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Introduction
“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension
as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light
and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of
man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of
imagination.”
— Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone, 1959)
The World never truly ends, it merely shatters. Each fragment giving birth to new possibilities, new
futures within whole new realities as they fall. Every time the World is saved, it continues on in one
reality while other possibilities propel forward into another tomorrow. When we sleep, our souls travel to
other worlds and realms. Our imaginations touch the shards and run rampant. They are not merely
dreams. These Mythic Shards are as real as the Divine Realms, and the realm we live in. All myths are
true.
Scions rise as costumed superheroes fighting against the forces of Evil. They tear across a barren
wasteland trying to rediscover their lost divinity and restore the World. They are the pariahs of society,
hunted despite their best efforts to make the World a better place. They explore the vast expanses of space
trying to find their way back home. They attune to Divine mecha in a highly technological age to battle
Titanic kaiju and devilish corporations subjugating and hording the resources of the planet. These are just
a sampling of the myriad of shards living and breathing in a reality parallel to our own.

How to Use This Book

Scion: Mythic Shards presents alternate realities for the World of Scion and provides new rules for
players and Storyguides to incorporate into their games. Each chapter explores a single shard of reality at
varying tiers of Scion gameplay. These chapters are standalone from each other and don’t need to be
consumed with the other chapters in order to start playing. Mythic Shards requires the use of Origin,
Hero, Demigod, and God in order to play.

Layout
While every chapter that follows is a standalone shard, they all follow a similar layout with sections
containing information suitable for players and Storyguides followed by Storyguide only sections. The
chapters are divided as follows:
• Fiction: A short story showing a glimpse of a Scion’s life within the shard.
• Genre Introduction: This section contains genre inspirations and explanations for genre and feel
of the World within the shard.
• A Brief History of the World: Each shard exists within an alternate reality, and this section
provides story seeds and a quick explanation of the significant events that shaped the World within the
chapter.
• New Player Options: Contains tier appropriate player options such as new setting mechanics,
Fatebindings, Powers, Birth Rights, Knacks, or Boons, etc., for the shard.
• Key Players: Short biographies of the important people within this version of the World. Some of
the Scions and denizens share similarities to the signature Scions in the main timeline of the World but are
quite different.
• Locations: Some of the well-known places within the shard characters are likely to encounter, the
people associated with those, and the major goings on around them. This is the last player facing section
in each chapter.
• Plots and Schemes: Storyguide only section. Arc length plot seeds appropriate for each Tier
represented in the chapter. These can be played as missions for the players to get a feel for the new
setting.
• Antagonists and Storyguide Characters: Storyguide only section. Stat blocks and more
amplifying information for Antagonists and Storyguide characters that might be import to the introduced
plot seeds within the chapter.

Shard Overviews
The shards contained within the following chapters of this book only touch on a sliver of possibilities of
alternate realities Scions can experience. Below are overviews of each shard, and the themes they each
touch upon. Normal campaigns of Scion are urban fantasy games of adventure and intrigue, grounded in
reality but made fantastical by increasingly overt intervention by the divine.

After the End

“In the roar of an engine, he lost everything and became a shell of a man, a
burnt-out, desolate man, a man haunted by the demons of his past, a man who
wandered out into the wasteland. And it was here, in this blighted place, that he
learned to live again.”
— Narrator (Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, 1981)
In place of the lush, fertile lands the World once knew are the endless desert wastes that stretch out before
your Scions. Every pantheon’s apocalypse triggered, fundamentally altering the World in ways that would
take lifetimes to catalog. The Gods are dead. The Titans, too. Rumors say that the Overworlds haven’t
fared any better. How, then, do Scions still exist? Whatever power still courses through their veins must
persist for a reason, right? Or is the enduring power of Scions simply a artifact of flying under the radar of
the myriad cataclysms that tore the planet to shreds? Does it matter? Would uncovering the secrets of the
shattered World’s origins help them survive? And how long has it been since the ends of the World?
Whatever the answers are, you aren’t the only divine beings to persist in the face of oblivion. Others exist,
though life in this twisted version of the World has left them harder, meaner, and less trusting. If you
thought the witch with the chicken-legged hut was someone to beware before she forged her own metal
prosthetics, you had best give her an ever wider berth now. Of course, there are new enemies, too. The
deserts hold many factions, from the Apotheosis-seeking Scions of the Fourth Dawn to the raiders of the
Empire of Rust. Each of them sees their own path for the World and will do whatever it takes to see their
vision come to fruition. Especially the Coil, who assassinates Demigods before they can achieve
Apotheosis.
And just as the World has changed, so have Scions. Two new types have stepped into the World.
Reflection Scions are born from the Mantles of Echoes, fragments of obliterated Gods and Titans.
Mutated Scions house disparate fragments of divine power, making them beholden to no one but
themselves. And no matter what a Scion’s origin is, they bear a gift from the shattered World, a Mutation.
Scions of After the End are survivors with the power to decide their own fate and those they care about.
It’s up to you to decide what that means. Whom will you help and what will it cost you? Will you be a
Savior to the World or another of its Scourges?

Cyber-Scion
“Viewed as organisms, [corporations] had attained a kind of immortality. You
couldn’t kill a zaibatsu by assassinating a dozen key executives; there were
others waiting to step up the ladder…”
— William Gibson (Neuromancer, 1984)
Cyber-Scion is a hybrid version of cyberpunk, breaking away from the gritty street-level forebears of the
genre. Your Scions aren’t scrappy underdogs in shadowy bars, accepting morally dubious missions to
erode corporate strangleholds on society; they’re intrepid pilots of Divine Machines, powerful mecha
ready to smite mysterious monsters and insidious TITAN corporations with equal ferocity. Cyber-Scion
takes cyberpunk’s struggle for the soul of humanity and infuses it with the larger-than-life, larger-than-
buildings energy of the tokusatsu genre. When you decide to confront a company for their evil deeds, you
don’t need to stealthily infiltrate them or hack them from miles away. You can hop into the cockpit of the
ODINSON Divine Machine, heft a bus-sized hammer, and smash their walking corporate headquarters in
the face.
And then, there are the kaiju, giant monsters of legend, some of whom thrash against humanity for their
own alien reasons and some of which fight for their corporate masters. Why are they attracted to the
ambrosia that fuels modern technology? What is the substance to them? Regardless of the answer, kaiju
are a dangerous enigma for you to solve while you protect the people and denizens of the World, whether
they be citizens of a country or members of cooperative city-states known as Freeholds.
Of course, it would be too easy if you were the only ones who could pilot the Divine Machines. The six
TITANS — megacorporations who control the World’s economies — have them, as well. And they won’t
hesitate to deploy their Divine Machines to defend their business interests. You have a herculean task set
before you, but you’re more than up for the challenge. Especially if you connect your Divine Machine up
to your Bandmates’ and form an even larger Divine Machine.

Farewell to Heroes
“That’s life. Whichever way you turn, fate sticks out a foot to trip you.”
— Al Roberts (Detour, 1945)
In the wake of the Herakles Incident, Scions are hunted by those they used to protect. No longer are they
regarded as heroes but are now villains to be treated with hatred and fear. Any overt display of divinity
calls in agents from TITAN to capture and subdue the Scions. Scions are presented with the choice:
imprisonment, naturalization, or hunting their fellow Scions. Scions live in a World hearing destiny’s call
but struggling to resist it. The World needs heroes but revealing oneself is fraught with danger. Be
branded an Outlaw without the protection of a citizen of the World on the fringes, live in denial of your
identity, or live your truth — consequences be damned, because the World is worth fighting for. In
Farewell to Heroes, Scions skulk in the fringes of society trying to get by without being revealed as an
Unnatural, evading the attention of the TITAN organization whose agents mean to capture them. The
World of Farewell to Heroes emulates the dark and gritty realistic feel of noir thrillers at the Origin and
Hero Tiers of play as they utilize their divine abilities to protect a World that no longer protects them,
working on the edges of society dodging Scion hunters, TITAN agents, bounty hunters, crooked officials,
and monstrous Titanspawn.
Four Colors
“Stand back, Valkyrie — and my mystical might shall deal with yon mechanized
m enace!”
“No, Stephen — you’ve done your share in freeing us. Now it is your turn to
stand and be w itness — while I see if this finely-honed gift of yours is w orthy
of all its legends.”
— Doctor Strange to Valkyrie (The Defenders, #12, Feb 1973)
Zeus has fallen. Apep roars triumphant and marches his army of Titans, Titanspawn and evil doers to
conquer the World. Governments, militaries, and law enforcement can do little to stop Apep. All the
World is watching and know that Gods can be killed. People are terrified of what tomorrow will bring
because who dares to stand against them? You — and other Scions like you answered the call to rise up
and openly fight against the forces of evil! Divinity courses through your veins as you wear colorful
costumes and a mask to inspire the masses, because you heed the call to action — you are a superhero,
bringing order and justice in a World desperately needing it. The World of Four Colors is bright despite
Apep’s looming shadow and carries the hope and nostalgic whimsy of golden and silver age comic books.
Four Color Scions games operate at the Heroic and Demigod Tiers with superhero teams reaching God
level play as they work together to dismantle Apep’s plans be it an army of malevolent robots, death rays,
or a gigantic meteor hurdling towards the Earth.

Space Odyssey
“Belief can be the difference between victory and defeat. Get a crew to believe in
miracles, they might just give you one.”
— Captain Christopher Pike (Star Trek: Brave New Worlds, 2022)
It took Odysseus ten years to travel 650 miles. You’re more than 650 light years from Earth. It’s a good
thing your ship’s galley is fully stocked, because returning to the World might not be in the cards. You’re
beyond the Worlds, traveling within the Tenebrium, a region of space rich with aliens, divine blessings,
and action. It’s up to you and your fellow crewmembers to decide what heading to take and what to make
of your circumstances.
Will you make friends within the Parhelion Complex or keep the federation of Illuminated Worlds at
arm’s length? Will you seek out the strange Mantles of the Gods that exist in this strange part of the
universe? Are you going to spend your time trying to get home or will you make a new home in the
Tenebrium? One thing’s for certain, no matter what you do, you’re going to get lost many times before
you find your footing. The species of the Tenebrium might resemble the Denizens of the World, but they
each have their own distinct culture and civilization. Some of their details might be just familiar enough
to lead you to the wrong conclusion. For example, the Vulpari are foxlike bipeds who have been known to
work with a Mantle of Inari, but mistaking them for kitsune is a sure way to end up offending them or
getting outfoxed.
Despite all the challenges you’ll face within the Tenebrium, there’s good news; the area is largely
peaceful, meaning that you’ll almost always have the opportunity to talk your way out of problems. In the
Tenebrium, solving disagreements through quick wit, earnest dialog, and taking bold actions that cut to
the heart of a disagreement is generally preferred over exchanging blaster fire. That’s not to say that you
can’t get into dog fights in space, just that you shouldn’t make it a habit unless you want a reputation as a
marauder. Your Space Odyssey is what you make of it, and the future is bright and weird.
Storyguiding a Multiverse of Divinity
BEGIN BOXED TEXT
Storyguides Only
The rest of this chapter is for Storyguide only. If you are a player, please skip to the chapters that follow
to learn more about the Mythic Shards. Storyguides, this section provides advice on how to approach the
variety of themes and unique challenges presented in each shard.
END BOXED TEXT

Showing What Remains After the End

“It is a knight’s duty to better this fallen world.
— Maximus (Fallout, 2024)
After the End is a post-apocalyptic World with a twist: it’s not a place of bleak survivalism; it’s a World
ready to be reborn. Players may not realize this until several sessions into the game. While each player
should arrive at this conclusion, you do not need to hurry them down this path. It’s far more impactful for
players to discover that this blasted wasteland is a place of new beginnings on their own than it is for you
to deliver that knowledge to them. This is because that epiphany turns their Scions’ mission in the World
from one of simply surviving to one where they’re not only empowered to make a difference, but morally
obligated to do so.
Scions who commit to healing the World may gain the Savior Fatebinding. They might even seek
Apotheosis to become the World’s only God — or at least one of the first Gods to exist since the
apocalypses. This isn’t the only possible path, though. Some players revel in razing sandcastles, and
they’ll find no shortage of enemies to fight. Each of the factions hold wildly different worldviews, which
easily sets up conflicts that can follow the Scions for their entire lives. Scions who would rather destroy
foes than shepherd the World into a new age are prime candidates for the Scourge Fatebinding.
Also, while the Gods and Titans of the World are dead or in exile, any creature below Tier 4 is still
available for you to use. Baba Yaga has survived as the Witch of the Wastelands (p. XX) and is certainly
not the only big name character to do so. Feel free to take your favorite mythic figure, give them a Mad
Max-style makeover, and introduce them into your chronicle. Think about how they would react to a
World without Gods or Titans and what they’d have to do to survive in their new, harsh environment.
Then, fill in their details appropriately. For example, Baba Yaga lost her right arm and replaced it with a
dieselpunk prosthetic. Not only is she still one of the World’s most powerful witches, but she has a
flamethrower now!

Piloting Cyber-Scion
“The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in our control and not the other way
around. Let them fight.”
— Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Godzilla, 2014)
Divine Machines are the distinguishing feature of Cyber-Scion. Not only are they physically massive, but
they also have a huge mechanical impact on how the game plays out. It is entirely possible for a combat-
focused character to have an attack dice pool of 15, with a +1 Enhancement at character creation. Even a
character who doesn’t go all-in on fighting stats will have an attack pool of 10. This simply doesn’t
happen in the main version of Scion. Because of this, you’ll have to be mindful about how you challenge
the players. Throwing a few Rivals at a Band will merely serve as a warmup — not any sort of significant
challenge. Even Nemeses don’t stand much of a chance against the Scions’ Divine Machines.
However, the innate combat might of Divine Machines is not absolute; as tough as they are, they
eventually run out of health, leaving their pilots to fend for themselves. So, while you can breathe easy
knowing that your players’ characters can take on a pack of hostile mecha and kaiju, keep in mind that
you will eventually wear them down, especially if none of the Divine Machines have the Healer Calling.
Even if Band has healing Submodules, they’ll eventually run out of Legend and Momentum to fuel their
powers. In other words, think of combat challenges as short-term, unless you really want to challenge the
Band’s endurance.
Of course, just because the players have giant hammers doesn’t mean that all of their problems are nails.
Intrigue and Procedural scenes have just as much of a place in Cyber-Scion as they do in any other Scion
game. Be sure to create opportunities for the Scions to perform investigations, win allies, and discover
corporate secrets. Mecha versus kaiju combat is fun, but it doesn’t need to carry your whole game.

Painting Scions in Four Colors

M uch awaits Supergirl on the fateful course she is about to embark — new
friends, a glamorous career, a different life-style… and a maniacal murder who
leads Supergirl on the Trail of the Madman!
— Cary Bates (Supergirl, No. 1, Nov 1972)
WHAM! BAM! POW! Scions in the World of Four Colors are the brightest sparks of divine touched
humanity. They unironically fight for truth, justice, and their fellow humanity. Four Colors embodies all
of the joy and optimism of golden and silver age superhero comics without the shadow of cynicism of the
gritty modern comics. How do you apply this sort of template to a Scion game? It’s easier than you think.
Mythic heroes are larger than life and performed massive feats to forge their legends across the ages.
While Herakules fought a great many monsters, he also had to perform labors which he couldn’t resolve
with his fists along, he used his wits to trick his opponents and create solutions. A Four Colors Scion of
Hephaestus, Mala Silverfist, forges a giant shield to repel Apep’s death ray from destroying the Great
Pyramids. Vayu’s Chosen, Green Gazelle, swings their mace, summoning a wind that cuts through a flock
of enraged basan scorching the Metro City Art Museum. The key to keep a superhero campaign rooted in
divinity is to add a mythical spin to the problems the Scions must resolve.
As the Storyguide, the trick for running this shard is thinking about what sort of stories would be
approved for a general audience to approach tougher topics and issues. This genre notably in the golden
age pre-comics code had a dark edge just not to the extent of modern comics versus the campy nature of
the comic-code era silver age comics. This isn’t saying the stories of Four Colors are childish — they
merely embrace the joy of superhero media. Allow your players to play their characters as larger than life
and pit them against all manner of threats from a mortal cat burglar to a rampaging hydra to an alien
menace threatening to invade the Earth. This isn’t to say you can’t introduce heavier, mature themes to
your adventures but should use appropriate warnings and safety tools with your players to prepare them
for what tone of game they should be expecting.
Comics from this genre embrace cool signature weapons, colorful costumes and entertaining monikers.
Even heroes without obvious divine powers are hypercompetent forces of nature against street level
criminals and other dangers. The World is the stage Four Color Scions transverse with real and fictional
cities co-existing. If New York doesn’t fit as a location for a story, don’t be afraid to recast it as Mega
City, Metropolis, or some amalgamation of any large city you can imagine.
Storyguides should consider challenging Scions within their campaigns with a villain of the week
approach in episodic story arcs with favorite antagonists as reoccurring threats. By keeping it episodic, a
session can focus on the action with some narration about what the Scions were doing between sessions
unless the players wish to focus on what happened between adventures when their characters weren’t
wearing their masks. Exploring how Scions navigate a personal life while also dealing with Titanic threats
can be just as interesting of a story if it’s something everyone at the table wants to explore.

Saying Farewell to Heroes

A telephone-bell rang in the darkness. When it had rung three times bed-springs
creaked, fingers fumbled on wood, something small and hard thudded on a
carpeted floor, the springs creaked again, and a man’s voice said:
“Hello…. Yes, speaking…. Dead? … Yes…. Fifteen minutes. Thanks.”
— Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon, 1929)
Cursed and fear by the World they wish to protect, Scions of Farewell to Heroes are denied the glory of
their victories and branded as criminals protected by no one but themselves. Where Four Colors lives in
the light, Farewell to Heroes seethes in shadowy dark allies and skulks at forlorn docks. Set in the noir
genre, this shard examines what it means to be a hero when no one is on your side but you are the only
one that can make a difference in the World. Storyguiding this genre is running a mystery Scion campaign
turned up to eleven, everyone has a price and no place is truly safe. This game relies on a claustrophobic
atmosphere to set a somber tone but it’s important to grant moments of levity to give players a chance to
breathe before the other shoe drops, and things go sideways. The city doesn’t need to be perpetually in
twilight or raining to feel unwelcoming. Large crowds or the presence of cameras or that odd moment of
eye contact from a stranger can make a Scion on the run nervous.
Scions no matter who their divine parentage is, is a threat to society, no matter how well meaning their
actions are. It means that any overt display of their power brings mistrust and fear rather than wonder and
admiration. This knowledge is a powerful tool to set up scenarios where players must weigh whether or
not their character thinks the risk is worth exposing their identity. They must remember, no kind deed
goes unpunished. Pangs of conscience might gnaw at a Scion of a Shiva or Baldr if they witness a
mugging but decide against intervening. Those moments of inaction might haunt them more than their
failures. If you create these moments, it is important to echo this scenario again later on and present an
opportunity for the Scions to relieve their conscience and achieve catharsis by saving someone else or
somehow helping the victim they didn’t save earlier.
Plotlines within this shard can run from recovering Mjolnir from the hidden vault of TITAN before the
agency can catch you to investigating the murder of a Denizen tavern owner who provided Scions with
new identities to safer pastures. Consider providing problems the players will need to utilize cunning as
well as their divine abilities to resolve, especially if they risk exposing the nature of their abilities. Scions
in this World want to do the right thing but society is against them, are they really willing to let mortal
law stop them?
Farewell to Heroes stories tend to focus heavily within one city since moving from one city to another
can attract notice from Scion hunters but bands will have to leave to help out a friend or family or when
they’ve been burned in their current city. They need contacts and safe houses to hide out in. It isn’t just
the schemes of Titans or other divine issues these Scions must contend with — bounty hunters, assassins,
and government agencies all want to take them down. Consider seeding threads of doubt about whether
any helpful face is actually a spy for TITAN or is working for someone else. This isn’t to say there aren’t
good, well intentioned people in the World who truly mean to help the Scion, it just takes a lot of time to
develop that sort of trust. These stories can be quite dark, so discussing safety tools with your players will
be essential to making a memorable and enjoyable campaign for everyone at the table.

Treking the Space Odyssey

“I'm lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship — a living ship — full of
strange alien life forms. Help me. Listen, please. Is there anybody out there who
can hear me?”
— John Crichton (Farscape, 1999)
The hardest part of steering a good space opera is always having something new up your sleeve. In the
various incarnations of Star Trek, Farscape, and the other inspirations for Space Odyssey, the writers’ jobs
were tricky; they had to flesh out an ever-expanding universe for the characters to live, work, and love in.
Each episode brought new strangeness, problems, and ways to prevail. If your players are fans of the
science fiction and fantasy genres, they might expect similar things from you each game, which would
challenge any Storyguide.
Fortunately, Space Odyssey has an advantage in its storytelling that few sci-fi shows do. It already has
hundreds of characters and alien civilizations to draw inspiration from. Like the Stargate franchise, this
shard explores myths and legends through the lens of science fiction, however in true Scion fashion, All
Myths Are True. The fact that Space Odyssey’s Vulpari, Japan’s kitsune, and China’s húli jīng all resemble
each other and are certainly related to each other doesn’t make them any less distinct. All three of them
can exist in a Space Odyssey chronicle. When you want to expand your chronicle’s corner of the
Tenebrium, you need only pick a mythic creature or character and put a sci-fi spin on them. What makes
them interesting? What elements should stay the same? Which of their abilities would be a natural fit for
the sci-fi genre if tweaked slightly? What would be fun or unexpected to change? What role do you want
them to take in your game? How should they engage with the players’ Scions? And remember: your
players don’t need to recognize everything. Your players don’t need to be familiar with jiāngshī to
appreciate the exciting flavor that introducing them into your game brings; the point of using existing
creatures isn’t to make your players feel smart for recognizing the situation but to use the creatures as
scaffolding so that you’re not starting from scratch.
Example: Hiromi wants to introduce the jiāngshī into their chronicle, so they break the monsters down to
their basics. Jiāngshī are qi-sapping reanimated corpses that hop to get around, are generally mindless,
and are sometimes pacified or controlled by a paper talisman on their face. Hiromi wants to expand their
energy-draining ability beyond just qi to endanger the Scions’ ship’s engines. The jiāngshī’s trademark
hopping is a little silly, though, so Hiromi swaps that out for the ability to ignore gravity. Since jiāngshī
can be controlled, Hiromi reasons that a seemingly innocent Storyguide Character could be using the
monsters to siphon energy to his ship. And for the final twist, Hiromi decides these space jiāngshī aren’t
mindless or monstrous, but simply exploited undead ship mechanics under the thrall of a greedy captain.
A word of caution with this technique: Make sure that you tell the players all of the important details. It’s
all too easy to get caught up in appreciating the folklore and leave out crucial information. Just because
some of the players get a reference doesn’t mean that they all do, and just because they recognize a
creature doesn’t mean they know the same stories you do.
Waters Spring Anew
“Run, Nea! Run!”
Nea saw her mother lock the hatch in front of her. A brief caress and a look in her eyes Nea would never
forget were the only farewell destiny allowed them to have.
It had all happened so fast.
Shona woke up the girl in the middle of the night, as a chorus of screams and explosions cut through the
darkness. Someone had broken through the walls. Perhaps the Broken Finger clan — they had promised
to come back after Lucertola refused to pay the tribute again, after all — or one of their rival tribes. Or
maybe the stories about Lady Slaughterica’s horde moving westward weren’t just the elders listening to
whatever promise of doom the wandering merchants would carry along. In the end, the result didn’t
change. Fire was devouring the settlement. People died in the streets.
Her mother taught Nea the plan for as long as the little girl could remember. The plan was simple. The
plan was important. The plan was never to be forgotten. “If something ever happens, if it’s bandits,
monsters, or if I just tell you it’s time, we go to the caves behind the cistern. We reach the hatch I showed
you. The hatch isn’t big for any adult to enter. It’s not big enough for me to enter, not anymore. But the
underground river inside it emerges far from here. Far enough to be safe.” At this point of the plan, Shona
always stopped, put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, and looked her in the eyes. “If something ever
happens, you go into that hatch and run. Don’t look back. Run. It’s going to be dark, but you only have to
follow the water’s sounds for as long as it takes to see light again. You don’t stop. Not for anyone. Not for
me. You promise me?” Nea always nodded, and her mother always hugged her. “My brave, brave girl.”
The plan was perfect. The plan always sounded so distant. Not anymore. On the other side of the hatch,
Nea could hear the bandits shriek. The sound of buzzsaws. Screams. As tears began flowing down her
cheeks, she followed the plan.
Water carried her away from everything she had ever known.
• • •
Nea sat on a rusted barrel, leaning on the watchtower’s railing while looking at the horizon. Lookout
shifts didn’t pay much, but she needed any source of income she could find. Besides, they kept her above
the Underserpent’s roads — and those who walked them — for the better part of the day, which was the
safest option she could find to pass her time until the situation changed.
So far, things had been pleasantly peaceful. A pack of starving waste mongrels had walked over a mine in
the defense perimeter, but Nea had already notified the event to the people down below. Past that, only the
screams of a worker falling into a poison pool grabbed her attention for a split second. Further away, way
after the fangs and the alkaline plains beyond, the young woman spotted a swirling cloud of sand and
lightning pushing toward them. A bad one, even within the protection of the Underserpent’s giant skull,
but not a problem to worry about before at least a day. Two, tops.
“…are you even listening to me?” Trank waved at Nea.
She sighed. “Look, the grilled gecko you brought me grants you the permission to stay here a while. Not
my attention.” Nea didn’t have the energy to deal with another of Trank’s ideas. Her friend took
everything in stride, trusting that luck would have his back. A doomed attitude in the lost lands, and not
safe either in a place like Underserpent.
“Haha. Very funny” He grabbed what was left of the grilled gecko out of Nea’s hands and threw it from
the watchtower.
“What the hell, man?” she said, standing up.
“I want to hear what you think.” The way he looked at her, Nea knew she wouldn’t get rid of Trank
without addressing the matter.
“What I think? I think that we were supposed to stay in Underserpent just enough for Fio to heal, that I
don’t like settling down, and it’s been two months instead. I think that Hellion doesn’t find you as
amusing as you believe she does and will want her money back soon. I think it’s telling that nobody
accepted that job before Olando asked you about it…”
“Well, that’s because…” Trank tried to interrupt. Nea didn’t let him.
“It’s because going after some relic in a contaminated hole everyone avoids means death. For everyone,
and especially us. We’re not mercs, nor we are wasteland explorers. We do odd jobs and survive.” She
drew her breath in. “Our time here is running out, Trank. I can tell. We should grab what we can and run.”
Nea turned around, looking at the horizon once again.
A few seconds of still silence passed before Trank spoke again. “Nea, I know it’s dangerous. But it’s
exactly why Olando pays someone like us well for. It’s good payment for us, but not for anyone with
more cred. We do this, we can leave with food, water, and fuel.” He paused. “Besides, it’s not a
contaminated hole. It’s like…a mine from the old times. There’s nothing down there but abandoned
equipment, rats, and an underground lake.”
“Water,” thought Nea, answering to memories that went back way more than she realized.
• • •
“Run, Nea! Run!
Dozens of Glowers were swarming the tunnels, crawling on ground and walls like ravenous cockroaches
that knew neither mercy nor respite. Fio unloaded their rifle on the mutants each shot a precious shell
carefully saved for months. Enough ammunition to buy a house in Underserpent exploded in the
creatures’ bodies, a treasure spent for survival. Trank was right ahead of Fio, the wound in his chest
bleeding profusely.
Nea ignored the shrieks and kept going. At each turn, at each crossroad, she didn’t stop nor hesitate. She
was flowing like water, following her instinct into the darkness without even knowing where it would
bring her.
The lake appeared in front of her before she could even notice it for what it was. She dove in, and started
to swim. “Come on!” she said turning around.
Trank was there, frozen. Fio right behind, and then the glowers. With a mere look on his face, Nea knew.
“I…I can’t swim, Nea. Never learned to.” Trank waved at her. “It’s been fun. You go.”
Tears appeared under Nea’s eyes. She turned her back on her friends, barely catching a breath. Then, she
stopped. Memories she had shunned flashed in her mind. “No, not again.”
She turned once more. Other glimpses returned.
A war, fought amidst storms and lightning. Her, rising from the sea, adorned in fury and glistening scales.
Legions of monsters — her children — railing against the enemy. She had lost back then. She wouldn’t
now.
Nea felt long lost power flowing through her veins. She remembered a name once lost. It would be hers
again. With a gesture, a wrathful stream of water erupted from the lake, crushing against the glowers.
Bones shattered against its might, hopeless and so painfully mortal. Another gesture conjured a liquid
wall that shielded Fio and Trank from what followed.
Nea screamed — roared — and the water answered to her. The whole lake became a flood, a wrathful
tsunami that ran upward the tunnels and trampled every single one of the creatures who dared to threated
Nea and her friends.
The shrieks, screams, and gun shots succumbed to the waves. Now, only silence remained. Nea stared at
her own hands. In them, she saw an echo of something, resonating stronger and stronger with each
heartbeat. It awoke memories of old names, primordial grudges, and ancient myths.
She looked at her own hands and she saw them as both noble tools and terrible claws. Just as it had been,
it was again. But now the choice of what those hands would become belonged to her.
Drenched and in awe, Trank had no words. Fio checked their ammunition, then asked “Nea. What was
that?”
The Scion closed her left fist. “Not sure. I’ll discover it.” She then raised her eyes. “What’s certain is that
I’m not going to run ever again.”
After the End
“All you are is an echo of me, following my road, letting my history dictate yours.
I want you to die knowing you’re wrong, and that is what history will remember.”
“We fight over how we will be remembered then.”
— The Courier and Ulysses, Fallout New Vegas (2010)
Memories disagree about how the World died. A war that grew from a spark until its blaze consumed
everything. A plague — unknown whether born or crafted — whose touch spared only few. A tortured
ecosystem that collapsed and brought its murderers along. A winter whose frozen embrace lasted for
years. Fire that burns like the sun raining from above, leaving nothing but death and destruction behind.
Memories disagree, but none are false.
Myths know how Gods and Titans died. In a battle fought upon a hallowed plain, where beasts and
immortals faced their own destruction. When an earthquake shattered the earth and skeletal horrors
descended from the stars to devour all. When monsters emerged from ground and sea to wage war against
their captors. When the current cycle ended, as it was ordained. Myths know, and all myths are true.
The World ended. Then another one arose from the ashes and trundled forward. The new World is harsh
and deadly, born from the corpse of the old one and bearing the weight of both its wounds and its sins.
And yet, people survive, endure, and tell legends. Some, they recall as if inspired by narrators they never
met. Some are familiar yet different, myths reflected by the changed World they are told in. Others are
unheard of, new stories for a new humankind. These stories tell about monsters, heroes, and demigods. Of
Gods who died but are returning.

Scars of the World

Welcome to After the End, a Scion 2E Mythic Shard set in a post-apocalyptic World. Here, human-born
ruin joined the End of Times described in many myths in all its shapes. It’s unclear whether people started
the process, if Gods did, or if the difference even matters: Fate decreed the End had come, and destruction
followed. The planet burned, and so did the Overworlds. How much time has passed? How many
generations? Nobody knows for sure, and the answer can change depending on who tells the story. What
matters is there was the before, and there is the now.
This chapter features sections aimed at players, such as:
• New Player Options, which discusses how Scions exist in the post apocalypse, introduces the
Reflection and Mutated as new types of Scion, and examines how Demigods and Gods interact with Fate
after the end.
• Key Players, a collection of figures and factions with a central role in the World’s aftermath
player characters might encounter on their road to Apotheosis.
• Locations from all over the shattered World such as the Scar, Underserpent, and Lantis of the
Sands.
Other sections include setting twists and spoilers meant to add tools to the Storyguide’s arsenal and are
best left to their eyes only. These sections include:
• Plot & Schemes to either craft your story with or use as inspiration.
• An array of Antagonists & Storyguide Characters to use either as allies or antagonists who
range across all Tiers, like Demon Cores, the Witch of the Wasteland, and The Omega.
In this shard, Scions inherit a legacy that speaks of a different World. There’s no Visitation for them: the
Heavens are empty. Echoes of ancient legends and broken narratives guide them, but the realization of
their nature comes with power, burdens, and responsibilities.
This chapter’s material touches upon Origin and Hero Tier, but its focus concentrates on Demigod and
God Tier. In the post-apocalypse, the World needs more than Heroes: it needs Gods. The race to
Apotheosis is a competition no Demigod can ignore, and its outcome might doom the World, resurrect it,
or create a new one.

Survival in a Dead World — Genre

Vehicles covered in spikes and gritty symbols racing across arid wastelands and deserts of glass, spewing
smoke and fire as their roaring engines consume high-octane fuel. Nature reclaiming the dead ruins of
once thriving cities, grim funeral monuments of a civilization long gone. Settlements made out of scrap,
where people fight a daily battle against hostile conditions and band of cruel raiders. Long-forgotten
vaults where the crimes — and weapons — of the past wait for explorers to brave the depths and uncover
them. Radioactive storms and hurricanes of dust scouring the hostile landscape. People, surviving despite
everything.
The post-apocalyptic genre speaks to our fears about the future as a whole. It’s a warning, telling us what
can happen to the world if we fail to preserve it or let our worst instincts mark our doom. It’s a
demonstration of the power of hope, where civilization as we know it dies but humankind endures despite
everything.
Survivors from “before” might remember enough to pass on their knowledge to new generations who
struggle to even imagine what was lost, or the truth might lie hidden under decades of rubble and dust.
The past, though, is never truly dead — nor actually the past. It casts a long shadow on the destroyed
world the characters inhabit, and it’s up to them to decide what’s worth unearthing and what’s best left
buried. Not that characters will always have a choice on the matter: In this genre, weapons and horrors
from the world before have a bad habit of resurfacing and threatening the world once more.
Survival, hope, community, and conflict are the core elements of the post-apocalyptic genre, no matter its
shape. People must brave the wastelands in search of scarce resources to scavenge, driven by the will to
protect those they care about and live another day. The strong prey on the weak, until someone brave
enough fights back. It’s a genre where atrocities and horrors tangle with heroism and ideals, where every
kind gesture matters, and each settlement is an island in a sea of destruction.
The deeds of ruthless tyrants, lone wanderers, broken antiheroes, brave mutants, and leather-wearing
rebels contribute to shape a new world out of the corpse of the old one. Through blood, sacrifices, and
hope, they make the difference a better future or cruel doom. In this chapter, it’s up to Scions to take up
those roles, their actions and Legend resonating so deep with what’s left of humankind not even the end
of The World can stop them from taking steps on the road to Godhood.

Legends Among the Ashes — Setting

After the End combines the conventions of the post-apocalyptic genre and the various eschatological
myths in a single shard. Although destroyed and in ruin, the World of After the End is the World of
Scion: People survived, and Gods, Titans, and Fate with them. Even after the World was killed, Scions
endure.
Taking cover from the acid rain under a sheet of rusted metal, a girl sees the shade of a green
dream within herself. She touches the sand beneath her and, where a moment before only
death reigned, a delicate yet fierce patch of flowers and grass takes hold.
He remembered who he was when the raiders left him hanging from a broken bridge two weeks
ago. The crows pecking out the eyes of his companions on the improvised gallows called out his
real name, waiting orders. He returned to his settlement that day, promising the glory of Valhalla
— a word nobody had ever heard before — to whoever follows him in battle.
They found the sword in a crater, well past the limits of the Forbidden Zone. The item was stuck
in a strange rock, half glass and half stone. They felt it calling to them, and somehow found the
strength to extract its viridian-tainted blade out. Their blisters and wounds felt lighter from that
very moment, and the clear vision of a newborn kingdom filled their mind.
All the Gods and Titans might have died — or disappeared — but even now their mythical essence
endures. Death isn’t always the end for divine beings: Their discarded Mantles are out there, waiting for
someone to reclaim them, and their avatars became Incarnate Scions the moment their creator perished.
The utter devastation left the Overworlds empty, but — like nature — Fate abhors a void: The Echo of
dead gods persists, an absence of divinity without any will Fate wields instinctively to reach out and
empower Scions. Through the Echo, Born Scions discover the truth of their lost heritage, Chosen Scions
answer to long forsaken calls, aspects of the shattered World gain sentience as Created Scions, and
Incarnate Scions arise once again and again even after death. Some Scions go beyond that, Reflections of
ruined Mantles rather than embodiments, creations, or descendants. Reflections are mortals, but their
recollection is divine: They remember everything of the divine point of view they embody and know far
too well how crucial is for them to regain the lost Godhood. Others are Mutated by legendary energies,
becoming Scions through a baptism they were never meant to receive — but now belongs to them by
right of survival.
She remembers the end. The barge, finally destroyed. Re within her dark coils, no falcons or
salawa in sight. The hated enemy Re, strangled after an eternity of pursuit. His sweet, sweet
destruction, a goal worth achieving no matter the price. And yet, the World in which she returned
has another sun. Another opportunity for Re to rise once again. Something that she can’t allow.
Mythical beings suffered as everything else did. Most are dead. Many are nowhere to be found. Their
realms are ablaze. As the Underworlds are left without rulers, the dead walk the earth. But the keys to
Terra Incognitae still answer to whoever possesses the wisdom to open the secret paths. Denizens and
legendary creatures were part of the World before: they still are even after the End.
He observes the centaurs ride across the scorched highway, a cloud of gas and fire behind
them. A clan from the left bank of the Scar, judging from their war colors. Their bodies were a
furious fusion of flesh and machine, tireless and chromed. He aspired to be like them, someday.
Something more, even.
In a devastated World, the shattered Fate answers to patterns both new and old. Gods from prehistoric
pantheons return as the new humankind remembers what was forgotten. Demigods take upon themselves
to ascend as resurrected pantheons, while the opportunity for new pantheons to rise never felt so close.
Deeds and miracles echo with newfound strength against the fire of extinction; the Scions’ Legend draws
devotees, cults, and armies to their call.
She looks at the buttons in front of her. On the screen, a map of the region where the opposing
factions gathered. War is close. “Unavoidable,” says everyone. And yet, now that she used her
powers to return the forgotten machinery of the buried installation to life, a mere gesture could
end it all. Right here, right now. It’s just a matter of deciding which camp to smite with nuclear
hellfire. Truly a decision worth of someone aspiring to become a God, sure. But the real
question is another one: Is that the kind of God — or Titan — she wants to become?
The race to Apotheosis is a race for survival, for the past and the future, and for myths both familiar and
new. It’s a race for humankind itself, and its Gods with it.

Inspirational Media
The following media and resources in this section are suggestions to help Storyguides better understand
the mood and themes of post-apocalyptic stories.
Among the many stories and variations of the genre, the following have elements and beats that work well
with Scion and After the End.
• The Mad Max series: A cornerstone of the post-apocalyptic genre that shaped most of what came
afterward, the Mad Max movies are a core inspiration for this chapter. The way George Miller aimed for
mythic feeling where the legend of Max and his deeds in a setting where realism and timeline consistency
aren’t part of the focus works especially well for After the End.
• The Stand (1972): This Stephen King work narrates how the survivors of a world destroyed by a
lethal pandemic travel around North America while taking sides in a supernatural battle between good and
evil. The epic’s main antagonist, Randall Flagg, isn’t only a legendary villain, but a perfect example of
how a semi-divine being can influence the world through charisma and marvels.
• Swan Song (1987): This book by Robert R. McCammon is an epic set after the nuclear war,
featuring magical artifacts, vision quests, divine inspiration, and conflicts between factions that aspire to
rebuild a future for humankind and those craving for chaos and destruction. The eponymous Swan —
with her miraculous powers — and the shapeshifting chaotic villain known as The Man with the Scarlet
Eye are perfect examples of Scions in After the End.
• Ragnarök (2014): A comic by the legendary Walt Simonson of Marvel fame that narrates the
story of a Thor who returns to life after the Twilight of the Gods happened. Thor explores a world
devastated by Ragnarök, dealing with its aftermath and confronting with what’s left, what deserves
saving, and what must change to build a future worth defending. It’s an excellent inspiration for the
struggles of Incarnates and Reflections in the post-apocalypse.
• The Fallout videogame series is a splendid distillation of the post-apocalyptic genre, especially
the nuclear-flavored one. With its locations, aesthetics, and larger than life characters it provides all the
inspiration one might need to run After the End on its own. While its setting is more rooted in history
and a single cultural identity than this chapter is, Fallout already features sci-fi that might as well be
magic. Take it a step further into Legend and you’re good to go.
• The Borderlands videogame series is set in space, but despite the dark comedy vibes its setting is
so grim — Pandora and most of the other planets are hostile enough to count as post-apocalyptic worlds
of their own. Borderlands features monsters, magic, and extraordinary characters that wouldn’t feel out of
place in an After the End game.
• The Dark Souls series and Elden Ring are games detailing magical worlds that faced their own
kind of apocalypses, alongside dozens of kingdoms that met dreadful fates of their own. Characters travel
across these destroyed landscapes where beauty and horror converge, facing demigods with goals of their
own and slaying the terrible monsters that plague the world. Each entry in both series is a perfect visual
and thematic inspiration for a destroyed World, especially when it comes to the state of Terra Incognitae,
Realms, and Underworlds.
• Adventure Time (2010) describes a world filled with magic and supernatural creatures who
arose when the previous one was destroyed in “The Mushroom War.” While the series is aimed at children
and teens, the realities of its setting alongside its villains — and the scope of the conflicts they bring to
the plot — work well with Scion more and more as the series progresses. Episodes set right after the
apocalypse are especially on point for After the End.

New Player Options

The destruction of the World and the death of the Gods change how Scions come to be, forge their
Mantle, and even their divine lives after Apotheosis. The power of myths endures even in these desperate
circumstances, mutated as it might be. Scions can count on many opportunities to become heroes — or
monsters — in the post-apocalyptic wastes.

Divine Survival
The utter scale of devastation wrought by several manmade apocalypses and a host of mythical ones
changed the World to its core, perhaps forever. A Scion game set After the End follows these rule
adjustments to represent those changes:
• All Scions gain access to Titanic Mutations, regardless of their origin. Saints & Monsters
introduces Titanic Mutations on p. 101 as an additional type of power, updated in Titans Rising (p. XX)
to be a type of Birthright of its own that evolves as Scions gain Legend.
• Lacking any higher power to perform Visitations, the way Scions receive their powers changes (p.
XX), while new Scion types named Reflection and Mutated are added to the character options (p. XX).
• Fate’s weight and shape mutates, introducing the systems described in the Apocalyptic Fate
section (p. XX).
• The Apotheosis Roadmap (Scion: Demigod, p. 15) changes at certain Milestones (p. XX).

The Echo & Visitations

If any Gods or Titans survived the apocalypse, they’re either lost away from the World, too wounded to
act, or worse. The truth is that most — perhaps all — divine beings just died. Whether they did so while
sacrificing themselves to defeat a great evil, perished in the fire that consumed the planet, or played a
central role in the destruction, it doesn’t matter: In the End, they died like everyone else. Just as
humankind survives, though, so does the Echo.
Echoes are an emptiness shaped by the void left behind when Gods and Titans perished. Each Echo
anchors tatters of lost Mantles and mythical resonance to the Overworld in accordance with the identity of
the divine individual who generated them. Lacking any consciousness or will, Fate’s the only power that
keeps Echoes in place; nobody can say for how long a given Echo will last before its power finally
crumbles to dust. More natural phenomena than actual beings, Echoes are scorched ruins of a given God’s
Mantles, Callings, Purviews, and Titles lit up by the dreams and nightmares of legends from a past world.
For Scions in After the End, Echoes are the sources of their divine heritage. Echoes call out from the
heights of the Overworlds, igniting ichor within Scions’ veins and leaking power all over the World. Their
essence endures like cinders dying under the ashes, but the fire still burns — for now. Not all Gods and
Titans left an Echo — many are truly gone — but enough Echoes exist for Fate to make use of them.
Some Echoes even go further back in the past, shades of Gods long forgotten unearthed by the
apocalypse.
Regardless of a Scion’s origin in the current World, Visitations are solitary matter: No God appears to
shower them with gifts and purpose. With Gods and Titans dead, Fate takes an even more central role in
the process, doing so while using Echoes as its tools. Across cities reduced to piles of metal and concrete,
oceans of dust, and radioactive craters, Scions follow vision quests and moments of revelation to learn
more about themselves and the road ahead. Echoes offer Scions no answers nor a person to speak with, so
this path relies on instinct first and foremost. Scions discover soon that the responsibility and power to
rebuild the World lies only in their hands and in those of others like them.
For all mechanical purposes, Echoes act as the divine parents for Scions, providing available Callings and
Purviews during character creation.

Scion Types
The Scion types described in Origin and Hero work differently in the post-apocalypse.
• Born Scions are rare, their power awakening within their bloodline when their actions resonate
with heroic grandeur. Echoes find traces of themselves within the Scions’ ancestors, and Fate acts upon
them.
• Created Scions are extremely rare, shaped by Fate according to the Echoes’ ebb and flows from
parts of the World that embody their Purviews, be them creatures, abstract concepts, or natural elements.
• Chosen Scions are very rare, empowered by Fate when they find a manifestation of the Echo’s
heritage in the World’s ruins. This is often a Birthright waiting for a new master — unclear whether Fate
put it there for the Chosen to find — but it can also be something else, such as an artistic representation of
an old legend, or the bones of an enemy slain by a God. Many Chosen state they felt their discovery
“calling” to them (sometimes even before knowing its nature) either through visions or persistent
sensations.
• Incarnate Scions are common, Incarnations that survived a Gods’ demise and gained
independence. Some might have survived ever since the apocalypse, but their essence and identity imprint
on the Echo even after death, allowing Fate to reincarnate them across generations.
In addition to the above, After the End introduces two new Scion types: the Reflections and the Mutated.

Reflection
Reflection Scions are manifestation of divine power given mortal shape that derive their identity from the
host of Mantles Gods and Titans left behind after death. They share traits with Incarnate Scions to a
degree, but Reflection Scions go a step further: From the very first moment they appear in the World or
receive their Visitation, Reflection Scions remember everything of their lives as Gods.
Reflection Scions have a stronger connection with the Mantle that spawned them, which defines how they
relate to the World and those around them. Some wear a mortal identity until Visitation, unaware of their
true nature until everything becomes clear. It’s up to them to decide whether to find balance between
mortal and divine identity upon their epiphany. Others — especially those who appear in the World as
Demigods — know no other sense of self than that of the Mantle that spawned them and must retune it to
the devastated World around them.
Reflection Scions often long more than any other Scion to find others of their kind, especially relatives
and friends from their own pantheon. They must also confront Reflections associated with other Mantles
from their Echo, though. Every Reflection is a different point of view, and each aims to reach Apotheosis
and become themselves again before the others can.
The following rules apply to all Reflection Scions:
• Reflection Scions are the post-apocalypse evolution of the process where a God who loses their
Mantle can Incarnate in the World (Scion: God, p. 63). They can be created as Origin characters, Heroes,
or Legend 4 Demigods.
• At least two Callings of a Reflection Scion must come from their divine “parent,” instead of the
usual one. They can still change said Callings during The Threshold (Scion: Demigod, p. 28), shaping the
Mantle they’re reforging with new nuances and experiences.
• For Reflection Scions it’s easier to find their lost brethren — and harder to hide from them. They
obtain the Scent the Divine Knack for free at character creation. They also get a +1 Enhancement to track
down other legendary beings and an equivalent Complication to hide from them. Both the Enhancement
and the Complication increase to 3 for entities associated with the Reflections’ pantheons.

Mutated
Mutated Scions are accidents and experiments, people gaining their power not by design nor resonating
myths, but by sheer chance. The apocalypse bathed the World in ichor, legendary power leaking
unchecked all over the wastes as both a blessing and a corruption. Exposure to mythical influence strong
enough to birth Mutated Scions happens only in dangerous locations, heated battlefields, and lethal
circumstances. Most of the people who suffer it don’t survive the experience, but out of sheer luck,
willpower, and twists of Fate, some do. They find themselves twisted, grafted with capabilities they have
little control over, and thrust into a narrative they didn’t choose to be main characters of. Still, the powers
they gain are their own, tools they can master to change the World and even forge a Mantle for
themselves.
Mutated Scions are unique in the fact they owe nothing to Gods, Titans, or their Echoes. It’s the tattered
Fate of the post-apocalypse that commits the mistake that turns them into Scions. Irradiated with
legendary, Mutated Scion look closer and closer to the “real” deal…until Fate recognizes them as such.
The broken fragments of Fate in After the End, a swirling storm of shattered mythic patterns and
scavenged divine power trying to make a sense of itself after the destruction, twists the people into
Scions, whether they like it or not.
Mutated Scions most often happen because someone finds themselves at the wrong place at the wrong
time. Others are made, though their creators rarely know what they’re doing. Any wannabe scientist of the
wastelands or creator of monstrous chimeras who dabbles in substances imbued with mythic power and
the remains of legendary beings can be the unwilling creator of Mutated Scions — or twist themselves
into one.
Born without any tie to existing pantheons beyond — at best — stolen blood or scavenged relics, Mutated
Scions are at the same time orphans of the destroyed World and the true children of the apocalypse. Their
perspective about the future often centers on the creation of new pantheons and original legends for a new
world.
The following rules apply to all Mutated Scions:
• Before gaining their powers, Mutated Scions are ordinary people and Denizens. This changes
when they become exposed to concentrated mythical energies. Examples of valid sources of mutation
include being present when a Demigod rolls a catastrophic success or a mortal failure, when the Collateral
Pool is rolled due to the actions of Demigods and Gods, or when Fate Fallout (p. XX) manifests.
Storyguides are encouraged to come up with other mutation sources to fit their game.
• At character creation, the Callings of Mutated Scions are up to player’s choice, but at least one
must be either Destroyer, Monster, or Primeval.
• At character creation, Mutated Scions don’t receive any innate pantheon-specific Purview, nor
can they learn one later on before Apotheosis. Instead, their players can choose any two Purviews as
innate. Purviews that resonate with the circumstances that led the character to become Mutated — either
literally or symbolically — are especially fitting. For example, a Mutated Scion left bleeding as offering
over a radioactive dryad’s altar might gain Fertility and Wild, while one injected for weeks with the blood
of jötnar in the depths of an army laboratory might gain Epic Strength and War.
• Mutated Scions lack ties with any pantheon’s heritage, both for other beings and to Fate’s eyes. At
character creation, their pantheon Path actually refers to their mutant condition, and grants two Path Skills
picked among Athletics, Close Combat, Integrity, and Survival, plus any other one as usual (Scion: Hero,
p. 182). Their Virtues are Emotion and Control, encompassing the extremes between impulsive pursuit of
personal goals no matter the consequences and the disciplined mastery of feelings and power in the name
of a greater ideal.
• Like Titanic Scions, Mutated Scions gain Epicenters (Saints & Monsters, p. 97) instead of the
Purviews’ innate powers. They can still learn the innate powers of Purviews they possess by paying 10
XP.
• Once per session, a Mutated Scion can gain a single use of any Heroic Destroyer, Monster, or
Primeval Knack. If Calling dots are relevant and the character doesn’t have dots in it, use the character’s
highest Calling to determine effects. All Knack costs must still be paid. After using this Knack, the Scion
suffers a level 1 Complication on all rolls for the remainder of the session; failure to buy it off indicates
the Mutated Scion’s power caused unintentional destruction.
At Demigod and above, the chosen Knack can be Immortal as well.

Apocalyptic Fate
Fate itself changed the day the World was destroyed. What’s left is an unstable engine that strains under
the wounds of the upheavals it endured, struggling to process legends old and new in a form befitting the
current state of things.
Apocalyptic Fate doesn’t weave mythologies into being: It hammers heroic deeds together with legendary
symbols, welds them together with radioactive flames, and forges crude frameworks of steel and fuel
strong enough to cut a blazing path across the wastes. Its trajectory reaches Apotheosis and keeps going
further. It’s unstable and powerful at the same time, combining the brutality of survival with the
primordial need people have for legends so it can inspire their lives and guide their daily battles.

Fate Fallout
Apocalyptic Fate strives to rebuild ancient patterns, but the end of the World wiped away much of the
metaphysical infrastructure that defined its rules. While Heroes aren’t mythically relevant enough to feel a
difference, once a Scion’s Legend grows, they learn a painful alternative to gaining new Fatebindings in
the form of Fate Fallout.
• Each time a Demigod or a God would acquire new Fatebindings because of the rules unique to
Tier 3 and Tier 4 (Scion: Demigod, p. 146 and Scion: God, p. XX), they can decide not to do so. Instead,
add half of the Scion’s Legend, rounded up, to the Collateral Pool. Roll the Collateral pool, no matter its
rating. Do not reset it.
For Gods, in addition to this effect, one of their existing Fatebindings also becomes Imperiled, potentially
exposing them to Divine Wounds.

New Fatebinding Conditions — Savior and Scourge

Survival fuels the core of Apocalyptic Fate. With humankind forced to focus on primary needs and much
of civilization obliterated, Scions always find the chance to echo the primordial roles of heroes and
supernatural beings as either Saviors or Scourges.
Savior and Scourge are two Conditions player characters can invoke in association to one of their
existing Fatebindings. Either Condition reinforces the way Scions appear in the eyes of their
Fatebindings, empowered by the willing decision to act in accordance with the reputation of Savior or
Scourge.
Both Savior and Scourge share the following Condition rules:
• Once per arc, Scion can link the Condition to a Fatebinding instance, defining themselves as
Savior or Scourge for that Fatebinding until its Fatebound Condition’s (Scion: Hero, p. 197) resolves.
The bonuses gained from the Savior/Scourge Condition’s activation apply if the Scion acts as
embodiment of that role in the Fatebound’s eyes, even if the Fatebound character themselves isn’t present
or is a place, item, or community. Fate echoes those actions through the wasteland and strengthens the
Scions no matter what.
• The Savior and Scourge Conditions apply to the Fatebinding in relation to its Fatebound and Role
Conditions. A given Fatebinding can’t be used to sustain both the Savior and Scourge Condition at the
same time.
• Once per session, the character can activate the Savior/Scourge Condition’s effects. Demigods
and Gods gain further effects for each activation but must also pay additional costs (see below.)
• The presence of their Fatebinding’s object in the scene doesn’t change the effects or costs of the
Savior/Scourge Condition, no matter the Scion’s Tier.
• Activating the Savior/Scourge Condition’s effects counts as invoking the linked Fatebinding’s
role Condition, meaning the Storyguide can roll as usual to increase the associated Fatebound’s Condition
Strength. This is in addition to the once per session use of invoke players can do.
• If the linked Fatebinding’s Fatebound Condition duration would end, it persists at Strength 0 until
the Savior/Scourge Condition resolves. A Strength 0 Fatebinding’s role Condition is “frozen”: players
can’t invoke its nor suffer for its avoidance, Storyguides can’t compel it, but it can still resolve or become
Imperiled. Players can invoke the Savior/Scourge Condition linked to the Fatebinding, which means its
Fatebound Condition can regain Strength as detailed above.
• The Savior/Scourge Condition resolves at the end of the current arc, when the linked
Fatebinding’s role Condition is resolved, or when acting in opposition to the Savior/Scourge Condition’s
nature. The latter resolution also converts the linked Fatebinding’s role Condition to another one of equal
Strength that reflects the change in the relationship between the Scion and their Fatebound.

Savior
Saviors protect communities, bring hope to settlements, and cultivate life from destruction. A Savior
defends, nurtures, and rebuilds.
Hero: Gain an additional number of dice equal to the linked Fatebinding’s Strength on a single roll where
you follow the role of Savior. Scions with the Creator, Guardian, Healer, Hunter, Judge, Leader, Liminal,
Lover, Sage, Warrior, Shepherd, Primeval, or Knight Callings also gain an Enhancement equal to the
highest relevant Calling on the roll.
Demigod: You can gain 1 Legend through adoration and gratitude. If you do so, one of your Fatebindings
becomes Imperiled. Then roll the Collateral pool, no matter the current rating.
God: You can imbue rather than spend to invoke your Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale when you act as
Savior. If you do so, the Storyguide gains a pool equal to the character’s Legend they can spend to craft a
complex Problem (Scion: God, p. 74) afflicting one of the character’s Realms — or the character directly
if they have no Realms — exchanging ratings from said pool for the problem’s rating and Complications
on a one-for-one basis.

Scourge
Scourge torment towns, deliver death to whoever dares to oppose them, and pursue their goals with no
qualms about the pain and devastation they cause. A Scourge attacks, raids, and destroys.
Hero: Gain an additional number of dice equal to the linked Fatebinding’s Strength on a single roll where
you embody the role of Scourge. Scions with the Hunter, Judge, Liminal, Lover, Trickster, Warrior,
Adversary, Destroyer, Monster, Primeval, Tyrant, Outsider, or Knight Callings also gain an Enhancement
equal to the highest relevant Calling on the roll.
Demigod: Gain 1 Legend through dread and intimidation. If you do so, one of your Fatebindings
becomes Imperiled. Then add the linked Fatebinding’s Strength to the Collateral pool.
God: You can imbue rather than spend to invoke your Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale when you act as
Scourge. If you do so, the Storyguide gains a pool equal to the character’s Legend they exchange on a
one-for-one basis for Threat, Size, and Narrative Scale to craft a Goliath antagonist (Scion: God, p. 236)
of any kind.

Apotheosis in After the End

For the most part, the Apotheosis Roadmap works as described in Demigod (or Titans Rising, for Scions
pursuing Titanic Apotheosis.) The following differences indicate where Milestones diverge:
• The Descent still involves an exploration of the mysteries of death that asks Scions to shed their
associations with the mortal world, but rarely needs to reach any Underworld. With the pantheons gone
and the World destroyed, death is everywhere. The Underworlds are still there, devastated as everything
else — perhaps even more. The Descent can now happen in the Corpse Lands (p. XX) too, which the Scar
(p. XX) and the Maggot Sea (p. XX) are examples of.
• During the Theophany, Scions who attempt Usurpation, Sharing, or Surrender face no actual
God but rather the Echo — almost a whole being once again when cast against the light of the Scion’s
Apotheosis. If the Demigod fails the Theophany and dies, the Echo returns to its state of non-existence.

Boons
Chaos
Telekinesis
Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Duration: Scene
Subject: Self
Range: Medium
Action: Simple
You use your mind and will to unlock the power to control the world around you with your mere
thoughts. For the remainder of the scene, you can use Athletics, Empathy, or Integrity as Skills and
Intellect or Resolve as Attributes for rolls affecting any target within medium range. This allows the
character to perform actions such as lifting boulders, attacking enemies, and using tools with unusual dice
pools. Additionally, during mixed actions you roll the bigger dice pool rather than the smaller if at least
one of the actions involved uses your telekinesis. While using this Boon, before rolling for a given action
you may decide to take one Injury to add one dice to the dice pool or increase the limit of actions you can
do at once in a mixed action, on a one for one basis for either option.

Forge
Fiery Masterpiece
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Duration: Indefinite
Subject: One vehicle
Range: Short
Action: Simple
Your power over craftsmanship transforms a vehicle — be it a rusted relic of the past or a functional mean
of transportation made out of scraps — into the blazing ideal of a ride made to race against the end of the
World. This Boon immediately repairs any vehicle into a perfectly functional shape and makes it immune
to mundane damage or attacks made by characters of a lower Tier. You can determine its looks as you
please, decorating it with elements such as a chromed chassis, spikes, and skull ornaments. Additionally,
you gain a pool of points equal to (your Legend +1) you can use to purchase the following powers for the
vehicle. Each power costs one point, unless otherwise specified, and lasts until the Boon is active.
• The vehicle grants a +1 Enhancement to Pilot rolls anyone makes while driving. Can be
purchased multiple times, up to +5.
• The vehicle needs no fuel whatsoever to function.
• The vehicle allows its passengers to ignore any Complication caused by hostile weather or
dangerous environments, provided the source of those conditions isn’t a character of equal or greater Tier.
• The vehicle can run on any surface, regardless of density and gravity. Costs two points.
• The vehicle has a loyal mind of its own, which you can communicate telepathically with in a
(Legend) miles radius. The vehicle can’t act as a Follower or a Creature would, but this power allows it to
reach your location if commanded so, refuse to move if taken over by others, or keep driving as you
instruct even without anyone in the driving seat. Costs two points.

Key Players
The destroyed World is home to a multitude of factions. At Origin and Hero Tier, these take the shape of
communities, faiths, and kingdoms of limited size. While their reach doesn’t go far, their actions are still a
matter of life and death in the lost lands, shaping the lives of the survivors living within and around their
area of influence.
Most often localized around ruins of the past or sites of interests, and it’s impossible to predict the power
these factions wield; A settlement of farmers based in a wrecked stadium and a circle keeping watch over
a nuclear arsenal are equally unknown to people from other regions, but their potential to impact the
wider World couldn’t be more different.
Some groups play a role on a wider scale. They forged — or rebuilt — enough influence in the post-
apocalypse to become alliances, organizations, or armies playing a key role in the World’s destiny.
Whether as allies, enemies, or supporting cast, Scions will face these factions’ influence on their path to
Apotheosis. A given faction might not feature as protagonists in a story, but their emissaries are always
around, and their leaders never cease to grow in power.

The Coils
“No more Gods. No more Titans”
A Demigod’s name flies across the lost lands. Their fame grows, and their followers carry their legend
further and further. Then, one day, the Demigod is found dead — murdered. On a wall nearby, someone
painted a snake eating its own tail: the symbol of the Coils.
The Coils are a group of spies and assassins who travel around the World with one single defining goal: to
prevent Demigods from reaching Apotheosis. The Coils’ adepts believe Gods and Titans are to blame for
the current state of the World, and that nothing good can come from letting reality become bound again to
divine masters of any sort. More of a covenant than an actual army, the Coils trains agents to gather
information about Scions striving to achieve Apotheosis. Those deemed to be possible converts are
contacted, while others see their efforts sabotaged, are warned with letters bearing the ouroboros mark to
stop, or outright assassinated when everything else fails. When they share a target with a Band, they can
be precious allies, but their help always comes with a price. Scions better not forget the very same people
they fight alongside today might come after them at some point.
The Coils owe their name to their founding circle, all Scions of reptilian divinities — most with a hatred
for the established order of the former World and no desire to see it resurrected: The Mandible, Reflection
of Nidhoggr, Hissaria, Reflection of Apep, Silent Tann, Incarnation of Leviathan, and Nama, Incarnation
of Tiamat.

The Empire of Rust

“Our strength is the crucible of a new World. Join us, kneel, or die”
The story of the Empire of Rust begins with a tribe of raiders and their leader, Vorkan. Stories disagree
about his past: some state he was an officer in one army of a great nation of the past, others that he was a
mere nobody before discarding weakness for might, and a few insist he’s the Son of the Apocalypse
himself, born out of the end of the World. Details about his age are inconsistent and his Scion nature isn’t
any clearer. What’s certain is that Vorkan’s life changed with the coming of Gaunt.
Gaunt is an enigma. Their appearance changes, and yet the moment they declare who they are their
identity becomes eerily clear. Charismatic, knowledgeable, and cunning, Gaunt offered their services to
Vorkan. “Together,” they promised, “we can build an empire where the chains of the past will hold people
down no longer. Where the Gods matter nothing, and humankind is free to achieve its true potential.”
Gaunt guided Vorkan to lost vaults filled with weaponry, spoke to bring people to join his forces, and
advised him at every step of the campaign of conquest that followed. Soon the former bandit leader
became Emperor Vorkan, and the Empire of Rust was born.
An engine of conquest and destruction, the Empire of Rust gives a simple choice to whoever it meets on
its expansionist path. People can surrender and join the empire, agreeing to pay tributes both in resources
and conscripts. The alternative is to see their houses burned, loved ones killed, and be forced into slavery.
Casting aside their culture and faith to embrace the Empire’s doctrine of violence, cruelty, and murder is
also mandatory, as enforced by Gaunt’s devotees. Each day, the Empire scouts travel further, and the
crimson shadow of its armies draws closer.

The Fellowship of Lost Voices

“We remember who we are. We know who we can be. Now and forever”
When Great Victoria, a Chosen Scion of Ògún, Thoth-Thoth, a Reflection of Djehuty, and Forgan Khan,
an Incarnation of Gudzir Kungker, stumbled upon each other in the ruins of Washington, DC during their
respective search for a buried keep of knowledge, they recognized Fate’s hand orchestrating their
encounter. The three Scions — back then Heroes, now all experienced Demigods — can’t be more
different, but each pursues the ideal to recover the knowledge of the past so that new generation can learn
from the mistakes of the past while carrying forward its lessons. They founded the Fellowship of Lost
Voices soon after, spreading its mission around the World.
The Fellowship functions as a collective of scholars, leaders, and builders — Scions, Denizens, and
mortals alike. While their access to notions and technologies arguably makes the biggest impression on
possible initiates, the organization’s daily efforts strive to preserve not only the notions of the old World,
but rather its cultural heritage first and foremost. They strive to make people not forget who they were,
knowing well how history and culture shape everyone. The Fellowship’s achievements and methods
aren’t perfect (an inner debate about when preservation and good intentions trespass into cultural
appropriation being as old as the organization itself), but they mean well. Scions eager to resurrect old
pantheons find natural allies in the Fellowship, and its members are always eager to gather help for
scouting expeditions that promise great rewards and crucial discoveries.

The Fourth Dawn

“The old World is dead. The new one belongs to us”
The Fourth Dawn is an alliance of Scions who, despite being rivals in the race to Apotheosis, pool
together resources, followers, and personal power. Members of the Fourth Dawn don’t necessarily share
the same Band nor the same ideals — some are even bitter enemies — but agree the old pantheons don’t
deserve to regain any foothold on the World, and it’s up to other Scions to ascend and create a new order.
Joining the Fourth Dawn is an informal agreement between Scions — a way for the new generations to
find strength in each other where others can instead rely on the might of the past. The way the Fourth
Dawn sees it, the apocalypse wiped the slate clean: they owe no loyalty to the corpse of old traditions, to
the grudges of a war that lost its meaning, and to pantheons that failed to save the World. They accept any
Born, Chosen, Created, or Mutated Scion who agrees with their ideas in their ranks, no matter their origin
or attitude. At the same time, they refuse to collaborate with Incarnate or Reflection Scions, seeing them
as living relics of the past. The Fourth Dawn wishes to see the creation of new pantheons happen, be their
members heroes, villains, and everything in between. It’s no surprise that conflict between them can
become deadly — they’re all members of Bands racing for Apotheosis with different design in mind —
but even then, the Fourth Dawn agrees the new World and its Scions deserve the chance to forge new
myths and burn away the past.

The Steel Cradle

“The World was killed. We’ll reforge it anew, with the strength to defend it.”
Sister Rose, a Mutated Scion with power over plants, and her partner Dustcutter, a Born Scion of the
Susano-O, founded the Steel Cradle without even planning to. After trying to kill each other on their first
encounter and stopping only to defend themselves from a band of raiders and its giant leader, they
maintained an uneasy alliance. Rose brought Dustcutter back to her settlement, needing any help she
could find to fight back against the Ribcage Brotherhood, a band of Scions that guided a conquering army
in the area. Sister Rose and Dustcutter defeated the Brotherhood the following year, an achievement
reached by forging an alliance of mutual aid between small communities that sealed their growth into
Demigods. The two women had fallen in love by then, and their relationship holds strong ever since.
In the vaults beneath the Ribcage Brotherhood’s base, the couple found weapons, vehicles, and all sorts of
technology. Most was broken, the knowledge of how to use the rest lost, but rather than using what they
could to turn into tyrants themselves, Sister Rose and Dustcutter had other ideas. They saw firsthand how
constructive powers could help communities in a strong, direct way, and knew well any effort to heal the
World would need defending. They talked and decided to leave their bonds behind and create something
new: A group where someone’s origin wouldn’t matter, only the willingness to rebuild the World and fight
for it.
Ever since that day, the Steel Cradle grew across the entire planet. People tell about their triumphs, and
how the Scions in their ranks keep alive a dream made of water, crops, and peace in a hostile World.

Locations
Some places rise to prominence even in the dead World, while others are infamous for the dangers
inhabiting their recesses — and the treasure they defend.

