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.

1. Bands of human nomads roam the Plains of Kataru. Recently, some of the bands have taken to raiding other tribes and settlements of the plains. This is reportedly starting to become more serious, as one tribe is adding members of those it defeats in battle to its own strength, which will quickly make it the most powerful tribe in the region, if not stopped one way or another, able to conquer everyone else.
2. In the middle of a field of white stones on the Plains of Kataru is a structure called the Orgorek. On occasion, those who fiddle with the hatches of the structure are attacked by whiplike tendrils that come out of the interior. The touch of the tendrils burns flesh, and some say that, if they kill a living creature, that creature will be turned into something neither alive nor dead, neither organic nor machine, but under the control of the Orgorek.
3. Needlestorms are winds of the Plains of Kataru that gather up shards of glass, and those exposed to such storms can get cut to ribbons by the needles and fragments. There’s a rumour that needlestorms are not entirely random in their nature; that they seem to follow some sort of pattern, almost as if they were, at least partially, under the control of something.
4. Small towns and aldeia dot the Plains of Kataru, primarily farming communities that occasionally trade with caravans from the Steadfast. Recently, there have been reports that a number of the smaller communities have been destroyed, though it isn’t known who by. At best, all that has been left are smoking ruins. At worst, the settlement has vanished completely, with no sign it ever existed.
5. The Ausren Woods of the Plains of Kataru are a forest of purple trees found nowhere else. The trees have a purple fruit that travellers are advised not to eat. There’s a rumour that someone went into the woods to harvest this fruit and bring it out, for some unknown, but probably inadvisable, purpose.
6. The Beanstalk on the Plains of Kataru is a tower of metal and glass that continues up into the sky as a thin stalk, 10′ wide but only a few inches thick. The stalk seems to disappear into the sky. Recently, there have been rumours that the stalk has been vibrating, as if something unimaginable was shaking it, and that the vibration seems to be increasing as if something is getting closer.
7. The Empty Machine on the Plains of Kataru is a huge structure embedded in the ground. Many hatchways exist and more entrances have been cut inside, though the interior lacks anything but the leftovers of those who have made a home in the machine over the years. Recently, though, there have been rumours of changes in the machine, of lights blinking on and off both inside and out, and the occasional sounds of mechanisms trying to start up.
8. The Plains of Kataru are known for their terrible storms that engulf the land, particularly in spring months. It’s rumoured that both the frequency and severity of these storms has been increasing over the past few years, making the land far more dangerous than it used to be.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

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.

