Securement:
THE PORTALS OF CHAOS
The Parable of the Thief
She was a Magpie at birth.
She coveted what others possessed.
Jealousy was Her name.
She would steal everything that glittered and shone,
And secret them away in Her nest.
When She came upon the City,
She saw it as an orchard.
Ripe with things She did not own.
She coveted its greatest treasure:
Its people.
She knew nothing of temperance, of moderation,
Of what to steal and what to leave behind.
She stole gold and silver,
But also secrets, and wonder.
The world soon had nothing left to rob,
For all belonged to the Magpie,
And Her bony fingers.
There is a singular device that was once in possession of the Foundation for Securement, Containment and Protection, a machine that opened portals into a chaotic dimension which transmogrified anything within. One portal led into the dimension; the other led out. Whatever was placed into the portal exited the other side either destroyed, remade, or rebuilt into something better. The portals were fickle in nature, but some degree of control could be wielded over them.
As our adventure begins, the device has been stolen by agents of the Cult of Chaos, an organization which craves nothing less than the destruction of the Foundation. They wish to harness the chaotic dimension beyond the portals to bring forth a world of disorder, where nothing is certain and reality is continually remade. To do this, they must travel to a location in the deep wilderness: the so-called Pitted City, so known for a portal in its center masquerading as a bottomless pit. They intend to throw this machine into the Pit, so that the chaotic, changing dimension within will overtake our reality.
They must be stopped.
! The parts in italics should be read to the party, but do not have to be read verbatim; paraphrase or improvise as much as you wish.
Orders have been placed from on high: the Foundation has asked some of its best agents for aid in a discreet matter. Unfortunately, all of those agents are in some way indisposed, so they have to settle for you.
You're ushered into a small room one day, roused from your sleep, without any coffee or warning. Standing before you is a woman who's six-foot-nothing with dark skin and curly black hair, looking rather miffed— not at you, just in general.
"Good morning. There's an item that we think may have breached containment. You're bound for the Pitted City to re-secure it."
The Pitted City is so-called because of a singular, giant hole in its center, towards which magic gravitates like water circling a drain. It is home to Foundation Outpost #87, a thorn in the side of the rest of the organization, due to its… unorthodox methods of following the Three Absolutes. They are a valuable addition to it, of course, but they are an odd bunch nonetheless. Few can forget the tribulations they go through every autumnal equinox, and fewer still are willing to acknowledge how full of Wonder those staffing it are.
"A Foundation artifact was transported to Outpost #87 for study within the City's confines, but ever since it arrived, we have had no communication from the people at the Outpost. We have reason to suspect a mutiny. You are to investigate and re-secure the Site. Any questions?"
Draw from this pool of information for any questions the players have.
- The Outpost Leader is Tristam Keep.
- There are approximately 830 individuals staffing Outpost #87.
- The City knows of magic and the Foundation practices it openly in the area.
- Outpost #87 has been under investigation for dissent under previous administrations.
- There are personnel who use magic openly, and they should be avoided.
- The item that was sent there was classified, above their clearance level. They are simply there to re-secure the item, and the Outpost, if need be.
- Last contact was three days previously.
- The Pitted City itself isn't dangerous— except on Wednesdays. (What happens on Wednesday should be vague)
Should the players press on this last point, they will find the person issuing them orders, an Agent Regina Cloth, is under a geas (pronounced "gesh", not "gee-as" or "geese" or any other permutation) that renders her unable to communicate further details. Cloth isn't happy about it.
"You have your orders. Move out."
And so, the party presses on to the Pitted City. How they get there is up to them, but within a day, including any time to prepare, they'll have arrived.
The Pitted City is a quaint community, barely thirty-thousand people. There are homes at the edge of town, a central boulevard that curves slightly, and a bevy of places to visit and enjoy, from parks to the small lake nearby— if only you were not here on business. Alas. Your destination is atop a hill on the eastern end of town, and having come from Outpost #17, you are approaching from the west. It is a beautiful autumn morning as you enter the area, leaves churning in the breeze, birdsong in the air as the migratory flocks bid farewell to the north for the year, and the town is… is…
…Where are all the people?
You were told this town was inhabited, that it was busy. It is currently 10:00 in the morning, and there is not a soul in sight, not a vehicle on the road. All of the shops are still shuttered along Main Street. But your destination is in sight.
