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.

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. Bands of the Betrayer’s homunculi have been reported to have been spotted in the Borderlands close to Megeddon, though it’s said the creatures have not been attacking anyone, just watching them carefully. Those who have come upon the homunculi unawares claim that the beings appear to be searching for something in the Borderlands.
2. Megeddon is inhabited almost entirely by homunculi, copies of the Betrayer in three colours, green, red and clear. There are rumours, though that there are other colours of homunculi, ones that are even rarer than the clears. It’s said these are homunculi created with unusual abilities that the Betrayer creates for specific reasons, though it’s not known what either abilities or reasons might be.
3. Much of Megeddon is empty, as the fortress is capable of holding many more people than it currently does. It’s rumoured that the number of homunculi in the fortress has been increasing over the years, mostly slowly but more recently the numbers have been rising much more rapidly. It could be that the Betrayer has discovered a way of creating homunculi faster, or that he has an upcoming need for larger numbers of them.
4. Part of the fortress of Megeddon is known to be out of bounds for everything but the Betrayer’s homunculi. There are many rumours about just what might be found within that area, with treasures of different types being the most common theory, but there are rumours of strange beings held prisoner, vast machines of unknown origin and purpose and visitors from dimensions that have little in common with Ardeyn.
5. The Betrayer continues to oppose Lotan, as he did when he was War, and it’s rumoured that those that follow him, homunculi or otherwise, have started to take a more active role against Lotan. Though most would appreciate Lotan’s forces being countered by the Betrayer’s, few would consider the Betrayer to be much of an improvement over Lotan.
6. The Fortress of Megeddon is topped with metal towers that look out over the Borderlands. Though metal may make an improved defence, it’s said that’s not the real reason for its use in constructing the towers. Some say energy can be seen sometimes arcing between the different towers, with bolts occasionally darting out into the Strange.
7. The symbol of Megeddon is a black circlet of spikes, called by most the Traitor’s Crown. There are rumours that this symbol keeps appearing in the Borderlands near Megeddon itself, causing some to wonder if the Betrayer is intending to expand Megeddon, the land or the fortress itself, to take control of more of Ardeyn.
8. The White Zone is the part of Megeddon set aside by the Betrayer for those who visit him, with embassies from various nations and powers, even though they don’t outwardly show their allegiance, as well as others who trade in goods that Megeddon needs or wants. It’s rumoured that some parts of the White Zone are out of bounds for regular visitors, suggesting that the Betrayer has people, or things, residing there that even he doesn’t want others to know about.
9. There are few entrances on the side of Megeddon that faces into Ardeyn. but it’s rumoured that there are more facing out into the Strange. The fortress’s appearance is suggestive of it being a much larger fortress that was lost in the Strange, and some say that the gates on the Strange-facing side still connect, through unknown means, to the rest of the fortress.
10. There is a belief that the fortress of Megeddon may once have been an ancient qephilim city that was taken over by the Betrayer for his own purposes. It’s rumoured that there still are some relics of the qephilim deep within the fortress, and perhaps these relics might be connected to the Betrayer’s homunculi in some way.

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 four 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. Objects, and people, that fall from the cliffs of Ardeyn’s Borderlands tend to fall several miles to shatter on a deeper portion of the cliff that has a less severe slops, rather than drift off into the Strange. It’s said, though, that certain things don’t fall to break on the cliffs below, but do instead float into the Strange, clearly overriding the effects of Ardeyn’s gravity, perhaps with some sort of attraction from the Strange itself.
2. The Borderlands of Ardeyn encircle the Daylands and are where the laws of Ardeyn fail as the Strange takes hold. Beyond the Borderlands float lands called skerries, and it’s said that the skerries might once have been attached to Ardeyn proper. It’s rumoured that the Strange gradually affects the borders of Ardeyn, causing skerries to float free from the land, and that eventually the entire place will float off into the Strange in separate pieces.
3. The skerries that float around the Borderlands of Ardeyn are protected by a remnant of Ardeyn’s Seven Rules that stops them from being group up by the Strange, but it’s said that whatever caused the skerries to float free is an ongoing process, and the skerries themselves are undergoing slow disintegration over time.
4. The weather in Ardeyn’s Borderlands is not only atrocious, it is also highly variable, changing from one extreme to the next between one day and the next. It’s rumoured that the weather conditions now are even worse than they used to be, with the weather changing much more rapidly than it once did. There are fears that, if this is true, it may continue in this way, perhaps ending up with multiple changes of weather every hour.

