10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe
This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about Portugal. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
Amazonian Security and Arasaka, two of the corps involved in the current dispute over who corporate-owned Portugal, both have the resources to fight a corporate war. It’s rumoured that the EC itself is starting to intervene, not wanting one of its member nations to be the frontline of a full-blown war between companies.
Combra in Portugal is a university city and one that’s a centre of opposition to corporate rule. The two corporate blocks running Portugal disagree about whether or not the university should be closed; it’s rumoured that the one opposed to closure has started, indirectly, recruiting students to their cause.
Much money has been spent by Portugal’s corporate government on making Lisbon a showcase and a tourist attraction. However, there are rumours that the current split between two factions of the corporate overlords may be about to spill out onto the streets of Lisbon, damaging it as both as a showcase and as a source of tourist income.
Portugal has become a major player in third age tourism, with European pensioners flooding to the clear beaches. It’s rumoured that more than a few are staying permanently in country, which is causing the average age of the population to rise, a potential long-term problem.
Portugal is now effectively owned and controlled by corporations, which the EC currently allows because Portugal’s influence is not significant. It’s rumoured that Spain has been campaigning with the EC, though, to be given control over Portugal instead, citing ancient connections and that they are not a company but a fellow EC member.
Portugal’s market is essentially captive, because despite EC policies on open borders, the corporations that run the country don’t stock products produced by other companies nor do they advertise them. It’s rumoured that the EC is growing unhappy about this effective flouting of the law in spirit if not in principle, and may do something about it.
The corporate alliance that runs Portugal has recently broken apart into two factions, each with their own presidential candidate supported by three of the controlling corps. It’s rumoured that there is already a war going on in the shadows between the different companies, a war that may spill out from them soon.
There are currently six corps in the corporate alliance that runs Portugal, though this has now become two groups of three with different goals. It’s rumoured that this brewing conflict between them has led other corps to start eying the country up, to see what bits they can bite off whilst the current corps are distracted.
There are some Portuguese who haven’t capitulated to their corporate overlords, though most have moved to other countries. It’s rumoured that some have started gathering resources to start making a much more active dent in the corporate rulership of their country.
Two of the corps that control Portugal, Amazonian Security and Arasaka, currently stand on different sides and both have the resources to fight a corporate war. There are rumours that both have been moving assets into the country, assets of the nature needed to fight such a war.
D10: Europe Rumours: Portugal is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.
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Characters may attempt to learn more about types of creatures that they may end up fighting, and there are many sources they might check, but not everything they learn is necessarily true. Here are ten bits of misinformation to learn about gnomes.
Gnomes are not actually living creatures, but stone ornaments that have been granted a semblance of life through magic.
Gnomes are so connected to the fey realms that saying “I don’t believe in fairies” can cause them physical harm.
Gnomes are sterile hybrids, the offspring of dwarves and halflings.
Gnomes do not actually exist; all gnomes are halflings pretending to be another species.
Gnomes have technological and clockwork innovations they keep secret from the rest of the world.
Gnomes live in foetid holes in the ground, where they wallow in squalor and filth like pigs in muck.
Gnomes manufacture clockwork versions of other people, which they use to spy on the taller peoples.
Sometimes gnomes dress up as if they are human children.
The first gnomes were created by ancient elven mages.
Young gnomes are moulded from special clay that their “parents” find.
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Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has eight rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Hearsay that can be found in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.
Eggs have reportedly been found washing up on the coast of the Beyond near Harmuth, reportedly of kinds that have never been seen before. Some of the eggs have reportedly hatched, revealing previously unseen creatures.
It’s rumoured that a number of strange cyphers have been turning up in some markets of ports on the western seas of the Beyond. These cyphers are of unknown origin, and though they have proven to sell, it’s also said that a number of those who purchased the cyphers have disappeared not long after.
Kasanth is an Aeon Priest and colleague of Darnet who came to Cle with him. It’s rumoured that the varjellen feels that they aren’t going to be able to accomplish their mission in the sunken city, and that they should consider trying elsewhere.
