TEXT: Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  BENEATH
  BENEATH THE
   THE MONOLITH
   MONOLITH
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  2
  CREDITS
   
  Designer (Original Numenera) Monte Cook
   
  Designer (5e Conversion) Bruce R. Cordell
   
  Additional Design (5e Conversion) Sean K. Reynolds
   
  Creative Director Monte Cook
   
  Managing Editor Shanna Germain
   
  Editor Jeff Quick
   
  Proofreader Chris S. Sims
   
  Art Director Bear Weiter
   
  Layout Javier P. Beltrán and Bear Weiter
   
  Cover Artist Kieran Yanner and Lie Setiawan
  Cartographer
  Christopher West
  Artists
  Samuel Araya, Bruce Brenneise, Richard Burgess, Chrom, Biagio D’Alessandro, 
  Jason Engle, Luke Green, Josu Hernaiz, Guido Kuip, Kezrek Laczin, Eric Lofgren, 
  Raph Lomotan, Anton Kagounkin Magdalina, Jeremy McHugh, Federico Musetti, 
  Irina Nordsol, Mirco Paganessi, Mike Perry, John Petersen, Michael Phillippi, 
  Roberto Pitturru, Riccardo Rullo, Sam Santala, Lie Setiawan, Lee Smith, 
  Matt Stawicki, Allison Theus, Cory Trego-Erdner, Shane Tyree, Jordan K. Walker, 
  Ben Wootten, Kieran Yanner, Kirsten Zirngibl
  © 2020 Monte Cook Games, LLC. ARCANA OF THE ANCIENTS and its logo, and NUMENERA and its logo, are trademarks 
  of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook Games characters and character names, and 
  the distinctive likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC.
  Printed in Canada
  Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License 
  version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, place 
  names, etc.), new rules, classes, items, virtues, backgrounds, places, characters, artwork, sidebars, and trade dress. 
   
  Open Game Content: The Open content in this book includes material taken from the Systems Reference Document. No other 
  portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without permission.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  3
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  PART 1: GETTING STARTED 
  5
  Chapter 1: How to Use This Book 
  6
  Chapter 2: Welcome to the Ninth World 
  9
  PART 2: THE SETTING 
  13
  Chapter 3: Living in the Ninth World 
  14
  Chapter 4: Equipment 
  22
  Chapter 5: The Steadfast 
  28
  Chapter 6: The Beyond 
  72
  Chapter 7: Beyond the Beyond 
  120
  Chapter 8: Organizations 
  127
  Chapter 9: Visitants 
  134
  PART 3: CREATURES AND NPCs 
  141
  Chapter 10: Creatures 
  142
  Chapter 11: NPCs 
  150
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  4
  ARCANA OF THE ANCIENTS
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  PART 1:
  GETTING STARTED
  Chapter 1: How to Use This Book 
  6
  Chapter 2: Welcome to the Ninth World 
  9
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  6
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  B
  eneath the Monolith is a 5E campaign 
  setting based on the groundbreaking, 
  award-winning, far-future setting 
  known as the Ninth World, first presented in 
  the standalone hardcover, Numenera.
  To begin, read through this chapter. 
  The material here covers a few high-level 
  concepts related to bringing characters—
  or starting new ones—from a fantasy 
  5E setting to the science-fantasy setting 
  of the Ninth World. This is relatively 
  straightforward, but a little guidance 
  can’t hurt.
  Next, turn to Chapter 2, which introduces 
  the broad concepts of a setting located a 
  billion years in Earth’s future, replete with 
  strange people, mysterious organizations, 
  and feuding kingdoms surviving in a land 
  formed by the remnants of multiple fallen 
  high-tech civilizations.
  Then it’s on to Part 2: The Setting. 
  Everything you need to run a campaign 
  in the Ninth World is provided, from 
  languages, equipment, and currency to 
  descriptions of villages, kingdoms, and all 
  kinds of weird locations, strange machines, 
  and incomprehensible ruins that make up 
  the landscape. 
  Part 3 offers a glimpse at the many people 
  that inhabit the Ninth World, as well as a few 
  creatures supplementing the array of those 
  already described in Arcana of the Ancients.
  5E CHARACTERS IN 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  Arcana of the Ancients and Beneath The 
  Monolith provide a new world for 5E characters 
  to explore. And by 5E characters, we mean 
  characters created using the standard 5E 
  ruleset. Players can roll up a wizard, fighter, 
  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
  CHAPTER 1
  Sometimes you’ll come across names like calterflies, splicer beetles, ester trees, 
  and others without any additional explanation other than what’s provided 
  through context. Usually, that helps deepen the weird of setting. Plus, your 
  personal interpretation is better than a lengthy digression for something that 
  might be fairly minor.
  ARCANA OF THE ANCIENTS
  To get the most out of this material, 
  you’ll need a copy of Arcana of the 
  Ancients, which provides stats for the 
  strange devices—including cyphers, 
  relics, and iron flesh—plus many 
  inscrutable Ninth World creatures. 
  Arcana of the Ancients also offers 
  a wealth of information on how to 
  implement the material in adventures, 
  and for creating a science-fantasy setting 
  of your own.
  Arcana of the Ancients, in turn, 
  assumes you have access to the 5E 
  ruleset, which you need to get the most 
  out of this material. In both Beneath 
  the Monolith and Arcana of the Ancients, 
  terms occasionally appear in bold. These 
  terms refer to relevant game stats that 
  can be found in the 5E SRD or other 
  source of 5E rules.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  7
  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
  HANDLING PLAYER 
  CHARACTER “RACE”
  Generally speaking, standard character 
  species in the Ninth World do not include 
  the fantasy “races” common to 5E. So, 
  elves, dwarves, halflings, and similar fantasy 
  fare aren’t viable options for starting new 
  characters native to the Numenera setting. 
  (If established 5E characters fall through a 
  portal into the Ninth World, then of course 
  PCs come as they are.) 
  Ultimately, humans are the default choice 
  for PC character species. However, if new 
  characters are being created, two additional 
  new species options are available: lattimor 
  and varjellen.
  MAGIC IN THE 
  SCIENCE-FANTASY 
  SETTING OF 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  The Ninth World is a science-fantasy setting, 
  not a fantasy setting. The difference can be 
  subtle. Like any 5E setting, the Ninth World 
  seems to have magic, but unlike those 
  settings, there’s a technological explanation 
  for the weird phenomena. 
  That said, the default for the Ninth 
  World is that magic and numenera are 
  equivalent, because magic is numenera. 
  So, to the extent that a PC-cast dispel magic 
  spell would work on a magic effect in a 
  standard fantasy setting, it would work on a 
  numenera effect in the Ninth World.
  Essentially, it comes down to how you 
  verbally adapt specific descriptions of 
  regular magic in a science-fantasy setting.
  Magic Use by Characters and Creatures: 
  The default assumption is that “magic” has 
  its source in the same fundamental extra-
  dimensional or cosmic energy that prior-
  world technology uses. So spells used by 
  a wizard (or nano) in the Ninth World are 
  manifestations of this same energy source 
  that powers the numenera.
  The same is also true of a cleric or 
  warlock who believes they are channeling 
  spells from a higher being. Though in some 
  cases, they probably actually do; a character 
  may call their patron a god or demon, but it 
  rogue, or some other class normally, but keep 
  the following caveats in mind.
   Established 5E characters might discover 
  the Ninth World through a portal leading 
  into a parallel dimension. Alternatively, new 
  characters can be created. In either case, 
  refer to Chapter 4: Equipment, specifically 
  the sections Shin to Gold Piece (GP) 
  Exchange Rate (shins are the basic currency 
  of the Ninth World), General Equipment 
  Purchase, Selected Starting Equipment, 
  and of importance to the GM, Acquiring 
  Treasure: Shins and the Numenera.
  HANDLING CHARACTER CLASSES
  If player characters (PCs) are transferred 
  directly from a 5E world, they’ll probably still 
  call themselves fighters, wizards, rogues, and 
  so on. But if PCs make up new characters 
  that are part of the world from inception, 
  they may use the following terms instead 
  (though the other terms are also sometimes 
  used by people of the Ninth World).
  SUGGESTED CLASS NAMES 
  FOR NINTH WORLD
  Ninth World
  Other Worlds
  Glaive
  Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, 
  Paladin, Ranger
  Nano
  Bard, Cleric, Druid, 
  Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
  Jack
  Rogue
  Throughout this book, you’ll see page 
  references to various items accompanied 
  by this symbol. These are page references 
  to Arcana of the Ancients, where you can 
  find additional details about that rule, 
  ability, creature, or concept. Often, it will 
  be necessary to look up the referenced 
  item to find information you need for 
  gameplay. Other times, it’s not necessary 
  to look up the item, but doing so can 
  deepen your experience of the game and 
  the setting.
  Default Option: Magic 
  and the Numenera 
  Equivalence, page 252
  Chapter 4: Equipment, 
  page 22
  Shin to Gold Piece (GP) 
  Exchange Rate, page 22
  General Equipment 
  Purchase, page 23
  Starting Equipment, 
  page 22
  Acquiring Treasure: 
  Shins and the 
  Numenera, page 23
  Lattimor, page 138 
  Varjellen, page 134
  The limitations of dispel 
  magic remain in the 
  Ninth World; dispel 
  magic doesn’t have any 
  effect on the properties 
  of a numenera item that 
  don’t specifically cast a 
  spell, or on the non-spell 
  abilities of a creature.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  8
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Once you start down the science-fantasy 
  path, it becomes second nature. Though 
  many non-player characters (NPCs) and 
  even PCs may still just think of it all as 
  magic, because it’ll forever be beyond their 
  comprehension.
  Magic Items in the Ninth World: Arcana 
  of the Ancients provides a slew of cyphers, 
  relics, and instances of iron flesh, filling the 
  same role as magical items in a standard 
  fantasy game. But the 5E ruleset contains 
  a massive quantity of magic items. Should 
  you make some of them available in the 
  game? It’s up to you, but the answer can be 
  yes, so long as the description or flavor fits, 
  or you tweak the description or flavor to fit 
  the Ninth World.
  For example, there’s no reason some 
  variety of flaming sword, like a “flame 
  tongue” blade, couldn’t find its way into 
  the Ninth World. However, retool it so 
  the description for the item includes tiny 
  mechanisms for triggering flame jets set 
  along the blade, a tiny pilot light that 
  always flickers, and rather than having to 
  speak a magic command word to cause 
  the blade to erupt in fire, the wielder must 
  squeeze a handle-like lever on the hilt as a 
  bonus action.
  5E MONSTERS IN THE 
  NINTH WORLD
  Do standard 5E monsters live in the Ninth 
  World? You might decide the answer is 
  no, but you could consider the answer a 
  qualified yes. Sure, there are no dragons 
  and undead, as they are specifically 
  defined, in the Ninth World. But in many 
  cases, creatures found in a 5E bestiary are 
  completely suitable for the Ninth World; 
  it’s just that people of the Ninth World 
  call them by different names. Bugbears 
  and many goblinoids could be abhuman 
  varieties. Fiends could be inscrutable 
  ultraterrestrials. Dinosaurs could be an 
  additional variety of megafauna of the 
  type that thunders across the Ninth World 
  already. Additional broad guidance and 
  examples are presented at the end of 
  Chapter 10 in a section titled 5E Creatures.
  could well be an energy entity that orbits the 
  world in a metallic satellite, connected via 
  the datasphere and the microscopic nanites 
  that suffuse most solids, liquids, and gasses 
  of the Ninth World.
  Technology Instead of Magic: In truth, the 
  gap between fantasy and science-fantasy 
  can be a distinction without a difference. 
  And by that, we mean that 5E PC wizards 
  in the Ninth World can still cast fireballs, 
  clerics can cast healing, druids can speak 
  to the land, and so on. The difference only 
  becomes important if too much classic 
  fantasy or myth comes into the picture; 
  these should be avoided—at least by the 
  GM—to stay true to the Ninth World’s 
  particular setting. So, no dragons, no 
  undead, no horns of Valhalla, etc.
  Even if you’re a 5E GM new to science-fantasy, 
  you may already have some experience 
  in layering the odd bit of technology into 
  standard fantasy. For example, maybe 
  one of your characters once found a “sun 
  sword” (actually a laser saber). To play in 
  the Ninth World is to take this replacement 
  of details further, mainly by changing 
  appropriate device-related descriptions.
  For example, a wizard casting a fireball in 
  the Ninth World may be incanting equations 
  and rely on a nanotech-manipulating 
  device implanted in their flesh. A “golem” 
  encountered in an ancient ruin has bits of 
  metal and wires visible within its body. The 
  ritual performed by the evil cult includes 
  a series of passphrases and attempts to 
  communicate with a machine guardian at 
  a series of user interfaces on a vast alien 
  relic designed to open a dimension into a 
  parallel reality. 
  Chapter 10: Creatures, 
  page 142 
  5E Creatures, page 149
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  9
  WELCOME TO THE NINTH WORLD
  T
  here have been eight previous worlds.
  You may refer to them as ages, 
  aeons, epochs, or eras, but it’s not 
  wrong to think of each as its own individual 
  world. Each former world stretched across 
  vast millennia of time. Each played host 
  to a species whose civilizations rose to 
  supremacy but eventually died or scattered, 
  disappeared or transcended. During the 
  time that each world flourished, those who 
  ruled it spoke to the stars, reengineered 
  their physical bodies, and mastered form 
  and essence, all in their own unique ways.
  Each left behind remnants.
  The Ninth World is built on the bones of 
  the previous eight, and in particular, the 
  last four. Reach into the dust, and you’ll 
  find that each particle has been worked, 
  manufactured, or grown, and then ground 
  back into drit—a fine, artificial soil—by 
  the relentless power of time. Look to the 
  horizon—is that a mountain or part of an 
  impossible monument to the forgotten 
  emperor of a lost people? Feel that subtle 
  vibration beneath your feet and know that 
  ancient engines—vast machines the size 
  of kingdoms—still operate in the bowels of 
  the earth.
  The Ninth World is about discovering the 
  wonders of the worlds that came before it, 
  not for their own sake, but as the means to 
  improve the present and build a future.
