
est detail, just by closing her eyes and listening.
System: Your character subtracts (her Intuitive
Facet) from the effects of any Complications,
Conditions, or other effects related to blindness,
darkness, or anything else that impedes visual
senses. In addition, she can resolve fine details
that Echolocation cannot, such as etchings on a
surface or written text on a page, without seeing
them directly.
SIGNAL AND NOISE
Keywords: Attribute (Composure), Constant
Prerequisite: Composure ••
Whenever she turns her attention to data, im-
portant information rises from the chaff. She al-
ways knows what’s valuable and worth following
up on, and what details are worth ignoring.
System: You recognize patterns instantly in
enormous amounts of data, allowing the charac-
ter to immediately process and calculate statisti-
cal patterns. Your character may use the Analysis
gather information action to analyze big data or
to absorb an impossible amount of information as
though you had +1 Intellect Scale.
UNMOVING
Keywords: Attribute (Composure, Stamina),
Constant
Prerequisite: Composure ••• or Stamina •••
Nothing moves her. No emotions can sway her.
No forces can knock her off her feet. She is the
perfect picture of immobility.
System: Your character stands firm, unmoving.
This Gift may be purchased twice: once for physi-
cal immobility and once for emotional stoicism. If
192 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS
purchased for physical immobility, when an enemy
purchases the Knockdown or Knockback Stunts
against your character, they cost 2 additional suc-
cesses. In the case of other dramatic, physical forced
movement (such as the floor collapsing beneath her
or being swept away by an avalanche), she may spend
Inspiration to ignore the effect for the duration of a
turn in combat or a single action outside of it.
If purchased for emotional stoicism, at the start
of any social encounter, your character fixes her
Attitude rating towards all characters in the scene.
No action, Stunt, Gift, or other special ability can
change or adjust it. If the ability would change this
value automatically, this provokes a Clash, and the
character using this Gift gains her Intuitive Facet
in Enhancement to the roll.
Cunning
BOUNDING LEAP
Keywords: Attribute (Cunning), Constant
Prerequisite: Cunning ••
Coiling his legs beneath him, he leaps easily
over huge obstacles.
System: When your character uses movement
actions to jump, he may move two range bands in-
stead of the usual one. Additionally, you may make
an Athletics action to clear obstacles with a Size
greater than your character’s equal to the success-
es rolled. For example: by using this Gift, a charac-
ter can standing leap over a parked car if you have
two successes.
CHORUS MIND
Keywords: Attribute (Cunning), Momentary
Prerequisite: Cunning •••, Two’s Better Than
One
He isn’t any more physically coordinated than
the average Joe, but when it comes to his mind,
he’s like a pentathlete doing all five events at once.
System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character’s
mind reorganizes into a network of subsidiary
minds capable of independent thought but over-
lapping like a Venn Diagram to create a synergis-
tic whole. This Gift improves Two’s Better Than
One’s effect for one scene, increasing the num-
ber of potential simultaneous mental actions to
the character’s Reflective Facet. In addition, any
telepathic Gift or effect attempting to read your You wouldn’t think ballroom dance would be
character’s mind suffers a Complication equal the stuff a hero is made on, but he proves it’s so.
to the character’s Reflective Facet; failure to buy He’s never trod on a partner’s toe, he’s always
it off results in a confusing mess of overlapping ready with the right wrench before his wife needs
thoughts and images, imposing +2 Difficulty to it, and in a fight there’s no one she’d trust to have
any analysis, evidence research, or similar actions her back more than him.
using information gained from the Gift. System: Your character is uncannily talented at
working alongside others, matching their move-
HIDDEN THINGS REVEALED ments with perfect efficiency. When you charac-
Keywords: Attribute (Cunning, Intellect), ter is involved in a teamwork action, all characters
Momentary involved gain +1 Enhancement to the action.
Prerequisite: Cunning •••• or Intellect ••••
JUMP INTO ACTION
His attention sweeps across the scene. As he ob-
serves the area, all things obscured reveal them- Keywords: Attribute (Cunning, Dexterity),
selves to him, appearing bright and obvious. Momentary
System: Spend an Inspiration and immediate- Prerequisite: Cunning •••• or Dexterity ••••
ly perceive anything intentionally hidden in the In the moments before the conflict begins, there
same Field. This could be a stairway hidden behind is a strange and ominous calm. Muscles twitch
a bookshelf, a safe tucked behind a painting, the and nerves are ready to ignite. As the first hammer
keys to a locked chest hidden inside a false draw- is cocked, the stalwart is already in motion.
er, or characters with hidden identities or other System: The character moves quicker than they
disguises. If these hidden identities are disguises should be able to. Once per game, the character
created with a power, this provokes a Clash. If the may spend an Inspiration to act next in any round.
Storyguide had not planned to conceal something They cannot use this to interrupt the actions of
in the scene, the player may confirm “nothing is other characters, but they may act immediately
hidden” without paying the cost for this Gift. after another character. This allows the character
to act twice in one round. After the character acts,
HYPER-PERCEPTIVITY the initiative continues as normal.
Keywords: Attribute (Cunning), Constant
Prerequisite: Cunning •••
MIRRORED MOVES
The stalwart’s senses are like a bear trap wait- Keywords: Attribute (Cunning), Momentary
ing to snap shut on the slightest stimulus. Nothing Prerequisite: Cunning ••••, Photographic
gets by her — not when she wants to find it. Reflexes
System: Your character receives +2 Photographic reflexes are just that, reflexes,
Enhancement for any action to seize on small, things done in an instant. The individual steps
otherwise unnoticed details. Examples might in- of a ballet performance, or the specific form of
clude combing over a crime scene for a single tell- a monk’s flying kick aren’t something he thinks
ing detail, noticing a code hidden in an otherwise about. His body does it for him, subtly redistrib-
innocuous letter, or detecting the most minute uting weight, and swelling specific muscles with
traces of a chemical. However, she also suffers a +2 energy so that the most complex of motions are
Complication to perception actions in situations utterly effortless.
with lots of sensory stimulus (a crowded bar, for System: This Gift permanently upgrades
example). If she doesn’t buy off this Complication, Photographic Reflexes. A stalwart is no longer
she loses her next action. limited to copying only Edges and Gifts used
within the same scene. When choosing an ability
IN PERFECT HARMONY to copy, spend an Inspiration to save it for use in
Keywords: Attribute (Cunning), Constant later scenes for the rest of the session. The char-
Prerequisites: Cunning ••• acter can reset the saved ability with another

Dynamic Gifts 193

 Inspiration spend. He can still use Photographic
Reflexes within the scene to temporarily pick up
another Edge or Gift, which does not reset the
ability saved with Mirrored Moves.
PHOTOGRAPHIC REFLEXES
Keywords: Attribute (Cunning,) Momentary
Prerequisite: Cunning •••
Monkey see, monkey do. When a stalwart
watches an athletic performance, his eyes study
every little motion, every flex of muscle, every
tightening of ligament and while his eyes study,
the body goes to work. The telluric energy re-
shapes his musculature allowing the stalwart to
perform an Olympic feat that takes years to per-
fect, after only seeing it once.
System: In response to a character using a
Physical, Style, or Advanced Combat Edge or a
Momentary Gift that is physical in nature, the stal-
wart may copy that Edge/Gift and use it for the re-
mainder of the scene. If the Edge requires a weap-
on, then the character must be similarly armed.
The stalwart may only have one copied ability at
a time but can swap it anytime a new Edge/Gift
is used. Copying Gifts places a massive strain on
the stalwart’s body. Anytime he copies a Gift, all character to simultaneously perceive both fac-
actions on the following turn take an additional
+1 Complication, Strain. If Strain is not bought
off, the character suffers an Injury Condition. The instead of the lower when taking a mixed action
story guide is the final arbiter on what can and
cannot be copied using this Gift.
SPEEDING BULLET
Keywords: Attribute (Cunning), Momentary
Prerequisite: Cunning •••
He sprints alongside a charging locomotive,
easily keeping pace.
System: When using the Athletics Skill to run
great distances or during a chase sequence, gain
+2 Speed Scale to a single, applicable action. This
Gift can only be used once per chase sequence.
SPLIT-SECOND COUNTERATTACK
Keywords: Attribute (Cunning), Momentary
Prerequisites: Cunning •••
She puts her fist up, but she doesn’t move,
doesn’t dodge, just waits. Sooner or later, he’ll get
194 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS
around to throwing that punch, and when he does,
he’s going to find out she hits a lot harder than he
thought she would. Funny thing — he’s doing at
least half the work when he lunges in like that.
System: When your character is attacked at
Close range, you may spend an Inspiration to
immediately make an attack on the opponent
at the same time. These attacks resolve simulta-
neously — even if you take-out your opponent,
their blow still lands (assuming it gets past your
Defense). If your attack doesn’t land, Split-Second
Counterattack doesn’t take up your action for the
turn.
TWO’S BETTER THAN ONE
Keywords: Attribute (Cunning), Constant
Prerequisite: Cunning ••
You might ask him where he finds the time; his
secret is that he doesn’t, or rather, that he doesn’t
need to. Granted, most people can’t bifurcate their
brainpower, but he scarcely notices that anymore.
Well, half of him doesn’t, at any rate.
System: Your character is able to maintain two
independent trains of thought at the same time.
Apart from parlor tricks, such as allowing the
ets of optical illusions that rely on multi-stable
perception, you may roll the higher of two pools
as long as one of the actions is entirely mental in
nature. Your character might consult a map for a
clear escape route while she drives at incredibly
unsafe speeds through the streets of Marseilles
trying to lose the assassins chasing her, for exam-
ple, or compose a keynote address with one hand
while she simultaneously fills sheet after sheet
of paper trying to solve Fermat’s Last Theorem
with the other. When both trains of thought are
focused on a single complex mental action, gain +1
Enhancement to all milestone rolls.
Dexterity
DEADLY GEOMETRY
Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Constant
Prerequisite: Dexterity••••, Might •
The character is a virtuoso in his field of throw-
ing things. He charges the weapons he hurls with
the very energy that flows through his veins, en- LIGHTNING MUST STRIKE
abling him to hurl a shield through steel plate or
Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Momentary
fling a fork with the power and accuracy of a rifle
Prerequisite: Dexterity •••••
round.
They blur, crossing the distance instantly, and
System: The character gains +1 Power and
explode into an unavoidable strike.
Speed Scale when making throwing attacks.
System: Make an attack on an enemy at short
DEFT AND DARING range, closing the distance in the process, using
the character’s attack dice pool for the mixed ac-
Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Constant
tion, rather than the lower of the two. During this
Prerequisite: Dexterity ••• movement, ignore any Difficult Terrain or Field
Her movements are almost too fast to see with Complications that may apply for this action.
the unaided eye. She makes a quick flick here, and
swish there, and suddenly the tables have turned. PISTON STRIDE
System: Gain access to the following Stunt on Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Constant
Close Combat actions.
Prerequisites: Dexterity •••
Retrieve (2 successes): You pull something off
People say you need a car if you want to get
your opponent’s body with the tip of your weap-
anywhere in Los Angeles, but as far as she’s con-
on (or your hand if unarmed) and suddenly it is
cerned, anywhere she wants to be is just a light
in your hand. You may use this Stunt to disarm an
jog away.
opponent, but rather than knocking the weapon
System: The character has +1 Speed Scale when
away, end the turn holding it.
on foot. She can move two range bands as a reflex-
INHUMAN GRACE ive action instead of just one and her movement
speed in meters is doubled.
Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Constant
Prerequisite: Dexterity ••• SILENT STEP
She moves with a pin-point precision, every Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Constant
motion deliberate and impactful. There is no
Prerequisites: Dexterity ••
wasted motion in the fencer’s grace.
She sneaks up on people without meaning to,
System: The character gains +1 Intensity Scale
seeming to just appear at their side or behind
for actions that require balance, precision, or con-
them as if from nowhere. It’d be one thing if she
servation of movement.
were dressed for skulking, but she does it in heels.
JUMP INTO ACTION, P. XX System: Your character’s footsteps and move-
ments make no noise, though objects she touches
LIKE A FEATHER and interacts with make noise as normal (if she
shattered a window, for example, the impact
Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Constant might be silent but the sound of broken glass
Prerequisite: Dexterity •• raining to the ground would be unmistakable).
She lives in a walkup apartment, on the 15th She gains +1 Enhancement to actions to remain
floor. Going up takes ages, but she can go from bed hidden or undetected when sound is a potential
to the sidewalk in seconds — all she’s got to do is giveaway.
open her window.
System: Falling is never deadly for your char-
SUDDEN DEFENSE
acter. You can always roll Stamina + Resolve to Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Momentary
shake off the damage. Falling damage is incre- Prerequisite: Dexterity •••
mented once every 10 meters instead of once ev- They see their friend in trouble and spring to
ery 3 meters. action with what appears to be inhuman speed.

Dynamic Gifts 195

 They weave to the left, dodge to the right, and WALL-WALKER
when the blow lands, they are there to take it.
Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Momentary
System: Spend an Inspiration to opt to take a
Prerequisites: Dexterity ••
blow meant for an ally within short range. Resolve
She might invite comparisons to a spider, cer-
the attack as normal using the ally’s Defense, but
tainly, or some other form of creepy-crawly crea-
any Stunts purchased against them target your
ture. Fellows who do that ought to watch out and
character instead.
sleep with their windows closed — that’s no way
WALKING WITH HOUDINI to describe a lady.
System: Spend an Inspiration. For the remain-
Keywords: Attribute (Dexterity), Constant
der of the scene, your character may move at her
Prerequisites: Dexterity •• normal walking speed up walls and across ceilings,
Handcuffs? A mild distraction. A straitjacket? regardless of how sheer or otherwise unclimbable
That’s like a baby’s toy. A jail cell? She could do those surfaces are. She can move one range band
with a nap, and it’s not as if she couldn’t walk out vertically or horizontally along any surface avail-
whenever she feels like it. Wrapped in chains, able to her as a reflexive action.
strapped into the passenger seat of an airplane
spiraling helpless toward the ground thousands of Intellect
feet below? Well, now you’re talking!
System: Your character receives +2 ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN
Enhancement for the purposes of escaping from Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Momentary
confinement and can always improvise whatever
Prerequisites: Intellect •••••
tools are necessary to do so (though, at Storyguide
To all appearances, it’s an ordinary brown-
discretion, this might take longer than usual if her
stone, windows unlatched, door unlocked. The
captors are fastidious about not giving her any-
furniture’s just where it ought to be, and to all the
thing to work with).
world the man sitting in the parlor having a smoke

196 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

and reading the newspaper fits in right with the understanding of the language in question. For
rest. Fools, he thinks. In just a moment, they’ll be the remainder of the scene, he can read and write
in position, and then they’ll have no way out. the language like a native, including aphorisms,
System: When your character has time to pre- slang, and regional accents, if any.
pare, he’s the next best thing to unbeatable. As
long as he has a defined location (house, room, BREAK OF GENIUS
mountain pass, etc.) and sufficient time to plan Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Momentary
and prepare (minimum 1 hour), he can create a Prerequisite: Intellect ••••
plan of battle and prepare the location to his best
A new idea strikes, and he suddenly shifts gears,
advantage. This Gift creates a Field Condition
rerouting all his progress and energy into the new
within a defined location, within which attempts
task. Whatever new project he starts benefits
to work against your character’s plan suffer a +1
from all his previous Momentum.
Difficulty but attempts to work within it gain +1
System: Spend an Inspiration to end one ongo-
Enhancement (this applies to both allies and ene-
ing crafting or super science project, bank all the
mies — your foes find it much easier to follow the
successes and completed milestones so far, and
course you laid out for them!).
spontaneously declare it work towards an entirely
In addition, while within the Field, your
new project. You may then reassign these success-
character never needs to spend more than one
es and milestones as if it were work done on this
Inspiration on Dramatic Editing for the purposes
new task. If the new project would have taken less
of creating traps, hidden caches, and the like.
time than the one in progress, it completes imme-
diately. If the new project would take longer than
AUTOMATIC UNDERSTANDING
the ongoing project, reduce the total number of
Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Constant milestones by one.
Prerequisite: Intellect •••
A little bit of observation grants him in depth CALCULATING EVERY ANGLE
understanding. All he needs to do is handle an Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Constant
item, and its purpose and composition becomes Prerequisite: Intellect ••••
more than clear.
She aims with a steadying breath. Before she
System: After spending a moment observing or takes the shot, she measures every precise vari-
handling an unknown item, your character imme- able and then fires, striking true thanks to her
diately understands what it is and a general con- calculations.
cept of how it works, including super science and
System: When making attacks, you may always
powered technology. This grants your character’s
use your character’s Intellect in place of any other
Reflective Facet in Enhancement to actions made
Attribute and do not need to justify why or how.
to reverse-engineer his own version.
CODEBREAKER
BABEL-TONGUE
Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Momentary
Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Momentary
Prerequisites: Intellect •••
Prerequisites: Intellect ••
She’s doesn’t bother with crosswords or num-
Some people learn languages for fun, other peo-
ber-puzzles anymore — too easy. She’s gotten
ple for work, yet others for necessity. He’s a fourth
into the habit of seeking out so-called unbreak-
category all his own — he picks up languages like
able ciphers to test her intellect, and she’s broken
breathing in and out.
enough of them that some gentlemen from His
System: When your character encounters a Majesty’s government have come calling.
language he doesn’t know, you may spend an
System: Spend an Inspiration. Your charac-
Inspiration. Your character quickly reverse-en-
ter may instantly crack a code simply by reading
gineers the language, finding etymological links
the encoded message. Once your character has
and linguistic relatives until he arrives at a fluent

Dynamic Gifts 197

 broken a code, it remains broken — she need nev- It’s a simple matter of study and observation
er expend Inspiration to crack it a second time for her to learn who people care about and how
and may apply her knowledge of the code to any they feel. A few words here, a bit of body language
further encoded messages using that cipher to in- there, and soon she knows everything there is to
stantly read them. know about their social dynamics.
System: After meeting a target character, your
HIDDEN THINGS REVEALED, P. XX character gains an understating of their Bonds
and Attitudes with any other character present
INEVITABLE GENIUS in the scene. At any subsequent point in time, you
Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Constant may use one of these other Bonds as if they be-
Prerequisite: Intellect ••• longed to your character or leverage the Attitude
as if your character were the bond mate. Spending
Absolutely nothing escapes his observations.
successes out of another character’s Bond pool re-
When he puts his mind to uncovering the truth,
quires the consent of the other player out of char-
no amount of misdirection can keep him from his
acter. You may not use this Gift to deplete or alter
target.
another player character’s Bond.
System: Choose one of the Information
Gathering actions. Whenever your character SPUN FROM NOTHING
employs this method during Procedural scenes,
Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Momentary
clues and details pop out at him, as if highlighted
in his mind. Once per scene when you gain a core Prerequisite: Intellect ••••
clue using your chosen action, automatically gain With nothing more than a thought, he spins a
a number of additional clues equal to your char- substance into being. This substance is enough to
acter’s Intuitive Facet without needing to roll. If complete a single task.
the Storyguide does not have any further informa- System: Spend an Inspiration to instantly cre-
tion for you, you may apply the unused additional ate one tool, missing material, object, item, or
clues to a subsequent action later in the session. other substance that a character might need for
beginning or completing a crafting project. This
IT JUST WORKS created material persists for the duration of a
Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Momentary milestone before dissipating. The Talent must pay
Prerequisite: Intellect ••• the cost again for additional uses after the first.

All objects spring to life in his hands. No mat-
ter how damaged or ruined an object is, his touch
gives it function — even if just temporarily.
System: Spend an Inspiration and touch an ob-
ject, vehicle, or tool. No matter how complex, bi-
zarre, broken or ruined the item is, it comes to life
and holds together as though fully functional, al-
lowing the character to use it without issue for the
duration the scene. After that, it returns to its orig-
inal state, though your character adds her Intuitive
Facet in Enhancement to all actions to repair or re-
store it in any subsequent scene. This may only be
used on an individual object once per session.
OBSERVING THE SOCIAL PROFILE
Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Momentary
Prerequisite: Intellect ••
TEN STEPS AHEAD
Keywords: Attribute (Intellect), Constant
Prerequisite: Intellect ••••
She knew you were going to do that. She also
knows what you plan to do next, and the move af-
ter that. In fact, she’s playing this interaction like
a game.
System: When the Storyguide describes the
actions a Storyguide character would take in any
area of action, you may use dramatic editing to
veto that character’s action and describe what
they were going to do instead — all according to
your character’s predictions. If the Storyguide
dislikes your veto, you must work together to find
a suitable compromise, but should make it fall in
line with the character’s prediction. This action
override may only be used once per scene.

198 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

Manipulation actual conversation can be fairly innocuous so long
as it relates to a particular subject or goal of the
target’s. The target gains the Mortified Condition:
EMPATHIC REFLECTION
He suffers a Complication equal to the stalwart’s
Keywords: Attribute (Manipulation), Constant Destructive Facet on any action. Failure to buy off
Prerequisite: Manipulation •• the Complication leaves the target wracked with
He senses how people feel about him and uses guilt and shame, forcing him to seek absolution
it to modulate his own speech to ensure he has the through whatever means best makes sense to her
best interactions. (which may include confession, self-sabotage, let-
System: When in an Intrigue scene, your char- ting opportunities slip through her fingers, etc.).
acter instantly learns the attitude of any charac- In combat, this manifests as hesitation at a critical
ter she interacts with towards her. When making moment, causing the target to lose his next action.
Intrigue actions against the character, always gain The Condition ends when the target buys off the
the target’s attitude as Enhancement towards Complication. This Gift may only be used on a sin-
the action, even if the action would not normal- gle target once per session.
ly benefit from the attitude. The target still gains
DON’T WORRY ABOUT THAT
Enhancement on her action to resist an influence
that her attitude would normally hinder. Keywords: Attribute (Manipulation), Momentary
Prerequisites: Manipulation ••
CHAINS OF DOUBT
Normally, one wouldn’t carry a Tommy-gun
Keywords: Attribute (Manipulation), Momentary into a high-society function — but you’ve got to
Prerequisites: Manipulation •••• admit, the finish on the stock really compliments
Our psyches are a house of cards made of mem- his suit. It really ties the whole ensemble together.
ories, traumas, hopes, and dreams. Some are more System: Spend an Inspiration and designate
stable than others, to be sure, but all have their a single object (which may be an unconscious or
flaws — all can be made to come crashing down if deceased creature or person). For the remainder
the proper element is removed. of the scene, your character can carry that object
System: Spend an Inspiration and take an ac- anywhere he likes unchallenged, even if it would
tion using Command + an appropriate Attribute be totally inappropriate or even illegal to do so.
against the target’s Composure. If successful, im- The effects of this Gift immediately end if your
pose the Paralyzed Condition (Trinity Continuum character uses the object for violent purposes.
Core, p. 108) with a value equal to your character’s
FOR THE FAIREST
Destructive Facet. Each time the target fails to resolve
the Condition, they spend the turn wracked with guilt, Keywords: Attribute (Manipulation), Momentary
doubt, or whatever profound emotion is appropriate. Prerequisites: Manipulation ••••
Keep your friends close and your enemies clos-
CONSCIENCE’S WEIGHT
er, they say. If it’s up to her, you won’t be able to
Keywords: Attribute (Manipulation), Momentary tell which is which.
Prerequisites: Manipulation ••••• System: Make a Persuasion action against the
It’s just not done. So simple a phrase, so laden target’s Composure. The character may use this as
with meaning. She wields it and its cousins like a a mixed action to affect multiple targets comparing
handful of tiny knives she slips in between con- successes to each target’s Composure, respectively.
versational ribs, striking at the unprotected or- Success against a target reverses the value of any
gans of shame and guilt. Argue with her enemies? positive Attitudes they have for the remainder of
Why bother when she can steer them to war with the scene. Your character must be able to meaning-
their own sense of propriety? fully interact with all targets to use this Gift.
System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character
must speak to her target to use this Gift, but the

Dynamic Gifts 199

 LIKE A BOOK System: Spend an Inspiration and make a
Persuasion action against the target’s Composure in
Keywords: Attribute (Manipulation), Constant
response to the target taking an action. If success-
Prerequisites: Manipulation ••
ful, your character interrupts the target’s action,
It’s not smelling lies — lies don’t have a smell. misdirecting it with a shout and causing the target
She sees the lies, written plain on the faces of oth- to do the opposite of whatever they intended — the
ers. Why do you think she doesn’t care for compa- target character’s player (or the Storyguide, if tar-
ny? Everyone lies. geting a Storyguide character) chooses what pre-
System: Your character is automatically aware of cisely that means. For example, using Saturnalian
any conscious attempt to pass falsehoods. If people Statement on a character about to shoot someone
believe what they’re saying is true (either because might result in the character shooting an ally in-
they genuinely believe it or if they were hypnotized stead, or it might result in an aborted attack. The
into believing it), it will read as the truth. This Gift content of the shout need not reflect the situation
doesn’t reveal the truth, only whether or not some- or the desired outcome. The character may use this
one is intentionally lying. If the opponent is using a if she has acted this round already but doing so sac-
Gift to hide her intentions, this Gift provokes a Clash, rifices her action next round.
and the stalwart adds her Reflective Facet to her roll.
TALKING TO THE ID
MIRROR MIRROR
Keywords: Attribute (Manipulation), Momentary
Keywords: Attribute (Manipulation), Momentary Prerequisites: Manipulation ••
Prerequisites: Manipulation ••• The way he sees people is like a typewriter or
Everyone likes him; no one’s sure why. It’s not a fancy machine, all levers and buttons and gears,
that he’s gracious, or funny, or even particularly and he knows just how to push, pull, and twist to
trustworthy, but when he talks to you face to face make that machine start up and do its thing.
you just can’t help but like the guy. System: Spend an Inspiration to gain +2
System: Spend an Inspiration. For the remain- Enhancement when influencing a target toward
der of the scene, you may designate a target to an impulsive action. If the desired action is in
mirror. When your character engages them in accordance with a previously stated desire or an
conversation, he subtly alters his posture to mir- Aspiration belonging to the target, don’t spend
ror theirs, creating a sense of camaraderie on a Inspiration to use this Gift.
subconscious level. Shift the target’s Attitude to-
wards your character positively by a number of Might
shifts equal to his Intuitive Facet.
Note that, if you use this Gift to take advantage BONES OF STONE
of or trick someone, nothing is stopping the target Keywords: Attribute (Might), Constant
from realizing they were used afterwards — and Prerequisite: Might •••••
they’re not likely to be pleased.
The skeletal system of the stalwart is as hard as
granite but no heavier than any other bones. An
SATURNALIAN STATEMENT
X-ray would show that the bones are incredibly
Keywords: Attribute (Manipulation), Momentary dense, and the shattered jaws of anyone stupid
Prerequisites: Manipulation ••••, Talking to enough to get in their way would concur.
the Id System: The character’s fists have the Heavy
Intention and desire seem straightforward tag. However, this does come with a downside.
enough, but the subconscious is by far a faster They are so strong that weapons they wield tend
creature than the conscious mind. It can seize on to bend, twist or shatter upon contact with their
the strangest of things, and for those who know target. Weapons the character wields also gain the
how to read another’s tells, it’s child’s play to bait Heavy tag but shatter after any successful attack.
a trap with a few casual words.

200 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 BULL IN A CHINA SHOP
Keywords: Attribute (Might), Momentary
Prerequisite: Might •••
Bones break, armor cracks and walls buckle when
the stalwart strikes with all his might. His muscles
contract and relax with the force to move mountains. METEORIC PITCH
System: The Critical and Sunder Stunts cost
one less. Additionally, when the character pur-
chases the Inflict Damage Stunt against vehicles
or other inanimate objects, she applies two dam-
age on them instead of one.
CATAPULT
Keywords: Attribute (Might), Momentary
Prerequisite: Might ••••
Who needs fancy holds, complex takedowns,
or joint locks? Just grab whoever’s in the way and PUSH ME, PULL YOU
toss ‘em like a sack of bricks.
System: The character gains access to the fol-
lowing Stunt while in control of a grapple:
Toss (2 successes): Throw the opponent up to two
range bands away and inflict an Injury Condition. grits her teeth as bones fracture. Ride it out, she
CHARGING BULL
Keywords: Attribute (Might), Constant
Prerequisite: Athletics or Close Combat ••••
He charges, destroying anything that gets in his
way!
System: Whenever your character makes a
combat movement action, ignore any obstacles
smaller than the character between him and his
target — by crashing through them. This move-
ment must happen through the path of an obstacle
and can be done vertically, if the character leaps
or flies through a wall, pane of glass, etc. This ef-
fectively ignores the obstacle for the purposes of
cover, Field Complications, or hazardous effect.
You may spend an Inspiration to destroy the ob-
stacle, thereby removing it from the Field.
HARPOON FIST
Keywords: Attribute (Might), Constant
Prerequisite: Might ••
With fists like steel and muscles like pistons, against a target in a grapple which you control.
the stalwart’s raw physical might allows them to
puncture leather and crumple steel plates. While
a target’s armor may not be literally “pierced,” any
protection offered by armor is severely limited.
System: The character’s unarmed attacks gain
the Piercing tag.
Keywords: Attribute (Might), Constant
Prerequisite: Might •••
They heft an enormous object and toss it far
further than any ordinary person could.
System: Increase the range of all weapons with
the Thrown Tag your character uses by one range
band. You additionally gain an additional +1 Might
Scale when determining the size of things your
character can throw.
Keywords: Attribute (Might, Stamina), Momentary
Prerequisite: Might •••• or Stamina ••••
She lets the hits land, feel the bruises forming,
thinks — when she hits back, she’s gonna knock
his block clean off with one blow.
System: Spend an Inspiration. You may convert
the character’s highest Injury Complication into
an Enhancement to a barehanded attack action
for a number of rounds equal to her Destructive
Facet. This does not heal the Injury, but she ig-
nores the Complication for the duration of this
Gift. If the Injury is Persistent, apply one of the
following tags to your attack: Brutal, Deadly,
Heavy Weapon, Piercing, Pushing. You may only
use Push Me, Pull You once per scene.
UNBREAKABLE GRASP
Keywords: Attribute (Might), Constant
Prerequisite: Might ••
When a stalwart grabs an evil henchman, mob-
ster, or goon, that person isn’t getting away from
him until the stalwart decides they are done
talking. His grasp is near unescapable by mortal
men.
System: Gain +1 Power Scale on all actions
Dynamic Gifts 201
 UNSTOPPABLE MIGHT
Keywords: Attribute (Might), Momentary
Prerequisite: Might •••
Her muscles flex, and she performs a physi-
cal feat beyond human capability. She lifts a car,
bends a steel beam, or punches through a train
car’s door.
System: For the duration of a single action, gain
+1 Might Scale for determining how much your
character can lift, break, or throw. When you bene-
fit from this Gift, you may not make a mixed action.
Presence
ANTI-SPEECH
Keywords: Attribute (Presence), Momentary
Prerequisites: Presence •••••
The more he tried to talk, the more it felt wrong.
The sounds coming out of his mouth, for all he was
pronouncing each and every syllable correctly, were
jumbled and cacophonous to his ears. The funny
thing was, it was happening to the man sitting across
from him as well, but judging from the smile on his
face, he wasn’t the least bit bothered by it.
202 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS
System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character
talks in nonsense syllables perfectly calibrated to
disrupt the speech of others, like opposing wave-
forms cancel one another out. All oral speech be-
comes functionally unintelligible. Your character
may apply this effect selectively, allowing certain
characters to speak but blocking others. This ef-
fect lasts for as long as your character is talking, or
until the end of the scene.
AUTOMATIC RECRUITMENT
Keywords: Attribute (Presence), Constant
Prerequisite: Presence •••
He says just the right words and his enemy’s fol-
lowers lay down their weapons and join him. Even
more dangerous opponents can still be swayed,
though he may need to make more than minimal
effort.
System: Target one enemy Storyguide character
who is a minor threat and spend an Inspiration.
They immediately quit whatever they were doing
and assist your character for the rest of the scene. If
you wish to establish a Bond with the targeted char-
acter, this requires the usual time spent together. If
the players’ characters act with hostility towards System: Spend an Inspiration to create a Field
their new recruits, the effect immediately ends. Complication centered on your character that ex-
tends to Medium range that lasts for a number of
CAN’T TOUCH ME rounds equal to the character’s Destructive Facet.
Keywords: Attribute (Presence), Momentary All enemies in the area suffer a +2 Complication to
actions (social, combat, or otherwise) that do not
Prerequisite: Presence ••••
target your character. This includes actions to no-
Her sweet words convince an enemy to target
tice an ally slipping away, or hiding in the rafters,
someone else. They wouldn’t want to hurt some-
etc. If they fail to buy off the Complication, you or
one as harmless as her, right?
an ally within the Field Complication’s area may
System: In a combat scene, you may make an immediately make a counteraction against them:
Encourage Behavior action against anyone who an attack, a social action, physically stopping
targets your character with an attack, sweet them, etc. A character may only make one such
talking them into fighting someone else. If suc- counteraction each round.
cessful, the target gains the Charmed Condition
which lasts for a number of rounds equal to your IMPOSSIBLE MAGNETISM
character’s Reflective Facet. While under the ef-
Keywords: Attribute (Presence), Momentary
fect of the Charmed Condition, the target may
not purchase the Inflict Injury or Critical Stunts Prerequisite: Presence •••
against your character or apply any other Stunt Her personality attracts and enraptures every-
that might cause the character to take an Injury one she speaks to.
(such as using Knockback to force her into a haz- System: When interacting with a large group of
ardous location). people, or a singular, powerful target, your charac-
ter gains +1 Leadership Scale for a single Intrigue
COME GET SOME action. You may only use this Gift once per scene.
Keywords: Attribute (Presence), Constant
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
Prerequisite: Presence ••
In battle, her presence puts enemies on edge. Keywords: Attribute (Presence), Constant
She seems larger than life and gives the impression Prerequisite: Presence •••
that she is the most dangerous person in the area. His presence alone drives witnesses to spill
Enemies feel compelled to deal with her or suffer what they know. He doesn’t even need to pressure
the consequences if they don’t take her seriously. them — they just fess up.
System: Gain access to the following Stunt on System: Storyguide characters in the scene
any Close Combat or Command action. view your character as intimidating or trust-
Come Get Some (2s): The target gains the worthy — or both — and therefore present infor-
Provoked Condition. While they have the mation to you. Your character may use the in-
Condition, they must make attacks against you. If formation he gains this way as a free additional
they do not, increase the success cost of all Stunts clue the first time he enters a Procedural scene.
they choose by 2. This resolves when they suc- You may spend Inspiration to make this a number
cessfully make an attack against you. A character of additional clues equal to your Intuitive Facet
may only have one instance of Provoked at a time. instead.

I’M THE PROBLEM HERE PREDATOR’S VISAGE

Keywords: Attribute (Presence), Momentary Keywords: Attribute (Presence), Momentary
Prerequisite: Come Get Some, Presence •••• Prerequisites: Presence ••
The very sight of her invokes fear in her ene- You feel it when she walks into a room. It’s
mies. They stumble, make mistakes, and open something about the way she moves, the way
themselves up to attacks. she stands, the tone in her voice, the words she

Dynamic Gifts 203

 chooses — whatever it is, it speaks directly to your System: Your character’s ability to develop immu-
ancestral memory, and it says: This is a lion, and it nities to toxic substances now extends to any source
will eat you. Run. Run. RUN. of damage. When she suffers an Injury Condition
System: Spend an Inspiration. For the remain- due to a particular kind of damage (Bashing, Edged,
der of the scene, your character radiates a pow- Ballistic, Ray, fire, acid, etc.), she gains an innate
erful aura of sheer menace. Anyone attempting to point of soft armor against similar sources of dam-
use social influence on her suffers a Complication age. Subsequent exposure does not increase this ar-
equal to her Destructive Facet. Failure to buy off mor. This armor stacks with other sources and is ef-
the Complication inflicts the Stunned Condition fectively Innocuous, as it’s the character’s own body
with her Destructive Facet as its rating. Once that becomes extraordinarily resistant. This armor
the Stunned Status Condition’s associated lasts until the end of the scene.
Complication has been bought off, subsequent
attempts to influence or attack your character do BEYOND THE HUMAN LIMIT
not trigger the effects of Predator’s Visage. Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Constant
Prerequisite: Stamina •••
TACTICIAN’S INSIGHT
People say she’s a second Ada Blackjack — they
Keywords: Attribute (Presence), Momentary say she walked across the Sahara with nothing
Prerequisite: Presence •• more than a parasol to keep the sun off her head.
Her plans always carry the group to impossible If you ask her, she’ll tell you it’s true, but it was
success. As long as they stick to her insightful ge- no great adventure for her: she just wanted a little
nius, her friends can’t fail! time to herself.
System: At the start of any scene, you may make System: Your character can hold her breath for
a plan of approach or attack for your group. This ten minutes, go without water or sleep for a week,
plan is expressed in a number of phrases equal to or go without food for a month with no apprecia-
your Reflective Facet. For example: Keep an eye out ble drain on her body’s reserves. After that time,
for spies or Don’t use force with the guards, I know deprivation begins to affect her as normal. She
them. Whenever you or someone else uses one of gains +1 Enhancement on actions to resist indirect
the points of guidance, they gain +2 Enhancement damage originating from deprivation or environ-
to their action to do so. Alternatively, your char- mental effects.
acter or an ally can choose to expend one of these
phrases, removing it from play to automatically FAST HEALER
succeed at one action as though they had enough Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Constant
successes to overcome the Difficulty and any Prerequisite: Stamina ••
Complications. In combat, automatically succeed-
The stalwart’s body stitches itself back togeth-
ing means purchasing a single Stunt your choice,
er at nearly superhuman speeds. Injuries that
excluding Critical or Stunts with a variable cost.
lay up a normal person for weeks are but minor
Stamina inconveniences.
System: The character can downgrade an
ARCHITECTURE OF ENDURANCE Injury Condition at the end of a scene without
taking an action. This stacks with the first aid
Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Constant action.
Prerequisite: Stamina •••••, Mithradates
Gambit GRIT
The assassin leapt at her, determined to finish Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Constant
the job his fellows had bungled, but his dagger
Prerequisite: Stamina ••
turned aside when it met her forearm, barely leav-
Telluric energy reinforces and hardens the body
ing a scratch. “What?” she said. “Did you think the
beyond the peak of human pain tolerance.
third time would be the charm?”