1. Cities were built on the Island of the Last Migration during the isle’s rapid industrialisation, cities which now stand empty following the exile of the Gutonons. Creatures have started to reclaim the cities, as has vegetation, but there are rumours of darker things lurking in the back alleys and sewers, beings born of the wastes formed by the industrial period, creatures that hate everything.
2. Fengali Forest is comprised of many acres of submerged trees, which rise above the surface of the water and are connected below by a tangled network of roots. There are rumours that the forest, whose root system continues to grow, has recently started to expand in the area it covers, with fresh trees growing up from the seabed.
3. Ghost crabs can be found in the depths of the Fengali Forest and are dangerous predators, even though they are blind. The crabs seem to appear and disappear and some of those who have encountered the crustaceans state that this is sometimes the case; the crabs are literally appearing out of nowhere, then disappearing again, meaning they could appear almost anywhere.
4. The Corare Sea is rumoured to be home of intelligent predators, part synth, part cetacean, that dwell in its depths, coming to the surface to hunt. Though most of these, if they exist, do not sound as if they are a great danger for any substantial ship, the same isn’t true for smaller craft. Even worse, there’s a rumour of a very rare and gargantuan hunter that, when it reaches the surface, is large enough to swallow a ship down whole.
5. The Fengali Forest consists of submerged trees located about a hundred miles from the coast of the Steadfast. A clan of humans, called Grovers, lives above the water in the trees, and are generally not hostile or aggressive unless they believe their clan or their forest or threatened. There’s a rumour, though, of a splinter group that was forced away from the others who are much more aggressive and seek out travellers to prey on.
6. The Gutonons, the part of the Gutos clan of the Island of the Last Migration that splintered off and sold parts of the island to others, were either assimilated back into the greater clan after the war that devastated the island or fled forever. There are some Gutonons, though, who still plan to return to the island and retake what they believe was stolen from them, and are working to gather enough resources to co0mpletely obliterate the Gutos in the next conflict.
7. The Island of the Last Migration is home to an unusual species of intelligent bees that were nearly wiped out by the industrialisation that devastated the island. Mabon Macabee, one of those who immigrated to the island, discovered the bees and has since become their advocate, and can often be found cloaked in a living coat of them. The bees are rumoured to be even more intelligent than anyone thinks, and that they are working to ensure that that nothing comes close to wiping them out again.
8. The Sea of Secrets is said by some to have a city frozen in the ice to the far south, though few are those who claim to have reached the city and most, if not all, of those would seem to be lying. Recently, a ship in poor state staggered home with most of the crew dead, and those that were alive quickly died of something unknown. Before they did, the captain said they had travelled to the city, and that no-one else should do so.
9. There are rumours of vessels disappearing in the Eldan Frith, though not every vessel that ventures there does. Some claim that a civilisation that lives below the waters of the Frith is responsible, but others say that more vessels are disappearing than would normally be the case, suggesting there is something else active there.
10. Trunked lilies are plants found in the Fengali Forest that blossom with poisonous flowers which quickly kill creatures that consume them. The lilies then grow in the bodies of their victims. Notably, trunked lilies are also known to swim up to 100 miles away from the forest, and then return home. Some claim they have seen trunked lilies even further afield, and that they sometimes act in a manner that almost appears to be intelligent.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

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.

1. A series of metal towers runs along the length of Titanic Ridge in the Black Riage. The towers are covered with red and blue lights, and most of these lights are still functional. Or, at least, they were. There’s a rumour that the lights are gradually switching off. Not all at once but, every now and then, one will fade and die, never to come back on again.
2. Deep within a canyon in the Black Riage is an enormous statue of a vaguely humanoid figure with their hands aloft, seemingly always holding the sun between them during the day, and a full moon at night. A community has built up around this statue, who call it Curtar and believe it to be the creator of the universe. There’s a rumour that, recently, the cult was disturbed when it is said the sun disappeared from Curtar’s hands during the day, and some think it is a sign of the end of the universe.
3. Hidden Naresh lies on one of the paths through the Black Riage and travelling through the mountain range that way requires the traveller also go through the unpleasant city. Most would choose a different route, especially as it’s said that many of those who do choose to travel through Hidden Naresh never make it out the other side.
4. In winter, Tremble Pass is more often than not the only one of the three passes through the Black Riage that remains clear of snow, funnelling traffic through a known route. There’s a rumour that, when this happens, the number of losses that happen in the pass increases noticeably, as presumably someone, perhaps bandits or abhumans, is taking advantage of knowing just where travellers will need to be.
5. Legrash is a stopping point in Tremble Pass in the Black Riage, but one that is avoided by many travellers unless they don’t have a choice, as both the settlement and its inns have a poor reputation. It’s possible that the reputation may not be as bad as the settlement truly deserves, either; there are rumours of travellers disappearing in the vicinity of it.
6. Mencala Peak in the Black Riage is known to be home to two savage tribes of lattimors that attack anyone, and everyone, on sight. The mountain is also a volcano that constantly rumbles, and recently the rumbling has grown more frequent, together with ground tremors. It could be that Mencala is about to erupt, and an eruption could drive the lattimors into the lower lands before it happens.
7. Mt. Zanlis, the tallest peak in the Black Riage, is known locally for all sorts of strange events happening in the region, from peculiar physical manifestations to the appearance of creatures or disappearance of travellers. Though not everyone who passes through the region sees anything out of the ordinary. It’s rumoured that the disappearance of people is followed, not long afterwards, by the appearance of strange beings. Some suggest the mountain is abducting and transforming people, then releasing them again.
8. The Slant Milieu in the Black Riage is a place where a wind called the welkerwind blows nonstop, bending everything within the region towards the ground. There’s a rumour that this isn’t all the welkerwind does, that when the wind blows through the Slant Milieu in the right way, words can be heard on the wind. No-one knows what these words are, but it’s said that they tell secrets of the world to those who do manage to understand them.
9. The Sorcan is the closest thing that Hidden Naresh in the Black Riage has to a ruler, though if so, he’s a ruler who seems unconcerned with whether or not the city, or its people, flourish or die; one appears to be just as uninteresting as the other. There’s a rumour that The Sorcan is seeking something and that they will give a great deal to possess it, but it isn’t known if this is a thing, a person, knowledge or something else entirely.
10. There’s a citadel in the foothills of the Black Riage that anyone with any sense avoids, for it is believed to be home of a great evil. There are few people who live in the region closest to the citadel, and there are rumours that some of those have started disappearing of late, including entire hamlets that have supposedly vanished between one visit and the next.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