Now, at this point, the party might decide to go off-track and search for people. They are free to do so, but they will encounter oddities. If they go off-track, roll 3d12 to find out what they'll run into.
| ! Reroll duplicates | |
| 3D12 | Off-Track… | |
|---|---|
| 1 | The streets of the Pitted City are lined with loudspeakers so that the Foundation can make announcements for evacuation, if necessary. They play a burst of eerie music that renders you off-kilter. STR Check to not feel faint. |
| 2 | A restaurant in the middle of Main Street seems to be teeming with life one moment. When entering, however… you find it completely barren, barring some half-eaten meals. |
| 3 | You find the bank unlocked. Every piece of coinage within is in the lobby, neatly divided into piles that are either showing heads, or tails, except for a single coin which is spinning in the air. Attempting to grab the coin necessitates an opposed STR Save, or else be slammed into the ground for 1 HP as the coin forces you to spin with it. |
| 4 | You see piles of objects throughout the street. Coins, balls, nuts and bolts, tires… all of them are piled up in thirteens. |
| 5 | As you turn the corner, you see that the street ahead is blocked by stepladders. Atop each ladder is a black cat. They all turn to look at you, but they seem harmless enough. A tad eerie, though. |
| 6 | Up ahead, there seems to be a group of people! But when you approach… they dissolve into piles of salt. |
| 7 | A flock of birds passes over you. Something drops onto your head; at first, you fear the worst, but then you hear wood clatter to the ground, and look down to see a wooden, hand-shaped charm. You gain a Hamsa Amulet, a charm meant to ward off the Evil Eye (+1 Stability). |
| 8 | You find a wrecked Foundation vehicle with no occupants— and a lot of blood. (1 Stress) It appears to have been rammed off the road by something larger. It was on fire at one point, but no longer. The windows are smashed, but there seems to be items within, still. Investigation will turn up identification for N. Falstaff and A. Wright, a Service Pistol (d6), a sniper rifle (d8, Bulky, Damage Enhanced when used at range) but no bodies. |
| 9 | One member of the team will notice a goat-headed humanoid in the distance, seeming to beckon them forward. Attempting to follow the entity will lead them to their intended destination of Outpost #87. |
| 10 | You've wandered into the woods somehow, and in their midst, you find a firing range. Instead of traditional targets, there seem to be pumpkins that have been shot at; gourd-based guts are everywhere. Some weapons have been left behind; a shotgun and a hunting rifle (both d6). |
| 11 | You find an unmarked leather tome with the words "If found, return to M. Reynolds, care of…" and then no address— but the Foundation's insignia is present. The first person to read it gains the spell Obsidian Cloud, which, for two rounds of combat, gives enemy attacks a 50% chance to miss. |
| 12 | AMBUSH. Two individuals wearing Foundation armor stop you. They introduce themselves as Agent Sparks and Agent Whitman, but there is something slightly off about them. An opposed CTRL Save will reveal several irregularities about them— their uniforms don't fit, they have blood underneath their fingernails, and there seems to be something wriggling beneath their clothing. These are Cultists of Chaos (sheet is located further down), not members of the Foundation. Combat will ensue. Searching their bodies will reveal a pair of assault rifles (d6) a ritual knife (d6) and a note that, while bloodstained, has the words "Sublevel 14" still legible. |
Outpost #87
At the top of the hill sits a seemingly innocuous building of bricks and glass and dreary business. Below, however, the true Outposts exists, fourteen levels of corridors and rooms which are made for life, work, study— and of course, containment.
The lobby, as with the rest of the town, is devoid of human life when you enter— but not devoid of human remains. A human-like body, arms and legs too long to be truly human, lays splayed on the ground before the elevators leading down, looking almost as if they were stretched to death.
Thankfully, their face does not match that of any member of the Foundation.
Characters with medical knowledge will be able to determine that he died due to his heart not being able to pump enough blood throughout his body— such a mundane death for such a strange creature. Searching the body reveals a small ritual knife (d6) and a drawing of what appears to be a pair of glowing portals.
Players will find that the elevators are in lockdown mode, and stop at the first sublevel. From there, they must traverse using the stairwell. A rundown of the Outpost, and any valuable items they may find, are below.
1st Sublevel: This is a heavily fortified sublevel. It's plain to see why; the barracks are located here, just past the non-functional elevators. Out to the left is the armory, and straight ahead is a hallway littered with bullet holes and bodies— all of the bodies are wearing scarlet robes.