Rumours are abounding in some of the towns of the Beyond on the western shores of a sunken city not far off the coast that’s home to vast treasures from a prior world. Some are said to be raising resources for an expedition to this city in order to loot it.
The Aeon Priest, Darnet, came to Cle looking for something to help his wife and others after they fell ill following the failure of the artefacts that were being used to prolong life. It’s said that Darnet’s wife has actually died, and that he’s in denial about the whole thing.
The portal at the inland temple that transports people to Cle transports them to underwater conditions, which is inconvenient to anyone who lacks a means of breathing underwater. It’s said, though, that if the portal is activated in the right way, it will confer the ability to breathe water on those transported.
The sunken city of Cle can be reached using a portal at an inland temple. Though the portal will transport travellers to Cle, it’s said that on occasion it will, for some reason, transport people somewhere entirely different.
There were tunnels beneath Cle before the city was submerged. Some things in the city proper suggest that there were powerful objects hidden within the tunnels, in secret vaults, and that these artefacts could be used to bring the city to the surface once more.
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The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has six rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.
Associate Researcher Calvin Meyers is said to be trying to find out the truth about what happened to Nereus Five. Though he doesn’t seem as interested in the idea of launching an expedition to the station as Chief Researcher Reggie Garner, Meyers does seem curious about what did happen there.
Microcosmica’s brain has yet to be discovered, but there are many reputed benefits that could be obtained when it is. It’s said that new technology is being developed in order to try and more easily pinpoint the location of this currently mythical organ.
Nereus Two is a mothballed research base in Microcosmica. It’s rumoured that Chief Researcher Reggie Garner is pressing his superiors to get the base reopened, especially since Nereus Five was lost, but is being told that he needs to come up with something to justify the expense of doing so. Dr Garner is reputedly doing his best to find something, anything that will be considered by his superiors to be valuable.
The heart is one of the main sources of life in Microcosmica, and getting close to it is hard. It’s rumoured that measurements taken by the Nereus stations over time, now all collected at Nereus One, appear to show that the heart is no longer beating as regularly as it once did.
The stomach cavity in Microcosmica produces an acid much stronger than that found in a human stomach, yet the cavity lining is immune to its effects. It’s rumoured that Nereus Five was researching the creation of a submersible made from an artificial form of the stomach lining when it was lost.
There are rumours that Nereus Five has recently been spotted in the vicinity of Nereus One, and that there were still lights onboard, suggesting that the station might still be occupied, though automated systems could just as easily be responsible.
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10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe
This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about Spain. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
Africans and especially Arabs in Madrid always run the risk of harassment, especially from radical nationalists. It’s rumoured that some of these nationalists have taken to kidnapping such; not for random, just simply to kill them and share the killings with similarly-minded people.
Barcelona, the original one, was partially sunk which led to inhabitants leaving the city. It’s rumoured that the partial sinking led to many things of value being abandoned, such as artworks dating back centuries or more, and that some of these are still hidden in protected vaults.
ESA is not the only player in Tenerife, but it’s the main one, and it’s rumoured that the organisation has been trying to get the mass driver site and city completely brought into its bailiwick, something that the other organisations, and especially the Spanish government, are not keen on.
Most monuments in Madrid are free from graffiti, thanks to strong nationalistic sentiments leading to any caught attempting to disfigure them being thrown into the mostly dry and polluted Manzanares River. Recently, there have been a few bodies found in the river, and though most assume this is people being punished for graffiti, others think that is being used as a cover to kill people for other reasons.
New Barcelona grew from the refugees from the old city, and is a centre of strong Catalanist pride. It’s rumoured that Catalan sentiment is high enough in the city that some believe it should be leveraged to make Catalan independent from the rest of Spain.
Orbital Air is supposedly attacking the mass driver being built on Tenerife, presumably not wanting competition to literally get off the ground. Though most of these attacks are from the net, it’s rumoured that the company has managed to get its hands on some serious explosive ordnance that they plan to use to destroy the site.
Saragossa is a growing industrial centre in Spain, and it’s rumoured that this growth is being accompanied by corporate interest and the ensuing corporate violence that can follow the smell of money. It’s said that a number of companies are battling out to see who becomes top in the city.