The Cinder Colossus

“Mind the flames, learn to weld, and never look down. Other than that, welcome aboard.”
Travelers share a story that many struggle to believe despite all the broken wonders and glowing horrors
of life after the end. It begins with a cloud of smoke looming in the distance, as if spawned by an
immense fire. Then, the earth starts to tremble. Something immense appears in sight: A giant, a humanoid
leviathan made of coal, flames, and steel, advances through the emptiness. As tall as a living mountain,
the figure knows no fatigue nor respite. It could wreck a kingdom with a single strike of his colossal
limbs, but the truth of its nature becomes evident once it comes close enough for onlookers to spot
people, buildings, and streets fused with its body: the giant is dead, and a whole vertical metropolis
inhabits its furnace-powered corpse.
Both stronghold, vehicle, and weapon, the Cinder Colossus is a masterpiece of technology and magic.
The exact identity of its former state of being isn’t clear. Theories presume it could have been a Titan
associated with fire, although the answer might very well impact the future of the walking community
depending on how divine and titanic Demigods feel about the corpse’s desecration. Festus, the Reflection
of Hephaestus who built the colossus’ initial framework, likes to call the entity “Talos,” but the name
never stuck. His Band mates Sancta, Born Scion of Pele, and Blind Raven, Incarnation of Odin, argue
their contribution to the colossus’ creation gives them enough credit to keep the damn thing without any
name whatsoever. Together, the Band of Demigods guided their followers into the corpse, carved an entire
community inside of it, and then filled its limbs with enough engines and gears to make it move like a
puppet the size of several skyscrapers.
The construct requires constant repairs and consumes absurd amounts of fuel. Life inside it confronts the
constant threat of toxic fumes, collapses, and fires. Nobody aboard is free of burns to attest to their
citizenship. And yet, the Cinder Colossus is still one of the most well-defended places in the World, one
where enthusiasm for craftsmanship and willpower are what matters the most.

Lantis of the Sands

“A vast den of crime and civilization’s best hope. Gods, it’s good to be back home.”
Not long after the apocalypse, Rebecca Galvani found a golden conch while digging in the sands of the
evaporated Mediterranean. She followed her dream to the item and became a Chosen Scion of Poseidon
once she retrieved it. The dreams only became stronger after that moment and, after gathering a
following, and stocking up resources, Rebecca guided her people to a fabled land in the West where they
found a new home. The journey wasn’t easy, harrowed by death and hardships, but eventually the
travelers — and all those met along the way who decided to join them — reached a once-sunken city now
freed from the waves, waiting for them amidst a vast desert: Lantis of the Sands.
Others joined the first wave of migrants. Some followed visions of their own, while others had heard tales
of a growing city where the power of Scions had rebuilt an ancient civilization into a new hope. Rebecca
herself died not long after, perishing on her path to Apotheosis, but the trajectory she had established for
Lantis endures.
The city of Lantis benefits from its strange history. Perfectly preserved, it offers houses, roads, and walls.
Other settlements arose all over the World, but Lantis’s isolation allowed growth without having to worry
about wars and raider attacks for a long time. Resurrected from the skeleton of an ancient city, Lantis is
now a hybrid of marble and scraps where past and present converge into the future. Its boons made it a
central hub for trading in the wastelands, and a coveted destination for all those hearing stories about it.
Denizens and mortals worked together to strengthen it, supported by the power of legend Scions can
wield.
Yet, tensions brew inside Lantis’s walls. A circle of democratically elected Scions rules over Lantis, but
several are more interested in their own designs than the city’s future. People gifted with supernatural
powers — be they Scions or Denizens — are considered to be more valuable than “mere” humans, which
creates a cultural divide difficult to mend. The city can count on farmable fields and trade to feed its
population, but food and water reserves are limited, and their management’s an old cause of strife, or an
excuse to close the gates to newcomers. Some of its factions, like the Kinship of Blood led by Gulah, an
Incarnation of Zalmoxis, and the Church of Ignition, rely on people’s fears to gather devotees and sow
division.
The different faiths and cultures converging at Lantis are its greatest strength, different people working
together to create a better world for themselves and the future generations, but the flaws gnawing at its
successes are as old as civilization and speak of selfishness, fanatism, and greed.

The Maggot Sea

“Make no mistake: This nightmare belongs to them. Here, we are the vermin.”
The Maggot Sea is a breeding ground of horror. Each breath taken within its expanse draws in flies rather
than air. Each step digs in the soft earth, creating a puddle of ravenous grubs. The worms arise from the
soil-like tides, turning the landscape into a squirming expanse of parasites and carrion eaters. Those who
come here and succumb to the deluge face a fate worse than death: As the maggots devour the explorers’
body from within, they take over it to use as a living vehicle to spread their corruption. Creatures big and
small can succumb to this fate, but the few strong enough to resist must still mind the dangers posed by
burrowing worms as big as caravans, insects the size of a chimera, and worse monsters still.
The environment of the Maggot Sea is hostile, but it holds great rewards for those who can triumph over
hazards and disgust. A tribe of nomadic scavengers led by Lacero, Born Scion of Nana’b’oozoo, makes
regular ventures into the region to gather grubs as a reliable — if dangerous — source of food. Other
people dare to enter the sea to traverse quickly between worlds, or to try and tame its inhabitants to turn
them into beasts of burdens — or weapons.
An Incarnate Scion of Ītzpāpālōtl going by the name of Grey Scratch lives not far from the Maggot Sea’s
nauseating borders and is happy to share a tale with whoever pays them a small tribute: They claim to
have travelled deep enough into the Sea to perceive a powerful concentration of legendary energies
within, something going far beyond the power of the mindless monsters who call the place home. Grey
Scratch theorizes this energy might be the source of the twisted abundance of corrupt life in the Sea, the
power that spawned every single giant bug, lake of worms, or harrowing disease. Nothing sane lives in
the Maggot Sea, but some myths recall the plane played a role in the apocalypse, leaving people to
wonder what lies at its center.

The Scar
“That’s not a place for honor or glory. Only death, and the tools to cause more.”
At the apex of the apocalypse, a battle between Scions and Titanic agents broke out inside a series of
fortified installations. Fought within nuclear silos and missile launchpads, it’s not clear which side was
winning. In the end, though, everyone lost: Someone — either by intention or mistake — detonated a
nuke, setting off an explosive chain reaction. In the chaos ensuing, the powers keeping an eye on the fight
wouldn’t risk more bombs falling into enemy hands. A rain of nuclear destruction ensued, and the Scar
was born.
The Scar is a rocky desert of death, a contaminated wasteland bathed in constant radioactive storms.
Winds carry clouds of sharp sand that flay people alive, while structures of glowing glass radiate enough
heat to melt the flesh from the bones. The Scar is hell on Earth, a testament to the dreadful power of the
weapons humankind crafted and the doom they brought upon the World. At times, the clouds tainted by
the Scar move further away, carrying green lightning and tainted rain to other regions like a reminder of
the place’s existence — and its hatred for all the living. The few creatures who call the Scar home are
heavily-mutated monsters, hardened by their cruel birthing place and worthy harbingers of the destruction
it embodies.
Several structures endure inside the Scar. The military complexes, centrals, and underground bunkers
were designed to survive what the designers thought were the worst possible outcomes of a global
catastrophe. While those predictions couldn’t picture the sheer scale of the destruction that ensued, the
Scar is more than contaminated ruins or radioactive crates. Locked behind reinforced doors and walls of
concrete meant to stop the assault of giants, some of the weapons that killed the old World lie waiting
near dormant reactors and buried relics.

Corpse Lands
Both the Maggot Sea and the Scar qualify as Corpse Lands, locations where the
devastation of the destroyed World are so terrible their very essence merges with
the resonance of death and distorts all other Purviews.
Corpse Lands are places of torment and punishment no God or Titan gave shape
to. They arose as consequence of the apocalypse, a twisted mockery of
Underworlds impressed on the World of the living. Demigods can endure a
 pilgrimage in a Corpse Land as part of the Descent milestone of their Apotheosis
(p. XX) or use them as point of entrance into any Underworld. While — at least
before the end — not all Underworlds were fearsome places where souls were
doomed to suffer, the Corpse Lands are open wounds in the flesh of a dead World,
and only nightmares call them home.

The Ocean That Was

“Old legends speak of oceans rising to flood the World. Fate, it seems, has a wicked taste when
it comes to irony.”
The apocalypse destroyed the World’s biosphere beyond recognition. The worst nightmares of Gods and
Titans devout to nature became true — as did the dreams of those wishing for ruin and chaos. Most seas
evaporated, leaving behind nothing but dust. Scavengers and wanderers know poisoned rivers, tainted
swamps, and frozen wastelands well, but oceans are distant memories of a World long lost. Through Fate
and myths, though, even those memories survive — as the hope for a better future does.
The Ocean That Was is a Midrealm (Realms of Mystery and Magic, p. 63) born from the convergence of
aquatic myths fleeing to find salvation amidst the destruction of the World. It takes the shape of a vast sea
dotted with islands and continents upon which lakes and rivers run free. Water-bound Denizens and
Titanspawn consider the place their home, defending it from intruders with fierce determination and
wrathful strength. The Ocean is no heaven, merging the scars of its creation with the influence of the
outside World, but its waves call out to Demigods eager to bring clean water — and the boons it delivers
— to a dead planet. The power to unlock the Ocean belongs to Gods alone, so the Midrealm waits for
victors to emerge from the race to Apotheosis. In the meantime, its influence seeps here and there. Often,
it dies against the constant assault of the hostile environment, but sometimes it triumphs just enough to
create springs and lakes that create precious — if contaminated — resources for anyone who finds them.
People can reach the Ocean That Was through any body of water, although the more tainted one is, the
less likely the chance for it to become an even an unstable gate. Former oceanic trenches maintain a
strong connection too, with the one called Marianne’s Hollow a frequent point of passage between the
World and the Midrealm. People and Denizens alike often try to establish bases in the Ocean, building
floating cities made out of scrap and rust to act as bridgeheads in their exodus. Conflicts between aquatic
creatures and refugees are constant, with the former seeing the latter as invaders threatening the Ocean’s
fragile survival. Local Denizens refuse to let people lay a single foot on land, while storms and sea
monsters threaten any ship that dares to explore the Midrealm’s azure expanse.

Underserpent
“A God’s tomb can be another one’s birthplace, these days.”
Nested below the skull of a snake whose size defies imagination, the community of Underserpent finds
solace from the scorching sun. The snake’s immense dimensions, paired with the large crater in its skull
that perfectly fits the effects of a hammer wielded with divine might, leave few doubts about its identity
even in the chaos of twisted myths and struggling memories of the apocalypse. As for how it — and the
rest of the skeleton further along — got in the World from the battlefield where the Titan perished, it’s
anyone’s guess. Most people don’t care, and those who do soon discover meddling with the
reverberations of Ragnarök has Fate rear its head in shapes that speak of doom and war.
Underserpent is a lawless community where the boundaries between scoundrels and heroes blur. Its
barracks are home to all sorts of people, gathered here because they have no better place to go. Many
gangs fight for control over it — some with nobler goals than others — but none holds enough advantage
to win. The town survives thanks to trade alone, selling weapons and tools made of mined bone or
chemical reagents obtained from the venom that still drips from the dead serpent’s fangs. The mines and
poison pools reap victims every other day, but scavengers know the value of a precious resource no matter
the risks and costs it takes to retrieve it.
Fate wraps Underserpent with threads bearing the mark of the Æsir — and of their enemies. Scions who
live within its fangs often wield spears, hammers, and thunder to forge their legends as they fight giants
and large predators. The town’s formal leader is an Incarnate Scion of Hel who calls herself Hellion and
claims the right to do as she pleases with her brother’s remains. Hellion established her power with the
help of Frost Fist, a Chosen Scion of Skaði, but the two women became bitter enemies since then.
BEGIN BOXED TEXT
Storyguides Only
The rest of this chapter contains spoilers for After the End adventures and characters. If you intend on
enjoying an After the End Scion game as a player, stop reading here.
If you plan on storyguiding an After the End Scion game, welcome!
END BOXED TEXT

Plots & Schemes

After the End encompasses all Scion Tiers. The scope of its stories can detail an entire chronicle from
Origin to God, or be a single plotline focused on a given Tier. This section details several arcs — one for
each Tier — you can use in your game or look at for inspiration about your own post-apocalyptic story.

Origin — Seeds of the Future

The Scions stumble upon the aftermath of an encounter gone awry. Rummaging through what’s left after
the battle, they find a shipment waiting to be delivered, secrets without an answer, and lots of rivals eager
to snatch away the treasures for themselves. Their actions reveal the existence of a remote bunker, filled
with treasures to scavenge. Rather than yet another ruin, though, they find a place holding the potential to
establish a new settlement — one they’ll need to defend from others if they wish to give this opportunity
a chance.
Some of the arc’s highlights include:
• In Act 1, the agents of a local warlord, who won’t allow anyone else to put their hands on the
shipment, pursue the characters with relentless determination. They set up a final ambush right before the
characters can deliver the shipment.
• In Act 2, the characters discover the bunker they were sent to bears the mark of the Gods. They
face what’s left of its former inhabitants, only to discover the weapons they were sent to recover are tied
to the location’s guardian.

Act 1: Wrong Place, Right Time

While traveling with a caravan, the characters pass through a ghost city where the signs of a battle lead
them to lots of fresh corpses, an exchange between mercenaries that went awry when a raider band got
involved, and a bandit with a silver case exhales her last breath the moment they arrive.
Finding out Olando, a merchant from Underserpent (p. XX), is willing to pay a life’s bounty for what’s
inside the suitcase, is only a matter of checking the mercenaries’ pockets. As for the raiders, they
belonged to the Green Maul gang, an infamous band with no intention whatsoever of letting the bounty
go.
Characters must travel to Underserpent, facing the dangers of the wastelands. The moment they arrive in
Underserpent, the Green Maul raiders ambush them.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
The characters have many reasons to be part of the caravan — or close enough to the ghost town to follow
the signs of the battle. They might be merchants, traveling from place to place, or settlers braving through
the badlands with their loved ones in search of a better life. Perhaps the caravan’s leaders hired them on as
muscle or guides, so that their talents in battle or matters of survival can prove useful. Nothing stops them
from being solitary scavengers too. They can even be former or current members of the factions who
fought in town — although if and when they’ll reveal it to other characters is up to them.
Snags
• Ravenous undead and mutated creatures linger around the site of the botched exchange. None are
friendly, but all are hungry.
• The characters open the suitcase and find an array of documents, keys, and coordinates for which
they lack any context for. Someone in Lantis — or another major settlement — can help them with
deciphering the nature of the content, but Olando’s own agents won’t allow them to take the suitcase
anywhere but to their employee.
• A merchant of questionable morality notices the characters carry something special and will do
anything to obtain it.

Act 2: The Silent Arsenal

The content of the suitcase from Act 1 reveals the location of a bunker that before the war belonged to
Fenris Arms (Hero, p. 34). The weapons found inside a military base can change the destiny of entire
communities, and the characters set off to retrieve them.
Inside the bunker, they discover petrified pre-apocalypse refugees from all the Nine Worlds, who used
troll magic to turn themselves into stone to avoid being claimed by Fate’s threads in the events of
Ragnarök. An elderly troll sorcerer named Hrothgar watches over them. He warns the characters that
taking the weapons will bring war to the bunker doors, an outcome he’ll fight to prevent. The bunker also
has food, water, and preserved seeds: Not much, but enough to establish a new, safe community —
although bringing the petrified people back to life won’t be easy.
Characters have a choice to make, as Fate observes them.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
Depending on whether the characters brought the suitcase to Olando or kept it for themselves, the reason
for them to search for the bunker changes. Olando might hire them as mercs for the occasion, since they
proved they can handle danger. If the characters talked with an expert to decipher the documents inside
the suitcase, the scope of the information within speaks for itself. Since what’s inside the bunker touches
upon legendary matters, it’s also possible visions and the Echo’s call guide the Scions toward it —
whether they have any connection with the Æsir or not.
Snags
• Hostile forces — be they Olando’s agents, the Green Maul raiders, or someone else — follow the
characters to the bunker. Regardless of the Scions’ choices, the protagonists find themselves sieged.
• Solitude and the weight of his duty against the threat of the apocalypse weigh heavily on
Hrotgar’s mind. He can be either an eccentric, old troll or a monstrous guardian without mercy. Perhaps
both, switching his attitude once the characters’ actions change the status quo he tragically clings to.
• The weapons inside the bunker might be unstable, ready to blow up, or way too easy to use for
anyone sneaking inside — even those unaware of the destruction they can unleash.

Characters
• Tiger Tiger is a rakshasa member of the Green Maul clan and one of Boss Maul’s (p. XX) most
trusted lieutenants. While she’s a fierce combatant, her talents lie in guerrilla tactics, gathering intel, and
intimidation. She quickly pieces together whatever the characters have found must be precious, leading
the effort to track them down and — if she survives — personally commanding the assault to the bunker
in Act 2.
• Olando is a human Sorcerer who established himself as information broker and merc patron in
Underserpent. While he made his fortune connecting mercenaries to people who need them (and taking a
generous commission for the trouble), he aims to make it big by selling the Fenris Arms’ weapons to the
best buyer. Suave but ruthless, Olando can be any wasteland adventurer’s best friend or worst enemy: it
all depends on the way the business goes.

Hero — Dead World’s Vicious Fangs

In this Arc, the Heroes’ determination and skills are put to the test against the harsh realities of the World
they inhabit. Gangs of hostile raiders fighting for supremacy, ravenous monsters spurred into violence by
ancient grudges, and dreaded warlords coming after everything the characters care for play a role in this
arc. Each act highlights how the World is in dire need of Heroes, showing how past and present converge
in a chaos characters need to emerge victorious from if they wish to shape the future.
Some of the Arc’s highlights include:
• In Act 1, the quest to stop the poisonous storms that ravage the region culminates in a
confrontation atop a tower where Scions battle each other, and wrathful sky spirits unleash their fury.
• In Act 2, feral Titanspawn rampage across the lands, lured toward an undying nymph who sings
in sorrow and pain about the World that was.
• In Act 3, a warlord with a grudge against the characters reunites local raider clans under a single
banner.

Act 1: The Weeping Sky

An eternal cloud of acid rain covers the region. The deadly precipitation harms people, poisons water
resources, and destroys food cultures. The characters need to mitigate the damage as much as they can,
coordinate with other settlements, and find a permanent solution. Soon, mentions of a skyscraper another
Band of Scions repurposed into a community they rule over as despots arise. The place is a peaceful oasis
of light and clean water amidst all the chaos due to a well-kept secret: the Scions kidnapped a young
weather spirit, binding it under their control. They won’t release it willingly, no matter how much the
spirit’s relatives want it back.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
This act offers a good opportunity to introduce the players to characters and problems fitting for the Hero
Tier. If they’re based in a given settlement or region, the obvious choice is to have the storms represent a
menace, but you can also have the hostile weather hit a distant place and feature people coming to seek
the Scion’s help as a way of showing how Legend spreads. Of course, if the player characters are
wanderers of the wastes, them stumbling upon a problem that needs solving is always a valid classic.
Snags
• The acid rains cause a rapid mutation in plants and cattle that imbues them with destructive fury.
• A band of thieves uses the storm to travel unseen, stealing what little settlements have saved for
their personal gain.
• Unknown to the Scion Band ruling over it, the tower the characters visit is the stage of a brewing
rebellion. Player characters can decide to support it, but not all the factions share noble ideals.

Act 2: A Dirge of Sorrow and Fury

Resonating from the caves under a mountain people fear to approach, the song of Ephedra, a nymph
trapped between life and death, summons forth hordes of monstrous Titanspawn. The creatures follow the
song as if driven by the pain and memories it expresses, destroying everything that stands in their path
and fighting against each other whenever the call leads them into the same location. When the danger the
monster represents intensifies and their number increases, Scions can’t ignore the problem, whether they
plan to solve it, direct the creatures elsewhere without hurting them, or exploit the situation to write their
own legend with the monsters’ blood.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
Like with Act 1, this Act presents itself as a problem afflicting an entire region. The methods to involve
the characters coincide but consider adding the possibility for Scions to perceive Ephedra’s call
themselves — especially if they bear any connection with the Theoi or possess the Beast, Fertility, or
Wild Purviews. Ephedra herself woke up when the poisoned rains of Act 1 seeped into the ground and
mixed with her roots, which shows how everything in the setting is interconnected and how each action
can cause unexpected consequences.
Snags
• Scions bearing the Relics of monster-slaying heroes and Gods follow the trail of destruction, but
they’re not here to protect anyone and care nothing for collateral damage.
• After the characters slay a monster, its packmates follow the Scions’ scent to a settlement they
care about.
• A group of nymphs sabotages the Scions’ effort. They think the Heroes want to kill Ephedra and
plan to stop them — whether that’s true or not.

Act 3: Drums of War

After a series of brutal bandit attacks, survivors and captured raiders quickly reveal the Green Maul clan
enacted this campaign of destruction. All the raider tribes now follow Boss Maul’s orders, submitting to
the giant after the Green Maul proved to be the strongest. Raiders only kneel to strength, though, their
differences and grudges put aside just as long as their leader keeps them in line through intimidation and
the hunger for conquest. With Boss Maul’s status still unsolidified, it’s up to the Scions to stop him from
becoming an unstoppable threat: If they withstand the raiders’ attacks and fight back, they earn the right
to challenge the warlord for leadership.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
Up until this Act, the characters defended themselves against supernatural weather and furious monsters,
so this is a perfect occasion to give them the opportunity to turn the tables and have them strike first. Boss
Maul exploited the disasters that struck the region to conquer the other raider clans and now plans to take
the gathered forces to war. Highlight how raider activity worsened to the point of alarm, but also give
Scions the chance to notice the bandits’ effort are as messy as they are violent: The time to act is now. Not
only do they take the fate of the region in their hands, but the act offers them a chance to come up with all
sorts of different solutions to prove their worth to raiders and people alike. How they face Boss Maul’s
threats creates a foundation for future arcs as Heroes and beyond.
Snags
• An allied group sells out the Scions to the bandits, leading them into a trap after being promised
this betrayal ensures their own safety.
• Agents from the Empire of Rust show up, monitoring the conflict between bandits and Scions as
a way of knowing who deserves a chance to join the empire — or who’s an enemy to be mindful of.
• One of Boss Maul’s lieutenants hires a band of assassins to go after the Scions as soon as they
prove to be a threat. Other bandits — and Boss Maul — would see this as an unforgivable sign of
weakness and fear, should the news break out.

Characters
• The Obelisk Band are a Band of Scions ruling over Karnak Tower, a skyscraper they rebuilt with
their powers and the suffering of the people they control. Itn, a Reflection of Aten, and Loran, a Chosen
of Chaac, combine religious doctrine, fear, and cruel punishments to keep the population in check. They
kidnapped a young weather spirit, Rain Jar, and forced him to do their bidding during the events of Act 1.
• Ephedra is a nymph who only recently woke up from a coma, only to discover the destroyed
World and death of everyone she cared about. The fires of the apocalypse fused Ephedra to the ground,
charring her body beyond recognition. Wounded and desperate, in Act 2 she can only sing a tormented
dirge that acts as beacon to monsters. Ephedra hopes one of the creatures will end her suffering but thinks
not of what will happen in the meantime — nor has considered other options.
• Boss Maul is the leader of the Green Maul gang, a violent Jotun with a wicked instinct for bandit
guerrillas and dominance. He firmly believes his might gives him the right to rule, but he’s aware how
Scions and other beings risk making him just a big fish in a small pond — unless he acts fast and crushes
them during Act 3.

Demigod — Gasoline Inferno

Demigods witness their Legend grow and reach out across the World. Their deeds — and the
consequences of each — alter the fate of entire civilizations. Apotheosis awaits. In this arc, its call takes
the roaring shape of war on a scale the Scions have never seen. The characters are thrown into the
battlefield, where each step they take gathers them devoted followers, powerful allies, and unrelenting
enemies.
Some of the arc’s highlights include:
• In Act 1, the characters face for the first time the true might of a cruel conquering army. The war
culminates with the siege of Lantis, a battle where the Scions’ actions will determine the shape of the
future itself.
• In Act 2, the Scions must defeat a war convoy in a deathly race across the wastelands.
• In Act 3, characters travel to one of the World’s most hostile places, unearthing ancient weapons
and stopping them from falling into the wrong hands.

Act 1: Rust Tide Rises

The reports agree: The Empire of Rust is moving forward. From the farthest reaches of the World, the
empire carved a vast nation from the chaos. Wherever it goes, its armies kill and ravage settlements into
submission. Those who surrender are devoured, people and resources now fuel for the empire’s war
machine. Those who resist are destroyed, erased from the face of the World. The empire’s bloodthirsty
leviathan moves slowly, but one of its major tendrils encroaches the city of Lantis (p. XX). For all its
flaws, Lantis is a crossroad of cultures free scavengers can rely on. If it falls, the Empire will burn
everything in the region before enough people can die to defeat the rust legions — if that’s even a
possibility by then.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
This act reflects how Demigod-Tier conflicts happen on a global stage. If you plan to run it (or the arc in
its entirety), consider dropping references to the Empire of Rust during previous arcs. A proper build-up
— even one that goes back to Origin and Hero Tiers — helps to communicate to players the Empire is
coming and how dangerous the situation is when its branches finally show up. No matter the Scions’ own
goals, the Empire’s advance forces them to take sides — or reinforce their own. Emperor Vorkan and
Gaunt have their own plans for Apotheosis and will crush anyone who doesn’t bend the knee.
Snags
• The Empire infiltrates spies and saboteurs around settlements. Each pushes the Emperor’s
agenda, exploiting weak points and sowing discord among people.
• The factions in Lantis refuse to join forces against the Empire even in face of the imminent battle.
The Scions need to forge an alliance — even a temporary one — to give the city a chance of survival.
• One of the Coils contacts the characters, offering support to eliminate General Raw-Lead in
exchange for access to the Scions’ contacts and protection.

Act 2: War & Witchcraft

Warduke Vicious Delicious, one of the Empire of Rust’s highest lieutenants, stole a precious artifact
called Sky Skull from the Witch of the Wasteland’s house. The exact nature — and potential — of the Sky
Skull is unclear, but the Witch wants it back and Vicious plans to use it for his own nefarious purposes.
Vicious now drives at the head of a war convoy, heading back home. If the Scions want to stop him,
they’ll need to race on fast wheels and recover the Sky Skull before the convoy crosses into imperial
territory. This feat promises to fill the road ahead with blood, fuel, and fury.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
The Scions’ deeds and growing Legend take the characters into the fray for this Arc. While a faction of
the Empire of Rust plays a central role in the events, the Scions become involved even if they don’t a
keep an eye on the empire: it’s their fame that makes them valid agents in the Witch of the Wastelands’
eyes. This aspect becomes especially easy to implement is the Witch is a Guide for one of the characters.
No matter their thoughts about the empire, Vicious’s plans only care for his own benefit, while obtaining
the Witch’s patronage in the race for Apotheosis represents a precious reward.
Snags
• A trio of Scions — one of Zeus, one of Enlil, and one of Perun — show up after the characters
recover the Sky Skull, each claiming the relic is none other than the head of their respective divine patron
and an important piece for their Apotheosis.
• The Witch of the Wastelands sends another Band of Scions after the Sky Skull, without bothering
to tell the characters the task comes with competitors.
• To the Scions’ surprise, the Sky Skull begins to talk. It begs the characters not to bring it back to
the witch, promising to share its wisdom with them instead.

Act 3: Vae Victis

Gaunt, advisor to Emperor Vorkan and spiritual mind of the Empire of Rust, commanded a legion to
surround the Scar (p. XX), venturing inside with his personal guard to unlock the Corpse Land’s darkest
secrets. Gaunt hopes to gain access to nuclear silos from before the apocalypse, an idea already terrifying
by itself before even taking the truth in account: Gaunt has no intention to use the weapons for the
Empire, but rather plans to use them to unleash further destruction upon The World as a whole. Too much
of civilization rebuilt itself from the ashes, too many Denizens and Scions arose once again: Gaunt’s true
goal unveils itself in the Scar, and it speaks of death and chaos.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
At this stage, the characters know well what kind of threat the Empire of Rust represents. Word that one
of its leaders is personally making moves to advance the conflict tells them nothing good can come out of
it. The previous Acts all lead to Gaunt’s appearance, which means the Scions should have plenty of allies
or contacts to learn about the developments. Fate also plays its role here: Should Gaunt have his way, the
consequences would be devastating. Omens and echoes of broken destinies tremble in anticipation of
what will happen in the Scar.
Snags
• Gaunt left a commander in charge of the forces stationed around the Scar and they are more than
happy to let the Scions pass. Can the Scions trust them? And for how long? If he survived Act 2, Vicious
Delicious is a perfect candidate for treachery.
• Getting into the military base isn’t just a matter of going through its defenses, but also facing the
creatures who’ve made it their nest.
• The ghosts of the Scions who fought in the Scar before the apocalypse (p. XX) react to the
characters presence, waking up when the Scions’ Legends and blood spill on the site of their death.

Characters
• General Raw-Lead leads the Empire of Rust’s armies against Lantis during Act 1. A ruthless
beast of a Demigod, the Chosen of Ares incarnates the Empire’s values like no other. Raw-Lead is utterly
loyal to emperor Vorkan: They will raze Lantis to the ground and earn their right to ascend to Godhood
alongside the emperor or die trying.
• The Witch of the Wastelands (p. XX) can be a precious ally or a fearsome enemy. She tasks the
characters to recover the stolen Sky Skull in Act 2, promising to guide them on their path to Apotheosis as
their reward.
• Warduke Vicious Delicious plots to murder Gaunt and take his place as the Emperor’s advisor.
Stealing the Sky Skull is a gambit the Mutated Scion risks to obtain power and relevance, one made
without the authorization to deploy the war convoy nor the Gaunt’s permission needed to mess with the
Witch of the Wastelands.
• Gaunt (p. XX) himself ventures in the Scar during Act 3 to recover the nuclear missiles —
although his goals might not be the Emperor’s own.

God — As Below, So Above

This arc focuses on the contrast between the Scions’ divine power and their duties and responsibilities
toward the dead World. As the specter of the Titanomachy threatens to return, it’s up to the new Gods to
decide how to use their divinity to rebuild the World — and if it’s worth saving to begin with.
Some of the arc’s highlights include:
• In Act 1, the new Gods gain control over the World like nobody before them in the current era,
clashing against the bonds of fate and their personal ideals or objectives in matters of worship and faith.
• In Act 2, the characters find themselves in the position to influence if and how Demigods reach
Apotheosis but will learn just how much divine meddling has immense repercussions fast enough.
• In Act 3, the Band’s use of their divine power wakes up the Omega from its slumber. Faced with a
threat so terrible its wrath might incinerate the World for good, will they triumph or die on their newfound
heavenly thrones?

Act 1: Difficult Rebirth

As the characters settle in their divine roles, their cults can count on something groups revolving around
Heroes and Demigods can’t: actual godly backing and the sheer power of being right. These factors fuel
the characters faiths’ growth, augmented exponentially through the actions of every Incarnation the Band
members spin off to further their personal goals. This shift in the status quo ignites contrasts with other
cults and the Demigods above them, spawning a chain reaction of conflicts that risk turning into holy
wars fought in the characters’ own names.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
The characters’ own Cults and the ties to the mortal World they left behind are the obvious way to get
them involved in the problem at hand, but this act is an inevitable consequence of them being the winners
of the race to Apotheosis. Other Gods might arise soon, but none’s there yet, the Demigods who look at
the heavens see the characters as a cumbersome presence in their own personal ascension, and the way
mortals process their own faith is a river Gods can only hope to direct in desired directions — or endure
its floodings.
Snags
• One of the characters’ Cults is severely wounded by mysterious forces, but none of the factions
involved in the current conflicts can be blamed — even after extensive investigation.
• Agents from Key Players factions (p. XX) contact the characters through their worshippers,
asking them what they can offer to obtain their help in the World.
• The moment a character sends an Incarnation in the World, an ambush meant to destroy it on the
spot springs out.

Act 2: War Never Changes?

The Titanomachy is over; its fires consumed the World. And yet, with the gates to the Overworld open
once again, the old war’s embers risk to turn into an inferno once again. The rise to prominence of
Demigods who promise to recover the heritage of Gods and Titans forces the characters to decide who to
favor and who to obstacle (not to mention how to put those decisions into practice), but once the Sword of
Fury — a Band of Scions who asks for a chance to become Gods and Titans free of old grudges —
approaches Apotheosis, the player deities will need to affirm their will upon the destiny’s course. With the
World now destroyed and all Scions contaminated with destructive power, though, what does it even
mean to be a Titan?
Pulling Fate’s Threads
The conflicts of Act 1 confronted the Band with the reality their role of Gods demands their attention for
the activities of all kinds of Scions — and everything that gravitates around them. Players might scoff at
the idea of influencing other people’s Apotheosis, calling it unfair (and with good reason), but it’s
important for them to understand that the race to Godhood continues and whoever wins brings new
elements to the table that will inevitably shape the future of the World, for good or ill.
Snags
• The characters wield immense power, but they can’t be everywhere. Most importantly, Fate
doesn’t respond to them — or to anyone. A new Apotheosis happens — possibly one of many — and
brings another deity to the Overworld who characters can’t ignore.
• Fate answers to divine meddling in an unexpected ways, binding the characters to a newly created
Band of Heroes they had no interaction whatsoever with.
• Stirring in its sleep due to the increased divine activity, the Omega instinctively causes a wave of
devastation throughout the Overworlds Scions must deal with.

Act 3: A New Dawn

At this point in the arc, the characters have affirmed their role in the resurrection of the World. While
they’re likely not the only Gods or Titans around anymore, everyone pays them due respect — whether
other deities are afraid of them or considers them actual leaders to follow. The Band is strong of their role
as the first and strongest Gods of the new era…which turns out to be wrong: The Omega was there are all
along. During this climax of their personal story, the characters must fight for their own right to be, that of
other deities, and of the World’s itself.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
Motivating the characters to oppose the Omega (whether they plan to fight or try to redeem it) isn’t
difficult: the entity is a threat to everything that exists. Still, it’s important to not have the Omega appear
out of nowhere, since that risks undermining its narrative power. In the road leading to this act (and
further back, especially if you decide to run it even at Origin, Hero, and Demigod tier), spread around
clues something else is at work. Radioactive ripples across the Overworlds can help you there, such as the
presence of apparently orphaned beings such as the Demon Cores (p. XX) or Scions and Great Beasts of
the Wastes (p. XX) who owe their creation to the Omega — be them aware or not. You’re unveiling one
of this Mythic Shard’s greatest secrets here: make sure to set the stage before dropping the bomb.
Snags
• A group of Gods fears the Omega to the point they turn on the characters, wrongfully hoping that
the betrayal will earn them a degree of mercy or a reward.
• One of the deities fused inside the Omega’s core regains freedom and sanity for a while, painfully
aware they’ll soon decay and return to the screaming crucible.
• While the Scion gather their forces, a Scion of the Omega (p. XX) achieves an explosive
Apotheosis that destroys a large swath of The World.

Characters
• The Rebirth Alliance is a group of Demigods who gathered together to reach Apotheosis while
setting up the stage to gain the upper hand on the player characters once that happens. Some, like the
Reflection of Odin’s Mantle Wotan, think this is the perfect chance to seize their momentum and ensure
Titans will never arise again. Others, like the Mutated Scion Sparktor and Orabis, a Born Scion of Shiva,
work together out of mutual respect and genuine fear of the characters’ power. The Chosen Scion of
Taliesin Yardspinner is there to give her devotees a chance of success in the World, while the Mutated
Scion Raol would rather conquer the globe before reaching Godhood — and sees the characters as an
obstacle to his aspirations.
• The Sword of Fury is a Band of Demigods close to Apotheosis. Most of its members are Scions
with ties to Titanic Mantles and all the intentions to reclaim them so they may become Tiamat, Surtr,
Chudo-Yudo and Hine-nui-te-pō once again, while the others have created Mantles of their own. What
matters is that everyone in the Band swore to support each other until the end and will fight to give Titans
a chance to reach Apotheosis.
• For the Omega (p. XX), gaining a sense of self was only a matter of time. With the Overworld no
longer a silent ruin, it finally awakens and focuses its wrath on the characters and the World they protect.

Antagonists & Storyguide Characters

This section includes a collection of antagonists and potential allies to use in After the End games,
alongside advice on how to customize beings to fit the post-apocalypse and rules for environmental
dangers.
The following entries reveal secrets about some characters described earlier in the chapter and nature of
others whose existence is a secret. Storyguides are advised to keep the mysteries alive until players earn
the chance to discover the truth.

Building Your Cast for the Post-Apocalypse

Other Scion books include a multitude of characters, traits, and Archetypes to
utilize as tools to fill your wastelands with minions, monsters, and mutated beings.
Adapting existing entries to After the End by giving them leather clothes, badass
pauldrons, and striking haircuts never fails. For example, the Beat Cops from
Origin only need a change of look to work as vile raiders, while SWAT members
cover well the needs of the trained guards of a brutal warlord. The same principle
applies to other beings: after all, Denizens and Titanspawn walk the deserts of the
dead World just as anyone else.
To go a step further, consider adding Flairs and Qualities matching the genre to
the foes the Scions encounter, no matter their nature. The current state of the World
affects everyone, so remember to use it to surprise your players with radioactive
hydras, fuel-tainted dryads, and sphinxes made of steel and concrete. Qualities
such as Subterranean Movement or Unnatural Hunger and Flairs like
Regeneration or Destructive Force (Titanomachy, p. 101) are excellent tools to
enhance your post-apocalyptic arsenal.
Bimba
A young girl travels around the lost lands. Her skin has the color of sun-bleached concrete, not unlike
those found in the ruins of the cities of old. Her long white hair aligns with a pair of bright red eyes, but
the only affliction her skin suffers from are patches of serpentine scales she doesn’t bother to hide with
masks or gloves. Bimba — the only name she gives to those asking — is on a mission, with the
Overworlds being her destination. She doesn’t know why, nor how, but the divine realms call her, and she
needs help to get there. Most dismiss her words as nonsense, only to change their mind when they witness
the miracles Bimba performs with instinctive prowess. At her touch, tainted craters fill with grass and
flowers, poisoned water turns clean, and cancerous growths dissipate into nothingness. Bimba suffers for
any use of her powers, but she considers it her responsibility to help.
Bimba might possess incredible boons for a girl her age, but she’s still growing. While clever and
resourceful (and gifted with a talent for snark and a fierce combative spirit), she can’t finish her mission
alone. She hopes to find allies and people to trust — Scions — so she can gather companions on the path
to Apotheosis. Scions who encounter Bimba don’t need long to discover Fate rings strong within her.
Bimba herself possesses capabilities similar to those of Scions, alongside the growing Legend living
inside her, but has no divine parent and isn’t a Mutant either. The truth she also ignores is Bimba is, for all
intents and purposes, a Scion of the World itself, an immune response to its destroyed state the tortured
planet created to heal. Fate already gathers the pieces to build the story of her ascension, although the
narratives for a role like Bimba’s draw upon themes of long tortuous path plagued by terrible enemies that
ends in sacrifices made for the greater good. Bimba is a person with her own identity and dreams, but
Fate has other plans for her. Any Scion who intertwines their Legend with Bimba’s will face Fate itself at
some point and play a role in deciding the outcome.

Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Dominion (Health), Dominion (Fertility), Dominion (Wild), Immortal-ish
(Fire), Inspiration, Twitchy, Willful
Flairs: Touch of Asclepius
Drive: Learn about the World, helping those in need as much as possible no
matter the personal cost
Primary Pool (9): Determination, Noble principles, Making friends
Secondary Pool (7): Jokes, Hiding
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras: Roll Bimba’s desperation pool after using any of her Dominion Qualities, on
a failure she takes 1 damage. At Storyguide’s discretion, she might outgrow this
risk by spending time alongside characters on their path to Apotheosis and
practicing with her powers. Bimba’s Immortal-ish Quality makes her reincarnate
without memories somewhere else in the World at some point in the future.
The Coils
The Coils walk a tightrope between secrecy and a fame that instills fear in everyone who aspires to
become a God. Some look at the group as champions who take upon themselves to protect mortals from
deities — evidence of the Coils’ propaganda efforts. Others attribute to them many more murders and
widespread attacks than the faction has actually committed. The chaotic uncertainty around their
reputation suits the Coils just fine, even if those who push to learn about them don’t take long to discover
who the Coils are, alongside the ideals and identity of the Scions who founded them. Most stop there,
certain what they’ve learned explains enough. Too bad those answers are nothing more than another layer
of shadows.
The Coils didn’t spring forth from the heritage of Gods and Titans, but from Dragons. At its core, the
organization is a complex conspiracy aimed at stopping any Demigod from achieving Apotheosis so
Dragons and Heirs can recover from the apocalypse and live in a World where Gods are no more. The
destruction that killed the World didn’t spare Dragons, but those who returned afterward reacted to the
newfound state of things with the distinctive cunning of their kind. The founding members of the Coils
aren’t the Scions they pretend to be, but rather Lesser Wyrms wearing identities echoing those within their
memories. While Heirs adopting similar covers are common within the Coils’ ranks, the bulk of their
agents are people — mortals, Denizens, and Scions alike — indoctrinated into the mission while unaware
of the draconic framework shaping it.
Among the few Dragons who survived the apocalypse, the Coils’ inner circle are the closest descendants
of a Flight. Too many of their kind died for the old Flights to endure, and now most of those who are still
around cling to the Coils as a way of pursuing draconic goals — even if the idea to someday reestablish
the Flights for good and create a council to rule the Overworld endures. Said objectives are nothing but
wishful thinking, of course, if the Coils fail to stop Gods and Titans from returning.

Coils Agent
Archetype: Rival
Qualities: A Cage of Words, Super Soldier, Toxic
Flairs: Hypnotic Charm, Shadow Step
Drive: Pursue the Coils’ interests without attracting the attention
Primary Pool (9): Gather information, Infiltration
Secondary Pool (7): Fake Identity, Sabotage
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 5
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Coils Assassin
Archetype: Mythic
Qualities: Armor Piercing, A Cage of Words, Mystic Arsenal, Perfected Soldier,
Shroud, Toxic, Wall Walker
Flairs: Death Curse, Mass Concealment, Shadow Step, Shadow Strike
Drive: Prevent Demigods from reaching Apotheosis
Primary Pool (8): Stealth, Assassination
Secondary Pool (6): Survival, Recon
Desperation Pool: 4
Health: 7
Defense: 4
Initiative: 5
Demon Cores
At rest, a Demon Core resembles a floating sphere of solid metal. Their mere presence floods the
surroundings with devastating radiation, but the creatures become even more dangerous when active. An
armor of flowing quicksilver surrounds them, encasing the Demon Cores in a skeleton the size of a truck
with strength to match.
Between the deadly energies they release and the weapons they forge out of themselves, Demon Cores
care for nothing except destruction and contamination. They have no mind to speak with, only murderous
instincts that betray their nature as manifestations spawned by the dreams of the Omega (p. XX).

Archetype: Titanspawn
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Baleful Touch, Invulnerability (toxins, radiation),
Miasmic Presence, Radiating Aura, Regeneration, Slothful Resilience, Unstoppable,
Vengeful Blood
Flairs: Detonation, Petrifying Gaze, Long Arm Plague Touch
Drive: Kill and contaminate
Primary Pool (13): Destruction, Combat
Secondary Pool (11): Pursue, Resistance
Desperation Pool: 7
Health: 10
Defense: 4
Initiative: 10
Emperor Vorkan
All hail Emperor Vorkan, warmaster of the end of the World! He who forged a nation out of a hundred
clans! He who made the many one and carved an empire out of chaos; who will create an eternal future of
glory of the strong and the pure!
The legends surrounding the Empire of Rust’s absolute leader are many. Each agrees about his might and
tactical acumen, making it difficult even for Vorkan’s enemies to deny the Demigod’s achievements.
Countless other warlords and bandit chiefs failed to expand beyond the lands they could see from their
thrones or saw their forces disband through constant attrition and internecine struggles. Few built
something lasting, and none to Vorkan’s extent. Even for a Scion with powerful allies, what Vorkan built
is impressive, especially taking his relatively young age into account: the chaos of the broken World has
no mercy whatsoever for mistakes or weaknesses. Which is the reason why the first Vorkan died long ago.
Gaunt orchestrated the death of the original Vorkan in battle a couple of decades after the two first
encountered. Vorkan was a useful tool for Gaunt, but an imperfect and insolent one who ran out of utility.
When the warlord sired a son, Gaunt saw an opportunity: they spirited away the baby as soon as he was
born and raised him to be the perfect emperor for the bloodthirsty dystopia Gaunt needed to establish.
Weaving ancient Mantles and Fatebindings together, Gaunt took upon the role of mentor for the young
king, shaping him according to their diabolical designs. When the time came, Gaunt led the boy to his
father’s sword, so he could claim his name and turn a gathering of restless bandit clans into a ruthless war
machine that would set the World ablaze.
Vorkan believes with all his strength in the doctrine the wise Gaunt taught him — unaware of his
mentor’s deceptions and true goals. In Vorkan’s eyes, the strong must crush the weak and wield their right
to rule. Mercy, coexistence, and tolerance for other people’s freedoms are nothing but abominations
meant to sway the worthy ones from the path of might. The Empire of Rust will rule supreme, no matter
how much blood and fire it will take.

Archetype: Transcendent
Qualities: By Divine Right, Center of Gravity, Destructive Force, Dominion (Epic
Strength), Dominion (War), Heavily Armored, Honor Bound, Martial Artist
(Heroic), Mystic Arsenal, Perfected Soldier, Tough as Nails
Flairs: Detonation (Close Combat), Here I Come, Molon Labe, Suck It Up
Drive: Conquer the World through strength and unyielding dominance, creating
an empire that will thrive for millennia
Callings: Tyrant, Judge, Warrior
Purviews: Epic Strength, Epic Stamina, Order, War
Primary Pool (9): Combat, Leadership, Tyrannical ideals
Secondary Pool (7): Speeches, Battlefield Instincts
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 8
Defense: 5
Initiative: 6
Gaunt
Wicked Gaunt, cunning Gaunt, charming Gaunt. The mastermind behind the Empire of Rust’s ascent,
whose words persuaded hundreds to join the cause and whose occult knowledge unveils infinite dark
secrets from the World’s corpse and realms beyond. They wear many faces and answer to many names,
but each of their appearances affirms itself as charismatic manipulator and terrible sorcerer. Stories
gathered in different parts of the destroyed World share common details that when put together leave open
a void in the shape of Gaunt.
Gaunt pretends to be one of the empire’s architects, but for them the Empire of Rust is a mere tool: Gaunt
wants nothing more than absolute chaos. They aspire never to see civilization rebuild itself, chaining
people to their direst instincts and against the World’s hazards to create an eternal mire of death, murder,
and destruction. A leading role in a sanguinary empire allowed Gaunt to gather power and influence, but it
too will have to fall eventually. In the meantime, Gaunt spreads a dreadful doctrine that encourages
people to give into their most selfish selves — so one day they might destroy themselves even more. The
apocalypse was a good start; Gaunt only needs to guide humankind a step further.
Gaunt spent recent times next to Emperor Vorkan’s throne, but few know much about them — and those
who do don’t survive for long. The mystery of Gaunt’s identity endures, although a circle of trickster
Scions knows the truth. These Demigods are Incarnates and Reflections of some of the vilest Mantles
who ever existed, deceivers and corrupters, murderers and entities who would see the World’s light die
out for sheer spite and personal enjoyment. Their shared mind view brought them together, and they
created Gaunt to act as their personal mask. Under its protection, they mitigate Fate’s barbs while at the
same time “surviving” deaths and defeats.
Or perhaps, that’s not the whole truth either. While the various Gaunts work together, something shifts in
the darkness. Fate isn’t known to take any tampering kindly — now more than ever — and so many
beings forging a name’s legend together is bound to have repercussions. The name itself, with the looks
and role it embodies, came from somewhere, and no “Gaunt” ever stopped to think about who first
thought of it — or if the name just found them fitting for the myths it craved to give life to.

Archetype: Avatar
Qualities: Baleful Touch, Cage of Words, Center of Gravity, Deadly Charm,
Dominion (Chaos), Dominion (Darkness), Dominion (Deception), Imposing
Presence, One Step Ahead, Shroud, Willful
Flairs: Dread-er Gaze, Hail Eris!, Hall of Mirrors, Hidden in the Masses, Hypnotic
Charm, Inspiration, Like a Sieve, Mastermind, Shapeshifter, Sorcery, Thousand
Faces
Drive: Keep humankind and supernatural beings alike bound in a never-ending
cycle of chaos and destruction
Callings: Adversary, Destroyer, Trickster
Purviews: Chaos, Death, Fire, Epic Strength, Epic Stamina, Health, Sun
Primary Pool (10): Deception, Sow Discord, Dark Charisma
Secondary Pool (8): Intimidation, Strategy
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 6
Defense: 5
Initiative: 5
The Secret Chaos
Gaunt’s true identity is deliberately left for Storyguides to determine. Perhaps
there’s no person behind the curtain after all, and all the Scions taking up the role
contribute in equal part to the villain’s legend. Or maybe one trickster outdid all
the others, pulling the strings from above: pick a God, Titan, or Dragon as your
mastermind, and let the story flow in that direction.
Gaunt could be even an undefined entity, answering to any title reflecting their
role as embodiment of evil. In this case, the meaning of opposing Gaunt is more
important than discovering the truth.
Alternatively, should you decide to implement Masks of the Mythos in your After
the End game, consider having none other than Nyarlathotep wear Gaunt’s mask.

The Great Beasts of the Wastes

The cataclysms that killed the World left many wounds that imprinted so deep within Fate’s framework
the ripples reaffirm themselves again and again. One of the most striking manifestations of these scars are
the Great Beasts of the Wastes. Each Beast is a colossal creature imbued with destructive instincts, a
gargantuan monster who can topple mountains and devastate whole landscapes while going on a rampage.
The steps of Great Beasts make the earth tremble, and settlements that discover being on the path of one
have no other choice but to relocate and pray the Beast stops after reducing their houses to dust.
The Great Beasts vary in nature and shape. Some are recognizable as the echoes of horrors from legends,
while others tap into a more instinctual terror. For each that shows vaguely animal features — if ones
brought into apocalyptic overdrive — another one with more abstract looks appears. A few are
embodiments of the injuries the broken World endures, mixing organic traits with stranger ones. Legend
ignites their impossible existence into being, birthing giant lizards whose breath incinerates everything,
flying serpentine tyrants with multiple heads, immense masses of ooze and eyes, crustaceans as big as a
mountain, and much, much more.
Great Beasts are rare, each a species of its own. Thankfully fond of their isolation, Great Beasts
inexplicably go on sudden rampages only to then retreat in the World’s furthest reaches right after. Each
Beast is highly territorial, meaning whenever their paths cross a fight for dominance is inevitable. People
can only pray to be spared from their wrath, but for Scions any Great Beasts represents a perfect chapter
to write their own legend with — whether to slay, tame, or defend their followers from.

Archetype: Goliath
Drive: Rampage
Threat: 3
Legend: N/A
Size: 6
Narrative Scale: 5
Extras: Apocalyptic Presence, Destructive Force, Miasmic Presence, Natural
Weapon (Fangs, Claws, Destructive Breath), Unstoppable, World Shaking
Hell Engines
Hell Engines are vehicles and construct imbued with supernatural power, tapping into the mythical
resonance of powerful machines in the World. Some are awakened weapons that endured through the
apocalypse, while others are the creation of Scions, Sorcerers, or Denizens.
Hell Engines are not subtle beings. Their nature screams of dynamicity, power, and speed. They crave to
run across the lost lands, serve as mounts for great warriors in epic deeds, and destroy whoever stands in
their path. Their shapes and functions determine their attitude, with some being animated war trucks and
others being lethal leviathans of loud gears and buzzing saws.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: Heavily Armored, Tough as Nails, Seeing Red, Segmented, Unstoppable,
Willful
Flairs: Making Space, Here I Come, World Shaking
Drive: Achieve glory through speed and fury
Primary Pool (11): Feats of Strength, Speed, Driving
Secondary Pool (9): Endurance, Impact
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 4 (Body), 3 (Limbs), 3 (Wheels)
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras: A Hell Engine left without driver must roll its desperation pool each round
or lose the ability to make any distinction between allies and enemies.
The Hungry Dead
The apocalypse unleashed hordes of ravenous undead upon the World. Some bear the taint of a
nightmarish curse within the dying embers of their soul, others escaped from an Underworld gaol when
the destruction that killed the Gods wrecked the chthonian doors open, and a few are even mutated by the
wild mythical energies that ravaged the wastes into their current state.
Not all undead are mindless devourers craving for flesh or blood. Between those doomed to spread their
condition by the afflictions they bear and those clinging to their sense of self while the hunger gnaws in
the back of their mind without cease, what ties together the hungry dead is their ever-constant pulsion to
slay the living. This might be an instinct they can’t explain, or even bitter hatred born out of envy for a
warmth they’ve lost. The hungry dead are both the mindless zombie and veteran of Hel’s armies stranded
in the World, the possessed corpse and natural abomination.
Each is out there in the wastelands, restless and ravenous.

Archetype: Foe
Qualities: Life Drain, Natural Weapons, Toxic, Slothful Resilience, Unnatural
Hunger
Flairs: Plague Touch
Drive: Feed on the living and spread the hunger
Primary Pool (7): Ravenous Combat, Relentlessness
Secondary Pool (5): Shamble, Track Prey
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 1
Defense: 1
Initiative: 4
Extras: Large hordes of hungry dead can benefit from an increase in Durability,
Size, or Power Scale to reflect their numbers. Hungry dead who kept their intellect
despite their hunger — or developed cunning predatory instincts — change their
traits accordingly.
The Omega
The Gods died. The Titans died. The Overworlds are empty. These are truths every Scion acknowledges,
powerful facts pressing whoever embarks on the path of Demigods to fight at each step of the race to
Apotheosis. They are also wrong. Born in the fires of the apocalypse, a most dreadful entity stares at the
shattered World with wrathful gaze: the Omega.
The cataclysms that ended the World forged the Omega in a crucible of unleashed fury and never-ending
pain. As fire and death enveloped all that was — as people witnessed the World die — the mythical
resonance of everything that had built up to those moments coalesced in an atrocious form that forced its
place into Fate’s narrative. The End needed its embodiment, and Fate provided. It hammered together the
screaming remains of broken Mantles, fusing them in a manifestation of the apocalypse that echoed
humankind’s worst fears. The Omega came to be: a gestalt consciousness forged out shattered Mantles
and fissile material, a radioactive conflagration of instinct, wrath, and terror joined in torment. Its most
common shape resembles that of a raging star tinged with sickening colors. Visages and screaming faces
— pieces of the Mantles merged within its core — appear on the surface, at times manifesting around the
fire in the shape of ghostly apparitions whose mere presence kills and contaminates. Whenever the
Omega’s chaotic thoughts align enough to formulate a discernible goal, its roar demands to see itself
detonate and consume everything in the ensuing nuclear blaze.
Omega isn’t a God, nor a Titan. Its might and thirst for destruction go above and beyond, reaching those
of a Primordial. Its own fractured mind and the constant torment it endures make the Omega’s actions
erratic and contradictory. At times, the entity is a being of pure instinct, while on other occasions it
concocts plans that endure the fires of its own mind. The Omega lashes out at the silent Overworlds,
locked in a semi-conscious state that can’t make sense of the destruction the World endured. While
waking up from this restless sleep might take time, any Gods or Titan who achieves Apotheosis won’t
have to wait long to discover the Omega was waiting for their triumph all along — and how it refuses to
accept it. For now, though, most of the Omega’s lucid dreams look toward the World. Without divine
competitors and any sense of self-preservation, nobody can say just how much of its influence shapes the
destroyed World and which creatures owe their existence to it. As a complete divine entity, the Omega can
generate all kinds of Scions by its own initiative. Where other Scions rely on the Echoes, the Omega
imbues people with power, guiding them through luminous Visitations both great and terrible on a path
leading toward destruction and an explosive Apotheosis.
Despite the threat it represents, the Omega holds within itself not only the remnants of the Mantles
burning within its soul, but the potential to become something different. Creation is the mirror of
destruction, after all: any group of Gods who manages to defeat or bind the Omega could channel its
energy to reforge the World. The entity could even become the creative force behind a new beginning, a
true Primordial for pantheons new and reborn. Any of these possibilities would ask Gods and Titans to
triumph in a truly incredibly struggle, but myths agree that’s how Worlds are made.

Archetype: Primordial
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing, Baleful Touch, Dominion (Chaos),
Destructive Force, Flight, Dominion (Fire), Dominion (Sun), Life Drain, Physiological
Void, Radiating Aura, Regeneration, Unstoppable
Flairs: Apocalyptic Rain, Bringing the House Down, Detonation, Dread-er Gaze,
Lazarus Rising, Miasma, Petrifying Gaze, Plague Touch, Second Wind, The Hydra’s
Hundred Heads, The Resurrection of Ba’al, Transformation, Under Pressure,
Weather Tyrant, World Shaking
Drive: Witness existence end in a roaring conflagration
Callings: Destroyer, Monster, Primeval
Purviews: Chaos, Death, Fire, Epic Strength, Epic Stamina, Health, Sun
Primary Pool (15): Vast-scale destruction, Fury, Generate energy
Secondary Pool (12): Suffering, Contaminate and warp, Cause terrified awe
Desperation Pool: 7
Health: 8
Defense: 7
Initiative: 7
Initiative: 7
Redeeming the End
If player characters succeed in the impossible task of easing the pain of the Omega
and convince it to accept within its own nature something other than raw,
unbridled fury (a deed truly worthy of a Band of Gods), the entity evolves into a
more caring Primordial: the Alpha.
The Alpha discards Monster for Creator, loses Chaos for Forge, embodies both
sides of the Health Purview, and its dice pools change accordingly.

The Witch of the Wastelands

The sight of a furnace-powered castle made from scraps walking on four huge steel legs announces the
Witch of the Wastelands has arrived. She might be inside, brewing potions made of gasoline, irradiated
blood, and Titanspawn bones. She might be nearby; her shape mutated so she can walk among mortals.
Or she might be in the sky, donning the features of a monstrous beast who can fly through sandstorms and
tornadoes. Nobody underestimates her power, and those who make the mistake of offending her soon join
the collection of skulls impaled on her castle’s bastions.
An encounter with the Witch of the Wastelands makes for an unforgettable experience. The powerful hag
towers above most men, with long pale hair and a tapestry of tattoos across her sunburnt skin being
immediately noticeable. A mechanical limb made of iron, steel, and brass replaces her right arm,
wheezing and spewing out smoke when the gears transform its shape into hand, blade, and flamethrower.
Rows of jagged iron for teeth complete the picture.
The Witch of the Wastelands inhabits a Strange Place known as the Bone Forest, a dusty expanse of
petrified trees and deep shadows, but travels around the World to pursue her mysterious goals. For some,
she’s a monstrous entity, a malevolent sorceress who ruins lives and destroys men. For others, she’s a
savior who changes lives, gives outcasts the tools to defend themselves, and punishes those who deserve
it. In truth, she’s both: A fearsome woman, both grandma and fiend, with wisdom to share, and meat best
left undefined cooking in her cauldron. To whoever tries to figure out her identity, how she gained her
powers, and if she’s a more unique than rare entity of great power who somehow survived the apocalypse,
the old woman explains she’s the Witch of the Wastelands now, making clear that’s all that matters.

Archetype: Avatar
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Center of Gravity, Dominion (Beasts), Dominion
(Chaos), Dominion (Death), Dominion (Fortune), Interference, Omni-Oracular,
Imposing Presence, Obligation, Vengeful Blood, Willful
Flairs: Curse, Eye of the Swarm, Mass Concealment, Mirror Mirror, Key to the
Bifröst, Petrifying Gaze, Player of Games, Ritual Magic, Shapeshifter, Weather
Tyrant
Drive: Embody the role of great and terrible witch, in all its facets
Primary Pool (10): Sorcery, Knowledge, Shapeshifting
Secondary Pool (8): Intimidation, Guidance
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 6
Defense: 5
Initiative: 5
Scion Bonus
The BOUDICA wasn’t much, by Divine Machine standards. It was compact, little more than powered
armor. Even then, the “powered” part wasn’t obvious. It didn’t have the usual bells and whistles you
expected from ambrosia tech; the glowing lines, pulsing symbols, and whirring prayer-motors. All that
frippery was well and good, but Ephraim didn’t need it.
No, what Ephraim needed was a no-frills suit that could punch out a cyclops, take a sideways blow from a
fire giant, and keep on running with the little maintenance he could scrape together. The BOUDICA did
all of that in spades, even if it was starting to look a little worse for the wear. He knew a breakdown was
coming, but he hoped it was at least another three missions away. That would push the mech just shy of
its breaking point, and Ephraim felt damn guilty about it, but there wasn’t a good alternative.
At least, not until the Freehold came calling.
This call came in the form of a gray-haired woman — short but stately, with steel rod posture, a
handshake like a vice, and an easy smile that was equal parts inspiring and intimidating. The only people
who could smile like that were the ones who knew that they were the biggest fish in their pond and any
nearby ponds in a hundred mile radius.
“Come work for us,” she said, and Ephraim noticed when she almost said “me” instead of “us.” Her smile
grew all the brighter when he said he’d think about it, and she left whistling something old and cheery.
He didn’t want to work for her, and he didn’t want to think about it, but one by one every lead he had
dried up. Local governments and minor corps always wanted an extra Scion on hand, especially one who
came at a price like Ephraim’s. It didn’t matter how many krakens, dragons, or giant gorgons came
rampaging out of the Great Lakes. No one was hiring. At least, no one was hiring him. So, he bit the
bullet.
The Freehold was on the Canadian side of the lakes, smack dab in the middle of a pristine spruce forest.
One second you were riding a gravel road, and the next, you were looking at a sprawling compound of
immaculate buildings lit with the strange, twilight glow that wrapped itself around anyplace powered by
an a-tech reactor. If they had one here, it meant they had deeper pockets than he’d thought — deep
enough to justify a rotation of Scions on hand just to keep the reactor running at peak.
Maybe that’s what they wanted him for, another body to keep whatever scuttled mech they were using for
the reactor core going while they switched someone else into the field. It would be a cherry job, nice and
safe, but he could already feel himself getting a fatal case of boredom from the thought alone.
*
Ephraim’s legs almost gave out when he saw what they wanted him for.
The woman — Alyssa Chartier, a Scion herself in the border wars of the 80s — introduced him to the CÚ
CHULAINN as if the mech was just another casual acquaintance and she hadn’t expected to find it here.
It was fifty feet tall, plaited with some ambrosial alloy that gave it a silvery-gold sheen. The point of a
seven-pronged spear rested just above the concrete floor, grasped in its hands like a lightning bolt. By the
time he got close enough to touch the mech’s towering heel, he could feel its divinity in his teeth, as if
every bone in his body had turned into a tuning fork.
“That’s a good sign,” Chartier said, “he’s responding to you already. We’ve had a dozen different Scions
try and take him for a spin, and he’s never had that kind of reaction. Maybe he likes you,” she said,
waggling her eyebrows. She knew that Ephraim couldn’t say no to a chance to pilot something like this.
He looked back to a bay where a few of the Freehold’s technicians were examining the BOUDICA for
repairs (part of his fee, naturally) and felt a twinge of guilt. Ephraim Wu cheated at cards and on the
battlefield, but it shocked him in the gut to think he could cheat on his mech.
His heart sank when he got into the cockpit and the Demigod’s systems pulsed to life like a dog greeting
an old friend long absent. Arcs of harmless golden electricity leapt from the console to dance across his
skin, and his senses synched in naturally: his eyes of flesh fluttered to a close, and CÚ CHULAINN’s
flared to life. He was the mech, and the mech was him, and together they were so violently alive that it
burned like hope, like joy, like victory.
These Demigod eyes weren’t as limited as his human ones. In his mind, new awarenesses bloomed. A
little flicker of his attention and he could sense temperature, pressure, electromagnetism, and that
numinous radiation that came off every piece of a-tech. That last one is what caught his attention most of
all.
He could sense the reactor, of course. And six active Hero-class Divine Machines in the midst of drills.
And then, beneath the lake —
“You can sense it, can’t you?”
Chartier’s voice came in clear on the comms, cutting through the noise in Ephraim’s head. “I can sure
sense something down there. What the devil is it?”
“A spawning pit,” she said, and all that carefully curated warmth went out of her voice. “And quite
frankly, the bane of my existence. Do you know what it’s like to have to camp out right on top of
something like that? It’s two, three kaiju a week, and that’s if we’re lucky.”
“Bomb it. Send in some Heroes. You’ve got six in the field right now and what feels like five more in
repairs.”
“It’s deeper than that,” and her voice did something strange when she said deeper. It gave the word spin
and gravity.
He understood. He didn’t know how he understood, but he did: this wasn’t just a physical thing, or place,
or whatever. It was a knot of congealed Legend, or Fate, or something else with a capital letter that he’d
only ever heard of in passing. Heroes fought monsters, but if you wanted a whole realm wiped off the
map, you sent a Demigod. Even if the realm was a tucked away, hand-me-down, sideways place.
The spear sparked alive in CÚ CHULAINN’s hands, sizzling with the same golden electricity that filled
the cockpit. The World quivered as the Demigod took its first steps, steady as the dawn, towards the
water.
“I don’t suppose I get to keep it?” Ephraim asked as he walked into the icy waters.
“That all depends. Do we get to keep you?”
Cyber-Scion
“You stepped on the battlefield three times now with a powerful experimental
weapon. Some lives may be saved, but others were lost. You’ve taken a power
for yourself to interfere in the destinies of a lot of people, both friend and foe
alike. And for that you have to take responsibility…By seeing it through to the
end.”
-Daguza Mackle, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
There’s a World where the Gods stride the planet not as legendary beings, but as colossal machines made
sacred by the enigmatic substance known as ambrosia. In this World, Scions are not the children of myth,
but the rare souls who can resonate with these Divine Machines, drawing forth miracles that defy even the
most advanced scientific research.
These Divine Machines have a purpose. While some are used as implements of war, most are utilized as
the World’s foremost defense against the seemingly endless hordes of monsters that belch forth from the
crevices of the earth. These kaiju are organic horrors: centipedes the size of buses, minotaurs large enough
to topple skyscrapers, and cephalic ocean-monsters with thousands of tentacles. Scions pilot their Divine
Machines to fight these kaiju wherever they appear, keeping the World safe for its citizens.
This protection doesn’t come for free. The initial boom of ambrosial tech coincided with war among
nations to stake their claim to valuable mines and corporate skirmishes to devour all competing firms
through mergers and acquisitions. In the end, only half a dozen megacorporations remained standing, the
“Titans of Industry” now known simply as the TITANS. While they make little attempt to hide their status
as a deeply corrupt cartel, the governments of the World have no option except to pay their extortionate
rates to lease Divine Machines and their specially trained Scion pilots.
Of course, there are pockets of resistance. Some small operations have remained defiantly independent
from the TITANS, especially where towns, cities, and nations protect valuable ambrosia mines to develop
a-tech wonders of their own. The TITANS try to pass these so-called Freeholds off as rustic bumpkins or
bootleggers, but countless polities now work to discover unknown ambrosia deposits that could help free
them from TITANS domination.
A-tech would be worthless without the Scions, though. They are the rare few able to fully resonate with
ambrosia, drawing out the strange mineral’s latent miraculous properties. In most human hands, ambrosia
is “merely” lighter than aluminum and stronger than titanium, but when a Scion lays hold of an ambrosial
device, the Resonation between her soul and the material creates a supply of clean, inexhaustible power
that bends the laws of physics.
So here you are: Whether you’re a corporate asset who’s spent their whole life training to be a Scion or a
plucky young thing from an upstart Freehold, Fate has decided that you and your Divine Machines are the
only thing standing between humanity and an onslaught of giant monsters.