Give the Avatars some time to poke around; a search of the bodies will find numerous small knives and what appear to be prayer books written in an unknown language. Nothing of note, however. When they continue:
As you proceed down the hall, one of the bodies twitches, and then explodes, shooting viscera in all directions. The gore then starts to… meld together, into a scarlet, fleshy lump. Shards of bone stick out of it at odd angles. It screams, and several other corpses explode; the same thing happens to them. Soon, you're faced with a dozen misshapen lumps of flesh, and they lunge at you.
Enemy
Chaos Lump (Horde)
A misshapen lump of flesh, once multiple people, now shambling through the halls of Outpost #87 and pleading for death.
- Chaos Scream (d4 Stress)
HP 12
STR 9
DEX 7
CTRL 3
Drives:
To die; to end its suffering.
Should the party enter the armory, read this portion:
The armory contains two first-aid kits and two assault rifles (d6). It's been picked clean beyond that, and there are signs that whoever was in here got out in a hurry— except not everyone is out. A researcher stands in the corner, shaking, his breath raspy; he has clearly been crying for a very long time. He is standing over the body of an agent. He turns on you, raising a pistol— it clicks empty. He yelps out a scream; you think he says: "Get away from me" or "Don't let me die!" but it might also just be a sob.
This researcher will introduce himself as Dr. Armand Penn. He is of no threat to any entity in this module, and as such, has not been allocated statistics. Dr. Penn will explain that he was visiting a friend of his in the barracks when the Cult of Chaos stormed the Site, to Sublevel 14 (Containment). He does not know their motive, nor does he care; his best friend is dead. He will say that Sublevel 10 is home to the Organic Separator, a project of his that may come in handy, and hands over the access code to his lab: "THUNDER ROLLED A SIX".
Dr. Penn should be played as though he is a somewhat egotistical man, but heavily shaken, and despondent. He will ask to be left to mourn his friend, and will assure the party that there aren't any bullets left in the armory.
Increased searching of the armory will reveal:
By the armory is a firing range, and at the far end, an incinerated target. A note on the range reads: "Experimental weapons returned to R & D, sublevel 6."
2nd Sublevel: Ten inches of lead plate bar the way into this floor, dented and scored by bullets and knives. A "5" is scratched into the doorway. However, this seems to be a safe area; there's no viscera, and you hear no disturbance from above or below. You may take a quick rest here.
However, as you try to continue, your realize the stairs have… turned organic. There are pustules between here and the next landing. A light prod makes it discharge a fluid that is milky yellow and smells putrid. You may not want to step on it.
Characters must make a DEX Save to traverse the stairs. On a failure, they land safely, but their Hit Prevention is depleted as they use up all their luck.
3rd Sublevel:This level contains Outpost #87's living quarters. Off of the landing, there is a set of smaller stairs that leads into a common area; it would be a nice place, if not for the burns and the omni-present bullet holes. There is a light amount of gore here, as well. Only a few rooms seem to not be barricaded; everywhere that looks like it could be a bedroom has the locks broken to render them inaccessible.
There are a few rooms that were not inhabited, and they contain entertainment such as a small library that has been ransacked, books thrown on the floor in an attempt to search for something. In this same room are several interrupted board and card games, pieces strewn on the floor.
Players may be allowed to explore; they will find some first-aid kits and, if they are persistent, a die that, when rolled, always comes up as its highest result. Holding this grants +1 Stability. Should they proceed, they will walk by the Mess Hall.
As you walk by the mess, you hear something from within— gunfire! A single shot, followed by a mournful voice saying, "Had to be done. He could have given up intel if he lived."
"Had to be done," a second voice agrees. "The Foundation cannot be allowed to retain the Portals."
Looking in, you see that the mess is in a sorry state; lumps of flesh, similar to the ones you saw above, are deflated all over the room. A poor cafeteria worker's body is slumped over the salad bar. Tables are upturned, and it's clear from the position of at least one body that the Foundation agents would rather have died than have been captured.
In the center, a pair of robed figures in the mess. Both of them look human. Both of them have assault rifles, and are standing over the corpse of a third. They are searching his body for something, and don't seem to have noticed you yet. What do you do?
Enemy
Cultist of Chaos
- Assault Rifle (d6)
- Chaotic Augmentations (d4 Stress)
HP 3
STR 9
DEX 15
CTRL 12
Drives:
To dismantle the Foundation; to claim the Portals of Chaos.
