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.

1. Creatures that are not native to the Strange become alienated the more time they spend in the Strange, though there are other factors that also increase is. There are rumours that some organisations are performing deliberate experiments in alienation on unwilling subjects to find out all the ways alienation might affect them.
2. In the Strange, the edge of a recursion permeable to the Strange rarely has an interface surface more than a few miles in diameter. There are rumours, though, that further out in the Strange, away from the Shoals of Earth, there are recursions with interface surfaces that are much, much bigger. Though no-one has any proof of this as yet.
3. Just as there are black holes in space, there are rumoured to be similar things in the Strange, perhaps corresponding to black holes in the baryonic universe. Such things are said to have a tremendous pull that’s practically impossible to escape, and may well be portals to elsewhere.
4. Navigating the Strange can be difficult, especially without the original sentient protocols designed by the Precursors, but there are rumours of something described as navigational beacons out in the deeper parts. Most assume that these rumours are just that, for such beacons would make more sense in the better-travelled regions; others believe they are lures designed to capture the unwary.
5. People and objects that move through the Strange leave a faint wake, that can be used, with difficulty, to track them. There are rumours of travellers discovering wakes that were anything but faint, though, leading to speculation as to just what might have caused them, and how large such a thing might be.
6. Planetovores are the creatures interested in using the Strange to find and take over a prime world, and they can vary tremendously in origin and personality, but all are powerful. There are rumours that some planetovores, possibly alien AIs, cooperate with each other to help achieve their goals more easily.
7. Reality seeds can be grown into a recursion for those with the right skills and resources, when planted in the Strange. There are rumours that some unknown party is buying up as many reality seeds as they can, through different fronts, presumably with some unknown goal in mind.
8. Some explorers believe that portions of the Strange have gained intelligence, with parts moving as if they are thinking and alive. A more out there claim is that the Strange as a whole is a single, vast, intelligent being of unknown goals and motivations. And some of them claim that “God” is a perfectly justifiable name for the Strange in that case.
9. The Strange has been described as a chaotic flow of spiralling fractal patterns iterating in on itself. Some say that the patterns have meaning, and if they are studied for long enough, this meaning will be revealed. Others says that only madness will come from spending too much time attempting to find meaning in the Strange.
10. Untethered recursions in the Strange are rare and are often hard to understand. Some of the recursions seem to bear more in common with traditional depictions of Hell than anything else, and some recursors have posited that they are in fact the inspiration for descriptions of such.

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.

1. Genetic codes capable of creating truly dangerous creatures can be obtained in Shome in the Periphery, though it’s said that the buyer should check everything carefully before attempting to make such beings. It’s said that a few buyers have ended up dying at the claws and fangs of the things they were trying to create, due to not checking that they had bought what they thought they had bought.
2. Lady Kasin-dar, of the Fortress of Favors, is known to extract marrow from often-unwilling subjects for the genetic needs of the black-market. It’s rumoured, though, that she also extracts genetic material for her own needs; some say she is suffering from a terrible genetic disease caused by her research that requires regular transfusions of clean genetic material to keep in check.
3. Mendalla is the unseen crime lord who rules the organisation known as the Onomasticon. Given that no-one has seen Mendalla, there are plenty of rumours about him. Some of these suggest that he’s actually a respected figure in Ruk society who rules the Onomasticon as a way of operating on both sides of the law.
4. Shome in the Periphery is a lawless city where it’s possible to buy goods that the major factions don’t want selling. Or, at least, that’s what’s normally stated. There are rumours that sometimes the goods being sold by the criminals of Shome are supplied to them by the factions, though it’s unclear as to why this would be done.
5. Some of Ruk’s factions have outposts and installations in the Periphery, including mobile harvesters and resource barges. There are rumours of a quiet war happening amongst these outposts, as the factions strive with each other for advantage, though never going so far as to instigate open conflict; little enough comfort to those in the way.
6. The average citizen of Ruk believes that those who venture into the Periphery is either unbalanced in some way or a criminal. To the extent that some citizens are claiming that everyone who does so needs stopping from returning to Harmonius, as they are clearly a bad influence that needs to be kept out of the Glistening City.
7. The Fortress of Favors is home to Lady Kasin-Dar, who has the ability to rip bones from one individual and splice them into others. The Factol Council and the Myriand have both warned the Lady from using any of the citizens of Harmonius for her experiments, but it’s rumoured that sometimes the council sends citizens who need to be punished to her.
8. The Onomasticon is a criminal organisation that keeps a database of genetic profiles; given that such can be used to create a whole host of person-specific things from toxins to mind-control parasites, it is extremely illegal. Though the Onomasticon primarily sells such data to others, it’s rumoured that they have gradually been collecting the genetic profiles of people in positions of power, influence or simple utility in order for the organisation to increase its power by controlling them.
9. Underground tunnels link Shome in the Periphery to the Shadowed City beneath Harmonius. There is a rapid transit system, like a pneumatic tube filled with mucous, that runs through the tunnels, making travel much faster. Though it’s rumoured that not everyone who enters the mucous reaches their destination; some are said to be devoured by the mucous, which is a living creature, so that it can continue to function.
10. Various groups have attempted to shut down the criminal organisation known as the Onomasticon over the years, with no success. It’s rumoured that other groups have tried to infiltrate the organisation in order to control it too, but if any of these have been successful in this, no-one is telling.

