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.
A tower of living, greenish flesh, known as the Twisted Spire, stands near the centre of the Amorphous Fields. About three quarters of the way up is a ring of metal called the Halo, that slowly spins around the spire. There are rumours that the speed at which the Halo is turning has been gradually increasing over the years, and that it is now increasing in speed at a greater rate.
Dalthius is a well-known figure in Vebar, the City of Night in the Amorphous Fields. They were found in a metal cylinder not far from the city and seems to have difficulty in open air and sunlight. Dalthius is known to be friendly and helpful, as well as widely liked and the first to leap to the city’s defence. There are occasional murmurings, though, that Dalthius’s friendly nature hides a much darker secret, and that they are nowhere near as pleasant as they appear.
Fungi are the only things that grow in the Amorphous Fields, of types not found elsewhere, and whilst some are poisonous, others have valuable medicinal effects. It’s rumoured that some of the fungi are predatory as well, putting to sleep living creatures with spores, then feeding off their corpses.
Only a few people live in the unstable terrain of the Amorphous Fields and most outsiders consider them insane. The inhabitants know the routes across the terrain that are, mostly, safe, and live in areas of continuously stable ground. However, it’s rumoured that a few of these supposedly stable settlements have been swallowed up by the churning terrain, suggesting that the ground the settlements are built on is not as stable as might be believed.
The inhabitants of Vebar, the City of Night, an underground city in the Amorphous Fields, worship a being called Ourthalas that is said to live in the Cave of Life-Giving Shadow. It’s rumoured that this cave does exist and it’s close to Vebar, and that Ourthalas’s blind wife-priestesses know how to get there and take sacrifices of intelligent beings to feed to their god.
The ligoshi of the Amorphous Fields are house-sized bioluminescent jellyfish that swim in the liquid below the ground, emerging now and then when the crust breaks and floating in the air for hours. The ligoshi seem to enjoy wrapping their paralyzing tentacles around creatures, and some speculate the jellyfish may be more intelligent than they seem, doing this out of a love of cruelty.
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.
Chaos skiffs ride the currents of the Strange and most from Ardeyn are based out of Port Jayeed. The Strange and its inhabitants are dangerous, and not every chaos skiff returns from its voyage. It’s rumoured, though, that the number of skiffs that are being lost in the Strange has been on the rise over time.
Dangerous creatures from Ardeyn and the Strange can be found fighting against slaves, volunteers and champions in Marhaban’s Champion Dome, but recently there have been creatures appearing in the contests that no-one recognises. They’ve never been seen in the matches before, and they look like nothing ever encountered on Ardeyn. Some claim they come from completely different worlds.
King Khousaf if Mandariel died a decade ago, and no new king was chosen from amongst the Twelve Princes by the Oracle of Ardeyn. It’s rumoured that this was because one, or more, of the princes was involved in the former king’s death, which was murder, not natural causes, and the Oracle didn’t want to risk a murderer being put on the throne.
Mandariel and the Queendom of Hazurrium have a frequently tense relationship; the Queendom accuses Mandariel of putting all of Ardeyn at risk by sending ships into the Strange whilst Mandariel claims the Queendom just wants to maintain is position of pre-eminence. It’s rumoured that relations have devolved further recently, thanks to a number of skirmishes between the two countries on their border, and that they might get worse still.
Port Jayeed is those relations where chaos skiffs based on Ardeyn sail the Strange travel to and from, and it’s rumoured that there are plans to increase the number of piers where the skiffs can dock, perhaps to allow more skiffs to make port, perhaps to allow larger vessels to dock, though it’s not known what such vessels might be.
The Champion Dome is the most famous part of Marhaban, where slaves, volunteers and champions fight each other and dangerous creatures from Ardeyn and the Strange. Betting on the results of contests is extremely common, with large purses regularly changing hands, but it’s rumoured that some of the fights are fixed to ensure that the right people win. Those right people may include Prince Salman and Prince Bandar, two of Mandariel’s Five Princes.
The Five Princes are the rulers of Mandariel, and the survivors of the original Twelve Princes. They share power, though each would no doubt prefer to be the sole ruler, and it’s rumoured that some of the princes have been reaching out to other powers with the hope of getting backing for them to take the throne. Some may be reaching out to powers best left alone.