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. Buried beneath the glass desert are pockets and hollows where artefacts dating back to the Age of Myth can be found. Legend has it that also under the desert are much larger pockets, where not just artefacts from that Age can be found, but creatures from the final battle between the armies of Lotan and those of the Maker. Something that would be extremely dangerous to uncover.
2. Glass pirates ride ships that skate across the Glass Desert of Kuambis on magical skates, posing another hazard to any that travel through the region. Recently, there have been rumours of internecine fighting amongst the pirates, and it’s said this is because one pirate has decided to forge them into a single force and is destroying any pirates who refuse to join up. Should the pirates unite, this will make the region even more dangerous.
3. Illicit items, dark sorceries and slaves can all be bought at the Citadel of the Harrowing in Kuambis, things that would be illegal in other regions. It’s rumoured that these are only the comparatively tame surface of the goods and services that are truly available at the Citadel, and that far darker things can be bought by people in the know.
4. Kuambis is home to many of the dragons of Ardeyn, as there are rumours that relics of their draconic ancestors can be found in the waste, powerful enough to let the dragons take control of all of Ardeyn. Dragons are no good at cooperating with each other, though, but there are rumours that several have formed an alliance in pursuit of their goals. Though it is likely such an alliance would eventually fall apart, it could be that this would be after they have managed to find what they are looking for and conquered everywhere on Ardeyn.
5. The Ahlan Mountains run through Kuambis, and other regions of Ardeyn, and three tall peaks known as the Three Sisters have stars descend to them on some nights of the year, resting there for several hours before rising again. It’s said that the frequency with which this happens, and the numbers of stars that descend, has been gradually increasing over the years.
6. The Citadel of the Harrowing is the only place in Kuambis that the dragons cannot go, thanks to the Red Pact they swore many years ago. However, it’s said that just because the dragons can’t go there, it doesn’t mean their agents or those acting on their behalf cannot, and that the most powerful dragons always have representatives looking out for their interests in the Citadel.
7. The Glass Desert in Kuambis which is said to be where the final battle between the armies of Lotan and the Maker was fought, the glass itself coming from the glass castle of Maker’s Hall. There are rumours that the glass ended up infused with part of Lotan’s will, and is slowly moving to the old site of Maker’s Hall, where it will form into a new castle, but one of Lotan, not the Maker.
8. The Harrowing is the yearly competition held at the Citadel of the Harrowing in Kuambis, where four mortal contestants fight a dragon in the arena, with the prize being something worthy from the dragon’s hoard. The dragon usually wins, and can choose to take the survivors as slaves or eat them, but dragons who lose submit rather than be killed. It’s said that those who win the contest rarely survive the year, as the defeated dragon dedicates its time to destroying 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.