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.

1. An outsider from Harmonius has recently arrived in the underground city of Dran. They do not appear to be from Zal, who are helping to rebuild the city, nor are they claiming any other faction membership. Those who have spoken to the outsider, though, believes that they are an agent from one of the factions and, going by their questions, looking for someone and something specific, though what hasn’t been shared.
2. Rumour has it that agents of both the Quiet Cabal and the Karum are searching the Veritex beneath Ruk for something. It’s thought, going by their questions, they are looking for a specific person, though it isn’t known whom. The agents have been seen in several cities of the Veritex, and may have even clashed with each other as well.
3. The underground city of Dran was recently hit by quakes that buried much of the city and collapsed most of the rest. Representatives from Zal are helping with the rebuilding, which the residents appreciate, but there have been rumours that Zal somehow caused the quakes in order to get control over the city.
4. The All Song does not reach into Muk in the Veritex, and it’s a possible destination for members of the Church of the Embodiment. It’s rumoured that devotees of the All Song are trying to stir up opinion against Muk, claiming that the All Song doesn’t reach the small city due to the actions of its residents, who are secretly plotting something.
5. The Veritex is a maze of tunnels beneath the surface of Ruk, and it’s thought that they all used to connect before Ruk was damaged. Some portions are isolated from others, and it’s been suggested that some of the collapses isolating them are not the result of damage, but are deliberate in nature, suggesting someone has something they want kept hidden.
6. There are cities in the Veritex beneath Ruk, home to all sorts of people, from those with hidden agendas to criminals to those that just wish to be left alone. It’s rumoured that some of Ruk’s factions have taken over some of the cities, using them as hidden bases from which they can launch operations without others seeing; the Karum is said to be one of these.

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.