There are many whispers about Captain Tethis, mayor of Port Jayeed, with some claiming that he’s actually a kray thrall. Those rumours in particular are dismissed, but it’s said there are other rumours that are, if anything, even more troubling. And that those who mention them disappear, never to be seen again. Which might mean they are true.
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10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Night City
This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard in or about the Upper Marina district of Night City. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
Big Blue Foods in the Upper Marina manufactures a lot of the standard foods that make up typical Night City provender. There are constantly rumours about just what goes into some of their dishes, but these are the sort of rumours that have been around for years. As yet, no-one has got any proof to justify the derogatory name of “Soylent Blue Foods”.
C. Donut Express Co, based in the Upper Marina, trans-ships and receives goods over long distances, and also collects and delivers goods locally, swapping goods over at their depot. The trucks are dangerous to try to jack, as for long distances they have convoys with outriders, and it’s rumoured that not every type of good that the company ships around is entirely legal. Or remotely legal.
Harbormaster Mahan Jones is both a cop and a government official, and tolerates no corruption by corporations or the Mob withing the Harbor Police. Both organised crime and the companies are less than happy about this, especially as control of the Harbor Police would make smuggling goods through easier. It’s rumoured that at least some have decided that individual cops cannot be safely bribed as long as Jones is around, and are planning to remove the problem at its head.
Medicross Preservation in the Upper Marina collects a goodly number of the city’s unnamed and unidentified corpses, which are then dissected for donor parts. It’s rumoured that not every corpse that goes through the doors is unnamed and unidentified; some say that the Mob or the corps occasionally use Medicross to make an inconvenient body – which may have been breathing – “disappear” with no-one the wiser.
Mustang Arms Co in the Upper Marina is essentially a giant warehouse full of shoulder arms as well as pistols and cyberlimb replacements. It’s rumoured that so many weapons pass through the facility that the company can’t manage to keep track of them all. Which results in a certain percentage going missing, and turning up in the hands of those who really shouldn’t be getting them.
Night City Today! is based in the Upper Marina, the city’s most popular screamsheet that focuses more on sensationalism and distribution than it does on journalism. Though it’s rumoured that the screamsheet has recently been receiving threats, as it appears they accidentally stumbled across a genuine piece of investigative journalism.
SensuTours in the Upper Marina was recently hit by a firebomb attack, though it appears this did surprisingly little damage to the business. The assumption is that a customer finally got sick and tired of the places inefficiency and decided to teach them a lesson. If so, it looks as if the lesson wasn’t firm enough to stick.
Servospiff is a supplier of security-coded work fashions and they are able to keep the registered designs out of the hands of would-be buyers who lack authorisation, thanks to their security precautions. It’s rumoured that the company’s precautions can sometimes be final, as those who attempt to acquire designs they have no right to may find that this is the last thing they do.
The American Bar in the Upper Marina caters to a variety of mercenary types as well as toughs and labourers from the waterfront. Both the NCPD and the CIA keep an eye on the bar, even though it’s licensed, but there are rumours that the CIA has lost a few people who have been watching the place recently. Though the NCPD apparently haven’t. This might suggest something is going on of interest to the CIA, but isn’t of a type of illegality to get the NCPD involved.
The Night City headquarters of the Department of Motor Vehicles is in the Upper Marina, and is not the most popular of places. Though the building has good security, there have been a number of attacks against it recently. These haven’t been more than the throwing of futile Molotov cocktails or cans of paint, and have had no great effect. The attacks do seem to be coordinated, though, and it’s possible whoever is behind them will start stepping up their game.
D10: Night City Rumours – Upper Marina 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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This provides game stats for one of the items worn by the Rhodann from the Pathfinder version of Species of Sundara: Elves.
The Rhodann are known for their colourful patchwork cloaks, but some also make patchwork cloaks that are intended to blend in with the terrain. These cloaks are not magical in nature, but do provide a benefit to the wearer.
Each cloak is designed for a specific sort of terrain, and will only provide a bonus in that terrain. Example terrains would be mountains, snow, desert or woods; the GM, or player, should determine what terrain a specific cloak provides a bonus in.
When a cloak of the Rhodann is worn in the terrain for which it’s designed, the wearer gains a +2 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks done in that terrain.
Cost: 40 gp Weight: 1/2 lb
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Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission
Here are ten things that characters could encounter on the road whilst travelling. They are not necessarily dangerous, but they are strange.