  Each of the prior eight worlds, in its 
  own way, is too distant, too different, 
  too incomprehensible. Life today is too 
  dangerous to dwell on a past that cannot be 
  understood. The people excavate and study 
  the marvels of the prior epochs just enough 
  to help them survive in the world they 
  have been given. They know that energies 
  and knowledge are suspended invisibly in 
  the air. Reshaped continents of iron and 
  glass—below, upon, and above the earth—
  hold vast treasures. Secret doorways to the 
  stars and other dimensions and realms 
  provide power and secrets and death. They 
  sometimes call it magic; who are we to say 
  that they’re wrong?
  More often, however, when they find 
  leftovers of the old worlds—the devices, 
  the vast machine complexes, the altered 
  landscapes, the changes wrought upon 
  living creatures by ancient energies, the 
  invisible nano-spirits hovering in the air in 
  clouds called the iron wind, the information 
  transmitted into the so-called datasphere, 
  and the remnants of visitors from other 
  dimensions and alien planets—they call 
  these things the numenera. In the Ninth 
  World, the numenera is both a boon and a 
  bane. It makes life very different from any 
  other time on Earth.
  In a southern part of the vast, singular 
  continent of the Ninth World lies a cluster 
  of settled lands collectively called the 
  Steadfast. Although each kingdom and 
  principality of the Steadfast has its own 
  ruler, a leader known as the Amber Pope 
  guides the Order of Truth, an organization 
  of Aeon Priests that commands great 
  respect in the region. Thus, the Amber 
  Pope is likely the most powerful ruler in the 
  WELCOME TO 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  CHAPTER 2
  The Ninth World is about discovering the wonders of the worlds that came 
  before it, not for their own sake, but as the means to improve the present 
  and build a future.
  “It is interesting that 
  humans call this the 
  Ninth World, but they 
  have no idea how 
  many prior ‘worlds’ 
  actually preceded it.”
  ~Visixtru, varjellen 
  philosopher
  Iron wind, page 21
  Numenera, page 11
  Steadfast, page 28 
  Amber Pope, page 128 
  Order of Truth, page 127
  Aeon Priest, page 150
  Claves—small cloistered 
  groups of Aeon Priests in 
  the Beyond—can offer 
  protection and resources 
  for the communities 
  that spring up around 
  them. However, claves 
  sometimes become so 
  insular and focused on 
  their work that they 
  put the community 
  at risk with their 
  strange experiments.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  10
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  detritus of the prior eras—and the people’s 
  understanding of these resources is crude 
  and incomplete. The Aeon Priests possess 
  just enough discernment and knowledge 
  to suggest possible uses for things, but 
  so much remains to be discovered. Even 
  the creatures and plants of the Ninth 
  World are strange by-products of the prior 
  ages; the past left behind flora, fauna, and 
  machines, some designed by lore or nature, 
  others transplanted from distant stars or 
  dimensions.
  The people of the Ninth World clothe 
  themselves in newly spun fabrics but weave 
  the relics of the past into each garment. 
  They forge armor, weapons, and tools from 
  materials recovered from ancient structures 
  and devices. Some of these materials are 
  metals, but others are (or appear to be) 
  glass, stone, bone, flesh, or substances that 
  defy categorization.
  Those who risk the mysterious dangers 
  to recover remnants of the past provide 
  a valuable service. Typically these brave 
  souls—warrior glaives, science-wielding 
  nanos, and wily jacks—bring their findings 
  to the Aeon Priests, who use the remnants 
  Steadfast even though he does not govern 
  a single square foot of land. The Order of 
  Truth reveres the people of the past and 
  their knowledge on a quasi-religious level of 
  adoration and faith. It is a religion devoted 
  to science.
  Deeper in the wilds lies a region called the 
  Beyond, where villages and communities 
  are isolated and rare. Here, Aeon Priests 
  still study the secrets of the past, but they 
  do so cloistered in remote claves. These 
  priests do little more than pay lip service 
  to the Amber Pope, if that, and are not 
  considered part of the Order of Truth. Like 
  the regions in which they live, and the 
  claves in which they work, they are isolated, 
  islands unto themselves.
  THE PEOPLE OF 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  In the youth of an age, people use the 
  resources they have on hand, coupled 
  with whatever understanding of their 
  world they can master, to carve out a 
  life for themselves. In the Ninth World, 
  the resources are the numenera—the 
  Beyond, page 72
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  11
  WELCOME TO THE NINTH WORLD
  and become curiosities or decorations. 
  They might include a quick injection 
  able to repair physical damage in a living 
  creature or a handheld object that, when 
  manipulated properly, becomes a weapon 
  that explodes with tremendous force. 
  However, cyphers are dangerous when 
  gathered together because they create 
  radiation and harmonic frequencies that are 
  inimical to human life.
  ODDITIES are objects that serve no obvious 
  purpose but have strange functions that 
  are at least curious, if not downright 
  entertaining. Examples include a piece of 
  glass in a metal frame that shows peculiar 
  images or a box with three bells that ring at 
  unpredictable times. Not everything from 
  the prior worlds can be understood. In fact, 
  much of it cannot.
  to fashion tools, weapons, and other boons 
  for the growing civilization. As time passes, 
  more individuals learn to use the numenera, 
  but it still remains a mystery to most people.
  Who, then, are the people of the Ninth 
  World? Most are humans, although not 
  all that call themselves human truly are. 
  There are likewise the abhumans: mutants, 
  hybrids, genetically engineered, and their 
  offspring. And then there are the visitants, 
  who are not native to the earth but who now 
  call the Ninth World home. They have no 
  more understanding of the past (even their 
  own) than anyone else.
  THE NUMENERA
  People with knowledge of the remnants 
  of older worlds divide them into several 
  types, including relics, cyphers, iron flesh, 
  and oddities.
  RELICS are large devices that typically 
  can be used more than once to produce 
  the same result. A relic might be a belt 
  that creates a shield of invisible force to 
  protect the wearer or a flying skiff that 
  carries people and cargo from one place 
  to another. The term is almost always 
  used for an item that has an obvious 
  purpose—a weapon, a defense, a mode of 
  transport, a means of communication 
  or learning new information, a means 
  of obtaining food or other necessities, 
  and so forth. Relics make their users 
  more powerful, or they make life 
  easier or better.
  IRON FLESH is a special variety of relic 
  that latches onto explorers, implanting 
  them with a sparking iron device. The 
  intruding object could slowly render the 
  explorer to a fine powder, insinuate their 
  mind with horrific images, or enact some 
  other unwanted change. However, the 
  implant could instead grant an all-new 
  beneficial capability. Such beneficial 
  implants are known as iron flesh.
  CYPHERS are usually small, minor devices 
  that most characters can coax a single 
  effect from before the cyphers burn out 
  Visitants, page 134
  Numenera items such 
  as relics, iron flesh, and 
  cyphers add capabilities 
  to the player character’s 
  repertoire, but they are 
  the purview of the game 
  master. Very rarely does 
  a player choose these 
  items; they are discovered 
  while exploring ancient 
  ruins or overcoming 
  other challenges of 
  the Ninth World.
  Abhuman examples:
  Chirog, page 154 
  Margr, page 197 
  Murden, page 204 
  Yovok, page 243
  Relics, page 45
  Cyphers, page 40
  Iron flesh, page 49
  Oddities, page 126
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  12
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  can know that the earth revolves around the 
  sun and be aware of other “anachronistic” 
  bits of knowledge.
  On the other hand, characters in the Ninth 
  World don’t refer to weapons as “guns” 
  or to vehicles as “cars.” The technology 
  in the Ninth World is too advanced and 
  too alien for such terminology to have 
  endured. Using 21st-century terms for 
  weapons and vehicles is as inappropriate 
  as using medieval terms. The numenera 
  is weird—much of it wasn’t created by 
  humans or for humans. It isn’t designed or 
  presented in any way that might be familiar 
  to the players or the characters. Only 
  through experimentation, player insight, 
  and character skill can the player characters 
  identify, and possibly use, what they find.
  Perhaps even more important, the relics, 
  cyphers, iron flesh, and oddities that 
  characters use probably aren’t serving their 
  original purpose. The explosive cypher that 
  a character tosses at an enemy might have 
  been the power source for a vehicle. The 
  force field the enemy uses to protect herself 
  from the blast might have been designed 
  to contain the radiation of the fuel rods in a 
  miniature nuclear reactor.
  Welcome to the Ninth World, where every 
  discovery might save you—or kill you. But 
  you won’t know until you try.
  LOOKING AT THE NINTH 
  WORLD FROM THE 21ST 
  CENTURY
  The Ninth World is a science-fantasy 
  setting approximately a billion years in 
  the future. The people of the world dwell 
  amid the flotsam of impossible ultratech 
  of eight prior civilizations and call it 
  magic. Unimaginably huge machines lie 
  beneath the earth, and satellites orbit high 
  above, transmitting a web of data and free 
  energy. Nanotech, gravitic technology, 
  genetic engineering, spatial warping, 
  and superdense polymers allowed the 
  inhabitants of the previous worlds to 
  reshape the planet. Mass and energy were 
  theirs to command.
  In many ways, the Ninth World is a 
  medieval fantasy setting without the 
  historicity. When people who haven’t done 
  a lot of homework on the dark ages run a 
  traditional fantasy game, they often insert 
  modern sensibilities or developments 
  such as democracy, hygiene, or matches. 
  But in the Ninth World, these things, and 
  more, make sense. Characters can have 
  rain slickers, ink pens, zippers, and plastic 
  bags, all left over from the prior eras (or 
  fashioned from leavings of the past). 
  They can understand how illnesses are 
  transmitted or how socialism works. They 
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  PART 2:
  THE SETTING
  Chapter 3: Living in the Ninth World 
  14
  Chapter 4: Equipment 
  22
  Chapter 5: The Steadfast  
  28
  Chapter 6: The Beyond 
  72
  Chapter 7: Beyond the Beyond 
  120
  Chapter 8: Organizations  
  127
  Chapter 9: Visitants 
  134
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  14
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  T
  he Ninth World is Earth. But it is an 
  Earth that has undergone multiple 
  dramatic changes, for it is Earth 
  approximately a billion years in the future. 
  Over that nigh-incomprehensible span of 
  time, nothing remains constant. Add in 
  the rise and fall of civilizations so great 
  that to us they would seem, again, nigh 
  incomprehensible, and anything is possible.
  THE PERSPECTIVE 
  OF CHANGE
  When attempting to grasp the Ninth World, 
  keep in mind two complementary shaping 
  forces. First is the vast amount of time. 
  Even if Earth were left completely alone, 
  the drastic changes of celestial mechanics, 
  continental drift, erosion, mass extinction, 
  and evolution would render our home 
  unrecognizable.
  The second force is that of intelligence. 
  Over the billion-year span, Earth has been 
  home to at least eight civilizations that have 
  arisen (or arrived), flourished and advanced 
  to incredible power, and then either 
  declined or left, never to return. Although 
  we know little about these civilizations, we 
  do know the following:
  • At least one was the center of a 
  galactic (or perhaps intergalactic) 
  space-faring empire. 
  • At least one wielded the power of 
  planetary engineering and stellar lifting.
  • At least one had knowledge of the 
  fundamental forces of reality and could 
  alter those forces as they wished. The 
  very laws of physics were theirs to play 
  with, like toys.
  • At least one filled the world with 
  invisible, molecule-sized machines 
  called nanites (or nanomachines) that 
  could deconstruct and reconstruct 
  matter and manipulate energy.
  • At least one explored the multiverse of 
  other dimensions, parallel universes, 
  and alternate levels of reality.
  • At least some of these civilizations were 
  not human.
  LIVING IN THE
  NINTH WORLD
  CHAPTER 3
  Planetary engineering 
  is changing the climate 
  and topography of a 
  planet, and perhaps even 
  its position in space.
  Stellar lifting is moving 
  a star, or changing the 
  chemical composition or 
  otherwise modifying the 
  energy output of a star.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  15
  LIVING IN THE NINTH WORLD
  they possess only a surface knowledge of 
  the devices they commonly use and deploy. 
  Lots more remains a mystery. 
  That doesn’t stop people from using 
  whatever they can find in every conceivable 
  way. They wear clothing composed of weird 
  fabrics and half-working devices. They wear 
  armor and wield weapons that almost 
  certainly had some original different use a 
  million years ago. Though wood and stone 
  are commonly used, the scrap piles of the 
  prior worlds offer lots of additional options 
  including weird metals, glass-like solids, 
  living substrates, and some that are even 
  difficult to describe.
  But who or what are the people of the 
  Ninth World? Most are humans, although 
  not all that call themselves human truly are. 
  Is an engineered 8-foot (2.5 m) tall person 
  with mechanical limbs and biocrafted brain 
  implants still human? In the Ninth World, 
  the answer is very likely yes, but some 
  people will eagerly debate the point.
  Perhaps an even better question is: After a 
  billion years, why does Earth still have humans 
  at all, in shapes and forms that we—the 
  people of the 21st century—can recognize? 
  This might seem particularly curious once 
  you consider the fact that many of the prior 
  worlds were distinctly nonhuman.
  Ninth Worlders don’t have that specific 
  perspective, but they do wonder where they 
  came from. They have a sense that Earth 
  was once theirs, and then it wasn’t, and 
  now it is again. How can this be? Perhaps 
  one day they’ll find the answer.
  Beyond the humans are the abhumans: 
  mutants, hybrids, genetically engineered, 
  and their offspring. How is it that some 
  engineered or mutated beings remain 
  “human” while others become “abhuman”? 
  It has more to do with mindset than 
  physical form. Abhumans are once-human 
  creatures that rejected humanity to become 
  bestial, murderous, and degenerate. In 
  other words, they (or their forebears) chose 
  to be abhuman.
  And then there are the visitants, who are 
  not native to the earth but who now call 
  the Ninth World home. They have no more 
  understanding of the past (even their own) 
  than anyone else.
  THE WORLD AS IT REMAINS
  Most of the land mass has once again 
  joined to form a gigantic supercontinent, 
  leaving the rest of the globe to the mercy 
  of a single ocean dotted with islands. The 
  moon is smaller than we are accustomed to 
  because its orbit is wider. Due to the effect 
  this has on the planet’s rotation, days are 
  now 28 hours long. The year’s length has 
  not changed, however, so a Ninth World 
  year has only 313 days. Words like “week” 
  and “month” retain their meanings, and 
  for the sake of understanding, this book 
  also uses terms like “second,” “minute,” 
  and “hour,” although the inhabitants of the 
  world probably use different terms, perhaps 
  with slightly different meanings.