1. Apostle Warad-chel, of the Church of the Embodiment in Harmonius, is one of the highest-ranking apostles in the hierarchy of the Church, and has been implicated in a number of incidents that nearly led to disciplinary action being taken against the faction, but First Apostle Ah-kalla always stands by his favoured Servitor. Some claim that the First Apostle’s statement that the True Code is stronger in Warad-chel than anyone else means that Warad-chel is a literal embodiment of the True Code and, as such, possibly the First Apostle’s superior.
2. Gardens can be found in Harmonius, some merely ornamental but the fruits of others rivals those products created by Zal and other factions. It’s rumoured that Zal in particular is not happy about this, as it means people buy less goods from them. It’s said that the faction has been looking into ways of damaging the gardens so that they are no longer as productive and what they produce is not as good.
3. Harmonius has pneumatic elevator tubes stretching to the surface below that can be used to travel to and from the city. The tubes could once be retracted for defensive purposes, but this hasn’t been tested in some time. It’s rumoured that the city has been quietly checking the mechanisms to see if they work, which does suggest that there’s a fear they may be needed at some point in the not-too-distant future.
4. It’s said that occasionally defensive mechanisms on Harmonius decide someone approaching the city by airborne means is a threat, and one that needs dealing with quickly and efficiently. Those it decides are a threat never make it anywhere else. It’s also said that in truth it’s not the city deciding who and what to eliminate, but someone in control of said mechanisms.
5. Most of Harmonius floats above the surface of Ruk using massive and ancient technological engines. It’s rumoured that there have been problems with those engines recently, and that no-one seems to know how to fix the problem, due to their age. Should this be true, and should a solution not be found, Harmonius may have to settle back down to Ruk, else risk falling from the sky.
6. The Ankaseri faction was destroyed after attempting to sway Maru-shtal, the Arbiter of Harmonius, but there are rumours that it was never completely destroyed, despite appearances. Some say that a residue of the faction remained and it has been slowly building its strength back up and plotting its return, and its revenge on Maru-shtal and everyone else.
7. The Market Tri-Tower of Harmonius is constantly bedecked with lights that can be seen from some distance away. It’s rumoured, though, that there have been problems with the lights recently, with some of them cutting out for no discernible reason. Nothing serious has happened as yet, but some are said to be concerned by this.
8. The Office of the Arbiter is used by the Factol Council of Harmonius to decide close decisions, but there are rumours that the Office is not always as independent of the factions as it should be. Some claim that at least one faction has the ability to sway the Arbiter, Maru-shtal, to make decisions that are in their favour, though this ability is used rarely to prevent it from becoming obvious.
9. There are pneumatic elevator tubes leading up into Harmonius from the ground below, one of the ways of getting to the city. Some say that these elevator tubes can be risky to use, because some of them have hidden diversions in them, where those who are unlikely to be missed are diverted away so that they can be experimented upon in hidden labs, where new flesh is always needed.
10. Those who become apostles of the Church of the Embodiment in Harmonius can take communion, and those who eat a wafer of the bread gain a benefit, said to be because their ties to the True Code are strengthened. Some whisper that this communion has another effect, and that those who take it are subtly influenced by First Apostle Ah-kalla in their actions and choices afterwards.

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.

1. Glial storms are imbalances of the bioelectrical energy of Ruk, moving cascades of scintillating energy that can drive those caught in them mad. Glial storms have become rarer over the years, but some are claiming that, for some unknown reason, they are becoming more common again, though they are still rare.
2. Huge mobile harvesters are used to gather the resources of Ruk’s grey forests, with many of them owned by Zal. Others are owned by small co-ops, captains and freebooters who steal from the harvests of others. It’s rumoured that those grey harvesters that are not owned by Zal have a tendency to suffer from misfortune more often, whether this is freebooter raids or equipment problems. Some go out of business and are bought up by Zal, leading to suspicion that Zal is trying to eliminate the competition.
3. Most parts of the Hub, the oldest part of Ruk, are policed, monitored and cleaned, but there are exceptions, where anything but is true. It’s rumoured that some parts fall out of favour, or fall afoul of one of Ruk’s factions, and as a result end up losing all of these services, resulting in their rapid decline.
4. The grey forests of Ruk can be dangerous to travel through as the fungi that grow in them produce hallucinogenic and poisonous spores. Some people who have survived trips through the grey forests have claimed to have seen fungi actively moving around and hunting other travellers, though given the hallucinogenic nature of the spores, such claims are readily dismissed.
5. The Shattered Wastes of Ruk are debris fields lacking much in the way of life or water. Damaged organimer can grow back imperfectly, or die, and this is what resulted in the wastes. It’s said that there are parts of the wastes where the organimer is not merely growing back strangle; it’s growing back wrong. Organimer is quasi-living metal but in some areas it’s said that “quasi” no longer applies.
6. The Spar Jungles of Ruk are where the disk of Ruk broke when it ran aground on the shoals of Earth, and are scattered throughout the Hub. The Spar Jungles are dangerous places, home to gangs of outlaws and dangerous beasts. It’s said that some of them have other dangers as well, places where the Strange is breaking through into Ruk, or where the fabric of Ruk itself is wearing thin.

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.