204 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 System: The character gains an additional per-
manent Bruised Injury level.
MITHRADATES GAMBIT
Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Constant
Prerequisites: Stamina •••
The maitre d’ watched him take his first spoon-
ful of soup, every nerve taut as he waited for him
to choke, collapse and die. Watched him take his
second. His third. He finished the bowl, and sent
compliments to the chef — the cyanide, he said,
really brought the whole thing together.
System: Your character can build up a natural
immunity to toxic substances through repeated REGENERATION
exposure. Each time he is subjected to a given toxic
substance and survives, he gains +1 Enhancement
(to a maximum of +5 Enhancement) to resisting
damage or deleterious effects caused by the sub-
stance on subsequent exposures. This immunity
lasts for the rest of the session.
POLISHED BRONZE
Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Constant
Prerequisite: Skin of Bronze, Stamina •••
The stalwart’s skin hardens into a bio-organic takes place after the effects of the Fast Healer Gift.
metal that is soft to the touch but reflects light like
burnished steel.
System: The character gains +2 Enhancement
to defensive actions against attacks with the Ray
type and add +1 Enhancement to defensive actions
against all other attacks.
PUSH ME, PULL YOU, P. XX
SHRUG OFF
Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Momentary
Prerequisite: Fast Healer, Stamina ••••
Not Injury, distraction, nor disease can keep her an object and take a Science action. For each suc-
down for long.
System: Spend an Inspiration and end any one
Condition, including Injury Conditions, current-
ly affecting your character. If you end an Injury
Condition, clear the associated marked damage. • Where was the object last?
This does not remove damage marked on Injury
boxes provided by armor.
SKIN OF BRONZE
Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Constant
Prerequisite: Stamina •••
Skin tears and rips; humans are delicate, fragile
creatures who bleed at the slightest pinprick, but
not the stalwart.
System: The character’s skin is as hard as
bronze. The character always counts as having a
soft armor rating equal to her Destructive Facet
rating. This armor stacks with armor from other
sources. This armor explicitly does affect indirect,
environmental damage such as fire and radiation.
Keywords: Attribute (Stamina), Constant
Prerequisite: Stamina ••••, Fast Healer
Bullet wounds, jagged lacerations, burst blood
vessels; things that would send the average per-
son to the hospital are just an inconvenience for
the stalwart. With a minute to catch her breath it’s
like these injuries never happened.
System: Your character heals at astronomical
speeds. At the end of any scene, remove all Bruised
Injury Conditions affecting the character. This
UNMOVING, P. XX
Resolve
DISCERNING TASTE
Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Constant
Prerequisite: Resolve ••
He tastes an object and considers its flavor. Its
unique taste unravels its component parts or who
handled it last.
System: Your character may taste a substance or
cess, you may ask any of the following questions:
• What is the primary ingredient of the
substance?
• Who touched the object last?
• Where did this substance originate?
Dynamic Gifts 205
 While your character uses this Gift, he is im- PAIN TOLERANCE
mune to any dangers that may come from putting
Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Momentary
a foreign object or substance in his mouth. This
Prerequisite: Resolve ••••
does not allow the character to safely ingest inedi-
ble things, simply taste them. She grits her teeth and refuses to let a little pain
slow her down.
EMOTIONAL STATIC System: Spend an Inspiration. For the duration
Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Momentary of the scene, ignore all Complications imposed by
Injury Conditions. The character does not need to
Prerequisite: Resolve •••
buy off the Complication and does not worry about
When she enters a room, a calm surrounds her. it causing any further narrative difficulty. This does
People quiet down, tempers dampen, and emo- not, however, heal the Injury — your character sim-
tions become muted. ply is not slowed down by pain or discomfort.
System: Spend an Inspiration to immediately
negate all atmospheres that are currently affect- REFLECT
ing the Field. If an Atmosphere is being generated
Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Momentary
through a Gift or a character with a Source, this
Prerequisite: Resolve •••
provokes a Clash.
Her flesh shimmers the split-second before the
MENTAL VOID knife makes contact. Instead of sinking in, it re-
bounds away, flying back at her attacker, who is
Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Constant
too dumbstruck to dodge it.
Prerequisite: Resolve ••••
System: Spend an Inspiration when targeted by
Her actions are inscrutable and thought pro- a ranged attack. Reflect the attack back at the at-
cesses feel alien. Trying to read her is like staring tacker, using their successes on the action. If the
at a blank page, and even the mightiest mesmerist attack overcomes their Defense, you may only pur-
has a hard time understanding her mind. chase Injury Stunts with the successes, but you may
System: Attempts to discern your character’s apply any applicable Enhancements to the attack.
emotional state, motivation, or thought processes
are done at a +2 Difficulty. When resolving a Clash MENTAL SPLIT
against Gifts that would alter the character’s men-
Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Constant
tal state, gain Enhancement equal to the charac-
Prerequisite: Resolve ••••
ter’s Intuitive Facet.
His mind is split, literally. He can compartmen-
NERVES OF STEEL talize his thoughts, process complex problems,
and act on information faster than anyone else.
Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Momentary
This process is seamless, both parts of his self act-
Prerequisite: Resolve •• ing in harmony.
When she sets her mind to something, she sees System: Your character has two separate
it through, no ifs, ands, or buts. She’s got a stare minds, which can act and process thoughts si-
like a sniper and a will like a bulldozer. multaneously. When taking mixed action, gain
System: Spend an Inspiration and designate a Enhancement to apply to the set of actions equal
task as an extended action. For the remainder of to the character’s Intuitive Facet. Additionally, the
the scene, your character ignores the effects of any character can work on two milestones for a com-
Injury or Status Conditions she has, and gains +2 plex action at the same time as a mixed action, in-
Enhancement to any actions to continue focusing cluding crafting or super science building.
on her task in the face of others trying to distract
or oppose her. SURVIVALIST
Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Momentary
Prerequisite: Resolve •••

206 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 He’s practiced at resisting the elements; natural BLOCKING BULLETS
disasters don’t even phase him.
Keywords: Constant, Power
System: When facing a Field Complication with
Prerequisites: Dexterity ••• and Close Combat
a Scale rating, your character gains +1 Durability
•••
Scale for the purpose of overcoming it.
She moves with inhuman speed, cutting bullets
TASTE-TESTER from the air.
System: When your character uses Defense
Keywords: Attribute (Resolve), Constant
Stunts and Defensive Edges to block attacks from
Prerequisite: Resolve •••, Discerning Taste firearms, she increases her Defense by 2. You
She’s fond of saying “the nose knows” when may spend an Inspiration to instead treat this as
she’s at her work, but truthfully her strongest +1 Defense Scale to block attacks that have Scale,
sense isn’t smell. Sure, she’s got a nose like a blood- such as missiles or bombs.
hound, but she’s got a tongue like a chemistry lab.
System: When your character smells or tastes a BODY OF THE DESERT
substance or object, she gains a preternatural un- Keywords: Momentary, Power
derstanding of that substance or object’s history.
Prerequisite: Sandstorm, Stamina •••
She can identify its exact composition and gains her
The stalwart’s entire body becomes the earth,
Intuitive Facet in Enhancement to track any scents
allowing him to momentarily erupt into a wave of
associated with it. Spend Inspiration one-for-one to
gravel and sand.
ask any question that could reasonably be answered
by an olfactory or gustatory sensation; the Storyguide System: Spend an Inspiration to turn the
will answer. For example, “Where was the person character into a swirling mass of sand and small
who handled this before they came here?” might re- stones. The stalwart can stay in this form for a
ceive an answer like, “You smell machine oil, sweat, number of rounds equal to his Reflective Facet.
smoke; likely a factory of some kind.” Answers given While his body is in this form, he can slip under
by the Storyguide are clues and may be used to find doorways, through air vents and anywhere else
further information as normal. fine grains of dirt may go. Increase the cost to
purchase Stunts against the character by one. The
Dynamic Power Gifts character cannot purchase Stunts that would deal
Injury Conditions when attacking in this form,
Dynamic power Gifts enhance a stalwart be-
but reduces the cost to purchase the Blinding,
yond her own normal abilities and allow her to
Knockdown, and Shove Stunts by one.
manipulate telluric energy to manifest in physical
ways. These Gifts are often obviously inhuman
BOREAL ARSENAL
and strange. Storyguides may choose to exclude
these Gifts from their games if they seek to play in Keywords: Momentary, Power
a lower powered setting. Prerequisite: Cool to the Touch, Stamina •••
The stalwart’s mastery over heat energy has
AIRBURST reached the point that he can lower liquids below
Keywords: Momentary, Power freezing with a bit of concentration. By centering
Prerequisite: Resolve ••• himself and picturing the object he wishes to cre-
ate, the stalwart plunges his hand into a body of
A gust of air blows beneath her and she rides
liquid and pulls forth the object he requires.
along on a personal dust-devil.
System: Spend an Inspiration and take an ac-
System: Spend an Inspiration and summon a
tion to submerge the character’s hand into a body
gust of wind to propel yourself along. This burst
of water and pull forth an item made of solid ice.
of air can push your character and a number of al-
The item must be Size Scale 1 or smaller and melts
lies up to her Intuitive Facet instantly a distance
if the stalwart puts it down. If the item is a weap-
up to Long Range. This sudden movement ignores
on, it has the Elemental (Ice) tag and may have a
appropriate Field Complications.

Dynamic Gifts 207

 number of additional tags equal to the character’s the most oppressive summer days. Characters with
Destructive Facet rating. this Gift tend to have a bluish tint to their hair and skin.
System: The character can ignore
BREATHING OUT THE STORM Complications and increased Difficulty caused by
Keywords: Momentary, Power environmental heat or cold. Additionally, the cold
Prerequisite: Composure ••• renders the character partially numb to pain. The
Complication for the Injured Injury Condition is
She draws a deep breath and exhales inky
+1 instead of +2.
thunderheads.
System: Spend an Inspiration to create a storm DEATH FROM ABOVE
in a localized area. Your character does not liter-
ally need to breathe it out; you may create it in Keywords: Momentary, Power
any fashion appropriate to the stalwart. This im- Prerequisite: Stamina ••••, Like a Feather
poses any relevant Difficulty or Complications to Never let her have the high ground — that’s her
operating in the middle of a raging thunderstorm, favorite weapon.
or the Storming Field Complication (p. XX) in a System: Spend an Inspiration when your char-
fight. This lasts until the end of the scene. acter jumps from a great height to convert the
damage into an attack. When she lands, calculate
COOL TO THE TOUCH fall damage as normal (not per Like a Feather) —
Keywords: Constant, Power this damage is not applied to your character, but is
Prerequisite: Composure ••, Cannot have treated as an attack with the Explosive tag, rolled
Internal Furnace with Close Combat + the Damage Rating of the
fall. Your character doesn’t take damage from this
The stalwart’s body is always cool to the touch.
attack or from the fall.
They never seem to overheat or sweat, even during

208 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
Keywords: Momentary, Power
Prerequisite: Cunning •••
He concentrates and manipulates the weather
conditions, shifting them in his favor.
System: Make a Science or Enigmas +
Intellect or Cunning action against a Difficulty
of the targeted weather-related Field Condition’s
Complication rating. If successful, you may re-
duce its rating by 1 or change it to a different Field fire to the world. Though the fireballs of myth and
Condition of lesser severity. You may instead lore are beyond her, she can channel her heat into
spend an Inspiration to remove one weather-re- an item and send it hurtling at her foes.
lated Field Condition entirely.
FADE INTO SHADOWS
Keywords: Constant, Power
Prerequisite: Cunning ••, Shadow Play
The stalwart’s body becomes one with the focusing.
shadows, allowing him to disappear and reappear
at will as he melds with them.
System: The character gains 1 Enhancement on
ambush actions and can purchase the following
Stunt on any attack or ambush action.
Fade into Shadows (Variable): The stalwart
melds into the shadows, making his body some-
what immaterial. Successes spent on this Stunt
act as Difficulty to any actions to perceive or find
him. The stalwart may purchase the Stunts from
the Gift Shadow Ambush on any attack action, as
long as at least one enemy cannot perceive him.
FISTS OF FIRE
Keywords: Constant, Power
Prerequisite: Internal Furnace, Stamina ••
Hers is the anger that can trigger revolutions
and raze fields. She can channel her internal heat
into her hands or a weapon, rendering them capa-
ble of setting objects and people aflame. The stal-
wart strikes a target and forces all the heat energy
in her body into a single point on her target.
System: The character’s fists, or any weapon she
is wielding, gain the Elemental (Fire) tag. She also
gains access to the following Close Combat Stunt.
Burning (2 successes): The target suffers a +2
Complication (Burning) on all actions that lasts
for a number of rounds equal to the character’s
Destructive Facet. If the target fails to buy it off, he
suffers an Injury Condition. While suffering from
this Complication, the target may set small fires at
the Storyguide’s discretion.
IGNITION
Keywords: Momentary, Power
Prerequisite: Internal Furnace, Stamina •••
This Gift allows the stalwart to show her inner
System: Spend an Inspiration to excite the mol-
ecules within ammunition and weapons. All the
character’s firearm attacks gain the Incendiary
and Elemental (Fire) tags for the rest of the scene.
In addition, she can fire bullets without the use
of a firearm by holding them in her hand and
INSPIRED GENIUS
Keywords: Constant, Power
Prerequisite: Intellect •••
He pushes the limits of modern knowledge,
creating scientific inventions beyond ordinary
conception.
System: When your character uses super sci-
ence to create all-new cutting-edge technology,
you reduce the number of milestones required to
complete it by one. Additionally, while he is work-
ing on this project, when you spend Inspiration
during any milestone to gain Scale, gain an addi-
tional +1 Intellect Scale.
INTERNAL FURNACE
Keywords: Constant, Power
Prerequisite: Resolve ••, Cannot have Cool to
the Touch
She is the flame in the cold winter night, burning
passion given form and shape. The stalwart’s body
is always warm to the touch. Characters with this
Gift tend to have a red tint to their skin and hair.
System: The character can ignore
Complications and increased Difficulty caused
by environmental heat or cold. Additionally, the
character ignores injury Complications from the
Bruised Injury Condition.
Dynamic Gifts 209
 KINETIC ABSORPTION AND REFLECTION
Keywords: Momentary, Power
Prerequisite: Stamina •••
She takes kinetic energy and stores it for future
use. Physical impacts only make her stronger as
she absorbs their energy and turns it outward.
System: Whenever your character would oth-
erwise take an Injury from a damage source with
the impact, ballistic, or slashing damage types,
you may spend an Inspiration to avoid the Injury
and instead take the successes spent on the Inflict
Damage Stunt as Enhancement to your next
attack.
MIMIC
Keywords: Constant, Power
Prerequisite: Cunning •••
Why settle for being your best self when you can
be someone else’s best self too? With a touch, the
stalwart can absorb all that a person appears to be.
His nervous tics, his habits, the way he smiles at
the people he loves and the way he bites his lip
when he is stressed, all belong to the mimic.
System: With a touch, the character robs her
target of his rhythmic pattern. The stalwart gains
her Reflective Facet in Enhancement on all actions
to impersonate the person until the end of the
session. The stalwart may spend an Inspiration
to store this personality, allowing her to call on it ingestion, then the stalwart needs to figure out
again in the future. People affected by this power
tend to feel off for a few days following its use, but
do not suffer any mechanical setbacks.
MIND OF ITS OWN
Keywords: Dynamic, Momentary
Prerequisite: Dexterity •••
The stalwart imbues his weapon with telluric
energy and hurls it forth. The weapon ricochets
off walls, bounces around corners and smashes
into enemies before continuing its path of de-
struction. To an onlooker it looks like the weapon
has a mind of its own.
System: Spend an Inspiration and make a thrown
attack action. Make the first attack as normal. armed attack at up to Medium range, as the char-
Afterwards, for a number of rounds equal to the stal- acter sends a rush of gravel at his foe. Gain access
wart’s Destructive Facet, he may make an attack using to the following Stunt when making the attack.
210 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS
the ricocheting weapon as a mixed action. These at-
tacks gain any benefits bestowed on the weapon from
the first attack, such as Gift Enhancements or addi-
tional tags, but suffer a +2 Complication. If he fails to
buy off the Complication, then the weapon clatters to
the ground. After making the maximum amount of
attacks the weapon falls to the ground, however the
character can choose to stop the attacks early and re-
turn the weapon to his hand.
POISONOUS EPIDERMIS
Keywords: Constant, Power
Prerequisites: Stamina •••
The stalwart’s body is not a temple, but a chem-
ical laboratory. She can consume and synthesize a
poison, excreting it from her very skin.
System: The character must ingest a poison to
gain the benefits of this Gift. In the next scene, she
may excrete the poison from her skin. This does
not alter the threat type of the poison (Trinity
Continuum Core p. 109), nor does it provide
the character with any resistance to the poison,
though she is immune to what she produces. If
the poison is a contact poison, then the character
can apply it when she purchases the Inflict Injury
Stunt on an unarmed attack. If someone touches
her, such as by landing an unarmed blow or just
brushing up against her, they also come into con-
tact with the poison. If the poison’s main form is
some way to get it into her target’s mouth.
Spend an Inspiration to allow the character to
touch a poison and synthesize it, without having
to ingest it.
SANDSTORM
Keywords: Momentary, Power
Prerequisite: Resolve •••
The stalwart can channel telluric energy into
small areas of his body to turn them into bits of
earth. With a quick and brutal throw, the stal-
wart’s hand separates, turning into a wave of sand
and stone as it descends upon his victim.
System: Spend an Inspiration to make an un-
 Choke (2 successes): You force sand into the tar- to defensive actions made by all allies within
get’s throat and nose, inflicting a +2 Complication Close range of your character.
to physical and social actions. If the character
fails to buy off the Complication, she loses her SUBVOCAL COMMUNICATION
next turn as she coughs and sputters, and the cost Keywords: Constant, Power
to buy off the Complication on her next action
Prerequisite: Intellect ••• or Presence •••
increases by +1. If the Complication reaches +4,
She projects her words to others with seeming-
failure to buy off the Complication results in the
ly no sound at all.
character being Taken Out.
System: Your character can make sounds only
SHADOW PLAY select targets can hear; she does this without
overtly moving her mouth, allowing for entirely
Keywords: Constant, Power
secret communication. She may only sub-vocally
Prerequisite: Manipulation •• communicate with one other target character at a
Born in the darkness, raised in shadows, the time, but outsiders cannot detect the social inter-
stalwart wraps herself in the shade, pulling it actions unless they have super senses, or equiva-
around herself like a warm blanket of anonymity. lent technology. If this effect would be contested
System: Gain +1 Intensity Scale on actions to by something that would cancel it out, it provokes
hide in shadows. a Clash. Even then, add your character’s Intuitive
Facet in Enhancement to resist their attempts.
SHADOW AMBUSH
Keywords: Constant, Power
SUPER SENSES
Prerequisite: Manipulation •••• Keywords: Constant, Power
The stalwart speaks and the darkness answers. Prerequisite: Cunning •••
When they strike from the darkness it strikes with His senses pick up on far more than any ordi-
them. Tendrils of night rip forth from the shade nary human being, from spotting a person a mile
and tear the stalwart’s enemies asunder. away, to smelling the presence of something from
System: This Gift gives the character addition- several days previous.
al Stunts he can purchase during an ambush ac- System: Your character automatically succeeds
tion. If he is part of an ambushing group, then the on any sensing actions with a Difficulty equal
group may purchase these Stunts as well. to or lower than your Intuitive Facet. Gain your
Terrify (variable successes): For every success Intuitive Facet in Enhancement to any other sens-
spent, inflict +1 Complication to the next action the ing actions. This Enhancement applies before you
target takes. Failing to buy off this Complication re- roll.
sults in them being paralyzed with fear, setting their
Defense to zero until the start of their next turn. THE KILLING WORD
Inflict damage (Opponent’s Armor): Deal an Keywords: Momentary, Power
Injury Condition to your target. Prerequisites: Presence •••
Subdue (1 success per): For every success spent, Sticks and stones may break your bones, but her
the stalwart can take-out two minor characters. words will outright kill you.
System: Spend an Inspiration. For a number of
STALWART DEFENDER turns equal to your character’s Destructive Facet,
Keywords: Constant, Power your character may make attack actions with
Prerequisite: Stamina ••• the Command Skill using nothing but her voice,
The more hurt he is, the harder he fights to pro- blasting opponents with ferocious shouts. For the
tect his friends. purposes of combat, your character’s voice has
+2 Enhancement and the following tags: Range
System: Grant your character’s highest Injury
(Short), Pushing, Spread.
Condition’s Complication rating as Enhancement

Dynamic Gifts 211

 Your character may also use her voice as a She focuses her will and unleashes concentrat-
weapon of assassination rather than a shouted ed telluric energy from part of her body.
blast with a Larceny action. Used thus, a whis- System: Make an unarmed ranged attack by
pered word has +1 Enhancement and the follow- throwing or blasting a burst of energy. This has
ing tags: Range (Close), Silent, Deadly, Piercing. a combination of Ranged (Medium) and one of
the following tags: Explosive, Incendiary, Brutal
THERMAL CONTROL or Aggravated. Telluric Bolt always has the Ray
Keywords: Momentary, Power damage type. You may make this attack using
Prerequisite: Destructive Facet ••• Aim, Athletics, or Enigmas. This energy blast can
be focused from any part of your character’s body,
Imposing her will on the world around her, she
though palms and eyes are the most common. This
intensifies the area’s temperature.
Gift may be purchased a number of times equal to
System: Roll Enigmas or Science + Cunning or
your character’s Destructive Facet, granting a dif-
Intellect. Create the Extreme Temperature [Heat]
ferent tag configuration each time.
(p. XX) Field Complication with a Complication
rating equal to the number of successes rolled. WINTER’S EMBRACE
This Complication persists for a number of rounds
equal to the character’s Destructive Facet in com- Keywords: Constant, Power
bat, or until the end of the scene outside of it. Prerequisite: Cool to the Touch, Stamina ••
With this Gift, the stalwart is less cool to the
TAKING FLIGHT touch and more like a heat sink, actively draw-
Keywords: Momentary, Power ing forth heat from the environment and pulling
it into his body. Through concentration, he can
Prerequisite: Might ••• or Dexterity •••
weaponize this heat drain. The stalwart strikes a
With a mighty leap, he soars into the air!
target and pulls the heat from a limb, freezing it
System: Your character can soar short distanc- temporarily.
es (up to two additional range bands per turn)
System: Gain access to the following Close
both horizontally and vertically. When using this
Combat Stunt.
Gift, make an Athletics + Dexterity or Might roll.
Frozen (2 successes): The target’s Defense is one
You can stay in flight for a number of turns equal
lower for the round. This Stunt may be purchased
to the successes rolled, to a minimum of one.
multiple times but can never lower a character’s
TELLURIC BOLT Defense below one.

Keywords: Constant, Power

Prerequisite: Aim •••, Athletics •••, or
Enigmas •••

212 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS


Mesmerists gain access to psychic Gifts. Some
psychic Gifts build upon one another and have an
earlier Gift as a prerequisite. This does not change
the cost to purchase the Gift, but the character
must have the prerequisite Gift before she can
choose to purchase the new Gift.
PSYCHIC GIFTS
is reduced to zero, the character may ignore it en-
tirely. This Gift lasts as long as the mesmerist con-
centrates. If she’s in a situation where she might be
distracted, the Storyguide may require an Integrity
+ Resolve action to maintain concentration, which
can be placed in a mixed action.

Biological BRAIN JAMMING

Biological psychic Gifts deal with the body, both Keywords: Biological, Constant
those of the mesmerist and of her target. Prerequisite: Presence ••
She projects mental static into the room, which
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
causes synapses to misfire. The oppressive white
Keywords: Biological, Constant noise disrupts concentration.
Prerequisite: Survival • System: You gain the following Stunt, which
He’s on a first-name basis with half the cats in you can purchase on any ranged attack. For the
the city, dogs follow him for a mile or more, and purposes of applying this Stunt, you can substi-
even the pigeons flock around him rather than tute your character’s Enigmas Skill for Aim on the
fluttering away. Others ask him what his trick is. action.
He tells them there’s nothing to it but being able Brain Static (3s): The target gains the Mental
to hold up one’s own end of the conversation. Static Condition — the target suffers +2 Difficulty
System: Your character can communicate with to all mental-based actions, including Aim attacks
animals, either by speaking human languages to made at longer than Close range. The Condition
them or through whatever best approximation resolves after the target spends time resting out
of animal sounds he can make. Most animals, of of combat or utilizes Integrity to make a center-
course, don’t have a terribly large English vocab- ing action at a Difficulty equal to the character’s
ulary, and many aren’t especially clever by human Destructive Facet.
standards, but most mammals, many birds, and
even some reptiles have a surprising degree of in- CHECK!
teriority. This Gift doesn’t bestow any particular Keywords: Biological, Momentary
ability to control animals on the mesmerist — he’s
Prerequisite: Cunning •••, Three Moves
still got to convince them if he wants them to do
Ahead
something for him.
The mesmerist’s advanced deduction capabil-
ASCETIC TRANCE ities turn from simply predicting his opponent’s
strikes to anticipating them and reacting to them
Keywords: Biological, Momentary without thought. His reaction speed increases,
Prerequisite: Integrity •• and his muscles become an extension of his men-
Using techniques of focused breathing, mantras tal acuity.
and self-affirmations, the mesmerist may walk System: Spend an Inspiration to apply a +2
across coals and breath in poisons without suffer- Complication onto a target within the same Field.
ing harm. If she fails to buy it off, the character may imme-
System: Spend an Inspiration to reduce the dam- diately make an attack against the target at the
age rating of hazards such as toxins, diseases, and end of her action. This attack cannot be part of
other forms of indirect environmental damage by a mixed action and allows the mesmerist to act a
the mesmerist’s Reflective Facet rating. If damage second time in the round if she has already acted.

Psychic Gifts 213

 COMMAND THE MANY MERIDIANS COUNTER-GAMBIT
Keywords: Biological, Momentary Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Prerequisites: Medicine •• Prerequisite: Cunning ••••, Three Moves
You think it’s odd she uses needles as a cure-all? Ahead
My friend, you ain’t seen the half of it — I once By speeding her mind, her perception of the
watched her use those needles to set a man’s bro- actions around her speeds, making it seem as if
ken leg after a plane crash. He walked thirty-six everyone else is moving in slow motion. This lets
miles on it, down a mountain, and through wood- her accurately predict her enemy’s next action to
lands, before they thumbed down a ride. the point where it appears she has precognition.
System: Your character perceives the flow of She knows where she needs to stand and position
energy throughout a human body (both her own herself to make the most of her next action.
and others’), and with effort is able to adjust System: Spend an Inspiration and remove the
those flows slightly. This requires a few minutes character from the initiative during the following
of uninterrupted work using fingers, needles, round. During the next round, the character may
moxibustion, or whatever method your charac- choose to take her action at the same moment as
ter prefers — the results are the same either way. another character to interfere with his action.
Take a Medicine + Dexterity action to reduce Make an Empathy or Athletics action against
Complications associated with Injury Conditions Difficulty 1 and apply extra successes as increased
on a single target by one level. This does not re- Difficulty to the target’s action before he takes it.
move the Condition but stops it from bothering You may choose to take this action after seeing the
her as much. She may instead remove the effects results of the target’s roll, but before he spends
of a single Condition affecting the character for any successes.
the rest of the scene.

214 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 DARWIN’S RAZOR
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Prerequisites: Face of Clay
We are all the legacy of our evolutionary an-
cestors. Once, we bore fur; once, we breathed the
sea water. Our bodies remember this, deep in the
recesses of every cell, where Koltsov’s yet-undis-
covered hereditary molecule must lurk. Some, of
course, know the knack of making their bodies re-
member in a more practical fashion.
System: Spend an Inspiration and enter a trance
for a turn. Your character’s body physically adapts
to the surrounding environmental conditions. It
might run hot or grow downy fur in a blizzard or
develop gills as a sinking ship drags her below the
surface of the ocean — the exact appearance and
kind of adaptation is left to the player to describe.
For the remainder of the scene, she may ignore en-
vironmental penalties and indirect environmental
damage up to a total of her Reflective Facet.
DEAD MINDS TELL SOME TALES
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Prerequisite: Composure ••
A variety of people come through his office in
a variety of states, but the one thing they have
in common is being dead. He looks after them,
sees to their final disposition and — in those cas-
es where it’s necessary — intrudes on their last
thoughts just a little, in the name of justice for the Cosmetic (eye, hair,
murdered. He’s fairly certain they’d appreciate it.
System: Spend an Inspiration. When your
character touches a corpse, he can experience the
last moments of its life. This knowledge encom-
passes a number of minutes equal to (the charac-
ter’s Reflective Facet), and though the mesmerist
experiences the corpse’s death in real time, the
actual incorporation of the memory takes only an
instant.
DENSITY
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Prerequisites: Resolve ••• or Stamina •••
She readied herself as the burly man barreled
into her to carry her over the edge of the train’s
railing. Her body responded to her will, the tellu-
ric energy moving her mass to her feet. He looked ing an attack on an inanimate object. Reduce
perplexed when not only did she refuse to budge,
but she pasted him right in the face for his trouble.
System: Spend an Inspiration to reconstruct
the character’s mass as a reflexive action. Choose
one of the following options: gain two temporary
Bruised Injury levels, gain a +2 Enhancement to a
Close Combat action, or force anyone attempting
to purchase the Establish Grapple, Knockdown/
Trip, or Shove Stunts against you to pay 2 more
for the Stunt. You may choose to activate this Gift
in response to an incoming attack.
FACE OF CLAY
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Prerequisite: Manipulation ••
They wear a different face every day. Sometimes
they go about as a man; other times, they venture
forth as a woman. When they can, they blend the
two. It’s all the same, really, but one doesn’t wear
the same shirt every day, does one?
System: Spend an Inspiration and take a
Larceny action. Your character may make physi-
cal changes to their appearance utilizing success-
es based on the following chart. Impersonating
an individual requires either a high-quality pho-
tograph or the individual in question; attempts to
see through the ruse provoke a Clash.
MODIFICATION SUCCESS COST
1 per change
skin color)
Dimensions (height, 1 per 10% change from
weight) unaltered
Apparent physical sex 1
Impersonate an 4
individual
FIND THE WEAK LINK
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Prerequisites: Mind Over Matter
You’ve heard tell of expert martial artists smashing
stacks of bricks with their bare hands. You don’t often
hear tell of a man punching through inch-thick tank
armor, but that’s just because he doesn’t like to brag.
System: Spend an Inspiration when mak-
Psychic Gifts 215
 the cost of the Critical Injury Stunt by half your stretchy and pliable, yet terribly resistant. She
Destructive Facet rounded up. You may purchase gains +1 soft armor that stacks with other armor
the Critical Injury Stunt a number of times equal as her body simply gives under assault rather than
to your Destructive Facet for this action. This Gift breaking, and her unarmed attacks gain the Reach
is also effective against Hard armor and against tag.
Antagonists who are made of otherwise inanimate
material (such as killer robots, living statues, etc.). MEND
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
HUMAN BATTERY
Prerequisite: Resolve ••
Keywords: Biological, Momentary With preternatural senses, she notices wounds
Prerequisite: Medicine ••• and invisible ailments. Then, using healing ener-
The human mind is a conduit to stranger di- gy, she mends flesh and soothes pain.
mensions of telluric energy and will. With train- System: Spend an Inspiration. As an ordi-
ing, a mesmerist may draw this power out through nary action, the character may use a Medicine
sleeping minds for her own benefit. or Enigmas action against Difficulty 3 to remove
System: The character must touch her target one Condition from the target, including Injuries.
and make a Medicine action to draw forth telluric This Gift may be used in the same scene as a first
energy through the target’s mind, granting one of aid action, allowing the mesmerist to rapidly heal
the following benefits: A point of Inspiration, a +2 her allies with the power of her mind.
Enhancement to a physical action as the mesmer-
ist’s body is suffused with stolen vitality, suste- MIND OVER MATTER
nance equivalent of a full meal. Using this Gift in- Keywords: Biological, Momentary
flicts an Injury Condition on the target, Drained,
Prerequisites: Resolve •••
which increases the Difficulty of all actions. Using
He may weigh 98 pounds dripping wet and have
this Gift on an unwilling target provokes a Clash.
arms like toothpicks, but that’s never stopped him
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE when the chips are down — he says that as long as
he believes he can lift something, it’s as light as a
Keywords: Biological, Momentary feather.
Prerequisites: Empathy •• System: Spend an Inspiration. For the next ac-
Knowing someone’s friends — and for that mat- tion, your character may use his Resolve rather
ter, their enemies — is as good as knowing that than Might. Additionally, he gains +1 Power Scale
person themselves. to the action.
System: Your character must touch her target
and take an Empathy action. If successful, he in- OVER THERE!
stantly intuits a number of Bonds the target has Keywords: Biological, Momentary
equal to successes rolled. For the rest of the scene,
Prerequisites: Refuge in Banality
gain +1 Enhancement when taking actions that
She huddles in the alley between two build-
would be relevant to the character’s Bonds.
ings, trapped. The soldiers are searching house
MADE OF RUBBER by house, guarding the street all the while, and
sooner or later they’ll shine a light down here and
Keywords: Biological, Momentary find her — that is, unless she finds a way past their
Prerequisites: Athletics ••, Face of Clay cordon first. Concentrating on the men standing
A little stretch, a little push, and the next thing guard beside the covered truck, she makes them
you know she’s punching you from across the think they saw something in an alley down the
room. Damn! street, and when they move, so does she.
System: Spend an Inspiration. For the remain- System: Make a Larceny action against the tar-
der of the scene, your character’s flesh becomes get’s Composure within short range. If successful,

216 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

your character confuses her target’s senses into Prerequisite: Enigmas ••• or Medicine •••
seeing or hearing something that is not there. Manipulating their target’s nerves, the mesmer-
How the target behaves after that is up to the ist shares pain with another. She soothes her allies
Storyguide, but at the very least this Gift distracts or inflicts suffering on her enemies.
the target for a moment, granting +2 Enhancement System: Your character must touch her target
on your character’s next action (and to anyone to use this Gift. Make a Medicine or Enigmas +
following her, if they know the distraction is com- Intellect or Resolve roll against their Resolve.
ing). Spend an Inspiration to allow this Gift to af-If successful, transfer an Injury Condition’s
fect a small group (no more than 5 people at once). Complication rating from yourself or an ally to an
enemy within Close range. This does not mark off
OVER YOUR SHOULDER
Health or Injuries but transfers the Complication
Keywords: Biological, Momentary and any narrative effects for not buying it off.
She cases every job beforehand. Normally, You may also use this Gift to transfer an Injury
that’d make her an obvious suspect, but she’s got a Complication from an ally to yourself. This lasts
way of doing it that keeps her away from the tar- until the Complication is bought off.
get — she lets others case the joint for her.
System: Spend an Inspiration and designate a
PUSH THE PAIN AWAY
target within your field of vision. Your character Keywords: Biological, Constant
gains the target’s own vision for the remainder of Prerequisite: Survival ••
the scene, or until she cancels this Gift. She sees A true expert in the mental arts can fool even
everything the target sees, overlaid atop what her themselves into believing something with enough
own eyes are showing her. However, she also suf- effort.
fers a +2 Complication to any physical action she
System: The first time the character takes
takes while this power is active. If she fails to buy
damage in a fight, they can shunt the pain away by
it off, she’s distracted and confused by the overlaid
spending an Inspiration. For the remainder of the
visual input and loses 1 Enhancement (or 2 dice, if
scene, reduce all Injury Complication ratings by
she has no Enhancement) on the next action she
the character’s Reflective Facet. At the end of the
takes.
scene, all the pain they pushed off comes rushing
PAIN AMPLIFICATION back in a torrent as the mesmerist realizes the se-
verity of their injuries.
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Prerequisite: Close Combat • READ THE WOUNDS
Pain is information. It tells us when we’re push- Keywords: Biological, Constant
ing ourselves too hard, when we’re doing some- Anyone who knows a thing or two can heal the
thing dangerous, when we’re sick. Information, of body. Knowing how the body was harmed in the
course, is a weapon, and therefore so is pain — she first place? Ah, now that’s the trick!
wields it like a surgeon wields a scalpel.
System: When your character makes physi-
System: Spend an Inspiration to gain access the cal contact with another character, you may roll
following Stunt on a Close Combat attack against Medicine + Composure. Success on this roll grants
a target that has already suffered damage. knowledge of any physical or mental Conditions
Amplified (1 success): Apply a Complication the character is suffering from, including Injury
with a rating equal to your character’s Destructive Conditions. Extra successes may be spent on a
Facet to the target’s next physical action. If they one-for-one basis to trace the cause of a Condition
fail to buy it off, they suffer an Injury Condition or — the Storyguide describes a fleeting sensory im-
lose their next action, your choice. pression of the moment the Injury or Condition
was inflicted. Subsequent attempts to treat such
PHANTOM PAIN Conditions or Injuries gain Enhancement equal to
Keywords: Biological, Momentary your character’s Reflective Facet.