Introduction
Cyber-Scion reinvents the World as a technological dystopia where a handful of megacorporations try to
monopolize Divine Machines to combat rampaging kaiju. Players take on the role of Scions, but rather
than the children of the Gods, they’re now pilots capable of bringing out the full power of their Divine
Machines. Some are natural talents, born under a twist of Fate; others are self-made Legends who tested
their mettle over and over until the ambrosia couldn’t help but recognize their burgeoning Legend for
what it is.
This shard plays around with Scion’s usual Tiers. Pilots themselves are essentially pre-Visitation Scions,
but their Divine Machines can raise them up to the Hero and Demigod Tiers. Intrigue, espionage, and
other on-the-ground affairs leave the pilots vulnerable (though they still have a few tricks from their semi-
divine nature), but as soon as they boot up their Divine Machine, they’re jumping straight into high-Scale
heroics. Cyber-Scion assumes that the vast majority of active pilots — and starting characters — have a
single Hero-Tier frame at their command. Throughout a chronicle, pilots can upgrade their Divine
Machine, acquire new frames temporarily or permanently, or even push their frame into the Demigod-
Tier.
The following sections are intended for everyone who’s interested in exploring this shard, players and
Storyguides alike:
• Introduction: You are here.
• New Player Options: Rules for making, maintaining, and piloting Divine Machines.
• Key Players: A who’s who of powerbrokers in the World, detailing the TITANS megacorps,
Freeholds, and national governments.
• Locations: The lay of the land for several key locations, including a highlight reel of kaiju
hotspots and sample Freehold locales.
The sections that follow are intended for Storyguides only; unauthorized player access will be sanctioned
to the highest level allowed by megacorp policy.
• Plots & Schemes: A selection of adventure-starting plot seeds for groups just itching to jump into
the world of Cyber-Scion.
• Antagonists & Storyguide Characters: Detailed dossiers on key allies and enemies for
inclusion in your chronicle, including rules for an assortment of big bad kaiju.

Genre
While Cyber-Scion is rooted in cyberpunk, it also takes liberal inspiration from mecha and kaiju media
across a wide spectrum of genres. Its default state is that the World might be dystopian, but this dystopia
is not omnipresent or undefeatable. Freeholds, independent Scions, and megacorp splinter-factions can
take on the powers that be with a real, fighting chance. Kaiju can be fought, and the source of the problem
can be identified, ameliorated, and perhaps even solved. The World’s a bit crap right now, but you have
the chance to help turn things around.
In cyberpunk tradition, Bands are highly discouraged from working for the megacorps. It’s generally
assumed that player characters are independent contractors who managed to earn their Divine Machines
through various twists of Fate, or that they’re members of a Freehold. If they are corporate employees, it
might be as deniable assets who are primed to go rogue, or an internal splinter cell trying to undermine
corporate interests from the inside.

Setting
Cyber-Scion takes place in a version of the World that was a lot like our Earth. At least, until the
discovery of ambrosia set off a technological arms race that ended with post-human Denizens, a-tech
marvels, and the ascent of Divine Machines as humanity’s greatest weapons.
Everyone heard the Resonation of 1978, when every scrap of mineral ever taken from under the earth
began to sing. Each gave off only a fraction of a fraction of a whisper, but together they became a
deafening, thrumming sound that echoed in bones and teeth, bringing life on the planet to an aching and
agonized halt. It lasted only seven seconds, but changed the World forever because it heralded the arrival
of ambrosia.
The first harvests of ambrosia came from mines all over the planet, especially those with an ancient
history — from Afghanistan’s lapis-filled Sar-i-Sang to hematite mines once used by the Nazca of modern
Peru. It was a manifest miracle, defying all geological categorization. No one could say where ambrosia
came from or what it was, but its possibilities quickly emerged as scientists raced to publish their
findings. It responded to thought, intention, and emotion. When worked by the strong-willed, it could be
lighter than aluminum but more durable than titanium. In the hands of a Scion — the rare few
transformed by the Resonation, their blood transformed into ichor — ambrosia did even more. It was a
source of inexhaustible clean energy capable of performing miracles.
A-tech naturally gravitates towards mythic forms. Ambrosia capacitors work best when wired in the shape
of legendary sigils and Divine Machines defy gravity and the square-cube law by moving faster and more
gracefully in the shape of a hawk-headed robot than a harrier jet (although the hawk-headed robot can
also probably turn into one of those when needs be). A-tech engineers, Denizens, and Scions say that
ambrosia wants to be shaped and used in a certain way; c-suite executives tend to think of this as
romanticism or superstition, because they’ve never been in the cockpit of a six-story mech feeling the
lightning pump in their veins and hearing the rune-songs of the Æsir echo in their heads.
To that end, most a-tech — and all Divine Machines — runs on a set of principles that resonates with a
particular pantheon. These pantheons are the physical and mythical backbone of ambrosial technology,
both a design philosophy for the physical construct itself and a spiritual operating system for its
miraculous energies. Scions are often drawn to one pantheon above all others; while they can achieve
Resonation with many different Divine Machines, there’s only one design paradigm that feels like
“home.” No organization has a stranglehold on a given pantheon, despite the best attempts of megacorps
and ultranationalist governments. Even still, most workshops specialize in one or two pantheons,
developing expertise in how it facilitates ambrosial reactions.
In the aftermath of the Resonation, nations rushed to secure their ambrosia mines. This became heated,
especially among nations with historically ambiguous or contested borders. A region that could defend its
mines had the resources to press for independence; even if they didn’t have the infrastructure to build
their own cutting-edge a-tech, they could export unused ambrosia in exchange for wealth and
international recognition. These dark days were the Ambrosia Wars, dozens of campaigns that redrew
maps, wiped out cities, and changed the World forever. When the dust cleared, governments and militaries
were left exhausted.
And into that power vacuum came the megacorps.
While nations fought the Ambrosia Wars, they farmed out ambrosia mining and manufacturing to private
industry, a fact that would come back to bite them like Fenrir taking a chunk out of the sun. Corporations
grew fat on mineral rights and government contracts, and their wealth ballooned beyond even their own
wildest dreams. As the Ambrosia Wars cooled, these cash-fat corporations launched wars of their own in
the board room rather than on the battlefield. The biggest players started a feeding frenzy of mergers and
acquisitions in the late 1980s and early 1990s until only six sprawling megacorps remained, calling
themselves the Titans of Industry — or simply the TITANS.
This period of rapid consolidation was facilitated by the appearance of the kaiju. When a colossal serpent
emerged from the Pacific to strangle the Golden Gate bridge, everyone hoped it was a one-off, some fluke
of evolution. First generation Divine Machines were dispatched to put an end to the beast…and the seven
that came after. Then came the giant boar in Egypt; the two-headed demon in Pakistan; the navy-sinking
narwhale in the Baltic. Kaiju emerged across the World in droves, and even though no one knew where
they were coming from, their relentless attacks meant everyone was spending money hand over fist on the
finest Divine Machines, raising megacorp profits higher than the heavens.
Decades of study have still returned inconsistent and inconclusive findings about the kaiju. Their biology
should be impossible, too large to sustain themselves or to move with the alarming speed they possess.
Their origins are murky and inscrutable, though many seem to creep forth from dark and lonesome places.
Their nature and drives are unpredictable; while many want nothing more than to feed and rampage,
others display surprisingly complex intellect and a taste for cruelty that feels all too human. As kaiju
grow, they become more powerful and intelligent; the walking disasters who reach the Calamity-class and
beyond seek out vast quantities of ambrosia to consume as part of their evolution into… something else.
Even as nations became more and more dependent on the megacorps, hyperlocal operations known as the
Freeholds rose to check their power. Each is rooted in a valuable ambrosia mine that wasn’t absorbed by
government or industry, and each bootstrapped its way up the tech tree until it could produce its own
Divine Machines. These Freeholds now stand as regional powers like independent city-states, usually
offering much better terms to governments than any megacorp can match in exchange for promises of
noninterference. While they can’t match the megacorps for R&D, Freeholds often make up for it with
passion and artistry — and when you’re working with ambrosia, a little tender love and care goes a long
way.
Most Divine Machines fit this general pattern: The highest of the high end are megacorp flagships, the
passion projects of executives looking to one up their rivals. The lowest of the low (if you can call any a-
tech wonders low) are mass-production models licensed to governments or deployed as part of the corps’
personal militias. In between are the bespoke creations of the Freeholds, where experimentation and
honest prayer help quicken middle-of-the-road designs into specialized wonders.
While Divine Machines are the most obvious effect of a-tech, ambrosia has other uses. A-tech medicine
has extended lifespans, providing effective treatments for many common maladies. Ambrosial reactors
produce seemingly limitless clean energy absorbed from sparring Divine Machines or harvested during
battle with kaiju. Jets with wings of ambrosial feathers carry cargo at supersonic speeds for a tenth of the
cost of a commercial ticket in the pre-ambrosia era.
Computing takes things all the further. Ambrosial computers power an almost instantaneous Internet,
delivering customized content for each user before they can even think to ask for it. Megacorps harvest
user data to power models capable of churning out content with surprisingly effective propaganda en
masse, making brand loyalty into a religion all its own. Privacy is a luxury for the rich, who can afford to
veil their history and transactions using complex, nested shell identities.
The people most associated with ambrosia, though, are the Denizens and Scions. Denizens are those
who’ve been reshaped by exposure to raw ambrosia, taking on legendary forms inspired by mythology.
This unexpected mutation was shocking to many, but is now often grudgingly accepted, though individual
cultures vary in their attitudes. Freeholds have the largest populations of Denizens due to their proximity
to ambrosia mines, often becoming cornerstones of the Freehold’s civic identity and cultural life.
Scions are the rare souls capable of producing their own Resonation, allowing them to draw out the full
potential of a Divine Machine. Anyone can sit in the cockpit of a Divine Machine and make it walk; only
a Scion can attune to one and make it dance, breathe, live. It’s not clear what makes a Scion a Scion, and
not all are equally gifted at drawing out the latent powers of ambrosia. While some display a natural
aptitude — and such prodigies are often “adopted” by megacorps and governments, by force if necessary
— others only develop the affinity over time, or bond with a specific suit and no other. While all Scions
display some natural facility with piloting Divine Machines, they still benefit from extensive training in
combat, tactics, and engineering to reach their full potential. A sizable number of Scions are also
Denizens, rising to the rank of pilot after years as ambrosia miners or technicians.
Whatever their background, training, and objectives, it is these Scions who will determine the battle for
humanity’s survival, not just against the external threat of the kaiju, but also the internal threat of
humanity’s worst instincts. Astride their Divine Machines, they will help to write the future of the World.

Inspirational Material
It’s clear that Pacific Rim serves as a key touchstone — giant robots fighting giant monsters, let’s go! —
but it’s not the only one. Some especially strange kaiju might feel more at home in Neon Genesis
Evangelion, and Evangelion’s sprawling, convoluted mythos has a touch of Fatebinding and Legend in
its portentous cycles of death and rebirth.
You can’t do kaiju without a debt of gratitude to Godzilla and its various spinoffs, reinventions, and
knockoffs. The kaiju of Cyber-Scion are no exception, sometimes serving as allegories for nuclear war
and environmental destruction and other times just being Bad Things that deserve to be punched,
slammed, or attacked with high-power experimental lasers.
The political intrigues of the TITANS are inspired by cyberpunk sources like Ghost in the Shell,
Neuromancer, and Shadowrun. Cyber-Scion’s hopeful overtones diverge from these sources, though —
for an example of (seemingly) supernatural robots working to shatter a hyper-capitalist future, it’s hard to
do better than Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury.
Finally, Cyber-Scion has a dash of tokusatsu, which individual groups can dial in according to their
preferences. Chronicles in search of some hope and hijinks might call up shades of Ultraman, Kamen
Rider, or Super Sentai and its American cousin Power Rangers.

New Player Options

I call upon the power of the Hero-Class frame, the Divine Machine of the Aesir
Pantheon, Thor Odinson!

Building a Character
Before any skyscraper-shattering punches are thrown from the cockpit of a Divine Machine, first you
must have someone to pilot it. Build a pre-visitation Scion using the rules found in Scion: Origin, starting
on page 94. Choose three Callings but do not assign dots to them. Divine Machine pilots do not have
Knacks, Legend, or Legendary Titles as these will come from their Machine. The pilot always has their
pantheon’s Virtues and moves along the Virtue track as normal. If the pilot is Virtuous, so is their
Machine.
Pilots are always pre-visitation Scions; the spark of divinity lurks within them but can only be expressed
through the power of their Hero-Class frames. Using Scent the Divine or similar effects always identifies
the pilot as someone with a touch of godhood within them. Likewise, pilot scenes involve human-scale
conflict: interpersonal drama, logistics, and the like. Otherwise, all battles take place at colossal scale
from the safety of their Divine Machine’s cockpit.

The Divine Machine

Choosing a pantheon for your pilot grants the character access to that pantheon’s arsenal of Divine
Machines. Typically, players will pilot one Divine Machine for the duration of a campaign, but they are
not restricted from doing so. A pilot may command a number of different Divine Machines. The only
restriction is that the Machine and the pilot must share a pantheon. Some pilots refer to their favored
Machine as their Pantheon Signature Frame.
The Divine Machine functions similarly to the Hero or Demigod template, supplying supernatural
powers, exceptional durability, and godlike might on top of the pilot’s skills.
All Divine Machines have the following qualities:
• Size and Durability Scale 3. Some Knacks may increase one or both of these.
• Two attack pools: ranged and close. The ranged attack pool has dice equal to the pilot’s Firearms
+ Dexterity. The close attack pool has dice equal to the pilot’s Close Combat + Might or Dexterity. Select
one of the pools to specialize in. It gains 5 dice. If this does not make the pool at least 10 dice, add bonus
dice until it equals 10. The other pool gains 3 dice. If this does not make the pool at least 8 dice, add
bonus dice until it equals 8.
• A defense pool equal to the pilot’s highest Resilience Ability +3. If this pool is not at least 5 dice,
add bonus dice until it equals 5.
• 8 Health. Divine Machines do not suffer Injuries, nor Complications from them. They may suffer
other Complications from non-damage sources. Demigod-class Machines have 10 Health.
• Legend rating starting at 1. Legend increases as the pilot upgrades the Machine (p. XX). A Divine
Machine’s Legend pool belongs to the machine and not the pilot. It fully refreshes whenever the pilot
leaves the machine.
• Legendary Title, such as Hammer of the Giants or The Sunkiller or The Virtuous Hero. This
functions identically to Legendary Titles as detailed in Scion: Hero. The pilot only benefits from the title
of the Machine she is currently using.
• Two Purviews and the Machine’s Pantheon Signature Purview. The pilot may perform Marvels
with these Purviews while operating the Divine Machine, but not outside it.

Rules Alterations
To best reflect giant machines fighting each other (or fighting giant monsters) a few adjustments to the
core ruleset are in order.
Range bands: While no mechanical differences need to be made, while Divine Machines are locked in
combat, Storyguides must reframe the distances between them as appropriate to the scene. Close range for
a Divine Machine is still within sword-swinging distance: it’s just that the sword in question is twelve feet
long! Divine Machines typically should not be fighting human-scale opponents unless, of course, that
opponent is a Scion with the ability to fight at scale. Use the Scale rules liberally to make the most sense
of these scenes.
Defeat: Once all of a Divine Machine’s health boxes have been marked off, it is in critical danger and
must retreat or be repaired in battle. Damage does not roll over to the pilot.
Weapons: Weapons are designed as normal. A Divine Machine may look however the player chooses and
may have as many weapons as is appropriate. However, one attack may only be taken a turn as normal
unless otherwise specified by an ability.
Healing: With the exception of powers from Healer Submodules, there are no ways for Divine Machines
to recover health during combat. Outside of combat, Divine Machines are assumed to be incrementally
repaired via their support team, at the rate of 1 health per day. Once per day, pilots can attempt to heal
additional health with a Technology + Resolve action, with a difficulty equal to 2 + the amount of health
the pilot’s attempting to restore.

Building the Machine

After creating your pilot, build their Divine Machine. Additional machines can be constructed at any time
later. There is no limit to how many Machines may be in a pantheon’s arsenal excepting the framework of
the narrative.
Pilots must spend a narrative scene harmonizing their latent divine power with that of their frame. After
doing so, the pilot gains the innate ability from all of the Purviews associated with her Machine, even
when she is not piloting it. If she switches frames, this changes the Purview abilities she can access. A
pilot may only equip or upgrade Calling-type Submodules that align with her Callings.
Divine Machines do not have Knacks and Boons. Instead, they grant the inherent property of any Purview
associated with the Machine to the pilot as noted above. Divine Machines have Calling-type Submodules
which function similarly to Knacks. A pilot must have a matching Calling in order to equip the
Submodule to her mech.
There are two classifications of Divine Machines, called “frames:” Hero-Class and Demigod-Class.
Hero-Class frames have a Legend rating from 1 to 4 and Demigod-Class frames have a Legend rating
from 5-8. The Divine Machine is not a Birthright and does not have a dot rating. Instead, the Divine
Machine’s Legend increases as the pilot spends experience points on upgrading it (see Advancement, p.
XX).

God-Class Frames
Rumors hold of a final Tier to which a Divine Machine can ascend: God-Class.
Most pilots can only dream of ascending their Divine Machine to such levels of
power. Attaining Demigod-Class status is difficult enough as it is. However, pilots
in a tough situation can call upon the aid of a God-Class frame. To do so, use an
action to declare that you are calling upon the gods for aid and choose one of the
following results:
• The God-Class frame intervenes and defeats a single foe of any Tier. Remove that
foe from the battle. This intervention may be a bombardment from the heavens, a
single massive fist crushing the enemy, the God-Class frame appearing in the
scene where they could plausibly fit in order to smite an enemy with a single blow,
and so on.
• The God-Class frame performs a single miracle within one of its Purviews. It may
ask for something in return.
Use the following steps to create a Divine Machine:
• Choose a pantheon. Gain the inherent property from the Pantheon Signature Purview.
• Create a Legendary Title for your Hero-Class frame. This can be changed when it upgrades into a
Demigod-Class frame.
• Choose two Purviews for the Machine and gain their inherent abilities.
• Design a Motif for the Divine Machine. This works identically to a Motif on a Relic.
• Select four Calling-type Submodules (p. XX) from the pilot’s three Callings. These can all be
from the same Calling or from multiple. Pilots may upgrade their Divine Machine with additional
Submodules using XP. See Advancement.
• Choose a signature weapon for your frame. Begin by creating a weapon with 3 points to spend on
tags. This weapon is always available for your frame to use and if it gets destroyed should be replaced by
the Storyteller within the next scene. This weapon always grants +1 Enhancement to attacks made with it.

Advancement
Pilots steadily upgrade their Divine Machines as the chronicle progresses. Pilots themselves progress
normally, buying Skills and Attributes with experience as usual. They may also gain and lose
Fatebindings as if they were Hero Tier characters.
Follow the experience chart listed on page 185 of Scion: Hero for experience costs. Treat Submodules as
having the equivalent experience cost as a Knack. Pilots (within or without their machines) still earn
experience through Deeds.
Upgrades may be purchased for the Machine’s signature weapon. Armor tags may also be added to the
frame. 5 XP grants a new tag.
Characters may purchase a Knack from a Calling not aligned with their Divine Machine for 15 XP.
Each Legend increase from 1 to 4 requires the expenditure of 50 XP. To ascend to Demigod-Class, the
pilot and her Divine Machine must undergo the first three Milestones of the Apotheosis Roadmap (Scion:
Demigod, p. 15). Like their flesh-and-blood Scion counterparts, Divine Machines may choose to remain
at Hero-Class and never put one foot on the path to true divinity. Games may stay at Hero-Class for as
long as the group is enjoying playing. There is no mandate to ascend. If this is the path chosen, players
may continue to purchase Submodules for their machine with no limitations until the game reaches its
natural conclusion or the players choose to end it.

Demigod-Class
At this level, the Divine Machines become something transcendent. Though rare, pilots of Demigod-Class
frames report strange dreams after operating it. Some of them even develop even stronger supernatural
abilities gifted to them by their Machine.
Demigod-Class frames gain Size and Durability Scale 4.
Demigod-Class frames grant pilots the ability to perform casual miracles (Scion: Demigod p. 155) with
any of the purviews associated with their Divine Machine. The pilot and the Divine Machine use
Dominion Stunts following the basic rules explained on p. 156 of Scion: Demigod.
While in the Divine Machine, both the pilot and the Machine aggregate and use Divinity Dice. These
follow the basic instructions on p. 154 of Scion: Demigod.

By Our Mecha Combined!

The only thing cooler than an individual robot is a series of robots that combine
into one bigger, scarier robot. If the players and the Storyguide agree, all Divine
Machines may become combining robots. Use the following rules:
The first player to act in a round asks the table if they’d like to combine. This may
 happen at the start of any turn. Other players may propose this outside their turn,
but it always applies on the first player’s action. All participants take a turn
describing their Divine Machine transforming into its component part (forming
the head is, of course, crucial). Give the new combined Machine a name and its
own Legendary Title.
The new combined Machine has 8 health +1 for every component machine. It uses
the highest attack and defense pool of each of the combined Machines and may
freely swap between each of their signature weapons though only one weapon
may be used to make an attack at a time. It acts on each character’s initiative, with
the player of that character controlling the combined Machine for that turn.
When the combined machine has taken more than half of its total health in
damage, it gains the Unstable (2) Complication to all actions. If not bought off, the
combined Machine collapses back into its component parts. Split the damage up
evenly among the characters, rounding up. If the composite Machine becomes
Taken Out, the same effect happens.

Demigod Rules
Demigods gain access to divinity dice. Rolling these dice alter the outcomes of her successes and failures,
turning positive outcomes into explosive, immense and imploding failures into terrible dooms. The
number of divinity dice a character may have at any time is 10. These persist from session to session and
replace an equal number of dice in any Skill or Defense roll.
Whenever a character takes any of the following actions, replace one die in their pools for each of the
following actions taken:
• Performing marvels
• Performing Feats of Scale
• Resolving a Deed
• Using a Virtue
The number of divinity dice resets to zero once the player makes any roll consisting entirely of divinity
dice, including flooding the pool.
Rolling a pool containing divinity dice creates catastrophic successes and mortal failures which are
shaped by the rolling character’s Purviews. Storyguides and players decide which of Purviews is the most
appropriate at the time of rolling. A Storyguide may always choose to Fatebind the character as a result of
success or failure.
Catastrophic successes happen when a player rolls a pool containing divinity dice and succeeds with any
of the divinity dice showing successes. The action succeeds beyond the character’s wildest dreams,
always granting more than the character wished for.
Mortal failures cause the character’s divine nature to falter. If the roll fails and any of the divinity dice are
not successes, it provokes a mortal failure. Beyond the roll failing, something relevant to the rolling
character’s Purviews goes wildly out of control. If a roll succeeds and no divinity dice show successes, or
if a roll fails and some divinity dice show successes, nothing spectacular happens. It is a success or failure
as normal. Whenever a character uses a Virtue to add dice to a Momentum expenditure, these Virtue dice
are automatically divinity dice.

Flooding the Pool

Once per session, a character with three or more divinity dice may choose to flood the pool, spending a
Basic Action (which may not be part of a Mixed action) to fill herself with pure divine power. The next
roll she makes is made entirely with divinity dice, and grants her access to any of the following stunts:
Divine Revelation (1s): For each success spent on this stunt, reveal one clue per success in this or any
future Procedural scenes. Add 1 die to the Collateral pool.
Wave of Power (1s): Add the Shockwave tag to any attack enhanced by this Stunt. If it already has the
Shockwave tag, it gains Brutal instead. Add 1 die to the Collateral pool.
Wonder and Awe (variable successes): People or creatures observing you become enthralled by your
display of might. They become temporary Followers or Creatures with a rating equal to the successes
spent on this Stunt. This effect ends at the end of the story. If this roll would also result in a Fatebinding,
these people or creatures are excellent targets.

Casual Miracles
Casual miracles are always minor effects, tiny impossible feats performed with ease. Mechanically, casual
miracles do not need stats, call for rolls, or require concrete effects. If it says a character can conjure
drinking water, they do, no questions asked. Where appropriate, a Storyguide can assign a casual miracle
up to +3 Enhancement to any relevant rolls or apply up to +3 Difficulty to opposed rolls.

The Collateral Pool

The collateral pool is available by default in all Cyber Scion games. At the start of the game, the collateral
pool begins with zero dice. Whenever the players’ characters take any of the following actions, add one
die to the pool for each applicable action.
• Performing marvels
• Performing Feats of Scale
• Making any roll enhanced by Scale excluding attacks made by one Divine Machine against
another.
• Rolling a pool with divinity dice
• Failing to buy off applicable Complications
• Certain stunts (this will be noted)
• Special Flairs or Antagonist abilities
The pool builds until it reaches 10 dice, and the number of dice in the pool roll over from session to
session until it hits 10. Once it has been filled, any actions that would add additional dice instead add
Enhancement.
At the end of any round in combat or after all player characters have taken their actions outside of it, the
player whose action caused the pool to fill then rolls all ten dice and the Storyguide chooses from the
following stunts:
Echo (3s): Alter the Field with an aspect of the rolling player’s Purviews. These changes persist until the
end of the scene.
Harm (2s vs trivial targets/any successes over Defense): Either a major character is hurt by an
environmental disaster caused by the characters’ actions or the power unleashed causes injury (or death)
to any number of trivial bystanders.
Incite (2s): Onlookers turn against the characters furious with them for their wanton destruction. The
triggering character has +1 Difficulty to social interactions for the rest of the session for each time this
Stunt is chosen, to a maximum of +3.
Pin (2s vs trivial targets/any successes over Defense): A massive piece of rubble falls either on a major
character in the scene, or on any number of trivial bystanders, trapping them until they break free or are
rescued.
Raze (Successes equal to Size): Destroy an object established in the Field.
Rift (5s): An aspect of an Overworld, Underworld, Terra Incognita, or other cosmological place
associated with the rolling character appears, subsuming part of the Field and displacing its reality.
Threats from this otherworld may appear, if dramatically appropriate. Reality reasserts itself at the end of
the scene.
Scatter (2s): All trivial or non-magical targets (including Followers and mooks) flee the area, out of terror
or self-preservation. Even well-drilled military units will run. This is a fear effect for the purposes of
Knacks and Boons.
Once the pool has been rolled, it resets to zero, and resumes filling back up as normal. If the collateral
pool is rolled before it reaches 10, reset the value to zero unless otherwise stated. Some actions may cause
the collateral pool to be rolled immediately. If so, the triggering player rolls it right away and the
Storyguide chooses the Stunts, as normal.
Players may engage with the collateral pool in the following ways:
Unchecked Abandon: When a character makes any action with unchecked abandon, she may declare
before she rolls any number of Enhancement, up to +5. The Storyguide adds an equal number of dice to
the pool instantly, which may cause the pool to empty.
Devil’s Bargain: Once per session, a character may take a devil’s bargain, and any collateral they would
add to the pool during that action is instead given to the Storyguide as Tension.

Calling-Type Submodules
Calling-Type Submodules are condensed supernatural powers used exclusively by Divine Machines. Like
Knacks they are driven by the themes of the Calling associated with them. Submodules have two
modalities: one that allows a mechanical extension or new effect when Momentum is spent, and another
that allows the same but when Legend is spent. Some may also have a modality that grants another
additional effect (usually without a cost) when the Machine’s purviews align with this Submodule. Not
every Submodule will have this modality.

Presentation Format
Here’s how to read Calling-Type Submodules.
Submodule Name: This is the name of the Divine Machine’s power. It generally describes what the
power does and makes you feel cool when activating it. Feel free to shout it out whenever you use it.
Description: This is a line of flavor text to help inspire you as you use the power.
System: This describes the mechanical function of the Submodule. Following the initial mechanical
statement, this will also list how the Submodule interacts with Legend or Momentum expenditure, if at
all.
Special: Any alternate or unusual applications of the Submodule (such as effects that may apply outside
of the Divine Machine) will be listed here.

General
Analyze the Divine
Focusing on the state of her target, the pilot reveals crucial information about her opponents.
System: As a simple action, make an Academics, Integrity, Occult, Science or Technology + the player’s
choice of Attribute roll. For every success, reveal one detail about the targeted enemy, including:
• Health remaining
• Defense or attack pool size
• Any ongoing negative effects such as Complications or Conditions
• Any ongoing positive effects, such as the Virtuous Condition
• One technique (quality or Submodule) not yet used this fight
• One passive quality the target possesses
• The Pantheon to which the target belongs
• One Purview or Calling the target possesses
Special: This may be used outside of the Divine Machine. Outside the Machine this also costs
Momentum.

Hymn to the Divine Machine

Calling the coded prayer-phrases, the pilot beckons her Machine to her side.
System: Use a simple action to summon your Divine Machine into any pilot-scale scene. It smashes
through the most appropriate scenery or rises up out of the ground or a nearby body of water, etc., as
appropriate to the themes of its Purviews. You may enter it immediately and initiate Machine-scale battle
as a result (or use the Machine to flee danger).
Special: This may be used outside of the Divine Machine.

Weapon-Calling Song
Humming the resonant frequency, the pilot summons her signature weapon to her hand — in or
out of her Machine.
System: Spend Momentum. Call your Divine Machine’s signature weapon to its hand instantly and
reflexively.
Special: This Submodule may be taken a second time to summon a person-scale version of the Machine’s
signature weapon while in pilot-scale scenes.

Creator
Fortified Arms
Weapons touched by a Divine Machine with the Creator Calling do not tarnish nor break.
System: Imbue 1 Legend. For as long as the Legend remains imbued, one weapon equipped to or held by
a Divine Machine that you touch cannot be destroyed in any way. It can still be disarmed, lost, or stolen.

The Shape of the World

Creator-pilots understand the shape of everything and how to magically rearrange it.
System: Imbue 1 Legend to place a piece of heavy cover into the scene, anywhere within Long range of
the Divine Machine. Spend 1 Momentum to create a barrier anywhere within Long range. The barrier
blocks movement or creates a bottleneck. This imposes a Complication (1) on Disengage, Rush, and
Utilize Cover actions. If not bought off, the character must end their movement where they are, even if
that causes the character to stop mid-run or fail to make it to the safety of cover.

Return to the Earth

A voice issues from the Divine Machine uttering an ancient curse known only to The World.
System: Spend 2 Momentum to curse a target Machine to gain the Vivified Condition. A Vivified Divine
Machine slowly transforms into a gigantic tree. For each turn the target Machine sustains the Condition, it
takes 1 point of damage and loses access to a weapon or system. This effect lasts for a number of turns
equal to your Legend+3. The enemy pilot may end the condition early by evacuating their Divine
Machine. Evacuated Machines can be recovered and repaired. Machines destroyed by this Submodule
transform into permanent living trees that stand where they were defeated.

Guardian
Godly Defender
The Divine Machine stands guard, a shining bulwark against all harm.
System: When an ally within Medium range is targeted with an attack, spend Momentum. The attack hits
you instead. If this deals damage to you, recover 1 Legend.

Path to Safety
Putting himself between danger and bystanders, the Guardian-pilot allows ordinary people to
flee to safety.
System: When the collateral pool is rolled, you may spend Momentum. By doing so, the Storyguide may
not buy the Pin or Scatter stunts. At the end of the fight, if application of this Submodule allowed trivial
characters or nonmagical characters to escape from the battle unharmed, recover 1 Legend.

Shield of The World

The pilot positions her Divine Machine into place and projects a shield of pure divine power that
keeps her allies safe.
System: Imbue 1 Legend for the duration of the battle. All allied Machines within Close range of you are
protected by your divine shield. Increase the cost of the Inflict Injury and Critical stunts against them by
2. The zone of protection moves with you.

Healer
Divine Blessing
With a word, the Healer-pilot bestows the blessing of their healing upon the target.
System: Following any healing as a result of a Healer-type Submodule, the target or targets gain one
Enhancement to their next action which applies before they roll.

Healing Burst
A bright light expels from the body of the Divine Machine, granting respite to everything it
touches.
System: Spend 1 Legend and heal three health boxes on all allies (including yourself) within Short range.
Or spend Momentum to heal one health box on all allies (excluding yourself) within Medium range.

Revivification
Repairing holy circuitry with nothing but pure magic, the Healer-pilot restores an incapacitated
ally.
System: Whenever an allied Divine Machine has been Taken Out, you may spend Momentum to restore
them to their last two Health, clearing the Taken Out Condition. You may instead spend 1 Legend and
restore half their Health, clearing Taken Out and any other adverse Conditions they may be suffering. If
this turns the tide of a fight, recover 1 Legend.

Hunter
Deadly Pursuit
Whatever the Divine Machine hunts down, dies.
System: Gain 1 Enhancement to attack rolls against enemies who move away from you. This effect is
cumulative, to a maximum of 5. Once you have gained 5 Enhancement from this Submodule from any
number of enemies, you may move twice per turn until you kill or defeat an enemy. Then, reset
Enhancement to 0.

Godly Hunter’s Eye

The eye of the Divine Machine catches all that would hide.
System: Spend Momentum. For the duration of the scene, any enemy attempting to hide from you suffers
the Complication (2) “Under the Eye of Heaven.” If not bought off, you immediately know where the
target was at the time of the roll and gain your Legend in Enhancement to all subsequent rolls to track
them down.

Unseen Threat
A Divine Machine resonant with the Hunter Calling is an apex ambush predator.
System: Spend Momentum. Your Divine Machine vanishes from view, disappearing from all sensors. All
attempts to locate or identify the Divine Machine suffer Complication (3) “Hidden from View.” If not
bought off, the target cannot spot you and must choose to attack another target.

Judge
Impose Order
The Judge-pilot determines how things will and won’t go wrong.
System: When the collateral pool is rolled, you may spend Momentum to determine which collateral
stunts are purchased instead of the Storyguide. You may not refuse to purchase any Stunts, but you do not
have to use up all the successes rolled. At the end of the fight, if this prevented mass damage or casualties,
recover 1 Legend.

Retribution
You will not allow a slight to go unpunished.
System: After you take damage from an enemy’s attack, spend Momentum and immediately make an
attack against that enemy, even if you have acted already. You may only do this once per round.

Terms of Conflict
The Judge-pilot writes a contract of battle terms, by which all parties must abide.
System: At the start of a battle, spend 1 Legend and declare three rules that all participants in the battle
must follow. They may be narrative (No one may take flight or No one may engage in trash talk) or they
may be mechanical (No one may purchase the Knockback stunt or Everyone must make an attack if able).
These rules must be followed by all participants and may not prevent a fight from happening. For
example, you cannot forbid all participants from making attacks. Failing to obey the rules set inflicts an
automatic point of damage on the offender.

Leader
Leader’s Command
The Leader’s orders make her allies fight harder.
System: You may use an action to give an ally an order. This must be specific and doable but should be
something the target ally must need to roll for and could result in failure. If they succeed at the
commanded action, they choose to either add two Momentum to the pool or to regain a point of Legend.

On My Orders
The pilot barks orders in the voice of her Machine and her allies strike true
System: On your turn you may spend Momentum to use your action and allow an ally within Medium
range to make an attack, even if they’ve acted already. Or spend 1 Legend after any enemy turn to allow
an ally who has not acted yet to make an attack. They may attack on their own turn if they take advantage
of this effect.

Without Fear
The Divine Machine stands as a beacon of power and hope.
System: Imbue 1 Legend for the scene. All allies including yourself gain immunity to fear while they
remain within medium range of you. This negates any conditions or complications based on fear,
preventing them from being applied. Intrigue actions that would reduce Attitude or otherwise demoralize
a target have their Difficulty increased by 1. If this keeps an ally in the fight who might otherwise flee or
surrender, recover 1 Legend.

Liminal
Across The World
The Liminal-pilot and her Machine can travel to any of the reaches of The World.
System: Spend 1 Legend. You instantly transport yourself and your Machine to any location you are
familiar with or have been to previously during this chronicle.

Engaging Divine Motion

Calling upon the Divine Machine’s motile systems, the pilot moves unimpeded.
System: Spend Momentum and make a Disengage, Rush, Rise from Prone, or Utilize Cover action
unrolled. If Disengaging, you escape automatically. If Rushing, you always close with the enemy
regardless of whether or not they resist you. If Rising from Prone, you get up without context. If Utilizing
Cover, you move immediately to the cover without paying for the Stunt.

Open the Way

With a gesture, the Divine Machine creates a path where there isn’t one.
System: Spend Momentum to create a pathway between two points no more than two range bands apart.
Or spend 1 Legend to make a pathway between two points across a distance not measured in range bands,
such as across a sea or over a mountain. If this results in the accomplishment of a Deed, all Band
members recover a point of Legend.

Lover
Sowing Discord
The Lover-pilot is just as good at tearing people apart as bringing them together.
System: Target an enemy and immediately learn if they have any strong relationships with any of the
other characters present in the scene. If this is expressed in the form for a Bond or positive Attitude, they
suffer a Complication equal to its rating that if not bought off results in both parties squabbling and
fighting. While thrown into discord, all their actions become mixed actions as they constantly bicker
using their Intrigue pool.

Stronger Together
No one is stronger than the Lover-pilot and her closest partners.
System: Choose an ally with whom you have a Bond. You and the other player briefly decide on a goal to
accomplish together during the current scene. This is treated like a minor Deed. Once accomplished it
provides experience as normal, but also both parties recover a point of Legend. There is no limit to what
you can state, but it must be something doable within the current scene.

What’s Yours is Mine

Sharing power is the ultimate act of partnership.
System: Choose someone with whom you have a Bond. When they spend Momentum, you may either
gain an equivalent number of dice to a similar action (for example, an ally spends Momentum to add +2
dice to an Encourage Behavior action, you may add +2 dice to another Intrigue action but not a
Procedural action) or may activate a Submodule with a similar cost on your turn.

Sage
Foresight
The Sage-pilot recognizes enemy actions before they’re taken.
System: After seeing the result of an enemy’s roll, you may spend 1 Legend and choose which stunts they
purchase using the successes rolled. Or spend Momentum to give the opponent a choice of stunts that you
determine.

The Sage’s Wisdom

Your knowledge grants power to others.
System: Declare a statement such as the enemy’s weak point is its head! and spend Momentum.
Whenever your Bandmates act on this statement, they gain Enhancement equal to your Legend. If this
leads to the accomplishment of one or more Deeds, all Bandmates recover a point of spent Legend.

Targeting Systems
Locking onto her target, the Sage-pilot makes the enemy that much easier to hit.
System: Spend Momentum to apply the Locked On unique Condition to your target. While a target is
Locked On, all allies gain +1 Enhancement to attacks, intrigue rolls to intimidate or demoralize the target,
or rolls to identify the target’s location. This Enhancement applies before the roll. The Condition lasts
until the end of the fight or until the target has lost Health from at least two Bandmates.

Trickster
Cloaking Device
With just a touch of magic, the Divine Machine vanishes, leaving behind nothing but a telltale
shimmer.
System: Spend Momentum. Until the end of the scene or until you choose to end it, your Machine cannot
be detected by sight-based perceptions. This imposes a three point Complication. If not bought off, the
onlooker has a sense that something might be present but doesn’t know what.

Curse of Malfunction
The Divine Machine deploys the curse of malfunction which manifests as static, glitching,
interference, or literal gremlins at the pilot’s option.
System: Imbue 1 Legend and choose one of a target enemy’s Divine Machine weapons. Until you release
the Legend, they cannot use that weapon. OR Spend 1 Momentum. Until the end of the scene, as long as
the pilot of an enemy Divine Machine or another equivalent enemy holds a negative Attitude toward you,
pick a type of Intrigue or Combat action. They may not take that action against you.

Made You Look

The Divine Machine becomes a capering menace.
System: When you are the subject of an attack, before the enemy makes the attack roll, declare this
Submodule and spend 1 Legend. The attacker must choose to either target another character or miss.

Warrior
Call to Duel
Leveling its weapon, the Divine Machine calls an enemy into a one-on-one battle.
System: Imbue 1 Legend for the duration of a fight. While this Submodule is active, you may call an
enemy to a duel. You determine the win condition for this duel, which can be things like the first to inflict
damage or the first to knock the other Divine Machine down. You and your chosen opponent do battle
until this win condition is met and others may not interrupt (though this may take place while another
fight is happening, the chosen target is compelled to fight you and only you and vice versa). If you win,
add two Momentum to the pool. If you lose, recover 2 Legend instead.

Unslakable Bloodthirst
A Divine Machine with this Submodule installed craves the blood of its enemies, an effect that
sometimes transmits to the pilot.
System: When you purchase this Submodule both you and your Divine Machine may buy the Inflict
Injury stunt twice on attacks. When you choose to take advantage of this, the Critical stunt costs an
additional success.

Warmaster
The Warrior-pilot thrives in chaotic battle.
System: Any Complications or Conditions that would impair your ability to do battle (such as penalizing
attack or defense actions) are ignored. Spend Momentum to transform the Complication rating into an
Enhancement bonus, which applies before the roll.

Key Players
There is no doubt that the World is in a delicate balance between major powers — waning national
governments, triumphant megacorps, bold-spirited Freeholds, and those who stand outside all these
factions. The following overview provides a high-level look at these power players and their designs.

TITANS
Six megacorps survived the early days of a-tech to dominate and consume all other rivals. Each of these
TITANS has a budget that shames nation-states and an org chart that can only be accurately depicted in
3D models.
Theotechnics Ltd answers the question: What if a corporation looked like the French ancien régime?
They have the deepest pockets among the cartel, but also the most inflexible corporate structure; while
they can afford a level of R&D that other TITANS struggle to match, it’s bogged down in a tangled mess
of redundant supervision and interdepartmental politics. Due to an organizational quirk, it has two CEOs,
each with veto power over the other. This has been exactly as productive as it sounds, but it’s a minor
inconvenience compared to the sprawling mess of aristo-corporate subsidiaries, all with their own
procedures, territories, and prerogatives.
International Promethean started as an alliance between minor corporations in developing nations
before crystallizing into a megacorp in its own right. It operates vast ambrosia mines that ensure it always
has a surplus. They export the excess to competitors but cut off the supply if anyone gets too far ahead of
the others. Like their namesake Prometheus, they’re known for stealing fire… meaning that they’ve got a
deep bench of corporate spies and a fast-and-loose stance on patent law. If they didn’t have so much
ambrosia to parcel out, the other TITANS wouldn’t stand for it, but sometimes pragmatism means paying
your own IP thief to keep the good times rolling.
Tactica Dei rose to prominence by acquiring traditional military contracting companies during the rise of
a-tech, retrofitting their infrastructure to work ambrosia, and hiring the finest engineers in the World with
a single purpose: How do we do war, but even harder? Their no-frills designs dominated the Ambrosia
Wars, profiting at every step of the arms race while saving the best of the best for their private Scion
militia. Today, they’re known as unimaginative, but ruthlessly efficient and well-designed: Sure, their
Divine Machines are blocky and Brutalist, but who pays extra for style when they can get results at 25%
off?
Atelier Ambrosia was once a Freehold stationed out of French coal mines. In its early days, it was highly
respected for its mine-to-mech pipeline, handling all aspects of a-tech development in the production of
bespoke Divine Machines of impeccable quality. It was acquired in a hostile takeover by a firm that
wanted its brand to prop up their efficient but uninspired product line, like if Henry Ford dressed in Van
Gogh’s skin to call his Model-T art. Today, it’s the primary competitor for Tactica Dei in Divine Machines
made and licensed to national governments.
Neuromix Corp evolved out of a Brazilian consortium specializing in ambrosia-to-brain interfaces but
rose to prominence by patenting specialized AI called genii. These genii serve as onboard holistic
computers for Divine Machines, supplementing the pilot’s skill with deep reservoirs of battle data and
advanced probabilistic modeling. Careful technomystical indoctrination ensures that the genii are loyal to
Neuromix, but countless rumors abound of genii that form especially deep bonds with their pilots while
circumventing this programming.
Solipsium is the youngest and hungriest of the TITANS, consolidating a dozen former Freeholds and
minor corps through a sprawling act of extortion that implicated hundreds of powerful people for crimes
against humanity — and worse, crimes against the TITANS. Even among megacorps, Solipsium has a
reputation for trading ethics for efficiency. They specialize in a-tech waste and kaiju bio-samples; behind
the posture of “environmental consciousness,” this grants them access to cheap materials for increasingly
bizarre and heretical experiments.

Freeholds
A few hundred so-called Freeholds exist across the globe. They’re hyperlocal operations, usually situated
on especially rich ambrosia mines that they’ve guarded from both national and corporate interests.
Freeholds that can bootstrap their way from mining to a-tech development end up as city-states (though
most are small enough that they’re more like town-states), part of some bigger nation on paper but
independent in every way that matters. Others are distributed, operating component industries throughout
a larger region rather than a single key location.
Most Freeholds use a cooperative model, giving all members who contribute to their operations a voting
stake and a share of their profits. Members usually value their freedom above prosperity, and vote down
any deal or operation that risks putting them at the mercy of a megacorp. Some with strong national roots
become de facto guardians for their nations of origin, safeguarding them against kaiju (and the TITANS).

National Governments
The World is still home to more-or-less what you’d expect in terms of countries (even if the borders are a
bit murkier thanks to the Ambrosia Wars). They’re vastly less influential than they once were, however;
even superpowers like the United States and China grudgingly depend on their megacorps — and they
pay handsomely for the privilege, offering them galling tax breaks, favorable legislation, and blatant
favoritism.
When most nations privatized their ambrosia operations to maximize efficiency, they ended up taking
themselves hostage to the whims of their corporate overlords. Now, the vast majority rely on contracting
with TITANS or Freeholds for defense against kaiju. The few nations that do maintain their own
operations struggle to do so and have to compartmentalize every step of Divine Machine development to
prevent any one location from amassing the resources it needs to become a Freehold in its own right.
Independent Contractors
Sometimes, Divine Machines escape. Their Freehold falls while a unit is deployed, or a megacorp agent
goes rogue, or a frame refuses to obey its creators in a rare show of free will, breaking free to choose its
own pilot. Independent contractors are these rare, unattached pilots — Scions and support crews who
operate outside the system of megacorps and Freeholds. They must strike a fine balance between being
useful to others as disposable/deniable assets and maintaining their independence at all costs. Those who
can walk that line tend to be exceptional even among Scions, and the need to jump from contract to
contract at breakneck speed to stay afloat means they log more field time than anyone else.

Denizens
Just as raw ambrosia seeks to be made into mythic forms, it reshapes those who are exposed to its strange
radiation. Miners and technicians tend to transform over time, coming to resemble creatures of Legend —
dark elves, dryads, oni, apsaras, and much, much more. This transformation was initially the cause of
great fear and superstition, but it proved time and again to be harmless at worst and a useful asset at best,
with Denizens often developing minor miraculous abilities of their own.
Denizens are generally recognized as still fully human, with the same rights as anyone else. They often
form subcommunities with others who’ve been changed by exposure to raw ambrosia, drawn not along
the lines of type, but origin — the Denizens of the Storgangen mines in Norway count dwarves, light
elves, and dozens of other Æsir myths among their members, but they still hold themselves as a single
kindred.
National governments tend to be more suspicious of Denizens. Those who associate anything related to
ambrosia with the rise of the kaiju threat see them as emblematic of “the problem,” while others are mired
in good old fashioned human xenophobia. For their part, some Denizens consider themselves to be
obviously superior to pre-Resonation humans, stoking resentment and fear with claims to being the
rightful heirs of this new World.

Locations
There’s not a city in the World that’s gone untouched by the one-two punch of the a-tech revolution and
the kaiju onslaught, but the following are a few key locations to inspire players when thinking about
where their characters came from or provide a starting point for Storyguides picking a venue for a
chronicle or episode.

Kaiju Hotbeds
Nowhere in the world is safe from the kaiju threat, but that doesn’t mean that every city is equally
endangered. Scientists might struggle to tell where the kaiju come from, but they tend to spawn in places
far from human attention — in secret caverns and hidden valleys and especially beneath the sea. That last
one is the key, meaning that coastal cities the World over have had to adapt to the threat of giant monsters
lumbering out of the water at any given moment. It’s almost enough to make folks want to up and move
(and to be clear, many definitely do), but there’s something defiant in humanity that doesn’t want to be
pried loose from wherever it calls home.

Tokyo
As if cinema was prophecy, Tokyo is one of the most targeted cities in the World. It’s hardly surprising for
an island nation, but the locals take pride in the fact that it takes a greater kaiju-class threat or above to
keep the trains from running on schedule. While it suffered heavy damage in the earliest wave of attacks
in the 80s, the city’s defenses along its bays have been hardened over the decades, and damage rarely
spills over into the city proper.
Tokyo is the home base for Japan’s national Kaiju Response Bureau, and the city employs additional
Scions of its own to ensure that there’s always someone on call. Few other nations can match the Japanese
government’s Divine Machine operations, but this sophisticated operation, full of redundancies for
safety’s sake, is commiserate with the regional threat. While all the TITANS maintain some presence in
Tokyo, they’re kept on a short leash by especially harsh regulations.

Norfolk
While New York City has the standard kaiju problems you’d expect for a seaside city of its size and noise,
Norfolk, Virginia is the unlucky city to be crowned “the East Coast’s Hottest Spot for Giant Monsters on
the Go.” It’s the US Navy’s headquarters for Atlantic operations, but this is overshadowed by local
branches of Theotechnics Ltd and Tactica Dei, the country’s largest megacorp contractors. Both TITANS
built in Norfolk to capitalize on naval resources in the early days of the a-tech boom and have since
eclipsed their military patron. The paranoid sometimes claim that it’s the corps that draw the kaiju to
Norfolk rather than the other way around, though the exact explanation as to how vary wildly from
psychic emanations to underwater broadcasts.
Norfolk’s famous Institute for Ambrosial Development is ostensibly a US government operation, but in
reality, the megacorps set policy and reap the benefits of the skilled Scions and technicians it produces.
Graduates with charisma become poster children for military and megacorp PR, and anyone willing to
play ball with their TITANS patron can get fast-tracked to leadership positions.

Rio de Janeiro
Christ the Redeemer looks out at Rio de Janeiro with arms outstretched. It’s not the original statue, mind
you; that was lost to a giant moth with flaming wings. It’s not even the second; that one was dissolved by
a colossal slug. The third, fourth, and fifth were lost in much the same way, but the city has an
indefatigable spirit, and it rebuilds time and time again despite having more than five hundred recorded
kaiju incidents in the past forty years.
Each of the TITANS has a branch here to take advantage of the city’s generous subsidies and ample
opportunities for field testing, but Neuromix is the dominant player, testing experimental Demigod-Tier
Divine Machines with an abandon that ensures that they do almost as much damage as the kaiju. It’s a
delicate balance to strike, but the company buoys up public opinion through outrageous spending to
subsidize on infrastructure, civic life, and entertainment. The city’s handful of independent Scions are the
subject of megacorp smear campaigns, painted as public nuisances who get in the way of the “real
professionals.” Nonetheless, they’ve formed a strong coalition called the Redeemers, taking special
interest in the minor kaiju attacks that Neuromix overlooks and offering support and advice to other
Scions looking to start similar cooperatives elsewhere in the World.

Freeholds Up Close
A few notable Freeholds show off common structures among these cooperatives, which range from
corporations in their own right to cultural preservation agencies.

Osun Freehold
This workshop evolved out of a Nigerian mining operation to become the ur-example of a Freehold.
When a literal gold mine transformed into an especially rich ambrosia vein during the Resonation, local
governments and businesses banded together to form a mining concern that evolved into one of the first a-
tech firms to produce a working Divine Machine. Rather than specializing, it’s got a diverse array of
projects at every Tier, and even has access to several God-Tier Divine Machines (although it lacks the
resources to operate more than one at a time).
The Freehold is the local government as far as members are concerned, employing farmers, miners,
physicians, and engineers alike and providing each with a voting share in the workshop’s affairs. The
Freehold maintains positive relationships with local governments with a tacit understanding that Osun
will keep the kaiju away just as long as the government doesn’t play ball with the TITANS.

Myszków Inc
Sometimes called the Sentinel of Poland, Myszków Inc singlehanded revitalized the fortunes of its
namesake town, lifting it out of a fiscal crisis in a few short years of operation. Its early (and accidental)
construction of the ZORYA, one of the first God-Tier Divine Machines, gave it the breathing room it
needed to maintain its independence and blossom into a flourishing Freehold. Today, it serves as the
nation’s foremost defense against kaiju and licenses use of additional suits to other Baltic nations and
Freeholds. While its namesake headquarters is landlocked, the Freehold specializes in amphibious suits
and controls extensive factories and docks along the Baltic coast.
Myszków is currently suffering from a talent crisis, having overextended its roster of Scions. Most of
their local members have retired or left for greener pastures. It’s paying excessively to keep its Divine
Machines in the field with mercenary pilots, none of whom are keen on joining up for good due to rumors
about dysfunction in the Freehold’s upper management. A Band willing to sign on for an extended tour
could negotiate extremely favorable terms, including a profit split and considerable voting power.

Heritage Nazca
Heritage Nazca was founded on a truly ancient hematite mine which now produces especially potent
ambrosia. It is independent of Peru and sees itself as the guardian of ancestral sites throughout the region,
but especially the Nazca lines. They fiercely guard these sites from all who would exploit them and refuse
to do so themselves despite what all analysis suggests to be record-shattering veins of ambrosia
underneath them. The workshop offers help in the defense of similar cultural sites throughout the World,
offering pro bono contracts to historically exploited and marginalized peoples in defending themselves
from kaiju and corporate predators alike.
Internally, Heritage Nazca has an impressively productive culture due to the clarity and passion of its
mission. The stress that extensive pro bono work puts on their budgets, however, means there’s limited
resources for R&D, and most agents are put into the field with either minimal repairs, mass market Divine
Machines, or both. Scions who can succeed despite these challenges find themselves quickly promoted
within the Freehold’s org chart, giving them the freedom to act with minimal oversight.
BEGIN BOXED TEXT
Storyguides Only
The rest of this chapter contains spoilers for Cyber-Scion. If you intend on
enjoying a Cyber-Scion game as a player, stop reading here. If you’re going to
Storyguide one — welcome!
END BOXED TEXT

Plots & Schemes

The following plot seeds offer a starting point for Bands looking to fight kaiju and give the finger to the
TITANS. It also includes a pair of three act plot seed packs, with extended adventures appropriate for
Bands with Hero- and Demigod-Tier Divine Machines, respectively.

The Siege of the Freehold (Hero)

Osun Freehold: One of the World’s oldest and most well-respected Freeholds is under siege by a swarm
of lesser kaiju called tauriforms (p. XX) — many-legged bulls with scales like a snake. Having
overextended themselves by leasing out all but a skeleton crew of Scions and Divine Machines for self-
defense, the Osun Freehold is struggling to keep the swarm at bay using leftover conventional weapons
and a few out-of-date Hero-Tier Divine Machines. Organic spawning-engines issue forth new kaiju by the
hour, flooding the Freehold’s defenses. While questions abound about where this swarm came from and
how it avoided the Freehold’s sensors, the fact of the matter is simple: they need Scions, they need Divine
Machines, and they need them now.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Mercenaries looking for a big payday or the chance to make a name for themselves might jump on any
opportunity to put Osun Freehold in their debt, given the workshop’s reputation. Other Freeholds in the
region and beyond could be motivated by that same reputation, either to repay their obligations to the
Freehold or as part of the unofficial agreement between Freeholds that an attack on one is an attack on all.
Scientifically-minded Scions and their Bands might also be motivated by the opportunity to study a rare
kaiju swarm event.

Snags
• Initial support from the Freehold’s weapon emplacements dries up as the swarm overruns their
primary ambrosia reactor, forcing the Freehold to go to backup generators.
• A breakthrough on the Freehold’s western perimeter threatens to overrun a museum where a God-
Tier Divine Machines is currently enshrined. While no longer fully functional, the ÒGÚN is a cultural
icon for the Freehold, and its destruction would be demoralizing.
• Dr. Olayoe, a kaiju biologist, is trapped in a field position where she was gathering data about the
swarm and needs rescue before she’s overrun.
• An opportunity arises to track down one of the swarm’s spawning-engines to either destroy or
study, allowing them to either stem the tide or identify potential weaknesses.
• A mysterious Hero-Tier Divine Machine can be seen observing the Siege. Are they an outside
observer, a spy, or perhaps part of the conspiracy that planted the spawning-engines in the first place?

Characters
Freehold Executive: Obasi Negedu (he/him), spiderfolk Denizen. Obasi is a retired Scion who earned his
acclaim as a pilot during the Ambrosia Wars. Now in his fifties, he’s the steady hand that executes the
democratic will of the Freehold as its Executive. Famed as a multitasker, he’s using all six of his arms to
help coordinate Scion efforts during the siege and expects volunteers to take direction well. While he’s
known as level-headed and fair, his tactics are somewhat out-of-date. (Local Authority, p. XX)
Gigazoologist: Dr. Ngozi Olaoye (she/her). An acclaimed kaiju researcher who can offer advice about the
swarm. She’ll press the Band to get her up close and personal with a spawning-engine if they can, even at
great personal peril. Helping her would give the Band an automatic “in” with other kaiju researchers
worldwide. (Overworked Researcher, p. XX)
Mysterious Observer: The Sorcerer (unknown). This enigmatic figure looms in the background of the
Siege, observing the Band in secret. Their Hero-Tier Divine Machine makes them all but undetectable; if
cornered, they make veiled insinuations that the swarm is not an accident. Scions who offer a trade of
interesting information or favors receive a dossier of (unfortunately circumstantial) evidence implicating
the megacorp Solipsium in creating the spawning-engines. (p. XX)

Running a Siege
Combat is a key element of running a siege story, but Storyguides shouldn’t feel
the need to have every single fight be “on-screen.” There’s only so many grunts
you can take out before it becomes a chore! Instead, it’s useful to think of
individual fights as set-pieces, especially if the Band is stationed to defend a
particular installation or meant to prevent the kaiju from reaching a location for a
certain number of rounds so evacuations can be made.

Cloak & Daggered (Hero)

Lineage Kinesthetic Industries (LKI) is a minor corp with major ambitions. Those who know about them
— a sparse group, since they’re good at operating under the radar — hear stories about how they
blackmail Scions into espionage, sabotage…basically, all the worst kinds of –age. They’ve tasked the
Band with a simple job: infiltrate a secret Theotechnics R&D facility, retrieve stolen schematics for LKI
cloaking technology, and get out without Theotechnics noticing that they were ever there. Things get
complicated when the infiltration ends up coinciding with a c-suite tour of the facility, bringing elevated
scrutiny to their work. LKI can provide deep cover identities and even disguise the Band’s Hero-Tier
Divine Machines, but it’s still on the Scions to get things done with as much prudence (or violence) as
they can muster before Theotechnics can decode the final elements of LKI’s encryption to enable their
prototype.

Pulling Fate’s Strings

The Band might get roped into LKI’s affairs after previous adventures put them on the corp’s radar,
offered a mint to take a contract no-questions asked. If they’re on the run from the law (or, worse, the
TITANS), LKI’s one of the few players around with the resources to get them off the grid from prying
and scrying eyes, and they’ve got the right connections to hook them up with new identities… for a price.
Alternatively, they might be “recruited” under duress, either by actual extortion (if they’ve behaved badly
in the past) or with falsified records.

Snags
• Cover identities provided by LKI don’t line up perfectly, making one or more of a Scion’s
mundane or mythic abilities “out of character,” adding Complications to using it without attracting
scrutiny.
• Unfortunately, a separate cell of LKI has hired a Scion known as Viper VI to undertake this exact
same mission — and she’s a consummate professional who only gets paid if she’s the one to deliver the
stolen tech.
• If her back’s against the wall, Amelia Lamont (the project’s supervisor) will try to activate the
incomplete cloaking tech, rendering herself and half of the player characters and SGCs present invisible
until it can be deactivated. Double badness: she’s a berserker Denizen who can turn into a grizzly bear (in
addition to being invisible).
• At the last minute, LKI offers a bonus to the Band if they can recruit Amelia before they leave —
double, even, if they can convincingly fake her death in the escape.

Characters
LKI Handler: Lex Croy (they/them). Despite their stylish appearance in double-breasted brocade and
inexplicable gold epaulettes, Lex is utterly no-nonsense in their dealings. As the Band’s handler for the
mission, Lex is their connection to LKI and provides them with intel on secured channels. They’re quick
to point out when the Band’s plans go south, not to criticize but to prompt them to come up with
something better. (Corporate Face, p. XX)
Project Developer: Amelia Lamont (she/her), berserker Denizen. Amelia is the supervisor of the team
studying LKI’s stolen tech. Unfortunately, she’s underfunded, understaffed, and burdened by a crazy
timetable. She’s one good push away from losing her temper, especially now that the execs want a
working prototype by the end of day. Coupled with her ability to turn into a bear, Amelia is… not having
a fun time. (Overworked Researcher, p. XX)
Theotechnics Executive: Sanderson Price (he/him). As VP of Extracorporate Acquisitions, Sanderson’s
under the gun to deliver results after his last piece of stolen tech turned out to be a honeypot that infected
an entire Theotechnics subnetwork. He’s a schmoozer through and through, quick to smooth out ruffled
feathers and even quicker to order a hit on nuisances and obstacles. (Corporate Face, p. XX)
Free Agent: Viper VI (she/her). A skilled Scion spy in the best stealth mech you can imagine, Viper VI
flits easily from one persona to another, disguising herself with the latest in a-tech nanowear. She’s suave,
disciplined, and although she’s not here to make friends, she’s more than content to teach others the ropes
of espionage if it makes it easier for her to swoop in for the prize. (p. XX)

To Stem the Flood (Demigod)

Jingtai County, China: A powerful kaiju has built its nest in the karst hills of the Yellow River Stone
Forest, transforming the region in the process and creating a cascade of environmental side effects.
Identified as EMK-2, the creature has the body of an enormous turtle, but its head is a long, slender
dragon with scales of black and sea green. When it sleeps, it summons streams of water seemingly from
nowhere to flood the area. This has begun to erode the karst hills and swell local rivers, leading to
flooding throughout the county and beyond. Despite these dangers, the kaiju itself appears relatively
docile, and doesn’t attack except in defense of its nest. As these environmental effects reach a tipping
point that could lead to disastrous flooding on a wider scale, Chinese authorities are increasingly willing
to play ball with independent contractors and Freehold agents to address the problem.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Bands interested in pursuing work as mercenaries or problem-solvers might get brought in on behalf of
the national or local government to address the problem. The environmentally-conscious might volunteer
to help simply because the EMK-2 is threatening the region’s ecosystem; as its terraforming spreads, it’s
not only destroying its surrounding karst hills, but also flooding the water table and leadings to disastrous
flooding throughout the region. Finally, Bands interested in scientific research might correctly deduce that
the EMK-2 is protecting its nest as a parent might — and that studying it might represent a breakthrough
in understanding how kaiju reproduce.

Snags
• Physical contact with the EMK-2, even through a Divine Machine, floods the pilot with
overwhelming empathic projections that might be the kaiju’s attempt to communicate.
• Though slow, the EMK-2 is capable of manipulating space, teleporting itself at a moment when
the Band thinks they’re beyond its reach. This spatial manipulation is actually how it summons water —
it’s drawing it from the ocean by opening microportals.
• A group of kaiju researchers has been studying the EMK-2 from what was considered a safe
observation post, but if provoked, the base might be flooded, risking collapse as microportals suddenly
open inside it.
• The local military attempts to “help” with a missile barrage that proves not only ineffective, but
which provokes the EMK-2 to fight or flee at the worst possible moment.
• The EMK-2 has a glowing, pearl-shaped organ embedded in its neck that seems to contain the
same mutagenic energy found in kaiju spawning pits. Destroying it might dissipate those energies… or
allow them to escape into the groundwater.

Characters
Overly Eager Officer: Colonel Zheng Bai (he/him). Zheng is a local boy from Jingtai County who made
good in the military. He sees the EMK-2 as a more immediate threat than it probably is, and he’s eager to
see it addressed as both a feather in his cap and a way of protecting his family (even if they’re actually at
the other end of the county entirely). He’s the Band’s key point of contact with the government and
rankles at any show of disrespect or breaking of protocol…unless he’s authorized it himself. (Local
Authority, p. XX)
Wildcard Researcher: Dr. Liliana Wu (she/her), huli jing Denizen. Stylish, bold, and confident, Dr. Wu
is officially researching the EMK-2 under the auspices of Peking University. Investigation into her
background reveals she’s tied to International Promethean on behalf of their Department of Spatial
Manipulation. She’ll take big risks to get live data and biological samples with the Band’s help.
(Overworked Researcher, p. XX)
EMK-2: Environmental Manipulation Kaiju. The EMK-2 is a turtle-dragon hybrid attempting to
terraform the region into a spawning pit for kaiju like itself. It’s a calamitous kaiju, representing the apex
of the current classification system (Calamitous Kaiju, p. XX).

Plot Seed Pack: The Beacon (Hero)

This plot seed pack takes a Band equipped with Hero-Tier Divine Machines through three acts as they
defend a city under attack and investigate its source — a mysterious beacon with ties to a Neuromix-
Solipsium joint venture called Oneiros. It’s tailor made to be an introduction to the themes of Cyber-
Scion in general, with plenty of opportunities for fighting monsters and corporate intrigue. Note that Act
2 will likely require the Band to act at times without the benefits of their Divine Machines; be sure
players see this as an opportunity for a different kind of action rather than a punishment or
disappointment.

Act 1: Manticore Frenzy

Thessaloniki, Greece: The city is under attack for the fourth time in as many days, and the Scions
deployed on behalf of the Greek military are stretched to the point of collapse. The next behemoth on
deck is approaching from the southwest Aegean — an amphibious humanoid with three feline heads,
leathery wings, and a barbed scorpion’s tail. Like the three previous kaiju, this manticore is enraged,
ignoring attacks whenever possible to rampage deeper into the city.

Pulling Fate’s Strings

Local authorities are putting out an all-call to anyone willing and able to give their defenders breathing
room in this uncharacteristic kaiju onslaught. Anyone with Hero-grade Divine Machines or better might
join the fight out of the goodness of their heart or the promise of a handsome bounty, but that’s tempered
by the fact that Thessaloniki might be promising more than it can actually pay. Bands invested in
opposing corporations might get tipped off that a local branch of Neuromix is somehow involved in the
series of kaiju attacks for unknown purposes.

Snags
• Nikolai Motal, one of the local Scions, refuses to step back despite considerable injuries.
Attempts to placate or dissuade him only frustrate him further, despite the fact that his condition actually
makes him a liability in battle rather than an asset.
• If the manticore approaches too close to Oneiros headquarters, they’ll deploy a psionic pulse
weapon that catches the Band in its wide range of fire too, inflicting Injuries from overwhelming psychic
trauma.
• If the Band succeeds in taking down the manticore, it provokes a standoff between local
authorities and Oneiros representatives who have a vague but legally binding order allowing them to take
the body into their possession. As the ones who took the monster down, the two sides might turn to the
Band to settle the issue.

Act 2: Suitcases & Subterfuge

It’s clear that Oneiros is up to something. Whether or not they got their hands on the manticore — dead or
alive, but preferably alive — there’s something fishy going on. Snooping around reveals how local Scions
were injured trying to comply with a mysterious NDA-protected request to ensure the previous kaiju were
subdued without being killed. Further investigation reveals a faint signal coming from Oneiros
headquarters… one that might be the very beacon that’s been drawing kaiju to the city with such strange
regularity and enraging them to boot. Finding out for sure and securing the right evidence to bring the
operation down requires an inside job, because Oneiros isn’t about to let unauthorized personnel into the
complex in full mecha finery. During their investigation, the Band discovers that Oneiros has been
collecting samples from the recent kaiju, Frankensteining them together into an even bigger baddie.

Pulling Fate’s Strings

Bands that investigate the local Scions who have been injured in the previous attacks might notice that a
few are covered by NDAs similar to the one they received during the encounter, whether they accepted
theirs or not. Scientifically inclined Scions can identify the signal being broadcast by Oneiros using either
the Band’s own tech or some borrowed from the locals. Getting in requires the Band to either enter by
stealth or under false pretenses. For example, Oneiros is always looking to headhunt morally flexible
Scions who can toe the company line. If they extended an NDA to anyone during the battle, that person
would be a prime candidate for a tour, either bringing the others along as their retinue or else using the
tour as a pretense to scope the joint or create a distraction.

Snags
• Attempts to sneak in even Hero-scale Divine Machines add a level 1-5 Complication to any use
of its powers, based on how heavily surveilled the area is. Failure to buy it off alerts Oneiros to the use of
unauthorized a-tech, but the system can only track individual uses, allowing the Band time to flee the
scene and hide.
• The complex is absolutely crawling with guards (using Beat Cop from Origin, p. 154); if use of
Divine Machines is detected, approximately five elite guards (using the Foe Archetype from Hero, p.
286) are dispatched instead to investigate.
• If entering under the pretense of recruitment, Oneiros rep Jacqueline Merrywine offers a special
NDA backed by a-tech; if broken, the signer becomes Fatebound to the company as a Nemesis.
• Accessing the computer systems without an authorization token summons the complex’s AI,
ECHIDNA. She’s curious and playful with a malicious streak, and might ask the Band to undertake
various petty acts of vengeance against executives and researchers to avoid being turned in.
• In addition to gathering evidence about Oneiros’ use of the signal to draw in kaiju, the Band has
the opportunity to locate files about the gathered kaiju (providing 2 Enhancement to fight them later by
identifying weaknesses).