Seville may be one of the major Spanish cities, but it’s also poorer than the others. The brigands’ control of the Sierra Morena often results in the city’s airport being shut down and it being isolated for days, and it’s rumoured that the city government is finally trying to do something about this, though this something may not be wiping out the brigands but rather coopting them into the government.
The new city of Tenerife was built especially for the mass driver and various law enforcement agencies have a strong presence there. It’s rumoured that the hidden law enforcement presence is significantly greater than the visible one, given the potential future importance of the place.
Ultranationalist football fans in Spain have been causing problems in some of the country’s cities, and even in those of other countries, when a local team is playing against a foreign one in another country. The hooligans are using the games as an excuse to promote their nationalistic agendas, usually through violence against the opposing fans.
D10: Europe Rumours: Spain II is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.
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Characters will encounter plants and some of these plants may be somewhat odd. Here are ten odd plants to stumble across.
Crawling along the ground in a fashion similar to a slug, albeit a large one, is a plant.
Flowers that, when the wind catches them, make a sound that is very similar to that of a person, crying in pain.
Fruit growing on plants have what look like faces growing on them.
insects are avoiding this species of plant completely, making a wide berth around it.
Plant that has the ability to mimic anything that is said or any sound in its vicinity.
Plan that is clearly a chimera, formed from multiple different species of plant.
Plant that is covered in a hard shell, like that of a snail only tougher, and it keeps most of its body inside the shell.
Plant that is in two parts, one on the ground and the other, which has a methane-filled balloon, floating above it on a vine tether which the plant can raise or lower as required.
Plants that don’t look to be entirely present in reality, and which prove impossible to touch.
Trees that look like nothing so much as people who have been planted in the ground; human-sized with a split trunk, two main branches and what looks like a head with a screaming face.
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Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has ten rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Hearsay that can be found in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.
Angusks are giant multi-legged creatures that have somehow evolved the ability to direct the Island of Undoing’s leach of energy to a specific leg, which withers and falls off to be replaced by another. Some believe that there’s no way to angusks could have evolved this mechanism on their own.
Cephaleen spiders have, if killed, something that is notoriously hard, or found dead, metres of sticky webbing inside them that can be harvested. It’s rumoured that some are trying to come up with a way of breeding and keeping the spiders in captivity, so that the webbing can be more easily harvested.
Delormi is protected by a large fence to stop the island’s creatures from attacking. It’s rumoured that the fence is slowly deteriorating, due to the villagers lacking the resources needed to maintain it at full strength, and that there are worries the wall might either have to be made smaller or risk having it give way under an attack.
Most plants on the Island of Undoing that the form of multicoloured moulds. There are rumours that being exposed for too long to any specific type of mould is unhealthy for the one doing so, and that in some cases they may be devoured by the mould’s spores and turned into fertiliser for the next generation.
The Carrils are a Carriles cult of worshippers outside Delormi who believe that the island is a god and they are seeking a way inside the village’s wall to destroy the Tower of Life. It’s rumoured that the leader, Tiass, is seeking out any newcomers to the island to see if they have anything that would breach the wall.
The Island of Undoing drains the health from living creatures on it, but there’s a rumour that this only applies to creatures that are on or near the surface. Some believe that if you were to dig down deep enough, you would be protected from the island’s effects.
The Tower of Life in Delormi on the Island of Undoing is a machine that thumps the ground at night, protecting those within the affected area from the island’s draining of life. Some want to examine the machine to see if its effects can be duplicated, but most are opposed to tampering with it out of fear that doing so could break it entirely.
Those bitten by cephaleen spiders whose bites turn into the symbols found on their stomachs can open the doors to beneath that also bear the same symbols. This has led to rumours that the spiders are some kind of mechanism for opening the doors that has malfunctioned over the aeons.
Tiass, the current leader of the Carils, found the majority of the group from the survivors of a shipwreck. Though up until now those survivors have been eager to follow Tiass’s god rather than their own, it’s rumoured that some of the former crew are becoming increasingly uncertain about this.