  The people of the Ninth World don’t realize 
  it, but at its current age, the sun’s luminosity 
  should have increased to a point where 
  life on Earth (as we know it) is impossible. 
  And yet it continues. Something happened 
  millions of years in the past to prevent life 
  from disappearing. Most planets in the 
  solar system remain, although their orbits 
  have altered somewhat. The planet we call 
  Mercury is long gone. (Ninth Worlders don’t 
  know it ever existed, so they don’t wonder 
  why it’s absent.)
  THE PEOPLE OF THE 
  NINTH WORLD
  People are clever about using what they 
  find in their environment no matter the 
  eon they live in. For humans in the Ninth 
  World, those resources are an amazing 
  array of weird technology stretching back 
  through several prior lost ages. Even 
  though this technology once allowed its 
  users to command their environment with 
  unparalleled capacities, it’s mostly broken, 
  malfunctioning, and in some cases meant 
  for creatures wholly different than humans. 
  Which is why people regard much of it as 
  magic. Still, they use it as they can.
  For instance, Aeon Priests collect 
  knowledge in hopes of mastering this 
  numenera—the scattered tech of the 
  previous ages—to advance the quality of 
  life, but also simply to understand what’s 
  come before. Despite all their years of study, 
  Abhuman, page 11
  Aeon Priest, page 150
  Visitants, page 134
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  16
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  cities. The largest city in the Steadfast, Qi, 
  has a population of 500,000.
  Life expectancy varies wildly, but those who 
  survive to the age of thirty can expect to live 
  to at least sixty. It’s rare but not unheard of 
  for someone to live to be ninety or even one 
  hundred. Those fortunate enough to be rich 
  or to live in a locale where the Aeon Priests 
  have discovered secrets of longevity might 
  live twice that long—or longer.
  The dead are buried or cremated.
  CLASS
  Generally speaking, humans in the Ninth 
  World are aristocrats, peasants, or slaves. 
  In some places, a “middle” or “merchant” 
  class arises from the ranks of the peasants, 
  populated by those who have wealth but not 
  nobility. True feudalism exists only in certain 
  locations, and as might be expected in 
  cases of land ownership, the nobles usually 
  own the land and the peasants usually work 
  it. A peasant likely earns a few shins per day, 
  whereas a merchant could earn a hundred 
  times that. Aristocrats rarely bother using 
  coins at all except when dealing with the 
  peasantry.
  LIFE IN THE 
  NINTH WORLD
  The life of a Ninth World human isn’t all 
  that different from the life of a human 
  around the year 1000 AD. Farmers till fields, 
  herders tend flocks, hunters and trappers 
  provide meat and skins, weavers create 
  clothing, woodworkers build furniture, 
  authors write books, and so on. Meals are 
  cooked over fires. Entertainment comes 
  from a lute player, a group of singers, or 
  perhaps comedic thespians.
  Throughout the Ninth World, couples 
  of all orientations join together in 
  commitment ceremonies. However, 
  because traditions, religions, and cultural 
  norms vary widely, the ceremonies and 
  resulting relationships take vastly different 
  forms from place to place.
  Parents typically raise children, although in 
  some places extended families are common. 
  Many children attend some kind of school 
  until the age of about twelve, when they 
  learn a craft. Some students, usually those in 
  larger cities, go on to higher learning.
  Most people live in small, agrarian 
  villages, but some settle in larger towns or 
  Qi, page 38
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  17
  LIVING IN THE NINTH WORLD
  And, of course, no one in the Ninth World 
  actually speaks English. Words like “pope” 
  and “synth” and other real-world terms are 
  just English approximations of words used 
  by Ninth Worlders. “Pope” means “father” 
  but implies more, and the word has an 
  association with Medieval Europe. “Synth” 
  isn’t a word used by Medieval Europeans, 
  but its meaning—and, just as important, its 
  sound—suggests something wholly artificial 
  yet simple, common, and acceptable to 
  our 21st-century ears. Those terms and 
  hundreds like them were chosen because 
  they convey the right ideas.
  So what languages do Ninth Worlders 
  speak?
  The Truth: The Aeon Priests teach a 
  language based on rationality and intellect. 
  Because of its name, it means something 
  different in the Ninth World to say, “She 
  speaks the Truth,” but that subtle double 
  meaning is intentional on the part of the 
  priesthood.
  The language’s rules are simple and 
  straightforward, easy to teach and easy 
  to learn. The Truth is the predominant 
  language in the Steadfast, where it’s spoken 
  by about 80 percent of the people; in cities, 
  that number is closer to 100 percent. In 
  the Beyond, about 60 percent of the people 
  speak the Truth as their primary language, 
  but many isolated villages have their own 
  specific tongue.
  Shin-Talk: This is a crude and simple 
  language used only for trade and related 
  tasks—counting, assessing quality, and so 
  on. Shin-Talk is older than the Truth but not 
  as widely used.
  Only the nobles own slaves, which are 
  usually taken from conquered enemies 
  or their descendants and are considered 
  property. (The children of slaves are born 
  into slavery.) Sometimes criminals are 
  consigned to slavery as well. Slaves toil 
  as manual laborers, house servants, and 
  guards. A few nobles prefer to use abhuman 
  rather than human slaves, and some own 
  both kinds.
  RELIGION
  The religions of the Ninth World are varied 
  and many. With the exception of the Order of 
  Truth’s quasi-religious veneration of the past 
  and the understanding its inhabitants had 
  of the forces of the universe, no religion is 
  widespread—they’re local affairs. An explorer 
  coming to a new town or village will find 
  that the inhabitants have their own specific 
  gods and religions. Some of these are based 
  in local myths and stories, while others are 
  more grounded in reality—creatures or 
  other weird aspects of the world are often 
  explained using the trappings of religion. For 
  example, a village might worship a machine 
  intelligence left over from the prior worlds as 
  a mysterious deity.
  In some places, religion is vital and 
  fervent. In others, it’s casual. And in some 
  locations, the people have no concept of 
  religion at all.
  One thing to keep in mind is that the 
  Ninth World is not shaped by 
  Judeo-Christianity, Islam, or other current 
  religions. The taboos, virtues, and other 
  behavior-modifying beliefs prevalent in the 
  21st century are not necessarily true for the 
  Ninth World.
  LANGUAGE
  Language is a complex topic for a 
  21st-century reader trying to understand a 
  civilization a billion years in the future. In a 
  fantasy or pseudo-medieval fictional setting, 
  it’s typical for everyone to talk in a vaguely 
  Shakespearean British manner. This style 
  of speaking probably isn’t appropriate for 
  Numenera. The Ninth World is filled with 
  words that—while not strictly modern—
  aren’t medieval or Shakespearean either.
  Order of Truth, page 127
  Ceremonies may be 
  public or private and 
  can take the form of 
  handfasting, feasting, the 
  exchange of gifts, and 
  proof-of-love conquests 
  (see The Fields of Frozen 
  Flowers, page 113).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  18
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  aldeia. (An aldeia is a village in the Beyond 
  centered around a clave of Aeon Priests.)
  In communities that have a predominant 
  language other than the Truth, literacy 
  varies wildly.
  ANIMALS AND CREATURES
  A billion years in the future, all the animals 
  we know in the 21st century are long gone. 
  However, animal types—mammals, reptiles, 
  insects, birds, and so forth—remain. Again, 
  it’s a language problem. The text (or the 
  GM) might talk about rats, deer, flies, or 
  ravens, but the beasts being described are 
  at least slightly different than the creatures 
  we think of today. However, the words are 
  still valid because they convey the proper 
  general meaning. Wholly different creatures, 
  such as snow lopers, are described because 
  they have no 21st-century analog.
  Of course, the Ninth World also has 
  creatures that are nothing like animals. 
  Mutant beasts, engineered creatures 
  (or their descendants), automatons, 
  biomechanical blends of organism and 
  machine, extraterrestrial and ultraterrestrial 
  beings, creatures of energy, and stranger 
  Other Languages: At least 500 (and 
  perhaps far more) completely distinct 
  languages are spoken across the Ninth 
  World. It’s not unusual for a traveler to 
  discover an isolated village—particularly 
  in the Beyond—and be unable to speak 
  to its few hundred residents because they 
  have their own language. Fortunately, this 
  is a common problem, so people are used 
  to struggling through interactions without 
  relying on words.
  LITERACY
  Many people in the Ninth World cannot 
  read. The Steadfast has an average literacy 
  rate of about 50 percent. Although almost 
  everyone can recognize a few written words 
  of the Truth, genuine literacy—the ability to 
  read a contract or a book—is uncommon. 
  Reading is more common in cities, where 
  up to 70 percent of the population might 
  be literate. In small towns and villages, the 
  number is closer to 40 percent, and in very 
  rural, isolated villages, it falls to 10 percent 
  or less.
  In the Beyond, literacy rates are about 50 
  percent in cities and 0 to 20 percent in the 
  Aldeia, page 20
  Beyond, page 72
  Aeon Priest, page 150
  Snow lopers, page 234
  “I’ve seen machines 
  that melt flesh into new 
  shapes, beasts that skip 
  in and out of time, and 
  places that break the 
  rules of how I thought 
  the world worked. Our 
  world is full of wonders 
  I’ll never fully understand, 
  and I seek them out like I 
  have a hunger for them.” 
  ~Chiemeka Neyth
  For more details on 
  the types of creatures 
  that crawl, fly, and 
  otherwise move through 
  the Ninth World, see 
  Arcana of the Ancients, 
  Chapter 4: Creatures 
  (page 140). Also look 
  for the bestiary, Beasts 
  of Flesh and Steel.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  19
  LIVING IN THE NINTH WORLD
  GAZETTEER OF 
  THE NINTH WORLD
  The Ninth World is the backdrop of a young 
  civilization that has grown up amid the 
  ruins of very old, very advanced forebears. A 
  billion years from now, we’ll be long gone, 
  as will the civilizations that evolve and rise 
  (and fall or leave or transcend) after us. 
  A billion years is a long, long time—far 
  lengthier than the span between the 21st 
  century and the dinosaurs.
  In the time of the Ninth World, the 
  landmasses have rejoined to form a vast 
  supercontinent surrounded by seemingly 
  endless seas with perilous storms. But did 
  the Earth come to be in this configuration 
  because of natural forces through the march 
  of time, or did a prior civilization design it 
  to be so? Certainly, the ancient inhabitants 
  of the previous worlds had the ability to 
  shape their planet, and likely other planets, 
  as they saw fit. Proof of this is everywhere; 
  “impossible” landscapes are a normal 
  part of the topography. Islands of crystal 
  float in the sky. Inverted mountains rise 
  above plains of broken glass. Abandoned 
  structures the size of kingdoms stretch 
  across great distances, so enormous that 
  they affect the weather. Massive machines, 
  some still active, churn and hum. But for 
  what purpose?
  Along the western coast lies the 
  Steadfast, a collection of kingdoms and 
  principalities with little in common except 
  for a unifying religion. This religion, called 
  entities roam the planet. In one way or 
  another, all of these things are results of the 
  influence of the numenera.
  NINTH WORLD HISTORY
  To the people of the Ninth World, recorded 
  history began about 900 years ago, with 
  the work of learned scholars who organized 
  themselves into what would later become 
  the Aeon Priests. Before that time, humans 
  lived in tribes and isolated farming villages.
  No one knows how much time passed 
  between the fall of the previous civilization 
  and the rise of the Ninth World. Likewise, 
  no one can agree on where Ninth Worlders 
  came from. It’s clear that many residents 
  of the prior worlds were not human, but 
  perhaps some were.
  The first Amber Pope organized the Aeon 
  Priests into the Order of Truth about 400 
  years ago. At this time, the kingdoms of the 
  Steadfast began to take the form that they 
  have today, although wars, upheavals, and 
  changes have come and gone since then 
  (and more changes are likely in the future).
  In the end, to scholars and broad 
  thinkers, the petty squabbles and changes 
  that took place during the last few centuries 
  seem as nothing compared to the vast, 
  unknowable past of Earth. This is likely part 
  of the reason why people of the Ninth World 
  don’t care much about history.
  I stood in Yrkallak Tower and watched as the cloud of orange and red passed 
  across the landscape in the distance. Through my spyglass, I saw the formation 
  of a hillock that had not existed before. Atop that rise grew polyp-like blue trees 
  that then wavered and died. The field of grain that had grown nearby became a 
  cacophonous mixture of glass, green vapor, and writhing serpents. An aneen tried 
  to run as the iron wind approached, but its legs became tiny fluttering wings, and 
  it collapsed. Its back sprouted a thousand insect legs, but its head had turned to 
  a coppery metal, and it was dead.
  Further horrors I witnessed, I shall not describe, for I wish that I had not seen 
  them. They shall haunt my dreams forevermore. Truly this was a storm born in 
  Hell, carried on the backs of invisible demons of madness and misery.
  ~The journal of Lady Charalann
  Steadfast, page 28
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  20
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  race along the rooftops of ancient ruins. In 
  still another aldeia, the priests of the clave 
  may have developed the means to stop 
  the aging process almost entirely, making 
  the residents nearly immortal, and some 
  are no doubt willing to sell the secret—for 
  a staggering price. Because the aldeia 
  are remote and separated by dangerous 
  distances, trade of these discoveries is 
  occasional and haphazard.
  But not every village or tribe in the 
  Beyond has a clave to help guide them 
  amid the dangers of the past. Some of 
  these communities have tried to use 
  the numenera to their peril, unleashing 
  horrors, plagues, or mysteries beyond 
  comprehension. Travelers might find a 
  village where the residents have been 
  transformed into flesh-eating monstrosities, 
  or one whose populace works as slaves for 
  a machine intelligence left over from an 
  earlier era.
  Outside the aldeia and other settlements, 
  the dangers multiply. Amid the ruins of 
  the past lurk tribes of vicious abhumans 
  that are as likely to kill and eat an explorer 
  as talk to her. Clouds of tiny, invisible 
  machines called the iron wind scour the 
  wilderness, altering everything they touch. 