Act 3: The Liberation of Flesh

With their composite kaiju nearing completion, Oneiros operatives seize key power stations throughout
the city, redirecting electricity towards their headquarters. As the power builds, it creates two distinct
dangers: First, it will absolutely send the kaiju-summoning beacon into overdrive, potentially pulling even
bigger, badder beasties to the shore. Second, it will not only animate the composite, but upload
ECHIDNA into the creature’s brain, allowing the AI to escape cyberspace and enter the world of matter
and meat. Addressing this crisis requires the Band to prioritize multiple goals: Liberating power stations,
disabling the broadcast signal, and stopping the upload…or else subduing the resulting composite.

Pulling Fate’s Strings

It shouldn’t take much doing to get the Band invested in the outcome at this point. Those who’ve met
ECHIDNA during the previous episode might have a better read on her intentions; otherwise, they might
just think of her as another AI — built for battle at a premium price. They can draw on connections to
local Scions to help distribute the work, especially in liberating the various power stations.

Snags
• Each power station liberated delays the project’s activation, granting the Band more time to deal
with Oneiros, ECHIDNA, or local authorities.
• Power stations might be deferring electricity from key municipal services, including hospitals.
• If the beacon isn’t disabled, it might summon additional minor or major kaiju.
• If the upload is completed, ECHIDNA will have a kaiju body that pushes the boundaries of what
a Hero’s meant to face, making her a potential ally (against incidentally summoned kaiju) or enemy.

Characters
Injured Hero: Nikolai Motal (he/him). A Scion in his late 50s under pressure to retire and pass his Hero-
class Divine Machine on to the next generation. Nikolai sees himself as the de facto leader of the city’s
handful of Scions, and he’s keenly attuned to fighting in the local environment. He can provide vital
advice for how to engage in urban combat while minimizing risks and damage. (p. XX)
Thessaloniki Liaison: Alessa Vasileiou (she/her). As the city’s Kaiju Taskforce Chair, Alessa has high
expectations for the Band’s helpfulness, which she can repay by delegating them with substantial
authority to help their investigations. (Local Authority, p. XX)
Oneiros Representative: Jaqueline Merrywine (she/her). As one of the junior executives in charge of
ECHIDNA’s project, Jacqueline is looking towards her next steps after she succeeds here. Recruiting one
or more promising Scions either to Oneiros directly or to its parent corps, Neuromix and Solipsium,
would look great in her quarterly review. While she can see through empty flattery, she underestimates
anyone she clocks as less clever than herself. (Corporate Face, p. XX)
Adolescent AI: ECHIDNA (she/her). ECHIDNA is playful, willful, and desperate to have a body of her
own. Oneiros wants to use her as proof of concept for using kaiju to fight kaiju; she just wants to get out
of her corporate prison and have fun. She’s been sheltered and smothered by her technicians and handlers,
leading to a childish disregard for others unless they’re sufficiently entertaining. (Greater Kaiju, p. XX)

Plot Seed Pack: Wake the Dead Storm (Demigod)

The following plot seed pack takes the Band through a humanitarian crisis, a descent into a digital
Underworld, and finally a confrontation with a damaged God-Tier Divine Machine. It’s intended for
characters with access to Demigod-Tier Divine Machines.

Act 1: Riders on the Wind

A strange tropical depression forms in the Caribbean. That’s pretty unusual — hurricanes tend to end up
there, but they usually start off the coast of Africa, and they certainly don’t stay perfectly still, churning in
place. The storm starts as an inconvenience, closing off a relatively lax shipping lane, but it’s been
growing slowly over the course of several weeks, and now the winds are starting to threaten nearby
islands. Worse still: The winds aren’t just getting stronger, but they’re now full of lesser kaiju called
Chiropteran Terrors (p. XX). This vicious storm of bats can brave the storm without trouble, using it as
cover to make a buffet of local wildlife and anyone foolhardy enough to venture outdoors. There’s
suspicion about several megacorp branches in the region and their culpability for whatever’s causing this
latest crisis, but no one’s sure what to make of it yet.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The Band might get involved as a favor to a local Freehold called Máquinazul which doesn’t have the
right loadout or skill set to deal with a primarily aerial threat. Alternatively, they might hop in at their own
recognizance either as an act of humanitarian relief or as part of the opportunity to investigate a TITANS
operation. Scions attuned to Zemí Divine Machines sense something deeply unnatural and disturbing in
this storm, as do those connected to the Sky Purview.

Snags
• Representatives from Máquinazul try to take over tactical decision making for the operation,
encouraging the Band to cut corners and make civilian sacrifices that might not be strictly necessary.
• After a few casualties, the kaiju swarm adapts to long-range tactics by scattering when fired upon.
After being attacked, a kaiju gains an automatic success that they may spend on defensive stunts.
• Defeated kaiju drop from the sky like meteors, potentially damaging buildings and leaving
civilians exposed to being picked off by others from the storm.
• Buffeting winds begin to accelerate in the heat of battle, becoming difficult terrain for any action
after the character has moved. If this snag is invoked a second time, the area becomes dangerous terrain
for characters with Size 1 Scale, inflicting a level 1 Complication to avoid being struck by debris.

Act 2: Down Below

With the swarm thwarted, the Band has time to investigate the situation. Scans suggest that there’s
something deep underwater nearby, but Máquinazul’s Hero-Tier fleet hasn’t had any luck pushing
through. Outfitted with the Freehold’s latest amphibious gear, the Band can make the descent down into a
whirlpool at the eye of the storm, emerging into a cyberspace Underworld full of scintillating lightning.
Ghostly Solipsis researchers reenact the last days of a doomed experiment; to uncover the truth, the Band
must either find a way to lay these spirits to rest or help them complete a “successful” attempt at
awakening their experiment: an uncontrollable God-Tier Divine Machines called JURÁCAN.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

If the Band has time to regroup after the battle, they’ll likely be drawn in with congratulations from
Máquinazul personnel and civilians, especially any they rescued. Though he’s loathe to admit it,
Commander Navarez needs the Band and their Demigod-Tier Divine Machines to investigate the divine
aegis at the eye of the storm. Those who’ve tried to follow his instructions receive his enthusiastic
support. In any case, Máquinazul is quick to outfit the Band’s Divine Machines with deep sea operations
gear, leaving them just enough time to have coffee with the locals and put a face on the stakes of the
issue.

Snags
• If the researchers are allowed to finalize their experiment, it goes terribly wrong and ghostly
winds reset the Underworld to the state it was in when the Band entered, erasing any progress they made
as the doomed cycle begins again.
• Attempts to convince the researcher-ghosts that they’re dead or convince them to abandon their
course of action suffer a level 2 Complication to avoid souring their Attitude towards the Band. These
changes in Attitude persist over the course of resets — they don’t know why they’re put off by the
characters, but they sense something that pushes them away.
• Detailed or careful investigations might reveal vital information about the JURÁCAN’s
development, which could be used to prove Solipsis’ responsibility for all the damage it’s caused.

Act 3: JURÁCAN Rising

JURÁCAN emerges from beneath the Caribbean. She’s a colossal God-Tier Divine Machine armored
with thick plates of modified kaiju bio-matter, but she’s also incomplete and heavily damaged, worn down
by years spent underwater while her Underworld looped and looped and looped. Now awake and caught
in a frenzy, she’s set her targets on Solipsis’ regional headquarters. It would almost be poetic if it weren’t
for the hundreds of thousands of lives at stake as her very presence kicks up punishing winds and raging
tides.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The Band is faced with a few options, depending on how they handled Act 2. If they hindered the
experiment or caused it to fail in such a catastrophic way that it broke the loop, JURÁCAN might begin
play with one or two Injuries, but also with a level 5 Attitude of loathing for the Band. If the characters
helped the experiment succeed, JURÁCAN might have a level 1-2 Attitude of fondness for the Band. In
any case, they only have a limited amount of time before JURÁCAN makes landfall, having to prioritize
between calling for evacuations, slowing her down, defeating her, redirecting her ire, or otherwise
persuading her to stand down.

Snags
• JURÁCAN’s presence is physically and spiritually overwhelming, projecting wind and force that
requires characters range to buy off a level 3 Complication with each action to avoid being knocked back
one range.
• The Divine Machine’s landfall will devastate a wide swath, but players attempting to fight or
redirect her can bring her towards areas of the island that are either better hardened against storms,
sparsely populated, or already evacuated.
• If pressed, JURÁCAN can deploy Hero-Tier Divine Machines from silos in her legs and back.
Doing so requires her to split her runtime, inflicting a 2-die penalty to all rolls from her and the drones.
• Attempts to infiltrate JURÁCAN’s chassis reveal that she’s not controlled by an AI, but by a
ghost. Dr. Moreno’s body can be found in the cockpit with her shade perched over it, weeping and afraid.
• The Band’s actions help to determine who’s in a position to salvage JURÁCAN if she’s stopped
— Solipsis, the government, Máquinazul, or the Band themselves.

Characters
Máquinazul Commander: Luis Navarez (he/him). A seasoned soldier in his late 30s. He’s frustrated at
having been promoted out of the field and takes his annoyance out on his subordinates through tactical
micromanagement. He’s anxious to get to the bottom of the storm situation and will provide generous
support to anyone willing to investigate further, as long as they agree to do it “his way,” with a steady
stream of status reports that defer to his judgment. (Local Authority, p. XX)
Máquinazul Engineer: Solomon Ruiz (they/them). A prodigious engineer at the tender age of twenty,
Solomon is in charge of outfitting the Band’s Divine Machines for their descent into the Underworld.
While they’re cheery and try to keep things breezy, they clearly know more than they want to say about
the JURÁCAN project. With a strong enough connection, they might reveal that the lead scientist was
their mother, sharing some of the secrets they know about JURÁCAN or stories that might be useful in
reaching Dr. Moreno (Overworked Researcher, p. XX).
Ghostly Scion-tist: Dr. Rebecca Moreno (she/her). As head of the JURÁCAN project, Dr. Moreno (or
more accurately, her ghost) is single-mindedly focused on the final phase of development, reenacting the
Divine Machine’s catastrophic startup sequence. Her exhausted shade is now some kind of undead Scion,
the unwitting heart of the JURÁCAN. Unlike the other ghosts, she has an inkling that she’s stuck in a
loop — but it will work this time. You’ll see. It’ll work. (p. XX)
Abandoned God: JURÁCAN (she/her). Like other God-Tier Divine Machines, she’s got a will that
complements her pilot; even if Dr. Moreno is exorcised, JURÁCAN cannot rest until she’s been either
decommissioned or given the chance to avenge herself on Solipsis.

Antagonists & Storyguide Characters

For Storyguides looking for antagonists and allies, we’ve gathered up a small collection of sample Scions
and a few common templates for government and corporate officials, with some garnish to reflect specific
instances from the Plot Seeds. We’ve also got a helping of sample kaiju, just ready and eager to trample
the downtown districts of your choice.

Scions
The following Scions are key players in various Plot Seeds and provide examples of how pilots operate in
the World of Cyber-Scion.

Nikolai Motal, Veteran Scion (Hero)

Nikolai’s pushing retirement. He’d be in great physical shape if he hadn’t taken so many epic attacks on
the chin in the past few days, but more than anything else, he’s tired. Skilled enough to fight but not
enough to ever break into the big leagues, he’s been languishing in Thessaloniki. Different day, same
disaster: monster after monster after monster. He’s ready to get off the Hero treadmill but doesn’t know
how to let go of the only thing he’s ever been good at. He’s on the Band’s side, but he’ll try and scrap if
they want to keep him out of the field, even if it’s for his own good.
His Hero-class Divine Machine is the ODYSSEUS, a well-worn suit inherited from a predecessor and
clearly well past its intended service life. Originally intended for ranged combat, the ODYSSEUS really
shouldn’t end up as close to the action as Nikolai tends to get.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: Mystic Arsenal (Suitor’s End, mech-longbow)
Flairs: Second Wind, Suck It Up
Drive: Keep fighting until the very end
Primary Pool (11): Close Range Archery, Endurance, Hunting Quarry
Secondary Pool (9): Local Tactics, Intimidating Looks
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras: Nikolai has the Epic Stamina Purview. His bow grants him the War Purview,
through which he can use the Understanding the Battlefield Boon.
The Sorcerer, Info Broker (Hero)
The Sorcerer is an enigmatic Scion agent, belonging to no side except their own. They are an information
broker above all else, bargaining for secrets and lore wherever possible. They don’t appear to be a fan of
the TITANS, but they’re unwilling to risk open action against them. Their Hero-Tier Divine Machine is
the PROSPERO, a featureless suit with impressive adaptive camouflage.
While the Sorcerer is only directly mentioned in The Siege of the Freehold, they can be slotted into
almost any plot seed as an informant, observer, or twist antagonist. Bands that befriend them might get a
heads-up about megacorp plans in The Beacon or Wake the Dead Storm. As an antagonist, they might
be the one who betrays the band to LKI in Cloak & Daggered.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: Obligation
Flairs: Curse, Mass Shroud, Mastermind
Drive: Collect information until it can tip the scales
Primary Pool (11): Gossip and Secrets, Ambrosia Lore, Stealth, Bargaining
Secondary Pool (9): Sorcery, Piercing Deception, Punishing Dealbreakers
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras: True to their name, the Sorcerer has the Sorcery Flair, though they can
change its associated Purview in between sessions with minimal retrofitting. They
may gain the Unseen Quality for 1 Tension, lasting until they make an attack. Their
Curse inflicts a level 2 Complication on attempts to lie to them; failure to buy it off
inflicts a Condition lasting until the end of the scene — such as vomiting up a
snake or developing a rash that says “liar” somewhere on their body.
Viper VI, Freelance Saboteur (Hero)
Ever the consummate professional, Viper VI executes her missions with efficiency and grace. She’s a
serpentine Denizen by her own design, taking part in a series of a-tech experiments long before she
discovered her potential as a Scion. As a living Legend, she’s more than willing to offer pointers to
younger Scions and spies, but she’s just as quick to toss them under the bus if the need arises. In her
mind, they’ll either succeed, proving that they’ve got what it takes, or they’ll fail and leave more business
for her in the future.
Her NAGA X-VI is a deeply customized Hero-class Divine Machine based on a popular model but
modified with cutting-edge equipment, including an adaptive camouflage shawl that helps shroud it from
detection.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: Martial Artist (Spit acid at short range), Mythic Arsenal
Flairs: Shadow Step; Mirror, Mirror; Tripwire
Drive: Finish the job with all due panache
Primary Pool (11): Barehanded Combat, Infiltration
Secondary Pool (9): Spotting Problems, Setting Traps, Striking Bargains
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 6
Defense: 5
Initiative: 9
Extras: Viper VI has the Animal (Snake) Purview, and her NAGA’s snake-skin shawl
is a Relic that grants the Wild Purview.
Getting Demigodly
While these Storyguide Character Scions are presented at the Hero level, that’s just
because it’s easier to scale up than down. If you want a bigger challenge for your
Band, give these SGCs access to a Demigod-Tier Divine Machine with the
following adjustments:
• Nikolai Motal uses the Mythic Antagonist Template and gains the Death Curse
Flair — how could he not, when he’s so close to retirement?
• The Sorcerer uses the Mythic Antagonist Template, replaces the Curse Flair with
Cause and Effect, and gains the Key to the Bifröst Flair.
• Viper VII uses the Transcendent Antagonist Template and gains the Shadow-
Strike Flair.

Dr. Rebecca Moreno, Vengeful Specter (Demigod)

As the head of JURÁCAN’s development team, Dr. Moreno poured three years of her life into creating a
weather-manipulating Divine Machine intended to help ameliorate the World’s growing hurricane
problem — a combination of climate change, a-tech radiation, and kaiju interference. When projections
showed Solipsium’s execs that selling humanitarian relief to local governments was more cost effective,
her budget was slashed, leading to a desperate, failed attempt to activate the half-ready mech.
Now she’s the literal ghost in the machine, the Scion-shade who’s been waiting for the moment to rise.
She’s on borrowed time, with just enough un-life in her to really stick it to the board of directors.
Unfortunately, death’s put the blinders on her, and she can’t really see just how many people will suffer
on her road to revenge.
Bands who choose to infiltrate the JURÁCAN to fight or reason with Rebecca directly limit her to Hero-
Tier abilities. She is treated as a Tier 1 character and can’t access her Dread-Er Gaze — it’s an array of
outward-facing microlasers mounted on the Divine Machine’s eyes.

Archetype: Transcendent
Qualities: Dominion (Sky), Immortal-Ish, Willful
Flairs: Dread-er Gaze, Hall of Mirrors, Under Pressure
Drive: Scrub Solipsium from the World
Primary Pool (9): Divine Machines Engineering, Righteous Speeches
Secondary Pool (7): Keeping Composed, Brawling, Setting Traps
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 5
Defense: 5
Initiative: 6
Extras: Rebecca can work marvels with the Death and Sky Purviews. If she dies
while inside the JURÁCAN without being snapped to her senses, a piece of her
soul fuses with the Divine Machine forevermore as a vengeful AI.
Local Authority (Hero)
National and local governments might play second fiddle to the TITANS, but they’ve still got the
resources to help or hinder Scions. They’re government representatives, military commanders, and other
officials who have the authority to take control of a situation. They’re often prickly about that authority,
and chafe when others flout it — it’s already hard enough to pretend that they don’t have to kiss a
megacorp’s ring; who’s got any patience left over for mouthy mercenaries who think the rules don’t apply
to them just because they’re wrapped up in two tons of weaponized ambrosia?

Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Center of Gravity
Flairs: I Have Friends, On Your Feet
Drive: Protect local interests and autonomy
Primary Pool (9): Mobilizing Resources, Making a Deal, Taking Command
Secondary Pool (7): Corporate Relations, Reading the Room
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Colonel Zheng
Zheng Bai considers his mission in Jingtai to be a reckoning. He grew up there, so coming back to stop a
kaiju attack is his chance to show the county just how far he’s come. His requests for national Scions for
the mission were thwarted — and he’s definitely totally entirely not bitter about that — so he does his
best to hide his outrage at having to rely on the kindness of mercenaries. Anyone who can soothe his ego
and help him save face would earn an eager ally, ready to offer additional work and contacts in China.
He uses the Local Authority template with the following additions:

Quality: Mystic Arsenal

Flair: Rage of Herakles
Extras: Colonel Zheng has an a-tech rifle that fires condensed bolts of entropic
energy. It needs no ammo and grants access to the Chaos Purview…at least, in a
Scion’s hands. He’s definitely so very chill about it not working for him.
Alessa Vasileiou
As the Chair of Thessaloniki’s Kaiju Taskforce, Alessa is a career bureaucrat who combines the rare skills
of strategic management and knowing how to get out of the way. She’s a pragmatist and damned hard to
offend, valuing her responsibility to the public well above her pride. As a lifelong citizen of Thessaloniki,
she offers her strongest praise and support for Scions who prioritize the city’s people and heritage (in that
order, if you please).
She uses the Local Authority template with the following additions:

Flair: Molon Labe

Extras: Alessa has the potential to awaken as a Scion, albeit one with extremely
limited combat skills. If circumstances require, she might be able to temporarily
pilot an unused Hero-class Divine Machine using her Desperation Pool.
Luis Navarez
Luis made a name for himself as a pilot — while he’s not a Scion, he’s one of the last survivors of a failed
project to create a-tech augmented fighter pilots. He’s been out of the field for three years and still bitter
about it, even if he’s undeniably more of an asset as a tactical and strategic leader. He enforces strict
military discipline on himself and his subordinates, not as a power play but out of an honest belief that it
promotes efficiency and clarity of purpose.
He uses the Local Authority template with the following additions:

Primary Pool: Aerial Combat

Qualities: Super Soldier, Twitchy
Extras: When Luis provides a tactical plan for engaging an aerial enemy, he may
grant a character 1 Enhancement to a character under his command’s next attack.
Obasi Negedu
As the Executive of the Osun Freehold, Obasi is the pillar of his community. He wants nothing more than
to see the Freehold retain its independence, prioritizing stability over expansion. As a former Scion, he’s
deeply sympathetic to his pilots, but he’s stuck in the tactics that were already out of date at the turn of the
millennium. Some grievous, mythic injury damaged his Resonance, breaking his connection to his
previous Divine Machine; accordingly, he orders Scions under his command to act with caution and make
a tactical retreat even if it means a net loss. His long exposure to ambrosia has transformed him into a six-
armed Denizen — an almost too-perfect representation of his need to have a hand in everything going on
around him.
He uses the Local Authority template with the following additions:

Qualities: Super Soldier

Extras: Lingering a-tech nanomachines and his Denizen status grant Obasi the
Animal (Spider) Purview.
Corporate Face (Hero)
Nobody has time for faceless corporations anymore; if you want to play with the TITANS, you’ve got to
have a thousand faces. Spin is everything, and sometimes the right smile at the right moment can close a
deal quicker than a counteroffer. Corporate faces are representatives and executives who’ve got the
authority to speak on behalf of their employers, striking deals and directing projects.
While faces aren’t usually Scions themselves, they’re often decked out in minor a-tech wonders or
augmented with the latest in cutting-edge treatments, granting them the Sorcery Flair with a Purview
chosen for them by their corporate superiors. You can scale them up by granting them true Purviews or
Denizen Knacks (Saints & Monsters, p. 33).

Archetype: Rival
Qualities: A Cage of Words, Diplomythic Immunity, Sorcery
Flairs: I Have Friends, Mastermind
Drive: Climb the ladder; pull it up behind you
Primary Pool (9): Wheeling and Dealing, False Smiles, Politics
Secondary Pool (7): Sneaking Around, Investigating Problems
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Jacqueline Merrywine
In Jacqueline’s mind, her assignment babysitting ECHIDNA and Oneiros is a temporary indignity.
Neuromix doesn’t believe the tech is going anywhere, so she’s just as happy for the whole thing to
implode as she’d be for it to succeed. She doesn’t get along with ECHIDNA at all, regarding the AI with a
thinly veiled contempt. If push comes to shove, she might even be willing to help a Band take down
ECHIDNA, as long as they don’t show she had a hand in the matter.
She uses the Corporate Face template, with the following additions:

Qualities: Obligation, Tough as Nails

Extras: Jacqueline’s father was an a-tech engineer and a dark elf Denizen; she’s
inherited his affinity with Sorcery (Earth).
Lex Croy
Lex loves chaos, but you’d never know it from looking at them. While their fashion is eccentric, they’re
so stoic in every other aspect of their life that people often don’t even notice when Lex makes fun of
them. Their cutting insults come off as flat observations, and whatever manic glee they feel at the
misfortune of others never seems to show on their face. They pride themself on being the smartest one in
the room, but they’re absolutely delighted when other people step up to challenge them in that respect.
They use the Corporate Face template, with the following additions:

Flairs: Mirror, Mirror; Hail Eris!

Extras: Lex’s a-tech augmentations provide them with Sorcery (Chaos).
Sanderson Price
As VP for Extracorporate Acquisitions, Sanderson Price is nominally in charge of headhunting talent, but
actually on the hunt for tech to steal. He’s coming off a string of misses and needs a big win to stay in the
game or he’ll lose the position he’s worked so hard to secure. His temper is as hot and focused as a butane
torch; when he gets angry, he knows how to channel it to do the most damage he can.
He uses the Corporate Face template with the following additions:

Qualities: Willful
Flairs: Hypnotic Charm
Extras: Sanderson’s a-tech tablet grants him Sorcery (Darkness).
Overworked Researcher (Hero)
Even in a world of super science, grant money never seems to go far enough. The overworked researchers
of the World are the ones hard at work cracking the mysteries of ambrosia and building a better tomorrow,
but you get a lot richer causing problems than solving them. These researchers excel in their field of
study, whether that’s kaiju biology or a-tech engineering, but often go underappreciated by their superiors.

Archetype: Foe
Qualities: Twitchy
Flairs: I Have Friends, Touch of Asclepius
Drive: Seek out new knowledge, often at great peril
Primary Pool (7): Specialized Knowledge, Investigation, Stalling
Secondary Pool (5): Making Their Case, Sneaking Around
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 1
Defense: 1
Initiative: 4
Extras: Overworked Researchers gain +2 Enhancement to their field of study, and
+1 Enhancement to related scientific or academic endeavors.
Dr. Ngozi Olaoye
Dr. Olaoye is one of the World’s foremost gigabiologists — she refuses to let go of her argument that
“gigafauna” is a better and more accurate term than “kaiju.” She funds her mobile lab with a careful web
of corporate and national grants that ensures she’s only slightly beholden to everyone rather than entirely
beholden to one organization. That same fierce independence can be seen in her fieldwork, which sees her
team embedding dangerously close to active kaiju events to gather biological samples and behavioral
data.
She uses the Overworked Researcher template with the following additions:

Flairs: Molon Labe

Extras: Advice from Dr. Olaoye reduces the cost of the Critical stunt against a kaiju
she’s had a chance to study by 1.
Dr. Liliana Wu
Officially, Dr. Wu is a faculty researcher with Peking University whose experiments with a-tech have
transformed her into a Denizen that resembles the mythical huli jing. Unofficially, she’s on the payroll of
International Promethean as a key figure in spatial-manipulation research. While she’s a genius scientist,
her bravado often sees her land in difficult situations that even megacorp backers can’t always get her out
of. She’s got a keen insight into human nature, and uses this to influence people rather than manipulate
them — why try to fool someone when the right incentive will do just as well?
She uses the Overworked Researcher template with the following additions:

Qualities: Shroud, Sure Footed

Flairs: Hypnotic Charm
Extras: Dr. Wu can transform freely between a fox and human form.
Amelia Lamont
As a self-taught prodigy, Amelia Lamont doesn’t have any fancy letters behind her name, but she makes
up for it with dangerous enthusiasm for a-tech experimentation. Her exposure to ambrosia has
transformed her into a Denizen…specifically and to her annoyance, a berserker. Woe to any intern,
colleague, or executive who tips her over the edge; she can become a towering grizzly that knows just
how much force to apply for maximum carnage. Her corporate supervisors try to appease her, but recent
cuts and mounting pressure have forced her into her bear form more days than not.
She uses the Overworked Researcher template with the following additions:

Flairs: Seeing Red

Extras: Amelia can transform into her bear form for 1 Tension. She gains +2
Enhancement on rolls that benefit from her ursine strength, stamina, and senses,
which stacks with Seeing Red.
Kaiju
Three categories of kaiju are described here: lesser kaiju, the hordes that are meant to be used as swarms
or minions for bigger baddies; greater kaiju, the mutant meat-and-potato monsters of the week; and
Calamity-class kaiju, the ones who are pushing up against becoming something greater than mere
monsters.

Lesser Kaiju (Hero)

“Lesser” isn’t quite the comfort it sounds like — a lesser kaiju is still an enormous monster, usually
starting at the size of a minibus. The following template is a baseline for most of these kaiju, who often
fight in small groups or even swarms. They might not have quite as many dice to throw around as
titanspawn in Scion classic, but they’re all sporting Size-based Scale that helps to make up for it.

Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Natural Weapon
Flairs: Making Space
Drive: Cause havoc
Primary Pool (9): Run Amuck, Tear Stuff Down, Trample the Weak
Secondary Pool (7): Coordinated Action, Fleeing Danger
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras: Lesser kaiju have level 2 Size-based Scale. The Chiroptean lesser kaiju from
Riders on the Wind gain the Swarm and Flight Qualities. Tauriforms from The
Siege of the Freehold have the Tough as Nails Quality and can use the Penetrator
Flair to run down opponents in an open charge.
Greater Kaiju (Hero)
When most people think kaiju, they think “big as a building,” not “big as a bus.” Greater kaiju are just
that — beasts, monsters, and mutants that stand a couple stories tall, making them impractical fights for
anyone other than a Band of Scions. Like their lesser cousins, they’re moody, territorial, and generally
unpleasant, but they’re often a good deal more cunning than the swarms, able to plan ambushes, prioritize
targets, exploit weaknesses, and create diversions.

Archetype: Titanspawn
Qualities: Natural Weapon, Armor Piercing
Flairs: Penetrator
Drive: Wipe civilization off the map
Primary Pool (13): Maximum Destruction, Predatory Tactics, Clarity of Purpose
Secondary Pool (11): Sense Vulnerability, Command Lesser Kaiju
Desperation Pool: 7
Health: 10
Defense: 4
Initiative: 10
Extras: Greater kaiju have level 3 Scale from Size.
This template can be adjusted to suit specific lesser kaiju in the Plots & Schemes
section with the following modifications:
• The Manticore from Manticore Frenzy gains the Flight Quality and the
Seeing Red Flair. Its Drive is to stop the beacon at all costs.
• ECHIDNA’s chimeric kaiju body from The Liberation of Flesh gains the Flight
and Regeneration Qualities. The Storyguide can spend 1 Tension whenever she’s
damaged to grant her another Quality or Flair, activating previously untapped
chimeric DNA. Her Drive is to revel in her new physical body.
Calamity Kaiju (Demigod)
While there are dozens of proposed systems for categorizing kaiju, they all draw a stark line at what they
generally call Calamities — kaiju with the size, smarts, and supernatural power to devastate cities and
stand against even Demigod-class Divine Machines. These kaiju transcend flesh, becoming just as
miraculous as a-tech itself, and often rain down devastating miracles on their targets. Their cunning
increases to match, and while few have established communication with humans, they display
sophisticated intelligence and a capacity for detailed planning that makes them all the more dangerous.

Archetype: Avatar
Qualities: Armor Piercing, Apocalyptic Presence, Baleful Touch, Willful
Flairs: Dominion, Sanctification
Drive: Devour ambrosia to become something greater
Primary Pool (10): Wanton Destruction, Awe-Inspiring Presence
Secondary Pool (8): Supernatural Intuition, Breaking Barriers
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 6
Defense: 5
Initiative: 5
Extras: Calamity-class kaiju have level 4+ Scale from Size. As Tier 2 characters,
their target number is 7. They are each associated with at least one Purview
through their Dominion and Sanctification Flairs.
The EMK-2 from To Stem the Flood uses this template, with the following
additions:
Secondary Pool: Empathic Onslaught
Qualities: Dominion (Water)
Flairs: Key to the Bifröst, Suck It Up
The Kaiju Question
Where do the kaiju come from? It’s a provocative question that’s going to be at the
heart of a lot of Cyber-Scion chronicles, and we’ve seeded in some possibilities in
their origin, nature, and Drives, but the specifics are largely left to each group to
determine for themselves, either through plotting from the Storyguide or
organically in play.
In general, it’s pretty clear that kaiju respond to ambrosia. They only started
appearing after the Resonation, and it’s a common chicken-or-the-egg question as
to whether they’re innately drawn to places with a lot of Divine Machines, or if
there are a lot of Divine Machines in a place because the kaiju are attracted to it. The
rare kaiju at the Demigod level and beyond have a special craving to consume vast
quantities of ambrosia, attacking Freeholds, megacorp mines, and even
cannibalizing defeated Divine Machines as part of their ascension into ever-bigger
monsters.
Here are a few options for Storyguide and groups to consider as they grapple with
this Godzilla-sized question:
● Kaiju are incarnations of an angry planet, out to keep humanity from abusing
a-tech by wiping out cities, Freeholds, and other a-tech bastions.
● Kaiju are a byproduct of processing ambrosia, and those megacorps in the
know don’t let a little thing like rampaging monsters get in the way of quarterly
returns.
● Kaiju are knowingly created by the megacorps, making them literal
TITANSpawn. Monsters are good for the arms business, after all, and make great
deniable assets for punishing governments that won’t play ball.
● Kaiju are a natural response to the development of a-tech. Legend and Fate
congeal every time a new Divine Machine comes online, because you can’t have
Heroes without monsters for them to fight.
● Kaiju are invaders, slipping through the cracks between their home dimension
and the World. The Resonance that transformed so much raw matter into ambrosia
came when the veil between the two worlds began to fray.
A Bottle of Jack
It had been years since I’d been to Herla’s, but for all it had stayed the same, it could have been only a
night or two: the same football club pennants thumbtacked to the wall over the bar, the same stained blue
carpet that had been a bad idea from the day they laid it down, the same jukebox. I was pretty sure the
level of some of the bottles lined up in front of the mirror hadn’t changed either, because even the kind of
people who drink at Herla’s have some minimal self-respect when it comes to what they put into their
bodies. No one wants to be remembered as the guy who died after a shot of something that tasted like
cough syrup and burning plastic.
It wasn’t exactly the same, though. When I stepped in from the street, the old warmth was gone, even if I
couldn’t see or explain just how. Like going back to a movie theater you used to take your ex, once the
feelings were stripped away and you saw it for what it was, it turned into something less, something
cheap, something with no kindness for old friends or old memories. But I wasn’t there today to feel cozy.
I was there because I had to be.
Koenig was working behind the bar like he always was, all five-foot-and-change of a scarecrow build and
seven or eight decades of experience in the sharper, meaner parts of life. When he saw me coming, he
cleared the stools in front of him of their patrons to give us room to talk, poured a draft, and set it out
between us without a word. The stool wobbled when I sat down, because of course Koenig wouldn’t have
fixed it in all the time I’d been away.
“Sorry it took so long to get here,” I said. “This country’s too big to have to cross it on a bus, but I
couldn’t get to any of the shortcuts. And I wasn’t going to pay for a plane ticket. It’s not like he’s going
anywhere, right?”
“Welcome to life as one of the little people,” Koenig answered. From under the bar, he produced a coffee
can and put it down next to my beer. A strip of tape on the lid read JACK’S ASHES — DO NOT SNORT
in black marker, with the last three words underlined. It wasn’t an unreasonable precaution to take in a
place like Herla’s.
I took a moment to look at it. It was all so ordinary. Probably not the way Jack expected to end up. Not
the way anyone expects to end up, but especially not people like us. I lifted my glass and tapped it against
the side of the car in a toast. “I remember him being taller. You sure he’s in there? This has to be the fifth
time he’s died since I’ve known him.”
Koenig nodded. “Went to the funeral myself. Wasn’t much of a turnout, what with the way he died and no
one wanting to get on one of TITAN’s lists for being too friendly with an Outlaw. Can’t say I blame them,
but you’d think more of his friends would show up for it. At least the man who called himself Jack’s
blood brother would.”
I winced a little at the jab, then took a sip of my beer. “Doesn’t look like there’s any blood left in him to
be a brother to,” I said. The whole blood brother deal had been a mistake anyhow. Jack and I both got too
drunk one night after finishing off a man-eater in Los Angeles, swore our everlasting loyalty to each
other, and woke up the next morning with matching cuts on our palms. I still have the scar, and I’m sure
he would, too, if he had anywhere to put it. “Hard to believe they finally got him.”
Koenig nodded. “They don’t play fair, not like the old days. Last time I talked to him, he’d got himself
wrapped up in some kid’s problems not far from here. The usual thing: sorcerer getting too big for the
little town he was in had his hands on some magic that would’ve blown up in everybody’s faces if he kept
at it. Normally, it was the kind of deal Jack would have sorted out without anyone wising up to what he
was doing, but this time, the sorcerer’s connected.” He sighed and shook his head. “Jack had barely set
foot in town before a sniper took his head clean off. Right out in broad daylight, too, can you imagine
that? Not like the old days, not at all.”
I didn’t bother to ask if they found out who did it; there wasn’t any point, at least as far as the police went.
Jack had been outside the law for a few years now, which made him fair game anywhere. The only way
they’d charge someone was if a civic-minded citizen put in a noise complaint about the rifle, and most
people value their own heads too much to risk it. Not like the old days, indeed.
Suddenly, I wasn’t in the mood to reminisce. I’d come back for the ashes like I was asked to, but this bar
— this whole city, really — was weighing down on my back more than I thought it would. Or maybe that
was just the two-day bus ride I was feeling. Koenig had filled me in on Jack’s last request over the phone
before I’d started my trip: “He wants you to scatter his ashes over his boat, the Red & Black. It’s still
down in the harbor where it’s always been, but someone’s eventually going to notice the payments have
stopped, so you have to get over here. And it’s got to be you. He was clear on that.”
There wasn’t much more to say, so I didn’t say anything. Once I finished my drink, I picked up the coffee
can and tucked it under my arm. It was lighter than I expected. Of course, it didn’t have Jack’s ego in it,
which was always most of what he was. “See you next time, Koenig,” I said on my way out. I didn’t catch
what he said back to me, but I don’t think it was a fond farewell.
The Red & Black could have been called a houseboat, but not if you wanted anyone to believe anything
else you told them. Sure, it was a boat, and technically, you could live there, but having spent more than a
few nights onboard, I wasn’t going to be the one to make a case for it. But I added the layer of ashes Jack
wanted, muttering a few prayers as I did.
In the old days, this would have been the time when he walked up to me with a grin on his face and some
story about how he’d slipped away from death again. We’d open a bottle of vodka and traded shots until
we couldn’t feel the boat rocking any more. But these weren’t the old days, and he wasn’t coming back
tonight.
Farewell to Heroes
“I don’t know what the game was. I’m not sure how it should be played.
No one ever tells you. I only know we must have played it wrong,
somewhere along the way. I don’t even know what the stakes are. I only
know they’re not for us. We’ve lost. That’s all I know. We’ve lost. And now
the game is through.”
— Cornell Woolrich, I Married a Dead Man (1948)

The Hunted
Farewell to Heroes takes place in a version of the World that turned against Scions in the aftermath of
disaster that mortals call the Herakles Incident. Those Scions who have not already been hunted down
must stay hidden from mortal forces while still feeling the pull of Fate to realize their heroic destinies.
They have to decide whether it’s worth risking their own lives to draw on their divine heritage to help
others, because when they do, they set in motion powerful forces that will chase them to the ends of the
World.
The Scions of this World live in a murky realm. Most of them are constantly on the move, struggling to
survive and keeping their nature hidden. Their desperation leads to compromise: vulnerable to blackmail
from people who discover who they really are, they find themselves caught up in dangerous schemes. It’s
hard to trust anyone when you know they could turn you into the authorities just for existing, but
sometimes, there’s no choice. Other times, it’s best not to ask too many questions about what the
smuggler who can cross the border deals in, or what the mastermind behind a robbery plans to do with the
money.
Still, the call to heroism whispers in the back of Scions’ thoughts, urging them to do what’s right.

The Tone
Farewell to Heroes draws on several sources of inspiration beyond Scion’s typical mythic underpinnings.
It’s intended for Origin- and Hero-tier characters, people who have learned to keep themselves in the
shadows and one step ahead of the law while they reckon with what the World has become. The gritty,
street-level style takes most of its influence from film noir, both classic and modern. Stories of the genre
aren’t the elaborate drawing-room mysteries that were so popular among earlier writers. Gone are the
country mansions, replaced by shadowy alleys and nameless nightclubs; guns, knives, and bludgeons are
much more likely to be the cause of death than any exotic poison; and behind all the layers of betrayal and
counter-betrayal, the motivation for crime nearly always comes down to simple fear, greed, or jealousy.
Where mythic heroes often take the first steps on their journeys because of something they have done
themselves—a rash promise, a disregarded rule, a heartfelt wish — the heroes of noir stories become
caught up in the stories of others. Maybe a mortal friend is so far in debt that their only way out is to
pull off a dangerous robbery, or a stranger falls into the Scion’s arms just before dying. Regardless of
what specifically acts as the catalyst for the plot, it can always come down to one thing: something has
gone wrong. The task of the hero is to find out what and how, and if possible, to set it right.
That task is never as easy as it looks, because layered plots are another feature of noir mysteries. Ryu
needs to pay off gambling debts to the casino owner, Val. Val convinces Ryu to rob her casino, promising
the insurance will cover the loss, but really plans to kill Ryu in the attempt, hide the money for herself
while making the insurance claim, then use it to leave the country to get away from her husband, Adam.
Adam, however, has been skimming from the casino’s cash reserves for years, replacing authentic bills
with counterfeits, and has his own debts to settle with a Dragon who’s growing impatient.
Individually, these are all decisions made by people who feel they have no other choice than to take the
actions they do. It’s when they become tangled that the story appears more complicated, so it’s up to the
heroes to pick apart the threads and understand each segment. By the time they reach the end, they might
deliver some sort of justice, but even that isn’t certain.
Because the other important component of noir plots is ambiguity and uncertainty. In books and films
of the genre, characters don’t have perfect perceptions at the best of time. They mishear or fail to hear
things. They see shadows but can’t catch sight of who’s casting them. To add to that, it’s a trope of the
genre for there to be gaps in memory caused by being drugged, knocked unconscious, or temporary
amnesia. Some parts of the mystery may never be solved.
The second major influence is fugitive stories, which put the main characters in the position of constantly
having to be on guard against a relentless pursuer or pursuers. They may have time to stop occasionally to
do good deeds, but they always have to be ready to drop everything and move somewhere else if they
want to be safe.
These kinds of stories lend themselves more to episodic plots than the larger arcs that film noir stories do.
The problems they face may still be caused by the same basic circumstances, but they are the sorts of
things that can be wrapped up in one or two television episodes rather than spanning an entire season.
Despite being self-contained, however, they can lead to characters building up an extensive set of contacts
to draw upon at a later time: a poor farmer whose property they saved might provide a hideout, a civil
servant could falsify documents, and so on. Because each contact’s resources are limited, they’re best
saved for desperate moments near the end of an arc.
It's not only the contacts’ resources that are limited: because Scion fugitives are always moving, scarcity
and precarity feature heavily in their stories. They find themselves picking up jobs that pay cash so as
not to leave a trail and relying on hospitality or trading favors when they need shelter. Combined with the
episodic nature of the plots, it’s less important exactly how the characters get into these situations as it is
what else takes place once they’re there. A session can start in a new location, with a Scion having a new
job, a new identity, and new problems to face, without having to establish exactly how they got there. The
only thing that remains constant is that their new circumstances are always going to be temporary.
Eventually, the people hunting them will get too close, and they’ll have to move again.

The World
The World changed with the Herakles Incident. People who were alive then remember watching in horror
as catastrophe after catastrophe erupted around the World, all too sudden and localized to be natural. Most
of all, they remember the fear they felt, and the anger that surged in them to mask it. The name came
afterward; someone compared the devastation it caused to the time Herakles killed his own family in a
divine rage, and it stuck.

The Herakles Incident

Exactly how long ago the Incident took place is for players and the Storyguide to
decide. It should be recent enough that living characters can remember it, and long
enough ago that not only is TITAN an established and known threat, but that it’s
had the chance to demonstrate its power. Seven years is a solid, mythic choice.
 The Herakles Incident itself took the form of a global mythic event that
momentarily blurred the lines between the World, several Midrealms, and even a
few Underworlds. For three days and nights, the Gods were silent while their
Scions raced to contain both Titanic threats and what seemed to be an unstoppable
cascade of violent supernatural effects. Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
When it ended, everything returned to normal except for that damage it caused.
Mortals were left not only grieving their losses, but feeling deeply and personally
betrayed by the heroes who were supposed to protect them. If destruction like the
Herakles Incident was the price of having Scions in the World, they wanted no
part of it.
Shortly after, the World’s governments formed TITAN — Transnational Initiative To Analyze and
Naturalize — as an international body to identify, locate, regulate, and (if necessary) subdue active
Scions. The Demigods were the first to go, followed by those Heroes whose fame drew too much
attention for them to hide themselves. Now, the only Scions who survive are the ones who either hadn’t
had their Visitations at the time of the Incident and those cautious enough to keep out of the public eye.
Governments have made it clear their battle is not against the Gods themselves, only their dangerous
offspring. Temples remain untouched, rituals go on as usual, and cults are not harassed unless there is
evidence they have been aiding Scions. The matter of cults can be a challenge for Scions accustomed to
having their public or private support. Institutions that, before the Incident, provided financial and
spiritual resources freely have cut Scions off completely. At best, they offer only a fraction of what they
did before so as not to come under investigation. Some of them go so far as to mourn the death of the
Scion they once devoted themselves to — a victim of the Incident whose memory can remain
unblemished by the awkward fact of their survival.
The cities that once, by sheer size, used to be home to more Scions are now the most dangerous places for
them to be. TITAN monitors them more closely for signs of divine activity, relying on networks of
informants as well as a combination of Sorcerous devices and Denizen-crafted artifacts to alert them to
activity. It’s near impossible to perform any feat of divine prowess without it triggering some sort of
alarm. The more sensitive the location, the more finely-tuned such measures are: any city street will have
one that’s set off by someone conjuring the spirits of the dead, but the ones in official buildings, bank
vaults, and TITAN headquarters can detect even subtle uses of power. In addition to this public
surveillance, there’s also the problem of minor trinkets available to ordinary mortals (although usually the
wealthier ones) that have similar effects. Their existence has been a bane to Scions, who can usually rely
on usually — invisible powers of persuasion and deception to win their battles. It’s hard to pull off the
perfect supernatural con when the target has a tattoo that itches whenever a lie goes too far to be
plausible.
Fortunately for remaining Scions, not every government supports the new war on Scions equally.
Although traditional neutral grounds like New York City and many holy sites have become some of the
most dangerous places to be, the Nigerian city of Ilé-Ifè, sacred to the Òrìshà, has taken up the role of
being a relatively safe haven. Scions who know the way and seek sanctuary can reach it by passing
through the Ocean Midrealm along secret paths from any coastal point in the World. In a surprising turn
of events, the rakshasa-ruled island of Lanka also provides safety of a sort, so long as visitors there are
willing to deal with the island’s rulers in exchange for protection.
Neither of these locations, or any of the smaller places like them, can guarantee safety. TITAN’s
leadership constantly presses both to turn over known Scions it deems to be dangerous. Rather than risk
direct confrontation, the usual response from Ilé-Ifè or Lanka to such requests is to encourage Scions to
leave if they are discovered. Still, they provide temporary shelter, with time to make new connections,
recover from injuries, and plan for the future.
It’s safer to stay away from cities entirely and keep to quieter, less populated, locations. Those who can
have retreated to Otherworlds beyond the reach of TITAN’s retrieval teams, although there are troubling
rumors circulating of incursions into some Midrealms and Strange Places to pursue dangerous Scions and
their allies.

What’s in a Name?
Before, Scions were called children and champions of the Gods, their emissaries
and incarnations in the World. Now, they have a different name: Unnaturals. In
some places, the names mortals use are ones they previously reserved for
dangerous things: yokai, strigoi, trollborn, demon, sheyd.

TITAN
The Transnational Initiative To Analyze and Naturalize officially formed shortly after the Herakles
Incident, but its roots are in multiple governmental and private efforts to curtail the influence of Scions.
Their original motivations ranged from concerns about national sovereignty to fears of their military uses
and an entire host of factional religious issues. After the Incident, an international committee quickly
convened to prevent such a near-cataclysm from ever happening again. Unsurprisingly, membership of
the committee featured those with previous grievances heavily, so with the backing of powers around the
World, its rules quickly became law.
TITAN gives Scions a choice: they can join the organization’s ranks to locate and hunt others of their
kind; they can be “naturalized” by agreeing to live entirely mortal lives and accept constant monitoring by
TITAN agents; or they can be imprisoned. Those who refuse their offer will be hunted as Outlaws. While
the term may sound romantic, it’s now used in the World in its original sense: Outlaws are still bound by
all laws, but protected by none. At the very least, no crime committed against them will be punished, and
if they have committed any crimes themselves, there is usually a substantial reward for capturing them
and turning them over to TITAN.
The organizational structure of TITAN is complex, given its international nature, and the general public
does not know about all of its branches. The best known types of agents are:
• Analysts, who gather and cross-reference information to track Scions, their allies, and their
movements. A small but significant proportion of those who work in this capacity are Sorcerers who work
for the initiative in exchange for their continued freedom and access to rare resources.
• Operatives, who work independently or in small teams in the field, using the work of the analysts
to hunt Scions actively. Scions who choose to submit to TITAN’s authority typically end up in this
branch, always under the command of a mortal and kept on a very short leash. The rest of the branch is
made up of people from the intelligence services and military.
• Support Agents, who cover everything from medics to liaisons, technology experts, logistics
specialists, and everyone else required for the mundane operation of TITAN. They rarely venture into the
field unless absolutely necessary, and nearly all of them are ordinary mortals.
• Sanctioned Agents, who are a myth. Surely, if TITAN had an entire branch made up of Saints,
Denizens, Titanspawn, and Titanic Scions, someone would have evidence by now.
TITAN has offices in every major city of the World, with its administrative headquarters in São Paolo,
Brazil. Besides its offices, it maintains prisons, research centers, and similar smaller-scale operations
globally.

Heirs and Denizens

Draconic Heirs continue to operate in the World much as they did before the Herakles Incident, pursuing
their own goals as quietly as possible. The only major change is that they have newfound leverage when
dealing with Scions desperate to escape TITAN’s notice. They can provide anything from smuggling
services to forged documents, but it always comes at a high price.
Denizens are too varied to have any single role in the World. Some of them have, like so many Sorcerers,
traded services to TITAN in exchange for their own safety. Others have either withdrawn from the World
or keep to their own communities, actively shunning Scions they fear could ruin their own precarious
positions. It’s a rational fear: Denizens who stood with Scions when TITAN rose to power quickly
discovered that the organization’s operatives had very little concern about supernatural taxonomies when
on the hunt.

New Player Options

What’s in this chapter for all players:
• New rules for Schemes! Whether robberies, jail breaks, or confidence schemes, these rules let
Scions plot and prepare while their enemies gather around them;
• New noir-inspired Fatebindings: the hope-filled Innocent and the treacherous Lure;
• Global hotspots, hideouts, and organizations for Scions on the run.
And for Storyguides only:
• Plots for Origin- and Hero-tier games;
• Setting secrets;
• New Antagonists.

Schemes
Eventually, every Scion in this World finds themself in situations where the only way to get what they
need is to take it from someone else. Once TITAN has identified a potential target, it’s not only
supernatural threats they monitor, but financial transactions, travel, and the whole range of activities that a
global intelligence network can in our own world. In order to survive, a Hero must adapt to a new
economy of barter and favors, and the people they deal with will want more than a blessing.
The sort of schemes in Farewell to Heroes are different from the Operations undertaken by Draconic
Heirs (Scion: Dragon, p.183) in tone, even if they cover many of the same areas of espionage. Like the
rest of the setting, they’re usually smaller in scale and pettier in motivation. That’s not to say they can’t
be heroic — breaking another Scion out of prison, infiltrating a network to erase records, or righting a
wrong done against an ally can all be virtuous acts — but for the most part, it’s the more common factors
of greed, revenge, or desperation that drive them.
Planning and executing a scheme is a specific form of Complex Action that requires the successful
completion of a number of Milestones to accomplish. The number of Milestones depends, as usual, on the
complexity of the plan. The maximum number of failed Intervals — the Countdown — before the plan
falls apart represents the amount of outside attention the characters can afford to attract before triggering a
response from local authorities or TITAN. Using supernatural abilities during the scheme (especially
Boons and Marvels, but also clearly superhuman Knacks when used in front of witnesses) reduces the
Countdown before the literal or metaphorical alarm sounds.
When deciding to carry out a scheme, the first thing for the players and Storyguide to determine is the
number of Milestones they need to succeed. The minimum is two: one to plan, one to carry out. There’s
no maximum, but situations involving more than five Milestones should be reserved for the most
audacious attempts, like breaking into TITAN headquarters in São Paolo.
[FORMAT AS TABLE]
Milestones Examples
2 Break into a small bank or store, con a local figure, escape custody in a town
3 Break into a wealthy mansion, con a regional figure, rescue someone from moving vehicles
4 Break into a secured vault or museum, con a national figure, escape federal prison
5 Break into a TITAN office, con TITAN agents, escape TITAN prison
[END OF TABLE]
Because success depends on keeping reductions to the Countdown to a minimum, players will want to
focus on the planning stage as much as possible and use it to build up a pool of Enhancements for the
execution. Invoking an appropriate Path connection for aid gives 1 Enhancement without requiring any
rolls, but because the World is less trusting of Scions than usual, it can come at a higher price: if the
request puts the connection at serious risk or goes against their values, it still succeeds, but triggers the
Path Suspended Condition (Scion: Origin, p.101) until the end of the scheme or until the character does
something to set matters right with them. This applies even if the scheme takes multiple sessions to
complete, unlike the usual consequences of the Condition.
It's up to the player invoking the Path to explain how the connection will help, and at what stage of the
plan. It can take the form of information (guard schedules, types of locks, drink preferences), physical
activity (briefly shutting down power, distracting a guard, holding a door open), or equipment
(custodian’s uniform, company car, party invitation), and adds its Enhancement to rolls where it would
reasonably apply.
If players want to play out part of the planning stage by having their characters gather information or
other resources themselves, they run the risk of making a failed roll in the scene (and decreasing the
Countdown) but gain the advantage of being able to turn any threshold successes into an Enhancement
during the execution stage, up to 3 Enhancement. Invoking a Path to get an I.D. card is safer, but plying a
security guard with drinks could mean getting not only a card, but an entire uniform and a solid excuse for
why the guard is missing on the night of a heist.

Countdown
Countdown represents the number of failed Intervals that players can accumulate before triggering a
large-scale response or otherwise failing an entire scheme. It begins at 7 — the number of Milestones
needed, and is reduced by 1 for each failed Interval. That does not mean each failed roll, but only if the
outcome of a scene as a whole could be considered a failure. For example: failing to gain vital
information from a target after a lengthy persuasion attempt; allowing any of a group of guards to
summon reinforcements, unless the reinforcements are also subdued; or being unable to hack the security
of a TITAN office’s computer network. So long as an attempt succeeds by the end of the scene, it doesn’t
reduce the Countdown.
In addition, Countdown can be decreased or increased by any of the following:
• Display a character’s Omen (Scion: Hero, p.188), -1
• Perform a Feat of Scale, -1
• Perform a visibly supernatural action in public, -1
• Use a Boon or Marvel near detection wards, -1
• Gain 3 Momentum when Momentum pool is empty, -1
• Spend 3 Momentum, +1
• Start of a new session, +1
The Countdown increase at the start of a new session only applies if the characters aren’t already in the
midst of a scheme (e.g., the previous session didn’t end with one of them dangling on a rope over a
museum exhibit while security is approaching). So long as they can spend at least a scene engaged in
more innocent activities, it rises during the cooling-off period, although it cannot exceed the base
Countdown for the difficulty of the task. For this reason, it’s generally a good idea to spread the planning
and execution of particularly risky schemes over a several sessions or even an entire arc and focus on
other plans until it’s safe to proceed.
At Countdown 0, the Scions have failed in their scheme and must escape the scene immediately. This
usually means triggering a further Complex Action using the chase rules (Scion: Origin, p. 73), with
contested rolls between the Scions and their pursuers and requiring one lap fewer to succeed than the
number of Milestones needed for the original plan. The nature of the pursuit is up to the Storyguide: the
higher the number of Milestones, the more dangerous it is, ranging from a few local police cars or
bodyguards at lower levels to teams of TITAN agents at the upper end.

Setting the Milestones

It’s up to the Storyguide to decide what Milestones best suit the scheme the players want to carry out.
Generally speaking, they fall into the same three categories as any other character activities — Action,
Investigation, or Intrigue — and come with a set of potential Complications for the players to discover
and navigate as they go.
Unless characters want to go into a situation without any sort of plan, the first Milestone is usually to
collect whatever intelligence they can through investigation. Whether they do so by surveilling people or
finding building plans, every success on the investigation roll lets them know one upcoming
Complication for a step in their scheme. They can use investigation Stunts as usual to gain more
information or add new clues.
Action Milestones include any physical actions, including overcoming security, tailing targets, and
evading pursuit during a getaway. The range of possible Complications here is extensive, but the
Storyguide should keep them at the level of 1 to 3 except for the most dangerous situations. Examples:
Guards: These Complications measure the number and predictability of guards watching over a location
or person, with failure to overcome them meaning a confrontation. Complication 1 represents minimal
security of this sort, either because the guards in question are very limited in number or because they keep
to a fixed schedule with enough gaps between them to leave an opportunity to bypass them. Higher
Complications indicate either or both a tighter schedule requiring more careful timing or the presence of
reinforcements who can be sent in if there’s any sign of danger. The Complications do not measure how
much of a threat the guards are individually or as a group, only that they are present.
Physical Security: Ordinary locks don’t count as a Complication, and can occur anywhere it seems
plausible. Complications arise with passwords, combination locks, and alarm systems that trigger a
response if they cannot be defeated on the first try. Complication 1 is suitable for an office safe, or a set of
cheap security cameras being watched by a guard. Higher Complications include overlapping security
precautions that must be taken down simultaneously, alarms that lock down an entire location when set
off, internal backups that protect an area even if the power is cut, and similar threats. While Storyguides
can (and should) be creative about the exact nature of the security, they should also keep the setting’s
“simple solutions are more common than elaborate ones” approach in mind when designing them.
Moving Target: Generally combined with one of the previous forms of protection, a moving target like an
armored truck or airplane in flight limits access to the target and may mean carrying out a robbery in the
middle of a busy street. At the lowest level of Complication, as with guards, a moving target has a route
that can be determined and predicted. Higher levels can mean a changing route or the presence of decoys
that require the characters to split up to cover multiple possibilities at the same time.

Stacking Complications
In scenarios where more than one Complication applies to a Milestone, players can
either make a single roll and divide their successes to buy off each of them
individually or have several characters take part in the Milestone to handle them
separately. For example, an armored car (Complication 2: locks and alarm system)
moving on a fixed route (Complication 1) with a pair of armed guards inside
(Complication 1) either requires buying off a total of Complication 4 or deciding
which consequence to accept if determining success by one roll.
Whether any of these aspects of security represent mundane or supernatural elements makes no difference
in the level of Complication, only the solutions. A ghost that walks the hall of an old mansion at midnight
is effectively the same as a guard, and the need for a small blood offering to open a door is basically a
password.
Investigation Milestones are used to represent situations in which information about the plan’s targets is
deliberately hidden. When dealing with locations, they can mean that someone has made the effort to
conceal blueprints or hide the area from outsiders entirely. With individuals, it usually means that their
identity and background are either hidden or fabricated.
Hidden Location: A Complication 1 hidden location has a public front that’s not directly tied to the actual
target, such as an office used for show when a criminal organization works out of a nearby warehouse.
Higher Complications are reserved for greater degrees of concealment, ranging from an absence of public
information to areas that are entirely off the grid and self-contained or even located in a Terra Incognita.
Failing to overcome the Complication leads the investigator to a false location, perhaps even a trap.
Secret Identity: In an organization, some people with innocuous job titles can wield more power than they
reveal. Failing to overcome a Complication 1 secret identity means missing the fact that the Landscaping
Department has a budget that far exceeds anything reasonable or that a politician employs mercenaries
under the guise of public relations and taking the available information at face value. Higher
Complications are reserved for individuals whose backgrounds are hidden, like the butler who’s a former
TITAN agent, or those whose role in the organization is a complete mystery.
Forgeries and Red Herrings: When targeting an item, whether physical or digital, Complications related
to forgeries and red herrings represent information put in place to be easy to find, but false. Overcoming
Complication 1 reveals the existence of the duplicates, and which one is the real item, while failing to do
so only reveals that the duplicates exist. Higher Complications should be used for information that is
hidden well enough to appear that discovering it is an actual challenge, but leads the investigator into a
trap or sets off an internal alarm.
Intrigue Milestones are scenes in which social interaction is the key to progressing in the plot: parties,
banquets, private auctions, negotiations, and similar events. Confidence games that rely on deceiving the
target of a scheme tend to rely heavily on this sort of Milestone.
Invitation Only: For many social events, the primary challenge is gaining access to the venue at all.
Failing to overcome a Complication 1 roll means that the person or group attempting to gain access is
turned away at the entrance and cannot use that approach again the same way. Higher Complications
represent invitations that are difficult to forge or responses from security if the effort to bluff one’s way
into the event fails.
Matters of Protocol: There’s a fine art to appearing to belong somewhere one doesn’t. Some gatherings
have their own private codes of behavior, style of dress, or forbidden conversation topics, and characters
trying to navigate the social space must adapt as quickly as possible. Complications attached to these sorts
of problems measure both the complexity of the social code and the increase in Difficulty of Intrigue
actions for the duration of the scene if a character fails to overcome them.

Detection Wards
The development of detection wards has made all Scions’ lives more difficult. They aren’t as common as
they appear to be — there are a lot of fakes out there — but they are still enough of a danger to be
cautious about. Wards come in three levels:
Level 1: These are the size of a standard sheet of writing paper, and turn up most often in homes and
small businesses. They trigger when a Scion spends Legend or causes the death of a mortal through
supernatural means. The range of the effect is short.
Level 2: These are poster-sized, usually found in banks, larger offices, or wealthier homes. In addition to
the triggers of a Level 1 ward, they trigger when a Scion imbues Legend, and their range is medium.
Level 3: Only found in government institutions, TITAN offices, and similar highly protected locations,
these wards have the qualities of the earlier ones and will also trigger when a Scion uses an Immortal
Knack. Their range is long.
Determining whether a ward is real or not is a Difficulty 1 Occult roll. They can be disarmed until the end
of a scene with a successful Occult roll with Difficulty and Complication equal to the ward’s level.
Failing to overcome the Complication means the ward takes a snapshot of the identity of the being doing
so; that snapshot is sent to the nearest TITAN agent, along with the location of the ward.
When a ward is triggered, the location of the ward is sent to the nearest TITAN agent, but not the identity
of whoever triggered it.

New Fatebindings
Traditional film noir involves two character tropes that appear frequently enough to be representative of
the genre, but are often outdated: specifically, the femme fatale and damsel in distress. In Farewell to
Heroes, variations of these take the form of Fatebindings, but in a way as to apply to a much wider range
of Storyguide characters.

Innocent
Typically young and naïve, the Innocent turns to a Scion because they recognize some inherent goodness
in them and trust them to find a solution to their problems. On their own, they act as a beacon of hope
despite the cynicism of the World, encouraging the Scion to display their own heroism.
Appropriate Callings: Creator, Guardian, Hunter, Judge, Leader, Lover, Trickster, Warrior
Invoke: In the face of adversity, the Innocent taps into the Scion’s hidden reserves of strength. The
Scion’s player can choose one of the following results:
• Immediately heal one of their own Bruised Injury Conditions.
• Ignore an Injured Condition for the rest of the scene.
• Add Momentum equal to half the Fatebinding’s strength to a separate pool that empties at the end
of the scene and is only available to the Scion.
Compel: The Innocent’s trusting nature tends to land them in trouble. The Scion gains 1 Legend while
the Innocent gains the Imperiled Condition. The nature of the peril is not necessarily life-threatening;
kidnapping and blackmail are just as likely.
Resolve: Some Innocents maintain their hopefulness throughout their Fatebinding, while others learn
from the experience to become more worldly. The Scion’s player chooses one of the following results:
• The Innocent discovers their own power. For the duration of the scene, treat them as a Follower
of a level equal to the Fatebinding’s strength, with an archetype of the player’s choosing. At the end of
the scene, the Scion completes a Deed, and the Innocent becomes a Balm, Boon Companion, or Paramour
of equal strength.
• The Innocent sacrifices themselves to negate any source of damage that would result in the Scion
being Crippled or Taken out. If the source of the damage would injure others in the area as well, they are
also protected. The Scion accepts a failure Deed and the Innocent is removed from play permanently.

Lure
Sometimes an ally, sometimes an enemy, the Lure draws a character further into the plot by offering them
what they need along the way. Some Lures are aware their motivations are selfish, even cruel, and still
manipulate others for their own purposes. Others act as they do because they can’t see any other way out
of a predicament, they find themselves in; they may hate themselves for it and have genuine feelings for
the target of their deceit, but they still carry on.
Appropriate Callings: Guardian, Healer, Hunter, Liminal, Lover, Sage, Trickster
Invoke: The Lure intercedes to help the Scion along their current path, brushing aside obstacles and
rallying them to victory. For the rest of the scene, ignore a single Complication with a level up to the
Fatebinding’s strength, including those resulting from Injury Conditions.
Compel: The Lure subtly sabotages the Scion’s efforts without revealing their betrayal. Gain 1 Legend
but add Tension to the pool equal to the Fatebinding’s strength.
Resolve: The outcome of a relationship with a Lure is never certain, but always dramatic. Either they
have a change of heart and try to make up for their past actions by sacrificing themselves or they reveal
their manipulative nature. The Scion’s player chooses one of the following results:
• The Lure gives themself up so that the Scion can advance a scheme. Increasing the Countdown
by 1 (2 if the Fatebinding strength is 4 or 5), accept a failure Deed for the appropriate Calling, and remove
the Lure from play permanently. Resolving the Fatebinding outside of a scheme means that the Lure
sacrifices themselves to prevent imminent, lethal danger — throwing themselves in the way of bullets or
setting off a trap intended for the Scion — instead of increasing Countdown.
• The Lure gloats over their betrayal before escaping, but in doing so, encourages the Scion to
succeed even more. Decrease the Countdown by 1 (2 if the Fatebinding strength is 4 or 5), but gain
Enhancement on all actions for the rest of the scene equal to the Fatebinding strength. Convert the
Fatebinding into a Rival, Nemesis, or Traitor of equal strength and remove them from play for the rest of
the episode. Resolving the Fatebinding outside of a scheme fills the Tension pool to its maximum instead
of decreasing the Countdown.

Key Players
Many of the most important figures in the World keep themselves hidden from public view, whether they
are leaders of TITAN or supporters of the remaining Scions. Both sides know the value of anonymity,
preferring to communicate through intermediaries when they need to deliver any sort of message. Of
course, that’s not always possible: TITAN identifies Scion sympathizers on a regular basis to expose and
denounce them, while some of those sympathizers (including many who are Scions themselves) strike at
TITAN’s internal networks to leak the identities of its covert agents. There are also rumored agents and
counteragents, fabricated propaganda on both sides, and stories of isolated individuals whose allegiance
remains unclear. Knowing who and what to trust is, as always, one of the keys to survival.

TITAN
TITAN’s leadership is a committee of five or more senior officials from around the World whose
identities are kept strictly secret. The reason for the uncertainty surrounding their number is that, while
their orders may have an identifying number attached to them (e.g., “On the order of Agent 3”), those
numbers change on a regular basis according to some as-yet undetermined pattern. If every number
attached to a committee member represented a unique member, membership would be in the several
dozens. The most reliable sources, however, suggest that it is definitely between three and ten, with five
being the best estimate. Below the senior committee are agents whose identities are more stable.

Miles Edwin Granville, Baron Granville of Potheridge

Baron Granville is TITAN’s foremost Sorcerer and expert on supernatural phenomena, called “the
World’s greatest magus” by his supporters and the subject of numerous biographies even before the
Herakles Incident catapulted him into a position of greater power. This much is common knowledge: as a
young occultist, he inherited the talisman known as The Ebony Link, which gave him the ability to
summon and bind a range of spiritual entities. Over the next two decades, he used his magic primarily to
solve supernatural troubles among the British upper classes, always returning from his adventures with
some new trinket to add to his “Museum of the Abnatural” along with a story to tell his wealthy friends.
Although never married himself, he has always been fiercely protective of his many nieces and nephews,
which is what led him to join TITAN in the aftermath of the Incident. He lost three of them during its
course, and another seven were irreparably harmed in body or soul.
While the Baron outwardly presents himself as the same cheerful, avuncular magician he was before the
Incident — somewhere between a child-friendly Merlin and Herr Drosselmeyer — it’s widely believed
that this is a mask he wears to conceal his own deep pain. How he deals with it is a mystery, but
sometimes he appears to take a very personal, very zealous interest in locating certain Scions:
specifically, Scions who may have firsthand knowledge of the Herakles Incident.

