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.
- According to legend, the first dragons were made by Lotan, a legend that vastly annoys any dragon who’s asked if it’s true, and an annoyed dragon is a fearful sight. However, it’s rumoured that part of dragons’ annoyance at the question is because it is true, and that because they were created by Lotan, Lotan still has the ability to control them.
- Demons of Lotan are spirits of the dead transformed by Lotan into demons. They have no flesh and can possess others, and recently it’s said there’s been an upsurge in such possessions, suggesting that more demons of Lotan are active. Worse, most demons of Lotan strive only to cause as much harm as possible, but recently they seem to be acting with some kind of goal in mind other than random destruction.
- Dlamma egg fragments are said to insulate against the effects of magic, which makes them greatly sought after by adventurers, as well as others. It’s rumoured that some dlammas have grown tired of people hunting for egg fragments, though, and have started taking measures against such expeditions.
- Giants are a dangerous problem for Ardeyn, for gigantism is a curse whose sufferers are perfectly human most of the time, and often unknowing of their behaviour as giants. It’s rumoured that a group of people has started hunting down anyone known to have had a giant anywhere in their ancestry, or even suspected to have one, and killing them, in an attempt to wipe the curse out.
- Hydras incorporate useful heads from their victims into their body, where they eventually become as happy as the other heads. It’s rumoured that there is a hydra with a vast number of heads that it has acquired over many years, gaining a great deal of arcane knowledge as a result, making it both incredibly knowledgeable and incredibly dangerous.
- Kray were shown how to get past the Seven Rules of Ardeyn by the Betrayer, and today the creatures plague the recursion. It’s rumoured that the number of kray being encountered in Ardeyn has been steadily increasing over the years, and there’s a fear that they are still coming in from the Strange.
- Monitors are remnant Qephilim of Silence that went into hiding when the Incarnation of Silence disappeared. According to most, they haven’t been seen in centuries. However, there are rumours that some have seen a number of monitors congregating in out of the way places, and wonder if they have gained new knowledge about their Incarnation.
- The Betrayer, the former Incarnation of War of Ardeyn, makes several hundred homunculi, broadly in his own semblance. Most noteworthy are the translucent ones, which are the greatest of their kind. It’s rumoured that there is one of their precursor homunculi, one that looks identical to the Betrayer, hiding out somewhere in Ardeyn.
- The Incarnations summoned the golems of Ardeyn to mobility during the Age of Myth, and many still remain, now devoid of purpose or master. Sometimes they wake if disturbed, and occasionally magic can press them into service. It’s rumoured, though, that every now and then a golem awakens and sets off for an unknown destination, and some say they are all travelling to the same place, with a definite, albeit unknown, purpose.
- Umber judges are seen outside the Night Vault looking for escaped spirits, rogue necromancers and banned copies of the Gospels of Lotan. However, it’s ru8moured that recently one has been encountered that doesn’t appear to be seeking out any of these things, but looking for something else entirely.