Psychic Gifts 217

 REFLEX BOOSTER System: Spend an Inspiration. For the remain-
der of the scene, your character cannot be Pushed,
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Tripped, or Knocked Down while standing still.
Prerequisite: Command •••
Add your character’s Resolve to her Might for the
Connecting with his friend’s mind, he grants purposes of any tests to hold back a moving object
them a moment of enhanced speed. This psychic (a slowly closing hydraulic door, for example).
connection makes them work faster and harder.
System: Target an allied character within STOP
Close range. The target gains your Reflective Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Facet in Enhancement to their next physical ac-
Prerequisite: Medicine •••, Slow
tion, including attacks and defensive actions. This
Enhancement applies before the target makes With total concentration, the mesmerist stops
their roll. the electrical signals of the target’s brain from
reaching their muscles. While their vital systems
REFUGE IN BANALITY (lungs, heart, etc.) continue to function, all their
motion related muscles freeze in place, leaving
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
them a living statue.
Prerequisite: Integrity ••
System: Take a Medicine + Intellect action
What’s the phrase — nothing to see here? He’s using the target’s Resolve as Difficulty. Success
the walking avatar of it. Spent Prohibition running means neither character may move or perceive
rum, and when he got caught: “Oh, don’t worry anything around them except each other. Any at-
about those bottles, sir. Definitely not alcohol.” He tack against the target breaks this power, though
was never arrested once. the character cannot take a Defense action against
System: Your character gains +2 Enhancement the incoming attack. Otherwise, it remains ac-
to all Intrigue actions to allay suspicion, misdirect tive until the mesmerist stops concentrating. The
inquiry, or otherwise foil attempted investigation character may take no other action while main-
of him or his personal effects. taining this Gift.

SLOW SUPREME FLEXIBILITY

Keywords: Biological, Momentary Keywords: Biological, Momentary
Prerequisite: Medicine •• Prerequisite: Athletics ••, Face of Clay
The mesmerist reaches out with their mind and Like an escape artist, the mesmerist may will
attacks a person’s nervous system, impeding the her body to bend in impossible ways to squeeze
brain’s signals from reaching their muscles and through small passages, escape from bonds and
slowing their reaction time. reach hard to access locations.
System: Spend an Inspiration and move a sin- System: Spend an Inspiration to allow the
gle target to the end of the initiative. If the target character to drastically increase her flexibility,
makes an attack on his turn, the defender gains a granting her +3 Enhancement to escape from
+1 Enhancement to her Defense. bindings and grapples, and to fit through gaps
no smaller than 1 less than her Size Scale. The
STIFF AS A BOARD mesmerist may bend her limbs in impossible
Keywords: Biological, Momentary ways and may apply the Enhancement to appro-
priate rolls which take advantage of this extreme
Prerequisites: Mind Over Matter
flexibility.
Physical strength is about more than exerting
yourself on the world around you. The proverbial SYMPATHETIC LINK
Unstoppable Force is fine, but there’s quite a bit to
be said for the Immovable Object, as well — espe- Keywords: Biological, Momentary
cially when the latter actually exists. Prerequisite: Empathy •••

218 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 The mesmerist may follow the threads of tel- rest of the scene. This cannot bring that Attribute
luric resonance left by people to afflict them with above the normal Attribute maximum. If this
their powers. would bring the character’s Stamina up to a point
System: The character may only use this Gift that would increase her Injury levels, he gains
if she has access to a lock of hair or another small that additional level temporarily.
piece of a person no more than a month old. Spend
an Inspiration to use another Biological Gift on TELLURIC RESONANCE
the target remotely, as if the character were physi- Keywords: Biological, Constant
cally present at the scene at Close range. If the Gift Prerequisite: Intellect •••
requires a rolled action, increase the Difficulty by
The mesmerist may sense subtle and obvious
+1. After use, the psychic connection between the
shifts in telluric energy nearby, experiencing a
target and the physical link is burnt out, necessi-
physical sensation such as a tingle or the taste of
tating a new one.
sulfur as she does so.
TELLURIC ENHANCEMENT System: The character automatically notic-
es any powerful sources of telluric energy with-
Keywords: Biological, Momentary in Medium range, such as a powerful Inspired
Prerequisite: Composure •• character, Inspired super science, or Gifts being
He concentrates all his will on his telluric sig- used within range. This does not reveal any in-
nature to enhance his body. With this temporary formation about the source, just its presence. At
boost, he unleashes a terrifying burst of power Storyguide’s discretion, other oddities such as
that frightens his foes. anomalies (Trinity Core, p. 138), extradimen-
System: Spend an Inspiration to increase a sin- sional objects, and paranormal hazards may also
gle physical Attribute by one dot rating for the be revealed by this Gift.

Psychic Gifts 219

 THREE MOVES AHEAD possible while doing so. If his Gift’s effects end
while your character is still inside an object, she
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
remains able to move through the object until she
Prerequisite: Intellect •••
has fully passed through.
By placing himself in a subtle trance, the mes-
merist speeds his mind and brings his deductive TREADING DEATH’S PATH
abilities to the forefront. Focusing in, he analyzes
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
every move an opponent could make, allowing
him to evade his frustrated foe effortlessly. Prerequisite: Integrity •••
System: By spending an Inspiration as a reflex- She wakes up right on time, feels for the emer-
ive action, the character can negate a single incom- gency catch on the latch with her toes. She kicks
ing attack. You may choose to use this Gift after the door open and slides free, stretching and mas-
seeing the result of the attack roll. Each time the saging her limbs to increase the blood flow. The
character uses this Gift in excess of her Reflective mortician took her watch, of course, but her body
Facet rating in a game session, she suffers an Injury clock is accurate to the second. She’s got thir-
Condition as she over taxes her brain. ty-eight minutes until she needs to be out the door.
System: Your character enters a hypnotic state
TOUCH OF LIFE which, outwardly, is indistinguishable from death.
Her heartbeat slows to almost nil, her respiration
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
stops cold, and her body temperature drops rapid-
Prerequisite: Medicine ••, Mend
ly. All examinations save direct mental intrusion
The mesmerist may perform a miraculous heal- show she is dead. She may maintain this state for
ing with her touch. Wounds knit shut and color a number of scenes equal to her Reflective Facet
returns to the stricken as she works her art, using plus Inspiration spent on this Gift — beyond that
her own vital energies. point, she risks true death setting in, and takes one
System: Spend an Inspiration to miraculous- Injury Condition per scene thereafter.
ly and immediately heal an Injured or Maimed While in this state, your character’s perception
Condition. The character suffers a Bruised of the world around her is limited, suffering an
Condition in return, manifesting a stigmata that additional +2 Difficulty to actions to perceive her
resembles the healed Injury. This Gift may only besurroundings. She may set a time to automatically
used on a given individual once per session. awaken when she enters her hypnotic state, or she
may leave it early as an act of will. In either case, she
TRAVERSING THE IMPASSABLE is sluggish for a few moments following her seem-
Keywords: Biological, Momentary ing return from the grave, suffering +2 Difficulty to
Prerequisites: Walking on the Water any action requiring quick movements or fine co-
ordination until she has a few uninterrupted mo-
The inspector couldn’t understand it. The doors
ments to stretch and recover from the ordeal.
were locked from the outside, the windows nailed
shut, and examination with crowbars and saws
UNMOORED PERCEPTIONS
revealed no hidden doorways or passages in the
walls. Yet, somehow, the lady escaped, and with Keywords: Biological, Momentary
no more apparent difficulty than one might walk Prerequisites: Over Your Shoulder
out the front door. Perspective is subjective — we all know that.
System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character For her, it’s more subjective than most. She’s so
may pass through physical objects as though they good at seeing through other peoples’ eyes she
weren’t there for a number of rounds equal to her sometimes forgets where she really is.
Reflective Facet. She may also allow physical ob- System: This Gift permanently enhances Over
jects (like bullets, for example) to pass through Your Shoulder, adding the following rules: After
her! Doing so requires a firm focus and inten- you have designated a target, you may spend fur-
tion and no other actions besides movement are ther Inspiration to transfer your sensory hijacking

220 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

to another target within the current target’s field BRAIN SKIMMING
of view. You may do this a number of times equal
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
to your character’s Intuitive Facet.
Prerequisite: Empathy •
WALKING ON THE WATER The mesmerist can touch the mind of anoth-
er subtly, catching glimpses of the thoughts and
Keywords: Biological, Momentary
ideas that occur to them as they think.
It’s only a matter of surface tension. That’s the
System: Spend an Inspiration and take an
only thing keeping everything but the soles of
Empathy action against a target in line of sight
your feet dry. Still, she thinks, best not get too big
using their Resolve as the Difficulty. Success al-
a head about it. She wouldn’t want people to think
lows the character to read a single thought on the
she’s making light of a miracle.
forefront of the target’s mind. Additional success-
System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character es can be spent to gain another thought for each
can move across the surface of the water. Choppy success. The mesmerist gains her Intuitive Facet
seas or the like may qualify as difficult or compli- in Enhancement which can be spent on a one-for-
cated terrain, at the Storyguide’s discretion. The one basis to enhance influence rolls which take
mesmerist may, of course, move across other liq- advantage of the information gleaned. She may
uids as well as water. speak to the target to encourage them to think of
what she wants to learn about while using Brain
Cognitive Skimming.
Mesmerists use cognitive psychic Gifts to alter
their own mental states, or the mental states of CLOAK OF DREAD
others.
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Prerequisite: Command ••
The mesmerist projects a primal fear response
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
into the minds of those nearby, making her appear
Prerequisite: Empathy ••, Cunning •• much more terrifying than usual. People shrink
When he looks at someone, he sees more than away from her; animals flee in unrestrained terror.
just the physical characteristics. He peaks into System: Spend an Inspiration. For the rest of
their mind, seeing who they are and what they are the scene, the character gains +2 Enhancement
like. to Intrigue actions to intimidate another char-
System: The character can look at someone acter. If the character successfully influences
and see her surface thoughts and know what her an enemy who seeks to attack her, he gains a +3
most prominent abilities are. Take an Empathy ac- Complication to directly harm her. Failure to buy
tion and spend successes to learn the answers to off this Complication results in the Flight of Terror
the following questions. Condition: The target must use his move action to
• What is the character’s name? move away from the mesmerist. If he does not or
cannot, he falls prone. This Condition lasts for the
• What are they thinking about at that very mesmerist’s Reflective Facet rounds. Animals will
moment? (this information is rarely useful. flee her presence automatically unless controlled
People typically only think of passwords or trained to resist, in which case the rules apply
when entering them, or orders when carrying to them as normal.
them out.)
CLOUD THE MIND
• What is the character’s highest Attribute?
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
• What is the character’s highest Skill?
Prerequisite: Larceny ••
• Is the character Inspired or have a Source? The mesmerist can conceal her presence en-
tirely from lesser minds, moving as an invisible
• If they are Inspired, what type are they?

Psychic Gifts 221

 face in the crowd. Most people won’t notice her
entirely, and those that do have a difficult time re- of another person, conveying words without
calling anything about her.
System: Spend an Inspiration. For one scene, no
casual observer notices the character’s presence
or actions unless she does something blatantly ob-
vious to draw attention, though what qualifies as
blatantly obvious might differ between a busy city
street and the stacks of a library. Notable char-
acters or those looking for the mesmerist must
take an action opposed by her Larceny + Cunning
with her Intuitive Facet as Enhancement. Those
who perceive the mesmerist while this Gift is ac-
tive must overcome a Complication equal to her
Intuitive Facet to clearly remember her face or
identity when investigating or recalling the scene.
Failure to overcome the Complication means that
they recall that someone was present, but cannot
remember any distinguishing features, or connect
them to the mesmerist, if they know her identity.
CONVERSATIONAL SHORTCUT
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
Prerequisite: Presence •• and Persuasion ••• confusion in her listener. Those who hear her
Who needs to seduce or make nice with the en- hypnotic words can no longer think straight.
emy when a mesmerist can make them blurt out
their evil plans with a little mental push in the lowing Intrigue Stunt:
right direction?
System: Make an Intrigue action against the
target. Inspired characters can make an opposed
action using their Integrity. For each success, the
character may ask one of the following questions
during the conversation. She may ask other simi-
lar questions at Storyguide discretion. The target
has no memory of answering these questions after
the conversation is over.
• What do you desire?
• What are you doing here?
• What do you fear?
• What do you love?
• What are your goals?
DIRECT VOICE
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
Prerequisite: Empathy •
222 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS
The mesmerist can speak directly into the mind
speaking.
System: Take an Empathy action using the tar-
get’s Resolve as Difficulty at up to Medium range.
Success allows the character to speak directly into
the target’s mind for the scene, communicating at
any range across language barriers. The link is not
mutual, the target may not reply to the character
without speaking aloud. The direct link conveys
potent emotion which may grant the mesmerist’s
Reflective Facet as Enhancement to Intrigue ac-
tions accomplished through this Gift. If the target
is unwilling, the mesmerist suffers a Complication
on Intrigue actions using this Gift equal to the tar-
get’s Resolve. Failure to buy off this Complication
brings the effect to an end as the target blocks the
mesmerist from his mind.
DISORIENT
Keywords: Cognitive, Constant
Prerequisite: Monotony
Lacing her words with psychic power, she sows
System: Your character gains access to the fol-
Disorient (variable): After making a successful
Intrigue action, you may apply this Stunt, which
imposes the Disoriented Condition on your target.
The target suffers an increase in Difficulty equal
to your character’s Reflective Facet to all Intrigue
actions, which lasts for a number of actions equal
to the successes spent inflicting this Stunt, or un-
til the increased Difficulty causes the target to fail,
whichever comes first.
DOPPELGÄNGER
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
Prerequisite: Larceny •••
The mesmerist can project the image of a fa-
miliar face to a target, allowing her to acquire in-
formation or pass inspection as if she were that
person.
System: By spending an Inspiration the charac-
ter appears to be a person the target expects to see
for one scene. This succeeds against non-Inspired
targets automatically but requires a Clash against
other Inspired or characters with a Source. This When her target next sleeps, he sees whatever the
Gift only affects a single target, and the mesmerist mesmerist wants him to see.
does not know who she appears to be; she must System: Spend an Inspiration while touching
suss it by observing the target’s reaction. The another character. When he next sleeps, he is
identity chosen is always one which would be subject to a dream of the mesmerist’s design. This
welcome rather than unwelcome. If the mesmer- dream may simply convey information or unset-
ist acts out of character it does not break the dis- tle the target, but it may also be a vector for a sin-
guise but may result in confusion for the target. gle influence action. This action must be decided
when this Gift is activated and cannot be changed
DOWSING without another activation.
Keywords: Cognitive, Constant
Prerequisite: Enigmas •••
EVIL EYE
By concentrating through an appropriate med- Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
itative ritual, the mesmerist may discern people Prerequisite: Enigmas ••
and who interest her, tracking them down no mat- With her gaze the mesmerist can inflict a psy-
ter the distance between them. chic suggestion that causes self-doubt and bad
System: Spend an Inspiration and take an luck. Many view this Gift as akin to a powerful
Enigmas action to learn the location of a person curse, like the evil eye of antiquity.
or item of which the mesmerist is aware. Each System: Spend an Inspiration and take an
success allows the character to ask a single ques- Enigmas + Presence action against the target’s
tion about her target’s location. If she has nev- Resolve. Success afflicts them with the Evil Eye
er met that person or seen the item in question, Condition. The victim has a −1 Atmosphere that
she suffers a +3 Complication on the action. This follows them around as self-doubt and paranoia
Complication drops to +2 if the mesmerist has an affects the people around them. This Condition
image of the target or has seen or met them briefly. resolves either in a number of scenes equal to the
Failure to buy off the Complication inflicts a back- character’s Destructive Facet or when the victim
lash; she suffers the Throbbing Headache Injury carries out a specific task specified by the mes-
Condition, but the normal Complication instead merist. If the mesmerist does not specify a task,
increases the Difficulty of mental actions. the Condition only resolves after the allotted time.

DREAM DIVER FRIEND FROM FOE

Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
Prerequisite: Empathy • Prerequisite: Larceny •••, Psychic Double
The mesmerist may dive into her target’s The mesmerist is a maestro of the mind. She
dreams and peruse their contents. conducts the combatants on the battlefield like
System: Take an Empathy action on a sleeping dancers on a stage. By maneuvering her psychic
target at Close range using the target’s Resolve as doppelgangers, she can make her enemies do the
the Difficulty. Success allows the character to view unthinkable and attack their allies.
the contents of the target’s dreams. This may al- System: This gift gives the character access to
low the mesmerist to perform a single Procedural an additional Stunt when performing a Defense
action at the Storyguide’s discretion. action against her chosen target with the Psychic
Double Gift active.
DREAM TRANSMISSION
Misdirect (Variable): Increase the character’s
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary Defense by one for every success spent. If the at-
Prerequisite: Empathy •••, Dream Diver tack misses the mesmerist, the attacker hits some-
With a touch, the mesmerist may imprint a one else. Apply those successes to a target of the
dream of her making into the mind of another. mesmerist’s choice.

Psychic Gifts 223

 HARUSPICY He walks through the room — abandoned for
weeks, evidence of the crime cold on the floor, the
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
walls, the little tchotchkes on the false mantle. He
Prerequisite: Enigmas ••••
observes, and he begins to understand, the man
With the use of concentrating tools, the mes- who did this, sees the room as he saw it, moves
merist may perceive the eddies and whorls of pos- as he moved, thinks as he thinks. Slowly but sure-
sibility in the world and predict future events. ly, he reconstructs the very identity of his quarry,
System: Spend an Inspiration and take a moment missing only two things: a name, and a face.
to predict the future using the character’s preferred System: Spend an Inspiration. When your char-
tools, such as an animal’s entrails, tarot cards, the I acter examines a location, he may describe a person
Ching, and so on. The player may ask the Storyguide tied to that location (“the person who lives here,”
a number of questions equal to the mesmerist’s “the killer,” etc.), reconstructing the subject’s perso-
Reflective Facet about upcoming events that will na within his own mind. He may then ask a number
happen in this session or the next, though the an- of questions equal to his Reflective Facet concerning
swer may be unclear if the question is too specific. the subject’s state of mind, psychological makeup,
Additionally, the player may reroll a number of dice emotional state, and similar subjects (the Storyguide
up to their character’s Reflective Facet for the rest of is the ultimate arbiter of whether a question is an-
the story as long as they are tied in some way to one swerable). For every question your character asks,
of the questions the character asked. he gains one of the subject’s Attitudes towards an-
Additionally, the character can perfectly predict other character, though your character won’t know
the outcome of minor events (coin tosses, single-card who those Attitudes reflect unless and until he meets
draws, etc.) — this effect does not cost Inspiration. them himself. If he asks three or more questions, he
also inherits a Bond belonging to the subject. These
HIVE MIND Attitudes and Bonds do not decay over time but must
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary be shifted or resolved normally.
Prerequisite: Empathy •••
HYPNOTIC SLEEP
We find it easier to communicate this way.
Thoughts, emotions, without the unneeded luxu- Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
ry of words to get in the way. We know each other Prerequisite: Composure •••• or Presence
inside and out. That’s why we’re the perfect team. ••••, Monotony
System: Spend an Inspiration to bind your Whether with a stereotypical pendulum or
character and up to her Intuitive Facet in oth- other prop, or with the raw telluric power of her
ers into a shared state of consciousness. While mind, the mesmerist wills her target to fall into a
all members remain independent, they’re able to deep sleep from which they cannot be roused.
perceive the surface thoughts and emotions of all System: Target a character within Close range.
other members instantly and without regard to Make an Enigmas, Empathy, or Integrity action, op-
distance. Gain +1 Enhancement to any teamwork posed by your target’s Integrity or highest most-appli-
actions while under the effects of Hive Mind. The cable pool in the case of a Storyguide character. If the
collective consciousness remains until broken; in- opposed roll is successful, the target falls into a deep
dividuals may leave as an act of will, or the mes- sleep for a number of turns equal to your character’s
merist may shut down the entire network. Intuitive Facet. Attacks on the target cause him to
If the character possesses Palace of the Mind, awaken immediately, but loud sounds or normal at-
she may allow others within the collective to access tempts to rouse him do not. Outside of a combat sce-
it without the need to hypnotize and guide them. nario, the target instead sleeps for the rest of the scene.

HUNTER AND PREY LABYRINTH

Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
Prerequisites: That Which Was Prerequisite: Command ••••

224 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 The mesmerist can trap someone in a mental The mesmerist leaves a psychic mark upon a
labyrinth, forcing them to navigate the geography person or object, allowing her to sense its location
of the mind while insensate. for some time afterwards.
System: Spend an Inspiration and make a System: Spend an Inspiration while touching
Command + Intellect action against the Resolve another person or object to leave a psychic im-
of a target at Close range. On success, inflict the print upon them. This mark allows the mesmerist
Labyrinth Condition: The target is unable to act to sense the target’s location and direction rela-
as long as they are trapped in their own mind. tive to herself. For the purpose of Cognitive Gifts
The target may make a Survival action as an ordi- which require a sympathetic link such as a lock of
nary action each round against a Difficulty equal hair or a piece of an object, this Gift suffices. The
to the mesmerist’s Intuitive Facet. Success al- mark lasts for a number of sessions equal to the
lows them to escape the mental prison. This Gift mesmerist’s Reflective Facet, and she may only
does not work during combat. maintain a number of marks equal to it.

MARKED MAN MEDIUM

Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
Prerequisite: Enigmas ••• Prerequisite: Enigmas ••

Psychic Gifts 225

 The mesmerist may tap into the recent past of action against the target. The target, having been
a place to reach an impression of the people who lulled into near unconsciousness, cannot muster
were there. With training, the mesmerist may in- any emotional reaction to your toneless droning.
fuse the impression with telluric energy, allowing
her to interrogate impressions for knowledge. ONEIRIC NETWORK
System: Spend an Inspiration while in a place Keywords: Cognitive, Constant
and take an Enigmas + Intellect action. Success Prerequisite: Science •••• or Integrity ••••
allows the character to perceive a psychic emana-
While she sleeps, her mind keeps working —
tion of a person who was present there within the
even bringing her allies along to help. Whatever
last day. She may spend extra successes to extend
they accomplish in their dreams comes to pass
that time by one day per success. This presence
when awake.
is only perceptible to her, but she may interrogate
System: Spend an Inspiration when your char-
it as if the person were physically present in that
acter is sleeping to activate this Gift. She accom-
moment. If the experience that left the impression
plishes mental tasks in her sleep. You may roll for
was something strong such as violence, a death, or
as many milestones as your Reflective Facet on
another life-changing act, the character gains +1
a complex action (including super science craft-
Enhancement to her action. If the target died in
ing) ignoring the normal time breaks associated
the location, the emotional resonance is strong
with the action. Spend an additional Inspiration
enough that the mesmerist may use this Gift to
to bring a number of allied characters into your
interrogate someone who died within the last
dream to assist with the complex action equal to
century.
the character’s Intuitive Facet.
MENTAL CRUCIBLE
PALACE OF THE MIND
Keywords: Cognitive, Constant
Keywords: Cognitive, Constant
Prerequisite: Intellect •• or Presence ••
Prerequisite: Photographic Memory •••
He links the minds of his cohorts together
Others may think she’s lost in thought. They’re
with a powerful psychic link. Together they can
only half-wrong — the world in her head is big
achieve anything! Nothing will stop the onward
enough she’s bound to make a wrong turn every
march of their progress.
now and again.
System: When working on a long-term crafting
System: Your character has a memory palace
or super science project, your character psychi-
— an imagined environment within her mind.
cally connects all parties involved, allowing every-
Her already-perfect memory becomes some-
one taking actions to use the highest character’s
thing more; tangible, persistent, a fully-immersive
Skill rating for any applicable roll. As long as the
world. Your character may retreat there not only
character with this Gift leads the effort, reduce
to review her memories as though they were actu-
the number of milestones required to complete
ally happening but may actually use her memory
the project by her Reflective Facet.
palace to create novel situations. She might, for ex-
MONOTONY ample, use a laboratory she remembers to conduct
a chemistry experiment she’s never performed,
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary the fidelity of the imagined world sufficient to al-
Prerequisite: Composure •• or Presence •• low her to intuit the results. Such situations natu-
His voice drones on and on and everyone who rally have no effect on the real world, but her men-
hears it slips slowly into a stupor. Their senses and tal preparations grant +1 Enhancement for any
emotions thus dulled; the mesmerist imposes her relevant tasks she undertakes later. To do so, the
will unopposed. character must be able to meditate uninterrupted.
System: Spend an Inspiration and choose a tar- Spend an Inspiration to hypnotize anoth-
get. During an Intrigue scene, you may ignore the er character and feed them the imagery of your
Attitude and Atmosphere modifiers to any social memory palace. This requires a quiet setting, no

226 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

interruptions, and a successful Presence action. PSYCHIC DOUBLE
The palace becomes as real to the targeted char-
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
acter as it is to your character.
Prerequisite: Cunning •• and Larceny••
PAPERS PLEASE He was all alone just a moment ago, so where
did this other person come from? And why does
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
he look just like him? She shakes her head to clear
Prerequisite: Larceny •••, Doppelgänger her vision, and now there’s a third person.
Sometimes it takes more than a wink and a System: Spend an Inspiration and designate a
smile to get through the door; it is always good to target. The character creates a series of phantom
have proper clearance. doubles of herself that only the target can see that
System: This power upgrades Doppelgänger last for a number of rounds equal to her Reflective
and allows the character to project whatever in- Facet rating. These doubles make it hard for the
formation the target expects to see on a piece of target to track the mesmerist’s movements. The
paper or another appropriate surface. target suffers +2 Complication on any attack he
makes against the mesmerist. If the target fails to
PAVLOV’S BELL buy off the Complication choose one: The mes-
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary merist gains +2 Enhancement on her next action
Prerequisite: Persuasion ••• and Presence •• against the target, the target falls prone, or the tar-
get loses access to their weapon, either by drop-
They implant a message in their target’s mind
ping it or expending all the ammunition.
that repeats itself over and over. The target cannot
shake the implanted suggestion, with no choice
PSYCHIC PROGRAMMING
but to succumb to it.
System: When you make a successful Encourage Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
Behavior action against a Storyguide character, you Prerequisites: Command ••, Pavlov’s Bell
may spend an Inspiration and choose a trigger: a She has rules about this sort of thing. Nothing
specific sound, a catchphrase, an image, a scent, etc. hurtful, nothing they’d find unspeakably vile,
Whenever the target encounters this trigger, you nothing that’d leave marks — even the kind that
may choose to target the character with the same don’t show. Still, you’d be surprised what you
Encourage Behavior action as though you had rolled can do with little things, like “leave the door un-
the same number of successes as on the original ac- locked” or “she’s paid you already, remember?”
tion. This lasts for the duration of the session. System: Spend an Inspiration and is-
sue a command to another character, impos-
PERFECT TRANSLATION ing a Complication equal to your character’s
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary Destructive Facet on any actions other than the
Prerequisite: Humanities • specified one. Failure to buy off this Complication
results in the target taking your specified action as
A minor facility for telepathy allows the mes-
their next action, instead of whatever they were
merist to bind their consciousness with another
trying to do.
just enough to understand each other, even with-
out a common language. This Gift always counts as influence. When
used on player characters, players always have the
System: Take a Humanities action. For each
option to block it.
success, the character may communicate with a
single individual she can perceive as if they shared
QUEEN TAKES PAWN
a common language, though they both continue to
speak the language of their preference for the rest Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
of the scene. This may allow the mesmerist to act Prerequisite: Command •••• and Manipulation
as an interpreter for multiple characters. •••

Psychic Gifts 227

 Locking eyes with her opponent, a mesmerist little electrostatic connections made by living
plants a plan of attack into their mind, deep in minds all around her.
their subconscious. To the target, it seems like a System: Spend an Inspiration. The character
natural maneuver, done exactly how their mentor immediately senses every living mind within Long
taught them. With confidence, they make their range. She knows how many, the direction, and
move, the exact one the mesmerist wanted them the distance, but not necessarily who or what the
to make. minds belong to. If a character has a Gift or power
System: Spend an Inspiration. Make a active that would cloud a mind or hide themselves
Command + Manipulation action as an opposed from view, this provokes a Clash.
action against the target’s Integrity + Composure.
If successful, names a single action the target SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME
cannot take on her next action. “Attacking” is too Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
broad, but “shooting me” is not.
Prerequisite: Larceny •••, Psychic Double
She can use the following Stunts on this action:
Out the corner of his eye, sitting in a park? The
It is Impossible (2 successes): Specify a Skill. If mesmerist is there. While riding the subway, a
the opponent attempts to take an action using a gentleman looks up from his paper. It’s the mes-
Skill other than the one specified, they suffer a +3 merist, of course. The man spinning pizza behind
Complication. Failure to buy off the Complication the counter? Naturally, he’s there watching too.
inflicts an Injury Condition on the target. With this Gift, the mesmerist seems to be every-
Wide-open! (4 successes): The target takes ac- where at once.
tions that leave him open for attack. All characters System: Spend an Inspiration and a few mo-
may purchase the Critical Stunt against the target ments in the target’s presence to burn the mes-
for 2 successes instead of 4 until the end of the merist’s face into his mind and inflict the Watched
round. Condition. Using this on an Inspired character
provokes a Clash.
RECURSION
Watched: The character sees a haunting face
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary everywhere. He suffers a +2 Difficulty on Intrigue
Prerequisites: Psychic Programming actions and the person who’s face he sees gains
He lines up the sights, checks his target, takes +2 Enhancement to Intrigue actions against him.
the — wait, where’d she go? He lines up the sights, This Condition resolves after a number of scenes
checks his target, takes — wait, where’d she go? equal to the mesmerist’s Intuitive Facet or if she
He lines up the sights… ends it prematurely.
System: Spend an Inspiration to inflict
TERROR MANIFEST
a Complication equal to your character’s
Destructive Facet on a single target. If he fails to Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
buy off the Complication, he must repeat the ac- Prerequisite: Enigmas •••
tion he took this round on his next turn. Each sub- The mesmerist can intuitively read the target’s
sequent round, all other characters gain a cumula- mind and manifest their worst fear as a hallucina-
tive +1 Enhancement to defend against the target’s tion before them. The manifestation may cause a
attacks or to attack the target, as his actions be- terror so profound that it can, quite literally, scare
come more and more predictable. Recursion’s ef- someone to death. Victims are left with whitened
fects continue either until the target buys off the hair and a rictus of fear by the mesmerist’s power.
Complication or the scene ends.
System: Spend an Inspiration and take an
Empathy action against the target’s Resolve with-
SENSE MINDS
in short range. Success causes them to suffer from
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary the Terror Manifest Condition: A physical mani-
With a little concentration she can tap into the festation of the target’s greatest fear appears with-
psychic energies surrounding her. She senses the in short range and begins to harass her. All actions

228 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

suffer a Complication equal to the mesmerist’s TRUTH OF THINGS
Destructive Facet rating. If she fails to buy off the
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
Complication, she suffers an Injury Condition.
Prerequisite: Enigmas ••
When the target buys off the Complication, the
Condition ends, and any Injury Conditions suf- By concentrating with her psionic will, the mes-
fered during the Gift’s duration go away. merist may discern hidden truths left behind in
objects.
THAT WHICH WAS System: While holding an object, take an Enigmas
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary + Intellect action. Success grants the character an
awareness of the people who have used the object
The concept of forensic investigation long
most recently, and of the strongest context in which it
predates its emergence in popular literature, but
was used. A murderer’s knife may reveal anger and a
even the wildest heights achieved by the many
connection to the person that was injured. Additional
storied detectives of print and serials pale before
successes may reveal extra clues in the form of raw
the insight of a single woman. They collect evi-
information that the mesmerist may use further
dence, catalogue, test, and painstakingly recon-
Procedural actions to draw conclusions about.
struct a crime scene; she simply looks at it and
understands.
VEIL OF THE UNSEEN
System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary
can examine a location and create a mental recon-
struction of the events that transpired there, even Prerequisite: Larceny •••
if evidence is scanty or seemingly absent. This She was right there. You were looking at her. And
does not reveal the identity of anyone involved then, all of a sudden, she just vanished, like she was
(unless they dropped something staggeringly ob- never there. You thought you heard her laughter
vious, such as a passport), only the actions that but maybe that was just your imagination…
took place. System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character
and her personal effects become totally invisible
THOUGHTOGRAPHY for the rest of the scene or until she chooses to
Keywords: Cognitive, Momentary end the Gift’s effects. Evidence of her passage is
Prerequisite: Culture •• likewise shrouded; she may walk across sand or
snow without a trace or open creaky doors with-
The mesmerist may burn an image into a sur-
out a sound. Uninspired characters automatically
face with a flash of telluric energy, which may
fail to notice the character, and she may interact
carry an emotional resonance that spreads to any
with and even attack them without ending this
who view it.
Gift. If she wishes to take overt action against an
System: The character uses an ordinary action Inspired character, she must spend an Inspiration
to burn an image from his memory onto the sur- each time, to a maximum of her Reflective Facet.
face of an object, appearing as if scorched on, or Attempts to find her provoke a Clash.
as a ghostly imprint hovering on the surface. The
mesmerist may take a Culture + Composure ac- Energetic
tion at Difficulty 2 to imprint a positive or negative
Energetic psychic Gifts encompass a mesmer-
Atmosphere of 1 in the area around the image. The
ist’s ability to manipulate telluric forces outside
Difficulty drops to 1 if the Atmosphere is based on
herself and others, often turning it into powerful
the memory of the image. This effect lasts for a
psychic attacks.
scene.
Alternatively, the character may generate a stat- ADRIFT IN ETHERIC CURRENTS
ic illusion equal to her Size in Scale with the same
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
effect.
Prerequisite: Cunning •••

Psychic Gifts 229

 Humanity has conquered the sky with the sci- The mesmerist can enter the body of another
ence of aeronautics, but beyond the sky lies the to direct them, providing aid to an ally or seizing
realm of Tsiolkovsky’s great imaginary tower, of control of an enemy.
worlds without number suspended in the inky System: Spend an Inspiration to enter a target’s
void — and she means to go there, even if she has body at Close range. Willing targets require no roll,
to walk. unwilling targets require a Command + Intellect
System: Spend an Inspiration. For the duration action against the target’s Resolve once per scene
of the scene, gravity is optional for your character to remain in control. While directing the target’s
— you may adjust it as you see fit from moment body, the mesmerist may use the target’s Physical
to moment, as a reflexive action. This allows the Attributes and her own Skills. She may use her
character to avoid up to +3 Complication from Cognitive and Biological Gifts through a willing
complicated terrain or Field Complications she target, but only Cognitive Gifts through an unwill-
can easily avoid. The mesmerist may traverse bar- ing target. If the target’s body suffers any physi-
riers without a roll if being lighter than normal cal injury, the mesmerist must take a Command +
would allow her to do so, and she may reflexive- Intellect action with Difficulty equal to the Injury
ly rise from prone. If she negates gravity entirely, Condition’s severity or be ejected immediately.
she can levitate slightly off the ground, but cannot Ejection means the mesmerist may not project
achieve flight. into the target again for the rest of the story. As
Trying to sprint in anything less than half-nor- with Astral Projection, the character’s physical
mal gravity presents a +1 Complication, below body remains comatose while projecting.
quarter-normal, a +2 Complication. Failure to buy
off this Complication results in stumbles, over- AWASH IN THE ETHERIC
shooting, or being dangerously off-balance. Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
Prerequisites: Adrift in Etheric Currents
ASTRAL PROJECTION
Surprisingly few people know how to box in
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary free-fall. They throw a punch without bracing
Prerequisite: Integrity •••• themselves, sending themselves pitching over and
Leaving their body behind, the mesmerist may spinning, or try to rush her and end up bouncing
temporarily separate mind from flesh and explore off the ceiling. She’d find it funny if she weren’t so
the world around them as an intangible and invis- focused on cracking heads just now.
ible presence. System: Spend 2 Inspiration to create a Field
System: Spend one Inspiration to allow the within which all characters gain the effects of
character to leave her body behind. She can float Adrift in Etheric Currents. This Field cannot en-
in any direction, unaffected by gravity or physical compass anything larger than a small house or a
objects that block her. While in her astral form, single floor of a larger building. Attempts to shift
she can use Cognitive Gifts with a surcharge of massive objects within the Field are treated as if
one Inspiration. She cannot physically inter- the character possesses +2 Power Scale for lifting
act with the world, though she can make herself and throwing.
visible if she wishes, and she is still vulnerable
to attacks that carry the Ray damage type. The BRAINSTORM
mesmerist’s physical body is comatose while pro- Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
jecting. The character can return to her body at Prerequisite: Command •••
any time she wishes, otherwise she returns at the
The mesmerist can inflict a mind-to-mind at-
end of the scene.
tack upon her enemies, causing an intense, stab-
bing agony in the mind of the target. Normally in-
ASTRAL TRANSFERENCE
visible, the mesmerist may choose to emit tendrils
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary of shimmering energy around her target’s head
Prerequisite: Astral Projection when attacking.