  Monstrous predators, ancient death 
  machines, and stranded extraterrestrial 
  or transdimensional beings (also called 
  ultradimensional beings or ultraterrestrials) 
  also threaten the uncharted reaches of the 
  Beyond. But so too can a careful, capable 
  explorer find awe-inspiring numenera 
  that can accomplish anything they might 
  imagine.
  In the Ninth World, the numenera is both 
  the risk and the reward.
  WEATHER
  The numenera has changed the 
  environment of the planet many times 
  over. The inhabitants of the prior worlds 
  reshaped not only land and sea but sky as 
  well. Even the weather of the Ninth World is 
  influenced by the numenera.
  In the Steadfast and the Beyond, it 
  grows colder as you travel south. The 
  southernmost lands of the Steadfast, for 
  example, have cool summers and harsh 
  by its adherents the Order of Truth (and by 
  all others the Amber Papacy), reveres the 
  past and the knowledge of the ancients as 
  understood by the enigmatic Aeon Priests. 
  By decree of the Amber Pope, the Steadfast 
  and the Order of Truth wage war with the 
  lands to the north, believed by many to be 
  enthralled by a secretive and mysterious cult 
  called the Gaians. Nobles in the Steadfast 
  are called to the Crusades, making war 
  against the infidels with ever-stranger 
  weapons discovered or devised by the 
  priesthood.
  Outside the bounds of the Steadfast lies 
  the Beyond, a vast wilderness punctuated by 
  very occasional, very isolated communities. 
  The Beyond also has Aeon Priests, but 
  they’re not linked by an organized network, 
  and they don’t answer to the Amber Pope. 
  Instead, these priests dwell in sequestered 
  claves. Around these claves, small villages 
  and communities known as aldeia have 
  arisen. Each clave has discovered and 
  mastered various numenera items, giving 
  every aldeia a distinct identity.
  In one, the inhabitants might raise unique 
  bioengineered beasts for food. In another, 
  people may pilot gravity-defying gliders and 
  Order of Truth, page 127
  Beyond, page 72
  An aldeia is a village 
  in the Beyond centered 
  around a clave of 
  Aeon Priests.
  DATASPHERE
  The term “datasphere” describes the 
  worldwide wireless network that connects 
  a wide variety of devices, satellites, and 
  other machines to store and exchange data. 
  A number of such networks might exist 
  in the Ninth World (and beyond— some 
  of these networks could be connected to 
  interplanetary, interstellar, intergalactic, or 
  interdimensional sources).
  The category also encompasses artificial 
  intelligences, unique NPCs that are 
  sometimes almost like spirits or gods. Their 
  power is limited only by the technology that 
  they can still access. Artificial intelligences 
  could live within the datasphere itself or 
  be confined to unconnected devices or 
  machines. They might use holograms to 
  project a presence into the real world or 
  build automated bodies to interact in a 
  physical state. (Or they could find both of 
  those options ridiculous or abhorrent.)
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  21
  LIVING IN THE NINTH WORLD
  THE IRON WIND
  The iron wind is the Ninth-World term for 
  clouds of dangerous nano spirits (also 
  called nanotech by the more learned). 
  Malfunctioning machines that are far too 
  tiny to see, travel across the landscape 
  in terrible clouds borne by strong winds. 
  These machines warp everything they 
  touch, transmuting all matter. An iron wind 
  storm twists the ground, turns rock into 
  clouds of vapor, and creates new features 
  out of thin air. And woe to any living thing 
  caught in its passing. Trees become rocks, 
  pools of water, or unrecognizable lumps 
  of pulsing, living substance. The iron wind 
  tears apart creatures only to rebuild them in 
  bizarre, seemingly random shapes. Flesh is 
  transmuted to nonliving substances, ropy 
  tendrils, or even more alien configurations 
  or textures. Nine times out of ten, this 
  transformation results in the death of the 
  creature—sometimes a long, painful death 
  as it tries to cope with its new form.
  winters. The central and northern portions 
  have warmer summers, but even the 
  southern edge of the Cloudcrystal Skyfields 
  sees snow and frost in the winter. The 
  mountains of the Black Riage have long, 
  oppressive winters, with the southernmost 
  passes open for only a few months.
  Overall, the climate is dry, and with a few 
  exceptions (along the coast, for example), 
  rain is uncommon and accompanies terrible 
  storms. Rumors say that particularly harsh 
  or strange storms are either the result of 
  a harmful numenera effect or the slow 
  degradation of a beneficial one. Either way, 
  storms with dangerous winds, hail, and 
  lightning grow more frequent each year. 
  Other storms—still thankfully very rare—
  bring oily black rains that kill crops rather 
  than nourish them, or weird magnetic 
  fluctuations that bend matter and disrupt 
  minds. But even these pale in comparison 
  to the most terrifying weather effect in the 
  Ninth World: the iron wind.
  “My oath is to preserve 
  and protect our 
  civilization from beasts 
  of the prior worlds, 
  abhumans who have 
  forsaken their humanity, 
  and the northern cults 
  who oppose the will 
  of the Amber Pope. I 
  search for the gifts of 
  prior worlds so the Aeon 
  Priests may unlock 
  their secrets and build 
  a better future for us.” 
  ~Klendii the Evangelist
  Cloudcrystal Skyfields, 
  page 72
  Black Riage, page 75
  Different instances of 
  Iron Wind often have 
  wholly different effects, 
  strengths, and outcomes, 
  meaning every encounter 
  is potentially unique.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  22
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  T
  he Ninth World is a dichotomy of past 
  and future, of the primitive and the 
  extremely advanced, of limitations and 
  limitlessness. Nowhere does this dichotomy 
  become more evident than in the tools the 
  inhabitants use, the clothing they wear, the 
  weapons they wield, and the gear they carry. 
  This section looks at currency, materials, and 
  gear in the Ninth World.
  Although some equipment and materials 
  described in this section are products of 
  the distant past, actual cyphers, relics, and 
  oddities are not listed here; they’re covered 
  in Arcana of the Ancients.
  CURRENCY
  Thanks to the mining and metallurgy 
  of the prior worlds, and their ability to 
  create anything they wished (or so it 
  seems, anyway), no metal is rarer than 
  any other. People in the Ninth World have 
  no concept of gold, silver, gemstones, or 
  even diamonds as being valuable due to 
  their scarcity. Such materials are valuable 
  based on their beauty or usefulness alone. 
  Most civilized societies use generic coins 
  commonly referred to as shins.
  SHINS
  Shins are usually metal but can be made of 
  glass, plastic, or substances that have no 
  name. Some are jagged bits of interesting 
  material or small, coinlike objects (such 
  as highly decorative buttons from a 
  machine), and others are properly minted 
  and stamped, with writing and images. No 
  minted coin in existence today comes from 
  a prior world—no coins survive from the 
  ancients, if indeed they used such currency 
  at all. Some regions of the Ninth World only 
  accept coins that were minted in that realm; 
  others accept all coins, regardless of origin. 
  This custom varies from place to place and 
  society to society.
  Because shins are from the Ninth 
  World, they rarely turn up in old locations. 
  Occasionally, explorers of ancient or forgotten 
  sites find a smattering of items—buttons or 
  doodads—that can be salvaged as shins.
  SHIN TO GOLD PIECE (GP) 
  EXCHANGE RATE
  The rules for 5E character creation include 
  starting equipment, which is either a 
  combination of equipment based on 
  class and background, or an amount of 
  currency based on your class. In either case, 
  it’s important to know how gold pieces 
  translate to shins: 3 gp = 1 shin (round 
  up, minimum 1 shin). For example, if a 
  character in a setting using the gold-piece 
  standard has 125 gp, in the Ninth World they 
  have 42 shins.
  SELECTING STARTING 
  EQUIPMENT
  You gain the equipment indicated for your 
  class selection and background. If any gp 
  are leftover, convert them to shins.
  Alternatively, you might choose to gain a 
  lump sum of currency based on your class. 
  If so, you have a couple options. 
  Option one is to use your lump sum in 
  gold pieces to buy equipment from the tables 
  provided in the 5E ruleset, priced in gp. Then 
  convert any remaining gold pieces to shins, 
  and check the equipment provided here. 
  Option two is to convert your lump sum 
  of gold pieces to shins immediately. This 
  also requires you to convert all gp prices 
  in the 5E ruleset equipment list to shins. 
  EQUIPMENT
  CHAPTER 4
  While some materials 
  can readily be found in 
  various parts of the 
  Ninth World, others 
  are more unique to a 
  particular area. 
  Culat is a particularly 
  hard wood that is favored 
  by the Horges of Castle 
  Sarrat (page 40).
  Goldgleam and 
  silster are decorative 
  elements harvested 
  from insects in the Slant 
  Milieu (page 78).
  Redstone is a brick-
  colored stone quarried 
  only in the village of 
  Redstone (page 108).
  Mineral rarity is not 
  an issue in the Ninth 
  World, so gems and 
  jewels are not intrinsically 
  valuable. People still 
  prize well-made jewelry 
  and art objects, but real 
  “treasure” comes in the 
  form of oddities or relics 
  of the prior worlds.
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  23
  EQUIPMENT
  For example, if you want a set of smith’s 
  tools, the converted price would be 8 shins. 
  This is more cumbersome, but allows you 
  to peruse the equipment in this chapter of 
  Beneath the Monolith on an equal footing 
  with the 5E ruleset equipment, with all your 
  funds at your disposal.
  GENERAL EQUIPMENT 
  PURCHASE
  After you’ve created your character and 
  explored the Ninth World a little, it’s likely 
  your character will accumulate more shins, 
  and want to buy more equipment. Refer 
  to the equipment provided here and the 
  equipment provided in the 5E ruleset; in the 
  latter case, convert the 5E ruleset equipment 
  price to shins to know what your buying 
  power is (i.e., divide gp by 3, minimum 1 
  shin).
  ACQUIRING TREASURE: 
  SHINS AND THE NUMENERA
  Player characters can acquire shins and 
  devices of the ancients through several 
  means, including being paid for services, 
  stealing them, salvaging them from 
  machines and devices, and looting them 
  from defeated foes, creatures, and ruins. 
  The number of shins and numenera 
  devices gained during the course of an 
  adventure is a function of the base rules 
  presented in the 5E ruleset for random 
  treasure and the treasure hoard tables, with 
  some caveats. 
  First, if any individual treasure table 
  indicates a value in currency, convert it 
  to shins (possibly first converting to gold 
  pieces, then converting shins). Gems and 
  art objects may be found, but convert their 
  value to shins as necessary for resale in 
  the Ninth World. For instance, if a 25-gp art 
  object is indicated, its value in the Ninth 
  World is 8 shins. Speaking of gems and 
  art objects, the particular items found may 
  indeed be exactly as described, though you 
  could also make Ninth World-appropriate 
  substitutions, such as the following examples.
  Gems: Instead of finding an 8-shin ruby, 
  a PC might find a small piece of weird 
  material, like azure steel or stronglass (see 
  Materials), worth 8 shins.
  Art Objects: The art objects found are 
  likely not to have been fashioned by human 
  hands, which means they will seem very 
  weird and alien. For instance, a blob of 
  glass-like material that constantly evolves 
  its curves and planes would make an 
  interesting and valuable sculpture for some 
  collectors.
  Second, if an individual treasure table 
  indicates that a magic item is found, a 
  numenera device is found instead. Refer 
  to the appropriate table in Arcana of the 
  Ancients, Appendix B: Arcana by Rarity.
  Third and last, as the GM, keep an eye 
  on the characters’ progression. If you feel 
  like they would benefit from having what 
  would be the equivalent of a +1 magical 
  weapon or +1 magical armor or shield, 
  you have the power to make it so. Refer to 
  Default Option: Magic and the Numenera 
  Equivalence in Arcana of the Ancients for 
  more on how numenera items are treated 
  as if magical, as well as Magic in the 
  Science-Fantasy Setting of the Ninth World 
  in the first chapter of this book.
  MATERIALS
  Most objects built in the Ninth World are 
  made of wood, leather, cloth, stone, glass, 
  or metal. Smithies and forges can produce 
  high-quality steel objects, but they generally 
  work in iron or bronze. However, plastic 
  (called “synth” with a default AC of 16), 
  organic stone or steel, exotic crystal, and 
  even stranger materials are not unknown. 
  Items made of those substances are left 
  over from the prior worlds, so many people 
  are familiar with them, although very few 
  know how to produce more. Unlike gold 
  or gemstones, some of these materials are 
  indeed recognized as being rare, but none 
  are valuable for their rarity alone. Ninth 
  Worlders are too practical for that. Such 
  materials include (but are not limited to):
  Adamant Silk: This fabric is five times 
  as strong as regular silk and extremely 
  resistant to stains and dirt. (AC 13)
  Azure Steel: This bluish metal is not steel 
  and may not be from Earth at all. While 
  somewhat lighter than steel, it is at least ten 
  times harder and tougher. (AC 23)
  Appendix B: Arcana by 
  Rarity, page 297
  Default Option: Magic 
  and the Numenera 
  Equivalence, page 252
  Magic in the Science-
  Fantasy Setting of the 
  Ninth World, page 7
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Synth: This is a Ninth World name for any 
  of a number of materials similar to various 
  plastics common to 21st-century Earth. They 
  are durable, but not particularly strong. (AC 16)
  Synthsteel: Similar in appearance to normal 
  synth, this somewhat misnamed substance 
  is harder and tougher than synth, making it 
  stronger, yet far lighter than steel. (AC 20)
  Molded Foam: This substance has the 
  mass of soap foam but has been molded 
  firmly into other shapes, such as dishes, 
  boxes, or other common objects. Most 
  kinds of molded foam are brittle, but some 
  types are more durable. (AC 11)
  Organic Stone: Although it has the 
  appearance and strength of granite (or 
  sometimes other minerals, such as marble 
  or quartz), this material is grown rather than 
  quarried. Some varieties of organic stone are 
  half as light as normal stone, but other types 
  are just as heavy—if not heavier. (AC 17)
  Pliable Metal: This material retains 
  the strength and durability of steel but is 
  pliable enough to make bags, boots, or 
  similar objects. Sometimes pliable metal 
  temporarily molds to the shape of whatever 
  is pressed against it, similar to 21st-century 
  memory foam. (AC 19)
  Shapestone: Like stone out of precise 
  molds, shapestone has the durability of 
  granite but is actually ceramic. (AC 17)
  Stronglass: Despite how this material 
  looks, feels, and is worked like glass, it has 
  the strength of steel. (AC 19)
  Confusingly, sometimes 
  synthsteel is just called 
  synth when the context 
  makes it obvious that 
  it is very strong, such 
  as with synth armor.