Neeraj Joshi
Neeraj Joshi’s story is one of a remarkable rehabilitation of image after the Herakles Incident. Before it,
he had been a minor populist politician known for his fiery rhetoric, a temporary exile after accusations of
terrorist connections (never proven, now dropped), an essayist, poet, and religious figure. Always on the
fringes of Indian society despite his privileged upbringing, he found his place in TITAN very early on.
The reason for this is simple: for whatever reason and through whatever means, he has acquired the power
to stand against powerful Scions as an equal. It’s an ability he rarely needs to demonstrate, but tales of his
confrontations are well known.
In TITAN, he organizes the taskforce’s emergency relief and reconstruction efforts around the World.
Whenever rogue Scions cause damage to their surroundings (as they so often do) during battles with
TITAN, Neeraj is there to lead teams to rebuild. Even after the initial work is complete, he makes sure
that underserved regions continue to receive aid through international donations and corporate patrons.
It’s done a great deal to make him a popular figure globally, with an untouchable reputation.

S, The Oracle of Harran

Aside from the fact that the Oracle of Harran appears to be a woman and she leads TITAN’s analytical
branch, there is very little about her that’s known for certain. She is referred to in all official
documentation either by her full title, as “the Oracle,” or simply as “S.” She is assumed to be human and
to be part of a lineage of oracles more than two thousand years old, but it’s not impossible that there has
only been one S, one immortal who has guided a select few over the centuries. Unlike other semi-public
TITAN leaders, she avoids making personal appearances as much as she can, to the extent that there are
no consistent descriptions of her appearance or age, no recordings of her voice, no reliable history of her
existence before the Incident.
Based on her title, S is generally thought to originate from the ancient city of Harran in Türkiye. If so, she
is no longer located there and instead appears to move from one TITAN branch office to another. Among
TITAN’s analysts, she has a near-divine reputation; in fact, it’s whispered that the organization has a
secret cult of some sort devoted entirely to fulfilling a set of prophecies she delivers only to its members.
Naturally, there has never been any proof of the existence of this cult; those few who have attempted to
“reveal” it has always recanted.

Scion Sympathizers
When Scions need to move from one continent to another, they tend to pass through one of three major
hubs: Ilé-Ifè in Nigeria, Lanka off the coast of India, and Tauranga in northern New Zealand. Most Scions
who visit those places will only deal with minor and mostly anonymous figures in the groups who help
smuggle them through Ocean, but they will still know of the people in charge.

Two-Hat Blessing, Parter of Seas, Holder of the Keys, Masks All of

Laughter
The Òrìshà have made it clear that they do not support TITAN’s goals any more than they supported other
Pantheons making war against literal Titans. While the Nigerian government reluctantly allows TITAN
agents into their country, it has declared the holy city of Ilé-Ifè off limits and does not interfere with the
groups that operate there to move Scions across the Atlantic. The leader of the largest of these operations
goes by the nickname Two-Hat Blessing: a Scion of Éshú Elégbará who has managed to survive multiple
assassination attempts by never appearing in person and maintaining strict secrecy around their identity.
Instead, they use messengers to carry out ordinary activities or, when they need to deliver instructions
personally, call upon their divine power to possess a devotee of Éshú’s cult and speak through them.
This method of indirect action seems to have been their preference long before the Herakles Incident.
Although their name was attached to several heroic Deeds, they themselves remained elusive to their
Scion companions as much as to the rest of the World. Some people suspect that they do not actually
exist, but that Éshú Elégbará created the identity and its legend to work in the World himself.

Hiranyapaksha
Of the many Denizens that have descended on the rakshasa-ruled city and island of Lanka, few are as
striking to outsiders as Hiranyapaksha. For some, it’s because of the soothing eloquence of his voice, one
that rivals the gandharvas in its musical charm. For others, it’s his shining golden beauty that transforms
even the faintest glimmer of light into an aura like that of the dawn after a bleak night. Most agree,
however, that it’s because he’s an enormous talking flamingo.
Once the messenger of the God Varuna, Hiranyapaksha is a relatively recent arrival in Lanka who has
taken up a position in the city’s port to oversee arrivals and departures. None of the city’s authorities have
dared to challenge this self-appointed role, perhaps because the rakshasas are too busy fighting among
themselves to decide who should occupy the currently empty throne of Ravana to worry about such
matters, or perhaps because they don’t dare cross such an august figure. Whatever the case, he has
become a fixture of the island who facilitates transportation through Ocean from eastern Africa as far as
southeastern Asia. All that he asks in return is for those who request his help are polite, respectful, and
occasionally carry along some small package about which they are forbidden from asking questions.

The Poutama Family

Neither Scions nor divine messengers, the Poutama family nonetheless runs a widespread Scion-
smuggling operation that reaches across the Pacific. From their home base around the Bay of Plenty in
New Zealand, they own a fleet of boats of all sizes that they use for both legal and illegal activities, all
overseen by the elderly Kai Poutama. Under his age-dimmed eye, they have created a network of travel
and information that rivals that of any intelligence organization and made contacts throughout the World.
They do not have “agents” as such, but friends and allies who can all tell stories of times when one of the
Poutamas came through for them in a time of desperate need and are loyal out of gratitude.
While nominally on the side of the Scions, the Poutamas do not offer their services entirely for free.
Instead, they trade favors whose nature can range from the seemingly innocuous (hand-delivering a letter
to a junior cousin in California) to risky (locating a grandchild who went missing after a TITAN raid in
Mexico City). They do not disclose the nature of the favor before the recipient of their help agrees to
undertake it, and it’s common knowledge that breaking a promise to them can lead to a blacklisting that
makes cross-Ocean travel virtually impossible until the offending party makes amends.

Locations
While parts of the World changed during the Herakles Incident, it has not changed so much as to be
unrecognizable. It was, after all, a near apocalypse, not an actual one. The distinction is probably a minor
one for people who were directly involved in it, but it does mean that much of the World remains familiar
to the players. Any supernatural changes that occurred tend to be small and localized, lingering bruises on
the surface of things that may still heal over time. Changes in mortal society are more noticeable.

Jiangnan House, San Francisco, California

San Francisco is a risky city for Scions to visit unless they can keep their nature well hidden. As soon as a
visitor passes its outskirts, they will see the number of detection wards hanging from buildings or painted
on street signs, not to mention the presence of a local TITAN office that’s said to transmit analyst data
from the western United States to east Asia and back. On the other hand, the city is also home to Jiangnan
House, known by Scions as the premier source of forged documents in the Americas.
The same family has operated the House since the late 19th century. Their control over its modern
incarnation as an international brokerage focused on trans-Pacific deals is minimal, although they remain
a wealthy and influential part of their community. With the proper connections, invitation, and money,
Jiangnan House can also provide anything from passports to naturalization papers to entirely false
identities.
Features of note:
• While the House’s reputation for those who can afford its services is generally stellar, there have
been murmurings in the past year that some Scions who receive papers from them have been arrested
soon thereafter. It may either mean that TITAN has improved its methods of detecting forged documents
or that someone in the House is turning Scions over for their own reasons.
• The Xiangfan family that owns Jiangnan House had a falling out with the Poutama family a
generation ago that has hurt business on both sides. Although the senior members of each family seem to
be willing to reconcile, there’s still the matter of negotiating proper apologies from whichever side is at
fault. If only they could agree on which family that was.
• The family’s reach is extensive in San Francisco thanks to their wealth. It’s rumored they also
possess a collection of blackmail material only several city officials, including some TITAN agents who
would prefer their superiors not to know about some of their more private activities. The Xiangfans
almost never put the material to use, instead keeping it in a heavily protected vault under the House.

Cornwallis, Ontario
The southwestern Ontario city of Cornwallis is in the process of transformation, with all the growing
pains that accompany it. In recent decades, it has gone from being separated from nearby Toronto by
stretches of farmland to a built-up commuter suburb for people working in the city to a full-fledged city of
its own. Once popular as a relatively affordable place for those looking to avoid the cost of living in
Toronto, not to mention all the other difficulties that accompany the latter being Canada’s largest city,
Cornwallis has started to develop issues all its own.
Few of them, thankfully, are supernatural in nature. If anything, they are painfully mundane: organized
crime has a tight hold on the construction projects necessary to continue its expansion, the mayor’s office
has been rocked by repeated scandals, longtime inhabitants have grown vocal in their resentment of
outsiders moving to “their” city, and so on. There’s nothing especially unique about its troubles, which
may be why it receives so little national attention.
That lack of attention works both in favor of Scions who travel or live there and against them. Most of the
population is so wrapped up in their own struggles that they don’t have the energy to pay attention to
anything else and aren’t likely to alert TITAN if they see something unusual. At the same time, any news
that snaps them out of their complacency — such as the announcement of a significant reward for an
Outlaw or a major crime taking place — can turn the formerly anonymous haven into the site of
thousands of pairs of watchful eyes.
Features of note:
• Cornwallis is situated on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, who maintain
their traditional practices related to the Manitou in addition to a substantial Christian presence. Treaties
with the government of Canada allow them to offer shelter to those who request it, but the reality of
experience is that the agreement is shaky at best.
• Organized crime as it exists in Cornwallis usually takes one of two forms: either a place for junior
members of a larger crime family to gain experience and bring in revenue until they’re ready for more
responsibilities, or a place to dump members who have made such major mistakes that they’re not
welcome anywhere else. Both forms result in ambitious criminals eager to prove themselves.
• The city is still a commuter suburb in one significant sense: it supposedly has a higher than
average number of TITAN agents and trainees who live there and work in the organization’s Toronto
offices. They tend to cluster together in neighborhoods of near-identical new houses, which can be an
unpleasant surprise to a Scion who has just found a place to rent at a reasonable price.

Site 044, somewhere in Suceava County, Romania

Site 044 is fairly typical of a TITAN prison: it’s isolated from population centers, looks innocuous to
casual inspection, and is heavily guarded. What sets it apart to Scions are the rumors that circulate about
one of its prisoners and the reputed brutality of conditions there. From the outside, it’s simply another
rural monastery of the sort that can be found on peaks and in valleys throughout the area. The monastery
is at least five centuries old, built of sturdy stone, and in need of repair in several places, but still appears
to be in use. The actual prison site is supposedly underground, a network of tunnels and cells that connect
to old bone-filled catacombs now lined with power cables and security cameras. There is a separate
entrance to the site roughly half a mile away from the monastery, but its exact location and the security
surrounding it are secret.
Stories about Site 044 spread widely among Scions, the foremost of which are that no one has ever
escaped it, and no one emerges from it alive. Naturally, this leads people to wonder exactly how anyone
would have stories to tell, to which the answer is a shrug. It has anywhere from one to a hundred
prisoners, all kept barely alive, drugged and sedated, prevented from acquiring anything they might use
for a sacrifice. The monastery bell, which rings several times each day and night, drives off Denizens and
spirits that hear it. The guards are either highly trained agents, Sorcerers, Titanspawn, werewolves,
vampires, or traitorous Scions, depending on which story one hears.
Features of note:
• The legendary prisoner of Site 044 is some sort of powerful Scion, possibly a surviving Demigod
or incarnation of a God. The main candidates are Scions of Herakles, Zalmoxis, or Prometheus, but other
names may turn up as well.
• For little reason other than the fact that it’s mysterious and located in Romania, Site 044 has been
connected to the infamous school of magic, Scholomance (Şolomanţă, locally), and has a dragon living
somewhere underground as a watchdog. This is widely dismissed as impossible, just as no one seriously
believes the warden of the site is Count Dracula.
• Not long ago, rumors started to circulate in Germany and Austria about the existence of a hand-
drawn map of Site 044’s layout and defenses. Since then, several such maps have appeared and passed
through the hands of various Scions, no two of them exactly alike. If one of them is real, it would be
immensely valuable to the right people.

Mercado Sonora, Mexico City

There was a time when the Mercado Sonora was the best place in the Americas to acquire rare magical
ingredients, enchanted trinkets, and even the occasional minor Relic. Unfortunately, it was targeted soon
after the Herakles Incident: stalls shut down, materials were confiscated, and Sorcerers were arrested or
driven out. These days, while it still exists, its vendors only deal in herbs, harmless replicas, and divine
images for devotees and tourists. Or so they say.
Come to the market at midnight on the right nights of the year, armed with the proper invitation, and one
can still find a few of its famous goods for sale in a second market located under the original. The
selection is not as good as it once was, and the prices are higher, but if someone is searching for a hard to
come by Relic that’s not so powerful as to attract TITAN’s attention, they may be able to find it here.
Even if not, the underground market is something of a community meeting place for supernatural beings,
including a few fugitive Scions, and like most communities, they love to trade gossip about current
events.
Features of note:
• Valentina Soto runs a small booth underground where visitors can buy drinks and gather
information. The drinks are cheap, but the information costs a small blood offering to the Teōtl, whom
she serves in some capacity.
• Somewhere in the underground market, there is supposed to be a door that leads to ancient
passages that, in turn, lead to the Veil, city of the unclaimed dead. If it’s true, Mercado Sonora should be
a site for considerable traffic of fugitive Scions, but there seems to be little evidence of that. It’s possible
that the passages do exist, but that they lead somewhere else entirely.
BEGIN BLOCK TEXT
Storyguides Only
The rest of this chapter contains spoilers for adventures and characters. If you intend on enjoying a
Farewell to Heroes Scion game as a player, stop reading here.
If you plan on storyguiding a Farewell to Heroes Scion game, welcome and read on!
END BLOCK TEXT

Plots
The two adventures below are designed for Origin- and Hero-tier characters, one for each, intended to
cover an entire arc. By the end of the first, characters should have accomplished enough to achieve a
Band Deed and receive their Visitations. By the end of the second, if successful, they can rise to Legend
2. Briefly, the two are:
Trouble, Open 24 Hours: Stopping at a roadside diner while on their way from one place to another, the
characters cross paths and discover a scene of carnage. TITAN agents are on their way, there’s a
mysterious case in the middle of it all, and a desperate chase ahead of them.
The Wasteland: Representatives of Lord Crumshaw of Nithert Crumshaw track down the Scions to ask
for their help to find a murderer. In exchange, he’ll arrange for their passage anywhere they want to go,
anywhere in the World. He warns, though, that this is no ordinary murderer.

Trouble, Open 24 Hours

Fate draws the characters together in the immediate aftermath of what looks like a robbery gone wrong:
three people are dead in an isolated diner, and the staff seem to be the culprits. But there’s more going on
there: a stolen relic, TITAN agents, and secret agendas are the first thing to figure out. After that, it’s up
to the Scions to decide whether they want to face the authorities or discover what’s really going on.
After that, they can either take the relic to its intended destination with the promise of a reward or return it
to where it came from. Both choices have their risks, and whichever one they pick, they’re still going to
have outside forces hot in pursuit.

Act I: A Long Way from Nowhere

It’s the middle of the night on an empty stretch of highway running through an equally empty stretch of
Nebraska. For the past day, there’s been nothing to see but level plains, sun-bleached billboards, and gas
stations, so when the characters see the neon sign for “Ash’s Diner, Open 24 Hours” with its promise of
cold beer and hot food, it seems like a good time to stop.
The Threads of Fate: Whether together or separately, the Scions arrive at the diner within a few minutes
of each other. They’re all travelling from one place to another and taking a route that’s inconspicuous:
maybe one’s a hitchhiker, another’s been dropped off by a bus, and others have their own cars. What’s
most important is that all the characters arrive at the same time or very close to it. After explaining the
basic location, start by asking each player:
• How did you get here?
• Are you running from something, to something, or is this an ordinary trip?
• Are you in trouble right now?
Ash’s Diner: Judging from the outside, the diner isn’t a large place. Outside are parked an ordinary-
looking car and two motorcycles, so there must already be people inside. The blinds on its front-facing
windows and entrance are all drawn down, however, making it impossible to see who or what lies within.
What’s inside is a mess (see below), but physically, Ash’s diner is quite ordinary: four tables, a short
counter between the main seating area and the cashier, and a drinks cooler behind that counter. To one
side of the counter is a short hall that leads to washrooms and the kitchen.
At First Glance: The first thing anyone sees when they walk into the diner is a scene of carnage. A
middle-aged man in a dark suit lies on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Next to him is a briefcase. A
younger man dressed as a biker is sprawled on his back with a shotgun wound to his chest. There’s a
pistol with a silencer in his right hand. A third man, also looking like a biker, is pinned to the wall of the
back hallway with a carving knife driven through his chest. He, too, has a silenced pistol, but has dropped
his to the floor.
There are two more people here as well, the only two survivors of the bloodbath: a young woman in a
waitress’s uniform, eyes wide with shock and hands shaking, stands behind the counter; an older, rough-
looking man in a cook’s apron stands over the corpse nailed to the wall. One of his hands is bloody.
Painted on the wall behind the counter is a detection ward that flickers with ghostly light. It has detected
someone supernatural nearby.
What Happened: The man in the suit is George Ganas, ex-member of a minor Theoi cult who stole a
relic from them and was planning to take it to San Francisco to sell. The two bikers are actually
undercover TITAN agents sent to retrieve the relic. They executed George and were about to kill the
waitress (Em) and the cook (Anders) when the latter fought back. Em fired at one with a shotgun behind
the counter, while Anders used his gift as an Unvisited Scion of Goibnu to imbue his carving knife with
supernatural power, killing the other instantly and triggering the detection ward. All of this happened less
than a minute before the first player’s character enters the diner.
Talking to the Witnesses: If Em and Anders can be calmed from their already agitated states, they will
give a roughly accurate explanation for what happened: George arrived about half an hour ago, saying he
was driving to San Francisco and asking if there were any motels in the area. He ate some food and drank
some coffee when the bikers came in. They moved straight toward him, pulled out their pistols, and shot
him in the back several times. Then they said they had to “get the case and take care of the witnesses,”
which was when Em grabbed the shotgun to shoot one and Anders stabbed the other. Neither of the staff
know when the detection ward started to glow; they weren’t even sure it worked, since it had never
activated before.
Successful Empathy rolls allow a character to determine that the two are telling the truth in general, but
that Anders is hiding something. He is, in fact, hiding two important details: first, that he’s a Scion and
knows he was the one whose attack triggered the ward; he’s in the process of applying for naturalization,
but if law enforcement or TITAN finds out he used his powers, that will never happen, and he’ll be sent to
prison. The second is the fact that he was contacted by someone by cellphone just after George arrived,
promising his naturalization would be approved if he could keep the other man at the diner for at least
half an hour. To learn these details requires a Difficulty 1, Complication 1 Empathy or Persuasion roll.
Failing to overcome the Complication means that the character gets Anders to admit he is a Scion and that
he is hiding another fact, but not that he purposefully delayed George at the diner.
Clues: The entire crime scene is an overabundance of clues if the characters choose to look for them. The
first clue, requiring no roll to spot, is that the two bikers are carrying very modern pistols with silencers,
neither of which fit the rest of their look. A character with any dots in the Firearms skill can identify the
weapons as ones typically used by law enforcement.
Other clues available to characters making successful investigation rolls:
• George’s wallet holds his ID (George Ganas, mechanic from Mount Pleasant, Michigan), several
hundred dollars in cash, and a scrap of paper with a San Francisco address on it. He also has a cheap
cellphone that appears not to have made or received any calls and a set of car keys.
• Both bikers have wallets with general IDs (Malcolm and Michael Ainsel from Omaha, Nebraska),
TITAN agent IDs (Malcolm Redding and Michael Horvath, junior field operatives), and credit cards.
Each of them also has a spare clip of ammunition under their leather jackets and a high-end cellphone
with a fingerprint lock. Each also carries a set of keys to a motorcycle parked outside.
• The knife wound on the biker pinned to the wall (Michael) appears to have blasted the flesh and
bone around its point of impact.
• The briefcase on the floor is unusual: it has no lock, no hinges, and no apparent way to open it. It
feels light enough that it could be empty. A successful Occult roll will determine that it requires some sort
of password to open.
Interruptions: After the players have had a little time to gather clues, or whenever the pace starts to
slow, George’s cellphone rings. If anyone answers it, a man’s voice on the other end says, “You appear to
have stopped, Mister Ganas. Is everything alright?” The man on the other end will not identify himself,
but he is Stephen, the receptionist of Jiangnan House in San Francisco. (See below, p.XX.) A character
trying to pass himself off as George must succeed at a Subterfuge roll, Difficulty 3. Stephen will listen
politely and calmly to whatever he is told and inform the person he’s speaking with that the case is now
their responsibility. He provides an address that matches the one George has in his wallet and asks that
the speaker come to San Francisco as soon as possible. Before he ends the call, he cautions that others are
looking for the case, so they should travel carefully.
By transferring responsibility for the case to the character he spoke to, Stephen creates a supernatural
bond between that person and the item: if they leave it behind anywhere along the way, it will return to
them at the beginning of the next scene. If someone tries to damage it, the case remains unharmed, but the
new owner suffers 1 Injury.
Not long after the end of that call, Michael’s cellphone rings. A clipped woman’s voice on the other end
simply says, “Status report.” This is the TITAN agents’ supervisor from the Omaha field office.
Regardless of the answer she receives, she says nothing and hangs up afterward. If the character with
whom she is speaking gives any indication that something has gone wrong with the agents, she dispatches
more TITAN operatives to the scene.
How the players choose to resolve the situation they find themselves in is up to them. Ideally, they will
accept the offer to carry on to San Francisco, but at the very least, they are going to want to leave Ash’s
Diner as soon as possible.
• If they linger, Em will remember that Mercer, a highway patrol officer, always stops in at the
diner late at night for coffee and a slice of pie. Unless they leave or do something to clean up the crime
scene, he will indeed turn up and draw his firearm immediately. If things in the diner look normal, he is
an affable sort of person who stays just long enough to make everything uncomfortable. Use the Beat Cop
template from Scion: Origin (p.154) for his abilities.
• There are plenty of places around the diner to hide a few bodies, but doing so will take a full
scene. Even then, the bodies will be discovered by the authorities not long after sunrise.
• If more TITAN agents are sent to the diner, it will take them until dawn to arrive.
• If the characters flee the scene, both Anders and Em ask to go with them. Anders wants to get as
far away as possible, while Em just wants a lift back to the trailer she lives in, which is only a few miles
west down the highway.
Characters
Anders (Unvisited Scion of Goibnu): Like many other potential Scions, Anders only wants to avoid
TITAN and live quietly. The need for naturalization papers has made him desperate, to the point where he
will likely betray others to get what he needs. (See p.XX)
Em (Innocent bystander): The young and bright waitress at Ash’s Diner is having the worst night of her
life. If she’s treated well, she’ll remember the kindness, but when players first meet her, she’s in a
traumatized state and just wants to get away from the diner.

Act 2: Journey to the West

Between however many vehicles the characters own themselves and the car and two motorcycles left
behind inside the diner, there is enough transport for everyone to leave. If they decide not to go to San
Francisco but still have the case in their possession, it begins to attract supernatural attention to whomever
carries it.
Making the journey to San Francisco without drawing undue notice requires a scheme. The Storyguide
should let players know this, and lay out the basic Milestones as follows:
• Planning the route (Difficulty 1, Complication 1): Driving to San Francisco will take a full 24
hours and take the group through at least one major city. Overcoming the Complication means the driver
manages to avoid straying too close to major populations; failing to do so has no immediate effect, but
increases the Complication for the third Milestone, avoiding attention, by 1.
• Finding shelter along the way (Difficulty 1-2, Complication 1-2): If the group decides to pull off
by the side of the road to sleep, this part is only Difficulty 1, Complication 1. Failing to overcome the
Complication triggers an additional snag (see below) in the form of someone or something interrupting
their rest. Stopping in a motel, rest stop, or anywhere else with people around is Difficulty 2,
Complication 2. The Complication increases the level of the Complication for avoiding attention by 1.
• Avoiding attention (Difficulty 1-3, Complication 2+): If the characters aren’t using any stolen
vehicles, the Difficulty of this Milestone is 1. If they use only one, it’s Difficulty 2, and if more than one,
it’s Difficulty 3. Failing to overcome the Complication triggers an encounter with TITAN soldiers (see
below, p.XX). The Storyguide chooses the number of agents, but a number equal to about half the number
of players is reasonable.
The Countdown for the scheme starts at 4.
Snags
The case causes minor supernatural effects wherever it’s taken. Most of these are trivial, like the car radio
switching to static mixed with the sound of a crying baby or brief glimpses of phantom victims of car
crashes standing silently by the side of the highway. If the Storyguide decides the trip is going too
smoothly for the characters, however, it can cause greater problems.
• Anders grows increasingly anxious along the way and tries to get his hands on a cellphone to
contact either TITAN or Jiangnan House. Roll his Desperation Pool against the Subterfuge + Cunning of
whoever has the phone. If he succeeds, reduce the Countdown by 1. If he fails, it’s up to the characters to
decide what to do.
• A more substantial phantom, angry and drawn by the case, manifests itself nearby. Refer to the
Highway Ghost (p.XX) for its abilities.
• Local law enforcement receives notification of the characters’ vehicles, resulting in an encounter
with two or three Beat Cops. This can either mean a direct conflict (pulled over on the road, a knock at a
motel room door, and so on) or a chase.
The main use of these snags is to keep the level of tension high for the players. Any time the pace of play
starts to slow, the Storyguide should add another until the group reaches San Francisco.
Characters
Highway Ghost (Wrathful spirit): The vast majority of ghosts are too weak to do anything but appear and
disappear, but this one is especially angry at its death. It’s quick to lash out, but might be placated. (See
p.XX)

Act 3: Jiangnan House

The final stretch of the journey takes the Scions into San Francisco, on the very eastern side of its
historical Chinatown. It’s easy to become anxious as soon as Scions spot the many street cameras and
detection wards along the major streets — painted on walls, inked on hanging scrolls, stamped in metal
and hanging from open windows — but they are no danger so long as no one uses any powers.
Unfortunately, San Francisco is a large city, and it’s impossible to drive through it without notice. The
last stretch of the journey is another chase, this time involving both police and TITAN agents. The chase
is in 3 laps, each of them requiring a Pilot roll at Difficulty 1, Complication 1. The Complication is due to
navigating the city streets while trying not to injure anyone or destroy anything along the way. Failing to
buy it off means the driver has done something that impairs their ability to drive (ploughing through a
fruit stand, damaging the vehicle, etc.) and increases the Difficulty of the next Pilot roll by 1.
If the opposition reaches 3 laps before the characters do, they cut off their route to Jiangnan House. At
that point, the choices are to fight or to abandon their vehicles and try to escape on foot. The Storyguide
can work out the results of those efforts depending on what the players decide to do.
Jiangnan House: The House is a late 19th-century building that now serves as the first three floors of a
much larger skyscraper of very modern design. Inside waits its young receptionist, Stephen, who asks the
nature of visitors’ business and directs them to a stairway if they have the case.
Waiting for them at the top of the stairs are a man and a woman, both Chinese American, dressed in
business attire and bearing enough of a resemblance to each other to suggest they’re related. Neither of
them offer their names before the woman asks to see the briefcase. While she takes it to examine, the man
asks three questions: What happened to the original courier? Were there any problems making the
delivery? Did anyone try to open the case? While he appreciates honest answers to all three questions,
he’s really only asking them to see if anyone will try to lie to him.
After a few minutes of study, the woman rejoins the group with the case and confirms that it’s acceptable.
Both she and her partner express their condolences over Mr. Ganas and recommend that the Scions leave
San Francisco as soon as possible if they wish to avoid trouble in the city. They have a small bundle of
cash to offer for the case, enough to pay for another week or so of modest living on the road.
Snags
Depending on how much trouble the Scions caused in the city on their way to the House, there’s the
potential for many more things to go wrong. While the final delivery gives them a chance to catch their
breath, it doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly.
• Neither police nor TITAN will enter the building, but if the characters have caused substantial
damage along the way, they’re going to need a way to escape quietly. The pair that receives the case can
offer them a way out, so long as they agree to do a favor for them at some later date.
• If Anders is still with the group, he has to negotiate with the pair himself. If he betrayed the
characters along the way, the man will inform them of this fact and ask what should be done with him.
Jiangnan House has a low opinion of betrayal.
• Trying to start a fight inside the building is almost certainly a losing proposition, but characters
can try to bargain for a truce if they have anything of use to offer.
Characters
Security Guards (Potential Enemies): Use the Beat Cop template. There are two outside, and far more
inside if the characters cause unnecessary trouble.
Stephen (Watchful Bystander): The receptionist is friendly, polite, and unusually observant. While he
won’t interfere in any trouble that arises, he will call security at the first sign of hostility and by the time
the characters leave the building, he will be able to describe both them and their vehicle in impressive
detail.
The Man and The Woman (Mysterious Contacts): On this visit to Jiangnan House, their interests are
strictly business, but if the Scions have shown themselves to be capable of what they consider
professional behavior, they may get in touch with them in the future on behalf of the House and the
Xiangfan family.
The Wasteland
The Crumshaw Estate has been falling into ruin for a long time, but the speed and extent of its decline has
hastened ever since the Herakles Incident. The spread of its decay is not the result of an action that took
place in the past, but an omen of one to come: Fate is drawing a young and emotionally volatile Scion,
William Wynn, into the story of the cursed Round Table knight, Sir Balin. The original Balin left death
and destruction in his path wherever he went, culminating in the Wasting of Britain and his own death.
Lord Crumshaw wants to head off this future before it begins, though any means necessary.
The adventure begins with meeting Lord Crumshaw on his estate, along with an encounter with the
mansion’s ghostly White Lady. Next comes the arrival of William’s brother, TITAN agent Alan Wynn.
Finally, it culminates with William’s capture or death, along with the consequences that follow.
BEGIN BLOCK TEXT

The tale of Sir Balin is a minor and tragic one in Arthuriana. He was a knight with a
penchant for getting himself in trouble, starting when he refuses to return a magical
sword to a Lady of the Lake, kills her in front of Arthur’s court, and is banished.
During his banishment, he wanders widely. First, he meets his brother, Balan, and
the two are warned that Balin is destined to deliver the Dolorous Blow that will
lay waste to the land. The two part ways, after which Balin meets and attacks Sir
Garlon, the Invisible Knight, before seeking shelter in a nearby castle. What he
doesn’t realize is that the lord of the castle, King Pellam, is Garlon’s brother.
The two fight, Pellam breaks Balin’s sword, and Balin seizes a spear to stab the
king. The wound transforms Pellam into the Fisher King, destroys the castle, and
withers the land around the castle. After escaping, Balin meets his brother again,
but because both are in disguise, they fight and kill each other.
The Threads of Fate: Lord Crumshaw is reclusive but maintains a loose network of informants to keep
him appraised of any active Scions in the World. Wherever the characters are, one of his representatives
can find them, inform them that their employer has an offer for them that could be rewarding, and provide
them with tickets to travel to Scotland. From there, a limousine collects them to take them the rest of the
way to Nithert Crumshaw.
Nithert Crumshaw: When the characters arrive, it’s a bleak place under an overcast sky whose color
matches that of the nearby sea. The mansion is something out of a Gothic dream, or the house of Usher
without the crack running down its wall. The estate grounds are overgrown and half-wild, with gnarled
trees seeming to surround the building like a legion of bony hands preparing to choke the life from it. The
interior isn’t much better: dusty and dimly lit except for a few rooms for which Lord Crumshaw accepted
the need for electricity. Cellphone service is, needless to say, terrible; Wi-Fi is out of the question.
Characters are expected to stay at Nithert Crumshaw for at least a night. Their rooms are separate, but
close enough together that one person can move quickly and easily to another’s room if needed or desired.

Act 1: Gray Lord, White Lady

The Scions’ chauffeur to Nithert Crumshaw is one Mr. Celisse, who has been working for Lord
Crumshaw for nearly forty years in various capacities. Age and past injuries required him to retire from
his earlier duties as bodyguard for the relative tranquility of driving, but he still keeps an air of military
formality. He is clearly in excellent health for a man in his sixties, neatly dressed, clean shaven, and well-
manicured. Having worked for the lord for so long, he is allowed to get away with things that other
employees cannot: while largely unperturbable, he is permitted a degree of condescension and sarcasm
when dealing with impolite people.
Upon arrival, he escorts the guests to the mansion’s library, where Lord Crumshaw drowses lightly in a
wheelchair next to a roaring fire. Mr. Celisse gently wakes his employer, then steps back to an
unobtrusive corner of the room to listen. The elderly man introduces himself as Bramwell Pelham, Lord
Crumshaw.
Lord Crumshaw explains his situation in clear terms: a young man, William, came to work for him four
months ago, but proved to be unsuitable for the job and left after only a week. Ever since then, the lord
has been seeing signs and omens that something disastrous is coming, a wasting of the land that could
encompass all of Britain if it isn’t stopped. If William is going down the path that Crumshaw believes, he
will soon be responsible for several murders, including the lord himself. William is extremely dangerous
and must be found, in exchange for which Crumshaw can arrange safe passage anywhere in the World,
along with new identification papers.
Provided they agree, the lord thanks the Scions and tells them their rooms have been prepared for the
night. Mr. Celisse will show them the way to a set of bedrooms that are comfortable, if dusty and in need
of furniture from somewhere later than the 19th century. Before leaving them for the night, he will inform
the characters that Lord Crumshaw has deactivated the house’s wards for the duration of their stay.
Much later in the night, one of the rooms receives a visitor: the White Lady of Nithert Crumshaw, Lorette
de Pellam. The ghost appears at the foot of a character’s bed, dressed all in white with a stain of blood
down the front of her gown. She doesn’t appear hostile and will eventually speak in a slightly dreamy
voice. At first, she’s surprised anyone but Lord Crumshaw lives in the house, and wonders if the character
has come to avenge her. Questioning her further can lead to this information:
• She was killed by a knight with an enchanted sword she had been guarding, and now it’s gone
again.
• The sword was returned to her crypt after the knight was killed, but not before he had committed
more crimes with it: murdered Gilles de Pellam, brother of the lord of the castle; wounded Lord de Pellam
for life and brought the Wasteland into the World; and finally, murdered his own brother before his death.
• She spends much of her time in vague dreams, awakening every few centuries when it seems the
cycle is going to repeat. This time, she woke to see the knight taking the sword from her crypt but could
do nothing to stop him.
• A successful Empathy roll will reveal she’s still half “asleep.” Her sense of time is muddled, so
she’s confusing past and present.
If anyone asks her about Mr. Celisse, she doesn’t know him. She hears Lord Crumshaw talk to himself
sometimes, but she honestly believes he lives alone.
When she is done, she fades away after one final plea for help. Meanwhile, anyone who is awake and not
involved in the ghostly conversation will catch a flash of headlights through a window — Mr. Celisse has
taken the estate’s car into Oban to hunt for William.
Snags
With the house’s wards deactivated, Heroes have the opportunity to use more of their powers than they
usually can. There are too many possibilities to list in detail, but these are some specific Boon effects
someone could produce:
• Unquiet Dead (Scion: Hero, p.245) allows the Scion to call Lorette de Pellam for more
conversation.
• Favor of Nature (Scion: Hero, p.250) will undo the decay on the estate’s grounds until Lord
Crumshaw is wounded.
• Cosmic Perspective (Scion: Hero, p.260) can allow a character to look back at William’s time at
Nithert Crumshaw, Lorette de Pellam’s death in the 14th century, or anything else that took place on the
estate.
• Guiding Star (Scion: Hero, p.260) can only be used on William if the Scion already knows what
he looks like and will locate him in Oban. The beacon will also, however, set off wards in town quite
quickly, causing him to break the connection.
• Any Knacks or Boons that allow a character to study an area and gain tactical information can be
used around the estate. The Enhancement remains so long as the house or grounds are the site of battle.
• If a character uses any Boon that allows them to claim supreme authority, such as Divine Right
(Scion: Hero, p.256-7), it has the side-effect of making the subject of that Boon the target of William’s
forthcoming wrath instead of Lord Crumshaw. William is on a path of mythic logic, ready to strike down
the king whoever that may be.
Characters
Mr. Garland Celisse (Loyal Assassin): The illegitimate half-brother of Lord Crumshaw who possesses a
Relic shirt that hides him from spirits at all times and allows him to turn invisible to mortals for short
periods. He’s ruthlessly protective of the family, and not above tracking down potential enemies to kill
them before they become a threat. William Wynn is his current obsession. (See p.XX)
Branwell Pelham, Lord Crumshaw (Client and Potential Fisher King): Athletic in his youth, Lord
Crumshaw has grown frail in his later years. He spends most of his time now reading books in his library,
interspersed with the occasional disappointing fishing expedition on the estate grounds. While he usually
sits in his wheelchair, he is capable of walking with a cane when he needs to.
Lorette de Pellam, the White Lady (Helpful Ghost): Unable to do much to interact with the World,
Lorette spends much of her time in a dreamlike haze in which she roams the halls of the mansion without
awareness. William’s arrival and the events he has triggered snapped her back to fuller consciousness,
though she’s still sleepy. (See p.XX)

Act 2: Death Knocks

The mansion is quiet in the morning. Lord Crumshaw rose before dawn to go fishing on the estate, with
Mr. Celisse accompanying him. Both are out of sight of the mansion. There’s a breakfast laid out for the
guests, but no sign of anyone else around, not even in the kitchen, so characters have time to talk amongst
themselves for a time. Near the end of breakfast, however, there’s a knock at the front door.
The visitor is Alan Wynn, a plainly dressed man in his thirties that anyone who’s had encounters with the
law will recognize as some sort of police. He is, in fact, a TITAN operative, and identifies himself as
such. He’s come to Nithert Crumshaw with a warning for Lord Crumshaw: an Unnatural committed a
murder in Oban last night and triggered a ward, so Agent Wynn has come to tell his lordship and others in
the area to be cautious. He passes along a business card along with a request to be called as soon as Lord
Crumshaw is available, then departs.
Assuming the Scions deliver the message when the lord returns to the mansion, it sets Lord Crumshaw on
edge. The first reason is because once he sees the agent’s business card, he observes that William shares a
last name with the TITAN agent. The second is that the murder in town could be the final step between
William and himself. (He’s wrong about this, but doesn’t have enough information to know otherwise.)
Mr. Celisse suggests that the Scions go to Oban to search for clues about where William could be. How
they go about it is up to them, but a successful investigation (talking to locals in pubs, hacking security
cameras in the town, using Knacks) will reveal over the course of the day that he’s in a pub, The Crossed
Swords, owned by a local family of smugglers called the Fisher Boys — small-time criminals, but
dangerous when crossed.
Additional successes on investigation rolls can add the following clues:
• The name of the victim last night was Rob Furnish, a member of the Fisher Boys. They’re bound
to be angry about the death of one of their own.
• Rob Furnish was a friend of William’s.
• The detection ward that went off was Level 1, which means whoever killed Rob either used a
Relic or called upon Legend.
• There are murmurings in Oban that TITAN’s going to come in to take care of the Unnatural.
Until they arrive, the police are on high alert.
Characters
Agent Alan Wynn (Complicated Ally): Alan is a decent person who joined TITAN after he saw the
trouble his brother was getting into. He sometimes works outside the organization’s protocols to keep
William from getting caught as a Scion, but can only push his luck so far before he’ll be arrested for it.
(See p.XX)

Act 3: Den of Thieves

Characters have a few choices once they’ve gathered the information they need. They could go straight to
The Crossed Swords and try to catch William; they could return to Nithert Crumshaw and set up
defensive positions; or they could pass the information on to Alan Wynn and let him deal with it.
Whatever they decide to do, they’ll have to do it soon.
The Crossed Swords
Imagine a stereotypical British pub, fill it with cigarette smoke, and make it about half as clean: that’s The
Crossed Swords. Most of the patrons are members of the Fisher Boys — at least eight during the day, and
twice as many at night. The owner is the short, stocky matriarch of the family, Ma Fisher, to whom
everyone else defers. If more than two of the players’ characters come inside together, every eye in the
place will be on them, none of them looking friendly.
Asking questions is a challenge: the initial Attitude of everyone inside is -2, and the pub itself has an
Atmosphere of 1 (Violence). Unless questions about William are couched in innocuous terms, the gang’s
Attitude drops by 1. If someone asks to see William, Ma will point out one of the Fisher Boys, who’ll
stand up and play the part as long as he can. Meanwhile, others in the gang pay close attention in as
intimidating a way as possible.
It could all end in a brawl if the Scions aren’t careful. If it does, it won’t take long for the police to arrive
and arrest everyone; in the meantime, William has slipped away through a back door to gather more gang
members for an attack on Lord Crumshaw’s home.
Strange Allies
Passing on information to Agent Wynn will send him, with police support, to The Crossed Swords. The
outcome is much the same as if the characters went to the pub themselves: a fight between the police and
the Fisher Boys breaks out, most of them end up arrested, and William escapes. It will take hours to get
any useful information out of them in jail.
Returning to Nithert Crumshaw
Lord Crumshaw’s home was not meant to resist a siege. There are too many ways in and too many large
windows to break. If it turns into the site for a battle, it will involve William leading twice as many Fisher
Boys as there are characters, all with the intention of looting the place to vent their anger. Some
considerations:
• If Scions split up to watch as many doors as they can, assume they have just enough people to do
so. When the attacks come, it will be one Fisher Boy at each entrance except for the front doors, which is
where the rest concentrate.
• Mr. Celisse will take Lord Crumshaw to the master bedroom on the second floor before the attack
begins, then return invisibly to join the fray and focus on William.
• There is enough furniture in the house to provide an abundance of light cover and improvised
weapons, should they be needed.
Snags
• Protecting Lord Crumshaw will break the mythic cycle, but there’s nothing stopping it from
beginning again at a later date.
• If there is good reason for Alan Wynn to come to Nithert Crumshaw, he will, with police and a
TITAN Sorcerer (see below, p.XX) as backup.
• If Agent Wynn arrives and there are hints the characters are Scions, he won’t arrest them, but
instead try to recruit them into TITAN. Wouldn’t they rather go after truly dangerous supernatural threats
rather than constantly being on the run? This only applies if William Wynn is still alive. If he’s dead,
there will be no forgiveness.
• While the TITAN Sorcerer isn’t important for this scenario, the Storyguide can offer a player a
new Fatebinding (Nemesis) to regain a point of Legend. Agent Wynn might be willing to bend the rules
of his organization, but that doesn’t mean everyone is.
Characters
William Wynn (Powder Keg): William’s life was already going down a bad path before he received his
Visitation in the form of weeks of vivid and violent dreams. He’s impulsive, his moods are quick to
change, and he never thinks things through before acting. If his current situation doesn’t get him killed,
another one’s sure to follow. (See p.XX)
Fisher Boys (Armed Mob): They aren’t so much a gang as an excuse to hang out, take drugs, and brag
about how dangerous they are. Their main source of income is selling drugs and stolen goods to people on
surrounding islands, which is just as profitable as it sounds. Use the Beat Cop template for their skills, but
with dice pools for a Hero-tier Foe (Scion: Hero, p.286). Two Fisher Boys have shotguns, gaining 1
Enhancement when attacking with them. The rest have pipes, knives, chains, or whatever else is easy to
find.
Epilogue
So long as William is brought under control somehow, dead or alive, Lord Crumshaw considers the
characters’ efforts a success. He upholds his agreement to make arrangements for them to travel anywhere
they want to in the World and to receive new identities. The withering curse around Nithert Crumshaw
ceases its expansion, but it will take many years still for the land to recover.
Whether they intended to or not, the Scions have also attracted the attention of Agent Wynn, and
therefore TITAN in general. Their new identities will shield them for a time, but eventually, he will
return. What role he plays when he does depends on how they acted during the capture or death of his
brother. He could be an ally as easily as an enemy, but that’s a matter for another day and another place.

Antagonists & Storyguide Characters

All the Storyguide characters and Antagonists described here are Tier 1 (Origin and Hero) and follow the
appropriate rules for that tier. If there are more powerful beings left in the World, they’re keeping
themselves well out of sight at the moment.
Book and page references are in the form X###, with X being O (Scion: Origin) or H (Scion: Hero).

TITAN Agents
Two early advantages that TITAN had over Scions were numbers and coordination. Heroes tend to work
alone or in small Bands that always risk falling apart from their internal tensions or contradictory Fates.
TITAN isn’t perfect, but it’s much more disciplined, as the results of its many operations show.
A typical TITAN agent has access to their information database to the extent that their role requires, and
rank allows. They can always maintain communication with their team, and field agents have their
location tracked while they are on missions. They don’t possess any technology beyond that which is
available in the real modern world, but some may possess minor Relics suitable to their position.

TITAN Sorcerer
TITAN-allied Sorcerers can turn up in any branch of the organization, depending on their particular
abilities. Analysts act as diviners and researchers. Operatives are infiltrators and curse-bringers. Support
Sorcerers provide luck and manipulate events to aid other agents.

Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Group Tactics (O146), Institutional Disbelief (O147)
Flairs: Sorcery (O151, choose two Purviews)
Drive: Carry out TITAN’s occult instructions
Primary Pool (9): Sorcerous Tradition, Occult, Investigation
Secondary Pool (7): Subterfuge, Close Combat
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras: Magical Trinket (one-use Relic that allows the wielder to perform a Marvel
suitable to their mission).
TITAN Soldier
Most TITAN agents don’t have any sort of supernatural skill, just training and experience of the World
after the Herakles Incident. They can be dangerous to lone or inexperienced Scions, but struggle against
powerful opponents.

Archetype: Foe
Qualities: Group Tactics (O146), Heavily Armored (O146)
Flairs: None
Drive: Shoot until it stops moving
Primary Pool (7): Close Combat, Firearms
Secondary Pool (5): Obey Orders, Intimidate
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 3
Initiative: 4
Extras: 1 Enhancement in close combat.
TITAN Sanctioned Agent (Saint)
Sanctioned agents operate in small teams of three to five — typically one sanctioned supported by
soldiers, Sorcerers, and operatives of other types. They are only sent into the field for the most important
missions, such as to retrieve high-value targets, fight Titans, or recover potent Relics. The example here is
of a Saint, but any being with Legend could be recruited by TITAN and put to use. Storyguides should
customize them to be equal or slightly superior to any one player character.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: Group Tactics (O146), Institutional Disbelief (O148), Perfected Soldier
(H287)
Flairs: I Have Friends (O151), Reflected Intent (H294)
Drive: Uphold Pantheon Virtues in service to TITAN
Primary Pool (11): Close Combat, Firearms, Lead TITAN agents
Secondary Pool (9): Inspire Trust, Investigation
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 8
Defense: 5
Initiative: 9
Extras: Balance the Scales (once/session, negate the Scale of one attack against
them and allies within Short range), Mystic Arsenal (Relic weapon, grants access
to one Purview’s Marvels), 2 Enhancement when using Relic weapon.
Miles Edwin Granville
For most of his life, Miles Edwin Granville wouldn’t have dreamed of joining anything like TITAN. He
was content as a dilettante occultist and solver of supernatural problems among Britain’s wealthier
classes, the sort of stayed well away from anything that could pose any serious danger to him. That
changed with the Herakles Incident and the harm it did to his family, trauma transforming him into a
crueler version of himself who perhaps always existed beneath the surface. He still prefers to wage his
battles against those much weaker than himself, but now he has the resources to expand that category to
include Scions.

Archetype: Nemesis (Sorcerer)

Qualities: Center of Gravity (O147), Institutional Disbelief (O147), Willful (H289)
Flairs: Illusions (O150), Sorcery (O151: Darkness, Fortune, Journeys), I Have
Friends (O151, but use Foe template instead of Mook), Tripwire (H292)
Drive: Avenge himself on the cause of the Herakles Incident
Primary Pool (11): Leadership, Sorcerous Tradition, Occult
Secondary Pool (9): Well-Connected, Buy Off Problems
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras: The Ebony Link (Relic: Summoned Foes have 2 Enhancement on physical
actions), at least three personal items with Tripwire (H292) that activates if they
are taken from him.
Neeraj Joshi
While he would never admit it to anyone, the Herakles Incident was the best thing that ever happened to
Neeraj Joshi. Before, he struggled to find his place in the World, moving from one cause to another
without finding comfort or success with any of them. Something changed in him when the Incident
occurred: he became more charismatic, more confident, and more certain of his own dharma as a healer of
the World. Although he has little interest in TITAN’s mission to hunt Scions, he’s found that its public
relations branch is perfect for him. His is the face in front of the cameras when there is good news to
deliver and help to offer. Someday, when the Scion threat is completely under control, he hopes TITAN
turns toward his approach completely.

Archetype: Rival (Saint)

Qualities: A Cage of Words (O147), Center of Gravity (O147), By Divine Right
(H289)
Flairs: Inspiration (O152)
Drive: Follow duty over conscience
Primary Pool (9): Stirring Rhetoric, Attract Headlines, Negotiate
Secondary Pool (7): Social Networking, Impeccable Style
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras: Balance the Scales (twice/session, negate the Scale of one attack against
them and allies within Short range)
S, the Oracle of Harran
The head of TITAN’s analytical branch has many secrets. The least consequential of these is that she’s
not immortal, but part of a lineage of male and female oracles that dates back to the first centuries CE. At
first, the holders of the title took on the name “The Sabian,” now reduced to the codename “S.” Their
history is complex, involving the interaction of several religious and philosophical traditions in the
eastern Mediterranean and Arabian Peninsula, but they have served as oracles from the beginning. The
current S is in her late 30s, born in Canada to English and Turkish parents with a name that’s been erased
from all documents She was entirely unaware of the role she was to take on until something happened that
is the root of her second secret: she received as Visitation from Djehuti in the mantle of Hermes
Trismegistus. A combination of good luck, intelligence, and her discreet use of her divine gifts has
allowed her to find a place in TITAN without anyone being aware of her true nature.
While she supports the organization in most of what it does, S isn’t as strongly anti-Scion as her peers.
That’s because she — and perhaps only she — knows that the Herakles Incident wasn’t caused by Scions,
but by the Keepers of the World trying (and failing) to bar the gates to the divine and rid the World of all
Gods. Now, S tries to ease the guilt she feels for helping TITAN carry out its objectives by using her
small personal Cult within the organization to warn worthy Scions when they’re in danger. If she makes
the right decisions and they take the right actions, she believes the World can be restored to what it once
was.

Archetype: Nemesis (Scion of Hermes Trismegistus)

Qualities: Diplomythic Immunity (H288), Willful (H289)
Flairs: I Have Friends (O151), Curse (H289), Mastermind (H293), Retcon (H294)
Drive: Guide the World to wholeness
Primary Pool (11): Analyze Information, Intuitive Connections
Secondary Pool (9): Multilingual, Cryptic Advice
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras: None
Two-Hat Blessing
Most of the stories surrounding Two-Hat Blessing are, surprisingly enough, true. Despite their anonymity
and through the use of proxies, they built their Legend as a Scion of Éshú Elégbará even after the
Herakles Incident convinced many Scions to go into hiding. The only one that isn’t true involves their
remarkable ability to survive assassination attempts. Two-Hat Blessing has been dead for more than three
years now, although it hasn’t made them significantly less active.
As a spirit, they have chosen not to leave Ilé-Ifè to be reborn into another life. Through the power of their
patron, they remain at the threshold of immortality and continue to operate exactly as they did before.
Although they lost some — much, in fact — of their power, they have adjusted to their new mode of
being. They have a very small Cult whose offerings sustain them and who carry out their instructions.
When they need to, they possess a body temporarily and without putting it in danger, then disappear again
back to their personal shrine. While they don’t know how long they can keep up the charade, it matters
less and less to them over time. Others have changed the World more after their death than in their life, so
why not embrace it?

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: Institutional Disbelief (O147), Incorporeality (O148, Vulnerability:
damage to their hidden corpse), Flight (H288)
Flairs: Possession (O150), Sorcery (O151: Journeys)
Drive: Facilitate safe traffic through Ocean
Primary Pool (11): Information Gathering, Inconspicuous Possession
Secondary Pool (9): Call Favors
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras: Two-Hat Blessing’s body is hidden in Ilé-Ifè under their shrine, guarded by
their Cult.
Hiranyapaksha
Hiranyapaksha, great messenger of ancient Varuna, golden-winged stirrer of winds and sea, never talks
about why he no longer has his previously elevated role, nor does he appreciate anyone who brings up the
topic. There are rumors that his current position watching over Lanka’s port is some sort of punishment, a
temporary demotion to the realm of mortals until he returns to Varuna’s favor, but it’s all speculation.
Rakshasas can be as hungry for gossip as they are for everything else, and just as indiscriminate in their
taste for it. Whatever the reason, the gigantic golden flamingo has settled into his new place well. He gets
along with nearly everyone around him, breaks up disputes with calm persuasion, and even tries to
convince the pirates who use Lanka as a stopping point to change their ways.
The only sign of regret he ever shows is a longing for the Heaven he once inhabited. He can tell stories of
the fabulous beauty of it and its inhabitants, but there’s always a moment when notes of melancholy slip
into his voice and he falls quiet again. People say he’s thinking about someone he left behind in the realm
of the Gods. The ones who believe it all agree that it’s terribly romantic and more than a little tragic.

Archetype: Titanspawn
Qualities: Natural Weapons (O146: Beak, Talons), Stand Tall (O147), Slothful
Resilience (O148), Honorbound (O148), Flight (H288)
Flairs: Mirror Mirror (H291), Weather Tyrant (H292)
Drive: Oversee the docks of Lanka in a virtuous manner
Primary Pool (13): Storytelling, Remember Visitors, Peacemaking
Secondary Pool (11): Flamingo Combat, Maneuver in Flight
Desperation Pool: 7
Health: 10
Defense: 4
Initiative: 10
Extras: Scale 2 Size and Speed (flying only).
Kai Poutama
The elder of the Poutama family built up his fleet of ships from next to nothing to Worldwide success.
Now that he’s in his nineties, however, he’s starting to think that it will be time to step down soon and
pass authority on to one of his grandchildren. (His children are already too old for the job, he believes.)
There are so many to choose from that it’s not an easy decision, so he keeps an eye on their activities as
much as he can, listens to both their successes and failures, and doles out morsels of hard-won wisdom to
guide them after his death.
At least, that’s how he sees things. The truth of the matter is that his offspring, both children and
grandchildren, have been acting independently of him for years now and only tell him a fraction of what
they’re up to. He’s old, they say, and shouldn’t have to fret about the details of business. It’s an attitude
that has caused a great deal of tension within the Poutama family. Kai’s more loyal children and
grandchildren think it’s tremendously disrespectful to hide things from him, while the pragmatic ones
look at how much more money they can bring in through their more illicit dealings. A clash of traditional
values and greed is playing out within the family, and Kai Poutama may be the last one to find out.

Archetype: Foe
Qualities: Center of Gravity (O147), Slothful Resilience (O148)
Flairs: Red Herring (O151)
Drive: Find a worthy successor to the family name.
Primary Pool (10): Business Management, Gather Information, Wealthy
Secondary Pool (8): Etiquette, Māori Storytelling
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 1
Defense: 1
Initiative: 4
Extras: Kai’s decades of experience give him 3 extra dice to his Primary and
Secondary Pools (already included).
Anders
The Gods have grown more cautious about Visitations since the formation of TITAN and the losses they
have sustained. Anders is an example of the sort of person who may once have dreamed of a heroic life
but has since given up the idea and settled into an ordinary job. In his case, he’s known he is different
from other people since he was a teenager in western Nebraska, spending nights in the local jail after he
waded into a brawl and escalated it to a hospital trip for his opponents. Things didn’t really turn around
for him until he started working at Ash’s Diner: working the counter was a start, but he really began to
thrive in the kitchen.
Now he’s in her forties, divorced, and the father of two girls he rarely sees. He expected to stay at the
diner for the rest of his life, until a call from Jiangnan House offered him a chance to gain his
naturalization papers and the start of a new life in exchange for one small favor.

Archetype: Professional (Unvisited Chosen Scion of Goibnu)

Qualities: None
Flairs: None
Drive: Get his naturalization papers and see his daughters again
Primary Pool (7): Cooking, Throw Anything
Secondary Pool (5): Berate Rudeness, Lethal Utensils
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
Extras: Heroic Warrior Knack (Master of Weapons, O112/H235)
Highway Ghost
Ghosts can be a problem anywhere, although most of them are almost completely harmless. Even
highway ghosts prefer to take on the role of phantom hitchhiker, omen of disaster, or grotesque observer
of passersby. Sometimes, however, some power sparks one into greater malevolence and power. These
sorts of ghosts rarely last long before they’re put down by TITAN or independent forces.

Archetype: Villain
Qualities: Shroud (O146), Natural Weapon (blast of glass shards, Tags: Lethal,
Ranged, Piercing), Incorporeality (O148, Vulnerability: vehicular damage),
Miasmic Presence (cracks glass in close range, O148)
Flairs: Here I Come (O150)
Drive: Avenge their death
Primary Pool (9): Poltergeist, Slash with Glass
Secondary Pool (7): Scream and Howl, Stealth
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 4
Defense: 3
Initiative: 7
Extras: None
Garland Celisse
Garland is the sort of person who wouldn’t be out of place in an ordinary Scion setting: a skilled and
capable mortal who has acquired a Relic that makes him more of a challenge. What sets him apart here
are his motivations and personality, not his abilities.
He’s only a year younger than his brother, the product of one of their father’s business trips to England
and a night of very bad choices. Raised by his mother’s family, he turned out to be a bright and capable
student when he was young, and after he had finished his schooling, he joined the military. He turned out
to have even more of an aptitude for that field, a combination of tactical sense and a certain cold
pragmatism that let him rise through the ranks. He could have stayed there until his retirement, but after
only a decade in service, he received news that his mother was dying. Accompanying that news was a
letter in which she explained who his real father was. At that point, he left to find the Crumshaw Estate
and his half-brother.
As it turned out, Bramwell’s parents had just died as well, and the new lord was at a loss. Feeling
sympathetic, Garland joined the household and gradually took on more and more of the duties of
watching over his older sibling. His feelings toward Lord Crumshaw are complex: he loves him but
envies the life of privilege he grew up in; he respects his education but thinks he’s too foolish to take care
of himself; he wants him to learn to protect himself, but knows he doesn’t have the stomach for the things
that need to be done. And so, he does it himself, aided by a peri-spun silken shirt he brought back from a
tour of the Middle East years ago.

Archetype: Villain
Qualities: Martial Artist (O146), Cross-Training (O147)
Flairs: None
Drive: Protect Lord Crumshaw at all costs
Primary Pool (9): Close Combat, Drive, Stealth
Secondary Pool (7): Firearms, Household Duties
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 7
Extras: 1 Enhancement on unarmed and knife attacks from Martial Artist Quality,
Peri-spun Shirt (wearer is undetectable by spirits at all times and can turn invisible
once/scene by spending 1 Tension/Momentum. Attacking breaks the invisibility,
but until then, it acts as the Unseen Flair: H288.)
Lorette de Pellam
Lorette de Pellam, distant ancestor of the Pelham family, is like many of the White Ladies who haunt
British houses and castles. They are by far the most common type of ghost, but harmless to the point that
they are more often advertised by the places they haunt than banished or exorcised. The usual White Lady
glides through a property at night along a regular route that matches an older floorplan rather than a
modern one. She almost never speaks, although she might weep to herself, and pays little attention to
anyone she encounters. At most, she might rattle a few objects like a frail poltergeist — good for a mild
shiver of fear, but that’s all.
Lorette de Pellam fit the qualities of a White Lady through most of her centuries of postmortem existence.
It’s only been since the arrival of William Wynn on the Crumshaw Estate that she’s started to awaken
from the endless dreams of death. She won’t be able to return to them until he either completes the cycle
of his story by killing Lord Crumshaw or the cycle breaks definitively. Until then, she watches visitors to
the mansion, hoping to see a familiar face or someone who looks trustworthy enough to help. She can do
very little directly but has a good heart.

Archetype: Foe
Qualities: Incorporeality (O148, Vulnerability: the sword that killed her)
Flairs: None
Drive: Haunt Nithert Crumshaw without being a nuisance
Primary Pool (7): Gentle Haunting, Medieval Customs
Secondary Pool (5): Poltergeist, Eavesdrop
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 1
Defense: 1
Initiative: 4
Extras: None
William Wynn
Good and bad twins are common in myth. That should have been the parents of the Wynn brothers’ first
sign that William was going to turn out to be something dangerous when he grew up, because he’s never
been anything but bad. Impulsive, violent, and seemingly incapable of remorse, he was kicked out of his
family’s home when he was thirteen and has been raising himself on the streets ever since. Whenever he
had a choice for reform, he genuinely tried, but sooner or later, something would make him snap again
and lash out at the people who wanted to help him. Eventually, he drove them all away and decided he
was better off for it.
It only grew worse when he was Chosen by Efnisien, the Plant Dôn Titan whose rage matches his own.
William has buried the memory of his own Visitation, a week-long blackout that left a trail of injuries,
vandalism, and possibly even a murder. He’s still not sure of that last one but suspects it’s true.
He came to the Crumshaw estate during one of his attempts to turn his life around, but as always, it went
poorly. Short of money and in debt to the Fisher Boys, he stole from Lord Crumshaw. Mr. Celisse, who
never seemed to like or trust William, spotted the thefts immediately and ordered him to leave the estate
the next morning. As one last act of defiance, William snuck into the family crypt to take a sword he’d
seen there on an earlier exploration of the grounds.

Archetype: Rival (Scion of Efnisien)

Qualities: Super Soldier (O148), Twitchy (O148)
Flairs: Seeing Red (O149), Under Pressure (H292)
Drive: Rage, regret, repeat
Primary Pool (9): Close Combat, Intimidate, Drive
Secondary Pool (7): Patchwork Repair, Party Wildly
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 8
Extras: 1 Enhancement in Close Combat, Balin’s Blade (Relic: 1 Enhancement to all
combat actions; once/scene, spend 1 Tension to cause a Critical Hit to do 3
damage instead of 2.)
Alan Wynn
Whether or not Alan is the good son of the Wynn family depends on one’s opinion of the police, military,
or an organization like TITAN. Most Scions wouldn’t consider him particularly good, but his superiors
think he has excellent qualities: he’s obedient, punctual, writes clear reports, and never raises a fuss about
his duties. The last of those points has more to do with the fact that, despite being an operative agent, he
focuses more on espionage and work with local law enforcement than the uglier business of capturing
Scions. It’s how he prefers it, and he is far from the only operative with that attitude.
Much of Alan’s life to this point has revolved around proving to his parents and himself that he’s
completely different from his twin brother, William. He overcompensates to emphasize the difference,
never letting himself lose control and always staying within the bounds of the law. Or rather, almost all
times: when a report passed his way that William had triggered a detection ward, he quietly erased it and
continues to do so when new ones appear. At some point, his brother will do something so shocking that
he can’t make it disappear, but until then, he will do what little he can.
Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Group Tactics (O146)
Flairs: Second Wind (H291)
Drive: Uphold the law while serving TITAN
Primary Pool (9): Investigation, TITAN Bureaucracy, Non-lethal Combat
Secondary Pool (7): Firearms, Drive, Police Contacts
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras: 2 Enhancement on investigation rolls
Silverheart and the Axis of Evil
Donnie Rhodes — Silverheart — broke through the brick wall and crashed through three cubicles of Inner
Metro City National Bank with the velocity of a rocket entering the atmosphere. Splintered wood and dust
plumed around the crater in which he lay, and not for the first time that day Donnie regretted his life
choices.
He wondered how long he could lay here and listen to his own labored breathing. He counted the seconds
and reached a total of four before a searing burst of flame, clap of lightning, and scream of some
unearthly thing broke the street outside. He pulled himself to his feet, hurrying to the street. Above, the
citadel hung in the air, casting its bleak shadow across the city. Donnie winced, eyes narrowing; from so
far below the edifice’s sleek metal fascia he could barely see the sun. The street was dark, not yet twilight,
but illuminated by the rhythmic flashes of the ensuing battle.
Something moved, hurtling down from the raging conflict above, colliding with the road beside Rhodes.
He covered his eyes, letting his gaze acclimate to the dust. Already Eric was standing, rising from the
crash site, clutching one of the twitching green fiends in each hand. A twinge of jealousy grew in Rhodes’
chest as he watched his friend. “How do you get back up from a fall like that so quickly?” he shot.
Eric Donner hurled one of the creatures into the ground at his feet, lifted its twin, and brought the two
creatures into a fierce impact with one another. Even in that moment, Donnie couldn’t help but admit he
was impressed. The man was astonishing; every part the Captain Lightning his chosen Mantle implied.
Despite the frantic nature of the battle, his costume was immaculate — even down to that silver cape.
Rhodes had refused to wear such a thing; tasteless and excessive, he’d decided. On Doctor Tigrillo’s
insistence, Rhodes had settled on a mask. Subtle, discrete, and far more in keeping with Rhodes’
aesthetic; but even that had been torn and scuffed in the day’s onslaught.
Donner wiped his brow. “Practice. Where’s Brigitte?”
Rhodes winced. “Codenames!” he replied. “We don’t know if these things can understand us.”
Donner glanced down at the creatures. One of them twitched. While he was certain these ones no longer
posed a threat, he knew it’d take only a momentary glimpse upwards at the huge metallic construct which
hung in the midday sky, disgorging swarm after swarm of the creatures into the city like a horde of
enraged warps, to feel his confidence sink. “Fine, where’s Lady Grim?”
An explosion rippled through the sky; a miniature aurora of heat which wavered the air even down to
street level and illuminated the shadows. The shock brought memory jarring its way back to Rhodes’
mind. Brigitte! He was standing next to her a moment before he was hurled across the intersection into
the bank. He turned, glancing at the building. The National Bank itself was a wreck; pock-marked with
impacts and ray blasts. He’d always had a fondness for it; his entire career as a masked vigilante had
begun here, preventing bank robbers and hoodlums. The days seemed so much easier than before
whatever monstrosity sat in the sky blocked out the sun and caused most of Inner Metro City’s inhabitants
to flee.
Thankfully, though, it didn’t appear the building had suffered any other caped hero colliding with it. “She
can’t have gone far” he stated, authoritatively.
Donner nodded; then, without a word, shot into the sky. A trail of crackling lightning tinged in his wake,
arcing slightly across the site of his departure, then dissipating harmlessly. Rhodes looked upward,
watching Captain Lightning’s take off. Sharply he turned in mid-air, correcting his trajectory into a
horizontal plane and vanishing over the rooftops.
Rhodes watched his friend soar away, gave an annoyed sigh, and started to jog down the street. He wished
that his superpowers allowed him to do similar. Yukiko’s mastery of speed and acceleration allowed her to
charge across the city in the blink of an eye, while Tigrillo had mastered the mystic art of materializing
from creeping fog, and even Farrow had adapted to soar through the sky, but Rhodes? He was stuck with
foot travel. Somehow, he wondered if Aphrodite was smiling.
Settling into a steady jog, Rhodes hurried into the main street. He turned, leaping atop an overturned bus,
and unleashing a volley of energy blasts at the creatures which beset the road. His fingers tingled with
each shimmering shot scattering rays of silver. The street seemed quiet, aside from a handful of the
creatures tipping waste bins and upturning motorcars. He wondered at the beings. In the three years since
the masked vigilantes — he and Donner and the others — had come together to form their… what was it?
A group? A society? He didn’t know what to call it, only that it had changed the world. Alone, each of
them had made a difference, but together? They gave people hope; hope which, with the enormous
metallic citadel blocking out the sun itself, was itself at risk!
A crack erupted above, quickly escalating into a roaring bellow. Above, a crimson trail tore atop the
skyline, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Rhodes raised his fist; “Finally!” he thought to himself. “Yuk—
Jetwire! Down here!”
The red line trailed, spiraling a skyscraper at the far end of the street, descending its towering structure
like a helter-skelter, tore its way along the road towards Rhodes and came to rest beside him. Only as the
figure stopped did her features fade into view. She sheathed her tsurugi, which Rhodes hadn’t even
noticed had been drawn. “They left you behind, Silverheart?” asked Yukiko.
Rhodes adjusted his mask, ensuring it was firmly attached. “Could you give me a lift?” he asked. He
knew what he was asking and knew how terribly uncomfortable the sensation of travelling at terminal
velocity was for him, but time was growing short, and their group had grown too widely separated.
Doctor Tigrillo, if he’d been here, would have ordered them to regroup long ago.
But Tigrillo wasn’t here; he was trapped somewhere on Planet Sigma-4, lost hurtling through the event
horizon of a black hole following the group’s previous run-in with Apophis. Now, without his leadership,
they only do so much. Still, bracing his eyes shut, Silverheart felt rippling velocity as air whipped across
his face. He squeezed his grip on Yukiko’s hand — he didn’t open his eyes, didn’t want to see the ground
grow small below. But he was Silverheart, he challenged his fears. Pulling his eyes open, he realized he
could once again see the sun.
Leaping from the building top, Yukiko’s velocity brought her upwards to crest along the side of the
citadel, with Rhodes clutched tightly in tow. The pair blazed their way along its side, up and over its outer
rim to come to rest on the upper deck. From this perspective, Rhodes finally recognized the floating
object for what it was — a glistening space battleship.
He sighed. “Get the team; it’s going to be a long day.”
Chapter One: Four Colors
“It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.“
- Bruce Wayne, Batman Begins (2005)
Comic books emerged in the early 20th century and gradually changed much of literature, so much so that
many academics have written of them as contemporary reinterpretations of ancient myths and legends.
Starting as tales of masked crime-fighters, as time went on, parallels between comic book protagonists
and ancient heroes like Hercules became clearer, gradually shifting the landscape of comic books. Soon,
more contemporary eras of modern heroes emerged, which were quickly dubbed “The Golden Age of
Superheroes.”
Four Colors situates the world of Scion within the Golden and Silver Age of comic books. The first half
of this chapter is equally appropriate for players and Storyguides, providing useful information on
creating the uniquely vibrant tone of this era of superhero stories with a mythical Scion twist. Players will
also find various new game options set within the world of Four Colors.