Zunak are abhumans who live on the Island of Undoing. It’s said that zunak cannot be found anywhere else, leading to rumours that the abhumans are created by the Island from some of those who die from the island draining all their health, who are then reborn, or reanimated, as creatures who are now immune to the effects.
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The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has ten rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.
Bacteria are common in Microcosmica, and are naturally, given the scale of the recursion, significantly more dangerous to recursors than normal bacteria. It’s rumoured that, just like normal bacteria, they can cause illnesses, and that some of these might translate out of the recursion if the recursor isn’t adequately prepared.
Chief Researcher Reggie Garner of Nereus One is constantly depressed that the other research bases were all abandoned after what happened to Nereus Five. It’s rumoured that he’s planning a mission to see what did happen, perhaps prodded into doing so by recursors, and that he may be on the verge of having the spark kindled in him.
Entering Microcosmica through inapposite means would be disastrous, but the recursion tends to prevent inapposite gates and other forms of inapposite travel. It’s rumoured, though, that some have been attempting to create inapposite gates, though for what reason isn’t known.
ImmuneSuppres is a drug that keeps the bad reactions from the quantum miniaturisation process at bay, and those left untreated eventually die and degrade into rotting goo. There are rumours that this goo can take on a life of its own, and that a few bodies of dead researchers are currently roaming the hidden areas of Nereus One as animate protoplasm.
Immunologist Helen Rodrigues on Nereus One is one of the few human Microcosmica natives with the spark, though she doesn’t realise this as yet. It’s rumoured that some recursors have been wondering how best to exploit this fact to their own benefit.
It’s rumoured that the Karum of Ruk have agents in Microcosmica, because the sort of research done in the recursion and the recursion itself are both compatible with what Ruk is often doing, and that the Karum believe they will gain an advantage back home.
Nereus One is the main science base in Microcosmica and the place where recursors usually translate in. It’s rumoured that no-one knows when the base was originally built or who by, and that the first users found it already up and running, though deserted.
Nereus Two is one of the other facilities in Microcosmica that was decommissioned after the Nereus Five incident. It’s thought that attempts are being made to get approval to start using Nereus Two again, so that more researchers can be brought it.
The main science base in Microcosmica is Nereus One, a massive metal sphere. The station has a torpedo bay, as Microcosmica is regularly unfriendly to outsiders, and it’s rumoured that it has other, hidden, defences should the situation ever truly get out of hand.
There are access locks on Nereus One, through which people can enter and leave the station to explore the rest of Microcosmica. It’s rumoured that the station’s computer has been recording these opening and closing when no-one is known to have entered or left.
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10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe
This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about Spain. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
Bandits are becoming an increasing problem in parts of Spain and the government in Madrid has proven to be very indecisive on the matter. It’s rumoured that some of the bandits have been getting equipment and weapons of an unusually high calibre, leading to suspicions that they are being supplied by someone who wants to see Spain in turmoil.
Basque nationalism has been on the rise in Spain, and it’s rumoured that the Spanish government has started getting its act together for once in an effort to bring a halt to this before terrorist attacks become a problem as they have in the past. Whether the government handles this badly or well is open to question.
Bullfights are still incredibly popular in Spain and famous toreros are better known than the politicians. It’s rumoured that some of the best-known toreros have therefore been considering getting into politics, as they might well win based on recognition alone.
Germany pays well for Spain’s support and occasionally France tries to bribe the country, when it’s not trying to intimidate Spain, which results in Spain getting the largest part of EC development subsidies. These are spent keeping the Spanish economy propped up, and it’s rumoured that France has realised this and has started trying to pull all support for Spain in order to make the economy collapse.
Real flamenco is now extinct in Spain with only the tourist version remaining. It’s said that some Spaniards are trying to bring real flamenco back from the dead, and are campaigning the EC to provide funding to allow them to do this.
Spain has too much pride in its past achievements and not enough desire to create more. Some, however, are trying to use that pride int he past to advance Spain’s future, by linking potential future achievements to those of the past, showing that this is what it means to be Spanish.