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.

1. Aian, the City of Merchants or the City of Beggars, is barely part of Milave. It is ruled by an elected senate, but some say that it is truly ruled by wealth. There are rumours that the senate is planning to cut what little ties bind the city to Milave and to set up as an independent city-state. Some believe if that happens, though, Aian will become a tempting target for raiders at the very least.
2. Ghianche, sometimes just called ganch, is a herb grown in Milave, one that is a mild relaxant but can also be a powerful hallucinogenic. The herb is smoked, in pipes, and made into cigars as well. Ganch is difficult to grow and maintain and requires the use of a large workforce of numenera machines, but the ganch farmers have been running into problems of late. Sometimes the machines are sabotaged; sometimes the workers are hassled. These attacks seem to stem from a group that objects to ganch usage.
3. In recent years a tent city has grown around the southern gate of Orrila in Milave, covering a place that is now known as the Field of Voices. Some of Orrila’s inhabitants are getting increasingly tired of the tent city, blaming its inhabitants for all manner of problems. Some think the tents should be made into proper buildings whilst others would be happy enough to see the entire place burn to the ground.
4. Orrila, the nominal capital of Milave, is where the ruling council comprised of representatives of all the factions in the country meets to, in theory, run the country, though in practice they accomplish very little of this. There’s a rumour that someone has been assassinating the representatives of a number of factions with seats on the council. It can’t be to disrupt the country, for doing such might make the council more effective at coming to decisions.
5. Ossam’s Traveling Menagerie and Soaring Circus mostly travels through Milave, providing entertainment for the watchers, in exchange for money, of course. The entertainment is said to be enjoyable to watch, but there are darker rumours about the circus. Some claim that its passage through an area can be linked to various disappearances.
6. Someone claimed to have found proof that the Order of Truth was working with the Beggar Queen in Aian in Milave, something that some have suspected for some time. The individual disappeared shortly afterwards, and it’s thought that they were killed by the Beggar Queen’s biomechanical hybrid lieutenants. That would suggest that the rumour is true and that whatever was discovered was more than just evidence that the Amber Papacy was working with the Beggar Queen.
7. Tarvesh is a warlord of Milave that has the support of many of the country’s citizens and, it’s rumored, of the Amber Papacy as well. There are rumours, though, the Tarvesh has been using the terrifying numenera war machines under his control to slaughter villages who refuse to support his forces. Some say, though, that these rumours come from the Pytharon Empire, whose empress would love to reintegrate the former province back into the empire, and therefore seeks to undermine any potentially unifying forces.
8. The All-Speech in Orrila in Milave is a device that automatically translates any language spoken in the city, and some distance outside it, into a language that is understandable to the listener. There are rumours, though, that sometimes the All-Speech alters what is being translated as well. Not even close to every time, and never in a major way, but sometimes what is spoken doesn’t have the same meaning as what is heard. This might just be an occasional glitch, due to the differences between languages, or it might be something else entirely.
9. The floatstone quarries east of Orrila in Milave are where workers dig up the remains of what look like former monuments of some time from a previous age. Tarps are spread to catch the floatstone as it rises, but there’s a rumour that recently something that was uncovered did not merely rise but shot up into the air, still intact, and disappeared from sight.
10. The Sadara River forms the southern border of Milave and normally functions well as a protective barrier against various kinds of raids and attacks from the southern lands. Recently, though, villages along the northern banks of the Sadara have reputedly been attacked on many occasions by forces who seem to cross the river as if it wasn’t there, suggesting that the raiders are using numenera.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