Upon searching the bodies, you find a small notebook— or half of one. It recounts a covert infiltration of Outpost #87, and lists several key targets to eliminate: Director Tristam Keep, Thaumatologist Phoenix Sheridan, and agents Astra Wright and Nicholas Falstaff. The words "Seize the Portals" are written several times. The last intact pages have the words "Keycode: P-I-L-E-A-F-A-C-E" written upon them.
Enemy
Common Hodag
A frog… lizard… wolverine thing with an ugly horned face, native to the Pitted City.
- Bite (d6)
- Howl (d4 Stress)
HP 12
STR 7
DEX 15
CTRL 7
Drives:
To escape containment; to eat.
4th Sublevel: As you descend to this level, the doorway bursts open, and a three-foot-tall, six-foot-long cross between a frog, a wolverine, and a devil bursts out. It stares at you briefly, snarling, before it bolts past, not attempting to engage in any way. You will recognize it as a Common Hodag, a cryptid native to the area; it must have escaped from one of Outpost #87's holding cells.
As you proceed down, you find that the entirety of this sublevel is dedicated to the infirmary. All the beds are empty, and except for a few surgical supplies, this area is vacant, and the floor is seemingly safe. You may take a Quick Rest here.
However, one room contains a strange, metal pod within. Upon it is a plaque reading "PROJECT RHINOBEETLE OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTIONS". It goes on to indicate that a person should lie in the bed and dictate the nature of their injuries, upon which "medical treatment will commence".
Common Hodag
- Bite (d6)
- Howl (d4 Stress)
HP 12
STR 7
DEX 15
CTRL 7
Drives: To escape containment; to eat.
Using this device fully restores a single statistic to full, in exchange for fatigue; the same person cannot use this twice in twenty-four hours without becoming deprived.
After investigating Project Rhinobeetle, they will come upon:
As you continue through the level, a pack of three snarling Hodags rounds the corner. These are clearly very aggressive.
5th Sublevel: A large, ornate and very out of place door that seems to be made out of brass blocks the way into this sublevel. Knocking on it or trying to open it results in a hatch opening, and a shotgun emerging, with a man's voice snarling, "What's the passcode?"
Upon seeing that the Avatars do not know the code, the voice will fire a warning shot. If the Avatars explain the situation, they will be told they can be granted an audience with Dr. Sheridan— head of the Outpost for the time being— if they can tell them the passphrase.
Learning the passphrase "Library Card" from Sublevel 7 will grant access.
Sublevel 5 is dedicated to metaphysical studies, including magic— but for now, it's a safe haven. Most of Outpost #87's personnel are sheltering here, and at the center, in her laboratory, is Dr. Phoenix Sheridan. Dr. Sheridan explains that she is maintaining a spell that phased the rest of the town's inhabitants of the Pitted City into an alternate dimension, to keep them safe from the incursion of the Cultists of Chaos. It is clear that this spell is taking a heavy toll on her, however, and it cannot be maintained for much longer without killing her.
Dr. Sheridan will explain the broad strokes of what is happening: the Portals of Chaos were transported here from Outpost #17 for study, but the Cultists of Chaos, who oppose the Foundation at every turn, infiltrated the Outpost and attempted to overtake it. They fought back the best they could, but without Director Keep to lift the lockdown, they're reduced to sheltering down here.
Dr. Sheridan is a woman approximately forty years of age, and is very knowledgeable of the arcane. She is normally very cheerful and talkative, but she is clearly in large amounts of pain from having to maintain such a powerful spell.
Ally
Dr. Sheridan
HP 5
STR 12
DEX 9
CTRL 17
Quotes:
"I've still got something left in me. Don't you worry."
"Don't mind me, I'm just doing a spell to keep thirty-thousand people safe. Yes, it DOES hurt."
"Heyyyy, you can do magic too? Groovy. Maybe you could come work for— ow, ow, ow. Smiling hurts. Why does smiling hurt?"
Has:
- Director's Keycard
Knows:
- The whereabouts of Director Keep and the Portals of Chaos
- How to return the citizens of the Pitted City to reality
- The location of the Organic Separator
The party may aid Sheridan in the phasing spell with a CTRL Save. Multiple individuals can make this Save, and doing so alleviates Sheridan's strain enough that she can hold it for another day, at least.
Regardless of her being helped, she will give up the Director's Keycard.
6th Sublevel (R&D): R&D is sealed, but can be opened with the password, P-I-L-E-A-F-A-C-E, which can be found on Sublevel 3.
This level is nothing but laboratories. Most of them are locked, with hair-raising names like "Esoteric Containment Solutions", "Pachyderm Technology" and "L-Space Research". But there is one whose door is wide open. A sign above it reads: "Experimental Weaponry Division".