230 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 System: Spend an Inspiration and make a The mesmerist can perform an impossible trick,
ranged attack against a target within Medium linking unrelated doorways across space. For a
range using Command + Intellect. This attack brief period, people may enter one door and come
gains Enhancement equal to the mesmerist’s out the other, no matter the distance between
Destructive Facet and has the following tags: Ray, them. This is as effective a tool for escape as it is
Deadly, Silent. Gain access to the following addi- for entrapment.
tional Stunts on the attack: System: Spend two Inspiration. The char-
Brain Shock (1 success): The target gains the acter makes a Survival + Intellect action while
Stunned Condition for a number of rounds equal grasping a closed door to link it to another door
to the mesmerist’s Destructive Facet. that the character has previously opened or
Item Drop (2 successes): The target is forced to closed this session, or up to her Reflective Facet
drop a weapon or item they are holding. Spend in scenes, whichever is longer. The target door
an additional success to make them fling it out to must be within Extreme range of the character.
short range. For a number of rounds equal to her Reflective
Hemorrhage (2 successes): The target bleeds Facet, the doors remain linked, and anyone
from their nose, eyes, and ears due to psychic passing through one will wind up at the other.
pressure. They suffer a +1 Difficulty on all Shoot Closing either door once connected ends the Gift
and Thrown attacks on their next action and the immediately. The portal may only transport one
Atmosphere around them becomes negative 1 for person at a time.
the rest of the scene.
ENERVATING GRASP
Kneel! (1 success): The target is knocked prone
where they stand. Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
Prerequisite: Might ••• or Dexterity •••
DOORWAY He seizes a target with a tendril of psychic force.
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary While he holds them fast, he drains their will and
Prerequisite: Survival •••• weakens their resolve.

Psychic Gifts 231

 System: Make a Close Combat attack using ei- A machine is a set of rules written in metal, op-
ther a weapon or a telekinetic strike. When doing erating in a three-dimensional space along pre-
so, gain access to the following Stunt: dictable, ordered vectors. Adjust these factors but
Enervate (variable): Inflict the Enervated a little, and the entire thing will wrench itself to
Condition on your target for a number of rounds pieces.
equal to the successes spent on this Stunt. While System: While touching any complex machine
the target is Enervated, the cost of all Stunts in- of Size Scale equal to your character’s Destructive
creases by 1 until the duration ends. Repeat in- Facet, make a Technology action. Success causes
stances of the Condition do not stack. an immediate breakdown, which requires a num-
ber of milestones up to your extra successes to re-
FIST OF THE MIND pair — players may choose to cause a less severe
Keywords: Constant, Energetic breakdown if they wish. Larger machines (ocean
liners, etc.) are often made up of smaller systems
Prerequisite: Intellect ••• or Might •••
that may be affected piecemeal (engines, water
They focus the power of their mind and use it to
pipes, etc.) rather than as a whole.
make a devastating attack. They need no weapon
to be a serious threat in combat. HALT FLIGHT
System: Whenever your character would make
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
a Close Combat attack, they may instead make an
attack with telekinetic force, substituting their Prerequisite: Science •••
Enigmas or Integrity Skill for the Close Combat The mind of the mesmerist can make even the
Skill. When they do, increase the cost of the laws of physics stop, if only for a moment. The
Inflict Injury Stunt by 1, but decrease the cost of mesmerist can manipulate the telluric energies
Knockback and Knockdown Stunts by 1. Attacks of the universe to bring even a speeding bullet to
made only with telekinetic force deal Ray damage. a grinding halt. Some mesmerists play this abili-
Attacks otherwise deal damage appropriate to the ty off with some pageantry, pretending to “catch”
weapon or object used. the bullet.
System: As an ordinary action, your charac-
FORCE CAGE ter can interrupt any ranged attack action to try
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary to stop the projectile in mid-air, sacrificing her
normal action in the round. If the character has
Prerequisite: Resolve ••• or Stamina •••
already acted this round, she may still take this
She traps her enemies in a prison made only of
action, but she sacrifices her action in the next
mental force. No amount of trickery can slip past
round instead. Make an action using Command +
these forceful bars.
Cunning. If you net more successes than the orig-
System: Make an Integrity or Enigmas action inal attack action, the character stops the projec-
in place of an attack action against a target within tile, which she can then pluck from the air or let
Medium range. If you achieve any successes over fall to the ground. Stopping a projectile of higher
the target’s Defense, in place of purchasing Stunts Power Scale than the mesmerist deals an Injury
you may instead trap them in place by inflicting Condition to her.
the Paralyzed Condition for a number of rounds
equal to your Intuitive Facet. Targeting a charac- HOT OR COLD
ter that has already been trapped in a Force Cage
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
again does not extend the duration of the effect.
Prerequisite: Science •
GREMLIN SYNDROME With a touch, the mesmerist may will energies
into either an overly excited state or slow them
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
down to nothing, igniting a person or object in a
Prerequisites: Resolve •••
rush of fire or freezing them in place.

232 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 System: The character must touch her target System: Spend an Inspiration. Target anoth-
and spend an Inspiration to manipulate its ther- er character within Medium range and make a
mal properties to make it hot or cold. Objects ranged attack action using Aim, Medicine, or
are immediately frozen or ignited and may cause Enigmas against Difficulty 1. Choose one of their
indirect damage at Storyguide’s discretion. If at- Conditions or Complications and increase its se-
tempting to destroy frozen or burned objects, verity by 1. For example, Stunned lasts another
such as a frozen lock or a burned door, gain +2 round or an Injury increases its Complication val-
Enhancement. If targeting a person, the mesmer- ue by 1 (but does not check off another Injury box).
ist must overcome the target’s Defense with a You choose how the Condition or Complication is
Close Combat action and gains access to the fol- intensified. If the Condition imposes a Difficulty,
lowing Stunts: increase that by 1. If the Condition has no value to
Immolate (2 successes): The target is set on fire be intensified, then the effects of this Gift do not
and suffers indirect damage rated at 2 with the apply.
Continuous (round) tag for a number of rounds
equal to the mesmerist’s Destructive Facet. The JAVELIN OF WILL
target may make an Athletics action to put herself Keywords: Constant, Energetic
out before the normal duration, but that action Prerequisite: Intellect ••• or Might •••
cannot be part of a mixed action.
She picks up objects and weapons using only
Frozen (2 successes): The target is frozen for her will. With the strength of her mind, they
a number of rounds equal to the mesmerist’s transform into deadly weapons that she hurls
Destructive Facet and cannot take reflexive move- with lethal force at her foes.
ment actions. All movement actions require an
System: You may make ranged attacks with
Athletics action at +2 Difficulty.
the telekinetic force of your mind, loosing projec-
tiles out to Long range. Make the attacks with the
ILLUMINATE
character’s Enigmas or Integrity Skill instead of
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary Aim. These attacks can be pulses of psychic force
Light surrounds her and her allies, banishing (in which case they deal Ray damage) or objects
darkness and illuminating their way. When she hurled with the power of the mind (which can
spots the enemy, she casts her light on them, deal any other kind of damage). The character
giving her allies a better idea of where to aim. may spend an Inspiration to give this weapon two
System: Take an ordinary action to create a of the following Tags: Brutal, Deadly, Piercing,
light source centered on your character for the Pushing, or Stun.
rest of the scene. Negate up to +2 Complication
from effects that would hinder sight, such as LEVITATION
darkness up to short range from the character. Keywords: Constant, Energetic
Spend an Inspiration to project the light onto a Prerequisite: Adrift in Etheric Currents,
target for a number of rounds equal to the char- Integrity ••
acter’s Intuitive Facet. All characters gain +1
By sheer will alone, the mesmerist may attain
Enhancement to attack actions against the illumi-
the power of flight, floating up to several feet
nated target.
above the ground. She may hover over canyons
and drift over fences to reach her destination.
INTENSIFYING GRIP
Normally the propulsion is invisible, but the mes-
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary merist may choose to make it obvious as a spectral
Prerequisite: Medicine ••• or Enigmas ••• light that buoys her form.
Seizing her target with her mind, she intensifies System: This permanently modifies the Adrift
their problems. Wounds, exhaustion, and other in Etheric Currents Gift. The character no longer
Complications get just that much worse. suffers Complications from attempting to take

Psychic Gifts 233

 IMPRESSIVE FEATS FOR FUN
Inspired characters are capable of some impressive feats, such as casually warming
drinks, floating through the air or doing small hat tricks with telekinesis. At Storyteller’s
discretion, the Inspiration cost can be waived for such feats if they don’t dramatically
alter the scene, allowing players to use Teledigitation to remotely mix a drink, or Levi-
tation to float while sitting in the air.

actions in less than normal gravity. Additionally, doing so, the character does not risk any hazards
you may spend another Inspiration to instead take or Complications from touching an item and does
flight at +1 Speed Scale. not require the character to be within normal
range to use the object. The character must, how-
MACHINE MASTER ever, still be able to perceive the object to manip-
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary ulate it psychically. This Gift may not be used to
make attacks.
Prerequisites: Gremlin Syndrome
Operating machines is simple. Some have but- MENTAL BURST
tons, some have levers, some have wheels — but
all, she well knows, respond just as easily to the Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
mind. She wonders how anyone gets anything Prerequisite: Intellect ••• or Might •••
done when all they’ve got to work with is their He explodes with psychic force. This blast
hands. sends everyone around him flying or smashing
System: Spend an Inspiration and designate a into scenery.
machine up to your character’s Intuitive Facet in System: Spend an Inspiration. As a simple ac-
Size Scale. For the remainder of the scene, your tion, immediately push every character within
character may operate that machine without Close range of you back one range band. Allies
touching its controls, regardless of how far away may use this as a movement boost, but enemies
she may venture from the machine. Doing so still must make an Athletics action to stay balanced
requires an action if operating the machine nor- or be knocked down in addition to the forced
mally would require one. movement.

MANIPULATION WITHOUT TOUCH MINDHAMMER

Keywords: Energetic, Momentary Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
Prerequisite: Cunning •• or Dexterity •• Prerequisite: Aim ••
When he uses a tool or carries a dangerous ob- The mesmerist strikes out at her enemies with a
ject, his hands never need to come near it. He can piston of pure force that hits hard enough to dent
manipulate even the finest details from a signifi- metal and shatter bones. The force is normally
cant distance away. invisible, but a shockwave of shimmering energy
System: Make an Athletics or Integrity action may accompany the blow if the mesmerist wishes.
to move and manipulate objects, tools, hazard- System: Spend an Inspiration to make an attack
ous materials, and the like with telekinesis. Using out to short range. This attack gains the mesmer-
this Gift, your character can lift and manipu- ist’s Destructive Facet in Enhancement and has
late anything he could normally lift and handles the following tags: Blunt, Brutal, Piercing, Ranged
those things with equal dexterity. If the char- (Short). Gain access to the following additional
acter’s Might or Dexterity would not allow him Stunts on the attack:
to move or carefully handle the object, he may Blown Away (1 success): The target is blown
instead substitute his Intellect or Cunning. By away by the force of the blow, knocking them away

234 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

one range band and prone. Spend another success The mesmerist infuses an object with telluric
to send them flying an additional range band. energy and a little bit of her will. The power held
Blast Wave (2 successes): On a successful attack, within draws all eyes towards it.
others within Close range of the target must take System: Spend an Inspiration. Your character
a Difficulty 2 Athletics action or suffer the effects designates an object which may be herself which
of the attack. If combined with the Blown Away attracts others. If used on an object, it becomes
Stunt, others in Close range are knocked away powerfully attractive, drawing the attention of
from the target rather than the mesmerist. anyone who sees it. Once seen the person suffers
Shattering Force (1 success): The attack may de- a +2 Complication on actions unrelated to the ob-
stroy cover and barriers in the way. If the target ject. Failure to buy off this Complication inflicts
is behind cover, the cover suffers four additional the Obsessed Condition. The mesmerist is im-
Injuries from the attack. mune to her own Gift’s powers. The character
Pulverized Equipment (2 successes): The teleki- gains +2 Enhancement on Intrigue actions against
netic blast pulverizes the target’s weapon, armor, her targets if she is holding the object in question.
or vehicle. This inflicts a +2 Complication to ac-
POWER TRANSFER
tions involving the item; failure to buy it off results
in the damaged item breaking down or ceasing to Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
be function until it is repaired. Prerequisite: Enigmas ••• or Empathy •••
Pulling ambient telluric power from the world,
MONSTERS FROM THE ID the mesmerist transfers it to his allies.
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary System: Touch your target and make an Enigmas
Prerequisite: Intellect •••• or Empathy + Composure or Intellect roll. If you
He’s known as a conjurer, a medium, an expert target a daredevil, the Difficulty is 1 and the target
in the spiritual. He considers himself something instantly restores 1 Inspiration. For another mes-
of a charlatan, even if the ghosts he calls up from merist, the Difficulty increases to 2, and to 3 for stal-
his own imagination are real enough to pass mus- warts. This action carries a +3 Complication. If the
ter to others. Complication is not bought off, you lose 1 Inspiration,
System: Your character is able to create illu- and if you do not have Inspiration to give up, gain the
sions, which, while clearly otherworldly, are oth- Stunned Condition for a round instead.
erwise viscerally real. Spend an Inspiration to
PSYCHIC ACCURACY
create an illusion up to Size Scale equal to your
character’s Reflective Facet. This illusion is imma- Keywords: Constant, Energetic
terial and cannot interact with the world, though Prerequisite: Intellect •• or Might ••
it can move and make sounds. While the illusion is The mesmerist needs no firearm or thrown
active, you may sacrifice your character’s action to weapon. She hurls bursts of psychic force at her
impose a +3 Complication on an opponent that if enemies with the strength of a speeding bullet.
they fail to buy off distracts them and lowers their
System: Whenever you make an attack with
Defense to 1 for the next round. The presence of
a psychic Gift that does not use a typical combat
such an illusion may change the Atmosphere of
skill (such as Aim or Close Combat), add the mes-
the Field at Storyguide discretion.
merist’s Destructive Facet in Enhancement to ap-
Illusions conjured by this Gift last for a single ply combat Stunts and any other applicable Stunts
scene, or until your character disperses them. gained from Gifts, Edges, or Skill Tricks.

PAREIDOLIA’S PRICE PSYCHIC CONJURATION

Keywords: Energetic, Momentary Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
Prerequisite: Enigmas •• Prerequisite: Resolve •••••

Psychic Gifts 235

 Using the telluric energy that suffused the plan- Long range to her location. For most objects this
et, the mesmerist may turn a thoughtform into an requires an ordinary action, but if the object is a
entity to serve them temporarily. familiar item that the mesmerist uses regularly,
System: Spend two Inspiration to create a it is reflexive. Alternatively, she may send an ob-
Telluric Emanation (p. XX) at out to short range ject within Close range to a location she can per-
that serves the mesmerist for one scene. It may ceive within Extreme range. She may alter the
communicate in a language the character knows, orientation of the object at will, but it retains its
but it possesses only rudimentary intelligence, Momentum. To take an object being held by an un-
able to follow simple orders. The emanation willing target, the character must take a Larceny +
may possess a single Energetic Gift the character Cunning action against the target’s Might.
knows. The entity takes whatever form the mes-
merist imagines, but as a projection its capabilities SEIZE THE PUPPET STRINGS
may not match its appearance. The character may Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
only sustain a single Telluric Emanation at a time. Prerequisite: Cunning ••• or Dexterity •••
He ensnares his target with threads of psychic
PSYCHIC HAND
force. Whenever they try to move, the mesmerist
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary pulls them this way and that, controlling where
Prerequisite: Integrity •• they go.
The mesmerist exerts raw telekinetic force System: When you succeed on an attack ac-
capable of pressing and moving objects with the tion, either with a normal combat Skill or with
power of the mind. He may undo the clasps on a a telekinetic attack, spend an Inspiration to im-
chest, or remotely depress a pressure plate in an pose the Seized Condition on your target. This
ancient ruin. He may manifest these powers invis- Condition lasts for a number of turns equal to
ibly, or with a ghostly shimmer of energy in the air.
your Destructive Facet. As long as the Condition
System: Spend an Inspiration. For one scene, persists, whenever the target makes a movement
the character may move objects of up to his Size action, you decide in which direction and to
Scale + 1 within short range. The mesmerist makes where the target moves.
an Athletics action to move objects of a greater
Size Scale at +1 per two successes. If used as an STRENGTH OF THE MIND
attack, he may use Athletics instead of Aim as a Keywords: Constant, Energetic
thrown attack, which may be placed in a mixed Prerequisite: Manipulation Without Touch
action to lift heavier objects. The character may
Her mental fortitude lifts Heavy objects and
attempt crude manipulation with this power, but
hurls colossal items with powerful ease.
automatically fails any roll requiring a Finesse
System: When you purchase this Gift, gain +1
Approach. Objects move at no more than Speed
Might Scale to determine how much your char-
Scale 1.
acter can lift, throw, handle, or break when using
SLEIGHT OF WILL telekinesis to move or manipulate objects.

Keywords: Energetic, Momentary STUNNING PULSE

Prerequisite: Larceny •, Telekinetic Summoning
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
The mesmerist may cause a nearby object to
Prerequisite: Aim ••, Enigmas ••, or Intellect ••
disappear and reappear somewhere else without
He projects a mental frequency that debilitates
travelling through the intervening space. With
his enemies. This attack stuns and disorients ev-
this Gift, she can find an object she cares about,
eryone around him, giving him and his allies a no-
snatch a gun out of someone’s hands, or perform a
table advantage.
very impressive magic trick.
System: Spend Inspiration and make an attack
System: Spend an Inspiration. The character
action using Aim or Enigmas + Intellect or Resolve
may teleport an object she can perceive within

236 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

against the Defense of all targets within Close illusory Tommy-gun might hurt, but it’s not go-
range. Roll once and apply the successes against ing to kill anyone, and an enormous killer robot
each target individually. Rather than deal damage, has surprising difficulty knocking over buildings
impose the Stunned Condition for a number of or crushing any pedestrians. The mesmerist may
rounds equal to successes over Defense. sacrifice her action to take an action with the illu-
sion using her own Skill for the attack but gaining
SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE OF her Destructive Facet as Enhancement.
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
TELEDIGITATION
Prerequisites: Monsters from the Id
Reality is a function of telluric energies. telluric Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
energies respond to the human will. Ergo, reality Prerequisite: Psychic Hand
responds to the human will. She may not have at- Teledigitation is what people often think of
tained such heights that she can wholesale reor- when they hear the word “telekinesis”. The mes-
der the world around her, but she’s good enough merist forms a pair of spectral hands capable of
to make it seem like she can. fine manipulation, from writing remotely on a
System: This Gift permanently enhances typewriter to even wielding a rifle. Picking locks
Monsters from the Id, allowing your character to and mixing drinks becomes a trivial matter with
create illusions that seem to be a part of the natu- the power of the mind. These hands are invisible
ral world, and adds the following rules to it: unless the mesmerist manifests them, where they
You may spend 2 Inspiration when creating an appear as a ghostly outline or idealized image of
illusion to give it a tactile component — it can touch shimmering hands.
and be touched and seem perfectly lifelike to that System: Spend an Inspiration to use
sense. Even these illusions, however, cannot ben- Teledigitation for one scene. This allows the char-
efit from their apparent Scale or other abilities; an acter to perform feats such as writing using a pen

Psychic Gifts 237

 remotely, flipping switches at a distance or even THERMAL EVENT
picking pockets with her mind. The mesmerist
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
may perform Finesse actions out to short range
Prerequisite: Hot or Cold
using her telekinesis, granting Enhancement
equal to her Intuitive Facet on actions to per- The mesmerist may cause a drastic change in
form tasks which require fine dexterity. When temperature, igniting the area in flame or covering
combined with Psychic Hand, it may allow her to it in a flash blizzard.
wield a sword remotely or to throw objects with System: Spend two Inspiration to fill the Field
precision using her mind. When combined, she with ice or fire. If fire, nearby flammable ma-
may use Aim + Dexterity to make attacks with a terials ignite, adding the Burning and Smoky
melee weapon telekinetically in place of Close Complications (p. xx) to the Field. If ice, the
Combat out to short range. Telekinetically thrown character causes a flash snowstorm, inflicting the
objects gain +1 Enhancement. Blizzard Complication on the Field. The mesmer-
ist is seemingly immune to these effects, as the
TELEKINETIC SUMMONING flames avoid her and the snow parts under her
Keywords: Constant, Energetic step. She may extend this immunity to allies if she
is using the Hive Mind Gift.
Prerequisite: Cunning ••• or Dexterity •••
She calls a weapon or object to her using the TREMOR SENSE
power of her mind. It sails across available space
Keywords: Energetic, Constant
to appear, ready, in her hand.
Prerequisites: Composure •••
System: Choose a weapon or an item. After
choosing this object, your character can call it im- He prefers to go barefoot. It earns him some
mediately to her hand with nothing more than a funny looks, and even some irate lectures from
thought. This must be an item she can hold in one high-society types, but going about with shoes on
hand such as a handgun, a knife, a wrench, a trusty might as well be blindfolding his sharpest sense.
pen, or camera, and so on. She may call this itemSystem: Your character maintains a men-
tal map of the world around him by sensing vi-
to her reflexively and it appears ready to use in an
brations in the ground or floor. He subtracts his
instant regardless of wherever she had the object
Intuitive Facet from the value of all Complications
stored. A character may have a number of dedicat-
having to do with obscured vision or darkness
ed items for this Gift equal to her Reflective Facet.
and gains +1 Enhancement to detect secret pas-
TELEPRESENT RELAY sages and cavities in the floor or walls. Spend an
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary Inspiration to add your character’s Intuitive Facet
as an Enhancement to any attack, as your charac-
Prerequisite: Empathy •• or Enigmas ••
ter’s blows target otherwise-invisible weaknesses
He imbues an object with his psychic power in objects, armor, and flesh.
and communicates through it, allowing him to
talk to anyone the world over. VANISHING ACT
System: Spend an Inspiration to imbue an
Keywords: Energetic, Momentary
object that your character can hold in one hand
Prerequisite: Larceny •••
with his psychic resonance. The character can
now communicate through the object no matter The mesmerist can perform a disappearing act,
where it is in relation to him. Your character may suddenly disappearing with a plume of tellurical-
make Procedural or Intrigue actions through the ly charged smoke and a clap of rushing air before
item as though he were present, regardless of how reappearing elsewhere nearby without travel-
far away he is. The relay lasts until the character ling through the intervening space. The apex of
chooses to end the effect or imbues a new item the stage magician’s craft is an easy feat for the
with his psychic resonance. mesmerist.

238 CHAPTER SIX: GIFTS

 System: Spend an Inspiration to teleport to a
nearby location within short range. It occurs with
a plume of smoke and a rush of air, making stealth
with this Gift impossible. Alternatively, you may
spend an Inspiration to gain access to the follow-
ing Defensive Stunt:
Vanishing Act (Variable successes): As the Dodge
Stunt, with the mesmerist’s Intuitive Facet in
Enhancements. If she avoids harm, she teleports
one range band away from the attacking target, or
into cover, whichever is more obviously effective.
Psychic Gifts 239
240
 “The danger of adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort.”
— Paulo Coelho

Stories taking place within the Trinity Continuum focus on exceptional people using extraordinary
abilities to make the world a better place. Campaigns set within Trinity Continuum: Adventure! are
crafted under the influence of the pulp genre, drawing on the conventions presented in pulp magazines
and novellas of the early 20th century. Adventure! takes on the hopeful and optimistic tone of pulp clas-
sics of the time, which often pit heroes against terrible odds both fantastical and drawn from the real
world. In fact, many of the pulps of the time were built around the optimism of defeating evil political
regimes and righting wrongs. You can’t have a game about punching Nazis without the Nazi regime be-
ing a political actor in the game. In this chapter, we present tools for Storyguides to run exciting games
utilizing the various sub-genres within pulp and for understanding the real-world issues that people in
the 1930s faced and how to treat those with care. We suggest tuning your game to include as much or as
little of the far-fetched science fiction of killer robots and alien invaders or the more grounded story of
disrupting Mussolini’s fascist regime you want in your game.

RUNNING IN THE PULP MILIEU

Daring tales of dashing do-gooders defeating
dastardly devils and foul fiends span a variety of
genres, offering a great deal of flexibility to the
Storyguide when crafting an Adventure! cam-
paign. Though pulp stories do share certain com-
mon tropes and trappings, there is a great deal of
versatility in the types of stories that you can ex-
plore while maintaining the pulp feel.
Common Elements
of Pulp Stories
Regardless of the angle from which you ap-
proach your Adventure! tales, certain elements
are fundamental to pulp storytelling.
Action
Whether you are telling thrill-a-minute two-fist-
ed tales of heroes punching Nazis aboard a flying
fortress or focused on a slow-burning murder mys-
tery where everyone is a suspect and nothing is quite
what it seems, action is inevitable in Adventure!.
When the action takes center stage it is big, bombas-
tic, and pulse-pounding. Even a simple fistfight with
a single opponent should carry theatrical flair. Blows
exchanged are not mere contact between combat-
ants. No, when the cunning detective ultimately
discovers the killer’s identity, she delivers a dose of
justice to the villain’s chin at the end of a clenched
fist! The heroes of your tale do not simply stand in
opposition to Nazi soldiers, cutting down pop-up
target enemies. Rather, they leap to activity in the
face of a hail of bullets to strike down the grasping
tentacles of the Third Reich!
Action needn’t, and frankly, shouldn’t, be the fo-
cus of every scene in your game. However, when it
does take center stage, it should fill the space with
energy and adrenaline. The heroism of pulp stores
is larger than life, regardless of whether the he-
roes of the story are billionaire detective martial
arts masters, archaeologists with a penchant for
unconventional weaponry, or brilliant scientists
whose inventions grant them access to abilities far
beyond that of the average person. The Inspired
protagonists of Adventure! provide the players
and Storyguide with ample tools and opportuni-
ty to dive headfirst into the action, flexing their
telluric energy enhanced muscles, and relying on
their Gifts and Skill Tricks to save the day.

Running in the Pulp Milieu 241

 To balance this and create a sense of stakes, the
Storyguide should feel free to populate action se-
quences with death traps, navigation hazards, and
Inspired henchmen. The heroes should probably
win the day, or at the very least take some conso-
lations from their defeats, but it should rarely be a
cakewalk for them. Peril is the linchpin of a good
action sequence. If every threat the characters face
is a paper tiger, they will become very bored very
quickly. It is up to the Storyguide to prevent this by
keeping things fresh and ensuring that the threats
placed in the path of the heroes are challenging,
but surmountable. Momentum and other consola-
tions (see Trinity Continuum: Core Rulebook p.
73) can help bolster the heroes against otherwise
deadly opposition. While these techniques are
vital throughout all three Areas of Action in the
Storypath System, action scenes within the pulp
milieu provide a perfect opportunity to bring these
systems to the fore and enhance the story.
Science
Pulp stories often examine the boundaries of
what is possible through science and technology.
Apart from the obvious science fiction elements of
flying fortresses, jet packs, death rays, and rocket
ships, you can examine basic scientific and tech-
nical processes with a lens of wonder and view
them from the perspective of possibility. Air trav-
el, still a relatively new innovation in the era of
Adventure!, is a perfect example of the ways in
which science stakes its claim within pulp stories.
Whenever a story takes the heroes to the sky, the
science of human flight comes to the forefront
of the tale and can see use in crafting a unique-
ly pulp narrative. This is the era of biplanes and
B-10 bombers. Hell’s Angels, the film by Howard
Hughes, arrives in theaters just prior to the start
time of Adventure!, capturing the minds of the
moviegoing public and helping to cement ae-
rial action as a staple of the fiction of the time.
Mystery and detective stories lean on, expand,
and embellish techniques and technologies used
in the process of crimefighting. Stories that fea-
ture heroes who have mastered the arts of deduc-
tion may occasionally gloss over the use of these
tools, but more often than not, the foundation of a
detective’s efficacy is rooted firmly in science.
As with all stories within the Trinity Detective: Stories in the detective genre tend
Continuum, tales in this era incorporate super to focus on criminal activity, the collection of
242 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE
science, enabling the Inspired to achieve techno-
logical feats far beyond the capabilities of mun-
dane machinery. For a detailed view of super sci-
ence in Adventure! see Chapter 5: New Rules.
Sub-Genres Within Pulp
As noted above, pulp is a broad milieu that en-
compasses a wide array of sub-genres and varia-
tions within it. The following section breaks down
several of these sub-genres with tips and tricks for
telling Adventure! stories using the conventions
of each sub-genre, as well as elements of the sub-
genre that you should avoid due to diverging too
far from pulp. Where appropriate there is also
some advice on subverting the tropes of these
sub-genres to reflect a setting that embraces hope
and diversity while confronting some of the uglier
elements of the era, both within your game and in
the world at large.
Adventure: The default assumption is that your
Adventure! game includes this sub-genre to some
degree. As a sub-genre, adventure stories take the
protagonists outside the events of everyday life,
placing them in contact with unusual obstacles,
strange enemies, and foul plots that only the he-
roes can hope to interrupt. Adventure stories can
also encompass exploration in strange and unfa-
miliar locations. The heroes of the story venture
out of their comfortable and familiar element and
enter new territories beyond their experience.
Characters in the adventure sub-genre go out and
face the world head on, lest they risk losing a leg
up, the element of surprise, or the simple benefit
of preparation to the criminal element. The ad-
venture sub-genre is about action, not reaction.
Characters who spring into action to chase down
their foes before they can do too much damage re-
ceive reward for their heroic initiative. Those who
wait around for an adventure to fall into their lap
miss the point. There are many genres of storytell-
ing that provide a perfect home for the reluctant
hero, but pulp is typically not one of them.
The globe (and time) trotting tales of Æon
Society founder Maxwell Anderson Mercer ex-
emplify the adventure sub-genre. The legendary
journeys of Safari Jack Tallon also provide a solid
example of this sub-genre.
evidence, and pursuit of the villain responsible
for a dastardly deed. While there is certainly a
mystery that requires solution, in as much as the
characters do not have the facts of the case at the
onset, the detective story tends to bring the pro-
cess of investigation itself to the forefront. Plot
twists can and do occur. The villain of the story,
often through hirelings, henchmen, or other prox-
ies, stand in active opposition to any meaningful
progress in the investigation. Detective stories
often feature these antagonistic elements inter-
fering with evidence, threatening, attacking, or
even killing witnesses, and generally doing any-
thing they can to gum up the works of finding and
following a solid lead. The heroes must overcome
these obstacles and gather enough evidence to lo-
cate the villain and prove their guilt.
The stories and adventures of Lucy Hebron are Stories regarding the Hollow Earth, magical
an example of the detective sub-genre. A protégé crystals from the Chiquibul cave system, and the
of one of the greatest detectives the world has
ever known, Lucy relies on unsurpassed deduc-
tive ability, forensic skill, worldly knowledge, and
training in the deadly art of baritsu to discover
and detain or dispatch her foes. Likewise, stories
featuring the International Detective Agency fit
within the boundaries of this sub-genre.
Fantasy: As explained in Chapter 3: Inspired
Adventures, there are few among the Inspired
who attribute fanciful notions of magic and the
supernatural to the effects of telluric energy. This
does not prevent Adventure! from exploring sto-
ries within the fantasy sub-genre. Inspiration,
telluric anomalies, and super science can be re-
sponsible for all manner of fantastic seeming phe-
nomena. The key to telling a good fantasy themed
story in Adventure! is to always keep the fantasy
elements rooted in telluric science.
Running in the Pulp Milieu 243
 Mighty Gar are within the realm of fantasy. The apparently supernatural element does not, on its
weirdness and unpredictable nature of telluric own merit, make horror. Examining the possi-
anomalies and strange places fit the tropes of fanta-bility of abduction by Mister Saturday leading to
sy while remaining rooted in the science fiction of zombification or dealing with the implications
the setting. Stories involving the Æon Society and and aftermath of his foul procedures is firmly
Branch 9 can easily fit into the fantasy sub-genre. within the horror sub-genre. Wading fists-first
Gangster: The gangster sub-genre deals spe- through an army of zombie minions is not. The
cifically with organized crime as a significant plot latter is simply a good time.
element. The form this organized crime takes Branch 9 and the Archivists both provide easy
can range from a small gang of underprivileged entry into the horror sub-genre. As Whitley Styles
street kids simply trying to get by, to a well-oiled can attest, the Æon Society delves into tales of
mob that controls criminal activity throughout an horror from time to time.
entire city, all the way up to the globe-spanning Humor: Humor is frequently an element that
operations of the triads. While the gangster sub- appears in any setting or sub-genre, but there are
genre can present these criminals as antagonists, ample methods to rely on humor as the primary
there are ample approaches to the conventions sub-genre in your Adventure! campaign. Many
of gangster stories that paint gangsters in a less elements of pulp storytelling can skew quickly into
villainous light. Mafiosos who collect protection camp silliness. There is absolutely nothing wrong
money from the businesses in a neighborhood and with going that route in your game, as long as the
in turn actually work to offer protection and safety players are interested in doing so. Unintentional
to the streets of their protectorate are a straight- camp showing up in other sub-genres can kill the
forward example of the gangster sub-genre being mood of a game relatively quickly. The Storyguide
a vector for injecting anti-hero characters into a should be on the lookout for moments where
pulp setting. things slip into the campy side and be ready to
Stories featuring the Contedorri, the Seven redirect, as needed, to preserve the needs of the
Brothers, the Mafia, Le Salon des Femmes story. However, if everyone at the table wants to
Nouveaux, or any common street gang as antago- enjoy a good campy romp, Adventure! lends it-
nists fall within the gangster sub-genre. It is quite self to this sub-genre naturally through bombas-
possible that the protagonists of your story may tic action, larger than life characters, and strange
have a history that ties their backstory to this sub- science.
genre as well. As a general guideline, stories leaning into the
Horror: Also known as weird menace, pulp sto- humor sub-genre (especially those leaning into
ries in the horror category depict the antagonists camp) tend toward a reduction of risk and con-
as far more brutal and sadistic than in other sub- sequence. The likelihood of permanent injury,
genres. Torture, brainwashing, and kidnapping death, or other lasting effects of a confrontation
are common tactics employed by the foul fiends are effectively non-existent in humor stories. In
the heroes face in horror tales. Horror pulp is many ways camp is merely pulp with the danger
not for the faint of heart and may not be appro- removed. The Air Circus lends itself well to sto-
priate for your table. Always consult with your ries in the humor sub-genre, and peppering in a
players before adding elements of this sub-genre bit of humor is always welcome with tales of the
into play, as many can be disturbing, upsetting, or Æon Society.
triggering. Mystery: Like stories told in the detective
The backstory of Æon founding member genre, mystery tales focus on the collection, col-
Whitley Styles draws heavily from this sub-genre lation, and processing of clues in order to discov-
of pulp, with several of the more disturbing ele- er the identity of an antagonist or the location of
ments of horror in play. Any storyline that includes a MacGuffin. However, where detective stories
Mister Saturday and his zombie army is also like- place the emphasis of the conflict on the proce-
ly to skew into the horror sub-genre, though it is dural aspects of detective work with action and
important to note that the mere presence of an adventure beats peppered throughout, a mystery