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.

1. Empress Challadien III of the Pytharon Empire is known to be expansionistic, wishing to continue to spread the empire’s influence over its former lands. These plans have hardly been met with enthusiasm by those who wish to remain apart from the empire, as they currently are, and it’s rumoured that the empress has been the target of several assassination attempts as a result recently, though none have succeeded.
2. Far Brohn on the southern edge of the Pytharon Empire is protected by walls that are laced with numenera devices that cause panic and confusion in those that attempt to assault them. There are rumours, though, that the devices are no longer as effective as they used to be. Either the devices themselves are wearing out, or those who would attack the city are becoming immune to their effects.
3. Limech is a constructor who recently moved into Jargolamis in the Pytharon Empire, and is currently building a new connection between the Twins, to replace the broken and dangerous Umbil. This is an open-air skyway beneath the Umbil, and there are rumours that the building work has been plagued by setbacks recently, from accidents injuring workers or damaged Limech’s mechanised creatures, to parts of the new skyway breaking to materials going missing.
4. Rarmon, the capital of the Pytharon Empire, fell into decline and decay when the empire did the same, but is currently being restored to its former glory. There’s a rumour, though, that some of the renovations have been plagued by problems, with accidents resulting in damage to buildings, injuries and deaths amongst the workers. Such might be a sign that someone is working against the city’s renovations, or perhaps workers discovered something they shouldn’t have.
5. Rathscor Fortress guards the southern border of the Pytharon Empire. Lord Myallatur commands the fortress and its renowned soldiers, the Mahal Shards, but there are rumours that the Shards have been running into problems outside of their ability to defeat. Not because the foes they are encountering are too dangerous, but because the Shards are just not trained or equipped for dealing with them. The lord is said to be looking to hire specialists to deal with the problem.
6. Since the Umbil that connects the Twinned Cities of Jargolamis and Luigolamis in the Pytharon Empire broke, it has become a dangerous place. Perhaps even worse, there are rumours that the troubles of the Umbil are starting to spread into the Twins from the points where the corridor joins them, turning the regions around the entrances substantially more disreputable and dangerous.
7. The Grand Orrery in Rarmon, the capital of the Pytharon Empire, shows the orbits of the sun, Earth and the other six planets. The orrery can be raised into the air and the central sphere can also be used as a defensive weapon to protect Rarmon. There are rumours that the sphere has been suffering from problems recently, with it activating of its own accord, causing quite a bit of havoc, and when it is deliberately activated, the strength of the weapon is highly variable.
8. The Pytharon Empire has been casting an eye on the regions of Matheunis to its south for some time, and nobles of the land have sent raiding parties to them after slaves. There’s a rumour that the Pytharons are planning to step up their actions against Matheunis, with the intention of bringing them into the empire, but it’s also rumoured that those regions are starting to band together to defend themselves against the Pytharons.
9. The Sunken Palace in Rarmon, the capital of the Pytharon Empire, is home to the Empress and is also a numenera device. The palace is a sphere that can be rotated in any direction and it also maintains its own gravity, so no matter what angle it is rotated, those inside are perfectly comfortable. There’s a rumour that sometimes rooms of the palace are found with bloody stains on the floor, seemingly from someone being crushed by immense gravity. It’s said that this happens to those who displease the Empress.
10. The Umbil is, or was, the motorised walkway that connects the twin cities of Jargolamis and Luigolamis in the Pytharon Empire, until it broke and wasn’t repaired. Now, it is a den of thieves and worse, and a truly dangerous place to visit. There’s a rumour, though, that the walkway’s breaking was not an accident, but was sabotage, and the device that was used to sabotage it is still hidden in the Umbil somewhere.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

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.