Within are several experimental opaque, sealed containers with an apparatus on the top that analyzes blood. A note on the containers reads, "One item per unique genetic signature."
| ! Reroll duplicates | |
| D6 | Experimental Weapons | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3x | Portable Containment Spheres: White spheres with a green seam down the middle, big enough to fit in the palm of your hand. They're intended to be thrown, and upon impact, it creates a vacuum which pulls in nearby matter to store in a pocket dimension. The integrity of the items stored is not guaranteed. Use on an organic target to deal d8 Damage. |
| 2 | 1x | Gel Gun: A blue rifle with an orange tank on the top. It shoots out an orange adhesive gel that immobilizes enemies. (d6, deals DEX Damage instead of STR) |
| 3 | 1x | KNUCKLE Unit: A black-and-red wrist-mounted weapon that resembles a very large wristwatch, with a counter on the top reading "3". (Allows unarmed strike to deal Enhanced (d12) Damage instead of d4; three charges) |
| 4 | 1x | Looking Glass: An apparatus resembling a hand mirror that opens small gates into alternate realities. Three charges. Can be opened to a wartorn reality to manifest a d8 Blast of gunfire, or opened to an esoteric realm, with a 2d6 Stress Blast. |
| 5 | 1x | Burn Unit: A blue-and-green pistol-like weapon. It's a failed attempt at a heat ray; draws heat away from its target, rapidly cooling it. On Critical Damage, the target is frozen solid. |
| 6 | 1x | The "Sun Gun": A red and yellow cannon that fires a ball of superheated plasma. (d8 Damage, Bulky; on Critical Damage, sets the target aflame) |
Sublevel 7: Leading to the sublevel below, you find the form of a Cultist of Chaos, its maw of sharp teeth open, paper stuffed down its throat. Its body hangs in mid-air, as if gravity hasn't been told that it should act upon it. Under its arm is what seems to be a drawer from a library's card catalog; it was busy eating the items within. Clutched in its right hand is a piece of paper which reads "Library Card LVL5"
Attempting to open the door to Sublevel 7 triggers an error; the words "Director's Keycard Required" sound from an unseen speaker in a computerized voice.
"Library Card" is the passphrase to enter Sublevel 5.
Proceeding past this point causes the following alarm to blare:
"WARNING! Multi-Universal Transit Array Damaged. Dimensional Incoherence In Sublevels 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, And 12. Quarantine Zone In Effect."
Metal sheeting springs up behind the party, sealing them in the area. The alarm continues:
"Biological Override Required. Director Bailey, Please Deactivate MUTA To Proceed."
From here onwards, reality has become incoherent. Each sublevel has terrain far different from what has been encountered before.
Sublevel 7, from what you could gather, was for research of physical phenomena. It seems appropriate, then, that this area is now very, very physically active; the walls are made out of metal and shake with a mechanical rhythm, while the ground seems to be made out of volcanic rock. Steam rises when you take a step, and gouts of fire gutter all around. And all the time, the rhythm, the rhythm, the CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK of some great machine comes from all around, CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK, is it grinding? Is the room moving, or are you? CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK. The rhythm calls to you, CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK, pulling you into the fire—
A CTRL Save must be made to not be pulled into the fire by the rhythm. Any Avatars that succeed may restrain those who failed, and pull them along the way. If all fail, they walk into the fire, take 1 Damage, and are released from the enchantment.
8th Sublevel: As you proceed to this sublevel, upon the stairwell, you discover a well-loved purple Hamsa Amulet (+1 Stability).
This sublevel was, apparently, dedicated to theoretical studies. It appears to have been overtaken by something that resembles both a clean, white operating theater and a classroom. Desiccated humanoid husks sit at desks, odd devices strapped over their heads, all observing a shark-like entity being dissected on a table.
A light permeates the room, from top to bottom. A voice speaks, "Take your seats, students. Class is now in session."
This voice will grow more and more insistent, but nothing will happen if the Avatars do not take a place in vacant seats and wish to simply move on. If they decide to do so, however, they must make a CTRL Save, as a headset is lowered onto their face, and their mind is filled with knowledge that is incompatible with their native universe. Failure to do so will mean they must sit through the "lesson", and take 2 Stress.