A hand has been outlined on the road in white stones. It’s clear that the hand is palm-upwards, for more stones have been used to mark the various creases of the palm. The whole is at a high level of detail, considering the medium.
Bits and pieces from a suit of plate armour have been scattered along the road for some distance. Each piece appears to have been placed the same distance apart. The armour is heavily damaged and probably unusable.
Broken and empty crates are scattered along the road. A careful eye can notice that each crate is in the exact centre of the road and exactly the same distance from any crate before or after it.
Hanging from the trees on both sides of the road are lengths of ribbon. The ribbons come in a variety of colours, some clearly faded over time, and in different lengths.
Lamps hang from several trees beside the road, illuminating it at night. The lamps appear to be delicate brass constructions, but trying to take one down reveals that they are in fact illusionary.
Lying on the road is a single copper-coloured horseshoe. Examining it shows that the horseshoe is made from actual copper, but otherwise seems like a normal horseshoe, even bearing signs of wear.
Stabbing up out of the road’s surface is a black, shiny shard of some hard substance, reaching a dozen feet before terminating in a lethal-looking point. The material is reflective enough to act as a mirror.
Standing in the very centre of the road is an almost perfectly spherical boulder, 5′ in diameter. The only part of the boulder that isn’t spherical is the very top, which is completely flat. No tool marks can be seen on the boulder.
The road passes under an arch that has been formed by two standing stones that lean together. The standing stones are unusually tall, as even a wagon can pass underneath at the apex without a problem, and they appear to be fastened together in some way.
Trees on each side of the road have had a face carved into their trunks. The faces all look to be bearded males, and generally similar, and have hair and beards depicted to look like leaves and vines.
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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.
Astaria in the Divided Seas has built a large membrane across the Imoros Strait which is only opened for passing ships and water transports once per day, and at a cost at that. There are rumours that Astaria is planning to increase the amount they charge to open the membrane, and counter rumours that some of those who have to use the strait are getting increasingly tired of being gouged and are seeking other methods of dealing with the tariff.
Halite Gabra is the current head of Our Order of the Lady of the Salt Way in the Divided Seas and used to be a member of the Order of Truth until she blinded and deafened herself following a vision. Or, at least, so it is claimed. Gabra is now said to see and hear using mechanical eyes and hearing aids, but there are rumours that perhaps she might not be as blind and death as she’s supposed to be, or that these were not self-inflicted.
Hayrest in the Divided Seas is a surprising centre of scholarly pursuits, which some link to the city’s large population of varjellen. There are rumours, though, that strife is increasing between certain elements of the human population and the varjellen. Should this continue, the entire city could be put at risk of internal conflict.
Hiberz is the nominal leader of the submerged city of Salachia in the Divided Seas. Some consider him to be the city’s saviour; others, its destroyer. The latter would happily see Hiberz dead so that they could restore the city properly, and its rumoured they have made several attempts to make this goal a reality, but so far have been unsuccessful.
Navae Marica in the Divided Seas is smaller and shallower than the Sere Marica but, unlike the larger sea, is a source of fresh water, rather than salt. There are rumours, though, that recently the Navae Marica’s water has started to taste slightly salty, and that the saltiness is gradually increasing over time. If it is turning to salt, this could cause a serious problem for those that rely on its fresh water.
Our Order of the Lady of the Salt Way in the Divided Seas like many religions considers others to be horribly misguided, though the Order is reputedly just waiting patiently for everyone else to see their truth. There’s a rumour, though, that a splinter faction of halites within the order have decided to hurry matters along a bit, by targeting followers of other religions and eliminating them; the more powerful the individual is within the religion, the better.
Salachia is an underwater city at the bottom of the Sere Marica in the Divided Seas. The outside of the city is covered in crystalline creatures called chiffons that inhale the carbon dioxide released by the city’s inhabitants and exhale the oxygen needed to breathe. As well as the crisis caused by the city’s diminishing population, which results in fewer chiffons being attracted, it’s also rumoured that they have recently been dying off.
Sere Marica in the Divided Seas is known for how hostile the environment surrounding it is to mechanical beings, as the salt is very hard on their mechanisms. It’s rumoured that the salt that appears in the Sere Marica is part of an ancient defence mechanism, one set up by a civilisation of a prior world that was under attack by mechanical foes.