1. A small group of Ruk’s inhabitants are said to be promoting only natural birth and claiming that family connections are far more important than the inhabitants believe. Their beliefs, in fact, seem to have been influenced by Earth humans’ approach to children and family, and those factions who are less keen on Earth are proclaiming that the group has been tainted and needs eradicating.
2. Devotees of the All Song of Ruk say that the All Song arose as a way to repair the damage done to the True Code by whatever accident Ruk suffered in the Strange. There are claims, though, that as a patch, the All Song is flawed, and it is now at the stage where it is causing more damage to Ruk than it is solving.
3. It’s believed that some sort of accident in the Strange damaged Ruk severely, compromising both its structure and the True Code on which everything depends. There are claims that this accident wasn’t an accident, and was instead the result of deliberate action by malign forces, but no-one seems to know just who or what said forces might be.
4. Most believe that the inhabitants of Ruk did not originally look like humans from Earth, as they do now, but reshaped themselves so that they could better interact with the people of Earth. Not everyone of Ruk believes this, but there are rumours of a small faction who not only believe it but believe that the people of Ruk should seek to regain their original form, blaming Earth humans for them having changed from their rightful shape.
5. Perhaps half of Ruk’s population doesn’t experience natural childbirth, instead being grown in vats. There have been rumours of problems with some of these vats recently, with those being born from them coming out… wrong. No-one seems to be clear at how they are wrong, but something just doesn’t feel right about them.
6. Ruk was built as a lifeboat fleeing the consumption by a planetovore of its originating civilisation, eventually getting wrecked on the Shoals of Earth, though little more is known about the event or the origin. There are rumours that Ruk wasn’t the only lifeboat constructed by the civilisation, and that there may be at least one more out there somewhere.
7. The Church of the Embodiment is the largest of Ruk’s factions and believes that adhering and preserving the True Code will result in the arrival of a messiah. It’s rumoured that some members of the faction believe that the All Song is preventing their messiah from arriving, and are planning to take action against followers of the All Song.
8. The walls of Ruk are massive spars of organimer that pierce and protect the landscape, though some also lie shattered. It’s rumoured that the organimer spars are starting to break, though, and break at an increasing speed. None claim to have seen this happen, but it’s said that the factions are trying to discover if this is true and, if it is, discover a way of stopping it.
9. Those of Ruk seek to find fragments of their lost genetic code that are represented in the True Code. There are rumours that, somewhere, perhaps hidden on Ruk, in the Strange nearby or even upon Earth, is a repository of the True Code that contains much of the missing knowledge, and there are many factions that would love to get their hands on such a repository.
10. Though those of Earth only recently became aware of Ruk, those of Ruk have known of Earth since before recorded history. It’s believed that a number of historical figures may have come from Ruk, and some suggest that Ruk has been gradually shaping Earth’s history of its own ends.

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 eight 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.

1. A group of adventurer-prospectors known as the Lost Coda has been scouting the Halls of Adaman and it’s said that they are in need of others to help them, thanks to the almost daily attacks by the dangerous creatures that live in the Halls. The pay is said to be good, but it’s rumoured that deaths amongst those they hire are high.
2. Ardeyn’s Night Vault isn’t that hard to reach, as there are many caves, mines and old tombs on the surface that connect to passages that lead to the Night Vault. It’s rumoured that those who venture into the wrong passages, though, become trapped in the Night Vault, unable to leave again, due to venturing somewhere whilst living that only a soul should have gone.
3. The chambers and rooms of the Halls of Adaman are said to be full of still-sealed areas containing relics from the ancient qephilim builders, from tombs to artefacts to strange beings. There are said to be warnings inscribed within the Halls, telling any who enter not to open any sealed chambers as they may not be able to cope with whatever is within them.
4. The Court of Sleep in the Night Vault still performs its ancient tasks of collecting and assessing the wandering spirits of the dead, to determine their final fate. There are rumours, though, that the Court is starting to fall apart. The qephilim of the Court are mortal, and it’s said that their numbers are no longer being replaced, meaning that as time passes there are less and less qephilim to shepherd the spirits of the dead.
5. The Halls of Adaman in the Night Vault were quarried by the Qephilim of Lore and the Qephilim of Commerce but have since become infested by evil, though many treasures remain within. It’s rumoured that there are qephilim, or perhaps the pale shadows of such, stalking the halls, seeking something they lost long ago.
6. The Roads of Sorrow are haunted by umber wolves that seek out the spirits of the dead in order to devour them, unless the umber judges of the Court of Sleep manage to intervene first. It’s rumoured that the umber wolves have been heading closer and closer to the surface of Ardeyn, in order to get to the souls before the umber judges, and that some might even be venturing out onto the surface itself.
7. The Screaming Rift in the Halls of Adaman is a large shaft whose screaming comes from the sound air makes as it is sucked into the shaft. Things that are sucked into the rift tend not to come back out again. It’s rumoured that the size of the Screaming Rift is growing, which means that the danger it presents could also be growing.
8. The umber judges of the Court of Sleep walk the Roads of Sorrow, looking for the souls of the dead before they can be snared by Lotan the Sinner. The souls they fail to catch become ashen demons, servants of the Sinner. It’s rumoured that other servants of Lotan are attempting to interfere with the work of the Court of Sleep, so that an army of ashen demons in the service of Lotan can be raised.
9. There are a number of powers in the Roads of the Dead and the Night Vault, with the Court of Sleep being the most well-known. Some of these are known of, though not as well as the Court, but it’s rumoured that there are other, minor, powers that lurk on the edges of the Roads, with goals that are a mystery to most.
10. Those who die on Ardeyn can have their spirits rescued from the Night Vault and restored to a living body and thereby restored to life. This is a difficult and dangerous thing to do, and there are rumours that some of those who are brought back to life this way are, for want of a better word, wrong. Some think their spirits have been changed by the experiences, but others say that, sometimes, something that is not the spirit sought takes its place in order for it to be brought to life.