244 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

tale leans into the unusual elements of the setting,
adding uncertainty and wonder into the proce-
dural aspects. Through this interaction of ele-
ments, mystery stories can skew into the fantasy
or horror sub-genre fairly easily. The trademark
of a mystery tale is keeping the causes of inciting
incidents obscured behind a veneer of wonder.
Even if the characters and players understand
they are ultimately chasing down some telluric
powered monstrosity, there should be a feeling of
dread and menace that pervades every step of the
investigation.
It is important to note a few subtle differences
between pulp mystery and noir. Protagonists in
noir are generally morally gray loners who thrive
in the seedy underbelly of society and engage with
the world from a pessimistic perspective. While
pulp protagonists needn’t be ever cheerful and
endlessly plucky, most of them lack the desperate
edge, reflective self-doubt, and moral flexibility of
the noir hero. Pulp characters, especially those in
a roleplaying game, are far more likely to form and
join groups. The climax of a pulp mystery is likely
to include an elaborate action scene as the heroes
face down the villain responsible for the conflict
in a bombastic confrontation. The same mystery
in noir might find resolution with a single, sol-
emn gunshot on a dark waterfront, fired by a con-
flicted hero. Even in its darkest hours, pulp mys-
tery is not pessimistic. Characters and stories in
Adventure! look toward a bright horizon. Even in
the face of great darkness, which the near future
of the setting offers in abundance, Inspired char-
acters embrace hope rather than tugging their fe-
doras down and staring at the midnight-darkened
sidewalk in the cold rain.
The adventures of Wang Yong and Johnny
Porter are a solid example of the Mystery genre
in Adventure!. The pair make their way along the
North American Pacific Coast chasing down mys-
teries, strange occurrences, and Fortean events.
Branch 9, the International Detective Agency,
Lodestar, and the Archivists also lean toward mys-
terious adventures. Any pursuit of the strange and
unusual is firmly within the mystery sub-genre.
Romance: Many pulps fell within the romance
sub-genre. While romance generally does not find
its way to center stage in an Adventure! cam-
paign, there are ample opportunities to employ,
explore, and subvert the tropes of the genre with-
in the framework of a larger story. Romance can
form powerful bonds (Trinity Continuum: Core
p. 87) between characters and NPCs, which the
Storyguide can draw on to enhance the story, mo-
tivate action, and keep the plot moving forward.
Note that unrequited love, failed relationships,
and secret admiration are all found under the um-
brella of romance, and each bring a unique flavor
to the story.
Unrequited love is a story element that is pres-
ent among many of the Æon Society founders.
The shared backstories of Professor Dixon and
the Mechanatrix are an example of romance in
play among the Æon Society founders, as well as
a good roadmap for the challenges that accom-
pany romantic entanglements with one’s neme-
sis. While boiling down the complexities of the
relationship between Doctor Primoris and Max
Mercer to simple romance would do their con-
flict a grand disservice, ignoring the dissolution
of Donighal’s relationship with Mercer likewise
does the importance and impact of those feelings
on the evolution of the Trinity Continuum.
Science Fiction: The science fiction sub-genre
is a staple of the Adventure! setting. Aside from
Inspired heroes and villains who derive their abil-
ities from Super-Science gadgets and devices, the
very basis of Inspiration is, itself a product of this
genre. The boundaries of science fiction define
the edges of narrative continuity for the Trinity
Continuum, providing a framework for the pow-
ers, abilities, threats, and victories of the Inspired.
To a degree, when crafting an Adventure! cam-
paign, one’s principal concern is not whether or
not to include science fiction elements, but the
degree to which those elements will rise to the
forefront of the story. Stories that focus on facing
down the inventions of the Mechanatrix or the
Sky Brigade of Doctor Manfred von Zorbo or ex-
ploring strange places with a science fiction feel
are firmly within the science fiction sub-genre.
The Æon Society, the Archivists, and the Order of
Stars all lend themselves well to science fiction.
War: The era of Adventure! is in the immediate
build up to one of the darkest, bloodiest, and most
terrifying conflicts in human history: World War II.
By the end of June 1934, the Nazis claim absolute
power in Germany, under the supreme control of
Running in the Pulp Milieu 245
 the Fuhrer Adolf Hitler. The seeds of atrocity have Better Storytelling Through
already borne fruit, as the engines of the Holocaust, Inspired Chemistry
the Concentration Camps, have begun operation,
Each of the sub-genres listed in this section
with formal organization of the program looming
have a place within the Adventure! setting, how-
in the imminent future. In Japan, the recent assas-
ever your story is not bound to adhere to a single
sination of Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi has re-
sub-genre. Adventure! stories often incorporate
sulted in the effective removal of the people from
several sub-genres, moving back and forth ef-
the political process in Japan, setting the stage
fortlessly between elements of science fiction,
for Japan’s entry into the Axis, the Second Sino-
mystery, romance, and horror to craft a unique
Japanese War, and the eventual bombing of Pearl
narrative. The opportunity to incorporate these
Harbor. While the worst of these conflicts await in
various elements into a single cogent story within
the near future of the Adventure! timeline, there is
the pulp backdrop grants the Storyguide license to
no reason your story cannot take place during these
craft their own view of pulp adventure. Applying
troubled and terrifying times.
and subverting the tropes and tools in these sub-
Also, exploring the specter of war to come may genres in mash-ups allows you to create stories
provide rich fodder for drama and storytelling. War that are individual and customized in exciting
focused stories can address the action and danger of ways.
the battlefield, the aftermath of war for those who
By amplifying certain elements or conventions
fight, or the weight of burdens carried by those left
or peppering in elements of a seemingly discon-
behind. Though the impending Second World War
nected sub-genre, the Storyguide crafts a fresh
looms over the time period, there is nothing pre-
environment for the adventurers to inhabit. Your
venting the characters from intervening and po-
campaign might begin with the basics of the ad-
tentially altering the shape of events to come. This
venture sub-genre as the party explores a new
opens the possibility for the Storyguide to craft an
region of Hollow Earth opened after a blast of
alternate history with the characters averting World
telluric energy. The exploration of the realm be-
War II. Likewise, the characters could stand in di-
gins strictly as an adventure story but when the
rect opposition to the Third Reich, punching Nazis
party encounters massive insects, swollen to the
as they struggle against the horrors of war. And who
size of a Rolls Royce through exposure to tellu-
doesn’t love punching Nazis?
ric rays, an element of fantasy emerges. When
Western: While the time of the American the team discovers the corpses of several of these
Frontier ended 40 years prior to the Adventure! bug creatures, having been eviscerated by an un-
era, the western genre is barreling toward peak known instrument with inhuman force, mystery
popularity like a runaway train. The fictionalized comes to the fore. By mixing and interweaving
and dramatized biography of Wyatt Earp, Wyatt these elements, the Storyguide can craft a chroni-
Earp: Frontier Marshal, released in 1931 and was a cle that serves the interests of diverse player char-
bestseller that helped shape the genre, and west- acters and explore the entire spectrum of pulp
ern films have enjoyed popularity throughout storytelling.
the silent film era. While Hollywood Studios are
When crafting a plot for your Adventure! ses-
focusing their attentions elsewhere in the 1930s,
sion, you might start by creating a list of plot el-
pulp literature leans heavily on the sub-genre.
ements you want to touch on and the sub-genre
There are many elements of the western sub-
those elements occupy. This can help in planning
genre that you can pull from to incorporate into
the session and in maintaining the desired feel of
your campaign. Young characters in Adventure!
the story. This exercise can also generate fun and
may have grown up seeing and receiving inspira-
interesting opportunities to explore the intersec-
tion from western media. As Inspiration knows no
tions between sub-genres. For your reference,
age boundaries, some characters may well have
here are a few examples of this technique.
been alive and active during the Old West. This
Assault on the Villain’s Stronghold: This sto-
is the case with the notorious gunslinger Scalper
ry takes the action to a known villain or malicious
Dutch.
group. Whether attacking Baron Zorbo’s Flying

246 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

Fortress or infiltrating the Haitian estate of Mister a crime they did not commit. They must uncov-
Saturday, Adventure! provides several opportu- er the culprit and clear their names. This basic
nities for this type of action. premise can incorporate several sub-genres.
• This is an Adventure story at its heart. In this • At its core this is a Detective story. A crime
story, the heroes know where the baddies are has been committed and the party must find
and are taking the fight to them. While inves- clues to solve it.
tigation, deception, stealth, and other subtle
• By weaving Inspired abilities or science into
techniques may come into play, this is ulti-
the tale, elements of Mystery rise to the fore-
mately a tale of dealing with the threat head
front. Add elements of mystery to the tale by
on, guns blazing and fists flying.
introducing physical evidence that rapidly
• Villains often command hordes of hench- deteriorates over time, shadowy assailants
men and occupy sprawling lairs filled with who impede the party’s investigation only to
death traps, weaponized security, and telluric vanish into thin air, or clues delivered to the
anomalies, all of which serve to keep meddle- adventurers in the middle of the night by un-
some do-gooders out. These elements gener- seen couriers.
ally fall under the science fiction sub-genre,
• The nature of the crime may dictate a detour
but in the case of some villains such as Mister
into the horror genre. Perhaps the crime is
Saturday, the horror sub-genre could easily
a grisly murder involving mutilation, blood-
apply.
letting, or other desecration of the remains.
• While a bombastic romp into an antagonist’s Alternatively, there could be witnesses who
den of evil can certainly play dramatically, describe an eerie wail accompanied by the
ample opportunity exists to pepper in ele- odor of jasmine and sulfur, or a strange, pul-
ments of Humor into this story. Sharks with sating glow at the time of the murder. Any
laser beams, malfunctioning mechanical of these elements could touch on the horror
minions, incompetent guards, and slapstick sub-genre.
action while deftly (or accidentally) avoiding Journey to the Hollow Earth: This tale leads
deathtraps can all add a laugh to such a siege. the adventurers into a strange and remote land,
Framed: In this story, law enforcement be- forged by telluric energy and populated with alien
gins hunting the party, or an ally of the party, for creatures beyond the experience of humanity.

Running in the Pulp Milieu 247

 • The core component of this story is Fantasy.
The premise of a secret underground civili-
zation falls squarely within the boundaries of
this sub-genre and is a tried-and-true exam-
ple of pulp storytelling. To keep things in line
with Adventure!, it is vital to retain the con-
nection to telluric energy as the cause of the
phenomena, creatures, and locations encoun-
tered throughout the story. However, telluric
energy can create some truly bizarre and fan-
tastic manifestations, and the presence of al-
ternate dimensions creates opportunities for
the fantastical to be nearly magical.
• Any story that involves a journey to a fan-
tastic land will include elements of the
Adventure sub-genre. By keeping focus on
action and peril during the exploration and
discovery experienced during the journey,
the Storyguide can bring the best elements of
this sub-genre to the fore.
• Fantastic explorations are a great opportuni-
ty to bring forth science fiction elements of
the setting. Dangerous travel into unknown
lands requires preparation and unusual re-
sources. This provides characters who rely
on gadgets and Inspired science a chance
to shine. Advanced vehicles, environmental
survival equipment, protective gear, and ray
THE ISMS
Now that we’ve covered all the various story styles
a game of Adventure! can take on, let’s examine is-
sues and problems that a character could face in a
game set in the 1930s. An Ism is a distinct practice,
philosophy, or ideology like political, religious, and
value systems. Racism, ageism, and ableism are Isms
just like theism, stoicism, and fascism. They center
on beliefs whether to describe doctrines regarding
God, government, or the nature of existence or the
pejorative labeling of people or doctrines.
For a setting based in the 1930s, the most prev-
alent Isms are anti-Semitism, classism, fascism,
heterosexism (homophobia), racism, sexism, and
socialism. These are sensitive topics, so handle
them with care. Some might suggest avoiding
them completely, and if players would rather
248 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE
guns all have a place in this type of tale.
Turf War: This story places the heroes between
two rival criminal organizations fighting over a
piece of territory. The territory can be a physical
location such as an area of a city or an industry
such as gambling or smuggling.
• The base assumptions of this story draw from
the gangster sub-genre. The rival organiza-
tions can be rival street gangs, mobsters, tri-
ads, or any mixture thereof. Pitting a coalition
of street level criminals and hoodlums against
a well-financed and disciplined criminal or-
ganization can provide compelling challeng-
es for the heroes to overcome and contain.
• The notion of star-crossed lovers as members
of rival organizations is a standard trope of
romance storytelling easily integrated into
such a tale. One of these unfortunate souls
could be an ally of a member of the party. To
make things extra complicated one of them
could be an ex-lover of one of the heroes.
• It is easy to weave in elements of a western
into such tales. Showdowns at high noon, a
band of heroes squaring off with a danger-
ous gang in the hopes of disarming them, and
action-packed shootouts can all weave into a
turf war tale with minimal effort.
explore a game world where they don’t have to
confront Isms, do that. Adventure! is not de-
signed to be a truly realistic portrayal of 1934.
That said, the major shifts in history usually re-
volve around Isms. So, it can sometimes do a disser-
vice to the people and cultures who suffered to sim-
ply gloss over the ugly parts of history because they
make people uncomfortable. The purpose of this
section is to review these topics as they pertain to
the setting. From there, a Storyguide can determine
what elements to highlight or ignore. The game is
theirs created in collaboration with the players.
They can choose to explore specific themes or omit
them. Just remember, people hate. And time peri-
ods don’t keep that hate contained in separate de-
cade boxes. People face Isms even today.
 OPTIONAL RULE: USING ISMS
If players are interested in exploring Isms, Storyguides can model them in-game using
Atmosphere and Attitude or use the Social Code Field Complication (p. XX). Obvi-
ously, a Storyguide needs to be careful and compassionate when implementing these
mechanics, and most importantly, they shouldn’t do so without first discussing it with
their players.
As a reminder, Attitude represents how a character feels about another character, pos-
itive or negative, on a scale of one to five. A level one negative Attitude is a mere pest
while a level five negative Attitude is more like a hated nemesis. Meanwhile, Atmo-
sphere reflects an external factor which modifies, positively or negatively, a given
Attitude. Systemic racism, for example, might represent an Atmosphere of one to three,
which exacerbates an already existing negative Attitude.
A character can attempt to change the Attitude of another character through inspi-
ration, innuendo, intimidation, etc. The Difficulty of this roll is equal to the target’s current
Attitude. Success shifts the target’s Attitude by 1. A character can also try to change the
Atmosphere of a room. The Difficulty to do so is equal to the level of the current Atmo-
sphere + one point of Difficulty for every five people.

Anti-Semitism Professional Civil Service, passed in 1933, forced

all non-Aryans to retire from the legal profession
While anti-Semitism is certainly a form of rac- and civil service. The Law for the Prevention of
ism, in the context of the 1930s, it deserves a closerHereditarily Diseased Offspring, passed that same
examination. Jews endured persecution through- year, called for the compulsory sterilization of
out the Middle Ages. The satisfactory excuse at people based on hereditary, physical characteris-
the time was they deserved it: the Jews had cruci- tics, and mental illness.
fied Jesus Christ. This accusation was an effective
Germans boycotted Jewish businesses or closed
rabble-rouse in medieval society, always ready to
them by confiscating their land and property.
twist people’s religious beliefs into hatred of the
Meanwhile, Dachau was the first concentration
Jews.
camp built in 1933, which Nazis used to house
In early centuries, governments didn’t allow the State’s political prisoners. Over the next de-
Jewish people to own land. Farms, markets, and cade and into World War II, the Nazi government
craftsman shops gave people means to survive. stripped Jewish persons of their citizenship and
They had no self-evident and necessary place segregated them into ghettos. Then, they placed
in the predominantly rural society of medieval them into labor camps. And finally, they murdered
Europe. So, they turned to moneylending and them in death camps. Nazis murdered six million
commerce as well as studying law so they could Jews in the Holocaust.
earn their wage as lawyers. As a result, Jews held
many Christians debts. Therefore, a general un- Classism
derlying distrust, and in some cases outright dis-
The world economy between 1919 and 1939
gust, existed in some circles well into the twenti-
experienced huge swings and fluctuations. After
eth century.
repairing itself from the First Great War, Europe
The Nazis wouldn’t establish the Nuremberg and the rest of the world had five years of pros-
Laws for another year, but in 1934, they had al- perity and optimism. But in 1929, economic col-
ready laid the groundwork for anti-Semitic lapse spread across the world reaching its apex
policies. They banned or burned non-German in the early 1930s. As governments in industri-
books and those they claimed undermined Nazi alized countries interfered more and more with
ideology. The Laws for the Restoration of the the economy, most people felt the triumph and

The Isms 249

 disaster of their lives — the seesaw back and peasants in the name of law and order. Mussolini
forth of their own personal fortunes as currencies then ordered his people to seize control of several
gained and lost value. government buildings, effectively holding the na-
As markets became unstable, banks called in tion hostage. King Victor Emmanuel III weighed
their loans. This placed the borrowers under tre- his options, and rather than combating Mussolini,
mendous pressure. At the very least, they had to gave in to his demands. He appointed Mussolini as
tighten their belts, consuming less to repay their Prime Minister and paved the way for the fascist
loans while others defaulted. Meanwhile, many March on Rome of 1922.
businesses in the United States failed. Confidence Fascists believe liberal democracies have failed
ebbed as more people wanted their money on humankind and seek the complete mobilization of
hand. These tensions finally culminated in the society under a single totalitarian one-party state.
New York stock market crash in October of 1929. To handle armed conflicts and economic difficul-
It shattered what remained of American confi- ties, a single leader leads fascists — a dictator able
dence and dragged the entire world into the Great to wield unilateral authority. Fascism believes vi-
Depression. What followed was a disruption of olence is a means to an end with the principal goal
credit as citizens were no longer able to borrow of achieving national economic self-sufficiency
money to stock their shelves, start new business- through protectionist and interventionist policies.
es, or improve their existing lives. Beyond fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, other
Yet, the wealthy still had the upper hand. They nations fell into some form of dictatorship. During
may have had less than they did before, but it was the 1930s, Austria, Greece, Poland, Portugal,
still considerably more than the average work- Yugoslavia, Turkey, El Salvador, Chile, Argentina,
er who was now jobless, and in some instances, Honduras, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela all fol-
homeless. While the poor lived in tent cities and lowed Italy’s example. By the start of World War
shanty towns, the rich continued to make a for- II, other countries, such as Spain, Albania, and
tune. The rich held parties where guests paid a Romania would join them.
small fortune to attend while people starved less
than a block away. Heterosexism/
Thirteen million Americans lost their jobs, and Homophobia
unemployment skyrocketed to twenty-five per- While same-sex love among the queer com-
cent. Worldwide gross domestic product fell by munity is an ongoing struggle for many, in the
nearly 15 percent. Sharecrop prices fell by sixty interwar years, society shoved many people into
percent. Those countries with close ties to the the closet. During the 1920s, there was a small
U.S. economy, including various Latin American measure of acceptance relegated to urbanized
countries, Great Britain, France, and the bulk of areas. Bohemian enclaves where they could live
Europe, suffered economically as well. Those openly, and cheaply, among painters, poets, and
least affected by the Great Depression include performers offered some sanctuary. Artists such
China, which had clung to the Silver standard, as William Haines, Douglas Byng, Noël Coward,
the Empire of Japan, which blunted the tragedy Alla Nazimova, Ramon Novarro, and Mae West all
through devaluing their currency and a large fis- achieved some success and promoted gay rights
cal stimulus, and the Soviet Union. while doing so.

Fascism Then, the 1930s took a drastic turn.

After WWI, Italy suffered rising inflation, high
unemployment, and labor strikes. The result was
two bloody years of tension between the workers
and their industrial employers. Benito Mussolini,
a former soldier and socialist, and his fascists took
advantage by siding not with workers but with
businesses. His Blackshirts attacked laborers and
Conservativism took hold and forced the queer
community back into hiding. Courts deemed ho-
mosexuality to be a mental illness, cured through
medical examination, castration, lobotomy, or
electroshock treatment. Nazi storm troopers dec-
imated Berlin’s cabaret scene and arrested every-
one as a “degenerate”. In 1934, the Soviet Union
criminalized consensual same-sex acts with a

250 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

penalty of five years’ hard labor and orchestrated In response to Jim Crow Laws, millions of
mass arrests in Moscow and Leningrad. The Hays African Americans left the south and relocated to
Code in Hollywood effectively banned homosex- the industrial centers of the North and West. But
ual characters and forced gay actors out of their the rapid influx of Black people angered white
jobs. people resulting in hostilities between the two
races. Even in northern cities where the Jim Crow
Racism Laws did not exist, laws discriminated against
Racism is the systemic oppression institution- Black people through employment and economic
alized by societies based on the color of people’s opportunities.
skin or their ethnic background. In the 1930s, rac- The Ku Klux Klan held to pro-white, pro-Prot-
ism was not only prevalent, but in many nations, estant ideologies and flourished. After reaching its
written into law. zenith in 1925, the Klan rapidly lost influence and
By the first half of the twentieth century, sev- membership, thanks in no small part to the work
eral writers and thinkers claimed different races of various resistance organizations. Civic groups
were distinguishable by their physical appearance published Klan membership lists. Groups, such as
and different innate qualities of mind and ability. the National Association for the Advancement of
Usually these theories inferred the white ‘race’ was Colored People, also lobbied Congress. The Klan
the best of the lot. The specific definition for this dissolved, though it would rear its ugly head again
type of racism, dubbed Nordicism, espoused the after World War II.
Nordic people, and their descendants, were both a Through it all, lynching and race riots contin-
superior racial group and an endangered one. Two ued. The East St. Louis riots killed between forty
examples of published books are The Passing of and two hundred and fifty African Americans in
the Great Race, written by Madison Grant in 1916 1917. In Duluth, Minnesota, three young African
and The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century, Americans, all of whom worked for a traveling cir-
written by the British-born German philosopher, cus, were lynched in 1920. The Tulsa Riots of 1921
Houston Stewart Chamberlain, in 1911. began when the local African American popula-
Racism, masquerading as science, became the tion attempted to stop a lynching. In the scuffle, a
central tenet of the eugenics movement, which white man died. When Whites retaliated, papers
culminated in three international conferences: recorded forty people died though recent inves-
London in 1912, New York City in 1921, and New tigations suggest it was more like three hundred.
York City again in 1932. Taking root in the United These are only a handful of instances taking place
States, France, Germany, and Great Britain, the during the interwar years.
social movement openly taught eugenics in some Racism affects all people of color and each play-
schools. Politicians and propagandists used rac- er who is interested in learning more can find in-
ism to justify immoral laws and claim authority formation on the historical abuse and disenfran-
over people said to be ‘naturally inferior.’ One ex- chisement of minority cultures and indigenous
ample is the U.S. Immigration Act of 1924, which peoples throughout the world. It’s a systemic
limited the immigration of Italians, Jews, and global issue yet to be resolved.
Slavic Europeans.
In the American south, the Jim Crow Laws Sexism
mandated racial segregation in all public facilities, Sexism is discrimination based on gender.
public transportation, schools, restrooms, restau- While anyone can be the target of sexism, the
rants, and drinking fountains between white peo- majority of issues stem from men attempting
ple and Black people. The 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson to silence women so they can hang on to power.
case wherein the United States Supreme Court Like racism, the motivation behind sexism is an
declared “separate but equal” reinforced these oppressor wanting to remain in control and have
laws. Years later, President Woodrow Wilson authority. For centuries, men have treated women
initiated the segregation of federal workplaces, like property. And for just as long, in many coun-
which in turn, segregated the military. tries, women have had few, if any, rights.

The Isms 251

 A corner turned at the start of the twentieth man can receive a lighter sentence for kidnapping
century, albeit a slight one. Women’s suffrage, be- a woman if he marries her. In Tunisia and else-
ing the right of women to vote in elections, final- where, a woman can only inherit half of what her
ly broke several key barriers during the interwar brother can. In Egypt and Syria, a man receives
years. To name a few, this included Canada and a lesser sentence for murder if they caught the
Russia in 1917, the United Kingdom and Germany woman in an adulterous act. Domestic violence is
in 1918, Sweden and the Netherlands in 1919, and still lawful in dozens of countries today.
the United States in 1920. Oddly, France, Italy, and
Japan did not grant women the right to vote un- Socialism
til 1945, and Mexico and India not until 1947. But The ill treatment of workers during the late
despite this, there were still several limitations on nineteenth century led key intellectuals to lay
what a woman could do during the 1920s and 30s. down a set of principles labeled as socialism. They
In some places beyond America and Western sought the replacement of capitalism with some-
Europe, women have so few rights that to review thing more equal and rational with shared wealth
every horrific instance, or to examine the religious within a given society. Among these intellectuals
and cultural implications thereof, would require was the German philosopher, Karl Marx.
its own book. Therefore, consider this a topic Socialism recognizes class struggle — the con-
worthy of further study. flict between a ruling class that controls the means
In 1934, in Africa and Asia, the only countries of production and the working class that are the
where women could vote were Sierra Leone, Sri means of production. Socialism takes power away
Lanka, Thailand, and British-controlled India. from the ruling class and distributes it evenly
Women could vote in South Africa and Southern among the working class. Fueled by the belief in
Rhodesia, but such suffrage was restricted to fairness and revolution, socialism spread among
white women only. In Japan, the practice of the working poor of Europe, especially among the
“comfort women” existed in the years before and peasants of Russia, because of an endless series of
during World War II. Here, the Imperial Japanese European wars and the continual industrializa-
Army seized foreign territories and claimed the tion needed to fuel them.
female inhabitants as sex slaves. With occupied What began as a fringe philosophy in the nine-
territories in Korea, China, Manchuria, Burma, teenth century grew into a full-fledged revolu-
Thailand, Vietnam, New Guinea, Indonesia, and tion. With the overthrow of Tzar Nicholas II and
the Philippines, the Japanese military subjugated the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist
as many as 400,000 women. During the invasion Republics in 1922, socialist parties emerged
of Nanking in 1937 alone, Japanese troops mas- throughout Europe, the United States, Mexico,
sacred the city and raped between 20,000 and Brazil, Argentina, Chile, China, and Indonesia.
80,000 Chinese women. The United States even elected two Socialist Party
Sexism permeated throughout Africa, the members to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Middle East, India, and Pakistan. Honor killings Meanwhile, the nation of Mongolia followed
meant it was legal to kill a woman for bringing the Soviet model, and after a violent uprising,
shame or dishonor to their community. The rea- established the Mongolian People’s Republic in
sons for these killings include refusing a marriage
1924. These socialist groups unified under the
proposal, divorce, premarital or extramarital sex,Comintern, also known as the Third International,
being the victim of rape or assault, engaging in which promised unequivocally to “struggle by all
same-sex relations, or renouncing one’s faith. available means, including armed force, for the
Domestic violence, female mutilation, abuse, kid- overthrow of the international bourgeoisie and
napping into the sex trade, and the legal oppres- the creation of an international Soviet republic as
sion of women persists today. a transition stage to the complete abolition of the
Until recently in our own time, a Nigerian man state.”
could beat his wife to “correct her.” In Malta, a

252 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

 PLANNING FOR SCOPE
For any story, but especially so for Adventure!, Allegiances have influence over them? What is
scope is important. Scope establishes the game’s the city’s general history? Is crime running ram-
boundaries and sets the expectations for the play- pant or do the powers that be maintain law and
ers. A game set in a single location with a specific order through oppressive means? What friends,
Allegiance will be different than a globe-trotting colleagues, enemies, or rivals do the players have?
adventure across multiple continents with doz- What random encounters are available from local
ens of different characters. For specificity, scope street gangs to corrupt police? Each of these de-
breaks down into four different spheres: city, na- tails helps flesh out the environment and provides
tion, continent, and world. a richer backdrop for the characters.
And of course, you’ll need heroes and villains.
The City Heroes are often born in the city and will likely die
A city game is set within a single urban environ- in the city. They’re as protective of it as their own
ment. The connections are more personal. Every family. Meanwhile, villains in a city game don’t
character who fills a city is a piece of a larger puz- usually seek world domination. They want fame,
zle with the capacity to affect each other. It in- fortune, power, or control, but their appetites stop
cludes characters like the restaurant owner who at the border’s edge of the city.
knows your order, or the bartender who has your Keep in mind urban transportation primarily
drink poured by the time you sit at the bar. The includes walkways and automobiles. Metros do
city is a character, with its own feel, mood, and id-
exist, but by 1934, only include New York City,
iosyncrasies. Perhaps the city is a shining utopiaChicago, Boston, Philadelphia, London, Glasgow,
under perpetual bright blue skies, or maybe it’s aParis, Budapest, Berlin, Hamburg, Athens,
grimy, overcast, rain-soaked urban blight. Madrid, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and
In a city game, the Storyguide should establish Osaka. Automobiles are more prevalent, populat-
a few key characters. Who is the mayor? What ing Europe and the United States by the 1920s.

Planning for Scope 253

 Story Hooks means of transporting people and manufactured
goods. Cars were as fast then as they are today.
• General Strike: After poor working condi- Railroads were also expedient, if not more so.
tions lead to several on-the-job fatalities, the Steam locomotives crisscrossed the nineteenth
local dock workers finally go on strike. Chaos century. Air travel is also possible, though avail-
ensues with daily violent clashes between able only to those who can afford it. The heroes
strikers and scabs. As the police move in to of Adventure! have access to floating dirigibles,
restore order, a mysterious, third-party hires single-seat monoplanes, and even twin-engine
the characters to end the strike by any means airliners.
necessary.
Story Hooks
• This is a Robbery: The Castiglione Twins
are a pair of Inspired bank robbers who have • Rock and a Hard Place: Alcatraz Federal
taken down six banks in three weeks. The Penitentiary has officially opened, and the
police commissioner is in desperate need of heroes must transport a dangerous felon (and
assistance. member of the Contedorri) from Miami to
San Francisco.
• Æon Noir: When a business mogul dies un-
der curious circumstances, the wife reaches • The Long March: In the middle of the
out to the characters. Who’s the culprit? The Chinese Civil War, characters must find,
jealous business partner? The rival tycoon? secure, and exfiltrate a telluric generator
The angry heir? The wife herself? while dodging elements of the Red Army, the
Chinese Nationalist Party, and the Rational
The Nation Experiment Group.
A story set within a specific nation depends on • No Ticket: While traveling from Vladivostok
the place and time. The United States in 1863 looks to Moscow onboard the Trans-Siberian
quite different than it does in 1963. A game with Railway, the characters realize passengers
national scope, therefore, is all about the mood of are inexplicably disappearing.
a given country. In 1934, most of the world is still
recovering from the Great Depression. Feelings of The Continent
loss and struggle span the entire landscape. A hero
A continental game is to nation game what a na-
can travel between multiple cities within a given
tion game is to a city game. Just like many unique
nation, but each reflects a common culture, lan-
cities filled a nation, multiple nations can send
guage, and shared history.
characters across an entire continent, each with
A national game shares most key characteristics varying cultural and ethnic identities. Europe, for
of a city game — there are simply more of them. example, has one hundred different ethnic groups.
Each city has its own mayor, and those cities col- Asia has over two thousand different spoken lan-
lectively have a unified king, President, Prime guages. On a continental scale, key cosmopolitan
Minister, or dictator. Multiple Allegiances are at cities can provide a larger world view, but keep in
work within the nation fighting over territory and mind, the heroes are just as likely to visit strange
influence. Is the nation unified under a common and forgotten places as they are modern ones.
cause, or is it divided by ethnic or political ideolo-
A continental game can feel overwhelming for
gies? Is it putting aside those petty grievances for
a Storyguide. Some good first steps are to map out
the collective good, or is it a powder-keg poised
where the adventure takes player characters. Which
for civil war? Friends, colleagues, enemies, and
cities do you need to research? What ethnicities re-
rivals are more powerful with entire gangs or
side there, and what languages do they speak? What
movements behind them. No longer locked into a
form of government does each nation have? Are
neighborhood, an organization now spans multi-
these differing nations at war with each other or is
ple cities, each vying for national control.
there a stable peace? Have they recovered from the
In 1934, roads and railroads are the primary Great Depression or are they still struggling?

254 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

 In terms of transportation, a continental game
is likely to employ unique means of transporta-
tion. In addition to automobiles and locomotives,
adventurers can be imaginative with how they get
from here to there. They can ride horses across
the Arizona desert or llamas to surmount the
Andes. Elephants can wade through the jungles of
the Congo while camels cross the sands of Egypt.
Whether it’s sled dogs skating across the Yukon or
yaks hauling cargo over the Tibetan Plateau, using
unique modes of transportation can add unique
challenges like factoring in the carrying capacity
of pack animals while exploring isolated places
yet untouched by man.
Story Hooks
• Super Posse: An Inspired criminal gang
causes trouble in Arizona, prompting the
Allegiances to put together a posse to catch
them. Tracking their quarry from the Grand
Canyon, though Mexico and deep into
Central America, the characters have their
work cut out for them.
• Highball: Contracted to protect a railroad
under construction stretching from Cairo to
Lagos, the characters face a challenging con-
tinent, Inspired mercenaries, and supernatu-
ral monsters from an alternate dimension.
• The Andes: As South American countries
undergo a series of revolutions, a cargo plane
carrying a fully charged telluric engine goes
down in the Andes. Everyone, from the Æon
Society to the Ponatowski Foundation, want
to get to it first, and the strange place it lands
in is full of hostile flora and fauna.
The World
Adventure! is a world game designed to see
our heroes traveling across the globe, investigat-
ing forgotten ruins, discovering strange artifacts,
and chasing culprits down busy city streets. World
games follow the same model as continental
games. Characters can travel across vast oceans or
explore continents including adventures into the
cold and desolate regions of the arctic. DC Universe tend toward the invisible. Batman’s
Even in the early 1930s, travel by airplane was Bat Cave or Superman’s Fortress of Solitude are
rare and reserved for the wealthy elite. Most air- isolated safe havens, far from wandering pedes-
craft focused primarily on transporting mail and trians. By contrast, the secret bases of the Marvel
cargo, but the American Boeing 247 could carry
ten passengers. But even then, airplanes were less
than ideal for long-distance moves. For example,
a flight from London to Singapore could cost 18
thousand dollars (adjusted for inflation) and eight
days with refueling stops in twenty-two cities.
Airships were a viable alternative to airplanes.
The Graf Zeppelin inaugurated the first commer-
cial airship service across the Atlantic in October
of 1928. It carried 20 passengers with a crew of
43. Conversely, the main method of crossing the
Atlantic or Pacific Oceans in the 1930s was by
steamship and ocean liner. In vessels, the wealthy
traveled in spacious upper decks with emigrants
packed in steerage. A large ocean liner might have
a crew of 1,100 to service as many as 3,400 pas-
sengers. In terms of speed, the average ocean liner
took six days to sail from NYC to London.
Story Hooks
• X Marks the Spot: A ancient Roman map
leads characters to forgotten crypts stretch-
ing from Hadrian’s Wall to the ruins of
Alexandria. In each tomb is a piece of tellu-
ric machinery of cosmic power and unknown
purpose.
• A Very Particular Set of Skills: When a new
faction kidnaps the children of wealthy dig-
nitaries across the globe, the characters must
rescue the kids before it’s too late.
• Amazing Race: Each of the Allegiances takes
part in a fantastical race. Starting in London,
the first to circumnavigate the globe wins a
special prize.
Home Base
Whether saving the entire world or simply pa-
trolling a single neighborhood, at the end of the
day, a hero needs a place to hang their fedora.
They need a place to call home and to conduct
their affairs in secret. From a squad to a small
army, a headquarters lives or dies on the balance
between security, invisibility, and mobility.
To use a modern example, the secret bases of the
Planning for Scope 255
 OPTIONAL RULE: HOME BASE (•)
This Edge is an alternate version of the Safe House Edge, which represents a charac-
ter’s primary base of operations instead of a temporary safehouse. Every character
with the Home Base Edge provides a +1 Enhancement to everyone in the group to
different actions depending on the Model. The Security Model grants the Enhancement
to physical actions to fend off invaders. A Home Base Edge with the Invisibility Model
offers the Enhancement to mental and social actions to remain obfuscated. Finally, the
Mobility Model provides the Enhancement to escape and evasion actions.

Universe are not so secret with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s
helicarrier, the Avengers tower in Midtown,
Manhattan, or Professor Charles Xavier’s School
for Gifted Youngsters. The former use secrecy to
maintain their operations. The latter use security.
The Fortress
A fortress model depends entirely on security. basement of a restaurant, the attic of a church, or
Like a bank, prison, or government building, any- a secret chamber accessed through a false panel at
one can find them. Therefore, they rely on intense the local library.
security. In the 1930s, this includes steel fencing
and grating, thick stone walls, patrol dogs, and
hired security guards. Implementation isn’t cheap,
but the result is a literal fortress. The advantage is
its defensibility though can fall if an enemy uses
siege tactics or has a spy on the inside.
Example: In Romania south west of Suceava,
rests Castle Vasile. Its former occupant was a
Romanian aristocrat who abandoned the cas-
tle after the Great War. The government then
sold the castle at auction in 1923, and it fell
into the hands of the Æon Society. Today, it
serves as the Society’s Eastern European base
of operations. Located on a 22-acre patch of
land and surrounded by dense forest, Castle
Vasile is a fourteenth century fortress. While
it has no moat nor drawbridge, it does have
high stone walls, four feet thick, capable of
repelling oncoming attacks. With a staff of
12, the castle can host up to fifty guests and
includes a library, a laboratory, and even a
dungeon.
The Hideout
The problem with a security model is it relies
entirely on defense. Another method is to use
invisibility. If a home base remains unknown to
the public, then it can remain secure. A hideout,
therefore, is either so isolated no one can find it, or
so well hidden no one recognizes it. Isolated hide-
outs are situated in remote deserts, dense forests,
or elevated mountains. The problem of course is
isolated hideouts tend to be difficult to get to. An
alternative is a hidden hideout, placed above, un-
derneath, or adjacent to a public building like the
Example: Along Canal Street in New York
City sits an unimpressive Chinese restaurant.
With only a dozen tables, the building doesn’t
get much foot traffic, and the revolving door
of owners might lead someone to believe the
restaurant was in financial trouble. The truth
is the restaurant is a front. At the back, right
between the kitchen and the bathrooms, is a
secret door. That door leads down a stairwell
into a complex series of rooms known collec-
tively as the Block. Branch 9 uses these rooms
for clandestine meetings, interrogations, and
short-term storage.
The Mobile Home
A mobile base of operations is constantly on
the move. It has little security with invisibility ca-
pable of little more than blending in, but it does
have mobility. It can literally pick up and move
elsewhere when danger comes knocking. A trav-
eling carnival, a floating zeppelin, a railroad — all
make effective mobile bases. However, a downside
of mobile headquarters are their inescapable ties
to refueling depots and infrastructure. Cars and
trucks need roads, airplanes need runways, and
sea vessels need ports-of-call. These refueling
stations make tempting targets and often need se-
curity measures themselves.

256 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

 SECURITY MODEL
Type Desert compound, mountain fortress, remote castle, renovated bank, wealthy estate
Security Armed patrols, deep moat, electrified fence, guard dogs, metal fencing, stone
walls, traps
People in the Armed patrols, construction workers, engineers, groundskeepers, household staff,
Know maintenance crews, original architect
Antagonists Cat burglars, guerilla fighters, law enforcement, mobsters, rival
INVISIBILITY MODEL
Type Abandoned asylum, arctic outpost, deserted island, fake business, secret bunker
Security Mechanized locks, secret passcodes, sentries, traps
People in the Fake business employees, neighbors, sentries, wayward travelers
Know
Antagonists Criminals on the run, runaway experiments, teenagers looking for adventure
MOBILITY MODEL
Type Private locomotive, sailing ship, submarine, traveling circus, truck convey, zeppelin
Security Armored hull, armed escort, mounted machine guns
People in the Crew and personnel, ground crew, maintenance staff, pilot, manufacturer
Know
Antagonists Customs and border patrol, pirates, hijackers, law enforcement, coast guards and
navies, thieves, train robbers

Example: The Walrus is a Sentinel-class
cruiser, commissioned by the Royal Navy in
1915. It spent the bulk of its career patrolling
the English Channel during the Great War.
Afterward, it spent another decade as a train-
ing vessel before the War Office sold it for
scrap in 1932. But before scuttling the vessel,
intermediaries with the International Detective
Agency purchased the Walrus. Now it’s a
mobile base of operations for the IDA. With
a crew of 250, the Walrus is 360 feet long
and propelled by a pair of four-cylinder tri-
ple-expansion steam engines, moving at a
maximum speed of 25 knots. Her armaments
include ten 12-pound guns and two 18-inch
torpedo tubes.
Building a Home Base
This section is primarily for the Storyguide,
designed to help players build a base and/or inte-
grate them into a story. Below is a series of options
to choose from including what challenges players
could face. People in the know mark those people
who might be aware of the headquarters’ exis-
tence. Antagonists represent story hooks for the
Storyguide to utilize.