1. Dynafel in Iscobal has been suffering from attacks by clouds of the yellow swarm of late, something the city walls cannot prevent and something the city guards are unable to fight. There are rumours that someone is, somehow, directing the yellow swarm deliberately ay Dynafel with the aim of, for whatever reason, damaging, or perhaps even destroying, the city.
2. Harcorth Munn, mayor of Dynafel in Iscobal, is a well-liked man who is a common sight at the city’s various places of entertainment, from bars to brothels. There’s a rumour that Munn is not the jovial person he often presents himself as, but in fact is a cold and grasping man with a firm grip around the various places he visits, and that when he travels to them it isn’t to sample the pleasures available, but to ensure that his investments are still going strong.
3. King Noren tiKalloban of Iscobal only just survived an attempt on his life, presumed to be at the bidding of the deposed Queen Whenith Sarromere, but lost an arm and an eye in the process. Only the numenera stockpile saved the king’s life. There’s a rumour, though, that not even the numenera were enough to save the king and that, in fact, he died as a result of the assassination, and that whoever is currently pretending to be king is some sort of numenera-created or disguised being.
4. Narla Deshu, the Aeon Priest who is chief among the experts working at the Dreaming Reliquary in Dynafel in Iscobal, has been getting increasingly involved in political affairs of late. There are rumours that what Narla is seen doling is only a fraction of what she’s attempting to do, and that she has a political reach that extends well beyond the city of Dynafel. Narla may even be powerful enough to dictate who sits on Iscobal’s throne.
5. Queen Whenith Sarromere, the ruler of Iscobal deposed by the father of the current king, Rabbar tiKalloban 40 years ago, is said to have died in exile in the land of Ancuan. There’s a rumour, though, that the queen did not die in exile, or perhaps she was able to recover through the use of numenera, and is still plotting to regain her throne, though she does so from without the country, not within.
6. The Cold Grasp operates out of Mulen in Iscobal, perhaps the most infamous group of assassins and thieves in the Steadfast. Though the Cold Grasp takes on contracts from others to carry out assassinations, there’s a rumour that everything they do is intended to further the secret goals of the group and its leader, Hedra. That no assassination is done unless the Cold Grasp will, in some way, benefit from it.
7. The Dreaming Reliquary in Dynafel in Iscobal is a place where Aeon Priests continue to follow the obsession with dreams that the exiled queen had. It’s rumoured that those who live too close to the reliquary often suffer strange dreams, and that sometimes some are afflicted by nightmares emanating from the Reliquary, nightmares that can be fatal to experience.
8. The Grand Theatre in Mulen, capital of Iscobal, was once a monument to art and culture, but it has recently become a dangerous place to visit, due to the actions of nobles allied with one faction or another. Intrigue, and assassinations, are becoming more common, and there are rumours that different factions are trying to employ the staff and artists who work at the theatre as a way of eavesdropping, or killing, those allied to opposing factions.
9. The Masked Legion is the secret police force of Mulen in Iscobal, that opposes the Sarromere family’s attempts to regain control of the nation from the current royal family. This results in the Legion occasionally falling afoul of the Cold Grasp and other such elements, but there’s a rumour that one reason the police are masked is that many of them are secretly members of the Cold Grasp as well, and that the supposed clashes between the groups are staged so that only those who do not know of the connection are at risk.
10. Underneath Mulen in Iscobal is a vast network of catacombs, secret passages, tombs and subterranean chambers. This undercity is home to thieves, beggars, escaped slaves and other creatures, most of whom no-one is really bothered about should they go missing. And there’s a rumour that, recently, people have been disappearing in greater numbers than usual. Some of those concerned about the underground realms are worried that one of the residents may have awoken something best left sleeping.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

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.