9th Sublevel: As you proceed to this sublevel, upon the stairwell, you find a leather bound tome. The cover reads: "If found, return to M. Hex-Cavendish". Reading this allows the party to roll the spell "Ghost Beast", which summons a spectral Common Hodag to fight for you.
This place is… odd. It looks like Outpost #87, but there are no signs of strife or struggle, no signs of fighting. A sign on the wall reads "Site-87, Sloth's Pit, Wisconsin".'
A member of staff exits a door sipping at some coffee. This researcher, a woman with dark hair and flower-shaped earrings, gives you an odd look and asks, "Is it Wednesday?" Regardless of how they answer, she will reply, "I swear to god it's a Wednesday. We always have dimensional incursions on Wednesdays. Well, feel free to rest up here."
The party may take a Quick Rest here before proceeding. There is no danger on this floor, but any researchers they encounter will not interact with them further, muttering something about "timeline collapses being a bad idea".
10th Sublevel: This staircase is, disappointingly, vacant.
The 10th Sublevel looks like a charnel house, in a literal sense— every inch that you can see is made out of flesh, and it is all screaming, groaning, sobbing, or otherwise pleading to be released. Most of it looks distressingly human. There are eyes on the walls, soaked with tears. Players making direct eye contact with the walls take 1 Stress.
The party should press on. As they do so, ask "Are you sure?" after some actions. Not after every action and not every time, but some. Give them a sense of worry and trepidation. Should they press on far enough:
Flesh has completely overtaken this level, in short. Doors have been replaced by mouths, chairs have been replaced by legs, and desks are made out of arms.
Searching this area will reveal some first-aid kits that need to be pulled free of the flesh, as well as a sawed-off shotgun (d8 Blast) being held by arms sticking out of a wall.
There is a portion of the area that is free of gore, almost looking like the ordinary Outpost #87. The door, however, is sealed. It can be opened with Dr. Penn's passcode, "THUNDER ROLLED A SIX". Within it is a large green-ish… cannon— is the best word you can think of for it, except it's just small enough to be held with two hands. It has a trigger and a muzzle, and a note on it reads: "DO NOT POINT AT UNALTERED FLESH— DR. PENN".
This is the Organic Separator, a Bulky d8 Blast weapon which is capable of separating grafted, spliced, mutated, or otherwise intermixed organic matter into its separate components. Critical Damage melts non-grafted organic matter into an indistinguishable puddle. A single hit is capable of destroying any Chaos Lumps you encounter, regardless of Damage. And that's a good thing— because two dozen of them now drop down from the ceiling.
Firing the Organic Separator creates collateral damage, which in this case means:
As you fire the weapon, the flesh on the walls… reconstitutes itself into people. Naked people, scared people, but living people nonetheless. They simply try to stay out of your way the weapon does its work.
11th Sublevel: The stairway leading down here contains three dead Cultists of Chaos. Their body armor looks useful. Gain 3 pieces of body armor. (+1 Armor)
You seem to find yourselves in a city— well, in a building that's in a city. An apartment building, to be precise. There are people here, in the hallway, smoking, drinking, socializing. They look like people, but… there's something off about each of them. That woman with a mesh shirt leaning against the wall has the eyes of a lizard, while you swear the young man squatting and drinking from a bottle of whiskey has ears long enough to fit under his tall hat.
All the same, it seems… safe here. Pleasant. You can make Quick Rest here, but why stop at that? People here seem friendly, and… someone's coming out the door next to you. It's an older woman, who seems to have the face of a mouse. She's offering you cookies. This place is probably well-fortified enough to weather the storm…
A CTRL Save must be made to resist the allure of this floor and proceed. In the unlikely event of all members of the party failing, the Warden may fiat that there is a success instead. The entities will not be hostile, just… disappointed.
12th Sublevel: The first thing you notice here is the cold.
The second thing you notice is the snow. It is freezing in here, and looking up, you can see open sky. It's a tundra, and at the center, in the near distance, is a large, circular, golden portal, surrounded by the remains of what was once a laboratory. There is blood all over the snow, but… something's odd. You've seen some of these bodies on other levels. It occurs to you that the MUTA might be spitting out alternate-universe replicas here.
They will find nothing but small arms (d6 pistols) on corpses they search.
Atop a console in front of the Multi-Universal Transit Array is a corpse whose nametag reads "T. KEEP". The corpse is frost-bitten and stuck to the console; his hand was on an "Emergency Shutoff" button.
Should the players try to move him:
The cadaver squirms to life. There is a sound that resembles cicadas on a hot summer day, and then the body disintegrates into dozens, if not hundreds, of individual organisms; not quite worms, not quite spiders, not quite insects. And they are clearly very protective of the console.