Planning for Scope 257

 BUILDING ENCOUNTERS
The first step in running an exciting game of
Adventure! is planning what sort of thrilling
challenges the players will face. As a game of pulp
action, players expect to leap into the fray to per-
form feats of derring-do. This section breaks down
how to build a variety of encounters to engage and
entertain your group in all areas of action.
Action-Adventure
Encounters
Anyone going into a pulp game expects there to
be two-fisted action! There are fascists to punch!
Monsters to wrestle with! Tumbling boulders to
escape from! Crumbling temples hidden beneath
the earth ready to collapse at a moment’s notice!
Action-adventure encounters form the backbone
for the majority of Adventure! games.
Play to Their Strengths
Players build their characters to express the
parts of the system they want to engage with.
While it certainly may be thrilling to occasion-
ally throw an enemy sniper at an entirely close-
combat-based group, pick enemies that en-
gage with the characters’ strengths. If the key
258 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE
combat-focused character is playing a brawny
brawler, then give her intelligent bears or giant
snakes to wrestle! If they’re instead a grim-eyed
gunslinger, then give them interesting opponents
to fight at range: everything from flying hoplites
to enemy shooters to soaring dinosaurs. If another
character fights by picking up heavy objects and
hurling them, then litter the Fields with things
to lift and throw. Ask your players what kind of
combat elements interest them the most. Is it tan-
gling with foes with a similar fighting style? Do
they want to clash against giant monsters and di-
abolical robots? Or are they the types that prefer
to think their way around an enemy and want to
fight the polar opposite of their own style? Tailor
your choices to suit your group’s needs.
Tuning the Severity of Combat
Storyguides determine how dangerous to make
fights when they sit down to plan the exciting ac-
tion-adventure parts of their games. Depending
on how the players choose to build their charac-
ters, this task can range from straightforward to a
complicated puzzle. Fights should be fun and en-
gaging and shouldn’t leave any player surfing on
 MINOR THREATS AS A CONDITION
For a group that does not enjoy fights (or for Storyguides who prefer not to track each
minor character), you may instead consider a group of Minor threats like a Compli-
cation instead. If not bought off while dealing with the story-important antagonists,
characters suffer an Injury Condition.
their phone or stacking dice. By the same token,
combat encounters shouldn’t be too easy, either.
Unless a group is particularly turned off by the
idea of combat, most play groups want an action
scene to last more than a few rounds.
At the starting level, a combat-focused group
can handle up to a Major threat antagonist. Lean
into cool extraordinary powers, Gifts, and spec-
tacular Edges to give the antagonist unique flair.
In its primary source of expertise, the antagonist
has 4 Enhancement, meaning it will readily push
through anything lower than Defense 4. It also has
Defense 4, meaning your players will need at least
3 Enhancement and a dice pool of 6+ (on average)
to even land a hit! Bear that in mind when design-
ing an encounter — it never hurts to double-check
what’s on your player’s sheets before you plan.
This way you’re not throwing something at them
that’s too hard or too easy.
For groups with a moderate focus (only one or
two of four players have chosen to play a com-
bat-focused character, for example), they can face
up to a Moderate threat antagonist. You may con-
sider having one major character with some minor
character minions for the other characters to deal
with or include interesting Field Complications
(p. XX) for characters to interact with. This lev-
el of antagonist has 2 Enhancement to its pri-
mary action, so can readily handle Defense 3. Its
Defense of 4 means at least one of the characters
will need 3 Enhancement and 6+ dice to hit them,
on average.
That being said, not all player groups in
Adventure! will be bold combatants ready to tussle
with any threat that crosses their path. On the other
hand, some groups may prefer to focus entirely on
violence, choosing to punch the problem and solve
puzzles by breaking them. Depending on the tack
your group wishes to take, you should tune any com-
bat encounters to match their level of ability.
For a group less focused on the combat abilities,
keep antagonists to no stronger than a Medium
threat. With the right choice of Edges, this will
be a suitable and engaging challenge for a group
less interested in engaging with the combat sys-
tem. It’s Defense of 3 means the group needs 2
Enhancement and 4+ dice to hit — a manageable
number for a group who hasn’t focused on this
area of action.
Additionally, if the group isn’t excited by the
prospect of fight scenes, there’s no need to include
them. These can be summarized with a series of
rolls using the extended action rules, or simply
glossed over and agreed upon out of character.
Alternatively, include fights but set them on a firm
timed number of rounds (and come up with an
interesting reason in-game!). This way, no player
has to sit through an hour or more of something
that they don’t enjoy.
The Gang’s All Here
Sometimes, an important antagonist brings
friends to the party. A daring group of heroes can
expect that the dastardly villain opposing them
will employ dirty tricks, traps, and have a deadly
henchman at her beck and call. In addition to oth-
er named threats accompanying a series villain,
they’ll bring along backup — usually in the form
of unnamed minor characters. These characters
might be hired toughs who want to bash skulls in
for a bit of money or they could be trained orni-
thopter hoplites eager for the thrill of aerial battle,
or they might also be animals uplifted with super
science who serve the whims of their eccentric
leader.
Depending on the capabilities of the group,
you’ll want to tailor how many of these extra
threats appear. For a focused group, consider a
number of Minor threats equal to the number of
players’ characters, plus one or two depending on
Building Encounters 259
 how combat-tuned they are, and how much book- Field Complications. Then, it opens into a dark
keeping you feel like doing. It’s more important and narrow boobytrapped passage, defined by the
that the major characters provide an interesting Dark and Tight Field Complications. Finally, the
threat than their goons. For a group with a mod- last Field is the scientist’s lair itself; cramped with
erate focus, a number equal to the players char- scientific materials, overflowing shelves, and vol-
acters give or take one or two less will do. For a atile chemicals kept in decidedly unsafe contain-
non-combat-focused group, no more than three — ers. It is defined by the Tight, Rubble and Fortified
if you include any at all. Field Complications. These give the players a
sense of space, as well as drama, and provide
Other Action-Adventure Encounters fodder for their abilities to interact with Fields,
It’s easy to fall into the mindset that ferocious, Complications, and Dramatic Editing.
high-flying battles are the only kind of “action” a
game like Adventure! can offer. This is far from Intrigue Encounters
the case! Pulp genre films, books, and games are Besides being a game of bold action, charac-
full of white-knuckled chases, last-minute scram- ters in Adventure! use their charms and honeyed
bles out of a collapsing building, and tense scenes words to make deals, get their way, and seduce
where characters must cross a rickety rope bridge their choice of partner. Like action-adventure,
over a bottomless ravine. If it’s pulse-pounding intrigue scenes in Adventure! should equally
physical action, then it falls under the action-ad- drip with intensity. Passions run high, heroes give
venture category. Running Adventure! is a per- brave speeches, and characters subtly exchange
fect time to introduce a chase using the contested smoldering looks.
complex action rules (Trinity Continuum Core
p. 78) to have your players race a tumbling boul- One-on-One
der, or to escape an avalanche just in the nick of Characters seek social scenes to make friends,
time. gather information, and find connections.
Whether convincing a hardboiled detective to
Using the Environment
lend her aid to their investigation or asking after
No dramatic escape or deadly throwdown takes the criminal leader’s connections in a smoky bar,
place in a blank room, devoid of detail. It’s the one-on-one interactions form an important part
scenery that adds the perfect finishing touches of building social encounters. For the Storyguide,
to an action-adventure scene. Are the characters this means coming up with a colorful cast of char-
clashing on a speeding train that rumbles to- acters that your players will want to meet and talk
wards its destination with abandon? Have they with.
unearthed ruins of a forgotten society, suddenly
coming to life with unusual power as an unknown Social Gatherings
technological process has begun? Perhaps they’ve Characters don’t just interact with each other
found the last piece of an alien puzzle, only to one-on-one, sometimes they engage with an en-
realize it’s caused the collapse of the building tire group. This might be on a personal scale, such
around them. Environments provide important as giving a speech to a crowded room, or trying
context for where and how an action sequence to talk down a gang of toughs a half-dozen strong
takes place. but it could also be on a greater level, such as giv-
Build environments that characters can me- ing a rousing speech to inspire the rag-tag cadre
chanically engage with by first defining the series of soldiers under your command. Your character
of Fields that comprise the location, then define might also flit from person to person at an elegant
any Field Complications (p. XX) it may have. For gala. For social groups, treat their Attitude accord-
example: the mad scientist’s lab is buried deep ing to the lowest of all characters involved. If the
beneath the desert sands of the American south- aforementioned character is trying to talk down
west. The hidden entrance concealed under a that gang, and their leader hates her, it’s unlikely
layer of sand is the first Field, defined by the she’ll have a lot of sway over his followers without
Extreme Temperature [Heat] and High Winds the use of a Gift. The same applies for a speech

260 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

or presentation. After seeing the results of the A Mystery
player’s roll, the Storyguide might decide that a
A murder most foul has transpired, and a string
particular character in the crowd was especially
of bloody clues lead the players’ characters to the
swayed and move on to a one-on-one interaction.
culprit! The research librarian stumbles across
This presents an excellent opportunity for the
an ancient tome hidden in the library’s donation
Storyguide to introduce new characters, as well
bin and uncovers the secret to a hidden cache of
as give social-focused characters a chance to flex
forgotten lore! Mystery can drive procedural play
their skills.
in Adventure! — not just limited to crime-solv-
Management ing. Any sort of unraveling of secrets that can
utilize Clue Information (Chapter 5 and Trinity
Sometimes, characters will face the stodgiest
Continuum, p. 83) counts as a mystery. The
social opponent possible: an organization. When
Storyguide is encouraged to embrace the over-
dealing with a bureaucracy or society (such as
the-top nature of the pulp genre and drape a layer
the Seven Brothers or the Contedorri), treat this
of occult strangeness or super-science weirdness
as an extended social action. Depending on what
over what would otherwise be an ordinary proce-
the character is trying to do, and how enormous
dural sequence.
and unfeeling the bureaucracy or society is, it may
have Scale, and therefore require special Gifts to Research
deal with. A department of scientists or academics
What pulp game of weird tech and strange
can be dealt with on a personal level, but the en-
discovery would be complete without mad sci-
tire university has Scale against such tactics.
entists in constant pursuit of deeper and greater
Using the Environment lore? Characters use the research rules (Trinity
Continuum Core, p. 84) for any sort of informa-
Environments define the context of social en-
tion gathering. The most direct application of this
counters just as much as action-adventure se-
rule is, of course, researching new technology to
quences. Whether taking place in a dimly lit cock-
utilize in super science, but characters might also
tail lounge with soft piano music playing in the
pursue the many other mysteries of the world.
background or a tense conversation happening
Tome in hand, the brave anthropologist jumps
in the corner of a secluded office space, the back-
aboard the biplane, ready to unravel her greatest
ground elements shape social atmosphere. Field
discovery yet!
Complications typically aren’t applied to social
encounters, though they can be. A few examples Preparing for the Heist
are given on (p. XX). Otherwise, use Atmosphere
A group of like-minded scoundrels come to-
to reflect the social environment, but don’t shy
gether with a plan to steal a priceless artifact. Step
away from giving it an equally lush description.
one: find a way in. Procedural play can cover the
Having interesting background elements allows
tense elements of heist preparation: finding weak
your players to embellish details and use their
points in a museum’s security, memorizing the ro-
Inspired ability to Dramatic Edit to make changes
tation of guard shifts, and knowing exactly when
appropriate to the scene already set. If the social
the maintenance staff takes the trash out and
encounter goes sour, this allows a scene to cleanly
leaves an entrance wide open. Use the Analysis or
transfer into a fight sequence.
Sensing actions to represent these kinds of tasks.
Procedural Encounters Let the environment determine how the char-
acters approach the scene, as well as the conse-
The third area of action, procedural, covers the quences for success (and, of course, failure).
detective story elements of pulp adventures, as
well as researching ancient mysteries, scientific Using the Environment
exploration, and discovery. A daring archaeologist Where the scene takes place builds the frame-
or too-curious astronomer are equally valid char- work for what exactly characters can notice, un-
acter concepts as the brash adventurer. cover, or learn. A character expects to stumble
across a book containing valuable information

Building Encounters 261

 on the lost city they’re seeking while browsing you choose to populate them with. These charac-
through the Library of Congress. Depending on ters can also be chosen from the antagonist section
the type of procedural encounter, providing a — as that cast of characters is not limited to com-
descriptive environment is crucial. Characters bat and a few entries are intended for intrigue play.
pursuing clues in a murder mystery or traversing This is a time for interaction and character-specific
through a crumbling ruin need to know what is roleplay; inhabit the characters and bring them to
around them in order to make the most use of the life however you can. It helps to have a few notes
Q&A and Player Interpretation Stunts. Similarly, for the character; ticks and personality traits, and a
characters casing a joint for a heist need to know few things they might say — you don’t need to be an
what kind of location they’re observing in order outstanding actor to bring a character to life.
to describe how they approach their Sensing rolls.
Procedural
The Anatomy of Building a procedural encounter hinges on
an Encounter making sure the Storyguide is prepared to answer
questions and fill in details about whatever it is
Encounters in Adventure! break down along
characters are intellectually pursuing. It may help
the following lines.
to plan ahead of time and have a list of possible
Action-Adventure things the characters may uncover during a pro-
cedural encounter.
Combat encounters in Adventure! need vicious
and thrilling antagonists for our heroes to clash When setting up a procedural encounter, con-
with! Comb through the pages of the Antagonists sider three clues for each deduction or reveal: one
section (p. XX) and choose your favorites to build core clue, and two additional clues. Your players
an encounter around; they may be characters who will likely miss some of the additional clues, so
are staples of your chronicle’s story or they may you want to make sure the core clues are always
be random encounters with the weird and the moving the investigation forward. You should also
wonderful. Following the guidelines given in this decide together how much deduction your group
section, tune the encounter to the needs of your is interested in doing. Core clues should always
party. Even if a given antagonist has a threat rating advance the scene, but they don’t need to reveal
greater than what your group can handle, you can whole plot points or the entirety of relevant data.
simply shift the numbers down to the next-low- A group that delights in roleplaying through a
est category and retain its narrative impact other- mystery wants to lean heavily on the interpreta-
wise. There’s no need to ignore an antagonist just tion and Q&A actions. Use core clues to give im-
because its stats are too high. You may choose to portant hints and then let them discuss and roll
have one big set piece enemy, with weaker, subor- to dig deeper. For groups less interested in engag-
dinate characters assisting them or several, more ing with a mystery, or Storyguides who don’t feel
evenly balanced characters designed to clash with a need to craft an intricate plot, boil a procedural
the group on equal footing. scene down to some basic questions that the group
Build the environment using Field Complications is trying to answer. For example: Who kidnapped
to help define where the fight takes place and the professor? How did the jewel thief get into the
what additional challenges the heroes must con- vault? Who attacked the butler? In these instanc-
tend with. Non-combat action-adventure scenes, es, the core clues reveal a scrap of the kidnapper’s
such as chases, also benefit from the use of Field clothing, the jewel thief’s calling card, and a sam-
Conditions. Without the specifics of combat stats, ple of the hired gun’s blood. Additional clues re-
these become more important as they define the veal a monogram on the scrap, the location of the
backdrop for the action sequence otherwise. jewel thief’s dead-drop, and hints about who may
have hired someone to harm the butler.
Intrigue The overall, or core, clues such as the scrap, the
Like an action-adventure encounter, intrigue en- calling card, and the blood sample, all point the play-
counters are defined by the interesting personalities ers’ characters in a specific direction. They lead the

262 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

characters toward the plot and toward the next step. (such as motive or means) behind additional clues, so
By rolling, characters learn more things (such as the players need to dig a bit deeper to solve the mystery at
kidnapper’s initials) which should direct them towards hand. Use these series of reveals, guided by questions,
the next core clue. Keep the depth of information to shape a mystery that keeps your table engaged.

USING COMPLICATIONS
Storyguides may be familiar with this situa- wants to make a roll using the Interview proce-
tion: the players have decided to attempt a task dural action. Danielle, the Storyguide, informs
that doesn’t lend itself well to a binary pass/fail Monica that Prof. von Steuben is a real threat,
state. They pick up their dice to roll, but the rules so this will be made with a +2 Complication.
only indicate “succeed” or “fail,” leaving the per- Monica rolls only one success. Danielle reveals
son running the game to decide what a near-miss that Harriet is still able to obtain a core clue: The
looks like — if they decide that at all. Storypath Professor’s cagey behavior indicates his possible
makes this easy: Where the outcome of a task guilt. However, Harriet offers him her business
might not be clear-cut, apply a Complication. card to “talk things over later” — which has her
Bearing this in mind, most actions characters working address printed on it. In a future scene,
make should have a Complication — games of the murderous Professor will pay her a visit.
Adventure! should rocket along, propelled by the
consequences of the heroes’ actions.
Sample Complications
When assigning a Complication to an action, it’s Here are a few sample Complications
important for Storyguides to remember that they are Storyguides might use on any mundane action:
not Difficulty and they do not cause failure. Instead,
ACTION-ADVENTURE
Complications create what you might be familiar
with as a “partial success” or a “success with conse- • The acting character suffers an Injury.
quences.” Ask yourself, what sort of interesting things
might happen if the characters almost succeed? When • The acting character drops her weapon.
you have an answer, that’s your Complication. • The acting character suffers a different status
Complications have a value, like Difficulty. Condition.
Remember that characters attempting a task must
overcome both Difficulty and Complications, INTRIGUE
so Storyguides should avoid over-valuing their
Complication. A +2 is fine for most cases, which almost • The character suffers a social setback or
guarantees that whatever will go wrong as a result of embarrassment.
being unable to overcome it will come to pass. It’s fine
• The acting character’s actions attract un-
if characters successfully avoid a Complication! We
wanted attention.
aren’t here to eliminate total success.
Here’s an example of how this might look in • The character leaves behind something
play: important.
Monica, playing Harriet Cochrane — a no-non-
sense journalist — has cornered the elusive PROCEDURAL
Professor von Stueben at a cocktail party. She • The character’s investigation alerts an
believes he is implicated in the disappearance of antagonist.
another scientist who may or may not have been
murdered for their discoveries in genetic super • The character pursues a red herring.
science. What she doesn’t know is that he is guilty,
• The character misplaces or loses track of im-
and perfectly willing to murder again. Monica
portant evidence.

Using Complications 263

 FIELD COMPLICATIONS
Field Complications are elements Storyguides
can use to better define the space in which an en-
counter takes place. The majority affect combat,
though this section also details how some Field
Complications can be applied to other areas of
action.
Building Your
Environment
When setting a scene, the Storyguide describes
the location and its features that characters can
choose to interact with. You may want to turn
some of those features into Field Complications.
For example, if the characters have delved into the
depths of a cave rumored to house a mineral reso-
nant with telluric energy, then applying the Dark
Field Complication is appropriate. When decid-
ing what Complications to apply to the scene, re-
member that some character types (Mesmerists
and Stalwarts, primarily) can alter Field
Complications, while Daredevils can benefit from
or ignore them. That’s not say that Storyguides
264 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE
should be prepared for their cool set piece to be
ruined — quite the opposite! You should be ready
to roll with the punches.
Some environmental Field Complications
occur naturally. A barren desert has Extreme
Temperature (Heat), while a cave has Dark.
Others might be human-made, the result of super
science, Gifts, or an antagonist’s extraordinary
powers.
ACIDIC (3)
Acid bubbles up through cracks in the ground,
or pools in craters dangerously close to the char-
acters. One wrong move, and characters risk seri-
ous injury. This Complication applies to Pilot ac-
tions during chase sequences, movement actions
requiring a roll or involving balance, and all attack
actions, unless the character has perfect balance,
control over their vehicle, or the ability to ignore
environmental Conditions.
Consequence: Characters who do not buy off
the Complication risk an Injury Condition, or
some other persistent Condition from exposure an in-game time limit on how long “Crashing”
to acid. They also risk permanently losing equip- persists: four rounds, for example (the Field
ment or other important physical items, or dam- Condition’s rating plus one). Once the round limit
age to their vehicles in a chase sequence. ends, the vehicle smashes into something or the
disaster runs its course.
BLIZZARD (2) Consequence: If not bought off, characters risk
Angry snowflakes fill every corner of the char- Injury Conditions, falling from or being dragged
acters’ vision and accumulation builds up around along by the vehicle, as well as being overwhelmed
entrances and pathways, making moving through or pushed by the disaster. At Storyguide discretion
it challenging. This Complication applies to all the moving scenery may also reach its violent end
ranged attack actions, Pilot actions during chase before its round limit is up. Depending on the type
sequences, and movement actions requiring a roll, of Field, this Condition may upgrade into Sinking
unless the character has immunity to reduced vis- or Submerged at Storyguide discretion.
ibility or environmental Conditions, but also in-
cludes close combat attacks, and can be ignored if CROWDED (2)
the character has the ability to move over substan- Bodies press in on all sides as a sea of human-
tial amounts of snow (such as a Gift that allows ity moves back and forth through limited space.
them to run atop it, or fly). Apply this Complication to any attack actions and
Consequence: If not bought off, characters any rolled movement actions unless the charac-
who complete a rolled movement action or Pilot ter can fly or has otherwise unerring aim. In an
actions risk being unable to take any other move- intrigue, apply this Complication to all social ac-
ment actions besides the reflexive basic Move tions involving speech, unless the character has a
or their vehicle getting stuck after an otherwise way to communicate directly or nonverbally (such
successful chase lap. Characters also risk gaining as using sign language or telepathy).
cold-related Conditions, such as hypothermia. Consequence: If not bought off on a movement
action, the character risks getting lost, turned
BURNING (1+) around, or pushed into another range band rath-
Flames lick at the walls and floor and rise high- er than their desired destination. If not bought off
er and higher for every moment the characters on an attack action, the results of any purchased
spend in the Field. For each round the characters Stunts are applied to a target or piece of scenery
remain in the Burning Field, the Complication’s chosen by the Storyguide in the same range band.
value increases by 1, to a maximum of 5. This Alternate Intrigue Consequence: If not
Complication applies to all actions taken in the bought off, someone important overhears the con-
Field unless the character has immunity to fire or versation, the target gets the right idea but misin-
environmental Conditions. terprets important aspects, or the intended target
Consequence: If not bought off, character risk can’t hear at all — the Storyguide chooses another
an Injury Condition or permanent damage to their character in the scene to be the target of the social
items and equipment. action instead.

CRASHING (3) DARK (2)

The Field vehicle goes wildly out of control!
It hurtles towards its new destination — either
one the pilot did not intend, or a course direct-
ed by nature (such as a building collapsing, or
a rockslide surging beneath the characters).
Characters must finish the fight before it crashes.
This Complication applies to all actions taken in
the scene. Storyguides may also choose to place
The Field is pitch-black or draped in shadow.
This might simply be happening at night or in a
cave, or it could extend to super-tech that blots out
the sun or plunges everything into darkness. Apply
this Complication to any actions involving move-
ment (such as Sprinting) or determining range
(such as Aim attacks), unless the character is un-
affected by darkness. In a Procedural scene, apply
this Complication to attempts to search for clues.

Field Complications 265

 Consequence: If not bought off, the character Consequence: If not bought off, characters
takes an Injury Condition, falls prone, or strikes a risk gaining the Poisoned Condition, any disease
different target than the one they declared. Condition, or some other status Condition related
Alternate Procedural Consequence: If not to being in disgusting conditions.
bought off, the character receives one point of
misinformation for each level of Complication un- FLOODING (3)
able to be bought off (in addition to any genuine Water (or lava, or acid, or molasses) pours in
clues they may have located). from all sides of the Field, filling every available
inch and rushing higher and higher with every
DIZZYING HEIGHT (1) minute that passes. Characters must stop the
The Field sits high above the ground, a vast ex- flooding or flee the Field before completely sub-
panse between the characters’ feet and the safety merged. This Complication applies to all physical
of solid earth. This might be a platform suspended actions (including attacks) as well as Science or
above the clouds, or a clash taking place aboard Technology actions to shore up the source of the
the deck of an airship. The Complication applies flooding. Like Crashing, this Complication may
to all attack actions as well as movement actions last a fixed number of rounds until the Field be-
requiring a roll unless the character has nerves of comes Submerged (p. XX) instead.
steel or an immunity to fear. Consequence: Characters who do not buy off
Consequence: If not bought off, the character this Complication risk gaining appropriate status
risks moving back a range band as they scramble or Injury Conditions, losing important weapons,
away from the Field’s edges or suffering a +1 in- equipment, or other items, or facing increased
crease in Difficulty to their next action after being Difficulty as they must now contend with an area
shaken from a fear of heights. full of liquid.

EXTREME TEMPERATURE (3) FORTIFIED (3)

Whether the frigid wastes of the Siberian tun-
dra or the barren expanse of the Gobi Desert, the
Field suffers from temperatures to the extreme.
When applying this to a Field, choose Heat or
Cold, as appropriate. This Complication affects
all physical actions taken in the Field, unless the
characters have taken specific survival-based pre-
cautions, have protective gear, or have some kind
of immunity.
Consequence: If not bought off, it inflicts a
temperature-appropriate debilitating Condition
(such as frostbite or dehydration) which impos-
es +2 Difficulty to physical actions and resolves
when treated.
The Field has sturdy, defensible structures,
granting an advantage to defenders and making
life difficult for the attackers. Fortified might also
cover a Field strewn with a large amount of cover
or other obstructing terrain. This Complication
applies to all ranged attack actions or demolitions
actions using Science or Technology.
Consequence: Failing to buy off this
Complication results in ranged attack actions tar-
geting the scenery in addition to (or instead of )
the character they intended to target. Failing to do
so on a demolition action risks the shockwave of
the explosion backfiring on the user, resulting in
appropriate Injury Conditions.

FILTHY (2) HIGH WINDS (1)

Garbage and refuse litter the area alongside
a reeking smell. Characters fighting in the area
risk illness, poison, or just being entirely grossed
out. This Complication applies to attack actions,
Integrity actions, and actions involving scent or
taste unless the character has immunity to poison,
disease, or an iron stomach.
Strong winds buffet the area, throwing pro-
jectiles off track and taking breath away. This
Complication applies to ranged combat actions or
any other actions involving a projectile, as well as
Athletics actions to maintain balance.
Consequence: If not bought off, characters risk
their ranged attack or projectile targeting another

266 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

character or object in the Field, rather than their Consequence: Character who do not buy off
intended target. On a balance action, the charac- the Complication are caught by the pursuing
ters risk falling, being knocked prone, or being thing; typically taking an Injury Condition, but
pushed into another range band. they might also be knocked into another range
band or prone, gain a different status Condition,
OVERGROWTH (2) be sucked up into its infernal machinery, and so
Plant life chokes the area, making movement or on.
observation extremely difficult. This flora might
be the result of natural progression or may have
RUBBLE (2)
been accelerated by super science or special pow- Bits and pieces of broken scenery or natural
ers. Apply this Complication to ranged combat debris (such as rocks, scree, leaves, etc.) cov-
actions, sensing actions involving line of sight, or er the ground, making traversal difficult. This
movement actions requiring a roll. Complication applies to Athletics actions to move
Consequence: If not bought off, the character or stay balanced, Pilot actions to control a vehicle
risks becoming entangled in the underbrush, be- over broken terrain, or Survival actions to navi-
ing unable to make additional movement actions gate through the rough area, unless the character
or attack actions after completing an otherwise has a particular immunity to losing their balance,
successful action. Characters might also risk ill- staying in perfect control of their vehicle, or not
ness or poison status Conditions from being ex- losing their way.
posed to toxic spores or poison from the plants. Consequence: Characters who do not buy off
the Complication risk falling prone, suffering a
OVERSTIMULATING (2) relevant Injury Conditions, losing their footing
An overstimulating space creates a constant and sliding into another range band, or risking
barrage of stimulation that is distracting. It could damage to a vehicle they may be piloting.
a crowd of loud people, the roar of a diesel engine,
the incessant white noise buzzing of complex ma-
RUINED (2)
chinery, or the visual assault of too bright colors Description: The Field is in absolute disre-
or lights. Any place that creates distraction from pair — whether from age, intentional destruction,
easy conversation qualifies. or other reasons. Any information present in the
Consequence: If not bought off during an in- scene is incomplete or partially destroyed, mak-
trigue scene, important information may get lost ing the task of piecing together clues or tracking
in the background as the character struggles to details an uphill struggle. This Complication ap-
process information. In an investigation scene, plies to all procedural actions to discern details or
a character may be unable to acquire additional follow clues.
clues, as they are too overwhelmed to notice. In an Consequence: If not bought off, characters
action scene, characters might become distracted can’t use additional or core clues as Enhancement
or overstimulated, causing the character to drop or a discount on Dramatic Editing. They might
their weapon or aim at an incorrect target. also find red herrings, or other data that leads to
places other than their intended direction. This
PURSUING (1+) can potentially uncover more than the searching
Something massive and heavy pursues the character bargained for.
characters, whether it is a rolling boulder, a co-
lossal animated statue, or a terrifying piece of
SECURED (2)
diesel-powered machinery. For each round the Description: The information the character
object pursues the characters, the Complication’s seeks is on heavy lockdown; trapped in a vault or
value increases by 1, to a maximum of 5. This hidden away in secret library stacks. It might also
Complication applies to all actions taken in the be encoded or encrypted into something physical:
Field. such as sewn into the fabric of clothing, hidden in

Field Complications 267

 the pattern of a hairstyle, or written in miniscule SOCIAL CODE (2)
print around the margins of a book’s page. This
From a black-tie formal event to an under-
Complication applies to the analysis, searching an
ground meeting of disgraced scientific minds,
archive, and research actions.
characters in the scene are expected to behave a
Consequence: If not bought off, the character certain way. This Complication applies to social
risks further access being cut off after an other- actions made in the Field, unless the character is
wise successful roll as the security systems kick in. a member of the group and understands the social
Additionally, they may risk getting caught, or leaving code.
behind evidence of their attempts at investigation.
Consequence: If not bought off, the charac-
ter makes a faux pas or otherwise reveals himself
SINKING (3)
as an outsider, resulting in a −1 shift in Attitude or
Whether trapped in quicksand, thick mud, tar, Atmosphere. If this would reveal the character as an
or a vessel plunging into the depths of the ocean, infiltrator (and not simply just an outsider), charac-
the Field is rapidly submerging and the characters ters in the scene may become outright hostile.
must struggle to escape. Failure to do so means
certain doom! This Complication applies to all SPEEDING (3)
actions involving physical activity (including at-
The characters clash on a rushing vehicle,
tacks) as well as Pilot actions to control a vehicle
whether on the top of a charging freight train, a
moving through sinking terrain or to try to salvage
racing steamboat, or a soaring dirigible. Characters
a sinking vehicle.
must maintain their balance and/or control of the
Consequence: If not bought off, characters risk vehicle or risk disaster. This Complication applies
being unable to move or make additional attacks to Pilot actions, attack actions, and movement
after completing an otherwise successful move- actions requiring a roll, unless the character has
ment or attack action, losing important equipment flawless control over a vehicle or their own per-
or items into the sinking field, gaining appropriate sonal movement.
status Conditions,
Consequence: Not buying off the Complication
risks an Injury Complication from falling or being
SMOKY (2)
dragged along by the speeding vehicle, moving
Whether from an ongoing fire or the result of into an unintended range band, or attacks affect-
an explosion or other super-science mishap (or ing a different target (including vital scenery or
intentional result…), the Field fills with choking bystanders). Failing to buy off the Complication
smoke. This Complication applies to all attack on a Pilot roll results in the vehicle moving in an
actions or any other actions involving strenuous unintended direction, and possibly shifting the
physical movement, unless the character does not Field Complication from Speeding to Crashing.
need to breathe or can hold their breath for an ex-
traordinary amount of time. It also applies to all STICKY (2)
spoken intrigue actions, unless the character is
A thick, clinging substance covers the surface of
capable of communicating without speech (such
the Field where the characters stand. It sticks to
as through telepathy) or chooses to write, instead.
the soles of their feet, making moving and attacking
Consequence: If not bought off, the character challenging to say the least. A Field may become
risks +2 Difficulty increase to their next action as Sticky from a naturally occurring material, such
they are wracked with a coughing fit. They also risk as tar, sap, or pitch, but might also become Sticky
potentially targeting another character with attack thanks to a glue-bomb set off by a mad scientist
actions due to poor visibility or gaining other appro- intent on trapping our heroes! This Complication
priate Conditions due to exposure to noxious smoke. applies to all movement actions requiring a roll and
Alternate Social Consequence: If not bought close combat attack actions, unless the character
off, the character risks +2 Difficulty increase to their can avoid touching the substance (by levitating
next action as they cough or choke on smoky air. through use of a Gift, etc.).

268 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

 Consequence: If not bought off, characters risk
being unable to keep moving after completing an
otherwise successful movement action, weapons
getting trapped or lost, or characters being unable to
make additional attacks after completing a successful
one until they take a moment to clean themselves off.

STORMING (2)
Winds howl and rain pounds on the scene.
Lightning strikes punctuate attacks made in the
middle of the storm. The storming conditions re-
duce visibility and make movement treacherous.
This Complication applies to all ranged attack
actions, Pilot actions during chase sequences,
and movement actions requiring a roll, unless
the character has immunity to reduced visibility
or environmental Conditions.
Consequence: Characters who do not buy off
the Complication risk their ranged attacks tar-
geting a different character or object in the scene,
being unable to correctly discern all the details
of subjects they try to observe, or their vehicle
swerving into an unintended Field (potentially
inflicting the Crashing Field Complication).

SUBMERGED (4)
The Field is underwater or otherwise sunken
beneath a body of water (such as submerged be-
neath the mud and water of a swamp). This might
be a shipwreck or a lost castle or the lair of a mad
scientist hidden deep within the ocean. Moving
within a Submerged Field can be vertical as well
as horizontal. The Complication applies to all ac-
tions taken in the Field unless the character has
an immunity to environmental Conditions.
Consequence: Characters who do not buy
off this Complication risk appropriate status or
Injury Conditions, facing increased Difficulty
from having to contend with a flooded space, or
being forced to move up or back another range
band, as the character must come up for air.

TIGHT (3)
The Field has little to no room to move, mak-
ing flashy moves and big weapons nearly im-
possible to use. Characters tangling in an action
sequence fight practically on top of each other.
This Complication applies to attack actions

Field Complications 269

 made with weapons: ranged and close combat, Alternatively, an Unstable Field can instead be-
unless the weapon has the Concealable Tag, or come Crashing.
Pilot actions taken in a driver’s seat.
Consequence: If not bought off, characters Creating Your Own Field
risk an Injury Condition, losing or breaking their Complications
weapon, damage to the scenery or another char- The previous section can’t possibly cover ev-
acter in the scene, or striking another target in ery kind of environment Storyguides can imagine
addition to their original. If not bought off during and want to include in their games, so it rests on
a Pilot action, the character risks the Crashing you to create your own Field Complications. First,
Field Complication being added to the scene, or choose what sort of threat it might be and give it
the vehicle they are driving moving into another, a descriptive name, so players know what they’re
unintended Field, striking the scenery, or risking interacting with. Then, choose its Complication
structural damage. value. Field Complications have a rating, begin-
ning with 1 for something relatively easy to over-
TRAFFIC (2)
come that applies to a limited number of things:
Automobiles rush back and forth, making see Dizzying Height (p. XX) as an example. This
fighting in the street a dangerous prospect. value typically tops out at 3, for things that pres-
Alternatively, traffic sits at a standstill — an ideal ent an all-encompassing threat or extreme danger
opportunity for a fight to break out as tempers run to the characters (see Acidic p. XX), though if it
high. This Complication applies to attack actions defines the Field and is something that requires
and movement actions requiring a roll unless the extraordinary effort to overcome, the value can be
character can fly or otherwise ignore complicated set at 4 — Submerged, as an example. Some Field
terrain. Complications can scale as the threat increases,
Consequence: Take an Injury Condition, risk starting at 1 and maxing out at 5. See Pursing (p.
collateral damage done to a vehicle or passenger, XX) as an example of how this works.
or getting moved into another range band as you After deciding how difficult the Complication
are pushed/dragged by a car. is to overcome, detail how it applies to the Field,
and what actions the Complication affects. Make
UNSTABLE (3) sure it’s clear to the players which of their actions
The floor rocks beneath the characters’ feet it will affect, and if any immunities apply. Some
as the whole structure shudders with unwanted Complications can be ignored through the pow-
movement. This Field Complication applies to er of Gifts, while others are so pervasive that all
any Field in the process of falling apart — such as characters present in the Field must contend with
a building rocked by an earthquake or decaying them.
from disrepair. Apply this Complication to attack Lastly, define what happens if the charac-
actions and Athletics actions involving balance or ters cannot or will not buy off the Complication.
movement unless the character has immunity to This step is the most critical because it is a
falling or perfect balance. key component for how Complications work.
Consequence: Characters who do not buy off Remember that not buying off a Complication is
this Complication risk destroying any part of the not failure. It can be unintended consequences
scenery they moved across or over or were stand- and bad things can happen, but they don’t prevent
ing upon, Injury Conditions, or moving a range the original action from occurring. Once you’ve
band in a direction of the Storyguide’s choos- defined these things, the Field Complication is
ing as part of the unstable structure gives way. ready to challenge your players!