1. Ellabon is the current regent for Yorvic, the three-year-old ruler of Malevich, and will continue being regent until Yorvic passes the ritual of second birth at age thirteen. There’s a rumour, though, that Ellabon enjoys ruling the nation and has no desire to step down when Yorvic is old enough. It’s being said that Ellabon is already making plans to ensure that Yorvic, for whatever reason, will be unable to take his rightful place as king.
2. Living in the lower reaches of Stirthal in Malevich is a creature called Quanon, an expert on energy sources and power generation. Quanon charges a lot for his services, but is also willing to accept barter, if the item is interesting enough. There’s a rumour that Quanon is searching for a specific item and is willing to pay a substantial amount for it, if it is found. It’s believed Quanon is looking for an experimental energy source from a prior world.
3. Marrizek is the ruler of Stirthal in Malevich, taking the title of Governor and claiming to rule the Voil Chasm as well, in the name of the king. It’s said that the Governor is planning to make her claim of rulership over the chasm fact, rather than vanity, and intends to start sending groups down into it to establish cliffside routes and waystations, broadening these out by burrowing into the rock itself and building the city downward and across.
4. Malevich is constantly under threat by bands of abhumans, who roam the country in small, disorganised bands. A worrying rumour is that some of the bands of abhumans are neither small nor disorganised, instead being large and well-led. No-one has been able to confirm these rumours, but one reason being given for this is that no-one has, to date, survived an encounter with one of the larger bands.
5. Neverlost is a powerful fortification in Malevich, home to Duke Theomal. The castle has never fallen and, in times of need, the duke offers sanctuary within its walls to those that can pay the price. The duke’s family becomes wealthier and more powerful every time Neverlost is used as a refuge by others, and there’s a rumour that some of this wealth goes towards funding the very problems that drive people to take shelter within the castle’s walls.
6. Parts of Stirthal in Malevich are built onto the sides of the cliffs of the Voil Chasm. These homes are the most prized in the city, and as such are the preferred residences and business locations of the city’s wealthy and powerful. There are rumours, though, that there are concerns about the safety of some of the cliffside dwellings, and that some people have plunged to their deaths when part of their expensive home suddenly gave way.
7. The bandit clans of Malevich are all organised under the command of the Bandit King, Polele, and it’s said many of the bandits are veterans of the wars fought by Malevich in the past. The bandits have a degree of organisation and skill that rivals the country’s armed forces and it’s rumoured that they are planning to overturn the current government. Given that the peasantry of Malevich are kept on the verge of starvation by the nobility, an attempt to depose the nobles could easily be greeted with widespread popular support.
8. The Thyrn are the city guards of Stirthal in Malevich and are well trained and easily seen in their distinctive black and gold armour. The Thyrn have a reputation for violence and oppression, but also for being utterly loyal to the city’s ruler, Governor Marrizek. However, some suggest that this apparent loyalty is not real, and that the Thyrn are the true rulers of the city, with Marrizek being no more than their puppet.
9. The Voil Chasm serves as the southern border of Malevich, a huge rent in the earth, once called the Earthwound, up to 25 miles wide in places and in some parts approaching that in depth. No-one has ever fully explored the chasm, or travelled to the deepest regions, but there’s a rumour that some of those who have delved deeply have never returned. Whether they simply fell prey to the hazards of travelling so far down into the chasm, or whether they prey to something living in the depths, isn’t known.
10. Thriest is the official capital of Malevich but, as the regent and the child-king are in Stirthal, the palace, and much of the city, is abandoned, with only about half the population living there that used to live there. Whole buildings and sometimes entire streets, are abandoned, and there are rumours that some areas are becoming increasingly sparse of population, though no-one seems to know where the people who were living there have gone.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

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.