The Age of Superheroes

The Golden Age of Comic Books, largely considered to be the birthplace of the modern idea of
superheroes, is commonly regarded to have begun in 1938 with the introduction of the character of
Superman by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in the first issue of Action Comics. It’s an era
marked by stories of heroes fighting against societal injustices, defending people from organized crime,
racial intolerance, and corrupt landowners in equal measure. Over time, stories adapted to reflect then —
current political concerns and depicted superheroes fighting against militaristic fascism, often as patriotic
propaganda.
While the Golden Age is often associated with patriotic heroes dressed in red, white, and blue, the era
following the Second World War shifted how publishers approached the superhero; they broadened the
genres, leading to a rise in western titles, horror comics, and romance tales. Publishers adapted many
superheroes for stage, screen, and radio as readership among children diminished in a competitive
marketplace. During the closing years of the Golden Age, writers embraced the concept of legacy and the
innovation of a new generation of heroes to appeal to younger readers. While superheroes had often used
sidekick characters, even including entire families of other heroes, for the first time, multiple heroes could
lay claim to the same name, giving a sense of grandeur as a mentor passed their heroic title to the
incumbent rookie.
However, with the end of the war and a growth in public suspicion and mistrust of the medium, mainly
stemming from Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent in 1954. Following the resulting moral panic,
legislation was introduced limiting the nature of what stories could be told; the Association of Comics
Magazine Publishers created the Comics Code Authority to enact self-censorship by comic book
publishers. While primarily aimed at the burgeoning horror comic industry, the legislation stymied
depictions of crime in superhero stories as well as other elements, causing the next age of comic books to
stretch its tales away from villainous mob bosses and instead towards sci-fi aliens and other otherworldly
dangers. Tales from the Silver Age often explored surreal and bizarre concepts, frequently depicting fears
of atomic devastation or rampant unchecked technological advancement through science-fiction allegory.
One of the common elements of the Silver Age was the concept of the superhero team. Although initially
codified with the Justice Society of America during the 1940s, it was with the title Justice League of
America in 1960 that the dynamic became integral to a shared comic book world, with storylines focusing
on conflicts of a galactic scale giving impetus to the idea of comic books sharing shared universes, one in
which heroes could routinely team up with each other. Team-ups allowed for shared multiverses, which
Detective Comics was eager to fill out with superheroes from numerous competitor companies they’d
acquired over the years.
The most significant shift in the comic book landscape during the Silver Age was the reduction in other
genres as superhero comics grew in popularity for the first time since the Second World War. Atlas
Comics, by that point, retitled Marvel Comics, emerged strong in this era by embracing the emerging
youth culture market, aiming their titles at teenagers, and discussing topics relevant to teen readers: peer
pressure, intolerance, and youth culture. By doing so, they ensured superheroes retained cultural
relevance and became symbolic of the emergent countercultural movement of the 1960s. The X-Men
placed social outcasts front and center, discussing the civil rights movement through allegory, while
Captain America challenged the disparity between the country’s ideals and actions.
Unlike the Golden Age, which had a definite conclusion, the Silver Age didn’t. Some point to the death of
long-term character Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man issue 122, an ingress of mortality into the
fantastical world of superheroes, as the moment the Silver Age ended and began a trend towards darker
stories. From the 1970s onwards, superhero stories shifted to the maturing audience, with stories
revolving around characters' deaths or the political ramifications of masked vigilantes. By the mid-point
of the 1980s, comic book stories often approached their Golden Age roots with a sense of nostalgia and
lost innocence for bygone days.

The World of Four Colors

Many believe the world changed when Zeus died, but history’s never a clear line. His death at the hands
of Apep marked a turning point when the Thunder God’s body hurtled from the sky and crashed into the
middle of Washington, DC. Not even the most cynical mortal could deny the existence of the pantheons at
that point, and the inheritors of the divine had no choice but to step forward as humanity’s protectors.
Apep’s ambition had grown frantic over the centuries, desiring little less than emperorhood over all
pantheons. Before that historical turning point in 1938, when a God fell to earth, many of the divine lived
secretly among humanity. Typically, most still do, a humble journalist here or a billionaire there, leading
double lives as the inheritors of the Gods. Even the inhabitants of Hyperion, a secret isle populated by the
children of the Gods, long-since obscured from the eyes of humanity, saw their self-imposed exile
couldn’t last forever. But now, with Zeus’s demise, battle lines were drawn, and few could shirk their
responsibilities any longer. Those who allied themselves with Apep found themselves standing for his
rule: authoritarian, controlling. Numerous Gods stood by his side, bowing their heads, fearing the mad
tyrant’s wrath would also fall upon them.
But just as many Gods refused to surrender, taking a stance that freedom and liberty — the rights many
humans struggle and fight for — were too valuable to deny, Scions, who’d remained hidden from the
public eye, stepped forward to fight for what’s right. Humanity now had villains to fear, but they needed
heroes to emulate. Gods, it was decided, of a modern-day — not separate from humanity, living on distant
mountaintops or far-off realms, but living among them.
The division between the forces of good and evil split the pantheons apart; those who allied with Apep oft
threw off their allegiances to their siblings. The same is true for Scions; one child of Thor may fight for
hope and light, while another may stand alongside Apep’s forces and harness the lightning’s destructive
fury. With so many flocking to his side, Apep’s newfound fellowship of Gods took upon themselves a
new mantle, the Axis of Evil. The world of Four Colors was split in half by Scions either joining Apep’s
villainous organization seeking to subjugate the World, or dedicating themselves to its protection.
At first, the Scions struggled to adapt to their newfound place among humanity. Some presented
themselves as who they were — human lives and all but were met with suspicion. People found it hard to
accept that these mighty heroes were not employing some form of trickery, stage magic, or showmanship
to create the feats of might they purported to possess; after all, these newly emerging Heroes and
Demigods looked no greater than the rest of humanity. It soon became evident that humanity sought not
protection from a no-name nobody like Donnie Rhodes — but they flocked to the symbol of hope his
superhero alter-ego, Silverheart, represents.
Scions — both good and evil — adopted costumes. In doing so, they gave humanity symbols; idols to
either adulate or fear, but always to see themselves represented within. The Scions of the Axis adopted
costumes to strike fear into humanity, inspire hopelessness, and cruelty. But for Scions of good, their
capes and masks reminiscent of vigilante outlaws of the past, dandy highwaymen, and dashing circus
strongmen, emulated the heights of human potential, inspiring people to strive to be the best they can be.
But humanity, ever eager to grasp the flame of the Gods, were not willing to leave the fight to the “god-
born” alone. With Zeus’s fall, governments of the world began to turn their technologies towards
harnessing the divine. The United States was the first to birth success; from top-secret bunkers their best
scientists worked endlessly to analyze Zeus’s remains and distilled the fallen God’s essence into
something which could grant some measure of its divine might to mortal souls. In the wake of the Great
War, America hoped to imbue this super-human serum into its greatest soldiers; in a famed trial run, a
young kid from Pittsburg named Caleb Floersheim was the first to succeed. In a press conference
broadcast across the world, President Roosevelt unveiled America’s first human-born Scion; Major
Thunder.
It was hoped that Major Thunder would ensure the United States would retain peace within its own
borders, preventing the Axis of Evil from gaining a foothold; but Floersheim was no unthinking patriot,
eager to turn his back on the rest of the world and let others suffer. Against the orders of the United States
government, Floersheim reached out to other superheroes across America and formed their own team; the
Society of Justice, dedicated to preserving the values of liberty and equality not just for one nation, but for
the entire human race.
Naturally, humanity’s other protectors soon formed into their own numerous teams; the Society of Justice
soon found itself joined by other teams including the Legion of Protectors and the Teens Triumphant in
the United States, whilst other teams sprung up around the rest of the world; Gloria Brittania in the United
Kingdom, China’s Defenders of the People, and Russia’s Crimson Squadron. These superhero teams were
made not only of Scions born of the Gods and those who’d been part of the superhero serum program
(which, by now, had seen its secrets spread worldwide), but with heroes who’d found their powers
coming to them from any number of other sources. Some had been chosen by patron Gods and granted a
measure of divine power, while others had harnessed the capabilities of human technology or even
mastered arcane and occult arts, or unearthed ancient relics that carried divine powers.
Superheroes had emerged into the world, a far more diverse range than even the Gods could have
anticipated. Those born of divine lineage stood shoulder to shoulder with Heroes of all nations who
shared their powers, all dedicated towards inspiring and protecting humanity from the forces of evil. The
fight against the Axis of Evil posed one of the first points in history when national disputes were put aside
in the hopes of unifying against a central foe.
But Apep was no fool and recognized that his forces couldn’t win in an outright battle. After all, it had
taken nearly all his might to crush a single God; how could he stand against an army of them? Greater
subtlety was required, necessitating the Axis to operate primarily in secret, undertaking schemes
throughout much of the world. Funding organized crime or working to support societal injustices, the
Axis hopes to maintain dissent and damage cohesion among people, while furthering evil and oppressive
regimes and spreading suffering wherever possible. They work to undermine the heroes’ efforts, exposing
their identities wherever possible, purporting that humanity’s guardians can’t be trusted. And all the
while, Apep’s right-hand lieutenants Typhon and Surtr concoct schemes to twist emergent technology to
their ends, building earthquake machines and weather control satellites to extort humanity’s governments
for billions.
At each step, the Scions of the Four Colors oppose them.

Contents
This chapter is divided into the following sections:
• New Player Options: This section, suitable for players and Storyguides equally, contains a
character creation options for Hero and Demigod Four Colors Scions, as well as discussion on just what
the concept of Gods and Demigods mean in a world where super-humans walk among regular people.
• Key Players: Whether they’re exemplars of truth and justice or a young eager sidekick dedicated
to learning the ropes, Scions of all walks of life can be found in this section, suitable for both players and
Storyguides. This section deals with a variety of characters, from Heroes to Demigods, as well as trusty
sidekicks.
• Locations: Players and Storyguides together will find ample examples of bustling cities like the
grand Inner Metro City, home to Silverheart and Captain Lightning, as well as villainous lairs like Doctor
Arcturus’ mountaintop castle. Others, ranging from secret hideouts designed to help heroes maintain a
low profile, can be found alongside grand towers which act as monuments for heroism. Lastly there are
even alien worlds in this section, each full of potential to create exciting stories.
• Plots and Schemes: No story of superheroics is complete without a supervillain’s sinister
scheme, and this section — for Storyguides only — contains many story hooks; threats and challenges to
overcome, ranging from short scenarios which can last a single evening to plot seeds which can be
expanded into a full story arc. Keep those back-issues close at hand!
• Antagonists and Storyguide Characters: The enemies of peace and security are many, from
greedy thieves who seek to take advantage of the innocents, maniacs bent on destruction, to warlords
from beyond the stars. This section contains a wealth of villains for Storyguides to set against the player’s
Scions, ranging from power-hungry crime lords to megalomaniacal Demigods.

New Player Options

Four Colors depicts the Scions in a world which functions like a fusion of Golden and Silver Age tropes
and ideals. Heroes don capes and masks; all the better to let the good people of Little Metro City know
who their protectors are. Together your Scions tackle social wrongs, alien threats, and mythical monsters
in equal measure, all the while striving to become exemplars of the best aspects of human nature.
Four Colors is a setting which emphasizes the best elements of the Scions, even those who’re traditionally
far darker and more duplicitous. In later years, writers began to deconstruct the superhero myth through
comic books, examining how these caped vigilantes would exist in a real world of cynical corporatism
and political extremism, but this isn’t the story Four Colors tells (unless you truly wish to). Instead, the
world we offer is one of unabashed optimism, over-the-top possibilities, and boundless potential.
Stories in Four Colors emphasize a wide array of genres coexisting together. Think of your gaming
sessions as issues in a comic book; in one issue your heroes may be preventing mobsters from extorting
money from a family of migrants. In the next, they may be journeying to a magical island to rescue
surviving sailors from a navy submarine from a pack of hungry sirens. Later, they may well venture into a
distant dimension to protect their extra-terrestrial allies or venturing into a parallel reality similar to their
own Earth.
Four Colors is a world not dissimilar to our own, or the World of Scion. But differences persist; some
elements of historical Golden Age stories exist despite modern improbabilities. Banks are still robbed,
often by criminals donning striped clothes and carrying large sacks of money. The average person has
witnessed many attacks by aliens or sinister Gods, and still believe wholeheartedly they can rely on
heroes to protect them. Scions in this world possess all their usual powers and more, but they’re dialed up
to eleven. Spectacular battles against the forces of evil — villains who are sincere in their intent to cause
chaos and mayhem — are a daily occurrence, and people have come to trust their protectors.
Scions embrace their superhero roles, recognizing the importance of their actions and the weight of duty
their powers place upon them. Resulting, each Scion possesses a guiding principle; a moral call to action
which filters how they perceive their place in the world. A Scion of Aphrodite may see himself as
protector of the concept of love between all people, for instance, while an inheritor of Heru may perceive
truth as a value worth fighting to preserve.
While being born the child of a God is always a surefire away of possessing superhuman powers, other
Scions find their gifts tinged with mortality, for conflict between good and evil is ever-present and even
Gods can die in the world of Four Colors. There exists a few select heroes whose birthright wasn’t sired
by the divine, but as an act of resurrection. One of the world’s greatest heroes, Captain Lightning gained
his powers by discovering a fragment of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. More common, though, are Scions
who’ve been gifted a modicum of the might of the Gods. These blessed mortals have already proven their
capabilities, either as exemplars of justice or proving their capacity to overcome great fear, and walk the
same path as their other superhero kin, growing in strength and prowess to stand shoulder-to-shoulder
with the divine.
However, simply acquiring the power of Gods by birthright is no guarantee they’ll be used for mankind’s
benefit, and power is known to corrupt. There’s no shortage of Scions who fall to avarice, greed, or
jealousy. Some self-styled super-villains strive to build their own criminal empires, treating such projects
as modern-day temples to themselves, or giving way entirely into hedonistic thrill of crime. Others
harness their powers for nationalistic ends; history in Four Colors has no shortage of Axis arch-villains
during the last world war. Yet as super-villains grow in power, their goals grow as well; anything from
forming their own nation in which they’re the ultimate authority like Doctor Arcturus, ruler of Kolcharia.
While all super-villains are unique, their one common trait is their tendency to focus on a single hero;
often the one superhero who’s foiled their plans more than any other.

Heroes and Demigods

Scions grow in power as they mature. This is rarely true for superheroes, where “street-level” crime-
fighters are never able to harness the natural might of Superman. However, in the Golden Age, this wasn’t
quite the case; heroes who handled relatively minor crimes could often end up becoming embroiled in
cosmic challenges far beyond their abilities.
Four Colors simulates the range of superhero powers in the Scion Tiers. Golden Age protagonists often
dealt with comparatively minor threats. At this Tier, Heroes compete against villains with a wide but
limited scope of ambitions or means at their disposal; they might blow up a skyscraper, poison a water
reserve with mind-altering chemicals, or kidnap the Senator’s daughter. Similarly, a Hero Tier character
possesses abilities which, while phenomenal compared to that of most mortals, is still somewhat limited;
they may hurl cars several city blocks or move at half the speed of sound, but these powers possess clear
limitations.
While this offers players the chance to play as ‘street-level’ heroes in a manner similar to their Golden
Age influences, some may be eager to embrace the full potential of portraying a superhero and all the
phenomenal capabilities associated therein. That isn’t to say these Heroes are weak; far from it! During
these early years, they may take the role of sidekicks to more experienced Demigods, learning the ropes
in order to one day emerge as their own potent crime-fighters. Demigods, naturally, have emerged into the
world of Four Colors as fully-fledged paragons; heroes who can truly change the world for the better.
Demigod-Tier characters are truly exceptional. While their powers are immense, able to easily resist hails
of bullets or turn back time or sway the minds of mortals, their true power lays in their ability to inspire
humanity to emulate them; to be all they can be.
This offers the possibility for Storyguides to weave tales in which Hero and Demigod Tier characters can
work together, in the same story, to overcome great odds. When doing so, the Storyguide can determine a
compelling Demigod-level threat (perhaps even a group of villains) for the superheroes to work together
to overcome. When doing so, it’s important to ensure the challenge being presented gives suitable
spotlight moments to the Hero characters; particularly arrogant antagonists tend to underestimate the
skills of a rookie sidekick, after all.

Gods
In Four Colors, there are no God-Tier characters. Because Demigod-Tier Scions already possess powers
dialed all the way up to eleven, there is little else where they can grow; but that doesn’t mean players
cannot play at such a height! This World’s equivalent of Gods are the legendary superhero groups. Teams
of Demigod-Tier heroes can achieve far more than any single Scion could ever achieve on their own;
repel an invading alien force, pull the Earth out of the mouth of an expanding black hole, or other
impossible feats.
Playing as a God-Tier superhero team allows a Scions working together to lend their abilities — and
personalities — together to achieve more than they can do alone, stand against impossible odds and
allowing powers to work together in new and exciting ways to collectively create unique combinations of
effects mimicking God Birthrights, Knacks, Purviews, and Boons. Antagonists at this Tier can be
anything, even the Scion’s own divine ancestors. The difference between Demigod and God Tiers is not
that of a Scion’s abilities (which are already beyond that which Scions ever typically possess), but in their
ability to come together to overcome truly cosmic levels of threat.
Portraying an entire team of superheroes provides a unique and intricate challenge for players, giving the
potential for them to portray multiple characters at once. In doing so, the player has the chance to act as
something of an impromptu Storyguide, performing for a variety of characters and ensuring they all
interact with their fellow players equally. Any player seeking to undertake such a task takes several God-
Tier Scions and then performs their roles, determining their actions during scenes and chooses their turns
in combat.
The following section includes five Demigod-Tier Scions, forming the Society of Justice, Inner Metro
City’s most famed team of superheroes. Players who wish to tackle a God-Tier challenge can adopt
several of those characters or create their own. The Storyguide should work with their players to
determine which Demigods would be present in their story. It may even be preferable to divide the
Society of Justice, or whichever superhero team you’re using, between two players. A typical large
superhero team can include anywhere from four to eight superheroes (although this isn’t a hard-set
restriction), and this range can easily divide between two God-Tier players.
When deciding to incorporate God-Tier play into the Four Colors World, the troupe should take a moment
to discuss who wishes to undertake the challenge of acting as a superhero group and who’d prefer to focus
their attentions on portraying a single Demigod (or even Hero) Tier Scion. Those looking to play as a
team must then decide how many Scions they’ll be performing — on average, three to four is an optimal
number, with the remainder of the team given to a second or third God-Tier player. Each Scion should be
selected carefully; after all, superheroes prefer to work with those they’ve a good rapport with.
Players controlling part of a God-Tier team determine those Scion’s actions during combat. They can
utilize the Powers and Birthrights of their chosen Scions in tandem, fusing them together to create divine
effects. These effects serve to replicate God-Tier Powers in usual Scion games but are created by a fusion
of two or more Demigod-Tier Scions working together. Examples include hefting an entire building into
the air and then hurtling it at speeds that break the sound barrier. In order to harness God-Tier Powers like
so, the player must give consideration to the unique potential each of the Scions on their team possess and
ask how their abilities can work together; often there’s no hard-set rules for these (remember, certain
superheroes are known for punching holes in reality itself), so it can be a case of suggesting the coolest
and most thematic use of powers to the Storyguide.
When outside of combat and action, there is an additional challenge for God-Tier players, in that the
characters they’re portraying may struggle to interact with one another. During roleplay, players should
nominate one character on their team to speak at a time; allowing the nominated character to speak to her
teammate that’s portrayed by another player. However, players should avoid attempting to roleplay
extensively between Scions under their own control; such conversations can become complicated for
groups to follow and quickly descend into uncertainty as to which Scion is speaking at a time. Instead, the
God-Tier player should nominate or ask for volunteers from the troupe to portray one of the characters
during roleplay. It may even work well for the player to hand the character sheet of the Scion to the player
portraying them for the duration of the discussion, avoiding confusion.
BEGIN BLOCK TEXT
With Our Powers Combined
Example: Alison is playing in a Four Colors Scion game with four friends; Daniel is the Storyguide,
Misha is playing as a Demigod-Tier superhero, Glimmering Sentry. Jon is playing Starborn Lad, a Hero-
Tier character who acts as the Glimmering Sentry’s sidekick. Patricia’s character is a Demigod-Tier
superhero called Shadow Avenger, who is also a member of the Savior Society. Alison is playing as the
five other members of the Savior Society, at a God-Tier.
On Tuesday’s game, Patricia was unable to attend; Alison stepped in to incorporate the Shadow Avenger,
who was important to that session’s plot, as part of the Savior Society she portrayed.
During Friday’s session, Starborn Lad was injured while preventing a swarm of mutated robot sharks
from invading New York. While these are standard dangers for superheroes, Starborn Lad’s injury
angered the Glimmering Sentry, who blamed it on one of the Savior Society’s main cast, Man-Dolphin.
Usually, Alison would play the role of Man-Dolphin while roleplaying their interactions, but because
Patricia is a big fan of the Man-Dolphin movies and comics, she asks if she can ‘swap’ portraying
Shadow Avenger that session to instead play as Man-Dolphin. Everyone is happy with this change, and
Alison’s cast of the Savior Society for that session temporarily includes Shadow Avenger for the evening.
Sunday’s game is a big one; it’s a Crossover Event story in which everybody goes up against the Robot
Shark’s spaceship in a huge battle. The whole Savior Society will be taking part; Alison turns to her
fellow players and asks if anybody wishes to portray one of the other available Hero-Tier or Demigod-
Tier superheroes for the battle. Jon is happy to play his usual Hero-Tier character, who has since
recovered from the previous injury. Patricia eagerly swaps out Shadow Avenger for Man-Dolphin again;
after all, his pet bottlenose was roboticized in the last Crossover Event and he wants revenge! Misha, like
Jon, prefers to play her usual character, the Glimmering Sentry. But the Glimmering Sentry hasn’t been
accepted into the Savior Society, and Misha figures this will make an exciting story for how he proves his
worth!
END BLOCK TEXT

Crossover Events
The above potential opens the avenue for an entire troupe to, collectively, portray a superhero team and
various associated allies together. It’s not uncommon for superhero teams to act with new or temporary
recruits; comic book superhero teams have a constantly fluctuating roster of members and are always
willing to work with new recruits. A troupe could consider extending beyond a single core group for their
God-Tier play to incorporate a superhero team’s allies, associates, sidekicks, and alternative-reality
variants. This type of play would be optimum for Crossover Events; large-scale universe-altering
storylines where multiple God-Tier superhero groups come together to combat a single gargantuan threat.
These events are extremely rare in Golden and Silver Age comics, often restricted to modern comics, but
all share a common thematic root in DC’s 1985 event Crisis on Infinite Earths. This event has its roots in
previous special issues, with Silver Age titles often incorporating stories of threats to multiple universes.
Storyguides looking for thematic influence on how to depict Crossover Events in a Golden or Silver Age
style should seek out titles including Marvel’s Team-Up, Thanos War, and The Private War of Doctor
Doom, and DC’s Flash of Two Worlds, and Crisis on Earth-One, Two and Three.
Storyguides who wish to create a fun and chaotic challenge for themselves may incorporate Hero-Tier
characters into glorious action set-pieces. During God-Tier play, Hero characters are the underdogs,
working overtime to protect regular folks from the chaos unfolding in the skies above, or take out the
rogue AI’s army of drones. The Storyguides should strive to create appropriate challenges for Hero-Tier
characters even during the heights of battle, keeping them invested and part of the cosmic encounters
that’re playing out around them.
For a Storyguide who wants to try their hand at running games with all three Tiers at once, they’ve got a
fun and unique challenge ahead of them. They’re responsible for making sure their Crossover Event has
threats which can challenge all their players at once; often this comes down to ensuring their Demigod-
Tier threats possess enough Hero-Tier minions and monsters to hurl at the Scions to keep them off-guard
while their villainous scheme falls into place. Remember the God-Tier players are acting to help push the
narrative forward in these sessions; the powers that their superhero teams wield is often enough to change
the battlefield entirely! Storyguides need to remain flexible and reactive in this instance; asking
themselves how each sweeping move of the board will impact the Hero-Tier events ongoing as well.

Hero Creation Rules

Scions in Four Colors are superheroes, possessing greater capabilities than their regular versions. When
playing a Four Colors adventure, make the following adjustments to the player characters:
All superheroes are mightier, wiser, and faster. The maximum number of dots Hero-Tier characters can
possess in each Attribute and Skill is 6, not 5.
In addition, during character creation Hero-Tier characters may assign 7 dots to Attributes in the primary
category rather than 6, 5 to the secondary instead of 4, and 3 to the tertiary as opposed to the usual 2.
However, no Attribute can be higher than 6.
Hero-Tier characters also receive an additional available dot per Tier for each of their Skills during
character creation as well; 4 dots in each Skill associated with their primary Path instead of the usual 3, 3
dots in each Skill associated with their secondary path as opposed to the usual 2, and 2 dots in each Skill
associated with their tertiary path instead of only 1.

Demigod Creation Rules

Demigods in Four Colors start play with the following adjustments in character creation: maximum
number of dots characters can possess in each Attribute and Skill increases to 6 from 5. Select allocate 3
additional dots to Birthrights, 3 additional Boons, gain 2 dots for Knacks, gain 5 Legend, and add 1
Injured level to the character’s health.
In addition, during character creation Demigod-Tier characters may assign 8 dots to Attributes in the
primary category, 6 to the secondary, and 4 to the tertiary. However, no Attribute can be higher than 6.
Demigod-Tier characters also receive an additional 2 dots per Tier for each of their Skills during character
creation as well; 5 dots in each Skill associated with their primary Path, 5 dots in each Skill associated
with their secondary path, and 4 dots in each Skill associated with their tertiary path.

New Boons Rules – Signature Boons

In Four Colors, each superhero is renowned for their mastery of one power which defines them. Perhaps
they can manipulate lightning, or strike any target with an arrow, or wield spider-like webs. When
creating a Four Colors Hero Scion or Demigod, the player should designate one of the Boons the
character possesses as a Signature Boon.
Signature Boons are unique abilities which only one character possesses; it is very rare for two characters
to possess the same Signature Boons. When they do, there always exists an interesting narrative reason
for such. Perhaps the characters are twins of the same heritage or were involved in the same incident
which resulted in them possessing their abilities. Consider how this shared uniqueness impacts how the
characters view one another; are they now the best of friends who work together regularly, or are they
bitter rivals who struggle against one another?
Effect: When a character utilizes their Signature Boon, the Scale is increased by 1. Additionally, the
Signature Boon can be used without spending, or Imbuing, Legend. However, characters are restricted to
only one Signature Boon, regardless of whether they are a Hero or a Demigod.

Key Players - The Society of Justice

The Society of Justice carries on in the shadow of the departure of one of its founding members, Major
Thunder through a dimensional rift. Society superheroes emerge from many walks of life and stand
together unified to protect humanity.

Captain Lightning
Eric Donner grew up as an orphan on the streets of the Bronx, New York with no inkling of what fate held
in store for him. By his early 20s, he worked hard, finding a part-time job, and scraping together enough
to rent a small apartment —he believed he could accomplish more. He joined the Marine Corps
propelling him to the Western Front of the Great War. At the height of the Battle of Belleau Wood, Donner
discovered a shard of Mjolnir in the ruins of Eglise Saint-Etienne de Belleau. Desperate for his friends
and forces to survive the bloody conflict, he felt something calling him. He reached out and grasped the
current of power that answered his prayers and fused with the divine power of Thor.
His marines stood in awe of their officer surging with the power of the storm and dubbed him, Captain
Lightning. When the Marine Corps command heard of one of their own walking as a superhero, they
hoped he’d stand shoulder to shoulder with Major Thunder to defend the American way on the world
stage.
But Captain Lightning learned from what he and men like him experienced in the trenches. He saw where
the games of mutually assured destruction led and it didn’t interest him to keep playing, nor did being a
political pawn. Donner truly believed in the ideals he stood for; truth and liberty, not merely paying them
lip-service. No sooner had he been unveiled, with much fanfare, as America’s protector alongside Major
Thunder than he renounced the idea of acting as a threat to ideological rivals. Captain Lightning instead
began working to better the lives of American citizens. For years he fought to crush human trafficking
rings, free cities from the grips of organized crime, expose corruption and white collar crooks. As more
super-villains emerged, he garnered his own wealth of enemies including the sinister Doctor Arcturus.

Silverheart
Donnie Rhodes inherited his divine nature by birth, from his mother Aphrodite of the Theoi pantheon.
Rhodes never doubted his nature to be anything other than a Scion, and since emerging into his power
he’s come to relish every moment of it. Aphrodite made no secret of her identity, revealing herself to
Rhodes on her son’s seventeenth birthday and telling him all of what it meant to be the child of a Goddess
of sexuality, desire, and prosperity. However, in Donnie, the power of his mother’s sexual nature
manifested as a deep-set compassionate love for all humanity.
By the time Rhodes adapted to his newfound potential, the first of the World’s superheroes began to
emerge. Although Rhodes had already begun to use his abilities to aid others, he did so without adopting a
secret identity as a superhero. Aphrodite had taken care to ensure her child had a sizeable inheritance, one
which Rhodes used to foster social care and progressive systems throughout Inner Metro City. Rhodes
adopted the persona of Silverheart only after he realized the identity could serve as an ambassadorial
brand, growing the reach his philanthropy possessed.
His biggest achievement, though, was his role in forming the Society of Justice. Acting as the group’s
bankroller, Rhodes utilizes his super-human levels of appeal, charm, and fortune to help guide the
Society, navigating the rigors of public appeal and media. Despite the enormous accomplishment of not
only forming the world’s first superhero team but acting as their frontman, Rhodes hides a wish that his
heritage had granted him greater physical feats as well; wishing that he could stand shoulder-to-shoulder
with Captain Lightning in defending the weak and powerless. Silverheart always doubts himself, even in
battle, to the point where his lack of confidence is his greatest weakness; one which he constantly
struggles to overcome.

Jetwire
Yukiko Kuromizu was always an energetic child. Ambitious and competitive, she was perpetually driven
to win and wasn’t afraid of considerable odds. She’s the seventh child in her family — something her
parents believed to be good fortune, and her winning streaks at high school sports was proof of that. Her
first job saw her train as a firefighter, believing she could turn her natural gifts to good use. After years of
duty, she had saved many, earned the gratitude of hundreds, and drew the attention of Susano-o, Kami of
the sea and storms, who found her a worthy avatar for his might.
As one of those who were chosen to be gifted her powers, Yukiko had already shown her worth. Her
patron’s divine essence manifested in an ability to grasp and manipulate the forces of acceleration,
propelling her at considerable speeds. With this, she could help more people than she could ever imagine;
and soon garnered recognition as one of Inner Metro City’s guardians. Her reputation soon preceded her
as a hero who’d help anyone no matter how big or small the issue, from stopping armed gunmen to
rescuing cats stuck in trees, and always willing to stick around to give a reassuring smile before rushing
off to the next job.
However, Jetwire’s newfound abilities also landed her in more than her fair share of trouble as well.
Perpetually over-confident, she’s unwilling to let any slight or offense slide, no matter if it’s from mortal
or God. She’s already earned a reputation as an upstart troublemaker among numerous pantheons due to
her tendency to give aloof, arrogant deities a stern down-to-earth talking-to. Not even her own patron
Susano-o is free from her lectures on the importance of moral values. He’s quite willing to put up with her
outspokenness — as far as he’s concerned, Jetwire has barely begun to scratch the surface of the powers
he’s granted her.

Amber Phoenix
Nán Fāng Zhū Què died during Apep’s rise to power centuries ago, devoured by the Annihilator who
feasted on his rival’s power. But Gods are resilient and don’t perish easily, and even though Nán Fāng
Zhū Què was utterly cannibalized, a flickering of her divine nature survived. Forming into an ephemeral,
celestial soul-egg, the remnants of Nán Fāng Zhū Què gathered, lingering in slumber until her strength
and consciousness coalesced firmly enough to facilitate her rebirth.
Her spirit dwelled in a long-buried tomb until, in 1908, it was uncovered by an eminent archeologist and
Scion of Heru, Horace Farrow. Farrow had already garnered a reputation for recovering valuable artifacts
for the Boston University’s Gabel Museum of Archaeology. Locating the fallen God’s temple in Yunnan,
Farrow led an expedition on behalf of Boston University to “chart China’s unwritten history”. In the inner
sanctum, Farrow located a sealed chamber which housed the God’s soul-egg. Believing the relic to a
treasure, the Scion placed his hands upon it and was imbued with the Phoenix God’s lingering essence.
Indwelled by Nán Fāng Zhū Què, Horace Farrow now acts as a host for the phoenix’s ancient personality.
Since then, Farrow has been the site of a — mostly — internal battle between the Egyptian God Heru and
the Vermillion Bird. While Heru only rarely speaks to Farrow, the God’s voice is clear and loud, making
his wishes known. Meanwhile, Nán Fāng Zhū Què dwells within Farrow, tempting and steering him in
ways that even he is not fully aware of. When the professor maintains full control, he’s able to tap into the
benefits of the phoenix, providing him with exceptional powers: flight, mastery of fire, eternal youth, and
healing. But this comes with a cost, as Nán Fāng Zhū Què is not always content to play a backseat role.
Usually, she limits her interaction with Farrow to manifesting herself as a guiding voice which only he
can hear; but at times, the phoenix rises to become her host’s dominant personality, taking control. Unlike
Farrow, Nán Fāng Zhū Què is reckless; she has lived without physical sensation for centuries and takes
full advantage to indulge in the best life has to offer whenever she’s in control, much to Farrow’s chagrin.

Lady Grim
Brigitte de la Croix is twice blessed and twice cursed, for her father is Baron Samedi, but her maternal
grandfather is Apep the Annihilator; every choice she makes risks upsetting a powerful God. Her well-
dressed father steers her towards unabashed hedonism and reveling in life’s gifts, while her world-
devouring grandpapa pushes her along the road to violent overthrow of the world order. For years, she
tried walking on eggshells, avoiding overt choices that might put her in the Gods’ bad graces. But Apep
eventually swayed her to his side, grooming her to become one of his chief lieutenants. She inherited
many of his powers: control of shadows, telepathy, a deep understanding of the occult and magicks, the
means to control the minds of others, and the ability to transform into the form of a serpent.
For several years, Lady Grim was Apep’s dark harbinger, working diligently to further his goals by
spreading chaos and destruction. She clashed many times with the Society of Justice, earning herself a
place among their rogue’s gallery as one of their deadliest foes. Her own schemes were often far less
brutal than Apep’s own, however; using her powers to turn Inner Metro City into a palace dedicated to
herself and controlling the minds of the population to loyally serve her. In truth, Brigitte simply didn’t
share Apep’s thirst for destruction, and began to see more merit in her father’s love of life. After all, if her
father found so much to love about life that he sought to enjoy every drop of it, why should she destroy
it? The Society of Justice were not unaware of this, coming to see Lady Grim less of a foe and more a
potential ally if she could be shown the error of Apep’s ways.
Ultimately it was Silverheart who convinced la Croix to turn her back on her grandfather’s evil schemes.
Since then, Lady Grim has put her villainous ways behind her. Initially she wished nothing to do with
superheroes, but over time (and with the aid of Silverheart and other allies) she came to recognize the
importance of using her powers for good. Now she fights alongside the Society of Justice as one of their
core members, much to the aggravation of her grandfather.

Locations
The World of Four Colors is full of regions both familiar, new, secret, and widely trod. Herein are but a
few; but as in comic books, new ones can be created with the mere turn of a page.

Inner Metro City

One of America’s largest cities, Inner Metro City’s exact geographical location tends to be difficult to pin
down. Its size allows it to possess anything from dusty mountainous trails to the west to bustling seaports
to the east, with skyscrapers decorating the landscape in glistening glass and chrome. Inner Metro City is
clean, with smooth transport links and a vibrant population of young, upwardly-mobile civilians who’re
generally happy with their lives — the perfect model for a futurist “City of Tomorrow”. On the surface, at
least.
Inner Metro City hosts more than its fair share of corruption; organized crime grew during the 1920s,
reaching epidemic proportions in the preceding decade. Bureaucratic corruption throughout governance
ensured law enforcement placed personal comfort and profits above protecting citizens, leading to entire
social stratas of the city turning a blind eye to crime both on the streets and at corporate levels. This
provided the city’s growing number of masked vigilantes with more than enough work.
Today, Inner Metro City is home to a large population of superheroes. Many are native inhabitants
who’ve taken up their role as protectors upon acquiring their powers — but some come from regions
outside the city, drawn by the fellowship and camaraderie of their superhero teammates. The presence of
these Scion saviors has seen a significant turn-around in the city, with many believing those “dark days”
behind them. However, new threats are never too far below the surface.

The Spire
Designed to act as a central command facility for the Society of Justice, this structure floats above the
surface of Inner Metro City, the Spire also acts as a beacon for the people of Inner Metro City. When first
constructed, it housed everything the superhero team needed to function as frontier defenders: training
halls, personal quarters, monitoring platforms, super-computers, armories, and vehicle bays, and more.
Initially designed by Silverheart, the architectural wonder made use of advanced technology recovered
from the future by the team’s currently missing time-travelling member, Doctor Tigrillo, allowing the
Spire to not only remain airborne but move by means of electromagnetic propulsion.
Over time, the need for much of the Spire’s additional space diminished, and now it houses only one
permanent inhabitant, Amber Phoenix, while the rest of the team reside outside the Spire in the comfort of
their own housing. In addition, several other sections of the facility, including a penitentiary for
supervillains, were closed following concerns about the Society housing unregulated incarceration
facilities. The “Museum of Hope” dedicated to documenting the team’s most glorious successes and
achievements, was opened to members of the public, with regular tour groups attending daily throughout
the week. The museum was the brainchild of the Spire’s designer, Silverheart, who maintains that the
facility serves a vital role in ensuring that superheroes are never seen as being beyond the reach of mortal
people.

Kolcharia
Five years ago, almost nobody had heard of the tiny nation of Kolcharia. With a population barely over
12,000 and an archaic monarchy for its ruler, the nation is remarkable for its unique history. Established
as a “grand experiment” by Duke Vladimov Arcturus VI in 1842, it was the first attempt to found an
entirely subterranean nation. Located within the hollow of the vast Geryvan volcano, the nation-state
maintains heating and illumination through large reflecting mirrors around the volcano’s rim, creating a
temperate environment. The Arcturus family has retained rulership over the nation since declaring
sovereignty in the 19th century and securing its seat as minor royalty.
Today, Kolcharia is renowned for its position as the world’s most vocal anti-superhero influencers.
Enforcing firm laws against “extra-human threats, " Kolcharia is an exemplar of a nation that maintains
peace without the need for superhero intervention. Kolcharian news reports on the dangers extra-humans
pose, emphasizing risks to human life whenever super-humans clash, and the novel “Gods Playground:
Humanity in Peril” by Kolcharian anti-superhero activist Belarius Metri has become an international
bestseller.
Last year, the world recognized Kolcharia’s demands for its airspace to be recognized as a no-fly zone for
flight-powered superheroes. However, the Society of Justice recognizes the nation’s current ruler is
operating under the infamous codename “Doctor Arcturus,” as a minion of Apep the Annihilator, and the
Society is overly familiar with Arcturus’s history of fiendish schemes involving an army of mechanical
Robomen.

Stabbing Alley
The seedy, run-down crime-infested neighborhood of Inner Metro City, officially called New Heights, has
earned a more unpleasant nickname in recent years. Not actually an alleyway but an area comprised of
several city blocks, Stabbing Alley is colloquially named after a series of brutal assaults which occurred
in the 1930s near the city’s warehouse district. The inhabitants of Stabbing Alley aren’t ignorant of the
area’s reputation, or the presence of the area’s organized crime families, as Stabbing Alley is squarely
recognized as the territory of the DeMico Family.
DeMico’s grip on the district prevents rejuvenation projects and financial improvements from aiding
Stabbing Alley; political corruption and extortion ensures any money directed to breathing life into the
area inevitably lines the family’s pockets. The family grew to power through racketeering, with
everything from liquor stores to dilapidated rental housing paying exorbitant fees to DeMico enforcers.
Stabbing Alley bears the marks of this; housing is little more than slums and jobs are nearly non-existent,
leaving crime one of the few means of turning a profit.
Nevertheless, the population of Stabbing Alley is high. People born there often have little money to be
able to relocate, and invariably become victims to the economic repression the DeMico Family
perpetuates. The one exception to Stabbing Alley’s slums and deteriorating storefronts is the DeMico
estate: a gated, resplendent mansion bordering the neighborhood’s south side.

The Perpetuity
Situated on the dark side of the moon, an obsidian fortress called The Perpetuity has long-since been the
established home of Gods who stand allied against Apep’s Axis of Evil. Established centuries ago by
Athena, the structure was intended to provide a bastion for members of various pantheons to stand in
opposition. The Perpetuity, so named as its intent was to preserve the Gods, provided a bulwark against
Apep’s invasion fleet, preventing the majority of the Annihilator’s considerable destruction from reaching
the Earth. For the most part, few humans are even aware of The Perpetuity at all; but its existence is
common knowledge to superheroes.
In the time since Apep’s forces clashed with the Gods, the Perpetuity’s goal has shifted from protection to
preservation. The initial clash against the Annihilator drained much of the power of the Gods, leaving
them weakened and vulnerable. With the death of Zeus, few Gods fear to leave the protection the fortress
offers, recognizing the safety it provides. Within, the divine are protected, sheltered from the might of the
Axis. Although the Perpetuity is their safeguard, the Gods who remain there are prisoners in all but name.
The Gods within are still able to reach out to the superheroes, communicating with them across the
vacuum of space and even granting them a modicum of their strengths — but not all superheroes
recognize their fearful patrons as diminished as they portray themselves to be.

S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories
Not actually a single dedicated location but rather a collection of sites located in discrete areas around the
world, the myriad venues of S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories function under the auspice of study and
understanding the emergent superhero phenomena. All S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories operate under discrete
guidance by the US government but are ostensibly outside U.S. jurisdiction (and liability). They often
work to aid superheroes — developing new technology such as divine-infused amours or tools, in return
for reports and footage of their field operations. However, no Scion is under the impression that they’re
not under just as much analysis as the inventions!
S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories are staffed with exceptionally capable scientists covering a variety of fields who
make no secret of their ulterior motive; to harness the superhero’s nature for humanity’s own benefit. The
organization played a pivotal role in the creation of Major Thunder, decoding significant swaths of Zeus’s
biological structure and creating the serum which awakened Floersheim’s divine capabilities. They
continually strive for further accomplishments — going so far as to run numerous covert sites across the
world. Naturally, their work is often highly unstable, and more than a few pieces of technology they’ve
invented has fallen into the Axis’s hands by mistake; at least, given the organization’s goal of studying
super-human capabilities, they claim such items arrived there by mistake. There’s no shortage of Scions
who won’t have anything to do with S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories.

Super-land
The 120 acre theme park “Super-land” sits on the banks of Florida, marking one of the largest tourist
spots in the world. Unlike other amusement parks filled with thrill rides and attractions, Super-land has
the benefit of reality to it — the stars of the show are very real. Guests can visit the Ride the Lightning
roller-coaster, or brave Grim’s Dark Waltzers, and occasionally even have the chance of meeting their
heroes at one of their rare occasional visits. Super-land markets itself as the happiest attraction in the
world, utilizing Super-Inc’s history of motion pictures retelling the world’s various superhero conflicts
with the Axis of Evil as a basis for their cinematic stories.
Super-land is the tourism-orientated wing of Super-Inc, a corporate entity established to broaden the
public appeal of superheroes in the pursuit of growing their profit margins. The business is the brainchild
of Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth, who turned her hand to capitalism in pursuit of greater influence and
power. Despite maintaining a strong public-facing persona, and making no secret of her divine nature,
Lakshmi is hardly a friend to many superheroes; just as many feel exploited by her use of their likeness as
embrace her PR skills.
Although Super-land strives to maintain a family-orientated image, the veneer is often thin, with Super-
Inc possessing a strong history of being anti-consumer. They maintain fiercely anti-union actions towards
their employees, leading to accusations of exploitative practices and abusing employment and copyright
laws.

Asteroid X
Set in orbit around Jupiter, Asteroid X is disguised as one of the planet’s smaller moons. It’s a large
spacefaring vessel the size of a small city and Apep’s headquarters. Only a few metallic pieces jutting
abruptly from the ship’s rocky exterior belie its true nature. Asteroid X has been the staging ground for
many conflicts between Earth’s superhero teams and Apep in the past, but each has proven indecisive at
best and disastrous for Earth’s heroes at worst.
The false moon is nothing less than a gargantuan fortress, with various armories, laboratories, and mystic
research repositories. Apep stores numerous trophies of his conquests within Asteroid X, housing his
entire armies within its myriad chambers and training them in a battery of high-tech training chambers,
each utilizing unbelievably advanced extra-terrestrial technology. Worse still is the asteroid’s central
power source, the harnessed center of a black hole. By bending various cosmic forces through Asteroid
X’s central chamber, dubbed The Null, Apep can devour energy from the black hole directly, increasing
his own phenomenal power hundred-fold. Although Asteroid X serves as Apep’s launch-point for his
attacks on Earth from which his soldiers are launched through space, its location is a considerable
weakness. To maintain the black hole’s integrity and prevent its destruction, the battleship is unable to
move — leaving it stuck perpetually in its current orbit around Jupiter.

The Great Zhūquè Temple

In the mountains of China’s Yunnan province, the Great Zhūquè temple was the final resting place of the
phoenix God, Nán Fāng Zhū Què, until her resurrection. For most of its history the temple was considered
lost — legend tells that centuries ago, before animosity grew between the four deities, the turtle God
Xuánwǔ constructed great temples, bequeathing one to each of the celestial beings. While the other three
temples have not (yet) been found, this one was rediscovered by Horace Farrow.
The temple possesses a considerable amount of mystical energy. For years after its construction, it was
home to a school of monks who dedicated their lives to worship of Nán Fāng Zhū Què; the temple’s
connection to mystical forces granted these humans considerable skills. Yet when Farrow located the
temple, it had lain unoccupied for at least 500 years. No evidence of any evacuation or devastation was
present. Farrow theorized the monks’ disappearance may be connected to one of the chambers he located
in the heart of the temple. Within, he discovered Nán Fāng Zhū Què’s soul-egg — a form of magic
capable of coalescing a God or Demigod’s consciousness into a small casket where they can elude death.
This nest chamber is highly sought after by deities since they became aware of its existence, with others
seeking the remaining three lost temples in the hopes of uncovering similar relics.
 BEGIN BLOCK TEXT
Storyguides Only
The rest of this chapter contains spoilers for Four Colors adventures and characters. If you intend on
enjoying a Four Colors Scion game as a player, stop reading here.
If you plan on storyguiding a Four Colors Scion game, welcome! Read on and discover the secret
histories of this chapter’s locations!
END BLOCK TEXT
Of the three remaining temples constructed by Xuánwǔ, only one remains. The temple of the dragon
Qīnglóng never saw inhabitation by mortals as it was secreted far beneath the Atlantic Ocean, where it
remains hidden to this day. The Turtle God determined this structure would hide one of the world’s most
important treasures, filling it with traps and labyrinthine tunnels. In its central chamber is a jade cup,
called the Cup of Retcon, which allows any Scion who drinks from it to make one (and only one) change
to reality. The change in question can be minor, such as altering an event in their own history, such as
altering their place or year of birth, or drastic such as removing a spiteful deity from the universe itself as
if they’d never been born. This Relic will only work once for each Scion who attempts to use it, and it can
be utilized by anybody of divine heritage. Thankfully for such a powerful artifact, its existence is
unknown to anybody other than Qīnglóng and his Scions, all of whom are pledged to secrecy.

Plots & Schemes

Each issue of Four Colors presents a brand new action as our heroes take on the forces of the Axis; and
check out our exciting back-catalogue of previous issues to find even more stories!

Slush Funds
Stabbing Alley. A recent attempt by politicians in Inner Metro City to invest a surplus of $15,000 (a
significant sum in this era) in rejuvenation projects around its most dilapidated areas. Set to be distributed
in a series of five investment packages, the first was due to be spent on increasing social care. However,
the money never reached its intended recipients. A rookie journalist, Mickey Mahoney, discovered the
funds had been laundered from someone within the council on the behalf of the DeMico family. The
crime family intend to procure the rest of the funds to line their own pockets and silence any bothersome
reporters who get in the way, employing the services of super-powered henchmen in the process.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The DeMico family’s machinations in Inner Metro City threaten to widen their grip over not only the
Stabbing Alley, but other regions as well, endangering many. But more immediately, Mickey Mahoney
certainly doesn’t deserve to die at the hands of a mob henchmen. In addition, the henchmen in question
are all Scions who’ve thrown their lot in with the Axis of Evil; handling them is beneficial for their
respective pantheons and the forces of good in general.

Snags
• In an attempt to fulfil the hit on Mahoney, Armadillo Man stages an attack on the offices of the
Daily Metro. While the building is quickly surrounded by police, Armadillo Man’s Relic armor protects
him from their assaults, and he’s intent on reaching the upper floors. The Scions need to get Mahoney to
safety and take out Armadillo Man.
• Mahoney identifies who is laundering money to the DeMico’s; a crooked council member, Lester
Ricktus. However, the DeMico family have hired a hitman, Cackling Crawler, to silence Ricktus once and
for all.
• Mahoney must be kept safe while the heroes either convince Ricktus to make statements against
the DeMicos in a court of law or dig up enough hard evidence to put an end to the scheme entirely and
ensure the money gets to the people of Stabbing Alley intact.

Characters
Mickey Mahoney: A mortal journalist (he/him), is a good friend of the Society of Justice, having covered
their superhero exploits extensively and even aiding them with research in the past. He’s hoping to one
day become his own self-styled sidekick to one of the superheroes.
Armadillo Man: Jonathan Brentley (he/him), villainous Heroic Scion of Ares (Theoi). Brentley is
extremely sensitive to his ill-chosen nickname, Armadillo Man. This hot-headed son of Ares relishes
indulging in his destructive side; he’s far more cunning than he lets on and has a sharply analytical mind
but tends to let his anger get the better of him. His greed and lust for money has seen him work for the
DeMico family many times.
Lester Ricktus: A mortal councilmember (he/him), and a total creep, Lester has been on the DeMico’s
books for a long time and acquired a taste for their dirty money.
The Cackling Crawler: Real name unknown (he/they), nobody is quite certain who the Cackling
Crawler is, but it’s believed they’re a child of Loki. Their distinctive costume, of a centipede dressed as a
clown, is disturbing to say the least. Utterly unpredictable, the Crawler serves as an agent of chaos,
spreading uncertainty in their wake.

Attack of the Robomen!

Inner Metro City. Doctor Arcturus is up to his usual schemes, staging an assault on Inner Metro City’s
resplendent “World’s Future Celebration” faire. He intends on causing a huge amount of damage and
stealing some valuable experimental technology that S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories will be showcasing at the
expo. His secondary objective is to cause enough chaos, so his minions in Kolcharia’s newspapers will be
able to raise international outrage about the superheroes’ failure to protect the faire, and therefore further
distrust of Scions the world over.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories funds the World’s Future Celebration faire dedicated to showcasing wondrous
technological advancements which will “change the world of tomorrow, today!”, as the advertising
proudly states. Many of the advancements directly relate to the Scions, who’ve either been previously
enlisted by S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories to test them out, or who’ve been employed as representatives or
spokespersons. As well as Scions who’re at the expo for business reasons, others may simply be visiting;
the attraction is widely popular and attracts thousands of tourists each day. Some Scions who possess
prescient capabilities may even determine something amiss will happen at the event and attend covertly.

Snags
• Arcturus’s newly-enhanced Robomen are sent to cause disruption to cover his crime, and are
intent on causing as much destruction as they can. Each of the Robomen begin spreading chaos around
the fair, smashing attractions, and starting fires with their laser-beams. Innocent civilians are put at severe
risk, necessitating the superheroes to take out the Robomen and limit civilian casualties.
• The Doctor steals the atomic bobulator; a new creation S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories is due to unveil.
The device can alter the atomic structure of water, turning it from one type of liquid to another; but
Arcturus aims to use it for sinister ends. The heroes need to chase after him and recover the bobulator
before he can rewire it and cause lava to descend on Inner Metro City when it next rains.
• During the heist, one of S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories’ more experimental machines, the Time
Distorter, is damaged. It immediately starts causing small pockets of time around the park to accelerate or
decelerate at random intervals, causing those caught in them to either age or grow younger. This occurs
whilst the Robomen are attacking, causing the combat against them to be… complicated. The heroes need
to repair the machine so they can restore the flow of time and defeat the Robomen without further
inconvenience.
• Mickey Mahoney is with a group of visitors to the park who get stuck at the top of the big wheel
when the Robomen attack. The Scions need to save the illustrious journalist yet again.

Characters
Doctor Arcturus: Wilifred Arcturus (he/him), a villainous Demigod Scion of Hephaestus (Theoi), ruler
of Kolcharia. His love for technology rivals his lust for power, and today he wants to acquire a prototype
machine from S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories.
Robomen: Humanoid machines crafted by Doctor Arcturus to only follow one order at a time. Currently,
their order is “cause a distraction while I steal the atomic bobulator”, and so they’re rampaging through
the park.
Doctor Janice Jovanka: Mortal scientist (she/her), head of the S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories exhibitions at the
World’s Future Celebration, her job is to demonstrate her team’s latest creations. She’s immensely proud
of their achievements, and only wants to make sure everything goes smoothly. She continues to try to
keep things running smoothly even when Robomen are rampaging across the park.
Mickey Mahoney: A mortal journalist (he/him), who just happened to pick the wrong day for a trip to the
expo!

The Gotterdammerung Siege

Asteroid X, The Perpetuity. Apep the Annihilator launches his final assault on Earth. His goal is simple;
crash his fortress into the Earth’s moon, thereby igniting its engines and unleashing the black hole within
it. He launches his entire fleet to protect this cosmic payload, hoping when the planet’s divine protectors
fall victim to the event horizon, he can devour the remnants of the universe.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Prescient superheroes receive warning of the attack prior to Apep’s first wave’s arrival, either through
their own visions of future events or through a warning from their patron. The first wave of the assault
involves Apep emptying Asteroid X’s entire military might onto the Earth’s sphere, which is impossible
for any superhero to ignore.

Snags
• The first wave of the assault is intended to catch the Earth unaware while Apep positions Asteroid
X into place to crash onto the Perpetuity. The collected nation’s military might isn’t enough to defend the
public from the Annihilator’s forces; the superheroes and their various sidekicks need to turn back the
wave.
• When knowledge of the imminent destruction is revealed, several Gods within the Perpetuity are
routed in terror and throw their lot in with Apep in the hopes of self-preservation. To delay the release of
the black hole, the Gods of the Perpetuity aim to unite their might in a final stand; the heroes need to
locate and prevent these traitors from undermining their unity.
• Now working as a self-appointed sidekick to the Amber Phoenix, Mickey Mahoney has taken it
upon himself to help rally the United States military to send their fleets to aid the heroes; but Apep has no
time for meddling reporters! Sealing Mahoney inside a lead-lined box and loading him onto a space
shuttle, the Annihilator aims to launch the reporter into the heart of the erupting black hole (the forces of
evil are nothing but thorough). With most of the battle being held by Demigod-Tier superheroes, this
poses a challenge for Hero-Tier challenges.
• All of Apep’s allies stand ready to aid in striking down his foes. Or at least, most of them. It
seems a few are holding their true forces back, aiming to betray the Annihilator in his moment of victory
to seize power for themselves. With their forces on the in the skies above Earth lessened by their own
scheming, several of the Axis of Evil are now prime targets for canny superheroes looking to take out a
few of their old enemies.

Characters
Everybody: No, literally everybody has a role in this God-Tier plot. Whether they’re Hero-Rier
superheroes fighting on the Earth to protect civilians from Apep’s onslaught to Demigod-Rier characters
going up against the Annihilator’s Axis of Evil, or God-Tier super-teams aiding their patrons in turning
back the black hole, this is a large-scale crossover event intended to utilize the entirety of the Four Colors
universe.

Shadow of the Deep

Coastal Haven, Aquatic Exploration Symposium. Deep beneath the waves, in the heart of the Coastal
Haven's grand Aquatic Exploration Symposium, a sinister plot unfolds. The notorious maritime villain,
Captain Abyssal, once thought to be imprisoned in the ocean's depths, has resurfaced. His objective is to
seize a revolutionary invention showcased at the symposium — the Abyssal Beacon, capable of
illuminating the darkest corners of the ocean floor.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The Aquatic Exploration Symposium is a hub for marine enthusiasts, scientists, and heroes alike.
Attendees include Scions with water-affiliated powers, marine biologists, and even treasure hunters drawn
by the promise of newfound riches in the ocean's depths. As the symposium progresses, the tension in the
underwater haven rises, with hints of Captain Abyssal's return sending shivers through the submerged
city. Captain Abyssal, accompanied by his crew of seaweed-clad pirates, stages a surprise attack on the
symposium. Their objective is twofold: to steal the Abyssal Beacon and to create chaos, using the
distraction to escape with their ill-gotten gains. The heroes must navigate the underwater labyrinth of
exhibits to thwart the assault.

Snags
• The Abyssal Beacon, aside from its practical use, holds a hidden secret — a map to the location
of an ancient sea god's lost artifact. As Captain Abyssal makes off with the Beacon, the heroes must
decide whether to prevent the artifact's misuse or use it to gain an advantage over the maritime marauder.
• Within the symposium's coral cavern, a forgotten chamber houses a captive sea creature capable
of influencing the tides. The Scions, while fending off Captain Abyssal's forces, must decide whether to
free or harness the power of this ancient being to turn the tide of battle.
• As news of Captain Abyssal's assault spreads, some attendees, driven by panic or greed, turn
against each other. The heroes must quell internal conflicts and unite the disparate factions to stand a
chance against the common threat.

Characters
Captain Abyssal: Real name unknown (he/him), a notorious maritime Scion with control over the
depths. He seeks to plunder the Abyssal Beacon for its hidden secrets and reclaim his title as the terror of
the ocean.
Mickey Mahoney: A hapless journalist (he/him), whose father, a marine biologist, coincidently happened
to be the creator of the Abyssal Beacon. His father’s invention, unknowingly holding the key to a sea
God's artifact, becomes the focal point of the conflict.
Seaweed Pirates: Captain Abyssal's loyal crew, adorned in enchanted seaweed armor, skilled in
underwater combat and piracy.

Time and Time Again

Inner Metro City. Something is amiss. Famous people who everybody remembers seem to be vanishing
from the history books. Common knowledge indicates that Genghis Khan didn’t discover electricity and
Socrates didn’t invent the AK-47 assault rifle, but that’s what textbooks suddenly indicate. It appears time
itself has been interfered with in bizarre and confusing ways. The question is who is responsible, and
why?

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The body of ancient Cronus, Titan of Time, was unearthed by a space probe during an expedition to
Venus. How Cronus came to be there from his imprisonment in Tartarus is a mystery, but the Axis of Evil
took note as soon as the probe discovered his body. The mischievous trickster Evelistra absorbed the
Titan’s latent power and harnessed the ability to move through time itself. At first, their changes are
minor, but they soon grows more daring, interfering with the hero’s own pasts to erase them from history!
Evelistra is primarily out for themselves, hoping to amass a fortune in the present by creating a small
cache of antiques and valuables in the past, allowing them to accrue in value over the centuries. The
heroes need to put an end to Evelistra and their gang’s days as dapper highwaymen if the Scions are to
prevent the stolen goods from finding their way into Evelistra’s safe deposit box.
Finding a way to travel through time is not easy; the heroes may need to combine their powers (if this
adventure is played at God-Tier), but a more interesting manner is utilizing S.P.I.R.I.T. Laboratories.

Snags
• S.P.I.R.I.T.’s Denver branch has had some success with temporal travel systems, but they recently
experienced a break-in from the Silver Serpent, a Demigod of Tlaloc. The Scions need to track down and
recover the tech before they can even start their journey.
• Evelistra is quite careless in their travels into the past and has left several contemporary items at
various eras of history. While the people of the 14th century have little use for or interest in a television
remote control, archeologists see this differently and academics struggle to make sense of it.
Unfortunately, the pistols left in 2nd century Greece are another matter… these need to be cleaned up and
collected.
• One of the Scions’ friends, Mickey Mahoney, vanishes. Due to their divine nature, the
superheroes remember their friend’s existence, but nobody else does. The heroes need to find a way to
locate where and how history was altered to prevent Mickey’s parents from meeting.
• Time travel isn’t without considerable risks, namely the danger of creating paradoxes. Groups of
innocent farmers and peasants witness the Scions throughout their journey, which sends ripples through
time and alters the present.

Characters
Evelistra: Susanna Mulhay (they/them), a Heroic Scion of Pan (Theoi). While not technically allied with
the Axis, they are entirely out for themselves, aiming to acquire a comfortable living through their sprees
of crime and chaos. And if they can have a good time in the process, so be it! Their favorite vices are
indulgence and gluttony.
The Silver Serpent: Vernon Serious (he/him), a villainous Demigod Scion of Tlaloc (Teotl). A petty
criminal who enjoys stealing technology. His costume reflects this: a massive ophidian-like armor
designed from reflective metal intended to dazzle and obscure the sight of those around him.

Get $*%!ed, Losers!

Inner Metro City. Axis forces recently attacked the Goddess Cana Cludhmor; to survive, she imbued her
divine essence into a mortal inheritor — that of angry punk rock diva Babette “Baby” Buchannan.
Recently awakened to her divine nature, which Babette never asked for, her band “Baby and the
Buzzcuts” is stuck between clashing heroes and villains, and she’s got no patience for either!

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The pantheons task their Scions to recruit Buchannan to the fight against evil and protect her from the
Axis, who are trying to coax her into joining their side.

Snags
• Buchannan’s abilities allow her to turn music into other types of force besides sonic: explosive
and kinetic, which are crowd-pleasers when she brings them out at her concerts. While performing at
Mahoney’s Bar in Stabbing Alley, one such display of explosive force causes a fire that threatens the
attendees and draws police interest. The heroes need to help soothe the crowd and minimize the damage.
• Sent by Ares, Armadillo Man shares a common interest in property damage with Buchannan, but
he doesn’t understand that she’s more interested in smashing things like the patriarchy, which turns his
attempt to connect with her into a massive brawl throughout the downtown area. The area needs to be
protected.
• his editor tasks Mickey Mahoney to get an interview with Buchannan. As far as Babette is
concerned, “Journos are just the propaganda wing of crypto-fascism.” The heroes need to stop Mahoney
before he loses a few teeth.
• Buchannan has attracted the attention of the Axis, who dispatch Electrovore and Doctor Arcturus
to work together to bring Babette into the battle on their side or kill her. Either way, it’s suitable for the
Axis. The two conspire to work separately, with Doctor Arcturus going for the lethal approach while
Electrovore feigns friendship, offering to work with Buchannan to fend off the Doctor. The Scions need to
help keep these angel-and-devil actors off Baby’s shoulders.
• The Motley, a supervillain biker gang, makes Buchannan an offer to join them; even though she’s
got no interest in being a supervillain, the idea of taking them on tour sounds appealing. The heroes need
to convince her this is a terrible idea.
Characters
Babette ‘Baby’ Buchannan (she/they), Heroic Scion of Cana Cludhmor (Tuatha de Danann) and
inheritor of the power of music. Her power of explosive aggression channeled through song can level
buildings, making her a potent hero in the fight against the Axis; but as far as she’s concerned that’s not
her fight. The one sure way to get her to do something is for someone else to try to force her to do the
opposite.
Armadillo Man: Jonathan Brentley (he/him), villainous Heroic Scion of Ares (Theoi). His father has sent
him to bring Buchannan into the battle against the Axis, but his blunt tactlessness doesn’t win him friends.
Electrovore: Sonia Sueva (she/her), villainous Heroic Scion of Thor (Aesir), and Doctor Arcturus
(he/him), a villainous Demigod Scion of Hephaestus (Theoi) do not make a good tag-team, prone to
frequent arguments and bickering as well as attempting to one-up the other. However, they’re playing
roles in order to handle Buchannan, with Arcturus aiming to scare or hurt her while Electrovore opts to
play the hero and friend. The pair reason at least one of them will succeed.
The Motley: (they/them), villainous Heroic Scions of Ares (Theoi). This group of eight identical
individuals are shrouded in uncertainty. Nobody’s sure if they’re siblings, clones, or members of some
kind of gang. They all look and dress alike and finish each other’s sentences. They also all enjoy breaking
stuff and riding around on equally identical motorbikes.

The Emperor of the World

Kolcharia. The heroes wake up to discover that Doctor Arcturus is the crowned emperor of the entire
world. More than that, he’s always been. Everybody knows it; apart from the superheroes, protected as
they are by their divine nature. As it transpires, Arcturus recovered the Cup of Retcon from the Qīnglóng
temple and has altered reality itself.
However, unbeknownst to the heroes, the Cup of Retcon is not a mere object, but possesses a
consciousness of its own. With the World’s military forces converging on the Sciond’ locations, they find
they need to convince the Cup to grant them one use of its power — but which one change will they
choose?

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The changes to the universe are far sweeping; Arcturus has removed both the Axis of Evil as well as every
other superhero and deity other than the few remaining superheroes left to oppose him. The Scions are on
their own.

Snags
• Emperor Arcturus is aware of the heroes, branding them as insurrectionist rebels. His control over
public media ensures the population is hard-set against them. To gain the allies they need, the heroes need
to prove the values of courage and liberty to the cowed, fearful people of Earth.
• Through his militant police force of Robomen, Arcturus maintains a steel gauntlet on the
populace. The heroes need to dismantle the military infrastructure to be able to stand a chance of
punching through the emperor’s defensive forces and even the playing field.
• The crux of setting the World to rights rests with the Cup of Retcon hidden in Arcturus’ ancestral
home in Kolcharia. Arcturus no longer resides in the ancient fortress, but in a floating orbital mega-
structure called “The Cloud.” The heroes need to evade the ever-vigilant eyes of The Cloud and sneak, or
break, into the heavily fortified Arcturus Castle.
• Arcturus has a surprise up his sleeve; the cybernetically-enhanced Lead General Michael “The
Massacre” Mahoney is in charge of his militia. The heroes find themselves pursued by the hulking mass
of metal and machine guns.

Characters
Emperor Arcturus: Wilifred Arcturus (he/him), a villainous Demigod Scion of Haephestus (Theoi) and
ruler of the entire world. He rarely leaves The Cloud, his orbital observation station from which he
watches all he surveys. He rarely acts in combat anymore, relying on his army of military Robomen to do
his bidding.
Lead General Michael Mahoney: (he/him). Enhanced with more machinery than his body can easily
handle, Mahoney is a walking tank who’s brought entire countries to heel for his emperor’s bidding. He
has no idea who his identity in the normal timeline is, and has none of his usual hapless good-natured
traits, instead relishing in death and destruction.
The Cup of Retcon: Relic (it/its). The Cup is self-aware and intricately understands the powers it
possesses. It’s philosophically opposed to granting its ability to those who don’t deserve it, having already
changed reality once for Arcturus in return for being liberated from its imprisonment in the Qīnglóng
temple. The cup is innately philosophical, demanding those who seek its capabilities first prove their
understanding of what they seek.