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. 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.
2. 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?
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

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. An enormous petrified tree in the Green Wilds is home to the largest sark lair in the area, but they do not completely dominate it. Huge spiders with too many legs and centipedes with the voices of children also lair there, and sometimes emerge to hunt the sark. Some claim that these creatures would wipe out all the sark if they could, and that perhaps they are related in some way.
2. Calandria, of the storm circle southeast of Telenbar, is a bitter enemy of the Oracle of Ardeyn, and vice versa, and isn’t welcome in the city of Telenbar. Neither will say why this is the case, but it’s rumoured that both sometimes attempt to recruit assassins to kill the other. If so, none have been successful as yet, which suggests any such attempts are dangerously foolhardy.
3. Telenbar is a very large sun oak within the Green Wilds, one that is large enough that it functions as a city for as many as 2,000 people. There are rumours that representatives from Telenbar have been seen in a number of different places, apparently looking into methods of curing trees, leading to the suggestion that perhaps the sun oak itself is ill, perhaps dying.
4. The Green Wilds are home to sark, amongst other creatures, and their lairs make the region a dangerous place to wander. It’s rumoured that the numbers of sark encountered in the region has increased recently, though this is difficult to confirm as many who encounter them fail to survive to tell a tale. Should sark numbers be increasing, this will make the region even more dangerous.
5. The Oracle of Ardeyn lives on Telenbar and is an enormous serpent who sometimes disappears from time to time, apparently visiting her homeland. There are claims that, when she returns from that place, she is often different in some way, usually with regards to her personality and memory, not remembering meetings and acting strangely, though after a few days she returns to normal again.
6. The Stag Knights are an order of hunters and trackers with a guildhouse in Telenbar. Sometimes terrible monsters from the Age of Myth appear in the present day, and the knights then hunt them down. Some claim that the knights are the ones bringing forth the monsters, so that they can appear to be heroes by hunting them.
7. The very rare tree known as the star sapling can be found in the Green Wilds. These trees drop white fruits that either have healing qualities or contain a seed that jets off on a blast of fire away from Ardeyn. Someone has placed a bounty on as many of these seeds as can be caught, which is difficult given what happens when they are found, as it seems they are hoping to grow their own orchard of the trees.
8. Treasure seekers in the Green Wilds are looking for a portal mouth that supposedly leads to a subrealm where an ancient qephilim city still survives, though it might be a city in the Age of Myth, rather than a place at the current time. It’s rumoured that a number of qephilim artefacts have been turning up in communities in the Green Wilds, all apparently traded for supplies and other things by a small group. Some wonder if the qephilim city has finally been found by a group of treasure seekers.

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. Citadel Hazurrium can be hard for newcomers to navigate initially, due to the vertical manner of its construction, though most can grasp how the place is organised without too much difficulty. It’s rumoured, though, that some of those who struggle to start with disappear in the citadel without a trace.
2. Citadel Hazurrium is a place where many adventuring companies gain official charters, gaining benefits for both Hazurrium and the companies. Different charters are available with different rights and responsibilities, but it’s rumoured that money in the right place can get an adventuring company a charter with more rights than should have been granted.
3. First Protector Navar is a qephilim of the Free Battalion and the leader of Hazurrium’s royal peacemakers, the most feared of the three main contingents of the peacemakers. It’s rumoured that Navar may soon be leaving the post, with suggestions of injury, ill health and a falling out with the Queen being given as some potential reasons.
4. In order to stop necromancers and others from trucking with corpses and the spirits of the dead from the Path of the Dead outside Citadel Hazurrium, Free Battalion mercenaries and peacekeepers patrol the area. Those who sleep near are troubled by terrifying nightmares, and it’s rumoured that recently these nightmares have not only grown worse, but that many seem to be sharing the same nightmare.
5. The Black Moon Explorers are perhaps one of the best known of the adventuring companies based out of Citadel Hazurrium, and the company still accepts new applications for membership. Some say this is because the company suffers a lot of losses in their missions, and usually amongst the new members, who are inadequately trained and equipped.
6. The Grieving Vortex is a flatiron carved in the shape of a massive humanoid with a drawn and broken blade. On occasion, the formation screams as wind is exhaled from the open maw. Those who have been keeping track of the screams claim that the frequency with which they occur is increasing.
7. The previous queen of the Queendom of Hazurrium, Brandalun, mother of the current queen, Elandine, gave the throne to her daughter and left on a quest for a mystical mechanism following a vision. Queen Elandine believes that the vision was a farce, a sign of her mother being senile, but it’s rumoured that she, too, has had such a vision recently, changing her opinion of the matter.
8. The Queendom of Hazurrium has the largest fighting force in the Daylands, consisting of several contingents of peacemakers as well as a contract with a mercenary company that is mostly comprised of Free Battalion qephilim. It’s rumoured that, despite the size of the current force, the Queendom is looking to both increase the number of peacemakers and hire more mercenaries, though to what aim is unknown.
9. There are many different markets in Citadel Hazurrium, with traders selling goods from all over the Daylands and Oceanus. As well as the well-known markets, there are rumoured to be other, secret markets, where goods that are far less legal and ethical can be bought. Such markets would be ended if they were found, so discovering where they are is far more difficult.
10. There’s a ruined city in the undermountain caverns reached through the mouth of the Grieving Vortex in the Nammu Mountains. There are rumours about what might dwell in the city, none of them good, and it’s also rumoured that something has been plaguing the mountains in the region around the Grieving Vortex recently, with a number of disappearances.