270 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

 ANTAGONISTS AND THREATS
The world does not want for villains, threats, ELUSIVE TARGET (•-•••)
outlaws, oppressive regimes, or countless other
The antagonist may create a Complication each
unnamed dangers in Adventure!’s 1930s. Want
session at this Edge’s value during the first com-
and suffering have followed the roaring twenties
bat or action scene involving them appear in. If it’s
with a deep and hungry voice of their own, vile
not overcome, this character escapes the scene,
ideologies spread amongst mundane despot and
forcing the characters to give immediate pursuit
Inspired tyrant alike, and the products of prosaic
in a chase scene or accept that they’ve lost track
technology and cutting-edge super science seem
of this character.
destined to be turned to dark ends. It will take
great heroes to defuse coming disaster, defeat evil- FAUSTIAN FORGES (•-•••)
doers on the rise, and turn monstrous egos to the
greater good. But if they can, perhaps the heroes The antagonist may offer a player’s charac-
of the age can forge a greater century to come. ter help when pursuing a crafting project. If the
character accepts, remove any Complications for
Antagonist-Only Edges lack of materials and equipment, or, if there are
no such Complications, reduce the time between
Antagonist Edges represent capabilities and
milestones for projects by 1 rank (to a minimum of
properties of individuals and features that don’t
1). However, the project also gains a Complication
raise to the level of Extraordinary or Gift but could
at this Edge’s rating, and if not overcome, the an-
still cause trouble for heroes. They’re selected as
tagonist also gains access to designs and copies of
usual when constructing Storyguide characters
the project’s results.
and are not normally available for player charac-
ter use.
FIELD REPORTS (FACTION) (•-•••)
BAD INFLUENCE (•-•••) If this character is present during procedural
scenes, they create a Complication equal to the
If this character is present during intrigue
value of this Edge. If this Complication isn’t over-
scenes, they create a Complication equal to the
come, the relevant faction or organization knows
value of this Edge for all opposed characters’ so-
what has transpired, including any discoveries the
cial actions. For each point of this Complication
characters have made, and acts accordingly.
not overcome, increase a negative Attitude held
by a present or immediately accessible Storyguide
FLASH OF GENIUS (••)
character by 1.
The antagonist may use their most applicable
CALLING CARD (•) pool to create improvised super science items.
They gain their Enhancement value to this action.
Whether an infamous thief, a notorious mur-
derer, or some other criminal with a dramatic flair,
GEARS TURNING (EVENT) (•-•••)
the antagonist has a signature they leave behind at
crime scenes. When the players’ characters inves- When selecting this Edge, choose an event the
tigate the antagonist during a procedural scene, antagonist is attempting to create or accomplish.
if they would uncover a core or additional clue If this character is present during procedural or
pertaining to the identity or whereabouts of the intrigue scenes, create a Complication equal to
antagonist, they find the calling card instead. This the value of this Edge. If this Complication isn’t
should provide some hint (it should not prevent overcome, the event happens. After the event oc-
the story from moving on) but otherwise obfus- curs, the Storyguide should pick a new event for
cates the antagonist’s identity. The benefit of this this Edge to trigger.
Edge may only be used once per session.

Antagonists and Threats 271

 HELPING HAND (•)
Whether a friendly character good at teamwork
or a steam-powered robotic assistant, this an-
tagonist is exceptionally good at lending a hand.
When they assist one of the players’ characters
with a teamwork action, they automatically add
their Enhancement value to the target character’s
action, rather than taking any actions themselves.
Minor Threats add +1 Enhancement.
INFERNAL INDUSTRY (•) (REQUIRES
FAUSTIAN FORGES)
Any Craft project benefitting from this char-
acter’s Faustian Forges Edge also gains the flaw
“Weaponized” at 2. If the project isn’t already a
weapon, the antagonist also produces a version
that is, whether it be a plague from a vaccine,
deadly radiation from a power source, or even
murderous sonic weapons from a sonata. If the
project is already a weapon, this Edge has no ad-
ditional effect.
SKIRMISHER (•)
The antagonist is skilled at moving through
combat. Whenever the antagonist makes a mixed
action with a sprint and an attack, they use the
higher pool. This includes making sprint actions
in the air and underwater, if the character has that
kind of capability: such as being a shark-human
hybrid, or in possession of a cutting-edge rocket
pack.
THE BOSS (•••)
So long as the antagonist has other, subordinate
antagonists present in the same Field of a lower
threat level, they may apply their Enhancement
rating to all their actions regardless of which pool
they use.
Antagonist-Only Gifts
Inspired antagonists have access to all Gifts
that players’ characters have access to, but we list
a few Gifts that only antagonists have access to.
These are not dependent on the type of Inspired
character the antagonist is and are only available
for Inspired antagonists to use.
272 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE
CRUEL MASTER (MOMENTARY)
If another, subordinate antagonist of lesser
threat level is within close range of the antagonist
with this Gift, they may make that other charac-
ter the target of an attack. This can be declared by
the Storyguide after seeing the results of a player’s
roll. Cruel Master can only be used once per fight
unless the new target is Taken Out by the charac-
ter’s attack.
LEGIONS UPON LEGIONS (MOMENTARY)
No matter how hard the characters try to defeat
the antagonist’s hordes of followers, more appear.
At the end of any turn, the antagonist with this Gift
may spend an Inspiration to summon an additional
Minor threat. To use this Gift, the antagonist must
have had no subordinate antagonists present, or one
of their subordinates must have been Taken Out.
PROVOCATION (MOMENTARY)
They are an imposing figure, one that cannot be
ignored. With a taunt, a rude gesture, or strange
pheromones, the antagonist provokes the players’
characters to attack it before moving on to other
threats. It uses its primary pool to make a provok-
ing attack against a character’s Defense. If suc-
cessful, that character must target the antagonist
first with any attacks or suffer a +2 Complication.
If not bought off, the antagonist may make an at-
tack against the character. This does not take up
the antagonist’s action this round.
QUICK GETAWAY (CONSTANT)
Always prepared, the antagonist has a way to
escape any scene where it would be dramatically
appropriate. In order for the antagonist to use this
Gift, they must have taken damage to their Health
at some point during the same scene. On their ac-
tion (their initiative, during a combat sequence), a
getaway vehicle appears, and they flee the action.
This vehicle should be appropriate to the charac-
ter and the scene: if a villain would not have a fully
armed zeppelin, or small biplane arrive to whisk
them away from an aerial battle, then they cannot
use this Gift. This costs the antagonist a point of
Inspiration. When the Storyguide removes an an-
tagonist from a scene this way, add a number of
Momentum to the pool equal to the total players.
 THREATENING AURA (CONSTANT) COLONY
The antagonist gains Enhancement to intimida- The antagonist is a creature or animated con-
tion, coercion, or other fear-based social actions
struct teeming with other, smaller creatures or
equal to the negative Atmosphere of the scene. Ifconstructs. It may divulge these other charac-
the scene shifts to positive, the antagonist suffers
ters into the scene whether through a disgusting
the Atmosphere value as increased Difficulty to biological function or by opening the pod bay
apply social Stunts instead. So long as the antago-
doors, or some horrifying combination of both,
nist is present in the scene, however, increase the
by spending 1 Source. This adds up to three ad-
Difficulty of attempts to shift Atmosphere by 1. ditional Minor threats to the scene. Alternatively,
whenever an antagonist with this power suffers
Extraordinary Powers damage, they may use this power to spontaneous-
While antagonists in Adventure! can use ly generate a single Minor threat.
Anomaly powers from Trinity Continuum Core
Rulebook pp. 139–140, here we refer to them as CORPOREAL ESCAPE
extraordinary powers. In pulp stories, the ex- Requires Possession. After being Taken Out, the
traordinary and strange are explained away with antagonist can transport their consciousness into
pseudoscience and hand-waving, and we’re do- one of their spare bodies within Long range as a
ing it here as well. Extraordinary powers repre- reflexive action, avoiding any dire consequences
sent abilities beyond normal human function and as a result. The antagonist may only do this once
experience. People or creatures that come from per session.
strange places, dimensions outside our own, or
even just outside the bounds of normal physics DISCORPORATE
have access to these extraordinary powers. Spend 1 Source. Characters with this power
Inspired antagonists may also gain access might be a dangerous ghost, a creature summoned
to extraordinary powers as Gifts, representing from primal mist, or a scientist who has learned
their dastardly use of Inspiration. Source rep- to transmute their body into pure telluric energy.
resents any expendable resource a character has. The antagonist dissolves into an incorporeal state
Inspiration is always a Source, but some antago- for one round, which allows it to pass harmlessly
nists utilize something other than Inspiration for through obstacles and hazards, as well as ignore
their extraordinary powers. We use Source to cov- any applicable Field Complications. The charac-
er both bases, but Inspired antagonists who use ter does not take damage from any weapon or abil-
Inspiration may spend it on extraordinary powers ity that does not have the ray or elemental damage
that require Source expenditure. types.

ALTER ENVIRONMENT ENTRAP (TYPE)

Make a roll against a Difficulty equal to a Field
Complication’s value. If successful, the antago-
nist creates that Field Complication in the Field.
Typically, this creates Field Complications that
can be naturally occurring or happen direct-
ly as the result of an action — such as Flooding,
Crashing, or Burning, though equipment or the
use of super science can cause stranger Field
Complications to apply as well. The Storyguide
chooses which to apply, as is most appropriate for
the character.
This creature or vehicle gains access to the
“Entrap” Stunt on non-combat actions.
Entrap (5 successes): Create a Complication for
all enemies of the specified type within a number
of range bands equal to the antagonist’s Size Scale.
Enemies who don’t overcome that Complication
are trapped within this character, unless released
or removed by an outside force. In the case of ve-
hicles, their passengers may be able to affect an
escape on their own.

Antagonists and Threats 273

 FLUX BEAST players’ characters cannot tell who a possessed
pawn of the antagonist could be. Transferring
This antagonist warps the power of Flux around
bodies requires an ordinary action which cannot
them, causing strange eddies in the telluric tide.
be part of a mixed action, if it happens on-screen;
While the Flux beast is present in the Field, the cost of
otherwise, it is assumed to happen automatically.
all Dramatic Editing is decreased by 1 to a minimum
of 0. However, because its presence is a drain on real-
POWER THIEF
ity, the cost of the Extraordinary Effort action, as well
as the Inspiration cost of any Gift, are increased by 1. This character envies others’ use of Flux, and
whenever an Inspired character exerts their will
INSUBSTANTIAL FORM or their natural good fortune, the antagonist ben-
efits. Whenever one of the players’ characters
This character is able to shift to a nearly gas-
spends Inspiration within close range of a char-
eous form, passing through any remotely perme-
acter with this extraordinary power, the character
able barriers easily. Only airtight, hermetically
regains a point of spent Source.
sealed spaces can hold them, and even then, they
can pass through them by spending a point of
SEEKING THE SKY
Source unless specific super science or Gifts are
employed to keep them contained. This character’s abilities are suppressed by
being kept away from natural, open spaces. Free
POSSESSION under the open sky, they have +2 Durability and
Power Scale. Close to the surface or freely roam-
The antagonist has a host of alternate bodies
ing in a building, they instead have +1 Durability
they can control and transfer their consciousness
and Power Scale. Deep underground or restrained
to. These are typically other Storyguide char-
inside a building, they have no additional Scale.
acters, allowing a level of insidiousness as the

274 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

 SIZE UNCONVENTIONAL ATTACK
This character, creature, or construct has +1 Size This character can attack with one of their die-
Scale. You may select this power up to five times, pools not normally used for combat. That attacks
stacking the character’s Size Scale. The antago- also counts as a weapon with a number of points
nist may have an increased Scale for Power and/or of tags equal to the character’s desperation pool.
Durability at a rating of one less than its increased
Size if it’s particularly dangerous or tough. UNLIVING
This character is a machine, construct, or oth-
SPACE SHIFT er threat that is simply not alive. They cannot be
The antagonist rolls their primary pool (or most healed, and require specialized equipment, train-
applicable pool) in response to a successful at- ing, or super science to repair. They are tireless,
tack made by a player’s character. The Difficulty and never suffer damage or Complications from
is equal to the number of successes the character needing food, water, rest, air, or similar biological
has over the antagonist’s Defense. If successful, the requirements.
antagonist and all players’ characters in the same
range band are shifted to an entirely new Field of VARIABLE IMMUNITY
the Storyguide’s choosing. This is typically another Spend 1 Source and choose a single damage
Field within Long range of the original one but may type. This damage type must have inflicted dam-
also be used to teleport the antagonist and players’ age on the antagonist either on the turn this abil-
characters to new, stranger locations as appropri- ity is activated, or previously in the scene. Until
ate to the type of character and level of threat. their next action, the antagonist does not take
damage from the chosen source. For example: the
SPAWN (TYPE) antagonist may choose ballistic damage and can-
This antagonist can spend an ordinary action, a not be harmed by bullets until their next action.
point of Health, and a point of Source to assem- This may not be used two turns in a row, and the
ble, summon, or otherwise create the threat of the antagonist must choose a different damage type
listed type. Characters spawned into a scene take each activation.
their turn after all other combatants before join-
ing the turn order as normal. WALKING DISASTER
Spend 1 Source when the antagonist makes a
TELLURIC CONSTRUCT movement action, which can include movement
This character is constructed of telluric ener- actions while swimming or flying. After complet-
gy bound into a physical form. They have 2 less ing the movement, the antagonist leaves behind
Health than normal but may spend a point of an area of difficult terrain or creates complicated
Source to reconstitute at 1 Health if Taken Out. terrain with a new Field Complication. This lasts
They may reform at a nearby familiar location in- for the duration of the scene.
stead of the location of their demise. Characters
able to sense telluric energy (such as those with Minor Characters
the Behold the Halo Gift) may use those abilities Ordinary people, henchmen, lackies, and
to track the reformed construct, however. toughs all present Minor threats to characters.
They show up in groups, and often are working
TUNNELING for a much more important antagonist. Normal
This character can move through earth with people make up the great majority of the world’s
remarkable speed, ignoring any barriers to move- population, and even the greatest Inspired he-
ment by tunneling around or through them. If tak- roes shouldn’t discount them as potential allies,
en once, this includes any natural earth short of enemies, or interested parties. Some, especially
solid stone. If taken twice, this includes anything citizens of wondrous places or working for a dan-
short of military fortifications. gerous adversary, may be equipped with super

Antagonists and Threats 275

 science or other paranormal equipment, while degradation of tolerance and liberty. Inside such
most have simply the arts and sciences of human- states, they are the foot soldiers of oppression and
ity’s heritage to draw from. inequity, and often armed to match.
AGENT PROVOCATEUR
Who supplies the knives for a murder, the guns
for a massacre, the petrol for arson? Who turns
anger to rage, frustration to fury, long held griev-
ances to explosively sudden action?
Governments won’t admit they employ him.
Corporations insist he’s a spokesperson, or advi-
sor, or simply a contract employee. Secret societ-
ies and criminal enterprises rely on him implicit-
ly. But whoever his master, the agent provocateur
acts as accelerant and ignition point both. He’s
there to turn an angry crowd into a mob agitating
against your enemies; turn a disgruntled employ-
ee into a murderous shot in the dark against your
rival; set a restive populace ablaze and watch a
city burn like kindling.
Despite how valuable he and people like him
tend to be, there are members of various Branch
9 agencies, government think-tanks, and private
concerns who worry that the abilities and ubiq-
uity of such agents threatens to escape any sort of
societal control. Certainly, a nefarious organiza-
tion could wield such an individual to throw the
world into chaos in the future, but perhaps, dole-
ful memos and symposia warn, the threat is more
dire and more immediate.
Primary Pool: 7 (eavesdropping, inflaming
emotions)
Secondary Pool: 5 (skullduggery, provisioning)
Desperation Pool: 3
Enhancement: +1 to inflaming emotions
Defense: 3
Health: 4
Initiative: 3
Edges: Alternate Identity, Bad Influence 2, Skilled
Liar
FASCIST AGITATORS
Strictly speaking, any number of fascists is too
many, but the rising tide of fascism becomes most
dangerous in groups. Outside of fascist states
such as Italy and Germany, they are harbinger of
worse things to come, actively working for the
276 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE
Fascist agitators represent the common peo-
ple who support the regime or buy into the lies
that fascism dictates. They are only dangerous in
groups, as they recognize their vulnerability with-
out fellows to back them up. Confronted when
alone, such dupes and followers typically lack the
courage or fortitude to stand up to any matter of
opposition, but invariably try to bring more of
their brethren into a brewing conflict.
This antagonist uses the group of minor char-
acter rules on p. 140 of the Trinity Continuum
Core Rulebook.
Primary Pool: 6 (inflicting violence, spreading
hate)
Secondary Pool: 4 (finding enemies, suppressing
speech)
Desperation Pool: 2
Enhancement: +1 per individual in the group
(maximum +5)
Defense: 2
Health: 1 per individual in the group
Initiative: 2
Notes: Fascists attract others like flies in certain re-
gions. Once per scene, a group of fascist Agitators
can recruit backup and double their numbers, as
long as at least two individuals remain in the group.
PLUCKY ORPHAN
Not every kid gets lucky enough to grow up in
a stable house with loving parents. Some of these
children join gangs, while others take on odd jobs
to scrape together money to survive. They’re re-
sourceful and clever, and willing to do small, me-
nial tasks for a little cash. Characters who encoun-
ter a plucky orphan might hire them to deliver a
message, pickpocket someone important, or plant
an item in an unsuspecting person’s pocket. They
might also be hired to cause a distraction, or gen-
erally be annoying and get in the way.
Getting a plucky orphan on your side might re-
quire some bribery or convincing them that you’re
not also going to hurt them or compromise their
safety. Doing so after promising them otherwise
will lead to a gang of angry kids smearing your
reputation and making your life difficult.
 Note: Including child characters in a game can a relative inconvenience to seasoned adventurers.
be sensitive for some players, so always make sure While often ordinary folk, they excel in certain ar-
to check what your players are comfortable with eas, or are backed by an Inspired benefactor. Some
before including them — and certainly do not put are even the dastardly creations of more unique
a child character in danger without checking in threats, presenting a dangerous adversary through
first! Otherwise, they make for excellent found strange technology. Dangerous threats work alone
family stories, or for opening up the soft side of or might be the mastermind behind a group of
the party’s lone wolf or compulsive grouch. Minor threats. They also may, in turn, be working
for an even more dangerous individual who is pro-
Primary Pool: 6 (sleight of hand, going viding them with strange super-science devices or
unnoticed) using Inspired abilities on their behalf. Either way,
Secondary Pool: 4 (being distracting, fighting these antagonists are not easily dismissed.
back)
Desperation Pool: 2 CAPTAIN ANTON PITT AND THE
Defense: 3 CACHALOT’S HUNGER
Health: 3 Nearly two hundred thousand tons of naval
Initiative: 4 power died at the Battle of Jutland. Anton Pitt
Edges: Helping Hand, Skilled Liar survived that battle clinging to a destroyer’s life
raft after the German fleet pounded the ship he
PONATOWSKI FOUNDATION sailed to flinders. Half-deafened by the bombard-
JUNIOR FELLOW ment and nearly drowned before rescue, it was the
Despite the Great Depression, some pockets nev- finest two days of Anton’s life.
er seem to empty. The Ponatowski Foundation sends After the Great War ended, the Washington Naval
the newest generation of explorers and investiga- Treaty scrapped many Jutlands worth of tonnage
tors into the field just as well-stocked and funded and prevented the floating of unthinkably greater
as they always have been. Dedicated to their work weights. Anton Pitt watched in disgust as the lead-
and dogged in their exploration of the unknown, ing nations of the world smothered the greatest na-
the Foundation’s junior fellows seek to bring the un- val forces that ever existed for some paltry attempt
known to light and prove themselves in the process. at establishing a new stable world order.
If Ponatowski Foundation members aren’t the Now, there are rumors of a self-styled Captain
first on the scene of a new discovery or interest- Pitt on the seas. Sailing an enormous ship im-
ing anomaly, the arrival of their junior staff on the possibly stitched together from naval hulks and
scene, recording and photographing everything is strange science, Captain Pitt pillages the seaways
a certainty. in terrifying style. It’s whispered that only ships
paying the Contedorri protection money are safe
Primary Pool: 6 (investigation, travel) from his ravages, while other rumors suggest he
works in the Seven Brother’s employ. Whoever
Secondary Pool: 4 (schmoozing, technology)
backs Captain Pitt must certainly be enjoying the
Desperation Pool: 2
fruits of his nefarious labor: entire ships stolen in
Defense: 3
the gullet of his enormous vessel, whole fortunes
Health: 3
disappeared on the high seas.
Initiative: 2
While Captain Pitt certainly doesn’t shirk the
Edges: Always Prepared, Direction Sense, Field
Reports (Ponatowski Foundation) 1, Photographic luxuries paid for by his piracy, he cares less for the
Memory 1 incredible wealth he’s stolen than for the anger he’s
generated. For if the great nations of the world wish
Dangerous Threats for oceanic trade to continue unimpeded, they will
need to confront Captain Pitt and the Cachalot’s
Dangerous threats represent individuals or
Hunger with a concentration of naval power that
groups who pose a real danger to newly Inspired, or
hasn’t rallied since the likes of Jutland.

Antagonists and Threats 277

 Primary Pool: 8 (leadership, navigation)
Secondary Pool: 6 (engineering, marksmanship,
and seamanship)
Desperation Pool: 4
Enhancement: +1 to seamanship and navigation
Defense: 4
Health: 5
Initiative: 4
Edges: Breath Control, Direction Sense
CACHALOT’S HUNGER
Cachalot’s Hunger is no ordinary ship. Captain use in any number of brewing civil wars and per-
Pitt has cobbled together bits and pieces of naval sonally inspects and sets the fuses for the bombs
wreckage and somehow is holding them togeth- that announces a regime’s invasion of its neighbor.
er with magnetism and strange energies. Under
the captain’s command, the ship is a beast, but
he’s clearly got a benefactor with more scientific astronomical
know-how than him.
Vehicle Type: Unique Superheavy Dreadnought
Size: 5
Handling: -3
Speed: 3
Tags: Armor 2, Cargo 4, Crew Required -3,
Massive 2, Military 1, Sluggish -1, Watercraft,
Weapon 1, Weapon 2
Weapons: Naval Cannons (Power Scale 5),
Machineguns (Power Scale 3)
Extraordinary Powers: Entrap (Watercraft),
Size Scale 2
Cost: N/A (L for any character who wishes to
build their own to challenge Pitt)
JACKSON LANDRY, FREELANCE
WARMONGER
Jackson Landry didn’t start off as a mercenary
for hire, but after inheriting his father’s fail-
ing munitions business, he discovered that the
Landry moral fiber was what was holding the
manufacturer back. Often, the people with the
most money are not the same people who have
the best interest of others in mind. After taking on
a few contracts with the American government,
he found the lack of a non-exclusivity clause
meant he could similarly sell munitions to the
British, French, and Spanish governments. None
of these contracts were large, but they paid the
bills. When the Italian government offered twice
what anyone else was offering, how could he say
278 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE
no? He invested the extra money into production,
and then started selling surplus to rebel groups
in Italy. Why not double dip from the same pot if
they were willing to pay?
Landry now hunts for sales and has no scruples
on who he does business with, or who he exploits
in the process. He sells weapons to rebels in falter-
ing colonial states one week, and then warns impe-
rialist powers of the dangers of looming rebellion
the next. He rides alongside fascists to demonstrate
the operation of the newest mechanized guns for
Landry has recently learned about some thrill-
ing new technology that could boost his sales to
numbers. He doesn’t understand the
science behind it, as telluric energy seems to be
the purview of only a few high-brow scientists.
But if the weapons get results, he doesn’t care if
they are powered by hopes and dreams, he must
get his hands on them.
Primary Pool: 8 (creating explosions, general
mayhem, and shooting a gun)
Secondary Pool: 6 (bargaining, vehicles)
Desperation Pool: 4
Enhancement: +1 for creating explosions and
driving
Defense: 4
Health: 5
Initiative: 4
Edges: Cool Under Fire, Demolition Training 2, Fast
Draw
METAL LAW
One of the Machinatrix’s many mechanical
achievements, and probably her self-proclaimed
crowning jewel, Metal Law is a fully kitted out
robot made for dispensing death. Hephaestia
made Metal Law as a prototype for what she
has dubbed, Automatic Constables, one-stop an-
ti-crime devices that present enough firepower
to deter or stop crime in action. Of course, where
the Machinatrix’s desire for revolutionary change
meets greed and corruption, Metal Law is at the
center. The robot was stolen from her lab mere
months after its creation, and before she could
fully develop its control mechanisms. Not only
is the creation fully automated, it thinks for it- Primary Pool: 10 (brutal violence, commanding
self, but without her necessary impediments, the broadcasts)
rogue tellurically powered AI inside has decided Secondary Pool: 8 (investigation, pursuit)
that the best way to stop crime is prevent it with Desperation Pool: 6
human death. Enhancement: +1 to brutal violence and pursuit,
The thieves never stood a chance, and now +2 to commanding broadcasts
Metal Law is out and about, planning death and Defense: 5
destruction wherever it goes. It is smart enough Health: 8
to realize that humans are a threat to it, as those it Initiative: 6
has interacted with have tried to shut it down, and Edges: Lightning Calculator, Photographic Memory
now no one except maybe the Machinatrix herself 3
can get close to it without risking death or serious Source: 6
injury. Not that she hasn’t tried, but it is keeping Extraordinary Powers: Multi-Limbed, Entrap
one step ahead of those that would take it down. (Dissenters), Spawn (Automatic Constable)
Metal Law can rapidly assemble and dispatch Note: Scale 3 Size, Scale 2 Power.
smaller Automatic Constables with unnerving
AUTOMATIC CONSTABLES
speed, smash through buildings and vehicles with
unhesitating ease, run a one-machine propaganda These smaller versions of Metal Law are not
broadcast, and command enough firepower to put nearly as dangerous as their progenitor. They al-
down an armed resurrection. And it won’t stop ways act in groups and stay close to Metal Law’s
until it rounds up all criminals, or potential crimi- side unless directed otherwise.
nals, and disposes of them.

Antagonists and Threats 279

 Primary Pool: 7 (shooting, spying)
Secondary Pool: 4 (pursuit, trapping)
Desperation Pool: 2
Enhancement: +1 per unit (maximum +5)
Defense: 2
Health: 1 per unit
Initiative: 2
ORNITHOPTER HOPLITE
Ornithopter hoplites are the premier units in the
Tyrant of the Skies’ personal army. They descend
upon the unwary, like raptors striking rabbits. Clad
in armor of shining bronze, lifted aloft by wings of
ingenious artifice, and armed with modern, bayo-
netted military rifles. No nation or people are safe
from their aerial reign of terror. The hoplites strike
in disciplined fashion, crushing any resistance and
sending survivors scattering before embarking in a
frenzy of looting. They secure valuable industrial
material, portable foodstuffs, and lucre in that or-
der, and then return to the sky before any military
response rallies. These stolen goods keep Doktor
Zorbo’s citadel well-stocked and ever ready.
Ornithopter hoplites appear to dominate the skies,
driving off any plane that may stray too close to the
citadel, or any other sky vehicle under the Doktor’s
employ. Despite this, it seems not all ornithopter
hoplites are in league with the Sky Tyrant. Reports
of aerial skirmishes between brigades of ornithopter
hoplites have filled various channels. On several oc-
casions, hoplites with horsehair helms and wings
painted in unfamiliar sigils have intervened against
raids carried out by their fellows. Have members of
Doctor Zorbo’s organization rebelled, or has some- TELLURIC EMANATION
one else discovered the flying ornithopter technolo-
gy and is actively working against him?
Primary Pool: 7 (aerial warfare, spreading terror) other creatures with a Source that allows them
Secondary Pool: 5 (logistics, looting)
Desperation Pool: 3
Enhancement: +1 to aerial warfare
Defense: 3
Health: 4
Initiative: 4
Edges: Artifact 3 (Flying Harness), Forceful Martial
Arts (bayonet) 2
Extraordinary Powers: Enhanced Speed, Flight
(Flying Harness)
280 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE
RAPTORS
Crawling out of the past, then standing proud-
ly on two muscular legs, the predator comes.
Covered in scales and feathers, the credulous may
misidentify it as some sort of demon bird or mu-
tant monster, but those learned in natural science
know, there stands a dinosaur. Canny and swift
hunters, they prefer to act in packs, but are quite
capable of taking down prey on their own.
These creatures may be found in the deepest
and darkest jungles, or in their own strange places
where dinosaurs roam unhindered by humanity.
Very rarely, a group might venture into low popu-
lation areas, driving out the people who live there
and taking over the land as their own.
Primary Pool: 7 (hunting, running)
Secondary Pool: 5 (physical attacks)
Desperation Pool: 3
Enhancement: +1 to hunting
Defense: 3
Health: 4
Initiative: 3
Edges: Small Unit Tactics
Extraordinary Powers: Natural Weapons and
one more from the following list: Entrap (Snare),
Size, Tunneling
Note: This template is for smaller dinosaurs. If
you wish to create larger carnivorous beasts, give
them Size and Natural Weapons and one other
Extraordinary Power (the additional power may be
another instance of Size).
Telluric emanations are beings made of pure
telluric energy. These manifestations are created
purely from the will and mind of Mesmerists, or
to manipulate mental energies. They appear as
glowing humanoids but can take on any shape the
person who created them wants. Sara Kaur spec-
ulates that these emanations are created through
concentrating the telluric energy waves into a com-
pact enough form to appear solid, though she has
been unable to replicate the effect on light as she
had hoped she could. The first instance of such a
creation was from the King of the World, which he
used to distract authorities as he escaped a heist in
Paris. The incident never made papers, but it was
well documented in the part of the scientific com- Edges: Elusive Target 3, Gears Turning (Impressive
munity dedicated to telluric study. Heist) 3, Swift

Primary Pool: 6 (blunt force, menacing

Inspired Antagonists
surveillance) There are few enemies as dangerous, rivals as
Secondary Pool: 4 (dexterous manipulation, dogged, or problems as implacable as an Inspired
imitating normality) opponent. Some trace their abilities directly to
Desperation Pool: 2 the Hammersmith Incident itself, others hail
Defense: 3 from some Wondrous Place as banner carriers
Health: 1 or prodigal children, and yet others simply exist
Initiative: 2 as recipients of a sudden and mysterious change.
Edges: Elusive Target 2, and either Bad Influence 2 Whatever their sources, they may change or
or Field Reports (Creator) 2 threaten a rapidly accelerating century.
Source: 2 Note: A decade since the Hammersmith Incident,
Extraordinary Powers: Insubstantial Form, certain particularly powerful and noteworthy
Telluric Construct Inspired are pushing their powers beyond what
were considered the limitations of their condition in
THE MASKED THIEF the first blush of telluric energy. (And certain partic-
Like a bad penny, a masked burglar of rare audac- ularly experienced or dangerous Inspired will have
ity keeps popping up across the world. Perhaps this more Gifts than normal antagonist of similar threat
gentleperson is merely a disguise for the Vagrant levels.) All characters in this section benefit from the
Prince, or the current Robin of Loxley, or laughing Inspired extraordinary power.
Lord Sobek, or any of the other chapter house lead-
ers of Invictus Umbra. Perhaps an up-and-coming DOKTOR MANFRED VON ZORBO
scoundrel has donned the mask, making off with For those who live life 15 thousand feet in the
treasures horded by plutocrats and aristos alike. air, the economic ruin of the Great Depression
Whatever the case, the Masked Thief’s activities was not a great concern. Indeed, those dwellers in
are as spectacular as they are lucrative, designed to constantly circulating vessels, distant wondrous
upstage the powerful and wealthy they steal from places, and strange aerial polities still face a more
as surely as they are to enrich the thief. They snatch pressing issue to contend with, one which may
bejeweled opera glasses stolen off the dictator’s face eventually fall upon those poor gravity-bound
during an intermezzo during Wagner; go flying away fools below. For while the ground-level world
in an experimental plane during a military parade, in tumbles towards ever worse turmoil, disaster is
clear sight of the nation; juggle the crown jewels in already present in the heady realms above, and its
the background as the crowd silently gasps, unwill- name is Doktor Manfed von Zorbo, Tyrant of the
ing to interrupt the knighting in progress. While the Skies and Emperor of All the Atmosphere, High
Masked Thief is always in the process of moving on Ruler of the Blue Realm, Supreme Eminence of
to the next theft, it is those great pageants of larceny the Starry Night, Magnanimous Lord of the Eyrie.
and spectacle that they live for. The Hammersmith Incident transformed Doktor
Manfred von Zorbo from a troubled scientist to a driv-
Primary Pool: 8 (clever theft, acting with style) en genius, determined to save humanity by seizing
Secondary Pool: 6 (impeccable observation, control of the world and forcing the greater population
daring escapes) into Zorbo-designed floating cities. The passage of
Desperation Pool: 4 years has failed to curtail Zorbo’s ambition or means.
Enhancement: +1 for acting with style and impec- His Mesmerist powers have allowed Zorbo to place
cable observation agents through strange places and telluric realms all
Defense: 4 throughout the sky, and now he orchestrates events
Health: 5 from the safety of the soaring fortress he’s named the
Initiative: 4 Eyrie. Similarly, his surface spies and collaborators

Antagonists and Threats 281

 keep him apprised of interesting on goings and like-
ly targets on the ground. Few ever see the Sky Tyrant
directly, but instead interact with his armed dirigi-
bles and brigades of ornithopter hoplites who defend
them, of which he has plenty in his employ.
And so Zorbo has waxed while the world below
has waned, ignorant to how serious the Doktor’s
aerial threat has become. Unless someone inter-
venes, Zorbo will soon turn his gathered might
upon the ground-bound nations once more, a
decade’s worth of gathered forces, plundered
resources, and martial super science at his beck
and call. Exiles from those distant flying bastions
which have fallen to his forces and emissaries
from what independent high-altitude strange
places remain attempt to warn nations and armies Primary Pool: 9 (Espionage [ +2 Enhancement]
of his coming, but will the groundling nations take and Intimidation)
them seriously before Zorbo strikes? Secondary Pool: 7 (Martial Arts and Costume
Primary Pool: 10 (flight, Science!)
Secondary Pool: 8 (aerial combat, dark plans,
and intimidation)
Desperation Pool: 6
Enhancement: +2 to flight and science actions,
+1 to combat
Defense: 5
Health: 8
Initiative: 6
Edges: Armory, Artifact 5, Big Boss, Gears Turning
(Aerial Attack!) 3
Source: Inspiration 6
Gifts: Adrift in Etheric Currents, Cloak of Dread,
Dowsing, Hive Mind, Human Battery, Mental
Crucible, Telepresent Relay, Telluric Resonance,
Three Moves Ahead
Note: Because of Doktor Zorbo’s Armory Edge, he can
reasonably be equipped (or dramatically edit in) any
artifacts or super science he might need in a given scene.
FELICIA SMITH
A catastrophic failure in a government labora-
tory left elite secret agent Felicia Smith marooned
in the middle of a foreign country, surrounded
by potential enemies and without any contacts
or supplies past her trusty fedora. But if anyone
thinks that will stop Felicia from using her wits,
deadly training, and a good ol’ dash of the can-
do spirit from returning home to her family, they
have another thing coming!
282 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE
However, even Felicia has to admit this is com-
plicated by the fact that her home country is in a
different dimension, she’s a four-foot-long cepha-
lopod, and scientists who agree to help her keep
having breakdowns after she leaves the room,
and they realize she’s walking calamari. Felicia
now resorts to increasingly elaborate plans be-
hind ornate cover identities to try and pass as a
local. So far, no one’s caught on to the fact that
the Lithuanian noble Lady Kalvis isn’t merely an
eccentric with a skin condition. If Felicia has to
organize the overthrow of an eastern European
country to fund her transdimensional return
home, that’s just what she’ll do!
Design [+2 Enhancement])
Desperation Pool: 4
Defense: 4
Health: 6
Initiative: 4
Source: 5
Extraordinary Powers: Hyper-Intelligence,
Inspired, Multi-Limbed, Never a Stranger, Slip the
Cuffs, Unquestionable
LADY LINDY, THE QUEEN OF THE AIR
Lady Lindy’s celebrity follows her wherever she
goes: from a book deal to cigarette ads, everyone
knows the famous aviatrix’s name. A competitive
flying ace, the fearless Queen of the Air has made a
transatlantic flight not once but twice! There’s not
a pilot alive, except maybe Danger Ace, who com-
pares to her skill. The newspapers claim she can
keep a plane in the air even when there’s no fuel
left, and that the most brutal storms don’t frighten
her. Given her success in the field of long-distance
competitive flight, these rumors may be true.
The Queen of the Air is bold, fearless, outspo-
ken, and fiercely competitive. Any other aerial ace
(including the players’ characters) is immediately
a rival she must challenge. Anyone who can’t keep
up with her in the air is an unworthy opponent
and therefore no longer worth associating with.
Anyone who dares to challenge Lady Lindy to an
aerial race had best be prepared to win. She’ll ac-
cept nothing less from an opponent.
 Rumor has it that Lady Lindy flew through a Primary Pool: 9 (finance, logistics)
strange telluric event and now contends with a dark Secondary Pool: 7 (leadership, politics, and
fate. Most people don’t believe that to be true, imagin- science)
ing it to be sensationalized to sell papers and other ad- Desperation Pool: 5
vertisement deals. The Queen of the Skies won’t con- Enhancement: +1 to finance, leadership, and
firm or deny it, and anyone who wants her to admit science
the truth will have to beat her in a piloting race first. Defense: 4
Health: 6
Primary Pool: 9 (competitive flying, leveraging Initiative: 5
her celebrity) Edges: Faustian Forges 3, Infernal Industry
Secondary Pool: 7 (social navigation, actual Source: Inspiration 5
navigation) Gifts: Disarming Candor, Disposable Minion,
Desperation Pool: 5 I’m on the List, The Room Where It Happens, True
Enhancement: +2 to competitive flying, +1 to all Friendship
types of navigation
Defense: 4 THE KING OF THE WORLD
Health: 6 The leader of the Contedorri and titan of the crim-
Initiative: 7, 5 if not initiating a chase sequence or inal underworld is actually Argentine De Winter, pat-
in aerial combat ricide and scion of French nobility. A ruthless mas-
Edges: Always Prepared, Direction Sense, Fame 3 termind, her criminal network reaches out across the
Source: Inspiration 5 world from her stronghold in western Europe, and
Gifts: Lady Lindy may have any Pilot-based Gift the anything her contacts and influence cannot obtain
Storyguide deems appropriate, or any other Luck or directly may well be within the grip of her will and
Attribute-based Gift having to do with controlling a powers as a master Mesmerist. Her criminal network
vehicle or traveling long distances.
survived the Great Depression through clever plan-
ning and strategically applied ruthlessness, but De
MR. ABEL
Winter is quite aware that political changes across
Mr. Abel is here to help. For the scientist whose Europe may threaten both her comfortable social sta-
research is at a dead end, he’s an erudite and sym- tion and hidden criminal empire. De Winter prepares
pathetic sounding board. For the inventor who’s contingencies to survive both social upheaval and
out of funds, he’s the angel investor with deep underworld challenges, ensuring that anyone who at-
pockets and rare supplies. For the visionary who’s tempts to sit aside the King of the World’s Throne will
hounded from the halls of academia, he’s the un- pay dearly for their audacity.
derstanding landlord who has just the secluded
lab in mind. Primary Pool: 9 (crime, rulership, and resisting temptation)
How did he find them? How does he circumnav- Secondary Pool: 7 (social graces, murder)
igate social circles, national borders, government Desperation Pool: 5
secrecy, and even more treacherous barriers to Enhancement: +2 to crime and rulership, +1 to
find and help these frustrated creators? It doesn’t social graces
matter, he’ll say if asked, he’s just here to help. Defense: 4
And he is here to help. He asks for nothing but Health: 6
the occasional progress report, perhaps a regular Initiative: 4
phone call. Just in case his friends need anything,Edges: Covert 3, Anonymous, Alternate Identity,
of course. If there’s anything in the way of them Wealth 5, Loaded
making your newest batch of weapons, he’ll help Source: Inspiration 6
remove those obstacles, in rapid course. Gifts: Cloak of Dread, Cloud the Mind, Dream
Sometimes, his friends don’t even know they’re Transmission, Evil Eye, Labyrinth, Marked Man,
making weapons, of course, but as long as they ac- Psychic Conjuration, Recursion, Terror Manifest, Veil
cept Mr. Abel’s ample help, they always are. of the Unseen