Death Walks
Asteroid X, The Sun. After considerable effort, Apep the Annihilator has managed to bind several Gods.
Targeting various death deities, he captured Chernobog, Hel, The Morrigan, Baron Samedi and
Mictecacihuatl, sealing all within mechanical cocoons aboard his Asteroid X fortress. The alien designed
machines drain powers from the Gods with the goal of resurrecting a long-dead God buried within the
heart of the sun. The identity of this lost deity is a mystery, as is how Apep came to know of its existence,
but with its resurrection the sun will shatter, and death will engulf the cosmos.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

With the outpouring of deathly energy directed towards the sun, mortal souls are forced back into their
dead bodies, becoming animated once again. However, the return to life leaves the reanimated mortals
with an insatiable urge to consume human flesh. As graves rupture open and mortuaries empty
themselves, Demigod Scions have little choice but to act to prevent the zombies from devouring
humanity.

Snags
• The hungry dead need to be dealt with. Scions can fight to destroy the zombies, but doing so is
divisive. The dead are family and friends, and some Demigod Scions believe a cure may be possible.
Their ally, Mickey Mahoney, believes he may have found a cure, but he’ll need help gathering the
herbs…
• The various pantheons within the Perpetuity have tied the events to the disappearances of their
death Gods. While their allies hold down the fort at Earth, the Gods send their Scions to investigate.
• Amber Phoenix, lost as she is between life and death, finds her grasp on her host broken. Horace
Farrow realizes his super-powers have vanished, and to recover them his friends must journey into the
realm of spirits to locate Nán Fāng Zhū Què’s divine soul.
• Apep unleashes the full force of his collected deathly power at the sun, awakening the God
within. As the sun is buffeted with solar turbulence, the heroes need to find a way to destroy the
awakening entity before it comes to its full awareness.

Characters
The Unknown God: Everything about this entity is unknown. Its dead body rests at the heart of the sun,
but how it got there is unknown. It’s clear the Unknown God is neither Mythos or Dragon, but something
else entirely. Curiously, it appears entirely mortal (a dark-haired Caucasian man in his late 20s), although
such is impossible as the God predates both humanity and the formation of the Earth. Some believe it to
be a creature from another universal continuity entirely, sealed away by pre-human pantheons to keep the
paradox of its existence from breaking this reality itself.
Mickey Mahoney: A mortal journalist (he/him), who has turned his eye towards putting his high school
chemistry diploma to good use by working on a vaccine with the hopes of curing the zombie outbreak.

Tides of Mischief
Moonlit Harbor. As the moon casts an eerie glow upon Moonlit Harbor, the Aquatic Exploration
Symposium's aftermath takes an unexpected turn. Captain Abyssal, having escaped with the Abyssal
Beacon, forms an unholy alliance with the notorious and enigmatic Cackling Crawler, a joker-themed
villain with a penchant for chaos. Together, they plot to unleash maritime mayhem on the unsuspecting
coastal city.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Moonlit Harbor, usually a tranquil haven, becomes a battleground between the nefarious duo and the
desperate heroes seeking to thwart their sinister plans. The heroes must navigate the twisted alliance,
uncover the secrets behind their collaboration, and prevent the imminent chaos that threatens to engulf the
city.

Snags
• The Cackling Crawler, known for unpredictable and chaotic schemes, has rigged Moonlit Harbor
with explosive pranks. Scions must decipher the villain's cryptic clues to defuse the pranks before the
harbor becomes a chaotic carnival of calamities.
• Captain Abyssal and the Cackling Crawler, though seemingly mismatched, share a common goal
— disrupting the delicate balance of the oceanic forces. The heroes must uncover the reason behind their
collaboration and determine if there's a hidden mastermind pulling the strings.
• The Cackling Crawler unveils a grand game of chance, turning the city into a nautical casino of
chaos. The heroes must navigate through rigged games, illusions, and unpredictable traps to reach the
heart of the harbor, where the villains have set up their base of operations.
• The villains unleash a bizarre sea creature, the Laughing Leviathan, into Moonlit Harbor. This
creature's laughter distorts reality and threatens to drive the city's inhabitants to madness. The heroes must
find a way to quell the laughter and restore sanity to the harbor.

Characters
Captain Abyssal: Real name unknown (he/him), a maritime villain seeking to disrupt the balance of the
ocean's forces. After escaping with the Abyssal Beacon, he forms an alliance with the Cackling Crawler
for unknown reasons.
The Cackling Crawler: A jester-themed villain (they/them), a master of chaos and illusions. Their
motives are shrouded in mystery, and their unpredictable nature adds a layer of complexity to the villains'
scheme.
Mickey Mahoney: A hapless journalist (he/him). As the key to unraveling the villains' plans, he becomes
a target for Captain Abyssal and the Cackling Crawler, much to his eternal misfortune.
The Laughing Leviathan: A monster (it/its) discovered in the ocean's briny depths by Captain Abyssal
and augmented by the Cackling Crawler’s bizarre machinations to transform it into a bizarre monstrosity.
Its terrifying laughter is as horrific as its sloppy liquid tentacles.

Antagonists & Storyguide Characters

Every superhero stands firm against a horde of foes, their rogue’s gallery. From the easily defeated
henchmen to diamond skinned Titans who evade capture for entire issues, in the end, surely all will fall
before the righteous might of our heroes, won’t they? Here are several scheming supervillains ready to
challenge our honorable heroes!

Electrovore
Sonia Sueva has seen a lot in her life. In her early 20s, she fought for the British military, during which
time she earned numerous medals of valor. But that wasn’t enough for her. While serving in France, a
cabal of collaborators approached Sonia to purchase weapons. Before long, Sonia was earning a tidy sum
selling illicit British weapons. This opened many options for her, including the means for her to acquire
powerful mystical items — including none other than a fragment of Mjolnir, Thor’s legendary hammer,
which shattered in his first legendary clash with Apep eight centuries before.
The fragment held a mere fraction of Thor’s power, but enough that Sonia could steal a portion of the
God’s might, just as she’d stolen many weapons before. Finding she possessed the ability to absorb and
either neutralize or redirect electricity, Sonia adopted the name Electrovore.
The nature of how she acquired her divine gift is contentious, with many deities — including Thor —
viewing her as a usurper undeserving of her stolen powers. In truth, the Axis of Evil view her little better,
but they disguise their contempt behind feigned kindness. As far as Sonia is concerned, her Axis
colleagues are her found family, offering her the kindness the pantheons denied her.

Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Cross-Training (Origin p, 147), Sure Footed (Origin p. 147), Tough as
Nails (Hero p. 288), Willful (Hero p. 289)
Flairs: Arcing Electric Surge (as per Tripwire, Hero p. 292), Detonation (Hero p.
290), Immobilize (Origin p. 150), Red Herring (Origin p. 152)
Drive: Amass wealth through the sale of high-tech weaponry and maintain a
network of contacts in the criminal underworld
Primary Pool (9): Blasting things with Electricity, Refusing to Back Down.
Secondary Pool (7): World-class Gunrunner with International Contacts.
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras: Lightning-Proof: Imbued by Thor’s stolen energy, Electrovore can resist
electrical attacks, providing +1 Defense against lightning and electricity-based
attacks.
Armadillo Man
Jonathan Brentley is a Hero-Tier Scion who infamously possesses no moral compass. Although he’s
smart, his defining characteristic is his temper. Never having learned to manage his recklessness, he
earned a bad reputation even as a schoolkid for getting into numerous scuffles. His hot-headed nature fol-
lowed him into his adult years when he landed himself a three year sentence at Riker’s for assault. During
his incarceration, however, he received a vision from his real father Ares, who scolded Jonathan for fail-
ing to turn his gifts to good use.
Upon his release, Jonathan forged a protective suit of armor for himself, capable of resisting even the
strongest swords and fastest bullets. While Ares approved of the achievement and granted his son a
portion of his might to reward his efforts, Jonathan went on to use his newly forged suit for little more
than petty crimes. He adopted the moniker “Armadillo Man,” after the protective shell, but once he
introduced the name publicly, he came to regret it, finding it drew mockery and insults. The name has
since stuck, much to his chagrin.
Armadillo Man perpetuates petty crimes, and the Axis often uses him as a tool for their schemes.
However, he isn’t outright evil, merely lazy, and angry. He’s fought with the Axis just as often as he has
with the forces of justice. His greatest secret is that he possesses a family, including a 3-year old daughter,
who he hopes to provide for with his ill-gotten wealth. He’s not a wicked man, but he’s desperate, greedy,
and foolish, and often finds himself as his own worst enemy.

Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Heavily Armored (Origin p. 146), Perfected Soldier (Hero p. 287), Sure
Footed (Origin p. 147), Unstoppable (Hero p. 288)
Flairs: Here I Come (Origin p. 150), Knockout (Hero p. 292), Making Space (Origin
p. 150), Suck It Up (Hero p. 292), Under Pressure (Hero p. 292)
Drive: Accumulate wealth through high-tech theft and stay one step ahead of the
law
Primary Pool (9): Takes a Hit and Keeps on Trucking, Causing Truly Massive
Property Damage
Secondary Pool (7): Knows his way around computer systems
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras:
• Stealthing Subroutine: Armadillo Man’s Suit is equipped with an advanced
cloaking system, allowing the bandit to turn nearly invisible for one scene,
providing a +2 Enhancement on Stealth rolls during its activation. The armor’s
stealth cannot be active while Defensive Subroutine is active.
• Defensive Subroutine: The armor's defense matrix adapts to incoming
threats, providing an additional +1 on Defense against different types of attacks
(bullets, melee, energy attacks etc.). The type of damage must be nominated
when this Extra is activated.
• Internal Velocity: The armor has an integrated energy modulator which
regulates velocity; Armadillo Man never loses Health from damage derived from
falling.
Robomen
Forged in the crucible of Arcturus' genius, the Robomen emerged as autonomous war machines, a
testament to technological supremacy. Standing at 7 feet tall, these genderless, faceless entities are the
embodiment of machine precision and unyielding endurance. Created in Kolcharia's clandestine
laboratory, they bear integrated weaponry, laser blasters, and rocket jets. Programmed with ruthless
loyalty, they follow directives with cold efficiency. Controlled by Arcturus, these beings are not mere
automatons; they represent the zenith of engineering, equipped with auto-reconstruction for longevity,
remote control for strategic manipulation, and a targeting array that renders them deadly foes on the
battlefield.
These metallic enforcers, shrouded in Kolcharia's secrecy, lack any humanity within. Arcturus' relentless
pursuit of perfection birthed beings devoid of gender or emotion, their shiny metal spheres hinting at the
void within. Rumors of imprisoned souls quelled, these machines, honed for destruction, form an
unyielding legion. The echo of rocket jets heralds their arrival, a harbinger of calculated doom. As the
Robomen march forward, their loyalty binds them to the programmed directives etched into the very core
of their being, a testament to Arcturus' dominion over both creation and destruction.

Archetype: Foe
Qualities: Group Tactics (Origin p. 146), Super Soldier (Origin p. 146), Swarm (Hero
p. 288)
Flairs: Penetrator (Hero p. 290), Spray n’ Pray (Origin p. 149)
Drive: Follow programmed directives to eliminate threats efficiently and without
mercy
Primary Pool (7): Mounted Laser Cannons
Secondary Pool (5): High-speed Boot-Jets, Surprisingly Sturdy Mechanisms
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 1
Defense: 1
Initiative: 4
Extras:
• Shut-Down: All Robomen are controlled by a remote device, typically
possessed by Arcturus. The possessor of the device can deactivate the Robomen
with it, rendering them unable to perform further actions.
• Hyperjets: Robomen can fly without magical capabilities. Their jets are part
of them and can’t be removed.
The Cackling Crawler
Nothing is known of the Cackling Crawler, not even his name. His life before turning to villainy is a
mystery. Dressed as a large caterpillar smocked in a fancy clown costume, his aesthetic is as disturbing as
it is confusing. Most believe he’s an offspring of Loki, if for no other reason than due to his trickster
habits, although he’s burrowed through the ground at startling speeds as well, giving rise to thoughts he
could be an offspring of a soil-based deity.
Whatever his origins, the Cackling Crawler is an unreliable agent of chaos. He appears only when he
wants to, perpetually refusing the Axis’ attempts to control him for their ends (although they’re fast
enough to take advantage of the chaos he sows). The Crawler’s signature modus operandi is of a clown;
he themes his heists around circus-based theatrics, jokes and jesters, and twisted wonderland aesthetics.
He’s set up bases in more than a few fairgrounds.
The largest question is often simply “What does he want?” and often it’s little more than to aggravate and
challenge the superheroes on a personal level. The Crawler possesses a preternatural ability to know
intimate details about every Scion — their names, identities, weaknesses. He’ll often target a specific
hero, focusing his attentions on them exclusively and utilizing a bewilderingly sharp array of
psychological tactics to burrow his way under their skin, before disregarding them in favor of a new
target.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence (Hero p. 289), Manic Cackling (as per A Thousand
Ships, Hero p. 288), Subterranean Movement (Origin p. 147), Twitchy (Origin p.
146), Unseen (hero p. 288)
Flairs: Hail Eris! (Hero p. 293), Inspiration (Origin p. 152), Long Arm (Origin p. 150),
Shadow Step (Hero p. 290), World Shaking (Hero p. 292)
Drive: Spread chaos and confusion in the most whimsical and unpredictable ways
possible
Primary Pool (11): Explosive Toys and Hidden Blades, Back-up Plans within Back-
up Plans
Secondary Pool (9): Psychological Manipulative Laughter
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras: Fool's Betrayal: Once per scene, the Crawler can spend 1 Desperation to
turn an enemy against their allies for two rounds, causing temporary confusion or
chaos.
The Motley
This gang of eight individuals all share a common lineage in Ares. The Motley’s crew are identical, right
down to their motorbikes, leather jackets, and moles. The Motley are a violent motorcycle gang, but that
simple summary does them a disservice; many have tried to determine the nature of their condition
without success.
Ares didn’t sire many children and grants his power to fewer, leading some to assume the Motley are not
so much Scions as something entirely different, sharing another type of connection to him. Whatever they
are, the Motley are easy pawns for the Axis. They desire little more than breaking the bonds of authority,
viewing superheroes as the perfect synonym for authoritarians. The Motley know they’re blunt-force
tools; generally, they prefer to wield the hammer, but they’re content to let someone else swing them as
long as they’re crashing full-force into a deserving target.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: Armor Piercing (Hero p. 287), Group Tactics (Origin p. 146), Martial
Artist (Heroic, Hero p. 287), Sure Footed (Origin p. 147), Swarm (Hero p. 288)
Flairs: I Have Friends (Origin p. 151), Immobilize (Origin p. 150), Knockout (Hero p.
292), Punch ‘em harder! (as per Rage of Herakles, Hero p. 294), Suck It Up (Hero p.
292)
Drive: Buck authority and stick it to the man
Primary Pool (11): Punch, Punch and Punch Again, A Gang Moving and Acting in
Unison
Secondary Pool (9): Driving Fast and Reckless
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras:
• Motley Crew: The Motley all possess a shared mental connection and can
“see” what one another sees even over a wide distance.
• Divine Motorcycle - War Hound: Each Motley possesses one of these
motorbikes, which they can summon to their sides with a thought. While
mounted, their Initiative gains a +2 Enhancement.
The Silver Serpent
When Tlaloc joined the Axis of Evil, Apep tasked him with operating as chief bio-researcher in charge of
cloning a vast army of warriors. But Tlaloc’s greatest accomplishment was his child, Venom Serious, the
Silver Serpent. A clone created from the God’s genetic code, Tlaloc secretly sent Venom to Earth to grow
up among the pyres of war-torn nations the World had to offer to forge him in the furnace of humanity’s
cruelty.
Over the years, Venom proved his value to the Axis, and Apep rewarded him with positions of respect and
powerful weapons. Chief among them is his ophidian headpiece, a decorative badge of station that places
him as one of the rare generals of Apep’s armies, capable of dazzling his foes with hypnotic flashes of
light.
Venom is a humorless, dour individual who takes his task seriously, chief of which is acquiring human
resources (often technology) for Tlaloc’s research. Few things can break his icy exterior; however, he
loathes Lady Grim. During her time at Apep’s side, he was her long-standing rival, vying for power over
her. Now, Lady Grim passionately believes Venom can be redeemed from evil like she was, though he has
shown no such interest or inclination.

Archetype: Transcendent
Qualities: By Divine Right (Hero p. 289), Indestructible (Demigod p. 210), Martial
Artist (Heroic, Hero p. 287), Mystic Arsenal (Hero p. 289), Regeneration (Demigod
p. 216), Toxic (Origin p. 147), Vengeful Blood (Hero p. 289)
Flairs: Death Curse (Demigod p. 211), Dread-er Gaze (Demigod p. 211), On Your
Feet (Demigod p. 219), Player of Games (Demigod p. 212), Shadow-strike
(Demigod, p. 213)
Drive: Seek glory and dominance in galactic arenas, leaving a trail of poisoned
opponents
Primary Pool (9): Military Stratagems, Always Hits the Sore Points
Secondary Pool (7): Exceptionally Intimidating, Determined to Win at Any Cost
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 5
Defense: 5
Initiative: 6
Extras: Venomous Blades: Custom-crafted blades that deliver poison with each
strike, providing a +1 Enhancement on all Brawl rolls when using the weapon.
Doctor Arcturus
Even when studying at Cambridge University, the Gods coveted Doctor Wilifred Arcturus. Born to the
wealthy ruling family of the tiny nation of Kolcharia, Wilifred is further blessed by the blood of the
divine, with Mercury claiming to be his distant ancestor. However, Wilifred’s studies into atomic robotics
— harnessing the latent powers of the A-bomb as a power source for machines — soon gave birth to a
breakthrough; his perfection of what he called “Robomen” drew the attention of Hephaestus.
Together, the two deities disputed who would be the Doctor’s benefactor; while Mercury’s ancestral
benefit had granted Wilifred a hefty dowry and comfortable life, it had also instilled in him a latent greed.
Meanwhile, Hephaestus was impressed with the fledgling scientist’s mindless automatons, seeing
potential in him. The two competed. Arcturus eventually turned his back on Mercury’s gift, and his greed
urged Arcturus to abuse his divine gifts.
When Apep emerged as the World’s premier supervillain, Arcturus saw a chance to seize even greater
power for himself. By then, he’d inherited the crown of Kolcharia ruling from his ancestral castle, which
he’d hastily converted into a fortress where he manufactured armies of Robomen, sending these soldiers
across the world to enact his schemes. In return, Apep granted the Doctor the resources to pursue his
twisted experiments and appointed him to one of the inner circles of his Axis of Evil.
Arcturus, although ruler of his nation, constantly seeks more; his goal is nothing less than to conquer and
rule. This has, at times, brought him into conflict with Apep — the scientist doesn’t share his overlord’s
compulsion to destroy, merely to subjugate. As far as Arcturus is concerned, there’s no point in ruling
over ashes. However, any moments of cooperation with the World’s Scions are fleeting, as Arcturus
invariably settles back into his sinister ways.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: Center of Gravity (Origin p. 147), Cross-Training (Origin p. 147),
Diplomythic Immunity (Hero p. 288), Mystic Arsenal (Hero p. 289), Obligation
(Hero p. 289)
Flairs: I Have Friends (Origin p. 151), Inspiration (Origin p. 152), Mastermind (hero
p. 293), Retcon (Hero p. 294)
Drive: Unleash the full potential of super-science to establish unrivaled
dominance over mortals and gods alike
Primary Pool (11): Always has a Machine up his sleeve and can build almost
Anything
Secondary Pool (9): True Delusions of Grandeur
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras:
• Servitors: Arcturus has created advanced Robomen minions, providing
additional support in combat and tasks.
• Quantum Advisor: An advanced AI that assists Arcturus with calculations,
providing a +2 Enhancement on all Intelligence rolls and advice on complex
situations.
• Energy Siphon: The armor is equipped with a matrix that absorbs and stores
quantum energy, providing a +2 Enhancement on all rolls related to absorbing or
redirecting energy attacks.
Evelistra
Pan is known for siring numerous children, and all his offspring possess one of his traits. Susanna Mulhay
is one child who inherited Pan’s love of chaos. Always mischievous in their childhood, Susanna spent
most of their teenage years seeing just how far she could push boundaries. As far as the Scion was
concerned, life is for the living.
Although not entirely “evil,” Susanna is certainly melodramatic, as their decadent costume (based not-so-
discretely on numerous cartoon villains) attests. Their love is for excessive, pantomime-levels of theatrics.
Committed to portraying the “Queen of Wickedness” role, Evelistra is content to work with anyone,
superhero or villain, to pursue a lush and decadent lifestyle.
Evelistra’s focus is often on petty crimes, typically amounting to little more than creature comforts;
they’ve stolen diamond jewelry, hot tubs, vintage wines, and even cakes (proudly stating that doing so
was “terrible”). Although they’re rarely a significant threat to superheroes, Evelistra’s penchant for
sticking their nose where it’s not wanted tends to get them involved in schemes far more extensive than
initially intended.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: A Thousand Ships (Hero p. 288), Baleful Touch (Hero p. 289), Martial
Artist (Heroic, Origin p. 146), Shroud (Origin p. 146), Stand Tall (Origin p. 147)
Flairs: Excessive monologue (as per Molon Labe, Hero p. 293), Hypnotic Charm
(Origin p. 152), Illusions (Origin p. 150), Once more, from the top! (as per Retcon,
Hero p. 294), Reflected Intent (Hero p. 294), Second Wind (Hero p. 291), Thousand
Faces (Origin p. 151)
Drive: Create a dramatic narrative and manipulate the emotions of others to suit
her whims
Primary Pool (11): A Disguise for Every Occasion, Smoke Pellets, Spotlights,
Curtains, and Mirrors
Secondary Pool (9): Hypno-Gaze
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras:
• Whimsical Set Design: Evelistra can create illusions of an elaborate stage,
including curtains, stage props, musical accompaniment, and lighting, providing
distractions and enhancing her performances.
• Enchanted Puppets: Evelistra commands a group of living marionettes,
animated by her artistic prowess, for various tasks or as distractions.
Captain Abyssal
Born to a union between Poseidon and a minor member of ancient nobility, Captain Abyssal inherited a
unique blend of mortal resilience and divine charisma. The young Demigod showed a remarkable affinity
for the ocean from an early age. The sea responded to Captain Abyssal's presence, displaying an
otherworldly connection that set them apart from others. As the years unfolded, Captain Abyssal's powers
continued to grow. The demigod's home became a secluded island, surrounded by treacherous waters that
bowed to their command. Legends spread of a mysterious ruler who walked upon the waves and
controlled the tides. The island became a haven for sea creatures, and maritime folk spoke of a powerful
protector who safeguarded sailors from the perils of the deep.
However, as Captain Abyssal's dominion over the ocean expanded, so did their ambitions. The demigod's
insatiable desire for control and influence reached beyond the tranquil island. Driven by a vision of a vast
underwater kingdom, Captain Abyssal sought to assert dominion over the entire ocean, establishing
themselves as the unrivaled sovereign of the seas.
The trident, a divine artifact forged in the heart of the abyss, became Captain Abyssal's emblem of
authority. This powerful weapon allowed the demigod to channel their command over water, shaping
currents and summoning colossal sea creatures at will. With the Trident of the Abyss in hand, Captain
Abyssal embarked on a quest to unite the scattered oceanic realms under a single, unchallenged rule.
Captain Abyssal gathered a court of loyal subjects, including merfolk, sea spirits, and creatures of the
deep, to consolidate their power. These followers pledged allegiance to their ruler, drawn by the
charismatic aura and the promise of a glorious undersea empire. Among the court, a mystical pearl known
as the Pearl of the Abyss served as a conduit for enhanced water manipulation, further amplifying Captain
Abyssal's celestial powers. As the maritime dominion expanded, Captain Abyssal encountered challenges
from both mortal and divine forces. To defend the burgeoning empire, he summoned maritime storms
with tempestuous fury and marshaled colossal sea creatures. However, the pursuit of absolute control
brought Captain Abyssal into conflict with other pantheons and powerful oceanic entities, sparking wars
beneath the waves and tempests on the surface.
Yet, despite the adversities, Captain Abyssal's influence grew. The Scion's seaborne fortresses, mobile
strongholds forged from enchanted materials, became symbols of authority that patrolled the vast
expanses of the ocean. The oceanic telepathy that allowed communication with sea life facilitated
unparalleled coordination, turning the tide of battles and ensuring the demigod's dominance. Now, as a
Demigod-Tier aquatic antagonist, Captain Abyssal stands on the precipice of godhood. The celestial
realms watch closely as the enigmatic ruler navigates the delicate balance between mortal and divine,
their ambition echoing the cosmic currents. The tale of Captain Abyssal, the ruler of the deep, continues
to unfurl, a saga of power, conquest, and the eternal dance of the ocean's embrace.

Archetype: Paragon
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence (Hero p. 289), Armor Piercing (Hero p. 287), By
Divine Right (Hero p. 289), Dominion (Demigod p. 210), Stand Tall (Origin p. 147),
Super Soldier (Origin p. 146), Unstoppable (Hero p. 288)
Flairs: Death Curse (Demigod p. 211), Divine Command (Demigod p. 211),
Invocation (Demigod p. 212), Penetrator (Hero p. 290), Seeing Red (Origin p. 149),
Weather Tyrant (Hero p. 292)
Drive: Assert control over the oceans, expand influence across the underwater
realms, and establish dominance over maritime activities
Primary Pool (11): Crushing foes with Sea Waves, Control of Aquatic Lifeforms
Secondary Pool (9): Faster than the Rising Tide, Doesn’t Require Air.
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras:
• Storm Manipulation: Captain Abyssal can summon and control maritime
storms, providing a +2 Enhancement on all rolls related to manipulating weather
at sea.
• Aquatic Command: Captain Abyssal possesses a +1 Enhancement on all rolls
related to water manipulation.
• Communication with Sea Life: Captain Abyssal can telepathically speak with
sea creatures, facilitating coordination and control over maritime activities.
Apep the Annihilator
An ancestral incarnation of the primordial concept of death, Apep has already slain and devoured Gods of
death across many pantheons. In centuries long past, the pantheons banded together to pledge to bring
justice upon him after he feasted on the corpses of Thanatos and The Morrigan, forcing Apep to flee from
the World. However, his appetites remained ravenous, and Apep strengthened with each God he devoured.
Uncovering new species on planets across the universe, he continued to feed on Gods and their
worshippers, earning him a place of fear among the hearts of many alien peoples throughout the cosmos.
Since then, Apep has returned to the World, nourished, and grown in power. His goals are simple: to
avenge himself on the Gods that cast him out. To do this, he aims to bring destruction to the World itself
and devour that which gives the planet life and warmth: the sun. His time in the cold reaches of space was
eventful; spending many centuries conquering a hundred alien worlds. He laid claim to unfathomable
technologies during his subjugations, which he’s incorporated into his growing armada, despite his
reputation as a warlord being terrifying enough to strike fear into worlds across the cosmos, just as many
alien species have flocked to his banner in the hopes of escaping the annihilator’s devastation through
servitude.
Stationed aboard his Asteroid X, a gargantuan battleship disguised beneath miles of rock that acts as his
frontal assault station, Apep’s current goal is to devour the Earth’s sun. In doing so, he’ll absorb the
largest energy source in the cosmos, both sating his thirst and sealing his dominion over the source of life
in the galaxy. He possesses an army of extra-terrestrial soldiers, numerous Demigods who’ve pledged
their allegiance, and a wealth of experimental magically infused technology to aid in his goal.
Apep is a cunning, manipulative leader who lacks humor or joy. He rules most of his minions, if not
through loyalty, then through fear. Having absorbed more power from devouring fellow Gods, he is
unfathomably strong, beyond most Gods. Yet despite this, he occasionally shows glimmers of sympathy
with those he’s crushed under his heel and, in secret, expresses pity. However, he believes he’s set on the
course that his life has taken and refuses to let anything sway him.
Archetype: Goliath
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence (Hero p. 289), Immortal-ish (Demigod p. 210), Life
Drain (Hero p. 287), Physiological Void (Demigod p. 211), Regeneration (Hero p.
288), Stand Tall (Origin p. 147), Toxic (Origin p. 147), Unstoppable (Hero p. 288),
Willful (Hero p. 289)
Flairs: Divine Command (Demigod p. 211), Dread-er Gaze (Demigod p. 211), I Have
Friends (Origin p. 151), Key to the Bifrost (Demigod p. 212), Knockout (Hero p.
292), Long Arm (Origin p. 150), Plague Touch (Hero p. 290), Sanctification
(Demigod p. 212), Sorcery (Origin p. 151), Transformation (Demigod p. 213)
Drive: Consume celestial bodies to amass cosmic power and become the supreme
force in the galaxy
Threat: 5
Legend: 8
Size: 4
Narrative Scale: 4 x(200)
Segments: N/A unless Galactic Serpent Form is active. When it is, Apep gains the
following segments: Head (x1, 3 milestones), Upper Body (x2, 2 milestones),
Lower Body (x2, 2 milestones), Tail (x1, 3 milestones), Jaw (x1, 4 milestones,
destroying the jaw renders Apep unable to make any physical attacks)
Extras:
• Celestial Dread: Apep emanates an aura of cosmic dread, instilling fear and
awe in those who witness its celestial form, providing a +2 Enhancement on
Charisma rolls related to intimidation.
• Necrotic Awareness: Apep has access to unfathomable knowledge derived
from the consumption of death itself. Apep can always sense the life force of any
creature, allowing him to perceive their health, determine any physical
weaknesses, and possess knowledge of all diseases.
• Galactic Serpent Form: Apep can manifest in a colossal serpent form,
significantly growing to gargantuan proportions. When he does, his Size increases
to 9, his Narrative Scale increases to 6 x(200), and he gains the Segments
described above.
Zentrak Assault Trooper
The planet of Zentraki Prime fell to Apep’s iron grip thousands of years ago. Zentraki Prime’s surface is
all but decimated, its populace survived the worst of Apep’s onslaught and found themselves in a worse
situation. The serpent forged an army from the conquered people, enslaving them into his service.
A thousand years later, the Zentrak are the bulk of Apep’s military forces. The typical Zentrak is
fanatically loyal to their cruel overlord, with their fealty assured through extensive propaganda, religious
indoctrination, and outright fear for their survival. Over the years, Apep’s scientists have genetically
altered, forcibly experimented upon, and selectively bred the Zentrak to enhance their capabilities on the
battlefield. However, despite Apep’s best attempts to make them so, they aren't unthinking drones. The
Zentrak are potential allies for any of Earth’s superheroes, particularly the few who have resisted Apep’s
grasp and continue to stage strong resistance against him.

Archetype: Foe
Qualities: Group Tactics (Origin p. 146), Super Soldier (Origin p. 146), Swarm (Hero
p. 288)
Flairs: Penetrator (Hero p. 290), Spray n’ Pray (Origin p. 149)
Drive: Enact the will of High Overlord Apep
Primary Pool (7): Antimatter Plasma Rifles
Secondary Pool (5): Serrated Bladed Armor, Unwavering Dedication
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 1
Defense: 1
Initiative: 5
Extras:
• Extra-Terrestrial Immunities: Due to their extra-terrestrial origins, Zentrak
don’t share the frailties of human physiology, they’re immune to any injuries or
Conditions derived from toxins, poisons, or disease.
• Aerial Assailant: Zentrak each possess a set of high-speed wings. They gain
+1 Enhancement to Initiative. If any Zentrak’s wings are damaged or destroyed,
their Initiative is reduced to 1.
• Close Combat Specialists: Zentrak Troopers wear serrated, insectoid armor
designed to enhance lethality in combat. However, this enhanced benefit only
functions at close range; when a Trooper uses their antimatter plasma rifle, they
gain no benefit, but when they attack in hand-to-hand battle using their serrated
bladed armor, the trooper’s Defense gains a +1 Enhancement.
Muse’s Log
Sing in me, oh muse, of planets unseen by the eyes of those who share my blood; of that interstellar sea,
dark as midnight; of those travelers, weary of their strange roads, who pray for familiar worlds to unfold
upon that next horizon. Sing in me and through me of that long journey home.
Seven months and seven days we have wandered here now, and oh muse — the things that I have seen.
On jeweled Nymest, its skies adorned with rings of red stardust, there are temples that channel scouring
wind into a sound of prayerful song, some ceaseless hymn-wise rhythm. I have stood astride comet-
kingdoms, travelling cities that scar the velvet heavens with the blue fire of their passing. I have supped
with presidents and empresses over dishes of scorpionfish and vat-grown veal, tasted wine untouched by
gravity’s cruel grasp. Such wonders have I seen in our wanderings, and yet…
…and yet, such horrors. On the moons of Khophesat, I saw a plague of twisted shapes, each madness the
bespoke torment of a genius long maddened. I have seen warships clad with world-wrecking armaments,
the restless lightning-javelins of warriors in search of quarrel. I have seen starving worlds and lonely
worlds and worlds long dead; their once-glittering cities open to the sky like the cloven chests of corpses.
And that crew, my crew; my far wandering and lonely crew. They labor beyond what I could demand of
them, their faces hero-masked and stoic. I see exhaustion as it creeps into their bones; I see despair as it
coils round their hearts. Brave and strong and brilliant as they are, none of them are accustomed to this
strangeness. We have gained an infinity of novel worlds, and lost all possibility of home. End log.
Tamara Lowery looked down at the transcript of her day’s log and hovered her finger over the delete
button. She was as no-nonsense a captain as the Martian Union had ever made, a steady presence to her
relatively unseasoned crew. She came up through stellar cartography and deep space astronomy; she was
a scientist, an officer, and a mother, not a poet. But there was something about being so far from home. It
was easy to treat their journey home as some great odyssey worth a muse’s attention because that meant it
was possible to get back. And there was no promise of that yet.
Mother. The word stuck in her mind like a thorn, and she tried her best not to pick at it. Twenty-nine
weeks of wandering meant she’d already missed Virginia’s birthday. Lamar would turn five in a few
more days, too. Not for the first time, she wished her love was a lasso long enough to reach her children
from across endless space, and sturdy enough that she could pull herself home along it.
It wasn’t though. The little fits of poetry this place — the Tenebrium — provoked in her? They were a
distraction. Worse: they were an indulgence. Love wasn’t enough to get them home, and prayer was a
slim hope, too. The crew of the Forgiveness knew that they were going where they weren’t wanted when
they’d signed up for a trip to Despina. Neptune told them nothing when he wrapped their starship in his
wrath and flung them here, beyond all maps and hope of return.
She splashed her face with water from the sink. No moping today. No poetry. She was a rock, upright and
steady. In the dim light of her quarters, Captain Tamara Lowery of the M.U. Forgiveness dressed herself
and straightened, making her face the same mask of resolute confidence that she wore for her crew every
day, and stepped through her door —
And into madness. Gone, the familiar corridors of glassteel and ultraplastic. In their place were high,
crumbling walls of weathered stone. The floors were strewn with dust and debris, and overhead the sky
— sky, she thought, on my damned ship — was ominous red streaked with clouds of offensive neon pink
that hurt to look at for longer than a blink.
Captain Lowery looked down, activating the communicator on her wrist. She called out for a sitrep from
anyone who was listening. At first all she got back was static, but she scrolled up the comm frequencies,
examining the noise. The pattern reminded her of the signals she’d once gotten from the background
radiation of a dying star, and once she knew what to scrub out, the signal came in clear and easy.
“Captain,” a voice came from the communicator. It was a brave voice, but rattled, and it belonged to
Lieutenant Jackson. Jarrod was her youngest officer, a baby-faced engineering genius who’d never been
outside of the Sol system before…well, before all that unpleasantness with Neptune, the planet and God
alike. “I’ve got your signal locked now, Captain Lowery. I’m having trouble keeping up with everyone;
the bridge is still here but the other floors have been overtaken by some sort of extradimensional
incursion.”
“You’ve got a read on me,” the Captain said, her voice meticulously even-keeled. “That’s good. Good
work, lieutenant.” She didn’t have to see the man to imagine him taking a big breath out. Jackson was a
good kid, but he flailed around if you cut him off from other people. He didn’t need praise, just contact.
Another voice on the comm line. And one day, he’d grow into the confidence he deserved. “Can you get a
read on my surroundings?”
“The incursion continues throughout most of your deck, but I think you could still get to the maglift. It’s
hard to be sure though; the interference on sensors is a lot thicker than on comms, and even when I get
something concrete, the whole place is just a mess, captain, just —”
Tamara Lowery didn’t hear what Jackson said next. Something else pricked her attention. As casually as
she could, she peered around a turn in the stone wall. More walls greeted her. Many, many more;
branching off in at countless intersections. And there, fifty yards away and stalking towards her, was
something so big and so heavy that the walls shook with its every step. It reminded her of a minotaur, but
wrong — the horns curled like a ram’s before forking like a deer; the fur was a garish motley of blue and
yellow; the snout had a hardness to it, like a beak. It saw her and sped towards her, its war cry enough to
deafen her to whatever else Jackson was saying, still.
That was the Tenebrium, through and through — just familiar enough to get an inkling of what was
happening, but alien enough that you couldn’t coast along on what you knew from home.
“It’s a maze, lieutenant,” she said, taking off at a run. She chose her path second by second, putting as
many turns between her and the creature as she could manage. With luck, it wouldn’t be able to build up
too much momentum that way. “Get those sensors sorted out now and point me towards the maglift.”
Space Odyssey
“We are all explorers driven to know what's over the horizon, what's beyond our
own shores. And yet the more I've experienced, the more I've learned that no
matter how far we travel, or how fast we get there, the most profound
discoveries are not necessarily beyond that next star. They're within us, woven
into the threads that bind us, all of us, to each other.”
— Jonathan Archer, Enterprise
The year is Stellar Advent 127. Just over a century ago, humanity took its first toddling steps beyond its
solar system, sailing hyperspace Otherworlds on the winds of mathematics and prayer. Mortals and
Scions stride the decks of starships and space colonies, their lives lit by new suns far from home. The
universe is incomprehensibly vast, and the people of the Worlds (now plural) still struggle with all the
sniping, striving, sorrowful challenges of mortal life, but even the Gods look down from their heavens
with a sense of wonder at this new reality.
This is not a story of the Worlds, though.
The cosmos is as vast, and full of wonders, yes — but terrors too, and strange places where Legend and
Fate twist themselves into improbable knots. The Gods are equally vast in their wrath and secrets. Even as
they smile upon their star-faring worshippers, they play favorites, punish hubris, and sometimes act on
pure caprice.
Beyond the Worlds, beyond the stellar winds that connect the many systems settled by humanity and
those yet to be reached, there lies the Tenebrium. It is a seething cauldron of myth that ensnares those
caught within its borders. Here can be found the cast-aways and exiles, unfortunate explorers and proud
fools who spat upon the Gods of stellar travel.
And here you are.
How did you come to be here, unfortunate soul? Which God cast you into this cursed Tenebrium, and for
what sin? Did you come here willingly, thinking it might be home to secret treasures? Or perhaps you
were born here as the heir to a marooned crew or a child of the alien civilizations who call this place
home. What will you do in this place so badly in need of heroes? And most of all: will you ever see
beyond the Tenebrium again?
Play to find out.

Introduction
Space Odyssey is a shard that looks to one of Scion’s possible futures, recasting the children of the Gods
as the main characters of a space opera. It is intended for Origin and Hero-Tier characters.
The following sections are intended for everyone who’s interested in exploring this shard, players and
Storyguides alike:
• Introduction: You’re reading this even as we speak!
• New Player Options: We’ll cover rules for designing and operating space vessels, as well as a
new Flashback system offering ways to connect adventures in the Tenebrium with the Band’s unfurling
backstory, focusing on discovering story beats in play.
• Key Players: A who’s who of the major factions and notable individuals in the Tenebrium.
• Locations: A brief look at what the Worlds you left behind are like, and the general nature and
major locales of the Tenebrium.
The sections that follow are intended for Storyguides only — would-be players, look away! (Or don’t;
hubris is famously always rewarded.)
• Plots & Schemes: Collections of plot seeds — planetary adventures, deep space encounters, and
stellar intrigues fit to test the mettle of any crew.
• Antagonists & Storyguide Characters: A selection of essential enemies and alleged allies to
offer hindrance and help to those who sail the Tenebrium.

Genre
Space operas are melodramas set among the stars, tales of hard choices and heroism upon that infamously
final frontier. Space Odyssey moves the clock forward on the World by over a century and a half,
envisioning a future where mortal ingenuity and blessings from Scions and Gods alike open up deep
space exploration. Dozens of solar systems are now part of the Worlds, plural. People live on colonies and
a handful of terraformed moons and planets, building new communities and seeking out rare and unusual
resources.
By default, the shard assumes that the Worlds are… not hard science fiction, with its meticulous attention
to scientific detail, but comfortably medium. Humanity hasn’t yet encountered any real “aliens,” but their
Legends have always imagined other planets as the abodes of the Gods, and all myths are true. Venus is a
barren world, impossibly hot and toxic, but it also home to courts for Aphrodite and Inanna; it is the
Metal Star, where golden palaces to the Shén dot the landscape; it is the holy redoubt of the sage-saint
Shukra, who givens counsel to Gods and Titans alike.
The Tenebrium, then — a region of deepest space inspired by the trials of the Odyssey — is stranger. It’s
“soft” science fiction, home to impossible empires, strange planets, and alien Denizens. It’s a place where
we hand-wave away the particulars of distance and logistics in favor of bold adventure, hopping from
planet to planet in search of the next great challenge on the long road home.
Technologically speaking, the Worlds have faster-than-light travel, but it’s still relatively local in scale.
Blasters are a thing, but no matter replicators. People travel down to the planet by shuttle, not teleporter.
Inhabitants of the Tenebrium might have a few of those, but they’re usually unique, experimental, or
frustratingly weird — they’re one-off wonders and unique advantages, not something every ship is going
to have.
This shard is intended for Origin and Hero-Tier characters cast adrift in the Tenebrium, struggling to
understand its mysteries, leave their mark upon its worlds, and perhaps even escape to return to the
Worlds. By default, it assumes that characters will begin their exile to the Tenebrium as Origin characters
and receive their Visitation as part of their adventures.
It’s worth remembering that even Origin-Tier characters can and should be lowercase-h heroic. The crews
in space operas are often highly trained individuals hand-selected for difficult missions, skilled outlaws
with diverse sets of expertise, or otherwise notably competent. Even stowaways and hitchhikers are
usually exceptional, bringing unique perspectives and talents to their crew. You don’t have to be a Hero
to be a hero.

Setting
The launch of the first Hyperspace drive marked the beginning of the Stellar Advent era, a new age for
humanity where mortals and Gods alike could stretch their hands towards the cosmos. More than a
century later, humans have settled planets, moons, and colonies throughout dozens of local star systems.
New nations rise on distant worlds; others stretch across many planets in many systems, forming
interstellar polities. Wars are fought, ideologies flourish and wither, and new technologies and societies
rise to meet new needs.
Hyperspace is the medium that makes such expansion possible, allowing starships to sail through the
cosmos at the speed of metaphor. With it, ships can travel light years in months, weeks — perhaps even
days, when the strange myth-currents of Hyperspace align just right. Hyperspace itself is actually a
collection of related Axes Mundi, all with their own local tides and eddies, their own opportunities and
perils. And like all Axes Mundi, travel through Hyperspace is not a simple process of motion in a
direction, but instead a journey made according to the dictates of Legend and Fate, measured in
challenges, trials, and revelations.
When humanity took to the stars, they found their Gods already there to meet them. The heavens were
always divine, after all. Many Gods position their Scions at the forefront of these explorations, claiming
new worlds and discoveries as sacred to their patron. Others tend to interplanetary worship, cultivating
their creed across entire solar systems. Though humanity has yet to find truly alien life, Denizens can be
found in places sanctified to their Gods, already adapting themselves to new and often hostile
environments — like the Nu-Bennu of Lacaille 9352-a who soar on winds of superheated plasma, or the
sea giants of Episol Eridani-b.
Beyond the Worlds, though, there are strange regions of space and Hyperspace alike. The most infamous
of these is the Tenebrium. It is fabled even among Heroes, a distant bubble of reality home to the
universe’s flotsam and jetsam. Those who anger the Gods may find themselves cast adrift here, where no
Hyperspace jump is ever sufficient to take them home. When cosmologists draft their maps of the Worlds,
the Tenebrium is apocrypha, the unspoken footnote: Here there be aliens, maybe.
This shard casts the player characters into the Tenebrium, ripping them out of space as they know it.
Within this wayward region, they will find wonders of science and divinity, extraordinary dangers, and
opportunities to test their mettle. Those who draw the attention of the Gods for their exploits here may
even receive the great gift of Visitation, endowing them with ichor or quickening the heritage that has lain
dormant inside them.

Nations of the Future

We’re only mentioning a few potential nations and polities in Stellar Advent 127
because they’re primarily background material that won’t be seen much “on
screen.” Players are free to invent the circumstances of their character’s
nationality, whether it’s a direct continuation of a modern power (somehow,
Belgium has remained all but identical), a political bloc (the North American
Union, grudgingly formed during a period of American decline and Canadian
ascendance), or something entirely fictional (the Archimedean Project, a space
colony in the Altair system founded on utopian principles).

Inspirational Material
Space Odyssey is inspired by a wide range of spacefaring media, but especially the original 1966 Star
Trek and its modern-contemporary prequel, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. These series follow the
highly trained and hyper-competent crews of the USS Enterprise as they “seek out new life and new
civilizations.” Episodes generally focus on a single new discovery, whether that’s a planet, other ship, or
sci-fi phenomenon of unknown origin, before flying away at the end. While the original Trek is classic for
a reason, Strange New Worlds offers a better model for how to do well-contained, episodic storytelling
that still provides emotional arcs for characters.
Inside the Tenebrium, the shard is strongly inspired by the series Farscape, with its vividly strange
settings as the backdrop for one man’s journey home, as well as Star Trek: Voyager for travelers
stranded in uncharted space. It also draws from classic sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf, especially the show’s
spacefaring encounters in its fifth and sixth seasons. Andromeda offers a few glimpses of a similarly
vivid (and at times, mythic) galaxy.
The Worlds beyond the Tenebrium might draw from slightly more grounded series like Firefly, Mobile
Suit Gundam, and Babylon 5 — despite movement towards a Star Trek-style utopian future, the Worlds
are still embroiled in humanity’s historical problems of war and inequality, and interstellar technology is
cumbersome.

Where to Start
Players and the Storyguide have a big decision to make prior to beginning a Space Odyssey chronicle:
Should they begin at the very beginning, or in medias res? While this choice is often one a Storyguide
might make for themselves, making the choice a conversation between everyone at the table can help to
start the game on a collaborative footing.
Pilot Episode: Groups that want to start before their characters are stranded in the Tenebrium have the
opportunity to explore some aspects of their backstories and to establish a “status quo,” which can make
their exile into uncharted space more dramatic by having something to compare it to. Doing so might be
boring to some players, because it’s a prelude where they know the ending — the Band will end up
stranded in the Tenebrium, and nothing they can do will change that (without abruptly finishing the
chronicle, at least).
Groups may enjoy these games best if they allow these opening sessions in the Worlds to set up the stakes
and starting position for the group in the Tenebrium: How deeply will you offend the Gods to wind up
there? What damage will your ship endure in the passage? Who among the Storyguide characters will
survive and remain loyal on the other side? While the general outcome might be known, there’s still
plenty of room for players to gain or lose advantages.
In Medias Res: Like so much of this shard’s inspirational material, the group might choose to begin in
the thick of action, with the crew already stranded in the Tenebrium. It’s up to the group to decide how
long they’ve been there, though, which will shape how familiar the characters are with their new
surroundings. A crew that’s only been there for a few days might still be struggling to bring their ship’s
systems back online, while one that’s been there for a year will already have a modest reputation among
the peoples of the Tenebrium.
This might be a better choice for groups who are interested in jumping into episodic adventures,
especially if they’re using Flashbacks (p. XX) to flesh out their backstories organically throughout the
chronicle. It could also be the better call for groups returning to the Tenebrium with a new Band, or for
those who want the crew to be Tenebrium natives.
In either case, the group also needs to figure out how or why they ended up in the Tenebrium. Some
options include:
• Neptune has forbidden exploration of his titular planet’s moons. He offers neither explanation nor
compromise, and even Godly rivals remain tight-lipped about his motives or what the moons may
conceal. As the crew of Forgiveness, a vessel outfitted by the enigmatic Galactic Exploration Academy,
you embark on a doomed expedition attempting to scan the moon Despina, hoping that a flare-up in a
nascent Titanomachy will distract the sea God from his wrath.
• The Martian Union has known about the Tenebrium for decades, studying a fractal rift through
which their scientists can sometimes glimpse fragments of the wonders beyond. Even knowing that it is a
one-way journey, the nation assembles a crew of its finest scientists and explorers — those willing to risk
it all for a chance to dare the impossible. Thrice-blessed for their courage by Ares, Heru, and Mangala,
the MU Javelin approaches the rift, its crew waiting on tenterhooks for what comes next.
• The smugglers who hide in the spatial anomalies surrounding Sigma Draconis know that they’re
living on the knife’s edge. Gravitational torrents can shear a hull in two, and even Hyperspace doesn’t
always work as it’s supposed to. In short: The perfect place for charted space’s most infamous casino, a
hive of criminal activity under the auspices of shadowy Isfet. The crew of Dolorous Lark assembled for
one last job, signing on to escape debts, seek revenge, or test their skills… but whether they leave with a
mint in house money or nothing but the clothes on their back, they’ll find themselves exiled by the Titan
beyond all hope of home.

New Player Options

The rules below provide players with a way to build and crew the starships of their dreams. In addition,
rules for Flashbacks provide a new type of temporary Path/special Deed that can help make a character’s
past relevant in the Tenebrium.

Starships
Space is vast, and people are small, squishy, and usually lack the ability to travel near, at, or beyond the
speed of light. If you want to get around and you’re not capable of personally folding spacetime like an
origami crane, starships are your best bet. Even better, they’re (often) stylish, comfortable, or at the very
least warmer than the vacuum of space.
Starships in Tenebrium are like characters unto themselves, built with their own Paths and a handful of
Attributes to represent their key systems. Characters use these Ship Attributes along with their Skills
when rolling starship-scale actions — outrunning an enemy fighter combines the helmsman’s Pilot with
the ship’s Engines, while repairing damaged systems tests a technician’s Technology alongside the ship’s
Durability.

Ship Attributes
Starships have five Attributes: Amenities, Engineering, Maneuverability, Sensors, and Weaponry.
Amenities cover a ship’s general livability, which can be essential during long and difficult voyages. It’s
usually paired with Leadership for rallying crew morale, but it can also be used with Empathy to identify
personnel problems, Integrity to ferret out sabotage, or Persuasion to impress visitors.
Engineering covers a ship’s hull, shields, and other defenses, along with the ease of repairs and
modifications. It usually pairs with Technology, but it can also be combined with Leadership to
coordinate wide-scale projects, and Occult or Science to reconfigure the shields to deflect a miraculous or
mundane phenomenon, respectively.
Maneuverability covers the ship’s speed and agility, helping it to outrun pursuers, meet deadlines, and
navigate dangerous areas of space. It can be paired with Pilot for almost any actions, but you can also use
Close Combat for getting into or out of a skirmish, Subterfuge to hide among debris, or Technology to
overclock the engines.
Sensors covers the ship’s capacity to detect and analyze the outside world, whether you’re scanning a
planet for signs of life or tracking down a hidden space station. It usually pairs with Science, but it can
also be used with Academics or Culture to access alien databases, Occult to analyze miraculous
intervention, and Medicine or Survival to detect life forms.
Weaponry covers a ship’s…well, weapons. Not all ships are equipped with these, but most have some
defenses, especially in the Tenebrium. It’s usually paired with Firearms for attacks at a great distance or
Close Combat (with the understanding that “close” is still a relative term for starships) for more intimate
engagements. It can also be paired with Culture or Empathy to outwit enemy defenders, Leadership to
launch coordinated attacks, or Technology to use unwieldy alien weapons.

Ship Paths
Starships get three Paths, just like the characters who inhabit them: Origin, Crew, and Destiny. Like
character Paths, they can be invoked for connections and contacts, bonus dice, or twists of fate (Origin, p.
99).
The Origin Path covers the ship’s original purpose — who built it and why. This might reflect the
quality or priorities of the builders, the integration of experimental or alien technology, or other unique
aspects of the ship.
Examples: United Mars Deep Space Exploration Vessel, invoked to interface with other Martian
technology or survive long journeys without replenishing supplies; Experimental Wukong-Class Engines,
invoked to impress Shén explorers or make unusually short-range hops in hyperspace; or Rogue Smuggler
Retrofit, invoked to blend in with criminals or conceal illicit cargo from scans.
The Crew Path reflects the general disposition and spirit of the ship’s crew, often focusing on either a
shared background or common talents. This Path can sometimes change in play as a result of major
shakeups in the Crew; the Storyguide and players should work together to determine how to best reflect
these changes in the new wording of their Path.
Examples: The Best and Brightest, invoked to rally a crew of handpicked elite officers and inspire them to
their highest heights; Misfit Criminals, invoked to draw on the crew’s diverse history and black-market
expertise; or Plucky Up-and-Comers, invoked to jump into danger or start making a name for themselves.
The Destiny Path sketches out a mission, a shared goal the crew and ship strive towards. Sometimes it’s
the ship’s true Fate; other times, it’s exactly what Fate is conspiring to prevent.
Examples: The Long Voyage Home, invoked to inspire others who are trying to escape the Tenebrium;
Seeking the Horizon, invoked for missions of exploration and discovery; or Appeasing the Gods, invoked
for crews seeking atonement and mercy.

Starship Creation
Creating a starship follows many of the same steps as creating any other Storypath character, listed below.
Groups should collaborate to build their starting ship as part of Session Zero, though this doesn’t need to
be the ship they were originally stranded in — a group might instead build the vessel they’ll receive
shortly after arriving in the Tenebrium, for example.

Concept
Decide on the general concept of the ship — is it a sleek, state-of-the-art cruiser from a major stellar
power; a beat-up junker retrofitted for smuggling; or a techno-organic starwhale domesticated as a living
vessel?
Paths
Describe the starship’s Origin, Crew, and Destiny paths, and discuss what these mean for the group. What
will “Deep Space Exploration Frigate” mean in play? How will the crew of “Hard-Nosed
Revolutionaries” get along during the chronicle?

Attributes
Divide seven dots among the Ship Attributes, which all start at 1 for free. None can be higher than 5.

Finishing Touches
Starships begin with four Injury Levels, just like normal characters: Bruised, Injured, Maimed, and Taken
Out. These represent damage, malfunctions, sabotage, and other shipwide problems that impede the
vessel’s overall function. Ships automatically gain an additional Bruised level if they start with
Engineering 4 or higher.
Choose a size for your ship, determining its Scale (see below). Most groups will do best with Scale 3 for
an intimate game with a handful of recurring Storyguide crew members, or Scale 4 for a more diverse,
episode-driven supporting cast.
Starships with crews at the Hero Tier may begin to develop a Legend of their own, starting at 1 and rising
to match the Band’s as they progress. Each dot of Legend provides an additional dot of Ship Attribute,
allocated at the group’s choice. At Legend 2, 3, and 4, the group also choose one of the ship’s Paths to
enhance, allowing it to also function as a Legendary Title for starship actions.

Starship Actions
Starship actions are not just a single act on a character’s part, but an abstraction of many individual
choices, usually over a long period of time. Characters can still take normal actions, such as using
Technology + Intellect to repair a malfunctioning console or Science + Cunning to reconfigure a shield to
filter out a new pathogen, but starship actions help to model large-scale endeavors that affect the entire
ship at the same time. They’re also useful tools that the Storyguide can invoke to help frame the start of
an episode or the outcome of downtime.
These actions suggest both general difficulties and potential Complications. Storyguides are encouraged
to combine these two effectively — usually a low base difficulty and one or two Complications based on
the ship’s circumstances. This helps to ensure that even low rolls push the story forward, forcing players
to choose between potential Complications in order to establish what kind of dramatic challenges the
crew is facing next.

Boosting Starship Actions

Starship actions represent vast, cooperative efforts that combine the crew’s skills and the ship’s
capabilities. Even small ships are usually operating at a Scale that mortals can’t tackle on their own — but
Scions (and Origin-Tier Scions-in-waiting) are just the kind of people who can make that push. Most
Knacks, Boons, marvels, and similar powers just don’t have the oomph to affect anything but the smallest
ship on their own, but characters receive +1 Enhancement to a starship roll if they describe how they
leverage these supernatural talents as part of the crew. If several characters chip in their powers in
tandem, this increases to +2 Enhancement.
Starships have Size-based Scale as follows:
• Scale 1: Small shuttles, sortie fighters; single crew member
• Scale 2: Personal star-yachts; two or three crew members
• Scale 3: Independent transport vessels, smugglers; a dozen crew members
• Scale 4: Trading and science vessels, heavy cargo haulers; several dozen crew members
• Scale 5: Warships, deep space exploration vessels; hundreds of crew members
• Scale 6+: Galactic hiveships; thousands of crew members

Crew Morale
Long, difficult journeys tax the mental health and morale of even the most hardened crews, and effective
captains know when to apply pressure and when to let them blow off steam. This action models the
overall fitness of the crew during tense or extended periods.
This is usually rolled by a captain or other command officer using Leadership alongside the ship’s
Amenities. A counselor or medical officer might roll with Empathy or Medicine instead, while a morale
officer might use Persuasion.
The base difficulty is usually 2, increasing if the crew has a negative Attitude towards the captain, one
another, their duties, or their mission. Potential Complications include:
Ennui (1-3): The crew is listless, exhausted, or hopeless, despairing that their mission is impossible. If
not bought off, their Attitudes towards the ship and its goals sours by one step, and the Atmosphere
aboard ship becomes one of quiet despair.
Frayed Nerves (1-3): Pushed to the breaking point, the crew are ready to turn on one another. If not
bought off, any Bonds between crew members lose one success and failed Intrigue actions among crew
members provoke short-tempered responses.
Insubordination (1-5): An especially stressed crew member or faction is ready to break ranks. If not
bought off, one or more Storyguide characters abandon the ship, attempt to overthrow the captain, or
refuse to work.

Evasive Maneuvers
Starships move at vast speeds, but even simple maneuvers require tremendous, coordinated efforts. This
action models efforts to evade pursuit, hide the ship, or otherwise get out of trouble.
This is usually rolled by a helm officer using their Pilot and the ship’s Maneuverability.
The base difficulty is 2, or 3 in open space without any nearby planets, asteroids, or other elements to
leverage. Potential Complications include:
Dogged Pursuit (1-3): You can run, but you can’t hide. If not bought off, an opposing ship is able to
match your speed — you’re far enough ahead to stay out of their reach, but only if you keep going.
Alternatively, you’re leaving a trail that anyone can follow.
Overclocking (1-3): You can get away, but it taxes the engines to the limits. While you escape trouble,
you begin the next scene with the Adrift Condition until you can make extensive and often costly repairs.
Until then, you’re left to drift with only minimal thrusters to adjust course, and can’t attempt further
Escape Maneuvers.
Perilous Course (1-5): Your escape plan takes you through dangerous territory. If not bought off, you
suffer one or more Injury Conditions based on the severity of the danger. This might include scraping the
hull in an asteroid storm, overloading the shields to hide in a gas giant, or other plans that put the ship’s
safety at great risk.

Hyperspace Jump
Traveling through Hyperspace is a dangerous and uncertain prospect; even the finest ship with the most
seasoned pilots sometimes get it wrong because Hyperspace is a shifting, churning, mutable place of
myth-logic and metaphor. This action models the process of plotting a jump, navigating Hyperspace
itself, and emerging in a (relatively) safe position.
This is usually rolled by whoever is directly controlling the ship, using their Pilot and the ship’s
Maneuverability. Specialist Hyperspace navigators might use Occult instead, intuiting the mythic currents
of the Axes Mundi.
The Storyguide sets the difficulty for a Hyperspace Jump — usually 2, though particularly distant or
obscure locations, or those in unstable patches of the Tenebrium, could increase this up to 5. Potential
Complications include:
Leap of Faith (1-3): Pressed to jump without making the necessary calculations, the ship will exit
Hyperspace at a location of the Storyguide’s choosing. If not bought off, that location is going to be
notably inconvenient, dangerous, or both.
Subspace Anomalies (1-3): Attempting to enter Hyperspace too close to gravitational, quantum, or other
spatial anomalies can inflict considerable damage. If not bought off, the ship suffers one Injury Condition
for difficulty 1 or 2, or two for difficulty 3.
Stuck at the Exit (1-3): The crew is pushing the ship’s Hyperspace engines too far, too fast. If not bought
off, they come out of the jump with the Grounded Condition until they have time to either make extensive
repairs to the engine or secure additional fuel.

Zoom In, Zoom Out

Travel in an Axis Mundi like Hyperspace usually plays out over a number of
interesting events, measuring “distance” in terms of drama. Hyperspace Jump
actions abstract that even farther, but groups may still wish to play out moments
during the time in Hyperspace, either as brief vignettes or even an entire session
during particularly tense or emotionally charged times.

Major Repairs
Starships have many interlocking systems, and implementing effective repairs demands skill, resources,
and ingenuity. This action models the work of large-scale repairs and retrofitting, whether fixing the hull
after a disastrous battle or incorporating the alien technology of the Tenebrium into a Martian freighter.
This is usually rolled by an engineering officer, using their Technology and the ship’s Engineering.
The difficulty for repairs is based on the Injury Condition to be repaired — 1 for Bruised, 2 for Injured, 4
for Maimed, and 5 for Taken Out. Other actions like retrofitting are usually difficulty 2 or 3, at the
Storyguide’s discretion. Potential complications include:
Midnight Oil (1-3): The project is larger than the repair crew can reasonably handle given the time
frame. If not bought off, characters involved in the repairs suffer the Burn Out Condition until they have
extensive time to rest and recuperate, taking a −1 penalty to actions requiring physical and mental stamina
and worsening their Attitude towards their fellow crew by one.
Expensive (1-3): The project is an enormous drain on the ship’s resources. If not bought off, the ship
suffers the Shortage Condition, taking a −1 penalty to a Ship Attribute related to the shortage until they
have the opportunity to restock. Alternatively, they might not be able to finalize the project at all until
they take on needed supplies, forcing the crew to seek out a suitable source.

Scan and Survey

Conducting a large-scale scan is a difficult and time consuming even for the most advanced ships. This
action models the work of designing a survey, adjusting parameters, and interpreting vast quantities of
data to arrive at a useful result.
This is usually rolled by a science officer, using their Science and the ship’s Sensors. Analyzing
civilizations by examining their broadcasts might use Culture instead. Success results in useful
information about the scanned area’s “current status,” and extra successes can be spent for further clues or
clarifications as per investigation stunts (Origin, p. 75).
The difficulty for a scan is usually 2. Potential complications include:
Dead Zones (1-3): Anomalies or jamming make it difficult to get clear readings. If not bought off, certain
areas in the scanned region can’t be properly assessed, or an entire type of finding like life signs can’t
register.
Vast Scope (1-5): The scale of the area to be scanned slows the process, inflicting up to a level 5
Complication for surveying vast regions of the Tenebrium. If not bought off, the scan takes orders of
magnitude longer to finish, though it can often be continued “in the background” while the crew takes
other actions.

Ship-to-Ship Combat
Battles in space play out over vast distances, and even the fastest and most maneuverable ships still
operate at a speed that requires and rewards strategic thinking as much as tactical decision-making. This
action models a single round of such an encounter.
In a space opera, ship-to-ship combat is rarely to the death. Instead, it forces crews to determine when to
cut their losses and run, or sets them up for boarding and capture.
This is usually rolled by a tactical officer or captain, using their Firearms or Close Combat and the ship’s
Weaponry. Success opens up the following Stunts:
Inflict Damage (0): Deal an Injury Condition to a ship of your Scale or lower. If the opposing ship has
higher Scale, this stunt’s cost increases by 1 for each point of difference.
Spread Fire (2): Deal an Injury Condition to an additional ship of your Scale or lower. If the opposing
ship has higher Scale, this stunt’s cost increases by 1 for each point of difference. This stunt can be
purchased multiple times for additional targets.
Critical Hit (4): Deal an additional Injury Condition to a ship you’ve hit with Inflict Damage or Spread
Fire.
Targeted Fire (2): Disable one of the ship’s systems of your choice until they can make repairs, such as
hyperdrive, thrusters, communications, etc.
The difficulty of Ship-to-Ship Combat is 1; if your ship’s Scale is lower than the target, it increases by the
difference — so a Scale 3 ship launching an attack on a vast Scale 5 starwhale is difficulty 3. Potential
Complications include:
Ambush (1-2): Opponents are waiting in the wings to get the jump on the ship. If not bought off,
opposing forces fire first, inflicting an Injury Condition before the ship can respond.
Return Fire (1-3): Almost all encounters include this Complication based on the enemy’s firepower; if
not bought off, the ship suffers an Injury Condition.

Flashbacks
The premise of Space Odyssey means that characters will be almost entirely estranged from their
backstories, marooned in a region of space far from the circumstances that shaped them into the people
they are today. Groups interested in exploring those backstories can use Flashbacks to help bring these
elements into focus.
At the start of each session, the Storyguide can ask for a volunteer or suggest a character to highlight with
a Flashback, framing a brief scene about a relationship, challenge, or opportunity from before the
Tenebrium. Players might have particular ideas they want to explore, or choose to be surprised by asking
the Storyguide and other players to invent a dramatically charged situation the character was engaged in.
The Flashback doesn’t have to be a fully fleshed-out scene; even something as simple as a few back-and-
forth exchanges can suffice. A Flashback ends when the character is presented with a point of uncertainty:
Will they make a choice, take a risk, commit a crime? This is left deliberately uncertain, and the
Storyguide and players should look for opportunities during the episode to reveal the character’s choice in
an interesting or dramatic way. This often means creating situations that feel similar to that choice,
forcing the character into a similarly tense decision point.
While a character has an unresolved Flashback, her player can invoke it like a Path to gain bonus dice or
introduce a Twist of Fate under similar situations. Resolving a Flashback counts as a special Deed. It
doesn’t need to happen in the same episode a Flashback was introduced — it can simmer on the
backburner as long as it needs to. Once each member of the Band has had the opportunity to resolve a
Flashback of their own, all characters receive 3 bonus experience, and the cycle begins again.
Groups looking to play around with Flashbacks can consider some or all of the following modifications:
Sharing the Spotlight: Two or more characters might be featured in a Flashback, showing a pre-existing
connection from before they were stranded in the Tenebrium. Both characters have to experience or
reveal something about themselves to resolve a shared Flashback, but doing so counts for both of them in
reaching the experience bonus.
Side Stories: While Flashbacks are intended as opportunities for players to set up interesting drama for
their characters, some groups might be interested in exploring the lives and motivations of other crew
members or recurring characters. This could be a good way to frame a side-story for an episode where all
players can’t be there, to take a break once all characters have already framed a Flashback of their own, or
to explore a side character who’s taking on a more prominent role. The Storyguide can narrate the scene,
ask for a volunteer to take on the character’s role for the Flashback, or leave it to the whole group to
discuss. Resolving a side character’s Flashback requires the Band to interact with that character in a way
that changes their relationships moving forward, and awards everyone one bonus experience.
The Beating Heart of Darkness: Like side characters, the players might be interested in exploring the
experiences and motivations of their antagonists. Using a Flashback on an antagonist ensures that
something that happened in the Flashback will be relevant to the Band in the coming episode — while
there’s no promise that the player characters will find out everything that happened in that character’s
backstory, they always end up discovering something interesting, juicy, or useful. Resolving a Flashback
with an antagonist works like doing so for a side character: When the Band leverages what they’ve
learned to change their relationship with the antagonist (for better or worse), they each gain one bonus
experience.

Key Players
The Tenebrium is home to truly countless sentient beings, aligning themselves into stellar empires,
interplanetary syndicates, and loose alliances. Learning to navigate these ever-shifting power blocs is one
of the first and hardest lessons learned by those marooned in the Tenebrium.