  EXOTIC SUBSTANCES
  Most common Ninth World items are 
  made of conventional materials, but it’s 
  not strange to find a few objects made of 
  these more exotic substances. For instance, 
  amid a rack of steel and iron axes, a 
  character might find one with a synthsteel 
  head (likely a piece of synthsteel originally 
  designed for another purpose and adapted 
  for use as an axe head). Usually, the cost 
  of an item made of exotic materials is the 
  same as that of a normal item, but if the 
  material makes a big difference—such as in 
  the case of a shield made of stronglass so 
  you can hold it in front of you and still see 
  through it—the seller might charge up to 
  twice the normal price.
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  25
  EQUIPMENT
  Equipment, as well as random oddities and 
  occasional cyphers and relics—although 
  finding either of the latter for sale like 
  ordinary goods is quite uncommon.
  ARMOR
  Characters expecting 
  danger frequently wear 
  armor. Even the simplest 
  protective coverings help 
  against slingstones 
  and sword strokes, and 
  more sophisticated or 
  heavier armor protects 
  against graver threats.
  EQUIPMENT LISTS 
  AND PRICES
  The items in this chapter are presented as a 
  supplement to those in the 5E ruleset, and 
  as such, are not exhaustive lists. Equipment 
  in the Ninth World is often much like that 
  found in ancient or medieval societies but 
  can be far more advanced. For example, a 
  simple tent or bedroll might be constructed 
  of synthetic fiber that makes it entirely water-
  resistant as well as far lighter and warmer 
  than cloth. A chainmail hauberk could be 
  made in whole or in part from glassy links 
  that are harder and lighter than steel.
  It’s worth noting that some Ninth World 
  tools and devices would never be found in 
  a medieval setting because they’re relics 
  from a previous world or were created 
  with knowledge salvaged from a previous 
  world. Examples of these kinds of objects 
  are ink pens, clothing made from denim 
  or spandex, liquid soap, screw-top metal 
  canisters, rubber gloves, umbrellas, sticky 
  tape, nylon fishing line, spray bottles, and 
  hundreds more similar items. They also 
  include the objects listed under Special 
  ARMOR
  Armor
  Cost
  Armor Class (AC)
  Strength
  Stealth
  Weight
  Light Armor
  Furs
  2 shins
  11 + Dex modifier
  —
  Disadvantage
  11 lb.
  Leather jerkin
  3 shins
  11 + Dex modifier
  —
  —
  9 lb.
  Armoring cloth
  400 shins
  13 + Dex modifier
  —
  —
  7 lb.
  Micromesh*
  500 shins
  14 + Dex modifier
  —
  —
  5 lb.
  Medium Armor
  Beastskin
  5 shins
  12 + Dex modifier
  —
  —
  11 lb.
  Brigandine
  5 shins
  12 + Dex modifier
  —
  Disadvantage
  15 lb.
  Chainmail hauberk
  6 shins
  13 + Dex modifier 
  (max 2)
  —
  —
  20 lb.
  Metalweave vest*
  400 shins
  13 + Dex modifier 
  (max 2) 
  —
  —
  5 lb.
  Synth breastplate*
  500 shins
  14 + Dex modifier 
  (max 2)
  —
  —
  14 lb.
  Heavy Armor
  Scale armor
  25 shins
  16
  Str 14
  Disadvantage
  60 lb.
  *Players probably shouldn’t be able to select armor with this designation for their beginning character. 
  In addition, shin amounts over a hundred or so are not often exchanged, and other currencies are 
  preferred. For instance, plate armor is usually too valuable to be traded for shins; a good set of plate 
  armor might instead be exchanged for several useful cyphers or a relatively minor relic, instead.
  Special Equipment, 
  page 27
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  26
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Razor Ring: This short-range weapon is 
  just what it sounds like: an 18 inch (46 cm) 
  ring with a razor-sharp outer edge. The 
  inner edge is often padded for holding.
  Sisk: This solid, bladed throwing disk is 
  about the diameter of a human head. This 
  short-range weapon is used most frequently 
  by the warriors of Milave.
  Verred: This weapon resembles a sword 
  with two forked blades. It is short and useful 
  in defense as well as offense.
  Yulk: This weapon resembles a splayed 
  metal claw mounted on a 2-foot (60 cm) 
  haft. It is used mainly by raiders and 
  wildmen of the Beyond. 
  SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
  Nothing on the special equipment list is 
  regularly manufactured by Ninth World 
  crafters. Most likely, these items are recovered 
  from old sites, but they’re found often 
  enough and in large enough quantities that 
  many communities offer them for sale. The 
  GM is the final arbiter of whether or not the 
  characters can obtain these items, but as a 
  general rule, common special items are always 
  available, rare special items are available 50 
  percent of the time, and very rare special items 
  are available 25 percent of the time.
  SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NOTES
  Some special equipment requires additional 
  explanation (though some items are self 
  explanatory).
  Brilliance Cloth: This synthcloth obeys the 
  thoughts of anyone touching it. It has the 
  WEAPONS
  Many weapons are so ubiquitous that they 
  do not require additional explanation. Those 
  can be obtained from the standard weapon 
  selection options provided by the 5E ruleset. 
  Others benefit by explication, such as the 
  following.
  Buzzer: This handheld weapon fires 
  thumbnail-sized bladed disks up to short 
  range. It holds five disks in a magazine and 
  requires an action to reload. 
  Forearm Blade: This metal weapon is 
  basically a bracer with a mounted blade on 
  it. A favorite of berserkers as well as the 
  Jaekels of Aras Island. 
  WEAPONS
  Weapon
  Cost
  Damage
  Weight
  Properties
  Simple Melee Weapons
  Forearm blade
  2 shins
  1d6 slashing
  1 lb.
  Light
  Razor ring
  1 shin
  1d4 slashing
  1 lb.
  Finesse, light, thrown (range 30/120)
  Simple Ranged Weapons
  Sisk
  1 shin
  1d4 slashing
  1 lb.
  Light, thrown (range 30/120)
  Martial Melee Weapons
  Verred
  3 shins
  1d6 slashing
  3 lb.
  Finesse, light / versatile (1d8)
  Yulk
  5 shins
  1d6 piercing
  4 lb.
  Reach, versatile (1d8)
  Martial Ranged Weapons
  Buzzer
  8 shins
  1d6 slashing
  2 lb.
  Ammunition (range 25/100), light
  Milave, page 57 
   
  Jaekels of Aras 
  Island, page 66
  Beyond, page 72
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  27
  EQUIPMENT
  again and given ink, they replicate the text 
  once and then die.
  Shaper Key: A shaper key is a wad of putty 
  that can be inserted into a conventional 
  lock. It takes on the form of the key for that 
  lock and then hardens, permanently, into a 
  functional key.
  Shock Ring: This weapon is a razor ring 
  with a charged outer edge that inflicts 
  an additional 1d6 lightning damage. If it 
  misses, it returns unerringly to the thrower’s 
  hand. Its power is normally never depleted.
  Sprayflesh: This tiny synth canister sprays 
  out a sticky gelatin that covers and seals 
  wounds instantly. Its use restores 6 hit 
  points to a damaged character.
  Spraymetal: Similar to sprayflesh, but 
  instead of restoring flesh, it repairs minor 
  damage (breaks, tears, and holes) in any 
  simple object—even a flexible object like 
  cloth or a leather bag—but not devices or 
  anything as complex as a crossbow. It has 
  the strength of steel.
  Whisperlock: This is similar to a padlock, 
  made of powerful synthsteel or stronglass, 
  except that it has no keyhole. It opens with 
  a secret word, selected when it is initially 
  locked. The word must be spoken into the 
  lock itself.
  ability to slowly change shape and color (but 
  not consistency). A major change requires 
  about ten minutes. A garment of brilliance 
  cloth can be made into any other garment, 
  for example, but it can’t be made protective.
  Ecledda Clothing: This clothing is made 
  of extremely durable fabric (such as 
  adamant silk).
  Floatstone: A piece of rock, usually about 
  the size of a brick, that pulls against gravity. 
  Most people think of it as having a “negative 
  weight” of about –10 pounds. Thus, if 
  attached to anything lighter, it floats away.
  Glow Ink: Words and designs written with 
  glow ink permanently glow in the dark.
  Glowglobe: This device, individual instances 
  of which range in size from marble-sized to 
  head-sized, illuminates everything within 50 
  feet with dim light. It can hover in place on 
  its own, or it can be attached to something. 
  The minor glowglobe lasts for an hour when 
  activated. The major glowglobe functions 
  continuously.
  Memory Ants: This is a small jar of tiny 
  insects that run across a page of text and 
  then return to the jar. When spilled out 
  SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
  Item
  Cost
  Weight
  Common
  Clear synth bag (small)
  1 shin
  —
  Clear synth bag (large)
  2 shins
  1/2 lb.
  Ink pen
  2 shins
  —
  Rare
  Binoculars/telescope
  50 shins
  1–10 lb.
  Ecledda clothing
  15 shins
  1 lb.
  Glow ink
  10 shins
  —
  Glowglobe, minor
  10 shins
  1 lb.
  Shock ring
  500 shins
  1 lb.
  Very Rare
  Brilliance cloth
  100 shins
  2 lb.
  Floatstone
  20 shins
  –10 lb.
  Glowglobe, major
  30 shins
  1 lb.
  Memory ants
  10 shins
  1/2 lb.
  Shaper key
  20 shins
  —
  Sprayflesh
  100 shins
  2 lb.
  Spraymetal
  750 shins
  5 lb.
  Whisperlock
  20 shins
  1/2 lb.
  synthsteel, page 24
  stronglass, page 24
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  28
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  T
  he Steadfast 
  comprises nine 
  different kingdoms. 
  Collectively, the rulers are 
  often called the Nine Rival 
  Kings, or just the Nine. These 
  kings, queens, princes, and 
  councils share no love for 
  one another and truthfully 
  have no relationship except 
  that each rules over a land 
  whose people owe faith and 
  favor to the Amber Papacy.
  Generally speaking, the 
  Steadfast is more settled and 
  civilized than the Beyond, but 
  it can be just as dangerous. 
  Communities are isolated. 
  Travel on the roads is risky 
  and nearly unthinkable at 
  night—but at least roads exist.
  The Steadfast includes 
  all the land from the sea to 
  the Black Riage, south of 
  the Tithe River and north 
  of the Sadara. The nine 
  kingdoms of the Steadfast 
  are Navarene, Ghan, Draolis, 
  Thaemor, Malevich, Iscobal, 
  the Pytharon Empire, Milave, 
  and Ancuan.
  THE STEADFAST
  CHAPTER 5
  Each of the nine kingdoms has at least one symbol that represents it. Some 
  symbols are ancient, others newly minted by the current leadership. While 
  some kingdoms (such as Ghan) wield their symbol proudly and fiercely, others 
  use them only in times of war or not at all.
  “The Amber Pope himself 
  is some kind of biological 
  construct that represents 
  a darker, secret pope that 
  dwells only in shadow.”
  ~Narada Trome, 
  anti-papist
  Amber Papacy, page 128
  Beyond, page 72
  Black Riage, page 75
  Navarene, page 29
  Ghan, page 34
  Draolis, page 38
  Thaemor, page 43
  Malevich, page 46
  Iscobal, page 50
  Pytharon Empire, page 54
  Milave, page 57
  Ancuan, page 61
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  29
  THE STEADFAST
  NAVARENE
  Navarene is one of the largest and 
  most prosperous kingdoms in the 
  Steadfast. Disliked by all the other lands, 
  the people of Navarene are thought of as 
  aloof, difficult, and even arrogant. “Wealthy 
  as a Navarene merchant” is a saying in the 
  Steadfast that almost always has implied 
  negative connotations.
  The southern part of the kingdom is 
  known for its rich farmland. Simple farmers 
  and herders work for wealthy landowners 
  who in turn pay fealty to a small number of 
  aristocratic families, each of whom answers 
  to the queen, who rules from her capital 
  of Charmonde. Her palace is known as the 
  Empiternal House, and at its center is a 
  set of sealed chambers that Queen Armalu 
  never leaves. To come and go, her court 
  must pass through a series of airlocks and 
  undergo a misting spray that removes 
  any potential contaminants. This odd but 
  careful behavior, coupled with a variety of 
  strange treatments and procedures, has 
  allowed Armalu to live for 253 years—so far.
  Queen Armalu is known for being both 
  shrewd and ruthless, and her kingdom 
  prospers as a result, for she uses these 
  traits to best her enemies and the foes of 
  her people. As long as her subjects are 
  obedient and efficient, they are treated well 
  and with a fair hand.
  Navarene forms the boundary between 
  the north and the rest of the Steadfast. 
  Thus, the northern portion of the kingdom, 
  south of the Tithe River, holds many forts 
  and war-castles that help defend this border 
  from the dangers of the Beyond. Now 
  that the Amber Pope has declared war on 
  the mysterious lands to the north of the 
  Cloudcrystal Skyfields, these fortresses are 
  even more important. Queen Armalu has 
  petitioned the papacy to require the other 
  eight kingdoms to pay to help maintain the 
  bastions. The other rulers balk at funding 
  Navarene’s military, feeling that Armalu is 
  as likely to use it to invade them as she is 
  to defend them from the Gaian invaders—
  should those infidels ever come.
  THE WESTWOOD
  Vast, lush, and green, the Westwood is 
  a verdant forest dominating Navarene’s 
  coastline. It’s known for the ancient 
  redwoods that stretch taller than any trees 
  in the Steadfast. One particular tree—
  known as the Emperor of Green—rises 
  high above the rest. Twice as tall as any 
  tree around it, the Emperor stands at 
  almost 700 feet (213 m). It’s clearly of a 
  slightly different species than the other 
  trees. Its trunk is more than 60 feet (18 m) 
  in diameter at the base, and at seemingly 
  random times in the year, a door appears 
  NAVARENE
  Ruler: Queen Armalu 
  Population: 1,500,000 
  Capital: Charmonde
  Amber Pope, page 128
  Cloudcrystal 
  Skyfields, page 72
  Queen Armalu 
  has aristocrat stats 
  (page 151).