1. Auspar is the capital of Thaemor and is known as the City of Needles, for it is filled with tall, thin structures of many different types. Residents use these, and other means, as a way of ascending into the sky so that they can literally look down on the kingdoms around them. Recently, there have been an unusual number of incidents involving these structures. Though anything that involves people climbing into the air on a thin structure is naturally prone to accidents, there have been far more such recently than would be expected.
2. Children in the city of Stirc in Thaemor, at about age two, all begin to have an imaginary friend called Olpenda. Every child in the city has Olpenda for a friend. To date, Olpenda has been treated as an unusual, but not malevolent, being, and some assume that there is a being behind the imaginary friend. However, there have recently been rumours of children going missing, apparently having followed Olpenda to somewhere unknown.
3. Goldguard Landon was the warrior who drove the forces of Navarene, Draolis and Malevich from the lands he would call Thaemor, though he proved less able as an administrator. His son, Kaldon, had no heirs survive him and Holiva the First took over the rulership, even though no-one remembers his origin. Recently, there has been a rumour that Kaldon either did not die when it was thought, or that he was deposed by Holiva and imprisoned somewhere, and that Kaldon’s location has now been discovered.
4. Holiva the First, ruler of Thaemor, has been attempting to revive something called the shadow herd, who will make the whole world kneel at the feet of Thaemor and Holiva. Superstition in the land does tell of something called the shadow herd, but most believe, or perhaps hope, that it is just superstition. Because there have been rumours of shadowy things being seen within the country in recent weeks, perhaps suggesting that Holiva has achieved a measure of success.
5. Jyrek in Thaemor was built by Kaldon, a former ruler of the nation, to protect just his family and may well be one of the best-defended cities in the entire Steadfast, though now it has a significantly greater population. There’s a rumour that the city’s leaders think this makes them better suited to rule the country from their city, and given the current leader, they may well have a point, and are planning on using Jyrek as a base from which to conquer the rest of Thaemor.
6. Navarene, Draolis and Malevich each used to desire the land now known as the kingdom of Thaemor, and fought a three-way war over it. Though the war ended when Goldguard Landon took control of the land and created Thaemor, the three kingdoms have never truly given up on their desire to own the land. It’s rumoured that at least one of them is undermining Thaemor from within in order to weaken it so that they can move in and take possession.
7. Recently, a device was activated in Thaemor called the Great Reach that allows instantaneous travel from Thaemor to the distant land of Corao. Though the Great Reach has proven a boon in some ways, there are rumours that there’s a price to use it. That, every so often, one of the travellers who uses the device never emerges from the other end, instead swallowed up by something that lives in the space between the spaces.
8. The Eyren is an egg-shaped structure floating in the centre of Jyrek that was commissioned by Kaldon, the former rumour of Thaemor, as a place to house and protect his family. After a flaw in the Eyren resulted in Kaldon’s family all dying, the structure was sealed off and no-one was allowed to enter. Though the Eyren still floats in Jyrek, most inhabitants pay it no heed, but there’s a rumour that activity has been seen around, and perhaps even in, the Eyren recently, suggesting that perhaps new occupants have moved in.
9. The people of Thaemor know that their ruler, Holiva the First, is not sane though they dare not say this. Holiva’s vizier is the Hand of Melch, which is merely a shadow puppet created by Holiva’s own hand. There are rumours, though, that the Hand of Melch has been seen to move without Holiva’s hand making a movement, which leads to the worrying theory that the Hand might be real.
10. The Precipice is the tallest and thinnest building in Auspar, the capital of Thaemor, and is the home of Holiva. Holiva increases the height of the Precipice every year, dangerous work that nowadays is suicidal. Recently, it’s said that the last piece added to the Precipice fell off, and that Holiva is now planning on getting someone to increase the height again, with a warning that any failure to do so will have consequences on their family.