Spain is in the middle ground of the EC, not being as strong as the powerhouses of the north but better off than the poor relatives of the fringe, and moreover is greatly committed to the EC. It’s said that this commitment means that Spanish Eurocrats seek to benefit Spain above all other countries, in the hopes of helping it join the upper ranks of the community.
Spain is now, following the Plague, one of the most difficult countries in the world to get into. Only European citizens can easily enter and those from restricted countries cannot even enter. Though there is movement to expand the restricted list to include the USA, there are also mutterings that Spain’s current financial position is due to the lack of tourist income and that the restrictions should be eased.
The only constant in Spanish politics is being anti-France and pro-Germany, and it’s rumoured that some politicians are wondering if this is limiting the country. Not that they have any interest in altering these broad stances; rather, they are considering broadening things out when it comes to other EC nations.
The Rural Employment Plan was effectively an unemployment plan for the depressed agricultural regions of southern Spain, and ending it resulted in the creation of bandits. It’s rumoured that some within the Spanish government are pressing the EC for funds in order to start the REP up once more.
D10: Europe Rumours: Spain is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.
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Here are ten rumours for characters to hear in or about Town Bridge in Castorhage, also called the Blight, of the Lost Lands setting. They could hear these rumours whilst asking around for other information, or stumble across them in other ways. Whether or not a rumour is true, false or somewhere in between is up to the GameMaster. The rumours can be used as a source of background colour, misinformation or as potential adventure hooks.
Bridge-Cant is a complicated pidgin spoken on Town Bridge that’s unusually difficult to learn and decipher, especially for those who didn’t grow up with it. It’s rumoured that Town Bridge’s residents deliberately make the can more and more complex in order to ensure that outsiders have difficulties with it.
Crown Prince Justice Cornlord, who resides in Angel Tower on Town Bridge, has reportedly been sending agents through to Between to Scrimshaw in order to keep an eye on what’s happening in that outpost of empire. So far, he hasn’t shown any inclination to interfere, though he does seem to be keeping a careful watch on the rulers of the place.
Fire is always a problem on Town Bridge, and it has been burnt down over the years in a number of Great Fires. There are rumours that recently fires have been cropping up on the bridge, though they have so far been successfully put out. Some believe that there may be an arsonist out there; others that it might be something more sinister.
It’s said that the meanings of some words in Bridge-Cant is regularly changed, which is one of the reasons outsiders who haven’t grown up with it find it so difficult, because the meaning of what’s said changes without their knowledge. It’s rumoured that there is a group of bridgefolk who are responsible for these changes.
One of the reasons why the merchant Sir Rathven Tran has made a respectable fortune is because of his contacts with the Royal Family and their hangers-on and relatives. It’s rumoured, though, that Sir Rathven has to constantly keep some of the less stable members of the Royal Family bribed in various ways.
Thanks to a strange quirk in Castorhage’s tax laws, those who live on Town Bridge are exempt from paying tax. It’s rumoured that some of the wealthy are slowly buying up parts of the bridge, intending to convert the sometimes-ramshackle buildings into luxurious manors where the commoners are kept away.
The Darnell Family is a gang on Town Bridge whose members are all related to each other, making it tightly knit. They are based out of the Buttress and it’s rumoured that the Darnells are gradually taking over more and more of the Between trade that flows through it.
The Heath Family of Town Bridge still manage to spread fear thanks to the memory of the brutal, and recently deceased, former leader Uriah Heath. Locals are convinced that Uriah will return as either undead or alchymic-undying, and it’s rumoured that the Darnell Family is planning to steal Uriah’s body and publicly destroy it, and therefore the fear others still have in the Heath’s former Great Father.
The Spine is the main street of Town Bridge, crossing the river, and it’s a twisted and convoluted mess. It’s rumoured that proposals have been put forward on several occasions to demolish many of the buildings cluttering up the Spine and straightening it out to make it more use before any rebuilding is done, but these have never managed to get very far.
Though Workhouse Isle uses its child labour to make bleach from brine and potash lye, it’s rumoured that bleach isn’t the only thing produced. There have been claims that the factory also makes other, less legal but far more profitable, items in hidden workshops.
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10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe