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  30
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Lumber is a major export for the country and 
  is part of the kingdom’s wealth. The wood—
  particularly the redwood—is highly prized.
  A noble family, the Emols, owns and 
  operates a huge, mobile machine that cuts 
  down and processes trees at the same 
  rate as a hundred loggers. Called the Dark 
  Smoker for the greasy muck it belches into 
  the air while it works, the machine is a 
  jury-rigged mess, requiring a staff of 
  mechanics to continually service and repair 
  it to keep it operational. Repeated attacks 
  by the culovas damage the rickety device 
  frequently, but technicians and Nanos 
  always manage to fix it. The current head 
  of the family, Charina Emol, has placed a 
  10-shin bounty on the head of any culova 
  brought to her.
  Near the Westwood, you can also find a 
  number of paper mills, particularly around 
  the city of Harmuth.
  THE GOLDEN SANCTUM
  Hidden deep within the Westwood, this 
  secret citadel belongs to the organization 
  calling itself the Convergence. It’s a 
  beautiful, relatively new castle, well guarded 
  and well maintained. There are no paths to 
  the Golden Sanctum. Members of the group 
  reach the citadel by other means that are 
  as mysterious as the activities they conduct 
  once they arrive.
  CHARMONDE
  Long colonnades. Marble statuary. 
  Monuments to great deeds and important 
  myths and legends. Painted domes. 
  on the north-facing side. It disappears again 
  after an hour. Few, however, have reached 
  the tree to look for it. Far fewer have entered 
  it, and if they have, they haven’t returned to 
  report what lies on the other side.
  For long years, people feared the 
  Westwood, calling it impenetrable and 
  dangerous. Rumors spoke of ghosts and 
  ravenous beasts dwelling within. The 
  Westwood and its hungry spirits were 
  part of the folklore all along the coast. But 
  today, the people of Navarene have claimed 
  the forest, determined to carve out safe 
  roads to the coast and land for farms and 
  towns. For their efforts, they have stirred 
  an enemy—not the ghosts or tree-spirits 
  of legend, but the culovas. These creatures 
  claim the majority of the Westwood for 
  themselves and attempt to defend it against 
  encroachment.
  In the eastern edge of the Westwood, 
  you can find many mills that supply lumber 
  to Navarene and the surrounding lands. 
  Culova, page 158
  Charina Emol has 
  steward stats (page 158).
  Convergence, page 129
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  31
  THE STEADFAST
  BODROV
  Another Navarene city, Bodrov, is uniquely 
  defensible. It lies atop an impossible 
  sort of plateau—in fact, the word plateau 
  almost seems inappropriate. Designed and 
  sculpted by the ancients, the rock formation 
  is more than 500 feet (150 m) high and 800 
  feet (240 m) across at the top, but only 100 
  feet (30 m) across at the base. It resembles 
  a round table with one central leg and is 
  sometimes called Table Rock (although, 
  most often, simply Bodrov). A winding path 
  curls up around the base and enters the 
  rock just below the wide top portion. The 
  path into the city leads through a series of 
  artificial caverns and tunnels, which can be 
  sealed at many points.
  In fact, the entire base is honeycombed 
  with caves and tunnels, many of which have 
  never been completely explored. Many of 
  these interior spaces, as well as the top of 
  the perfectly flat rock formation, hold the 
  remnants of machines and construction 
  from the distant past. It is speculated that 
  the interior foundation of the entirety of 
  Bodrov might be metal, with the stone 
  appearance having been added later, 
  intentionally or otherwise (depending on 
  the true age of the original structure).
  Soaring, arched bridges. Charmonde is 
  a city of architectural beauty and art. The 
  second largest city in Navarene, Charmonde 
  is located on both sides of the Jerribost 
  River, with six bridges connecting the north 
  and south sides of the city.
  Charmonde is not walled, but four 
  fortresses surround it to deter invaders, for 
  the city is the capital of the kingdom and 
  home of Queen Armalu. Each fortress has 
  one of four ancient, sonic devices that can 
  create a standing field between them. It’s 
  generally known that anyone who tries to 
  cross the barrier created when two adjacent 
  devices are active suffers great pain, 
  convulsions, and even death. The Aeon 
  Priests have determined that the devices 
  are running low on power, however.  And 
  despite all efforts, no one has figured out 
  a way to recharge them. Thus, the four 
  devices are used sparingly. They’ve never 
  been activated in the memory of most of the 
  city’s current residents.
  Charmonde is home to 95,000 people. The 
  queen’s palace, Empiternal House, stands 
  atop the highest hill in the city. It’s also 
  known as the House of a Thousand Slaves, 
  for rumors say that is exactly the number of 
  slaves the queen uses in the palace alone. 
  Nearby is the Asaranti University, one of the 
  greatest schools in all the Steadfast. Thanks 
  to the university, the city is known for its 
  scholars, philosophers, and artists as much 
  as for its marble and slaves.
  Cloudcrystal 
  Skyfields, page 72
  “I knew the Amber 
  Papacy was close to its 
  goal of complete control 
  when I toasted a slice 
  of bread and saw the 
  Order of Truth’s symbol 
  appear in its center.”
  ~Narada Trome, 
  anti-papist
  A mirror image of a ruin 
  in Navarene can be seen 
  in the sky. The image is 
  always shown in winter 
  and the inhabitants 
  aren’t quite human.
  “The Order of so-called Truth is the real power 
  of the Steadfast.”
  ~Narada Trome, anti-papist
  NAVARENE HEARSAY
  Dark Whispers: Word from the Garrathol is that the 
  Obelisk of the Water God has begun to glow at night 
  with a faint yellow-green luminosity. No one knows the cause, 
  but the glow isn’t constant; some believe it’s tied to the phase 
  of the moon. Regardless, strange people have been seen 
  holding rituals in the glowing obelisk’s light.
  Missing Caravan: A merchant in Shallamas is looking for 
  mercenaries or investigators to find a long-overdue caravan 
  that was supposed to arrive from the north. Among its 
  valuable goods, the caravan carried a trio of near-priceless 
  silver statues said to be sacred to a primitive tribe living below 
  the Cloudcrystal Skyfields.
  Ghosts of the Westwood: Even the culovas seem terrified of a 
  new, strange presence in the Westwood that drives them from 
  a locale near the southern edge. Lumberjacks say that the 
  “green ghosts of the wood” have finally begun exacting their 
  revenge on everything they come upon.
  THE WEIRD OF NAVARENE
  Harbinger: An odd woman walks the edge of the Westwood, 
  telling anyone who listens that within the next ten years, 
  something will rise out of the forest and devour whole cities. 
  Before she can get much of her story out, she disappears.
  Blessed Event: A child born just weeks ago in a small village 
  called Mirbel heals the wounds of any who touch her.
  Black Skies: A flock of a thousand or more black vessa birds 
  keeps returning to an ancient tower at the land’s western 
  edge, no matter what is done to drive them off.
  Biosynth Grove: Fifteen miles (24 km) west of Bodrov grows a 
  small grove of transparent trees made of living synth.
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  32
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  who argued that in times of war or other 
  calamity, the queen should come to Bodrov. 
  Wise of him, and yet foolish, for he didn’t 
  realize how truly committed she was to never 
  leaving her chambers in Empiternal House. 
  The suitor is now long gone, but his estate 
  still manages the palace for the queen, as per 
  the wishes in his last will and testament.
  SHALLAMAS, CITY OF ECHOES
  Known by many people as the City of 
  Echoes, Shallamas is a sprawling trade 
  city of 80,000 people, as infamous for its 
  thieves as for the wealthy merchants they 
  prey upon. It is home to the Provani family, 
  another of Navarene’s aristocratic houses. 
  The Provani garner great wealth from the 
  caravans that enter the city with goods 
  from the south and leave with goods from 
  Navarene and the Beyond. Even exotic 
  goods from the mysterious lands to the 
  north, such as liquid silk and synthwood, 
  flow through Shallamas.
  The City of Echoes is surrounded by an 
  impressive stone wall with many towers. 
  Three main gates provide access, each with 
  its own associated market, and a fourth 
  market lies in the center of Shallamas. 
  The city gets its nickname from a strange 
  phenomenon that has no explanation. 
  Without warning, residents from time to 
  time see and hear “echoes” of recent past 
  events. Although these echoes seem real, 
  they’re more like illusions or holograms; 
  you cannot interact with them. The events 
  can be as recent as a few minutes ago 
  or as distant as a year in the past. In the 
  Shallamas court system, an echo of an 
  eyewitness observing a crime or confirming 
  an alibi is every bit as valid as seeing it 
  actually happen. Echoes have never been 
  observed with inaccuracies.
  Argust Provani, the ruler of the city, 
  employs a capable and sizable guard to 
  maintain order, but he also controls an 
  elite group of secretive operatives called 
  the Shadowlings, who infiltrate criminal 
  organizations and destroy them from 
  within. The Shadowlings are thought to be 
  as ruthless and violent as the criminals they 
  combat, but they do help to keep the city’s 
  merchants and traders safe from thievery.
  Sometimes the defense of Bodrov works 
  against it. Just as it’s difficult to imagine 
  an invading army or other danger gaining 
  entrance, so too is it difficult to bring 
  supplies into the city. Food, water, and other 
  goods must be transported up the long path 
  around and through the base and into the 
  city, making Bodrov an impractical place to 
  live. Thus, the population is only about 1,000 
  people, even though the city could easily 
  house ten times that many, and once did. 
  Buildings—some ancient, some merely old—
  stand empty, left over from the prior epochs 
  of the world or simply from a time, perhaps a 
  hundred years ago, when people believed that 
  Bodrov would be a city of great importance.
  The Vacant Palace is the home away from 
  home of Queen Armalu, although, as its 
  name suggests, she has never been there. It 
  was built for her more than a hundred years 
  ago by an ignorant, but well-intentioned suitor 
  “Bodrov could have been the jewel of the Steadfast. 
  From here, a monarch could rule the world, safe from all 
  enemies for all time—as long as he never got thirsty.”
  ~Zacher, architect
  Argust Provani 
  has aristocrat stats 
  (page 151).
  Shadowlings have 
  shadow knight 
  stats (page 157).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  33
  THE STEADFAST
  Some people believe that the obelisk then 
  sends the water into the air, affecting the 
  weather in the Garrathol. Others claim that 
  the water is sent to a source beyond the 
  scope of the world, which, if true, could be 
  quite bad in the long run. However, given 
  that the obelisk is perhaps a million years old 
  or more and the world isn’t drained of water, 
  something different seems to be going on.
  The Obelisk of the Water God hovers 
  500 feet (150 m) above the surface and is 
  almost 2,000 feet (600 m) tall. The lush, 
  fertile region has many small villages but 
  no larger settlements because the area 
  has a reputation for danger. The Garrathol 
  is home to more than its share of deadly 
  predators and monstrosities, and the locals 
  experience a large number of tragic births 
  and mutations.
  THE AMBER MONOLITH
  Calaval climbed the hill, his pet thuman at his side. 
  Crumbling bits of ancient brick turned to gravel 
  with each step. At the top, he saw the amber obelisk 
  the old woman had told him about. It stretched 
  impossibly into the sky. The reddish-yellow light of 
  the old, tired sun caught in its angles high above 
  the plain of ruin. Even after all these aeons, the 
  machine at the heart of the obelisk still thrummed 
  with power. Rings orbited the device, spinning with 
  unearthly precision.
  —Sacred Chronicle of High Father Calaval, 
  Amber Pope and Founder of the Citadel of the 
  Conduit and the Order of Truth
  According to Calaval, the original Amber 
  Pope (an office that gains its name from 
  the floating obelisk), somewhere inside 
  the Amber Monolith lies a teleportation 
  device that gives access to a numenera 
  edifice floating high above the earth. 
  However, despite Calaval’s descriptions and 
  explanations, no one has ever found it or 
  even discovered the secret to accessing the 
  monolith’s interior since he supposedly went 
  inside and used the device 400 years ago.
  Today, a fortress guards this sacred site 
  and prohibits anyone from attempting to 
  follow in High Father Calaval’s footsteps. 
  The fortress is maintained by soldiers in the 
  employ of the Order of Truth who owe no 
  allegiance to Navarene. The queen tolerates 
  their presence as a concession to the papacy.
  The Amber Monolith floats 500 feet (150 m) 
  above the ground and stands approximately 
  2,000 feet (600 m) tall. It floats above a 
  region called the Plain of Brick, a wide expanse 
  of worked stone many miles across.
  THE OBELISK OF 
  THE WATER GOD
  Clearly related in some way to the Amber 
  Monolith, this obelisk floats above a region 
  called the Garrathol in the foothills of the 
  Black Riage. Garrathol means “delta” in the 
  now-dead Shume language, even though 
  the area is hundreds of miles inland. The 
  meaning is appropriate because the obelisk 
  draws water into itself from the nearby Tithe 
  River, creating its own sort of delta basin.
  Order of Truth, page 127
  Thuman, page 238
  Black Riage, page 75
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  34
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  for their meat and hides. Aneen stand 
  two to three times as tall as a human, 
  with hunched, hairless bipedal bodies, 
  small forearms, and broad heads. These 
  pack animals can attain great speeds and 
  walk tirelessly for long distances. Many 
  trade caravans in the northern part of the 
  Steadfast use aneen to transport goods or 
  pull massive wagons.
  King Laird lives in the Coral Palace off 
  Ghan’s coast, a part of the City of Bridges. 
  Ghan has little in the way of an aristocracy. 
  Most of the people are free citizens owing 
  fealty only to their king. Few people own slaves. 
  Governors and mayors rule over districts and 
  towns, but the organization is varied and 
  unofficial. Seafarers and herding folk, Ghanites 
  do not abide a strong government, and King 
  Laird is happy to oblige them.
  THE CITY OF BRIDGES
  The City of Bridges is the capital of Ghan, 
  although strictly speaking, it’s not actually in 
  Ghan. Extending out from the coast, a number 
  of ancient bridges stretch more than a mile to 
  a series of massive metal platforms joined by 
  an intricate web of more bridges. Composed 
  of materials of the prior worlds, these wide 
  bridges and platforms hold homes, shops, 
  warehouses, and other buildings.
  Today the City of Bridges has a population 
  of 20,000 people. Each of the thirty-two 
  THE SEA KINGDOM 
  OF GHAN
  Look long, my friends. Look hard.
  Greener hills, bluer waters you’ll never find
  than those of my heart, in the kingdom by the sea. 
  Look long, my friends.
  Look hard.
  Finer men, prettier smiles
  you’ll never find
  than those of my heart, in the kingdom by the sea.
  —The Song of Ghan
  Known for its coastal trading ships, the Sea 
  Kingdom of Ghan is a relatively peaceful 
  land. King Laird has no wish to challenge or 
  even appear to challenge Queen Armalu of 
  Navarene or the ruling council in Draolis, 
  yet he doesn’t want to appear weak and 
  ripe for the taking, either. Thus, he protects 
  his borders and maintains a careful vigil 
  without making aggressive moves. Most 
  important, however, he ensures that his 
  merchant fleet plays such an important role 
  in the Steadfast that no one would want to 
  suffer his kingdom’s sudden collapse—or, 
  just as bad, his sudden refusal to maintain 
  the coastal trade routes vital to most of the 
  nine kingdoms.
  The rolling green hills of Ghan are known 
  for herds of gallen and aneen. Gallen are 
  long-bodied, herbivorous animals valued 
  GHAN
  Ruler: King Laird 
  Population: 1,000,000
  Capital: The City 
  of Bridges
  King Laird has aristocrat 
  stats (page 151). In 
  addition, he has 
  proficiency on all Wisdom 
  (Insight) checks.
  Gallen, page 148
  Aneen, page 148
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  35
  THE STEADFAST
  are covered with so much coral that a visitor 
  might believe it to be true. The palace takes 
  up most of one platform where the king’s 
  personal ships dock. From here, King Laird 
  rules over Ghan and his merchant fleet. 
  Rumors say that he is preparing a secret 
  expedition of large craft to sail from the city 
  into the western open sea. With some of the 
  best sea maps in the world at his disposal, 
  Laird knows that no major landmass lies 
  in that direction, but he has placed his 
  faith in talk of a sizable island chain that 
  exists leagues to the west, farther than any 
  recorded voyage has traveled. Supposedly, 
  these islands are inhabited and have exotic 
  goods, interesting lore, numenera, and other 
  commodities that would be valuable to the 
  Steadfast—assuming that a shipping route 
  can be established.
  OMAR
  Omar is a large mining town. Its people 
  burrowed into the earth and found a wealth 
  of metal in the form of a vast, buried 
  installation or numenera vehicle. (No 
  one has yet determined exactly what they 
  discovered below the ground.) Through 
  processes kept secret, the miners cut 
  platforms has multiple levels, and all of them 
  are in use. What’s more, each platform holds 
  structures that can be used as docks for 
  ships and boats. The settlement could have 
  been called the City of Piers, for the entire 
  network of platforms and bridges is almost 
  one big pier (which is entirely appropriate for 
  the capital of the Sea Kingdom). At any given 
  time, a hundred or more vessels are moored 
  at or near the city.
  Despite common belief, the city doesn’t 
  float. The platforms are affixed to the sea floor, 
  and many people speculate that the large, 
  inactive machines on each platform are drills 
  that extend deep into the submerged earth.
  The Coral Palace is not actually made of 
  coral, although large portions of the building 
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  36
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  of Keford frequently cross the border into 
  Navarene, and while that kingdom has no 
  efficient way to watch that stretch of its 
  boundary—the woods are too dense—
  Navarene soldiers in the area find that those 
  coming from Ghan are likely to attack them 
  on sight just on principle.
  Keford has a wooden palisade. About 
  4,000 people call the place home, although 
  at any given time there are another 500 or 
  so sailors in town.
  JASTON
  The 8,000 residents of the walled town 
  of Jaston devote themselves mainly to 
  agriculture in some fashion; granaries, 
  slaughterhouses, farm implements, animal 
  training, and a variety of similar jobs keep 
  them busy. The people are a no-nonsense, 
  practical folk who are more distrustful of 
  Nanos and the numenera than are others in 
  most similar-sized communities.
  About 12 miles (19 km) north of Jaston 
  lies Deverlaush, a large village primarily 
  inhabited by varjellen, one of the types of 
  visitants. The varjellen of Deverlaush and 
  the humans of Jaston coexist in relative 
  peace without fully accepting each other 
  into their communities. Still, it’s not 
  uncommon to see a small group of varjellen 
  walking through Jaston and getting the 
  occasional scowl or sidelong glance.
  away large sections of otherwise unknown 
  metal from the ancient structure and bring 
  it to the surface, where it can be melted 
  down—with great effort—and reforged 
  into anything a talented smith desires. This 
  metal, known as omaroa or azure steel, is 
  highly sought for its durability and strength. 
  As with many mining towns, Omar is a 
  rough and violent place. Its citizens live 
  short, angry lives. The ruler, Mayor Farond, 
  is as tough as the people in her town. 
  According to many, she maintains much 
  of the order herself, thanks to her suit of 
  nigh-impenetrable armor and its arsenal of 
  built-in devastating numenera weapons.
  THE SCARRED MONOLITHS
  Floating high above the gallen herds of 
  Ghan, massive humanoid statues drift 
  slowly across the sky. Once, these gigantic 
  objects were enormous war machines. Now 
  they’re just curiosities—except, perhaps, 
  to brave explorers who might be able to 
  reach them and find a way inside. Never in 
  memory have the machines done anything 
  but float about the hills, never drifting far 
  from their starting points.
  KEFORD
  Keford is a lumber town. Ships sail Ryness 
  Bay to reach it and leave laden with some of 
  the Steadfast’s finest wood. The lumberjacks 
  Mayor Farond has 
  warlord stats (page 159). 
  In addition, she wears a 
  battlesuit relic modified 
  with a built-in instance 
  of flame halo iron flesh.
  Battlesuit, page 55
  Flame halo, page 73
  Varjellen, page 134
  Visitants, page 134
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  37
  THE STEADFAST
  returning to the citadel on rare occasions. 
  Since most knights only find other knights to 
  be suitable companions, the citadel is home 
  to more than just official ceremonies—
  friendly reunions and romantic liaisons 
  abound upon a knight’s return.
  A handful of aged knights, all with the title 
  Grand Knight, live and work full time in the 
  Sanctuary. Most knights don’t live to be too 
  old, however, so their numbers are few.
  THE MERCHANT FLEET
  Ghan’s merchant fleet is controlled 
  directly by the king, who at heart is more 
  a mariner than a ruler. The fleet has 
  more than 200 vessels that travel up and 
  down the Steadfast coast, trading goods 
  and collecting money. The ships range 
  in size from small coasters and cogs to 
  multimasted caravels and carracks. Two 
  700-ton hulks called the Latecomer and the 
  Iron Glove are the flagships of the fleet.
  Ghan ships suffer heavily from piracy, and 
  many are plated in synth or light metals to 
  ward off attacks. Some carry weaponry as well, 
  and both flagships bear massive numenera 
  armaments that keep them quite safe.
  The sailors of the fleet are often called 
  Sternmen, but despite the name, most of 
  them are female. It’s a fleet tradition to never 
  leave dock with more men than women 
  aboard. To do so is considered bad luck.
  LEDON
  Ledon, the city of sea merchants, is likely 
  home to Ghan’s wealthiest citizens. 
  It has a population of 20,000 people, 
  most of whom earn their living in a sea-
  related trade. The shipyards of Ledon are 
  considered the best in the Steadfast, and 
  the city is known for its finely made silken 
  sails, accurate compasses and looking 
  glasses, and virtually any other shipbuilding 
  or sailing need.
  The city’s harbor is protected by a numenera 
  device that transmits destructive signals 
  through the water. An operator can use it to 
  punch a hole in the hull of a single ship at 
  the waterline, sinking the vessel. The device 
  must recharge for one hour before it can be 
  used again, but this is a well-guarded secret.
  A man named Garibacus rules Ledon. 
  He is old and not particularly wise, but he 
  comes from a wealthy merchant family and 
  has ties to many other influential clans and 
  the merchant fleet itself.
  The Sanctuary of the Eye: The Angulan 
  Knights keep their headquarters in 
  Ledon. Called the Sanctuary of the Eye, 
  this cathedral-like building is where new 
  members are beknighted in elaborate 
  ceremonies. Tall watchtowers and intricate 
  images in stained glass make the building 
  quite distinctive.
  The knights spend most of their time 
  alone on long missions and arduous quests, 
  GHAN HEARSAY
  The Sacred Gallen: In a hillfolk village called Iera, 
  the people believe that to lay the foundation for 
  their new temple, they must plow the ground with a sacred 
  white bull gallen. But the creature they were set to use has 
  disappeared from their care.They’ve offered a reward of 100 
  shins for its return.
  Liquid Ghosts: The southern coast of Ghan is said to be 
  haunted by ghosts, but the entities are actually the intellects 
  and memories of people from the distant past that were loaded 
  into storage that uses smart-fluid housing. Some of the stored 
  consciousnesses now wander the shoreline, often acting with 
  a surprisingly destructive hostility. The only way to stop them 
  permanently is to find the ancient facility where they’re stored.
  Festival: Omar has a yearly festival celebrating its founding. 
  During this year’s drunken revels, a group of thieves intends 
  to use the celebration as a distraction so they can tunnel into 
  the shin-house that stores the miners’ wealth—boldly using 
  the miners’ own tools to do the job. The criminals are slyly 
  looking for help. If they succeed, Mayor Farond will certainly 
  put a price on their heads.
  THE WEIRD OF GHAN
  Man of Glass: A man made of glass wanders the rolling hills 
  of Ghan, looking for something.
  The Face of Ghan: In a ruin along the coast, a crumbling 
  stone wall bears a large, vaguely human synth face in relief. If 
  a creature with telepathy attempts to communicate with the 
  face, it sometimes replies.
  The Court of the Sphere: At seemingly random intervals, six 
  old men and women gather in a run-down stone tower looking 
  out over the sea. When they sit at a round, red table together, 
  a mechanized sphere appears above the tower and transmits 
  secrets into their minds.
  Garibacus has steward 
  stats (page 158).
  Angulan Knights, 
  page 131
  Sternmen have 
  specialist stats (page 
  158). Sternmen have 
  proficiency on all 
  Strength (Athletics) and 
  Wisdom (Perception) 
  checks; as well as 
  checks involving the 
  use of navigator’s tools 
  and water vehicles.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  38
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  an exaggeration, but it feels accurate when 
  you’re there.
  The Durkhal complex at the heart of Qi is 
  almost a city unto itself—a vast sprawl of 
  libraries, laboratories, warehouses, living 
  quarters, and administrative buildings. At 
  the center of the complex is the holy palace, 
  serving as residence and office of the Amber 
  Pope. More than a thousand people work 
  and live within the Durkhal.
  The people of Qi often travel by fashioned 
  balloons and dirigibles, so there are 
  multiple mooring platforms and high metal 
  masts throughout the city. These aerial 
  vehicles take passengers from place to 
  place around Qi, to various outlying areas, 
  and sometimes to ships moored well out 
  into the harbor. They’re rarely used for 
  long-distance travel because—with a few 
  exceptions that employ higher levels of 
  ancient technology—the vehicles aren’t 
  capable of long journeys. Besides, most 
  places outside of Qi don’t offer the ability to 
  moor or replenish what the airships need.
  Qi has many large markets, in particular 
  along the docks. The multilevel central 
  market—well away from the water—is 
  thought to offer one of the most expensive 
  and elite shopping opportunities in the 
  Steadfast. Here, all manner of goods can be 
  bought and sold, with no luxury too exotic 
  or fantastic for one of its shops.
  DRAOLIS
  Draolis is the most populated land in 
  the Steadfast and also one of the wealthiest. 
  Its banner depicts six interwoven spheres, 
  but most people refer to it as the Tiger 
  Banner. Centuries ago, Draolis was home to 
  a powerful queen who ruled the land with a 
  firm hand. Her symbol was a roaring tiger, 
  and her armies crushed all those around her. 
  When her line died out, power in Draolis 
  was seized by a council of wealthy plutocrats 
  who didn’t want another hereditary 
  monarchy to take control. The Council of 
  Spheres abolished the tiger symbology, but 
  many people remember the tales from that 
  time and long for that former glory.
  Although the council lacks the flair of 
  the tiger rulers of the past, Draolis has not 
  abandoned its ways. The nation remains a 
  military power, with might comparable to 
  that of its chief rival, Navarene. In fact, the 
  Order of Truth is the only thing that keeps 
  these two countries from warring openly.
  QI
  Qi is the largest city in the Steadfast. It is 
  also the site of the Durkhal, home of the 
  Order of Truth and the Amber Pope himself.
  More than half a million people live in Qi, 
  a city of spires and fantastically huge helium 
  or hot air balloons and dirigibles. The 
  common saying “Half of Qi is in the sky” is 
  DRAOLIS
  Ruler: Council of Spheres 
  Population: 2,500,000 
  Capital: Qi
  A storyteller in Qi says 
  he keeps a pet dimension 
  curled up in his cloak, 
  which he warns will 
  swallow anyone who 
  threatens him.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  39
  THE STEADFAST
  Zhev: The elite peacekeeping force called 
  the Zhev is composed of flying cylindrical 
  automatons created by the Amber Pope 
  more than a hundred years ago. The Zhev 
  keep mostly to the central districts because 
  they don’t have the numbers to patrol Qi in 
  its entirety. The city has grown in the past 
  hundred years, and while the rulers have the 
  ability to repair existing Zhev, they lack the 
  materials and skill to create new ones. 
  The Marish Clan: Dietha Marish is the 
  head of a large, family-based criminal 
  organization that runs much of the illegal 
  activity in Qi. These transgressions consist 
  mainly of robbery, smuggling, and buying 
  and selling stolen goods, but murder by 
  contract also falls within their purview. 