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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.

1. Beoth in Draolis was struck with an illness which the inhabitants called the “toothless bile.” The illness killed many of the city’s people, and left many more bedridden for some time. No cure has been discovered for the illness, but Aeon Priests constructed a device called the Arch of Illness, which glows when someone afflicted with the disease passes through. There’s a rumour that the arch doesn’t always work correctly, and a worry that some people with the disease may have passed through without it registering.
2. Castle Sarrat in Draolis has been growing ever since the Horges family moved into it seventy years ago. No-one really knows anything about the process, only that new areas suddenly appear in a matter of moments. It’s rumoured that, in recent months, the rate at which the castle is growing has been accelerating, with new portions being added with great rapidity. Some are concerned that the castle will start to engulf the surrounding lands.
3. Draolis used to be ruled by a powerful queen whose symbol was a roaring tiger. Her line died out and was replaced by a council of plutocrats who wished to keep power rather than hand it over to another hereditary line. Many of the people wish to return to the previous rulership, as they believe the nation was more glorious back then, and there’s a rumour that the queen’s line hadn’t died out fully, and that there are still descendants who could take the throne, if the people united behind them.
4. Kordech in Draolis is devoted to the sale, breeding and slaughter of shiul, a valuable source of meat. The cattle, which are popular targets for various predators as well as bandits, are protected at night by wooden palisades erected by those that look after them. It’s rumoured, though, that a number of shiul have recently started disappearing from within the palisades themselves, disappearing with no sign of either them or what might have taken them.
5. Mayor Marvyr Rann of Qi in Draolis lives in a dirigible out of a fear that if he ever treads on the earth he will sicken and die. It’s rumoured that Rann’s dirigible nearly came to earth recently without the mayor’s approval. Some say that it was sabotaged in an attempt to bring Rann back to the ground. If it’s true that Rann will die if he touches the ground, this was an assassination attempt, and it’s said that the mayor is certainly treating it as such.
6. Sister Tevera, a priestess of the cult of Nauz, the Stargod, become the mayor of Beoth in Draolis after the previous mayor died. Tevera is continually clashing with the Aeon Priests over handling the toothless bile that afflicts the city, and it’s rumoured that the priests would be glad to see her replaced with someone who would make their job easier. It’s even rumoured that some of the priests might be willing to help Sister Tevera on her way out of the job.
7. The Fourth Mark in Draolis is a strange construction with a tower like base rising hundreds of feet in the air, topped by a crescent shape. Over the years, many have tried and failed to get through the synth hatch that blocks access to the structure’s head, but there’s a rumour that one of the more recent groups to attempt access never returned. Whether this means that they got through, and were stuck or transported elsewhere, whether they were vapourised or whether they were simply never witnessed leaving isn’t known.
8. The inhabitants of the city of Qi in Draolis often travel from place to place within the city using dirigibles and balloons, though such devices are rarely used to venture over longer distances, as the vehicles lack the capability. Recently, there have been a number of incidents with the vehicles, accidents within the city where they have crashed or otherwise started to fall from the sky. So far, none of these have been serious, but there’s a concern that such is only a matter of time.
9. The Marish Clan of Qi in Draolis have their fingers in all sorts of illegal pies, mostly involving goods that have been stolen in some way, but they also conduct murder for hire. There’s a rumour, though, that the clan is looking to expand into other arenas. A few political figures are said to have died recently, seemingly killed by the Marish, and it’s thought that the clan is attempting to become a political power in the city, not just a purely criminal one. Though some see little difference.
10. The Zhev are the elite peacekeeping force of Qi in Draolis and are flying cylindrical automatons that were created by the Amber Pope. The city’s rulers are able to repair the existing Zhev, but not make new ones, and the city’s area has expanded since the automatons were first created. The rulers are rumoured to be spending a lot of effort into looking for methods to create new Zhev, so that the entirety of Qi falls under their protection once again.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.