The halites, the followers of Our Order of the Lady of the Salt Way, live on an island in the Salted Marshes of the Divided Seas. There have been rumours about members of the group possibly eating their dead, after being cured in salt, but other, darker rumours suggest that a number of travellers in the region disappear and end up on the tables of the halites where they are consumed.
The Sere Marica in the Divided Seas is a body of water filled with blue salts, though the water that flows into it is fresh. There’s a rumour of a vast ancient mechanism located somewhere on the bottom of the sea, one that changes the waters that enter the Sere Marica, adding the salt to them.
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.
Juvanom is the aquatic city that serves as the primary headquarters of the Court of Coin. The city consists of fourteen huge spheres, entire neighbourhoods filled with air. It’s rumoured that some of the spheres have been having problems recently, with the spheres that keep the water out failing to do so at times. Some wonder if the spheres are failing; others if, currently minor, acts of sabotage are being carried out.
Most of the ancient aquatic cities of the Court of Coin are now in ruins, though the remnants of the Court still inhabit Juvanom. There are rumours, though, that some of the cities are not as ruined as is generally thought, though it doesn’t seem that the Court is occupying them, which begs the question of whether they are still inhabited and, if so, who by?
Several trade concerns are either based in Port Talaat on the north shore of Oceanus, or have an outpost there. The concerns are of different sizes and it’s rumoured that at least some are engaged in an underground war against each other. So far, this seems to have mostly been restricted to a trade war, but it’s said that vessels and caravans have also been attacked out in the wilds.
The prefect of Tharcept Prefecture in Juvanom is Harker Molentha, a player of the lute and accomplished singer, and the prefecture itself specialises in the sale of entertainments, with the largest space set aside for a massive stage. Tharcept Prefecture sees a lot of wealth come in, but there are rumours that a not insignificant percentage of this money is disappearing somewhere, instead of ending up where it should.
The Court of Coin leases a pier at Port Talaat, one that has been retrofitted to cope with the Court’s submarine craft. It’s rumoured that there have been a few problems in these submersible pens recently, as some say the craft that dock there have been sabotaged. It’s not clear who would have the ability, and the motive, to do such a deed.
The Hydra Cascade pulls those within it to a submerged qephilim ruin in the rough shape of a hydra. The current is the only way to reach the ruin, for no-one out of it has ever encountered the place, but using the current is hazardous. The Hydra Cascade is definitely magical, and some wonder if the reason why the qephilim ruin can be only seen within the current is because the current is transporting those within to another time and place.
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10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Night City
This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard in or about the Upper East Side district of Night City. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
Allworld Insurance in the Upper East Side has an enclosure built of reinforced concrete as part of their building, where physical evidence is stored for examination by the company’s forensic engineers. There’s only one street entrance, without using explosives, and there are two checkpoints to ensure only those allowed to enter can do so. Yet there are rumours that some of what’s been stored in the enclosure has been tampered with to affect Allworld’s investigations and ultimate pay-outs.
CiNEmaXUS is a theatre and braindance arcade that has been struggling recently due to corporate clientele being driven elsewhere by the punks on the streets at night. Some say that the place is going to start catering to the punks, but there are other rumours that the owners are making a deal with someone far more dangerous than any street punk in order to keep the area around it safe so that its original clientele feels safe to return.
Global Foods prides itself on its ability to create any dish that a diner asks for, no matter how disgusting. It’s rumoured that it’s also possible to order dishes that, whilst not unknown, are illegal, with long pig being the one most touted as being available to those in the know.
Kitty Liquor violates most of Night City’s local laws, including selling to minors as well as remaining open at all times of day and night. Though the council would like to shut it down, doing so could well cause a riot amongst the local gangs. Others, however, are less bothered about the potential fallout, or about obeying the law when it comes to closing Kitty Liquor down, and there are rumours of violent actions planned against the business.
Long Last Books specialises in rare, out of print, banned and hard to find books as well as those published by independents. The gangs appreciate this, but the corps do not, and it’s rumoured that the corps have tried to put the shop out of business a few times, with the use of force, but that the gangs have stepped up to defend them.
StreeTemps is used to hire those in need of some quick cash to carry out various activities that, at best, skirt on being on the wrong side of the law and, more often than not, go fully over that border. It’s rumoured that those who sign up with StreeTemps tend to suffer higher casualty rates than normal, which may be because the hirers are not the best people around to deal with.