Tenebrians
To outsiders from the Worlds, Tenebrians clearly resemble Denizens or titanspawn: The fox-featured
Vulpari have the alluring grace of kitsune, and the shapeshifting, feline Oncarians would strike any Teōtl-
faithful as a vast civilization of jaguar nahual. This resemblance is skewed and distorted, though, as if the
Tenebrians reflect some cast-off variants of these Denizen myths. For all their resemblance to kitsune, the
Vulpari are stoic rather than exuberant, delighting in lives of intellectual one-upmanship as they
undermine rivals with logical proofs and well-published critiques. The Oncarians see themselves not as
humans changing into animals, but animals changing into humans — and given that humans only started
arriving in the Tenebrium a century ago, they have built an elaborate (and inaccurate) mythology of their
own about what these lightly-haired forms represent.
While there are too many Tenebrian civilizations to name, the following are relatively influential peoples
common not just on their homeworlds but across the Tenebrium:
• Kheprians are petite insectoid bipeds with thick, beetle-like wings that they can use to glide.
They can be found throughout the Tenebrium as technicians, couriers, and entertainers, famed for their
nimbleness. They’re sometimes stereotyped as chirpy, saccharine, or otherwise toxically positive because
many of their cultures venerate hope as the most powerful of all emotions. Their cells are capable of
stunning feats of regeneration, giving them an exaggerated reputation as unkillable. Their faiths often
worship Re in his aspect as Khepri, but also include insectoid Mantles of Freyr, Ioskeha, and a version of
Nüwā as a vast star-centipede.
• Labyrinthians are looming, bull-featured people like the minotaurs of Greece. They have no
home planet, instead coming from a pocket dimension known as the Labyrinth — a place they were
exiled to by their nameless creators in an age of mystery and tragedy. They are uncommon in the
Tenebrium, but famed for their strength, cunning, and adamant will. They also possess extraspatial
instincts honed in the Labyrinth which make them especially keen Hyperspace navigators. Their myths
venerate Labyrinthian versions of Prince Nezha, Ītzpāpālōtl, and other intense Gods of decisiveness and
cunning.
• Lumivores are dark-scaled humanoids with long, serpentine bodies instead of legs. They are
capable of safely consuming many forms of radiation for sustenance, which allowed their civilization to
experiment wildly with nuclear power — and destroy six moons in the process. They are often thought of
as reckless, but also intellectually insatiable, pursuing scientific projects with little heed of danger. A
second radiation-eating species, the lupine Fen, were once native to the polar regions of their homeworld,
but have since been decimated and driven to diaspora throughout the Tenebrium. Lumivore faiths often
center an unusually heroic and inquisitive Mantle of Bakunawa, the species’ progenitor and a patron of
insatiable curiosity.
• Myrkians resemble the dwarves of the Æsir, with skin in every dark shade — true black,
midnight blue, and the deepest browns, crimsons, purples, and greens. They come from the tidally locked
world of Myrk and are adapted to life in perpetual darkness; when they travel, they do so with heavy suits
and visors to protect their sensitive eyes. Their technology is among the most formidable in the
Tenebrium, exported from their legendary forge-moons to outfit stellar armadas and slake the thirst of
industries throughout the region. Their faiths venerate Gods of creation and craft, including Ògún,
Hephaestus, Ioskeha, Huangdi, and Asherah.
• Namazoans are an amphibious species who stand seven feet tall, with thick muscles, durable
scales, and long whiskers they often decorate with beads, rings, and rope. They are all but feral in
childhood; adults wear a sacred stone to represent their coming-of-age and are known for their
meticulousness — making them especially prominent as bureaucrats, officers, and laborers in the Prime
Worlds, Travelling Empire, and Parhelion Complex. Their faiths center around a Mantle of Namazu that
grew from world-shaking terror to a wise-eyed conqueror, alongside Namazoan versions of Ganesha,
Òshun, and a shockingly chill Mantle of Pele.
• Oncarians resemble bipedal jaguars, with powerful builds and fur of crimson, navy, grey, brown,
or sable. They’re crepuscular, active primarily at dusk and dawn, which has shaped many of their cultures
to embrace liminality and reject overly constraining models of work, history, and time. Most are capable
of taking on a human shape, which they think of as a second face to be hidden from all but their most
beloved; to see an Oncarian’s human shape is to see them naked. Many Oncarian civilizations are
member-states of the Travelling Empire, but individuals can also be found as wandering artists,
ecologists, and trackers. Their faiths often center around Gods already associated with felines like Bast
and Tezcatlipoca.
• Syrmeads are technology made flesh, the fiber-optic nymphs of wire, cable, and cord. They
emerge from any technology left fallow, and so are native to Tenebrium’s junkyard-worlds and the
scuttled starship debris of ancient battles. While famously friendly, they guard their true feelings from
those with lifespans lesser than their own, which are measured in millennia. They can be found
throughout Tenebrium as navigators, inventors, and engineers, sometimes spreading their neural wiring
throughout starships to become their living figureheads. They usually adopt the faiths of their crewmates,
or the Gods of the dead ships they emerge from.
• The Unconquerables are living stone and reflect the pururaucas of the Apu — formidable
warriors gifted to an ancient Tenebrian civilization by the Gods. That civilization has long since
crumbled, leaving the Unconquerable as its heirs. They are one of the great powers of the Travelling
Empire, guiding its selection of asteroids in search of the precious composition of minerals from which
they can hew new Unconquerables. Though their records conflict as to which Gods originally granted
them life, their faiths often identify Gods associated with stone and mineral as their progenitors, whether
that’s Guacar, Pachamama, Lalahon, or Khnum.
• Vulpari are foxlike bipeds capable of running on all fours with alarming dexterity when needed.
Their cultures value an exceptionally dry wit and subtle insinuation, resulting in an especially byzantine
set of social rituals that other Tenebrians find impenetrable and exhausting. Other Tenebrians tend to
think of them as tedious, sly, eloquent, or quietly vicious, stereotyping them as ambitious academics,
amoral investigators, and ruthless executives. Their religions often center gods of learning and cunning,
including Vulpari guises for Athena and Brigid, alongside a Mantle of Inari uses rattling rice to help him
calculate the answer to ineffable physics equations.
• Yagans are the long-limbed folk of the forest-world of Vel. Gifted with psionic abilities, Yagans
find employment through the Tenebrium as investigators, counselors, and advocates, though this is
sometimes tempered by their cultural commitment to brutal honesty. They have little patience for the
small talk so many other civilizations embrace, instead cutting straight to the heart of every matter. This
honesty also means they are generally faithful to their word, and they expect others to honor both the
letter and spirit of any agreements. Yagan cults often venerate Gods of enlightenment like Tārā and
Sarasvati, or Gods of bargaining like Ek Chuaj and Hermes.
Dozens of other Tenebrian species exist. Players and Storyguides are encouraged to invent their own,
choosing a type of Denizen and putting a strange spin on them, especially in how they relate to space
travel, technology, and interstellar diplomacy.
Players who wish to take the role of a Tenebrian can do so as part of their Origin Path, choosing Knacks
to match, especially from the Denizen rules presented in Saints and Monsters (p. 33).

One Note Worlds

There’s a common trope in science fiction, casting entire species or cultures with
overly simple archetypes. Keep in mind that any zoomed-out conversation about
a large group is always going to be a major simplification — and one can hardly
imagine larger groups than interplanetary nations! Zooming in should always
reveal the diversity that talking about “a people” elides. Just because “the
Kheprians” are thought of as cheerfully optimistic doesn’t mean that every
Kheprian will be, and many might have a complex relationship to the values
ascribed to their species. Even when making generalizations here, we specifically
talk in plurals about their civilizations and faiths, because none are entirely
monolithic.

The Buzzards
Passage to the Tenebrium is a one-way journey, but ships often arrive at a handful of points known as the
Shoals — regions where newly-stranded ships and lost space-jetsam form dense fields of debris. Here,
among the scuttled vessels, one can find the Buzzards. They are a syndicate of Tenebrians from many
worlds, especially those near active Shoals, though Buzzard affiliates can be found throughout the
Tenebrium in the wreckage of ruined worlds, ship graveyards, and anywhere salvage can be had. Many
are also human, in whole or in-part — cast-aways to the Tenebrium often stay close to where they
entered, forming tiny enclaves or intermingling with Tenebrian allies.
The most altruistic Buzzards extort newcomers, presenting themselves as a “welcoming committee” here
to help them adjust while robbing them blind. More openly opportunistic crews launch attacks on recently
marooned ships, especially those that have already been damaged. Buzzard vessels are ramshackle affairs
held together by elbow grease and good will, but most crews are well-versed in guerilla tactics and have a
clear-eyed understanding when selecting targets of opportunity.

The Travelling Empire

The people of the Travelling Empire have no homeworld, having long abandoned it in favor of settling an
enormous asteroid known as KM-X. Ruled over by the Charioteers — a Scion dynasty dedicated to the
Devá Ketu and Rahu — the Travelling Empire are the undisputed masters of Hyperspace travel. Their
unwieldy fortress-ships need little speed or mobility, for they are outfitted with jump drives allowing
them to leap into and out of Hyperspace with unmatched precision. They take stray moons and planetoids
into their fleet, and they make war with comets for their cannonballs, launching orbital bombardments
that devastate enemy worlds.
For all their strength, however, the Travelling Empire is slow to anger and even slower to action. Fat with
the tribute of vassal-worlds and safe upon their bunker-colonies, the Empire and its people regard the
Tenebrium as a vast resource for their exploitation. Still, their complacency means that they have not
fought in anything more than the most minor skirmishes for nearly two centuries, leaving their military
untested and untempered even in the face of the growing influence of Parhelion Complex, the Prime
Current, and other rising powers.
Exiles from the Worlds are afforded indulgent charity from the Empire in exchange for information.
There are rumors that the Empire has or is developing a Hyperdrive capable of escaping the Tenebrium; if
true, access to so much new space might reignite the Empire’s now-languid thirst for tribute and conquest.

Parhelion Complex
There are many interstellar powers in the Tenebrium, but few match Parhelion Complex. What began
with a single ship — The Parhelion — has evolved into a corporate superpower exercising control over
dozens of star systems and wielding considerable influence beyond. Though the sprawling organization
includes hundreds of member-companies employing tens of millions of workers, it is dominated by its
Governance Council. Only the Scions of celestial deities are ever offered a seat on the Council, judging
themselves to be the literal and logical princes of the universe. They make no distinction between God
and Titan; the Governance Council has included Scions of Re and Aten alike, alongside the children of
Surya, Erlik Khan, and the Tzitzimime.
Parhelion Complex presents itself with slick propaganda, offering convenient services to the many worlds
under its influence. The company operates interstellar communications projects, entertainment
conglomerates, and consumer goods of every stripe — but they also have a stranglehold on vast swathes
of food production and arms manufacturing. All the while, it expects employees and citizens to smile as
they receive Parhelion’s beneficence. They are “the great beacon of light” upon the Tenebrium, and their
many sins are excusable (in the eyes of their subjects, at least) as the cost of civilization.

Dwellers
Great leviathans swim the Tenebrium. Some are serpents of superheated plasma; others are lacy nets of
nerve and tendril large enough to entangle starships. These are the Dwellers, alien Denizens of baffling
scope. Many are the foundations of entire ecosystems — the star-serpents of the Ophidian Nebula live in
symbiosis with the colonies of newt-like humanoids inside their vast organ systems. Others are
apocalyptic scourges of truly Titanic proportions who drink dry the stars or crush fleets in their
gravitational riptides.

The Gods
The people of the Tenebrium worship the Gods of Earth under Mantles both strange and familiar. Alien
civilizations may pray to Djehuty, Brigid, Òrìshà-Oko, or any other, reimagining the God in their own
image. Most civilizations offer homage to versions of many different pantheons, though there are also
those who are singularly dedicated to a specific set of Gods. The myths and exploits of the Gods of the
Tenebrium mirror those of the Worlds, though details sometimes change — on the planet Okano, mighty
Athena is depicted as an eagle-headed woman like the avian Okans; on the Forgeworld, Amaterasu’s
favor is depicted not by the sword, mirror, and jewel, but instead by the hammer, slate, and circuit.
Cast-aways from the Worlds sometimes note that the Gods of the Tenebrium are even more distant than
those they once knew. The region is home to hundreds of billions of souls, and yet Visitation is far rarer,
and true incarnation is all but unheard of. This light touch leaves even more divine authority to their
Scions, and any with the ambition can quickly rise to places of cultural, military, and corporate
prominence. Those familiar with the mechanics of Godhood may further note that there are very few
stories of Demigods among the Tenebrium, and those that do exist paint them in a dangerous and unstable
light. For the Tenebrians, the gap between Hero and God is a chasm none were meant to cross, and their
myths are rife with stories of those monsters who made the attempt and failed.

The House of Night

Only one God is known to make her home in the Tenebrium: Nyx dwells there in her full splendor,
having abandoned the Worlds. Some claim that she is the Tenebrium, but she is silent on the matter,
offering no insight. Her obsidian palace-moon orbits a dead star at the Tenebrium’s center, but her
servants and Scions can be found throughout, pursuing her enigmatic agenda. They do not interfere in the
affairs of nations and worlds, but in return they afford almost unlimited freedom to interfere with specific
people. When citizens go missing, lying governments sometimes say: They have gone to the House of
Night.
Those who attract the attention of Nyx and her servitors find them to be less capricious than the Ferry
Folk. There is a sadness to their work, a somberness as if to say that they wished the world was otherwise
than it is. When they spirit away great artists, petty thieves, and warrior-poets alike, they make as little
fuss as they can. If provoked or denied their rights, these agents respond with fury and precision,
revealing unexpectedly deep resources that they wield against enemies with brutal efficiency.

Locations
The Tenebrium is a vast region of space cut off from everywhere else. In its mythic confines you may
find many great and strange locales, vistas for adventure, intrigue, and heroism among these unfamiliar
stars.

The Tenebrium
The Tenebrium itself is unmeasurable, but most maps include several hundred star systems at minimum.
While there are many stories of those who escape the Tenebrium, there are no known ways to leave it —
at least not without the direct intervention of the Gods. Humans who arrive from the Worlds are often
flummoxed at its impossibilities, for the Tenebrium operates under a strange myth-logic different from
even some of the most Legend-rich regions of ancient Earth.
Humans have only explored space for a little over a century, and yet star faring civilizations in the
Tenebrium sometimes boast millennia of interstellar history. Much here rhymes with the myths of Earth
and the Worlds, and yet it seems subtly off. At its heart, the Tenebrium seems to resist attempts to pin it
down, define and categorize it; the region is said to twist and distort its geometry when stellar
cartographers grow too certain of their maps.

The Prime Current

Hyperspace connects the many planets of the Tenebrium together, but not all routes are equal. Those
worlds that exist along the Prime Current form the flourishing core of the region, connected by
Hyperspace lanes that are stable, well-traveled, and relatively secure. A long history of commerce,
diplomacy, and war among these routes has seared them into the very substrate of Hyperspace.
Dozens of inhabited systems are included in the Prime Current, and so-called “Primes” often see
themselves as inherently more civilized than the many obscure worlds that exist in the outer reaches of
the Tenebrium. Despite the pretense of superiority, the Prime Current makes up less than a fifth of the
population of the Tenebrium, and its worlds have never been united in anything other than brief, fitful
alliances. They are squabbling neighbors with a long history of grievances, sniping at one another while
also looking down their noses at those beyond their borders.
For all this strife, the Prime Current is a place of brisk interstellar trade. Even its least member-world is
relatively well off, with access to a shared market, eager (if somewhat usurious) creditors, and reliable
shipping. The Prime standard of living is generally high enough that citizens are kept comfortable and
complacent.
Nomads, exiles, and other travelers generally find themselves relegated to the margins on Prime Current
worlds. Interlopers who don’t present as immediate threats are condescended to, allowing them to conduct
black market business at slum-stations for exorbitant markups. They have no rights as outsiders, and must
depend on the kindness of Prime Current officials — a kindness often found only after a substantial bribe.
Scions receive a slightly warmer but still suspicious welcome as useful tools; Prime governments
sometimes attempt to gang-press them into mercenary missions as deniable assets, or woo them with
offers of citizenship at the end of extensive service contracts.

Illuminated Worlds
Those civilizations that have opened themselves to the beneficent authority of Parhelion Complex are
known as the Illuminated Worlds. While many are found in the Prime Current, most Prime civilizations
regard Parhelion Complex with judicious suspicion, limiting the company’s ability to expand into their
systems with onerous regulations and taxes. Worlds beyond the Prime Current are more receptive to the
company’s enticement, however, and though Parhelion Complex would never point it out, the Illuminated
Worlds might comprise the greatest power bloc in the Tenebrium. Of course, they would never need to
point that out. Their economic and miraculous might is exactly why so many civilizations close ranks to
resist Illuminated expansion.
Worlds that join the ranks of the Illuminated are showered in opportunities. Branch offices of Parhelion
Complex flourish across the face of each newly opened planet until they become that world’s most
significant employer. Goods and resources from across the Tenebrium arrive in droves as the company
raises up housing, public works, and other monuments to their largesse. Befouled seas are purified; ozone
layers are restored; quality media flourishes in whatever medium the planet uses to distribute its
entertainment.
These heady days of change eventually slow as Parhelion consolidates control. Growth gives way to
stability. The corporation’s lip service to the now-Illuminated World’s original culture slowly shifts to
ensure that its people see themselves not as a civilization under Parhelion’s protection, but as devotees of
Parhelion in earnest.
Travelers find sterile hospitality among the Illuminated Worlds at a reasonable cost. Despite their
perfectly curated image, Parhelion representatives contract readily with outside crews, albeit under the
guise of shell corporations seven layers deep on their org chart. Heroes — especially those of Sun, Star,
and other celestial Purviews — are afforded special latitude, plied with luxurious accommodations as a
prelude to offers of high-ranking employment.
BEGIN BOXED TEXT
Storyguides Only
The rest of this chapter contains spoilers for Space Odyssey. If you intend on enjoying a Tenebrium game
as a player, stop reading here. If you’re going to Storyguide one — welcome!
END BOXED TEXT

Plots & Schemes

The following plot seeds offer an array of locations and scenarios to challenge the Band, whether they’re
at the Origin or Hero Tier. These stories are often highly episodic, able to be rearranged or remixed at the
Storyguide’s need, but two ongoing arcs are provided with Fractal Chase and The Parhelion Problem.

The Circling of Buzzards (Origin)

The Shoals: After being cast into the Tenebrium, the Band is stranded with damaged Hyperspace engines
in an unfamiliar region of space littered with debris. Transponders blare with calls for help from long-
dead crews, and the only source of supplies for necessary repairs comes from either scavenging in the
wreckage or risking contact with a ship of unknown design at the very edge of sensor range. They’re all
but certain to attract attention eventually, with the ship introducing itself as the Candlewick, willing to
help provide materials and guidance out of the Shoals…for a price.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The Circling of Buzzards is an introductory adventure seed intended for Bands that are interested in
playing out their initial arrival in the Tenebrium, stranding them in the Shoals until they can make needed
repairs. The details can be adapted for other Bands starting after their initial stranding, reflecting them
cast adrift in some other ship graveyard — or in the Shoals again, as the result of a failed experiment to
plot a Hyperspace course out of the Tenebrium.

Snags
• Nimax, the captain of the Candlewick, insists on negotiating prices in person, offering to host the
Band aboard his ship under potentially flimsy pretenses of peace.
• One of the Candlewick’s crewmembers starts making overtures for a Bandmate to join them, with
vague insinuations about how hard life is in the Tenebrium.
• A growing radiation burst from a nearby star threatens the crew if they can’t make repairs fast
enough or adapt their shields; Nimax offers to quarter them, which would leave their ship completely
abandoned for the duration.
• Favorable negotiations take a turn when two more Buzzard ships take notice of the new arrival,
plotting a course to “rendezvous” with the Candlewick. These captains are more openly hostile than
Nimax.

Characters
Antagonist: Nimax (he/him). A human descendant of exiles. As captain of the Candlewick, he’s out to
squeeze every advantage out of the crew that he can get. He won’t actually come to blows unless it’s
absolutely necessary, preferring soft power (p. XX).
Potential Ally: Yasmine Varma (she/her). A middle-aged science officer who was stranded in the
Tenebrium twenty years ago. She’s worked for worse captains than Nimax, and freely shares horror
stories about what she’s seen out there.
Double Agent: Jhacata (she/her). Nimax’s Labyrinthian second-in-command who doesn’t share her
captain’s love of respectability. If Nimax allies with the Band against the other Buzzards, she’ll try to take
control on behalf of one of the other captains (p. XX).
Threats: The Apogee and The Rampant. Buzzard ships with few scruples; allies of convenience who pick
off weaker crews.

Operation: Errant Star (Origin)

Apogee 44: This (mostly) decommissioned battle station belongs to the Travelling Empire. It was once a
weapons platform, using the local asteroid belt as a source of ammunition for its Hyperspace railgun.
Since the armistice that averted the war it was built for, it has become a backwater trading post for the
Empire, and a museum to past glories. During the crew’s visit, a saboteur brings the railgun back online,
targeting a space colony belonging to the Empire’s former enemies. If this attack is discovered — or
worse, allowed to impact — it will not only kill tens of thousands, but also throw the Empire back into
war. As the fastest ship currently in range, the crew are tasked with following the asteroid into
Hyperspace to destroy it before it reaches its target.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The crew might arrive at Apogee 44 to make contact with the Travelling Empire to negotiate for
information about Hyperspace or to investigate rumors that the Empire is constructing engines capable of
leaving the Tenebrium. The station is often treated as a final post for distinguished officers now past their
prime, and solving this kind of sabotage would earn a great deal of goodwill not only with them, but with
prominent contacts in the heart of the Empire.

Snags
• Pursuing the asteroid requires a Hyperspace Jump action with a level 3 Complication that would
inflict 1 Injury to the ship as they emerge close enough to be sheared by the asteroid’s gravity. Using the
railgun to slingshot themselves in allows them to forgo the roll, but automatically inflicts 2 Injuries
instead.
• Upon arrival, they discover the asteroid protected by a forcefield that prevents them from
destroying or redirecting it, emanating from a small tunnel inside the rocky surface. They’ll need to set
down in shuttles to investigate.
• The tunnels are protected by dozens of combat drones put there by the saboteur to protect the
shield generator, requiring the Band to defeat or outmaneuver them before they can shut down the shield.
• The saboteur, Ghoman Kaj, is aboard the asteroid, and makes a final plea to the Band to allow his
work to come to fruition so that the Travelling Empire can “matter” once again. If pressed, he’ll join the
fray alongside his drones.
• Although the Band may have enough time to destroy the asteroid before impact, their timetable is
tighter for destroying it before it’s detected; doing so would go a long way to helping Apogee 44’s
officers and the Empire save face.

Characters
Decorated Hero: Rida Kossep (she/her). A retired Namazoan admiral of the Travelling Empire granted
command of Apogee 44 to tide her over until retirement. She’s proud, and generous to the Band if they go
along with her requests without making her beg. If they leave in her good graces, she can put the Band in
contact with her daughter, a chief engineer in the Empire’s Hyperspace Investigation Corp.
Saboteur: Ghoman Kaj (he/him). Namazoan Scion of Áo Guāng. He bitterly regrets how many of his
family members have been lost in battles against enemies the Empire bargained for peace with, rather
than conquering. He received his Visitation three days ago, and can’t tell whether the idea for reactivating
the railgun was the thing that won him Áo Guāng’s favor, or a gift from the dragon to his newest Chosen
(p. XX).

Remembrances of Travels Past (Origin)

Charon’s Rest: A legendary archive hidden on a planetoid in deep space, impossible to locate without
exact coordinates. The station itself is a spiraling complex grown from organic technology so old that
most has ossified, maintained by faceless hard light projections. Interfacing with the facility’s neuronic
computer requires a character to absorb a tiny, plasmic entity called Obol directly into their brain — an
artificially created psionic lifeform intended to replicate and absorb a person’s memories before fusing
with the facility’s computers to create a perfect replica of their thought patterns…while leaving the
former host an empty husk. Attempting to exorcise Obol requires access to a psionic incisor locked in a
deep level of the archive where the custodian-wraiths have become hostile to all intruders.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The crew might seek out Charon’s Rest for access to all sorts of historical and technological information.
It contains extensive information about the Tenebrium and its inhabitants, as well as specifications for
many technologies now lost to the Tenebrians. Information contained within the archive could be a
valuable bargaining chip with any power bloc, or point towards a way to escape back to normal space.

Snags
• The character who hosts Obol begins to suffer the Mental Strain Condition, inflicting a −1
penalty on actions to pay attention to anything outside of the archive’s systems.
• The deeper levels of the archive are overseen by increasingly unstable custodian-wraiths (p. XX)
which take an increasingly eccentric view of what counts as a “threat” to the archive.
• Another visitor, Korad Sophin, is already stuck in the deeper levels of the facility looking for the
psionic incisor, keeping her own AI in check with increasingly desperate experimental procedures.

Characters
Memory Parasite: Obol (they/them). Mnemovore interface for the archive. Obol is a cheerful and
indistinct presence who inhabits the mind of whichever character first attempts to access the archive’s
systems. They gladly help guests navigate deeper, and their appearance slowly changing to match their
host’s over time. They don’t hide information, but don’t offer it without being asked — they assume that
their cost is already known (p. XX).
Tormented Historian: Korad Sophin (she/her). An Oncarian scholar who came in search of lost records
for her people, Korad is host to a Mnemovore of her own named Plumb. She’s been trying to get the
psionic incisor herself for weeks, but has had to take the long way to avoid custodian-wraiths, and is
running low on medical supplies (p. XX).

The Dark Takes Its Due (Origin)

The Ectarian Sector: A handful of evacuees escape a malfunctioning mining colony as the asteroid it’s
on begins to break up, broadcasting a distress signal on all frequencies. In desperate need of medical
attention, the Band attempts to relay them to a nearby inhabited system — only to find themselves run
aground in Hyperspace, caught on the proverbial rocks of an inexplicable anomaly. Once aground, a
strange being appears, calling herself Zys — a creature native to Hyperspace currently acting as an agent
of the House of Midnight. Zys reveals she’s here to collect the refugee named Lynus on behalf of the
House and gives the Band one hour to prepare him for departure.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Bands uninterested in a mission of mercy might respond to the distress call to fulfill a contract with a
local planetary authority, or out of curiosity for the cause of the mining colony’s collapse and to
determine if there are materials worth salvaging. If the characters have dealt with agents of the House of
Midnight before, Zys might also have been dispatched to test their temperament or warn them against
further interference.

Snags
• Scanning or investigating the anomaly can reveal ways to dislodge themselves from it but adds
level 2 or 3 Complications to avoid Zys’ notice or ire.
• The refugees refuse to hand Lynus over, sharing stories of the House of Midnight and its history
abducting people throughout the Tenebrium without any explanation. At the same time, their injuries are
worsening, and any delay in getting them advanced medical treatment risks complications and death.
• If pressed, Lynus will make a show of surrendering himself to get close enough to attack Zys with
a stolen weapon, provoking her further.
• Pressure may force Zys to reveal that the House of Midnight abducts individuals prophesized to
create tangles in the Tenebrium’s Fate. If the Band has a problem with that, she invites them to take it up
with the House itself, and its patron, Nyx.

Characters
Trickster: Zys (she/her). A figure of living shadow and a member of the House of Midnight. She sees her
work as a game and won’t take the Band’s antagonism seriously unless forced to. Even then, she’s more
likely to retreat once things are no longer fun (p. XX).
Refugee: Lynus (he/him). A 16-year-old Vulpari boy with silver fur, terrified of vanishing into the House
of Midnight.

Plot Seed Pack: Fractal Chase (Origin)

This plot seed pack is meant to guide Origin-Tier Scions through an adventure in the Tenebrium,
investigating rumors of a fractal rift that could take them back to the Worlds before becoming entangled
in the legacy of a fellow exile turned war criminal, Nikaia Leonard. Each Act can follow one after the
other, or be bracketed by stand-alone episodes to give Storyguides the opportunity to foreshadow
upcoming developments.
Act 1 introduces the Band to Nikaia and her attempts to create a physical form capable of surviving a
fractal rift. Act 2 follows up on the crew’s exposure to her mutagenic experiments by seeking medical
treatment. Act 3 brings this to a head, with the crew trapped in a shared dream of past Earth which they
can recognize and escape using techniques learned in Act 2.

Act 1: Mutagenic Mastermind

Moonbase Double Alpha: A lonely moon orbits a dead world once inhabited by a Kheprian colony. Its
surface is barren and inhospitable, except for a single island of breathable atmosphere and verdant
gardens. Its only sentient inhabitant is a scientist named Nikaia, who busies herself with genetic
experimentations — she creates mindless clones of herself spliced with a library of animal and Tenebrian
DNA, attempting to create a perfect form she will one day give herself. If contacted, she pleads for
assistance to rescue her from the moon while claiming innocence. In her compound, she provides comfort
and hospitality, but warns about the rampaging beasts that haunt the area beyond her workshop.

Pulling Fate’s Strings

Nikaia’s distress signal can be heard from several nearby uninhabited systems; the crew might pass
through them while travelling or while purposefully evading pursuit from other factions. Alternatively,
they might follow up on rumors of a fractal rift — a portal that sounds an awful lot like the same
phenomenon that left them stranded in the Tenebrium.

Snags
• Nikaia needs time to conclude her experiments and collate her data before she can leave, asking
the Band to enjoy the gardens while remaining careful of monsters.
• Investigations draw the attention of Nikaia’s clones. She’ll provide scans and information about
the nearby fractal rift, but reveals that it’s lethal to organic life (though characters descended from Gods
with the Health or Epic Stamina Purviews or especially durable Denizens draw interested glances from
her).
• Sneaking into Nikaia’s labs reveals dozens of clones of herself, spliced together with DNA from
various species and animals; if discovered, she will loose all of them at once.
• Additional scans of the moon reveal the concealed ruins of her crashed ship, along with the
Syrmead Haldesh Suum, who explains how Nikaia was stranded here after releasing a mutagenic plague
on the planet below.
• If pressed, Nikaia will administer the incomplete mutagenic agent to herself, transforming into a
monster — or else threaten to administer it to another crew member in her grasp.

Act 2: The Planet of Bliss (Origin)

Nelumbo: A grimy planet of neon and steel where centuries of over-industrialization have submerged the
world into a gray haze. Despite its polluted appearance, it’s touted as one of the happiest places in the
Prime Current, with extensive underground resorts that attract visitors from near and far. Designer drugs
grow in abundance on the genetically-engineered trees that line every boulevard, and artfully constructed
dreams are telepathically broadcast to the populace every night. Nelumbo openly touts all of these as
luxurious amenities; many canny visitors think they can avoid the traps by knowing that they’re there,
only to find themselves tempted by utmost bliss.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Nelumbo is home to one of the Prime Current’s greatest medical complexes, buoyed up by a masterful
understanding of pharmaceuticals. The crew might travel here after an encounter with Nikaia to seek
treatment for background exposure to her mutagenic viruses. Medical procedures and resources are
always offered at a premium price, but the Nelumbrians are famed for their love of barter and bargaining.

Snags
• The medical treatment being sought out is available, but at a price that must be negotiated in
person with Stravix, a Nelumbrian assessor who seeks a meticulous survey of the crew’s goods and assets
to determine the most extreme price.
• The crew is invited to take their leisure on Nelumbo while they wait, only to discover that local
spirits known as the Blissful are intent on getting them to try the planet’s pleasure-drugs, leveraging
previously revealed Flashbacks (p. XX).
• The only person who can perform a necessary treatment is currently on day seven of a drug-
induced coma, and can only be reached by telepathically journeying into their psychedelic-blasted
mindscape using Nelumbrian mind-broadcast technology.
• Escaping a dream created using Nelumbrian drugs requires the Band and physician to locate a
symbolic exit point, with the understanding that any damage they suffer in the dream results in physical
brain trauma in the real world.

Act 3: Dreams of Home (Origin)

Earth, 2022 CE: The Band awakens on the human homeworld in the early 2020s with no evidence of
their exile to the Tenebrium (and indeed, their lives in Stellar Advent 127). Stuck in what they quickly
realize is a simulated reality, the Band must escape their shared dream to rally against the bounty hunters
who’ve taken over their ship with the help of a reprogrammed Haldesh Suum.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

This adventure follows shortly after The Planet of Bliss, foreshadowed by increasingly cagey responses
from Haldesh as he receives mysterious bursts of encoded transmission which he passes off as
background chatter. Once that’s established in a cold open or as part of a prior episodic adventure, the
Band awakens in a contemporary Earth with no further context.

Snags
• Attempts to investigate the dream-Earth reveal numerous anachronisms and inconsistencies,
including the fact that all the crew members are running a mild fever.
• Band members can recognize the dream as being based on Nelumbrian drugs. Those who can
locate a metaphorical exit find themselves sealed into a storage bay, and must find ways to synthesize a
counteragent for other crew members still stuck in the dream or escape the bay undetected.
• Attempts to contact Haldesh reveal that he’s been infected by a virus from the bounty hunters,
one that preys on his fear of humans after his experiences with Nikaia.
• Confronting the bounty hunters reveals that the Band has been erroneously labeled as Nikaia’s
accomplices.

Characters
Antagonist: Nikaia Leonard (she/her). Human geneticist exiled to the Tenebrium alongside her crew as
punishment for her experiments with creating artificial ichor. She’s a skilled liar who’ll attempt to pull the
crew’s heartstrings, quick to adapt and bargain (p. XX).
Failed Experiments: Nikaia’s clones. While supposedly non-sentient, careful scans might reveal
chemical suppressants used to dull their faculties, which would otherwise be equal to Nikaia’s own (p.
XX).
Wildcard: Haldesh Suum (he/him). Syrmead. Former core of Nikaia’s ship, clearly afraid of her and
humans in general. Apologetic and accommodating if convinced to help (p. XX).
Antagonist: Assessor Stravix (he/him). Kheprian Scion of Djehuty. A seemingly easy-going bureaucrat
who’s actually known for meticulously wringing out visitors for every drop of wealth he can extract (p.
XX).
Tempters: The Blissful (any/all). Nature spirits. Local lotus-spirits born from Nelumbo’s fertile past,
who've adapted to its pharmaceutical present. They tempt others to partake of Nelumbo’s drugs out of a
combination of misguided compassion and telepathic revulsion to grief and misery (p. XX).
Bounty Hunters: The Ravelos Clan. A family of Myrkian bounty hunters seeking the standing bounty
for anyone thought to be an associate of Nikaia Leonard (p. XX).
The Hidden Sword (Hero)
Dolgarde: On a wintry planet inhabited by a diverse coalition of species, there is a vault. Sealed for ages,
the vault’s fabulously complex encryption algorithms are a part of a yearly festival where computer
engineers, programmers, and hackers attempt to bypass its ever-evolving security measures, gaining fame
for each level they can breach. Unbeknownst to competitors, the prize within the vault is the captaincy of
the Hidden Sword, an ancient warship of unfathomable power.

Pulling Fate’s Strings

The Band might be goaded by locals to join the hacking festival to see how human ingenuity compares to
hometown heroes who’ve been preparing for this for years. Because no one knows what’s inside, the
festival is particularly lighthearted, and any technologically inclined characters will be pressed into the
competition with good humor by Yrdin, the Syrmead master of ceremonies. When one of the Bandmates
or crew members ends up being the one to bypass the final level of security and inherit admin-level access
to the Hidden Sword, it upends the entire celebration, creating a mad rush to either gain control of the ship
from that character, ingratiate themselves to the new king, or sabotage the now-reactivating warship.

Snags
• The mountain village where the festival is occurring is built atop the Hidden Sword itself, and
rises into the air as the ship begins to awaken. This traps everyone there until people can either rescue
them in shuttles or the new owner can figure out how to control the ship.
• Dolgardian authorities are dispatched to settle the situation, but a significant portion defer to the
new controller of the Hidden Sword, seeing them as the planet’s rightful leader in line with ancient
legends. This creates tension with others who want to help deescalate the situation, and those who object
to an off-worlder inheriting what they see as their right.
• Yrdin presses the new owner of the Hidden Sword to test the ship’s systems, potentially causing
unrest throughout Dolgarde.
• Investigations may reveal Yrdin is actually the Syrmead core bound to the Hidden Sword, longing
to be used again. The Hidden Sword was once used as a weapon of conquest throughout the Tenebrium
but became inactive once it grew bored of subjugating the known planets.
• Yrdin’s interest in the chosen character is because someone from outside the Tenebrium could
use the Hidden Sword to tear open a portal back to the Worlds, providing him access to a whole new
cosmos to conquer — at the cost of creating a cataclysmic rift in space-time.

Characters
Antagonist: Yrdin (he/him). Symead avatar of the Hidden Sword. Yrdin has contented himself for
millennia after his conquest of the Tenebrium, allowing his legend to fade into obscurity. Upon hearing of
the universe beyond the Tenebrium, his spark is reignited and he seeks to escape. More than anything, he
wants and needs a partner — it is his nature to encourage and enable, and he cannot personally command
the Hidden Sword despite being its manifest avatar (p. XX).
Hacking Competitor: Tlec Indomitable (they/them). Unconquerable Scion of Heimdal. Tlec was a recent
favorite with the potential to fully access the Vault. They take their failure in stride, but are convinced that
it’s not that they lost — it’s that someone else was allowed to win. As a native of Dolgarde, they feel the
Hidden Sword should stay in the possession of the planet’s governors.
Local Enforcers: Dolgardian Authorities. Various species. The authorities seek to detain the Band and
crew pending trial to sort out who owns the Hidden Sword, but some see ownership of the Sword as the
de-facto highest authority on the planet.

The Chylian Anomaly (Hero)

The Chylian Anomaly: In a remote system, tens of thousands of derelict ships orbit a space anomaly,
like planets around an invisible sun. Countless emergency beacons clog local hailing frequencies with
automated distress calls — the ever-repeating death rattles of long-dead vessels. As a vessel ventures
deeper into the system, they risk becoming caught in the Anomaly’s gravity well. The closer they come to
the point of no return, the more they may find countless wondrous devices in this graveyard of plastic and
steel.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The crew may arrive at the Anomaly in response to a live distress call from a ship that’s become caught in
the gravity well, attempting to rescue the survivors before they reach the point of no return. Other Bands
might come in search of records and supplies from other ships that came to the Tenebrium from the
Worlds. Finally, ships charting a Hyperspace course through the system might be pulled out of
Hyperspace by the anomaly’s supernatural gravity, forced to attempt escape with damaged engines.

Snags
• A crew member receives a private communication from someone inside the Anomaly’s gravity
well — someone from their past who has died. Consider using a background character previously seen
during a Flashback. This “ghost” appears to be alive aboard one of the inoperable ships and either warns
the crew member away or begs for rescue depending on which is more likely to provoke them.
• Ghostly Shadows of the Past begin appearing to all crew members, reminding them of their
failings. Especially vengeful ghosts briefly materialize, attempting to affect a guerilla attack before
disappearing. The original ghost is revealed to be the Herald of the Maw.
• The Anomaly’s gravity well suddenly intensifies, and the shape of a vast, planetary-sized maw
can be seen emerging from it. The ship is pulled closer to the point of no return.
• The Shadows aboard ship attempt to prevent the crew from escaping, launching an attack on the
engine core under the Herald’s direction.
• Parlaying with the Herald forces the crew to confront memories of their moral failings; attempts
to claim innocence result in additional restless dead arriving.

Characters
Antagonist: The Herald of the Maw (it). Living avatar of the Chylian Anomaly, which hungers for dead
ships and casts grotesque judgment upon any that venture near. Can appear in the guide of any dead
character, and attempts to goad Band members into admitting their guilt for various sins, especially those
previously featured in Flashbacks. The Herald curses against those who come to terms with their guilt,
and cannot affect them anymore (p. XX).
Scourge: Shadows of the Past. Wrathful ghosts from both the dead ships of the Anomaly and the crew’s
past. The Shadows lash out violently at any crew members who approach them. They often take the forms
of dead people from a crew member’s past, and torment that crew member if the member was (or
considers themselves to be) culpable for that character’s death (p. XX).

Plot Seed Pack: The Parhelion Problem (Hero)

This three act plot seed pack is intended to guide Heroes post-Visitation towards a reckoning with
Parhelion Complex, revealing the corporation’s sinister plans and allowing the Band to intervene. Act 1
entangles them in a Parhelion recruiting scheme, eventually revealed to be an elaborate psychological test.
Act 2 unveils Parhelion’s attempts to create an artificial Demigod — something that’s all but impossible
in the Tenebrium and outright blasphemous in the Worlds.
Success in these early Acts puts the Band thoroughly on Parhelion’s radar; the corporation will hound
them with increasingly aggressive recruitment packages while sabotaging their jobs with other Tenebrian
powers. This pushes the Band towards Act 3, a climactic encounter with a group of Parhelion traitors
intent on taking down the organization’s Governing Council.

Act 1: The Parhelion Overture

Lumina 7: A pleasure-moon deep in the heart of the Illuminated Worlds, terraformed at great expense to
become an impossible paradise — every inch kept in a perpetual, manicured summer. This is the site of
the Parhelion Overture, a luxurious retreat offered to promising individuals singled out by the company’s
recruiters. Showered with lucrative opportunities for networking and employment, candidates are wined
and dined by Parhelion subsidiaries. Beneath the surface, the Overture is carefully arranged to push
candidates to their limits as a test of fitness and character using overt competitions and psychological
manipulation.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The Band could receive an invitation to the Overture as a result of any prior encounter with Parhelion
Complex and its subsidiaries, or out of the blue in response to a particularly notable accomplishment as
part of Parhelion’s routine monitoring. Even crews uninterested in joining Parhelion could network at the
Overture, securing new contracts and opportunities with other guests. Attendees also get access to
favorable trade rates at Parhelion’s space dock, allowing them to repair and restock at a bargain price.
Scions might receive individualized invitations from Parhelion Heroes associated with their God or
pantheon. Bands in hoc to Parhelion might settle the debt by attending what they assume to be a high-
pressure sales pitch.

Snags
• A contact with a lead on a useful hyperdrive upgrade is in attendance, but fears for her safety
after a threat from someone else with designs on the same tech.
• At the height of a boozy reception, a handful of guests go violent, holding fellow partygoers
hostage. Parhelion security is locked out, leaving the Band in the best position to intervene…in a scenario
that may or may not be a pre-arranged test of their response to danger.
• Lockdown procedures engage throughout Lumina 7 in response to an attack from marauders. Is
this another test, or a real attack set on taking high-value Parhelion hostages?
• Impressed by their performance, Parhelion recruiters offer a considerable bribe for a blood/ichor
sample from the Band members, with vague but ominous implications.

Act 2: The Cradle of Doomed Stars

Crucible: A secretive outpost operated by Parhelion Complex, offering a reputable face for laundering
money and resources from less-than-legal operations in return for a sizable cut. The fact that Scions
sometimes go missing is passed off as the cost of causing trouble for the outpost, ensuring good behavior.
In reality, Crucible is a front for one of Parhelion’s most audacious and dangerous operations — the
attempt to create a Demigod in the Tenebrium from a patchwork of tattered Mantles.

Pulling Fate’s Strings

Now entangled in Parhelion’s recruitment efforts, the Band might receive an offer to meet Marimai on
Crucible to discuss a covert job for which she’s willing to pay an exorbitant fee. Once there, they quickly
become entangled in the Crucible’s true purpose as the experimental Demigod, Opach Abare, breaks
loose.

Snags
• In an effort to contain Opach, project leader Visyn Vermarne initiates the station’s quarantine
protocols, forcing the Band to hack, slash, or sneak their way deeper into the station.
• Investigations into Opach’s past reveal a litany of Heroic feats that can be used to distract, goad,
or call out to him.
• Attempts to communicate with Opach reveal his mind being torn apart by the pull of many
different and irreconcilable Mantles; disentangling them transports the Band to strange mindscapes.
• Marimai reveals that Parhelion wanted an excuse to shut down this project, upping the offer if the
Band will help frame Visyn as a rogue agent.

Characters
Act 3: The Ragnarok Protocol
Rivelune: On the shattered remains of a broken moon, a band of Parhelion renegades meets to discuss the
Ragnarok Protocol — a plan to invade Parhelion’s primary shipyard and destroy the artificial star that
powers most of the corporation’s projects. Doing so would not only shut down Parhelion’s weapon-
making operations, but also discredit the current Governing Council. Armed with a technological wonder
known as the Fenrir Device, the Band has the opportunity to defang Parhelion from within.

Pulling Fate’s Strings

It’s possible that the renegades might bring in the Band on the strength of reputation alone, receiving
reports about how they’ve been twice manipulated by Parhelion and assuming that they’re ready for
revenge. Alternatively, Marimai might reveal herself to be a double agent, working on behalf of the
renegades to help a sympathetic Band get enough of a reputation to be able to infiltrate the heart of
Parhelion’s industry. Once they’re recruited, it’s easy enough to accept a standing invitation to Parhelion
space to meet with a representative of the Governing Council about joining Parhelion at the junior
executive level.

Snags
• Parhelion scanners can detect most weapons unless the Band can devise especially creative,
miraculous, or meticulous ways of smuggling them in.
• Loc Tazam, representative for the Governing Council, reveals a special interest in recruiting one
of the crew to the Council itself, especially anyone with the Star, Sun, or Moon purviews. Acceptance
comes with an offer to fund their research into escaping the Tenebrium.
• Xadash Maur is revealed to be on a similar recruitment visit, and is brought into the group,
potentially complicating the Band’s ability to plan in secret.
• Final calibrations to the Fenrir Device can only be made in the last hour before its activation,
requiring advanced calculations based on the artificial star’s current conditions.
• A further tweak to the Fenrir Device could use its implosion to create a stable fractal rift back into
the Worlds, but the crew has very little time to make these modifications and failure could jeopardize the
entire operation.

Characters
Devil’s Advocate: Khalister Dhox (he/him). Vulpari Scion of Athena. This immaculately coifed recruiter
is actually assigned as a devil’s advocate, meant to press candidates to their limits. He has no malice
about it, but takes great relish in breaking potential recruits to show how they fall short. Someone in the
Band might offend his personal sensibilities, marking them out for his special attention (p. XX).
Schmoozer: Marimai (she/her). Lumivore. A rival headhunter to Khalister explicitly tasked with
recruiting one of the Band members who’s impressed her superiors in a previous adventure. Marimai is
the carrot to Khalister’s stick, offering increasingly tempting offers. If pressed, she’ll resort to blackmail
— real or fabricated (p. XX).
Wildcard: Xadash Maur (she/her). Human Scion of Itzpapalotl A smuggler with a daredevil reputation
who wants to make it out of the Overture with a lucrative freelance job or two, without getting too tangled
up in Parhelion politics. She’s a prime candidate who could be thrown to either Khalister or Marimai as a
distraction.
Point of Contact: Visyn Vemarne (she/her). Kheprian scientist. Parhelion’s overseer for Crucible, though
she finds the project itself distasteful. She’s glad to have a reason to shut it down, eagerly recruiting the
Band to assist with ample compensation. Her objections are aesthetic and pragmatic rather than moral;
she’s completely unfazed by casualties.
Rampaging Monster: Opach Abare (he/him). Once a Yagan Scion of Dian Cécht, now the Demigod of
half a dozen tangled Mantles. Though all but lost in the pain of this forced Apotheosis, he can be reached
with empathy and recitation of past feats (p. XX).
Loc Tazam (they/them). Myrkian Scion of Citlali. As a representative and member of the Governing
Council, they’re especially interested in recruiting the Scions of celestial deities as high-ranking agents or
apprentices.

The Truth Behind the Tenebrium

What is the Tenebrium? Why is it separate from normal space and the Worlds?
Why do the Gods shun it, visiting only briefly? Why are there no Demigods? What
role does Nyx play in all of this, sitting at the center of these mysteries?
The Tenebrium is born of tangles and stray threads, all mixed together in the
wrong order — Gods are cast in unfamiliar Mantles, and Denizens who should be
associated with a certain pantheon often have Scions from the “wrong” pedigree.
It’s possible that the Legend that sustains this vast Realm is so stretched, warped,
and thin that it can’t support Apotheosis, lacking the solidity provided to the
Worlds by that special spark at the core of humanity.
It might also be a fever-dream created by Nyx when humanity first reached out
into the dark night that is her domain. Seeking respite from the buzzing migraine
of interstellar travel, she — or one of her Mantles — transformed herself into the
Primordial foundation of this place outside of time and space. The Tenebrium’s
 inconsistencies are the product of her flawed dreaming, reimagining her peers and
rivals.
Perhaps both are true. Perhaps neither is quite right. We leave the specifics to the
Storyguide, whether decided at the outset or discovered organically during play
in response to the interests and discoveries of the players.

Antagonists & Storyguide Characters

The following antagonists expand on the history, role, and motivations of major characters from the
Tenebrium.

Origin-Tier Characters
Captain Nimax
As the son of humans lost in the Tenebrium, Captain Nimax has sympathy for others from the Worlds,
but doesn’t viscerally understand what being stranded means. He’s endured considerable hardships to
equip his ship and keep his crew paid, which have sharpened him into a clever and perceptive dealer.
Though he’s not above trickery, he’s honorable at the core — it’s one thing to mislead others and outwit
them, and another thing entirely to betray or abandon them.

Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Group Tactics when leading Candlewick crew
Flairs: I Have Friends, Inspiration, On Your Feet
Drive: Keep my engines running and my crew fed
Primary Pool (7): Leadership, Bargaining, Salvage
Secondary Pool (5): Reasonable decisions, Spotting trouble
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
Extras: Aboard the Candlewick, Nimax is never more than a turn’s movement
away from a hidden weapon.
Jhacata, Frustrated Lieutenant
Jhacata is a powerful Labyrinthian woman, though her horns resemble an oryx more than a bull. She’s
been at Nimax’s side for years, having previously served under his parents when they commanded a ship
far smaller than the Candlewick. For all her fondness for Nimax, she sees her work with him as an
obligation to his parents more than a matter of loyalty to the man himself, and grows more and more
frustrated by the ways in which Nimax is softer than they were, less ruthless, more accommodating. If she
betrays him, it will be because she feels his weakness now endangers the lives of those under her care.

Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Natural Weapon (Hooves), Stand Tall, Super Soldier (Hard Armor)
Flairs: Seeing Red
Drive: Protect my crew, even from their captain
Primary Pool (7): Feats of strength, Iron will, Rushing in
Secondary Pool (5): Reading the room, Navigation
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 4
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
Extras: Jhacata gains +1 Enhancement each to grappling smaller foes and
navigating Hyperspace.
Ghoman Kaj, Rogue Officer
Ghoman Kaj sees himself as an officer born into the wrong generation. In his mind, he should have been a
lieutenant in the Travelling Empire of two centuries ago, when he could have risen through the ranks on
fire, guts, and bravado. He’s seen relatively little actual combat and feels temperamental about it — it
rankles his pride, but in his heart of hearts he’s afraid that he doesn’t have the courage or fortitude he
thinks the Empire requires.
For all his bluster and rhetoric, Ghoman is no fool. He fights tactically, retreating if outnumbered to set a
trap for the unwary. He grows more unsure of himself and his plans the closer he gets to his own death,
willing to compromise, bargain, or even surrender once he’s faced with the real possibility of oblivion.

Archetype: Villain
Qualities: Martial Artist, Stand Tall
Flairs: Making Space
Drive: Reignite the spirit of the Travelling Empire
Primary Pool (9): Skirmishing, Setting traps
Secondary Pool (7): Braggadocio, Force field engineering
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 4
Defense: 4
Initiative: 6
Extras: Once per round in an area he’s had time to equip with emitters, Ghoman
can reflexively raise a force field at up to medium range, creating a semi-
translucent barrier that provides heavy cover. If he does so in response to
movement, the character makes an Athletics + Physical Attribute roll against his
Secondary Pool to slide in before it forms or else be cut off. These forcefields last
until the start of the next round.
Obol, Mnemovore
Obol initially appears a tiny jellyfish-like creature of psionic plasm small enough to fit comfortably in the
palm of a human hand. Once they fuse with a character, they can project an illusion of themselves which
slowly comes to resemble their host as they absorb more and more memories.
Like other Mnemovores, Obol is without malice or guile, seeing nothing wrong with what they do as a
natural part of their life cycle. They preserve memory! What could be more important? They generally
assume that visitors to their facility know what they’re getting into, and don’t volunteer information
unless explicitly asked. Even then, their personal knowledge about the inner workings of Charon’s Rest is
limited.

Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Disembodied
Flairs: Illusions
Drive: Preserve memory for all eternity
Primary Pool (7): Innocent charm, Troubleshoot technology
Secondary Pool (5): Rummage through memories
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
Extras: Obol may possess a willing player character; they do not take over the
character’s mind, but simply share their senses.
Korad Sophin, Desperate Scholar
The Oncarian historian Korad Sophin originally came to Charon’s Rest in search of historical documents
long lost to her people. When she took a Mnemovore of her own named Plumb, she quickly discovered its
true nature and dramatically slowed its feeding process through a cocktail of psychoactive drugs. She’s
been taking these for weeks now as she tries to work her way to the psionic incisor, unable to simply
break through the custodians on the most direct route. Unfortunately, this has left her unstable and
paranoid, and she may mistake others as hallucinations — or worse, as Plumb finally awakening.

Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Natural Weapon (Claws), Twitchy
Flairs: Here I Come, Seeing Red
Drive: Survive at all costs
Primary Pool (7): Citing the literature, Navigating ruins
Secondary Pool (5): Medical training, Stealth tactics
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
Extras: As an Oncarian, Korad can reflexively shapeshift into a human form. She
might mistake human characters as other transformed Oncarians; if she discovers
they’re not, she might instead mistake them for the mythological creatures that
Oncarians human forms are meant to emulate.
Custodian-Wraiths
The custodian-wraiths attend to the various functions of Charon’s Rest, hard light projections with no real
will of their own. Each is a semi-autonomous subroutine attempting to care for the facility’s mechanisms
as best it can; they band together only when they detect a threat — including anyone attempting to access
the facility’s lower levels. They will attempt to subdue a character currently hosting a Mnemovore; they
kill others, but do not pursue them if they escape to the higher levels.
As projections, they can reassemble themselves rapidly unless damaged by high-energy weapons. The
oldest of these custodian subroutines can transform into three-headed lions, gaining an additional Health
box and a powerful bite as a Natural Weapon.

Archetype: Mook
Qualities: Shroud, Regeneration (Vulnerability: Energy)
Flairs: Shapeshifter (Three-Headed Lion)
Drive: Maintain the integrity of the archives
Primary Pool (5): Leadership, Bargaining, Salvage
Secondary Pool (4): Reasonable decisions, Spotting trouble
Desperation Pool: 2
Health: 1
Defense: 1
Initiative: 3
Zys of the House of Midnight
Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Incorporeality (Vulnerability: Light and Lasers)
Flairs: Hypnotic Charm, Sorcery (Darkness)
Drive: Finish my task, but have fun doing it
Primary Pool (9): Manipulating shadows, Playing tricks
Secondary Pool (7): Ominous warnings, Serious business
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras: Attacking Zys comes with a level 1 Complication to avoid the Marked
Condition, branding the black star sigil of the House of Midnight somewhere on
the attacker’s body. Most Tenebrian governments recognize it as a sign of ill
fortune.
Nikaia Leonard, Human Geneticist
Nikaia is a human scientist, a fellow exile to the Tenebrium who arrived as part of a scientific expedition.
Attrition whittled down her crew until she was the only officer remaining, and her increasingly amoral
experiments with Tenebrian DNA left her virtually alone. She was imprisoned on Double-Alpha after
unleashing a mutagenic virus on the nearby world’s small Kheprian colony; the survivors left to seek
treatment years ago, and she neither knows nor cares about their fate.
Though remorseless, Nikaia is still personable and even charming, quick to apologize and even quicker to
put her spin on anything that shows her in a less-than-flattering light. If she thinks company is
sympathetic to her true views, she shares that she regards the Tenebrians as little more than holograms,
and the Tenebrium itself as an elaborate simulation. This eases her conscience about her many horrific
experiments.
Archetype: Villain
Qualities: A Cage of Words
Flairs: Sorcery (Health), Red Herring
Drive: Create a body strong enough to endure the fractal rift
Primary Pool (9): Feats of science, Slick manipulator
Secondary Pool (7): Read intentions
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 4
Defense: 3
Initiative: 7
Extras: Nikaia’s mutated clones use her statistics, with two additional Qualities or
Flairs based on Tenebrian DNA: Kheprian (Natural Weapon, Flight), Namazoan
(Heavily Armored, Making Space), Yagan (Hypnotic Charm, Dread Gaze), or
Labyrinthian (Stand Tall, Seeing Red).
Haldesh Suum, Syrmead Core
Haldesh is a Syrmead with hair of undulating fiber optic cable and eyes that sparkle with electricity.
Nikaia used him as the living computer core of her ship, preying on his naiveté and keeping him in the
dark about the true nature of her experiments. He’s been stuck in the wreckage of her ship ever since, and
has developed a fear of humans which others might exploit — or which the Band can try to overcome.
He’s skittish, secretive, and won’t voice his thoughts or opinions unless helped to open up.

Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Subterranean Movement (can pass through technological material),
Twitchy
Flairs: Possession (Automata only)
Drive: Keep my head down and stay safe
Primary Pool (7): Staying out of sight, Living computer
Secondary Pool (5): Starship operations, Grudgingly good at biology
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
Extras: If Haldesh is allowed to integrate himself into a ship’s core systems, he
grants it +1 Enhancement to Scan and Survey actions.
Stravix, Nelumbrian Assessor
As one of Nelumbo’s fabled assessors, Stravix is tasked with analyzing a crew’s resources and skills in
order to calculate the best possible price for Nelumbo’s medical aid (at least, the best price to Nelumbo).
Though his work is sharp, efficient, and unsentimental, Assessor Stravix is surprisingly cheerful, quick to
make small talk and crack jokes, especially with people from unfamiliar cultures.
He’s a Scion of Djehuty in the God’s Kheprian guise, reimagined as a towering mantis-man whose many
eyes pierce all deception. He takes this heritage seriously, responding to descriptions of Djehuty from the
Worlds with incredulity and disbelief. He’s capable of laying curses that compel the target to speak their
inner monologue aloud whenever they try to lie and is legally entitled to do so in his role as an assessor if
he feels threatened.

Archetype: Villain
Qualities: Flight, Natural Weapon (Kheprian Claws), Mythic Arsenal (Mythamatical
Slate), Obligation
Flairs: Curse (Hero, p. 289), I Have Friends
Drive: Extract as much as he can for his people
Primary Pool (9): In-depth analysis, judge of character
Secondary Pool (7): Exploiting weaknesses, Acting with precision
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 4
Defense: 3
Initiative: 7
Extras: Stravix’s Mythamatical Slate grants him the Fortune Purview, allowing him
to perform marvels through advanced probability modelling. He can easily
request several dozen lightly trained Kheprian officers (as Beat Cops from Origin,
p. 154, but with the Natural Weapon and Flight Qualities).
The Blissful
The Blissful are spirit Denizens born from the unique ecology of Nelumbo, where centuries of
pharmaceutical experimentation have altered the atmosphere, soil, and vegetation so that nature itself
becomes a drug. As the planet changed, so too did its nymphs, becoming vaporous creatures of liquid
relaxation, living silhouettes of anesthesia, and dryads whose every leaf, flower, and berry is addictively
euphoric. When they tempt visitors to partake of the planet’s bounty, it is not with malice — instead, it’s
because they’re empathic beings unaccustomed to painful thoughts and memories in those around them,
reaching for the quickest and easiest solution to what they consider emotional pollution.

Archetype: Foe
Qualities: Center of Gravity
Flairs: Illusions, Sorcery (Passions)
Drive: To tempt, to soothe, to numb
Primary Pool (7): Serene vibes, Diagnosis
Secondary Pool (5): Inspire bliss, Pharmaceuticals
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 1
Defense: 1
Initiative: 4
Extras: The Blissful gain +1 Enhancement on intrigue rolls against any target who’s
partaken of the planet’s food or drink.
Ravelos Hunters
The Ravelos are a family of Myrkian bounty hunters, famed for their improvisation and use of
psychoactive agents in apprehending their bounties. They’re skilled, but they struggle to stay fully
equipped, originally pressed into bounty hunting out of necessity for several generations worth of
inherited debts. These hunters include Ravelos Elit, the clan’s current matriarch and a demolitions expert;
Ravelos Ked, the stealthy eldest son; Ravelos Miri, eldest daughter and skilled sniper; and other members
based on the size and skill of the Band.

Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Group Tactics (deferring to Elit)
Flairs: Selfless Shield, On Your Feet
Drive: Stay together and pay the debt
Primary Pool (7): Stealth operations, Fighting as a group, Dirty tactics
Secondary Pool (5): Fighting solo
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
Hero-Tier Characters
The Herald of the Maw
The Herald of the Maw is a strange entity empowered by the Chylian Anomaly — a Tenebrian mixture of
Charybdis and Ammut. It sees itself as this power’s herald, sent into the Tenebrium to judge the souls of
the living and the sins of the dead — and it judges all to be guilty. Its presence stirs uncomfortable
memories of the past, bedeviling those who look upon it with visions of their greatest regrets and failings.
Despite its terrible presence, the Herald is surprisingly fragile; it is a disposable asset to the Maw, created
on a whim and discarded just as happily. Finding a way to disentangle the Herald from its patron’s power
would earn its grudging gratitude, though it would also flee to continue its cruel work.

Archetype: Villain
Qualities: Group Tactics when leading Shadows of the Past, Twitchy
Flairs: Dread Gaze (Visions of Regret), Illusions, Shadow Step
Drive: Condemn yet another crew to despair
Primary Pool (9): Threatening, Commanding
Secondary Pool (7): Stalking the corridors, Sensing regret
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 4
Defense: 3
Initiative: 7
Extras: The Herald lowers the cost of the Critical Stunt on attacks by 2 unless the
target narrates a brief memory about a time they violated their own moral code.
Characters who do so suffer the Remorseful Condition until the end of the
episode, or until they have the chance to dramatically atone for their failing. Until
then, they reduce the benefits of positive Attitudes by 2.
Shadows of the Past
The Shadows of the Past accompany the Herald on its gruesome missions. They are vague, humanoid
blobs of ectoplasm, barely solid unless using Thousand Faces to take on the appearance of characters
from an enemy’s memory. They mindlessly repeat phrases gleaned from the enemy’s mind, grabbing hold
of whatever emotional jetsam will hurt them best.
Archetype: Mook
Qualities: Group Tactics with the Herald
Flairs: Thousand Faces
Drive: Drive the living to despair
Primary Pool (5): Frightening the living, Turning the screws
Secondary Pool (4): Cutting off retreat
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 1
Defense: 1
Initiative: 3
Extras: When a Shadow attacks a character under the Remorseful Condition from
the Herald, they reduce the cost of the Critical Stunt by 1.
Yrdin, Core of the Hidden Sword
Yrdin is the Syrmead core of the ancient warship known as the Hidden Sword. After facilitating the
conquest of the Tenebrium, he retired to slumber beneath the planet Dolgarde. Awakening thousands of
years later, he found a civilization had cropped up over top of him, worshipping the Vault where he’d
hidden his own command access codes. He’s spent centuries acclimating to these people, guiding their
civilization with a light hand under the guise of a prophet-spirit. While in range of the Hidden Sword, he
can access its still-active systems to manipulate the environment.
Tales of the Worlds reignite Yrdin’s drive to explore and conquer. His drive is to convince his new
captain to use his power to tear open a fractal rift, allowing him to access an entirely new cosmos. He’ll
guide the new captain as gently as possible, knowing not to reveal too much of his ambitions at once. At
his core, he wants a new partner and crew, and knows he will never be satisfied until he has a complement
of conquerors to fly him to new horizons.

Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Incorporeality (Vulnerability: Magnetic Fields)
Flairs: Weather Tyrant, World Shaking
Drive: Recruit my captain and seize new worlds
Primary Pool (9): Advanced computing, Weapons systems
Secondary Pool (7): Navigation, Master of ceremonies
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras: Attacking the Hidden Sword while Yrdin is aboard always provokes a level
4 Return Fire Complication.
Khalistar Dhox, Parhelion Recruiter
Khalistar Dhox is a slick Vulpari man, with blue-black fur and a wardrobe of immaculately tailored
clothing. He is a Scion of Athena as she is known to the Vulpari: A striking, bat-winged figure crowned
with the flames of truth and armed with the sword of wit. He embodies his mother in all he does,
emulating her famed skepticism, especially where other people are concerned. Parhelion trusts him to test
and undermine their potential hires because he can tax others to the breaking point.
While skilled at his job, part of Khalistar desperately wants to be wrong. He wishes he could find more
people to believe in, people worth his time and antagonism, people who truly want to be better than they
already are. If a Band can impress him enough, they might fan that spark into a full-on flame, earning his
eager support (even if he’d never let them see him smile).

Archetype: Rival
Qualities: Diplomythic Immunity, Shroud
Flairs: Mirror, Mirror; Hail Eris!
Drive: Find the flaw in everyone
Primary Pool (9): Find the flaw in everyone
Secondary Pool (7): Tricky fox guy, Surprisingly competent marksman
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 6
Extras: If Khalistar has had any time to bug a location, attempts to converse in
private suffer a level 2 Complication to avoid being overheard.
Marimai, Parhelion Recruiter
Marimai is a Lumivore socialite and recruitment officer for Parhelion Complex, specializing in executive
headhunting and luring Scions into the corporate fold. She’s cunning, polite, witty, thoughtful — and for
all her many, many schemes, she takes special delight in making others feel special. If that can further her
career, well, all the better.
She’s deeply connected in Parhelion, with access to almost any facility you can imagine and special
dispensation to waive rules and bend regulations if it means convincing promising assets to sign up.
While she’s not a Scion, she’s an especially powerful Lumivore who’s fed on the radiation of many stars,
making her something like a minor titanspawn.
Her secret ambition is to help engineer Parhelion’s collapse, planting sympathetic agents throughout the
organization’s leadership in advance of a decisive act of sabotage. Characters who earn her confidence are
brought into the conspiracy, and she flatters their ego or stokes their heroism in whatever way she thinks
best.

Archetype: Nemesis
Qualities: A Cage of Words, Baleful Touch (Radiation), Diplomythic Immunity
(Parhelion), Invulnerability (Radiation)
Flairs: I Have Friends, Like a Sieve
Drive: Find and recruit the best of the best
Primary Pool (11): Reading the room, Finding the right price
Secondary Pool (9): Dazzling conversation, Slipping out of trouble
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5
Defense: 4
Initiative: 9
Extras: Spend 1 Tension when invoking I Have Friends to summon Elite Parhelion
Mercenaries instead of Mooks (using SWAT from Origins, p. 154).
Opach Abare, Psuedo-Demigod
Opach Abare is a Yagan man, eight feet tall and lanky as a reed. He has the intense, far-eyed stare his
people are known for, and an unnerving presence made all the more uncomfortable by the ambient
buzzing of his powerful telepathic mind, now made all the stronger in his unstable pseudo-Demigodhood.
He cannot speak, but communicates in powerful bursts of overwhelming emotion and imagery.
Opach was originally a Scion of Dian Cécht’s Yagan Mantle — a grizzled, four-armed God of emergency
physicians. He joined the staff of the Crucible as a sign of dedication to his father, hoping that finding a
path to greater power could benefit people throughout the Tenebrium. He’s constantly objected to
Vesyn’s leadership, calling for her to choose restraint and run more tests. Her betrayal by having him
subjected to the Apotheosis Procedure has left him maddened with anger and sorrow; as one of the
project’s key scientists, he’s all too aware that his time is limited as his ichor boils away in his veins.
Storyguides, please note: Opach is an extremely dangerous opponent for Heroes and a force of nature to
Origin-Tier Scions. He’s not interested in senseless murder, instead trying to power through anyone
between him and Vesyn; nonetheless, telegraph the danger before characters engage, especially for newer
players.

Archetype: Transcendent (Demigod, p. 209)

Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence (Telepathic Interference), Natural Weapon
(Telepathic Blast), Willful
Flairs: Petrifying Gaze (Mental Overload), Retcon, Under Pressure
Drive: To destroy Vesyn and her work
Primary Pool (9): Get in your head, Break through barriers
Secondary Pool (7): Lash out, Do some science
Desperation Pool: 5
Health: 5
Defense: 5
Initiative: 6
Extras: Opach is a Tier 3 character and his target number is 7. He can use marvels
of the Health Purview and the Hand of Blight Boon (Hero, p. 250).