Enemy
Director Keep's Remains
- Bite and Claw (d6)
- Decoherence (d4 Stress as reality explodes into different possibilities)
- Scatter (d6 as it scatters into a large swarm of smaller enemies, restoring Hit Prevention to full; however, the swarm is can be hit by Blast attacks up to four different times)
HP 13
STR 13
DEX 15
CTRL 17
After they deactivate the MUTA:
As you shut off the portal, the tundra fades away, and you're suddenly stood in a normal laboratory— there is no ice, no snow to be seen, and thankfully, no trace of Director Keep's remains.
13th Sublevel: Outpost #87 does not have a 13th Sublevel. There's an empty landing between Sublevel 12 and 14, barring three containers, similar to those found in Research and Development. (roll 3d6 on the Experimental Weapons table).
There is, however, a door on this landing. It opens onto sheer concrete. There are soft sounds from the other side.
If the party decides to listen closer:
You hear the sounds of pages turning, typewriter keys typing, and a bloodcurdling scream.
14th Sublevel (Containment): Containment is normally inaccessible without the Director's Keycard, which Dr. Sheridan possesses.
The Containment atrium is an imposing, dark room, flanked with steel girders, and filled with vibrant red and purple light— emanating from the Portals of Chaos. The alien, geometrically-perfect cube which projects the Portals has been placed in the room's center, and Cultists of Chaos are shuffling into the Portal on the left-hand side. A low, wobbling rattle emanates from the right-hand Portal. And what emerges is…
Roll on the table below.
| D6 | Portal Results | |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Emerging Chaos Cultist is seemingly unchanged. |
| 3 | Cultists appear to have changed physically, being taller, more muscular, leaner, generally in better shape. |
| 4 | The Cultist that appears is somehow anomalous, perhaps floating, or sprouting tendrils, or glowing with vibrant nuclear light. |
| 5 | A pile of dust appears instead of a person. |
| 6 | A fat mound of screaming viscera clambers out of the Portal, before melting into a pool of boiling blood. CTRL Save or d4 Stress. |
As of right now, there are eight Cultists of Chaos. Among them you notice a pair of bound Foundation agents: a blonde-haired woman and a man with brown hair and glasses too large for his face, both badly beaten. Someone with long, messy hair in a very nice suit— who you recognize as Director Keep— stands at gunpoint, forced to stare into the Portals. He's next to be ushered in. They have yet to notice you.
"Come on, Director," one of the Cultists snarls. "It's either you, or your men."
When the party engages the Cultists, if they attempt to do so in a way that does not involve immediate violence (such as impersonating the Cultists or attempting to negotiate for the release of the hostages) they must make an opposed CTRL Check. Failure will result in Director Keep being shoved through the portal— but he will take the Cultist holding him along for the ride. See the "Festering Chaos Lump" sheet for further details.
Success will buy time for the two other hostages— agents Nick Falstaff and Astra Wright — to escape and engage the Cultists in combat. They will eliminate (2d4) Cultists before combat can commence.
Ally
Agent Nicholas Falstaff
HP 4
STR 11
DEX 12
CTRL 18
Special Features
- Contrivance
- Falstaff is capable of producing small, highly convenient items from his pocket at a moment's notice. The items disappear when out of direct line of sight, and can include a palm pistol (d6), a combat knife (d4), a truncheon (d4) or a flashbang grenade (DEX Save or be blinded for a round).
Quotes:
"Normally I'm in the mood for jokes. This isn't normal."
"My puns aren't that bad."
"Fine, one joke: What's the difference between 'a cult' and 'occult'? A Colt .45 can stop most occult in its tracks."
Ally
Agent Astra Wright
- Unarmed Strike (d4)
- Combat Knife (d6)
HP 3
STR 13
DEX 15
CTRL 8
Quotes:
"Shoot to kill, dammit!"
"Watch your goddamn six!"
"Falstaff, we don't have time for your jokes!"
Cultist of Chaos
- Assault Rifle (d6)
- Chaotic Augmentations (d4 Stress)
HP 3
STR 9
DEX 15
CTRL 12
Drives: To dismantle the Foundation; to claim the Portals of Chaos.
Falstaff and Wright are both counted as allies for the purposes of combat, and act at the same time as the Avatars. Wright will retrieve an assault rifle (d6) (if she is not armed by the players) to engage in combat. If they are not freed, the party will have to face all eight Cultists of Chaos, as well as the Festering Chaos Lump.