Antagonists and Threats 283

 THE MECHINATRIX remaining in the wake of his death. Thirty-Seven
doesn’t remember when he started to self-ac-
Genius inventor of metachinery, Hephaestia
tualize, but he knows it was before the criminal
Geary-Wexler turns mechanical technology
mastermind’s death. For a while, he suffered hav-
to impossible ends. She harnesses trace tellu-
ing his will overtaken by his progenitor out of a
ric energies to power self-sustaining industry,
sense of familial duty, but it didn’t take long for
implants microscopic metachinery to improve
him to resent having his will subverted. When he
health and physical ability to nigh-inhuman lev-
knew the old man was dead, he took his freedom,
els, and every day she is closer to perfecting her
and his life, into his own hands. After founding
Sanguine Prometheus and creating truly intelli-
the Seven Brothers with the few other remain-
gent machines.
ing clones, he also took over Ubiquitous Dragon’s
And yet, despite her accomplishments, the
criminal enterprise.
Mechinatrix finds herself hemmed in on all sides
Thirty-Seven has done everything he can to
by an uncooperative world. The Great Depression
separate himself from his father’s legacy, but still
closed the door on many sources of funding, the
preserving the criminal nature of the empire left
Æon Society has become increasingly unwilling to
behind. He might be a completely different man
overlook her less scrupulous dealings, and those
than that of the face he carries but being the ex-
politicians who are interested in the possibilities
act likeness of the most powerful criminal in the
of metachinery and the Sanguine Prometheus
world has its benefits. All his old contacts are still
seem more interested in nationalist fantasies of
there, but his operation is completely different.
dominance instead of revolutionizing the world.
Those who remember the dastardly Ubiquitous
Increasingly, the Mechinatrix seeks out resourc-
Dragon are often surprised to find Thirty-Seven’s
es, funding, and even simple companionship from
even-handed and methodical approach to drug
anyone willing to further her work. Her inven-
running and weapons dealing. Those who seek to
tions and abilities now turn up in the hands of
take down his criminal enterprise find not a pow-
criminals, tyrants, and worse with increasing fre-
er-hungry man, but a calm and collected individ-
quency. Unless someone convinces her to change
ual who cares more for his family than his money.
her course, the Mechinatrix may be one of the
world’s great villains by the end of the decade. While his intentions may seem good and famil-
ial, he is still a criminal, and more villainous than
the other members of Seven Brothers. His plots
Primary Pool: 9 (machinery, surgery)
are less about taking over the world, and more
Secondary Pool: 7 (science, securing funding,
about ensuring the safety of his family, but his
and self-defense)
scruples are non-existent, and his moral compass
Desperation Pool: 5
is all but broken.
Enhancement: +1 to machinery and self-defense,
+2 to science
Defense: 4 Primary Pool: 9 (deception, crafting a plan)
Health: 6 Secondary Pool: 7 (criminality, punching)
Initiative: 5 Desperation Pool: 5
Edges: 7 Enhancement: +2 to crafting a plan and punching
Source: Inspiration 5 Defense: 4
Gifts: Architecture of Endurance, Beyond the Health: 6
Human Limit, Inspired Genius, Lightning Eye, Initiative: 5
Mithradates Gambit Edges: Elusive Target, Safe House, Wealth 4
Source: Inspiration 5
THIRTY-SEVEN Gifts: All According to Plan, Impossible
Once just a mindless clone of the Ubiquitous Magnetism, Legions Upon Legions, Mimic, Spun
Dragon, Thirty-Seven is the oldest of those from Nothing, Unstoppable Might

284 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYGUIDING ADVENTURE

 “Look deep, deep into nature,
and then you will understand everything better.”
— Albert Einstein to his son, Hans Albert Einstein

This chapter casts new light on the strange and mysterious corners of the Adventure! era of the
Trinity Continuum. If you are not a Storyguide planning on running a chronicle, you may wish to
skip over this part to avoid spoilers and preserve some surprises to the setting.

TELLURIC ENERGIES
Telluric energy is the term Dr. Sir Calvin globe, and indeed the solar system, into alignment
Hammersmith coined to describe the phenome- and suddenly psi and quantum particles flooded
non he was able to perceive. In truth, telluric en- the world.
ergy is generated by the interaction of two entan- While the Hammersmith Incident incited a cas-
gled particles, psi and quantum, and the signal that
cade of events that increased the amount of stable
connects them, flux. Unable to observe subatomic telluric energy in the world, telluric energy has
particles, Dr. Hammersmith mistakenly believed always existed and always had a chance to acti-
this interaction was uniform in behavior and singu-vate both people and places. Increased scientific
larly significant. Taken together, telluric energy is
interest in the Inspired condition has revealed
indeed the source of all the wondrous technology, that Inspiration is not a new phenomenon, and
scientific breakthroughs, and superhuman capabil- that history is filled with people who upon closer
ities exhibited in the era. How each piece interacts
inspection were likely Inspired. This is especial-
with humanity, though is what differentiates dare- ly true for people living in civilizations in close
devils, mesmerists, and stalwarts from one another.proximity to telluric hot spots or who happened
Dr. Hammersmith had a great many theories upon Strange Places.
about what telluric energy was and where it came
from, most of which he was mistaken about. One Untapped Potential
point he got entirely correct is that the energies The Hammersmith Incident did not go unno-
themselves were not always in the perceptible ticed in the greater universe. As psi and quantum
realm. Dr. Hammersmith knew the energy ex- particle flooded Earth, a powerful psionic alien
isted in a state of fluctuation, and if he could species called the Doyen detected the explosion.
calm that, he could harness the energy. When As the telluric energies threatened to escape the
Dr. Hammersmith’s Telluric Engine exploded, solar system, the Doyen installed an energy barri-
it forced fluctuating telluric sources across the er around it to contain humanity’s potential.

Telluric Energies 285

 While this has successfully quarantined the
energy, it has come with a strange side effect. As
a person interacts with telluric energy particles,
such as psi or quantum, they should become more
inundated with the substance and grow in pow-
er. For some reason, the Doyen’s energy barrier
prevents the key level of interaction that would
be necessary for an individual to become so pow-
erful that they might go from an Inspired indi-
vidual to a full psiad or nova. This phenomenon
has given scientists, particularly Sara Kaur and
Doctor Primoris, fits as they try to understand the
nature of telluric energy and its interaction with
humanity.
The Doyen’s exceedingly fast reaction to the
Hammersmith Incident speaks to a larger con-
nection between telluric energy and cosmic forc-
es. Somehow the Doyen predicted, or at least an-
ticipated, humanity’s eventual interaction with
the substance. Only time will tell what this means
for the future of humanity and the universe they
inhabit.
286 APPENDIX: SETTING SECRETS
Parallel Dimensions
The Inspired Age is rife with Strange Places
where parallel dimensions bleed into the world.
This effect lasts into the modern era of the
Trinity Continuum Core but is largely gone by
the Nova Age. These parallel dimensions are not
new in Adventure! and are not a direct result
of the Hammersmith Incident. Even before Dr.
Hammersmith began his studies on telluric ener-
gy, these Strange Places dotted the globe.
The Continuum contains an infinite number
of parallel dimensions, all as close to or different
from our own in an infinite number of ways. The
Strange Places where reality distorts and these
dimensions bleed into one another are a product
of high flux activity and wild probability. You can
think of them as a result of the observer effect.
Unobserved, these parallel dimensions may ex-
ist, but no one knows, so it doesn’t make an effect
upon the world. But the moment someone finds a
place on Earth literally no other human has been
to before, there is a probability that this place is a
weak point between dimensions. If the flux is high
in the area, that probability makes it much more
likely that the person discovering the location will
find an entrance into a Strange Place, effective-
ly skewing the high probability of, say, a normal
swamp, to the more remote possibility of a swamp
inhabited by the last surviving dinosaurs.
For this reason, Strange Places do not show up
in places where humans dwell, unless that place
has been around for a long time. They come and
go, though, and if enough time has passed since
a group has been to a location, or a new group
comes upon a location for the first time, then the
flux works out a new probability and might create
a new weak point. Meaning any unobserved place
could end up being a Strange Place, no matter who
might have observed it, even just a few years prior.
When humanity first traveled the world as no-
mads, they encountered Strange Places regularly,
but the more they traveled and mapped out the
land, the less they discovered and Strange Places
dwindled. Each time humanity sets out to discov-
er, a new wave of these weak points occurs. There
are far less Strange Places in the 1930s than there
were in the 1890s, and even less than there were in
the 1600s. By the 2020s, few places have been left
unexposed to human investigation, making the
dimensional breaches fewer and further between.
No one is more versed in parallel dimension
theory than Nikola Tesla. The famous inventor
and head of the American GIST program has been
interested in studying parallel dimensions from
an early age. During the late 1800s, Tesla traveled
the world cataloging and codifying these dimen-
sional anomalies, though at the time, few people
believed that Strange Places were more than just
flights of fancy. Because as more people ventured
to his discovered locations, they would fade away,
or they weren’t capable of perceiving the slight
differentiation between this dimension and one
close that was bleeding through. Anyone interest-
ed in truly studying parallel dimensions, Strange
Places, or flux events in the world need only spend
a day with Nikola Tesla, who will happily gush
about all he knows. Which is indeed a stunning
amount of information.

THE THREE MOST

POWERFUL INSPIRED
The following three individuals are quantumly Donighal in hopes that exposure to such a scien-
entangled with one another through the connec- tific discovery would expand his horizons. Max’s
tion of each of the energies the Hammersmith hope for the Telluric Engine was that it would
Incident infused in them. Each one has a longer change the world for the better, a hope that was
life span than any other human alive, and each one realized in a way that he never imagined.
has a role to play in the world’s future for centu- When the engine erupted, Max was inundat-
ries to come. ed with flux particles which transformed him
into a daredevil. His transformation was at once
Maxwell Mercer more subtle than that of Michael Donighal or Sara
Maxwell Mercer is an American business- Kaur, and also more dramatic. Max found out very
person, entrepreneur, explorer, and physi- quickly that he was capable of manipulating time
cist who was good friends with Dr. Sir Calvin itself.
Hammersmith. Dr. Hammersmith invited Max as
a friend, but also as someone with a vested inter-
The Missing Six Months
est in Hammersmith’s experiments, both from an Immediately following the Hammersmith
exploration standpoint and a monetary one. Incident in 1922, Maxwell Mercer disappeared
Dr. Hammersmith asked Max to help with the for a period of six months. During this time, his
guest list, and it was he who invited the media friends and colleagues searched the world over,
personalities to chronicle this world-changing but found no trace of him except some misinfor-
invention, and also invited the young Michael mation and lies. Some even thought he might have

The Three Most Powerful Inpired 287

 been incinerated in the blast, but witness accounts after he had departed, but that was close enough.
stated he helped people from the fire before he Malnourished and weak, Max reappeared in the
disappeared. So, what happened? doorway of Doctor Primoris’s office.
The moment Hammersmith’s Telluric Engine
The Æon Society and Beyond
exploded, Max was transformed by the flux en-
tering his body. With quick wit, he started helping Maxwell Mercer’s parents were both anthro-
spectators out of the fire, but as he did, he began pologists and fueled Max’s curiosity and desire to
skipping ever so slightly in time. He would help know more. Dr. Richard Mercer regaled his son
one person out, and then return to the burning with stories about a secret society he once be-
building only to find himself moments earlier longed to, called the Esoteric Order of the Æons,
watching his own progress out of the building and his mother, Anne Mercer, filled him with
with a survivor. He’d pull someone else, and they tales of exploration, adventure, and mischief. Max
would come out minutes later while everyone grew up on stories of adventure and excitement,
watched the blaze. Upon returning, he would find but when it was time to strike out on his own, he
the whole thing hadn’t happened yet, but he was decided to study humanities rather than anthro-
incapable of warning Dr. Hammersmith before pology like his parents. He was still interested in
the blast went off yet again. the sciences, and earned a double major in chem-
istry and philosophy from Harvard, but earned his
These time skips were disorienting, but Max
Master’s degree in sociology.
tried to control them as best he could. In doing so,
he sped up time around him, and traveled to the After school, Max had to return to his parent’s
future. At the onset, Max found himself an invis- Chicago brownstone to help run the estate after
ible witness to the passage of time as a helpless his mother’s untimely death and his father’s sud-
observer. Each time he jumped forward, he gained den decline in health. Maxwell turned his atten-
a sense of his power, and learned a little more how tions to philanthropic endeavors during that time
to control what he was doing. During these jumps, and used his parent’s vast estate to support various
he witnessed the rise of the Æon Society, and all science initiatives, humanities projects, and mu-
the hopeful things to come in the next 200 years. nicipal projects. He traveled as much as he could,
But something grim was also present — a counter- supporting pet projects, giving guest lectures, and
part to his optimism and naivety, chipping away every now and then going on his own exploratory
at the world to be. Soon enough, this “entity” de- adventures. When Dr. Calvin Hammersmith pro-
veloped primal instincts. As Max Mercer jumped posed this Telluric Engine endeavor, Max was first
through the Aberrant War, it began to hunt him, to lend money to the project. And in 1922, when
and it would’ve done so to the end of time if given he offered to debut it, he brought along Michael
the chance. As Max Mercer witnessed humanity Donighal, a young genius who he believed would
begin its expansion to the stars, he met the entity be the most enriched by the experience.
for the first time, and in doing so, he met himself. After the explosion and subsequent time travel,
As far as he could tell, the entity was a mirror Michael was the anchor that brought Max back.
image of himself who became everything and He knew what Michael would become in the fu-
anything that Max Mercer wasn’t. It was cyni- ture, but he didn’t know how to stop it, and he
cal and cruel, with so much experience that it surely wasn’t expecting to fall in love with the
lost all hope for the universe. Max wouldn’t have man as he convalesced after his return. Despite
stood a chance against the entity had it not been his feelings, Max believed he couldn’t be what
for all the hope he saw as humanity made their Michael needed from a partner. Where Michael
way to the stars. Hope made him remember his was young, brash, and full of passionate energy,
fondest friends, and that memory gave him the Max was stoic, focused, and completely uninter-
map to return to his own time. Despite learning ested in sex. When Michael confessed his own
how to manipulate the flux, his inexperience love to Max, in true Max fashion, he refused to re-
doing so gave him imperfect control over when ciprocate because he believed that was what was
in time he returned. He found it was six months best for Michael. It wasn’t that Max didn’t love

288 APPENDIX: SETTING SECRETS

and want to be with Michael, but that he didn’t returned to his own time, he realized that he was
think Michael would ever be satisfied with their in a completely alternate timeline, a different di-
relationship. mension that was extremely close to his own in
Max formed the Æon Society, styled after his fa- which the Aberrant War never happens. He had
ther’s stories of the Esoteric Order, and set about not prevented the war, but instead slipped side-
protecting the future. The start of the Æon Society ways into a branching timeline. This proved to be
was a golden time, but soon Doctor Primoris’s and the case for every major incident Max tried to cor-
Max’s philosophies began to diverge. As much as rect or manipulate. At one point, he had created
Max tried to guide him, Doctor Primoris became so many alternate timelines that he spent a week
more single-minded in his pursuits. He watched trying to untangle it and find his way home.
as the man he loved withdrew deeper into him- Large events that change the course of human-
self, and eventually broke away from him. ity are like a giant knot of threads each leading to
Max continued his work with the Æon Society, different people, future events, and circumstanc-
but as years passed and he watched the events es leading up to them. The larger the knot, the
of the future unfold with few changes, he had more impossible it is to unwind and restructure.
to resign himself to the fact that he would once Cutting a thread here, or moving an event there
again be a helpless viewer in the events of his- only branches a timeline for that snip, but it leaves
tory. In the 1950s, Max left the Æon Society and the larger event in place, unchanged. Smaller
faded from public life. Though, curiously, before events, those that only affect one or two people
he left, a man claiming to be Max’s son, Michael but may ripple through time to have greater ef-
Maxwell Mercer, had shown up at his home. Who fects later, are much easier to manipulate. These
his mother was is a mystery, one that neither Max do not create alternate timelines, but their effects
nor Michael care to comment on. Michael contin- are hard to predict.
ued with the Æon Society for some years before Max eventually stopped attempting to make
eventually passing away in the late 2010s. Some large changes to the timeline, preferring to make
speculate that Michael is actually Max, possibly a these smaller changes in a hope that he can have a
younger version of himself who instead of dying positive influence on the future.
returned to his timeline, or an alternate dimen-
sion version of himself. But questions along these Sara Kaur
lines only drew a laugh from the man, who was Saraswati Kaur Bhurano, known as Sara Kaur
far more severe and goal oriented than his father to those in the Æon Society and her British
ever was. compatriots, was Dr. Hammersmith’s lab assistant.
She traveled to the United Kingdom a scant six
Alternate Timelines
years earlier and answered a personal ad from
Maxwell Mercer doesn’t know any other dare- Dr. Hammersmith to be a writing assistant. In the
devil who is capable of time travel. This unique intervening years, despite not having a formal ed-
ability is both his greatest strength and greatest ucation in physics, Sara absorbed Hammersmith’s
weakness. In the years since the Hammersmith research like a sponge. She soon became a vital
Incident, Max has manipulated flux to travel to part of his research and was his only trusted lab
both the past and the future to explore the limits assistant.
of his abilities. In doing so, he has learned one par-
Sara was probably the nearest to the Telluric
ticularly important lesson: he cannot change time
Engine explosion in 1922. She was only steps away
itself, only manipulate it.
when Dr. Hammersmith turned the device on, and
Afraid of the Aberrant War and everything that maybe the only thing that saved her was the lead
it causes in the future, Max tried several times to shielding she was wearing. As the waves of telluric
prevent it from happening. Doing so was rarely energy passed through the spectators, the noetic en-
successful, as the event is tied to too many dis- ergy passing through Sara activated her latent abili-
tinct factors. The one time he actually succeeded, ties as a psion. Her story is much simpler than what
he believed he had saved his future. But when he happened to Max Mercer and Doctor Primoris; as

The Three Most Powerful Inpired 289

 the noetic energy empowered her, her sight was
turned inward. Through the neurons in her brain
colliding with psi particles, she came to see the mys-
teries of her dimension unravel before her eyes, rare-
ly making perfect sense. But conceptually, she saw
the first secrets of psionic powers give way to her,
and they enabled unparalleled self-reflection and
analysis of both herself and the human condition.
Then, as the Hammersmith Manor burned down
around her, she used her powers to bring as many
people as she could to safety. The reports speculated
that the Telluric Engine had built in safeguards for
spectators, but in truth, it was Sara Kaur who saved
so many lives that night.
Following this mesmerizing, internal journey,
she awoke out of sight as the catastrophe was
winding down. In 1920s Britain, she feared that as
Dr. Hammersmith’s vital lab assistant, the author-
ities would accuse her of sabotaging the Telluric
Engine. Michael Donighal offered to help her flee,
understanding more than any other what she was
going through. Kaur fled south through revolu-
tionary Spain and Portugal, before hopping the
first ship to India she could find. Along the way,
290 APPENDIX: SETTING SECRETS
she struck herself from the ship’s records, and in
the moments by herself, her passion for knowledge
only grew. On this long journey, she meditated
about the quilt of space-time, contemplating the
impossibility of what she’d seen at Hammersmith
Manor while finding comfort in Hinduism.
Upon her arrival in India, she became involved
with India’s struggle for independence, which
aligned with the creation of women’s associations
and their role in anti-colonial and nationalist strat-
egies. Under the new identity of Saranyu Kant,
she joined the civil disobedience movements of
Gandhi and began building an extensive network
of informants and resources, which enabled her to
secure her livelihood and start exploring the mys-
teries of reality out of her home in Delhi. During
this time, she practiced her newfound powers in
private and absorbed as many books as she could
get her hands on.
In India, a university does not commonly offer
courses or curriculums, simply the examinations
which earn you your degree. As a result of this
system, Sara Kaur picked up multiple degrees in
physics, chemistry, and even theology, and went
on to earn her doctorate in physics. She did this
using several different identities, with the doc-
torate completed under her primary identity, Dr.
Saranyu Kant, in 1932.
Sara’s largest project is dealing with the Rational
Experiment Group. She views these scientific
charlatans as a threat to civilized society and the
integrity of science and research across the world.
While she has official membership in Le Salon des
Femmes Nouveaux, she offers resources and sup-
port to anyone looking to dismantle the shadowy
organization.
Saving the Future
Sara Kaur has seen the future. Not the way that
Maxwell Mercer has seen the future, she hasn’t
actually been there, but she has seen it in bits and
pieces. She compared her notes once with Max af-
ter he returned from his six-month absence from
the world, but they could not agree on how to deal
with what they were seeing. They could not agree
on everything, but they both knew that Michael
Donighal, now styled as Doctor Primoris, would
set himself on a path that would rock the world.
Sara reached out to Doctor Primoris, and all the
way through the 1940s, she kept up a professional
relationship with him, sharing her research and
notes about the Inspired and telluric energy. She
tried to guide him towards the path she want-
ed him on, but knew she had minimal influence
over him. She urged Max Mercer to help her, and
his refusal confused and bothered her. She had
no idea that Max had already tried several times
but doing so just created alternate timelines. Not
knowing this degraded her trust in him and the
Æon Society, leaving her to work with other orga-
nizations instead.
Michael Donighal
Michael Damien Donighal was a grad student
in theoretical physics when Maxwell Mercer in-
vited him to a demonstration by Dr. Sir Calvin
Hammersmith. He was familiar with the man’s
work but hadn’t personally researched telluric
energy. The day was supposed to be a learning ex-
perience for him, set up by Mercer, who had been
a longtime advocate for the young Donighal’s ed-
ucational pursuits. Michael Donighal was one of
the three closest people to the blast along with
The Three Most Powerful Inpired
Maxwell Mercer and Sara Kaur. While Max was
inundated with flux particles, and Sara with no-
etic particles, Donighal was flush with quantum,
which prompted an instant and dramatic physical
transformation inside him. In the moments fol-
lowing the blast, Donighal’s mind expanded, his
musculature reformed, and he found himself to be
completely fireproof. A good thing, since the blast
had set the entire mansion on fire with people
trapped inside. By the time he made his way out
of the building, all the spectators were outside as
well, and Maxwell Mercer was gone.
From Donighal to Doctor Primoris
Michael Donighal was the youngest of the
guests at Dr. Hammersmith’s home when his
Telluric Engine exploded, at just 22 years old.
He was a graduate student at Trinity College in
Dublin, where he earned his bachelor’s in physics
a year prior. His graduation at such a young age
was no surprise, with a father who was a professor
at the college and a mother who, though lacking
in graduate level education, often edited and re-
wrote her husband’s research papers.
Michael’s father, Damien, was preoccupied
with his work, and an emotionally unavailable
man, leaving Michael’s mother, Ina, to do most of
the caretaking. Ina Donighal was a political ac-
tivist, a staunch Irish Nationalist, and a force to
be reckoned with. She imparted all her passions
onto her son, bringing him as a child to her wom-
en’s meetings and instilling in him a desire to fight
for the oppressed. During the Easter Rising, Ina
took up arms with the Cumann na mBan, and in-
fluenced by his mother’s politics, Michael joined
her. His father protested that a sixteen-year-old
couldn’t do much good, but Michael was incapa-
ble of watching his compatriots die for their free-
dom without also participating.
Michael met Maxwell Mercer while Max was
presenting at Trinity College during his under-
graduate program. Max saw so much potential
in the younger man, and Michael was thirsty for
someone who treated him as an intellectual equal,
and not a bothersome child. When Max asked
Michael to accompany him to Dr. Hammersmith’s
experiment, Michael jumped on the opportuni-
ty, eager to spend more time with the illustrious
Mercer.
291
 After the explosion, Michael searched every-
where for Max, but when it was clear he was no
longer in the vicinity, Michael set to the task of
finding out what Dr. Hammersmith had done,
and why it had gone wrong. His mental capacity
had expanded to a level that was far beyond any-
thing his professors could teach him, so he gave
up his graduate program to devote himself to
understanding telluric energy. As other witness-
es began to understand their powers and take on
nicknames, Michael changed his middle name to
Daemon to reflect his change to something more,
and to separate himself from his father. He then
styled himself as Doctor Primoris, halfway as a
joke, and halfway because he believed himself
better than anyone else using the sobriquet.
From Doctor Primoris to Divis Mal
When Maxwell Mercer returned six months
after disappearing, he did so in Doctor Primoris’s
office door. Primoris took him in and cared for
him. He grew to love the man, a fact that surprised
him. When he shared his feeling with Max, he was
surprised by the denial he got. Max confessed to
returning the feelings but claimed he couldn’t be
what Doctor Primoris needed. Primoris chaffed
under such a proclamation; who was Max to de-
cide what was best for him? Regardless, Max nev-
er budged, and his pointless self-sacrifice was just
the start of a rift that formed between the two.
Max shared his experiences of time travel in a
limited fashion with Doctor Primoris and asked
him to help found the Æon Society and protect
the future. He agreed, and in those first few years,
they shared a heady sense of heroism that they
were saving the future. As Doctor Primoris delved
deeper into the Hammersmith Incident and un-
derstanding telluric energy, Max encouraged him
to explore other avenues. They would often argue
about it, but Max had seen something in the fu-
ture, and he wouldn’t tell Primoris what was scar-
ing him.
In the 1930s, Doctor Primoris and Sara Kaur of-
ten collaborated on telluric energy research, but
her constant reprimands about his thoughts on
stalwarts left him with a sour taste for her brand
292 APPENDIX: SETTING SECRETS
of science. His only other intellectual equal was
Max, but he watched as Max continually chose
the members of the Æon Society over him. He
pushed Max for information about the future,
but Max remained insistent that it was not his to
fix. Despite either man’s best efforts, a rift grew
between them and Doctor Primoris grew disillu-
sioned with Max’s small steps approach to making
a better future.
By the 1940s, Doctor Primoris was so wrapped
up in his own belief that stalwarts were the pin-
nacle of human existence and his deep desire to
bring them to his own level, which he could see
was far superior to even the most powerful stal-
wart, that he split from the Æon Society. He was
frustrated that Max just wouldn’t fix whatever
it was that he was afraid of happening in the fu-
ture — he was the one with complete control over
time, after all. Max’s constant pushing against
Doctor Primoris made him angry, and his frus-
tration over his failings at finding a way to uplift
other stalwarts was infuriating. What’s worse is
that the stalwarts of the Æon Society refused to
assist him in his work. Didn’t they want to rise up?
Didn’t they want to inherit all the power that was
due them? After World War II, Doctor Primoris
announced his separation, declaring that the Æon
Society had created for themselves a wrathful
God, and disappeared.
In the intervening years, Doctor Primoris re-
built Dr. Hammersmith’s Telluric Engine and
tried to recreate the incident to empower only
stalwarts several times. When he finally finished
his own Telluric Engine, he reappeared in the
1960s restyled as Divis Mal. It was a reference to
the God he believed he had become, and the wrath
he intended to wreak upon a world that did not
deserve his benevolence. If humanity would not
rise and throw off the shackles of oppression on
their own, he would do it for them. And if the stal-
warts would not grasp for their power on their
own, he would shove it into them. It would take
another fifty years before he was finally able to
gather enough energy to destroy the Doyen en-
ergy barrier — which was what truly limited his
experiments — once his engine was running.
 THE FATE OF HUMANITY
The following sections lay out various possible fu-
tures for a game of Trinity Continuum: Adventure!.
While Adventure! comes first in the timeline that
comprises the Trinity Continuum, players have the
ability to alter the future in subtle and not so subtle
ways. If left untouched, the events of the timeline
lead to Michael Donighal as Divis Mal break the
Doyen energy barrier and ushering in the Nova Age,
the Aberrant War will follow, and then eventually
the world will enter the time period of Æon. But the
world as we know it between the 1930s and the 2030s
could look vastly different depending on the actions
the players take during their game.
The following takes a look at some alternate
scenarios that may lead to alternative futures and
give the characters a different world that what is
described in Aberrant and Æon. These alternate
scenarios would be parallel dimensions, but no
less valid than any other dimension available.
Preventing World War II
While it shouldn’t be the focus of a game of
Adventure!, characters may find their actions
lead to disrupting the Nazi power structure and
ultimately preventing World War II from taking
place. There are lots of events that would need to
happen to prevent the war, but the characters are
fully capable of tipping the scales and changing
how it turns out. We could prognosticate what
the world would look like without that partic-
ular event, but instead, we’d rather present op-
tions and things to think about for how your game
would look afterward.
Nazis opened their first Concentration Camps
in 1933, meaning that even if the characters pre-
vent the war, the damage done to the Jewish
people throughout Europe has already started.
Without a war, there is little impetus to liberate
those camps, which could be the focus of an ongo-
ing campaign. The League of Nations might con-
tinue to deliberate disputes between nations, but
it could also dissolve completely, leaving Europe
in a worsening state. The idea of globalism would
look vastly different, and the race to nuclear arms
might wait several decades for a different conflict,
possibly involving Fascist Italy.
Divis Mal would still work towards creating the
Nova Age and would still separate from the Æon
Society and eventually destroy the Doyen ener-
gy barrier. A type of United Nations might form,
or the League of Nations may continue into the
present serving a similar function to the UN. In
that case, the timeline might align itself with the
Aberrant War happening very similarly and lead-
ing to the future described in Æon.
Without a UN, the Aberrant War would be un-
likely to happen on a global scale. If it happens at
all, it might be fought in smaller arenas around the
world as different nations fought to expel novas
from their borders. The landscape of the world
following the Aberrant War would subsequently
be quite different, and by the Psion Age, the world
might be completely unrecognizable from what is
presented in Æon.
Strange Worlds
By the time of the Nova Age, the Strange Places
present in both Adventure! and the Trinity
Continuum Core are mostly gone from the world.
Not that they can’t exist, but by that time, the world
is largely known, and few places are left uncov-
ered or unwatched by humanity. Leaving a Strange
Place alone for any length of time generally causes
the barrier between dimensions to strengthen and
eventually go away. But traversing back and forth
between dimensions weakens the barrier further.
In the Inspired Age, characters may travel
back and forth between dimensions as a matter
of course and doing so may reveal that they are
weakening those barriers. Nikola Tesla is the most
versed about alternate dimensions, and the char-
acters could recruit him to help them try to solve
this problem, but his involvement is likely to make
it worse rather than better. As a skilled dimen-
sional traveler, Tesla cannot help but to weaken
barriers around him.
If the dimensional barriers are weak enough,
flux energy may start to pool and gather in these
areas, pushing noetic and quantum energy into
their own strange pockets, which would strength-
en dimensional barriers there. This could lead to
The Fate of Humanity 293
 hard dividing lines between dimensional rifts and of these figures does little to change events up un-
the world. Instead of fading away, the dimension- til the advent of the Nova Age. But without Divis
al rifts would reinforce themselves as people con- Mal to destroy the Doyen energy barrier, it will
stantly cross back and forth. By the time the Nova continue to suppress quantum and noetic ener-
Age comes about, the world may be a conglomer- gy on Earth. The Æon Society would not persist
ation of several alternate dimensions coexisting without Maxwell’s guidance, though several other
throughout the world. Allegiances might rise up instead and their stories
would continue.
Mutually Assured Flux would continue to reign on Earth, and in
Destruction the place of the Nova Age, an age of Talents would
The events of the future of the Trinity continue to reign supreme. Without quantum
Continuum are largely predicated on the flooding the world, Talents would likely develop
Hammersmith Incident and the three individu- beyond their base state, and the world may expe-
als Maxwell Mercer, Michael Donighal, and Sara rience Talents with the capabilities and powers
Kaur. In Adventure!, the incident transpired normally available only to Maxwell Mercer.
twelve years before and many events are already The obvious evolution of Talents would be
set into motion. But what if Max, Michael, and characters who could not just touch the edges of
possibility and make them into reality but could
Sara died at the incident instead of being changed?
exert complete control over probability in a con-
What if their differences led them to kill each oth-
er in the course of the Inspired Age? What would scious manner. Much how Max Mercer can con-
the world look like without these pivotal charac-trol time, these characters would actively control
ters changing the world around them? probabilities from time and space anomalies to
The world would likely look a lot like our own dimensional barriers.
on a political spectrum, the presence or absence

294 APPENDIX: SETTING SECRETS

Name: Origin Path:
Player: Role Path:
Concept: Society Path:
Additional Paths: Inspired Type:
Moment of Inspiration

SKILLS
Aim: Integrity:
Athletics: Larceny:
Close Combat: Medicine:
Command: Persuasion:
Culture: Pilot:
Empathy: Science:
Enigmas: Survival:
Humanities: Technology:

ATTRIBUTES
Force Intellect Might Presence
Finesse Cunning Dexterity Manipulation
Resilience Resolve Stamina Composure

FACETS INJURY CONDITIONS

Destructive Bruised +1
Intuitive Bruised +1
Reflective

INSPIRATION Injured +2
Injured +2
Maimed +4
Taken Out
Defense = Appropriate Resilience Attribute
Armor:
Experiences:
 EDGES SPECIALTIES/SKILL TRICKS

GIFTS PATH CONTACTS

ASPIRATIONS

GEAR ARMOR
Gear EN Armor Base Hard Soft

WEAPONS
Weapon EN Range Damage Type Tags

VEHICLES
Vehicle Size Handling Speed Tags Weapons
 “Don’t try to pin my success on mind-reading,
kid. Nothing beats hard work and worn soles for
getting to the bottom of a good story. I was a suc-
cess well before I covered the Hammersmith affair.
The only thing that’s done for me is make the world
a much more exciting place to get a scoop.”

— Helen Perkins, Mesmerist

Trinity Continuum: Adventure! is a game of pulp
action and daring adventures. Over a decade ago,
an explosion at a private science debut created a
ripple across the world. The year is now 1934, and
the Inspired — people with extraordinary abilities
— contend with unnatural threats, explore strange
wonders, and vie to shape the oncoming 21st Century.
Take on the role of a brave hero and embark on your
next great adventure!
Inside Trinity Continuum: Adventure!, you’ll find:
• Information about the three Inspired character
types: daredevils, mesmerists, and stalwarts

• Details about the world in the 1930s viewed

through a pulp lens

• Updated Storypath rules and character creation

information for Inspired characters

• Storyguide advice on how to run various pulp

genres
Requires the Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook to
play,

TRI016