Systems Original manufactures networking software similar to that used in the Net. There’s a rumour that in some cases, perhaps all cases, that a backdoor is created in the software that allows Systems Original, or someone who pays them for the privilege, to access what are supposed to be secure networks.
The Advocet is a luxury hotel that provides services, both legal and not, to its clientele. To date, the police haven’t taken any notice of this, as everything happens in-house, but it’s rumoured that’s changing after one of the more dubious clientele caused the death of one of the people providing them with an intimate service.
The autovendor in NNEws is run by a marginally intelligent AI that reputedly has chopped the hands of people who have tried to steal from it. There are rumours that the AI is rather more than marginally intelligent, and takes a disturbing pleasure in inflicting harm on others, which may not bode well for the things it vends in the future.
The truck drivers of Barstow Enterprises often get into altercations of the punks who frequent The Slammer just down the street, and some take a kind of pride in the number of punks they’ve mown down with their vehicles. It’s rumoured that matters might be about to get out of hand though; some of the punks are said to be in the market for some anti-vehicular weaponry with the intention of blowing up some of the trucks, and their drivers at the same time.
D10: Night City Rumours – Upper East Side 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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Ogres are large humanoids, related to giants, known for their brutality, strength and less than stellar intelligence. They can be found individually and in groups and will often act as muscle for more intelligent beings.
What Unusual Feature Does the Ogre Have?
Appalling stench, noticeable from some distance away and nauseating when close.
Enormous fangs, twice the normal size.
Jutting brow of bone that shields its eyes from the light.
Long, thick, strong and claw like nails.
Patches of straggly, greasy hair all over its body.
Scars cut into its skin in patterns.
What is the Ogre Wearing or Carrying?
Cloak made from the scalps of dozens of beings.
Helm made from the entire rotting head of a bull.
Huge bag made from horse hides crudely stitched together.
Rotting garments made from poorly-tanned leathers.
String of skulls from different beings on a rope around its neck.
Wooden club inset with broken fragments of bone.
What Treasure Does the Ogre Have?
Battered breastplate bearing part of a coat of arms.
Broken holy symbol
Cloven skull of a powerful enemy.
Fur of a dire beast.
Hilt of a shattered sword worn on a leather thong.
Shiny rock with sparkling flecks in it.
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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.
Druissi in the Ba-Adenu Forest is built on ancient wreckage that has, until now, generated heat all year round at a stable level, allowing the inhabitants to use the heat to warm everything from food to water. There’s a rumour, though, that the temperature has been gradually increasing in recent months. Not enough to cause an immediate problem but, should the rise continue, it could eventually reach potentially hazardous levels.
Padun in the Ba-Adenu Forest is an enormous oval wall, one that has been repaired over the years, and sometimes breached as well. Inside are the ruins of cities and strongholds that have been built within the wall’s defensive perimeter, all of which have fallen due to the difficulty of defending a wall of such a size. There’s a rumour that a new ruler is building a city within Padun, but that they are ensuring that there will be defences on the inside as well as Padun itself.
The Ba-Adenu Forest encompasses a vast area of the Beyond, with many different beings living beneath its boughs in the different climates that can be found within it. There’s a rumour, though, that the forest has recently started to shrink in size, with trees on the borders quickly dying and collapsing into rot, diminishing the size of the forest slowly but steadily.
The inhabitants of Ephremon in the Ba-Adenu Forest worship a being called the Falgreen which appears in the form of a floating young woman in a tattered dress with twigs for hair. Some outsiders say the Falgreen is the spirit of the Ba-Adenu Forest, taking on a form that allows it to interact with humans, though at a price, claiming that the Falgreen desires human sacrifice above all other things.
The part of the Ba-Adenu Forest that borders the Black Riage is known for its strong winds and the frequent tendency for trees to fall in them. Calls to warn others of falling trees are equally common, and there’s a rumour that someone has been studying tree falls for some time. They have apparently come to the conclusion that many of the falls are not accidental, and that the reason so many encounter falling trees, is they are most likely to happen when there are people around. Perhaps suggesting the tree falls are deliberate.
The Untethered Legion in the Ba-Adenu Forest is an area where pools of a murky red substance gradually birth hounds, which when born are ridden by the biomechanical humans of the Legion. The forces of the Untethered Legion have been gathering in the forest for some time, though no-one knows what for, but there’s a rumour that they have finally started to stir and venture further afield.
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