Should they engage in open violence, Keep and the Cultist will leap through the portal. The resulting rain of viscera will cause enough Stress to render (d6) Cultists unconscious, and bring forth the Festering Chaos Lump.
Keep and the Cultist are dragged into the portal. What emerges on the other side is a conglomeration of limbs, teeth, heads, and an inexplicable wing. It screams, grabs a cultist, and devours it. It's at least half as tall as the room, and it bears down upon you, rabid with the agony of its existence.
Enemy
Festering Chaos Lump
- Chaos Warp (d4 Stress)
- Slam (d6)
- Devour Cultist (regain 2 HP, up to three times)
HP 35
STR 10
DEX 14
CTRL 22
Special Features
- Grounding
- If the party has a Hamsa Charm and the Festering Chaos Lump sees it, all party members are granted an extra +1 Armor and +1 Stability.
- Grafted
- The Festering Chaos Lump can be defeated with two attacks, regardless of Damage, from the Organic Separator; this will result in Keep and the Cult of Chaos Leader being separated from each other once again, both alive.
Anomaly
The Portals of Chaos
The Portals of Chaos lead to a chaotic extradimensional space that warps any matter— solid, liquid, gaseous, organic, inorganic, and all else in between— in purely random ways. Sometimes, objects emerged unchanged. Other times, they emerge completely different. Sometimes, they don't emerge at all.
The players are able to enter the Portals of Chaos. If they do, they must make a CTRL Save. Provided a success, the character emerges unaffected. On a failure, the character emerges alive, but is deprived and must take a Stress Fallout.
Other objects can enter the Portals; see below for a rough estimate of what should occur in this circumstance.
| D6 | Portal Weapon Alterations | |
|---|---|
| 1 | The weapon is destroyed. |
| 2-5 | The weapon rolls two of its Damage dice, and takes the higher result. |
| 6 | Attacks made by the weapon are permanently Enhanced, and the weapon gains an anomalous property, such as a limitless ammunition capacity or a blade that can pass through allies without harming them. |
| D6 | Portal Mundane Object Alterations | |
|---|---|
| 1 | The mundane object is destroyed. |
| 2-5 | The item is changed in some way, but not necessarily improved. A woolly sweater may turn into a cotton shirt, or a record may turn into a phonograph cylinder. |
| 6 | The object becomes overtly anomalous in some manner; a stapler may be able to punch through solid lead, a candle may become inextinguishable, a mirror may be able to see into other dimensions. |
Following the Avatars defeat of the Festering Chaos Lump, read the following:
The two agents, freed from their bonds, approach you. "You're the rescue effort?" The man asks. "'bout time you got here."
The woman punches him in the arm. "Don't be like that, Nick. They look like they've been through hell. Damn good work there, though."
The general tone of their conversation should change depending on whether Director Keep was saved with the Organic Separator, or if he died. In either case…
The woman handles her radio. "Dr. Sheridan? This is Wright. Cultists are gone. We're good to lift lockdown." She looks at you and sighs.
"Job well done. As well as jobs get done around here, at least."
They lead you back out to Sublevel 2, where you're debriefed via a secure link to Outpost #17.
* * *
Consequences
If the Festering Chaos Lump died…
Short Term: Director Keep died with it. A power vacuum is created at Outpost #87.
Long Term: Outpost #87 struggles to find new senior staff, and may be decommissioned within the decade.
If the Organic Separator was discovered and used on the Festering Chaos Lump…
Short Term: Director Keep resumes his directorship.
Long Term: Outpost #87 continues to prosper.
If Dr. Sheridan was not helped…
Short Term: The strain of her spell puts her into a coma. The citizens of the Pitted City return, largely ignorant of what has occurred.
Long Term: Dr. Sheridan awakens after six months, somehow changed by the experience, somehow… haunted.
If Falstaff and Wright were freed during the combat…
Short Term: The pair of them manage to keep the Festering Chaos Lump alive long enough to get Director Keep separated from it.
Long Term: Wright becomes Commander of the troops of Outpost #87, with Falstaff as her Second-In-Command.
RITUAL-7006-WARDEN
! MODULE COMPLETE !
If at least one Avatar survived…
Short Term: You have successfully appeased Scathia, Absolute of Securement. Please choose another module to continue Ritual proceedings.
Long Term: The Foundation will secure more anomalous items in the next year.