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 eight 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.

1. Several groups from out of the area have recently set up in Kryzoreth, and have the same sorts of charms as the cliffwalkers that suppress dreams. The groups seem to be martially inclined, and appear to be looking for something specific. It’s rumoured that a number of their members have been turning up dead in the mornings.
2. The caravansaries that the Iron Road maintains around Ardeyn are rumoured to be places where unusual experiences and odd items can be rented or found. Some claim that these experiences and items would cause trouble if they were discovered, as the Iron Road is providing things that are illegal in most places.
3. The cliffwalkers of the Long Way Down guild regularly climb down the edges of Ardeyn to see what they can recover there, especially as cyphers are far more common than they are in the Borderlands. The work is dangerous, with not only the risk of falling to their deaths, but also the extreme weather of the Borderlands and dangerous creatures. Recently, though, it’s rumoured that the guild headquarters is investigating what appears to be a larger than normal percentage of cliffwalkers being killed or simply failing to return.
4. The Hulks of Kryzoreth are partly stone and partly alive, being sentient entities that form a series of rounded hills. It’s not known what the hulks are, only that they haven’t stirred. Recently, though, there have been some reports in the area of the ground shaking; perhaps an ordinary earth tremor, or perhaps what happens when a hill-sized creature starts to move.
5. The Iron Road is a caravan and courier guild that connects Kryzoreth to the rest of Ardeyn, but it’s rumoured that recently a number of their caravans have disappeared in the vicinity of the Hulks of Kryzoreth. It’s said that not that many have gone missing, but the Iron Road still wants the disappearances investigating.
6. The Long Way Down Guild, whose members are known as cliffwalkers, keep their headquarters in Kryzoreth, though they wear dreamstone charms to keep the dreams of the area away, as they find them disturbing, not being natives. There are rumours that the natives of Kryzoreth strongly dislike the use of these charms and are planning to kill the soul sorcerer who creates them, as well as destroy as many of them as they can.
7. There are hollowed out cavities in the Hulks of Kryzoreth in which those who claim noble blood live. It’s not known how deep the cavities run, with rumour claiming that they connect to the land of dreams. Some outsiders claim that what the cavities connect to is far worse than anything as tame as a dream realm, and that they may even lead to Lotan’s nightmares.
8. Those who sleep near the Hulks of Kryzoreth have strange dreams; the residents of the area gain special contentment from the dreams with the most gifted dreamers claiming noble blood. Transients, though, find the dreams to be nightmares beyond description and take measures to keep sleep away. The natives seem to share contentment, tranquillity and peaceful ways, but there are rumours that this is just what shows on the surface, and that the dreams have a much deeper and darker effect on them, one that outsiders never see.