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. Butterfly Objectors are former recursors who have given up the ability due to a belief that those who translate to other realities do not in fact translate but are instead copied at the other end, the original person dying in the process. They believe that groups that use operatives to translate are evil perpetrators of lies. It’s rumoured that some Objectors have grown tired of trying to convince people of the truth by peaceful means and plan to start using violence against the Estate and others.
2. Disgraced former senator Jerry Toomey is the most visible advocate of the Circle of Liberty and, as well as being a talking head who regularly appears on various programmes, Toomey also operates a private compound called Promised Land, billed as a relaxation spot for the wealthy. Rumour is that not everyone who goes to the compound comes back out again.
3. Quiet Cabal agents operate on Earth, with the agents often being Earth humans. It’s rumoured that more agents than usual have been deployed recently, perhaps indicating that the Cabal is expecting a threat of some kind that will need dealing with, perhaps because they are searching for something.
4. Recursion miners are those individuals and groups that find and explore recursions, or that attempt to create new recursions. Sometimes, their methods can be problematic at best and outright dangerous at worst and there are rumours that some of the individuals and groups are also banded together into a larger organisation, and that these miners are those who use the most destabilising methods.
5. Spiral dust is a drug made from cyphers that has hit the streets that has an odd effect on the heaviest users, as such end up translated against their will to another recursion. It’s not known who is supplying spiral dust, or how it is made, but there are rumours that the amount of it on the streets is continually increasing, creating more and more addicts.
6. The Circle of Liberty is a loosely-connected collection of groups, including advocacy groups, think tanks, charities and industry associations, that advocates for decentralised government. It’s rumoured that the Circle is even larger than it might appear, with affiliated groups in many different countries, connected to the Circle though such connections are hidden.
7. The Estate has encountered reports of a number of people on Earth being attacked by what sounds like skeletons from Ardeyn, but there is little proof of the matter and, naturally, no dead skeletons to examine, given they crumble away very quickly. The organisation is trying to determine if there’s any truth in the matter.
8. The Quiet Cabal maintains a number of sanctums on Earth, camouflaged to look like normal businesses and establishments, often those that are out of the way that might see regular visits by strangers. It’s rumoured that a number of these sanctums have recently been attacked by an unknown party or parties, but presumably one of the Cabal’s rivals or enemies.
9. The September Project is attempting to create a quantum computer and is regarded as something of a joke thanks to the Estate’s efforts. There are rumours, though, that the Project has managed to convince at least one section of government, or of a government, that they are not a joke and are thereby gaining increased access to funding and resources.
10. There are reports that there have been issues between agents of the Office of Strategic Recursion, the Quiet Cabal and the Estate on Earth. Though the OSR regularly feeds information to the other two groups, there are rumours that they’ve clashed on occasion when the OSR disagreed with something the other groups were trying to achieve.