  Dietha’s family, called the Marish Clan by 
  most people, is filled with some of the city’s 
  most dangerous individuals.
  The Mayor: Marvyr Rann is the mayor of 
  Qi, appointed by the Council of Spheres. 
  He lives in a dirigible and never trods on 
  the earth, believing that if he does, he will 
  sicken and die. Rann is a frail and likely 
  Many of Qi’s centralmost sections lie 
  on multiple levels, with decorative bridges 
  and raised walkways connecting the higher 
  levels, and bright glowglobes illuminating 
  the lower so that each level is equally lit and 
  beautiful. Trees and flowering plants grow 
  in well-tended plots and pots even in the 
  most crowded areas of the city, including 
  the sections dozens of feet above the 
  ground. Larger parks and walled gardens 
  are common as well. Neighborhoods, 
  particularly in the central city, are often 
  surrounded by walls to enclose the homes 
  and their communal gardens. This practice 
  can create urban rivalries and is quite 
  unwelcoming to outsiders.
  The people of Qi believe themselves to 
  be at the center of the Steadfast, and they 
  consider the Steadfast to be the center of the 
  world. This arrogance is so prevalent that it’s 
  practically an assumption, and it stirs hatred 
  for Qi in the hearts of nonresidents.
  Although the city is elitist, not everyone 
  in Qi is wealthy. On the contrary, those 
  dwelling in the outer sections are often quite 
  poor. They must contend with the difficult 
  living conditions and the high crime rates.
  Amber Pope, page 128
  Zhev, page 244
  Dietha Marish has 
  diplomat stats (page 152).
  Marvyr Rann has steward 
  stats (page 158).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  40
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  starts. In mere moments, a new chamber, 
  hallway, or entire level appears.
  Speculation is that the new portions of 
  the castle are built through a process that 
  converts the very air around the structure 
  into metal, synth, and glass. However, no 
  one knows how or why it’s happening.
  Naranial Horges, the head of the family, 
  is a renowned swordsman. He is a quiet, 
  imperious man with greying mutton chops 
  and a bejeweled eye patch.
  THE FOURTH MARK
  Overlooking the crashing waves of Eldan 
  Firth, the Fourth Mark resembles a gigantic 
  upright axe or hammer. The narrow, 
  towerlike base rises up 500 feet (150 m) or 
  more, and the crescent-shaped top is 100 
  feet (30 m) across.
  Entering the Fourth Mark is a simple 
  matter. An open doorway at ground level 
  provides access to a winding stair that leads 
  up through the shaft to the top. However, 
  there your progress ends, for no one has 
  ever opened the smooth synth hatch that 
  would provide entrance to the “head” of 
  the tall structure. Dejected explorers have 
  trudged back down and out after trying 
  explosives, destructive rays, and all manner 
  of cutting tools. None has so much as left 
  a mark.
  Guaral, a fisher in a nearby village, had 
  this to say:
  “That old eyesore gets its name from a 
  legend my grandpapa told me. Folks from 
  that time says there was, back then, more 
  of ’em—four to be all exact. All of ’em 
  standing watch over the firth there. Called 
  ’em the four marks, like they’s marked some 
  special spot or some such. They also says 
  that some folks a-came from across the sea 
  and entered each of ’em, one at a time, and 
  when they’s done, each of them towers sunk 
  into the sea. But when they got to the last 
  one, somethin’ scared ’em outta there. They 
  left it, and there it stands still today.”
  BEOTH
  Beoth was a holy city of self-proclaimed 
  soothsayers and miracle workers, but their 
  supposed prescience was not enough to 
  warn them of the plague that struck a bit 
  mentally unstable old man surrounded at 
  all times by a cadre of nearly naked young 
  men and women who attend to his every 
  capricious whim. Fortunately for Qi, the city 
  virtually runs itself, and the Amber Pope 
  has the money, manpower, and influence to 
  accomplish whatever needs to be done.
  CASTLE SARRAT
  Seventy years ago, the wealthy, powerful 
  Horges family claimed an ancient structure 
  as their own and made it their home. The 
  Horges found most of the building empty, 
  but it had devices that could create edible 
  food for hundreds of people at a time, 
  enough to support not just the family but 
  their entire estate and large retinue of 
  servants. Stranger still, once they moved 
  into their new “castle,” it began to grow. 
  Increasing mainly in height, Castle Sarrat is 
  now almost 600 feet (180 m) high and still 
  growing. Walls, floors, support structures, 
  and more develop at a rapid pace—the 
  castle does not grow slowly but in fits and 
  Naranial Horges has 
  warlord stats (page 159).
  Castle Sarrat has claimed 
  the life of at least one 
  member of the Horges 
  family by growing in an 
  inopportune time and 
  place. Visitors would be 
  wise to watch their step.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  41
  THE STEADFAST
  the Stargod. The Stargod is a deity revered 
  by the people here for hundreds of years, 
  ever since a falling star crashed in Beoth 
  and people claimed they saw a gigantic, 
  human-looking spirit rise from the crater. 
  Now the temple of the Old Ways stands at 
  the site of the holy crater.
  When the mayor of the city died three 
  months ago with no apparent successor, 
  many looked to Sister Tevera to lead them. 
  Although she is an excellent speaker, Tevera 
  doesn’t have the experience to run Beoth. 
  She also opposes the Aeon Priests at every 
  turn, making their work more difficult.
  Sister Tevera’s bodyguard and henchman 
  Baraxis is an interesting sight. A metallic 
  sheen covers his skin, with dull matte webs 
  interlacing at the extremities. Faint cross-
  hatching can be seen even across his irises 
  and pupils. The metal flesh has been a 
  part of Baraxis since birth—it’s an organic 
  feature of mysterious origin.
  KORDECH
  The stench of cattle flesh and cattle dung 
  greets you long before you enter the tall 
  stone wall that surrounds Kordech. As a 
  traveler, you’d probably prefer to pass the 
  city by, but the 7,000-person town is the 
  last refuge for leagues on a road through a 
  dangerous wilderness called the Dark Hills.
  Kordech is filled with sales pens, 
  breeding pens, and slaughterhouses for 
  more than a year ago. In that short time, 
  a third of the city’s 14,000 people died or 
  became ill enough to take to their beds.
  Aeon Priests struggle to come up with a 
  cure for the plague, so far to no avail. The 
  people of Beoth have named it the “toothless 
  bile” because one of the first symptoms is 
  that the victim’s teeth begin to fall out. By 
  that point, however, it’s far too late, and the 
  victim is likely to die within a week.
  Arch of Illness: Although they have no 
  cure, the Aeon Priests in the city have 
  fashioned a device they call the Arch of 
  Illness, a cobbled, free-standing arch about 
  10 feet (3 m) across. It glows whenever 
  someone with toothless bile passes through 
  it. Newcomers routinely pass through the 
  arch on their way in and out of the city, but 
  some worried residents also use the arch to 
  check their health every day.
  PEOPLE OF INTEREST
  Malegran, the ranking Aeon Priest in 
  Beoth, focuses night and day on ending 
  the plague. He is tall and relatively young, 
  with an angular face. Aeon Priests were not 
  common in Beoth before the coming of 
  the illness, so he and his compatriots have 
  taken up residence in what used to be the 
  city’s great gathering hall. For a year now, 
  the hall has been used as a hospital.
  Sister Tevera is a priestess of the so-called 
  “Old Ways,” also known as the cult of Nauz, 
  DRAOLIS HEARSAY
  Deadly Sisters: A pair of beautiful sisters named 
  Gaera and Funae work as master thieves, one posing 
  as a noblewoman and the other as her servant. They use this 
  ruse to gain entrance to virtually any location. Not merely 
  interested in wealth or the numenera, they murder their victims 
  and remove their spinal columns. Why do they take the spines, 
  and how can the sisters be stopped?
  Insect Plague: A great many dark green insects have appeared 
  in Kordech, and no one has seen their like before. These 
  strange insects feed on metal, causing a lot of damage. The 
  Aeon Priests believe they have a solution, but it requires a 
  wide variety of rare parts for an elaborate machine whose 
  radiation will drive off the pests.
  Implanted Memories: Retton Balen was an explorer who 
  fell into a vat of strange material in an ages-lost laboratory. 
  His entire right arm is now a biomechanical construct, and 
  wormlike tendrils thread through his body, always growing 
  and spreading. Retton also claims to have gained memories 
  that are not his own, and he seeks help in understanding 
  them—or perhaps help in finding a remedy for his unique 
  affliction in the laboratory where he first fell victim.
  THE WEIRD OF DRAOLIS
  Mind Slaves: A wealthy merchant rides across the land in 
  a massive wagon pulled by margr slaves, kept in line by a 
  powerful mind-influencing device.
  Brain Devourer: West of Beoth lies a huge, towerlike machine. 
  If anyone comes close, it sprouts bladed tentacles that lop off 
  heads and siphon out brains.
  Strange Steed: A mighty warrior, her scarred face covered in a half-
  mask of gold, is sometimes seen traveling on a strange creature. 
  She calls it a “horse” and claims to have unfrozen the beast from 
  an ancient tomb.
  Baraxis has warlord 
  stats (page 159).
  Malegran has Aeon 
  Priest stats (page 150).
  Sister Tevera has 
  specialists stats 
  (page 158). Sister 
  Tevera has proficiency 
  on all Charisma 
  (Persuasion) checks.
  Retton Balen has explorer 
  stats (page 153).
  Margr, page 197
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  42
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  a great many powers, including healing 
  grievous wounds, lashing out at enemies with 
  fire, and observing faraway locales.
  CASTLE AVENTUR
  In the central part of the kingdom lies 
  the unassuming castle of Anatrea, a 
  noblewoman who has traceries of light 
  running just beneath her skin in elaborate 
  patterns. Despite her skill as a warrior, 
  Anatrea has a fascination with the 
  numenera and dreams of one day fusing 
  herself entirely with a machine, ascending 
  to a type of godhood, as she believes the 
  people of past aeons once did. To this end, 
  she hosts scholars and Nanos performing 
  experiments to delve into numenera 
  secrets. Her castle, Aventur, hides a network 
  of secret underground laboratories and 
  workshops for a variety of projects.
  The Windriders: The two most successful 
  scholar/technicians are Thereni and Poulla. 
  They have mastered the process of creating 
  self-propelled gliders called windriders—
  extremely fast, one-person flying vehicles 
  that are challenging to ride and control.
  The Draolis military already uses 
  windriders as scouts, but General Demiric 
  hopes to employ them in great numbers 
  one day, attacking foes from above in waves. 
  Thereni and Poulla don’t have the means to 
  produce windriders in such quantities; some 
  of the parts and materials required are rare.
  A windrider can be purchased, but demand 
  is high, and the waiting list is long. (They 
  used to take shins, but now take only relics, 
  iron flesh, or a cache of valuable materials 
  they can use to craft more windriders.) 
  Anatrea and her personal guard ensure that 
  no one attempts to take advantage of the 
  inventors under her protection.
  shiul—massive creatures with four wide 
  horns and valuable meat. The cattle see 
  their beginning and end in Kordech, but 
  in between they spend their lives grazing 
  in tended herds in the surrounding lands 
  (where they are preyed upon by broken 
  hounds and other predators, as well as 
  bandits). Within a 10-mile (16 km) radius 
  around the city, no fewer than twenty-six 
  defensible wooden palisades have been 
  erected near or around small villages to 
  protect the shiul herds at night.
  These dangers also explain why the city 
  possesses such a high, well-constructed 
  wall that girds mostly crude wooden 
  buildings, animal pens and corrals, and 
  structures cobbled of found sheets of metal 
  or synth, all connected by muddy, dung-
  filled streets.
  The Tower of the Aulifex: At the center 
  of this dirty, ramshackle cattle town rises a 
  curious structure. A soaring metal walkway 
  curves up toward the glowing entrance to 
  what appears to be a metal tower hundreds 
  of feet high. Strange winglike crests are 
  positioned asymmetrically along the 
  exterior. This is the Tower of the Aulifex.
  The Aulifex is the ruler of Kordech. He 
  claims no other name and refers to himself 
  as a sorcerer. In truth, the tower is a relic of 
  the prior worlds, and the Aulifex has mastered 
  enough of its secrets that he commands 
  Anatrea has warlord 
  stats (page 159).
  Thereni and Poulla 
  have scholar stats 
  (page 157). In addition, 
  they have proficiency 
  on all Intelligence 
  (Arcana) checks related 
  to understanding 
  the numenera.
  Broken hound, page 143
  General Demiric has 
  warlord stats 
  (page 159). In addition, 
  he has advantage 
  on all actions when 
  within 5 feet of two 
  other military allies.
  The Aulifex has arch 
  nano stats (page 155).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  43
  THE STEADFAST
  Today, the way in which other kingdoms 
  look down on Thaemor is a source of pain 
  and embarrassment for Holiva, for he 
  believes that his kingdom could be a land of 
  great power and opportunity if only others 
  could see what he sees.
  Unfortunately, what he sees is very little 
  that is real or true. Although Thaemor is 
  a region of buried riches, clear waters, 
  and fertile lands that have not yet come 
  to fruition, Holiva sees none of that. He 
  doesn’t see the intelligent, hardworking 
  people or their potential to be great leaders, 
  teachers, warriors, and scholars.
  Instead, everything Holiva sees is viewed 
  through the shadowy lens of his vizier, the 
  Hand of Melch, and the Hand urges him 
  toward only one thing: the restoration of the 
  shadow herd.
  THAEMOR
  One of the smaller and less 
  prosperous kingdoms in the Steadfast, 
  Thaemor is often overshadowed by its 
  neighbors. In fact, the other kingdoms 
  consider it something of a joke.
  That wasn’t always so. Bordered by two 
  rivers and a mountain, Thaemor was once 
  an unnamed but very much desired piece 
  of land, part of a three-way war between 
  Navarene, Draolis, and Malevich. Each power 
  wished to lay claim to the fertile triangle.
  In the midst of the struggle, one man 
  took it upon himself to claim the place 
  he later named Thaemor. Goldguard 
  Landon was a fearsome warrior who knew 
  everything about how to defend a region 
  from the onslaught of multiple kingdoms 
  but absolutely nothing about running a 
  kingdom himself. Under Landon’s rule, 
  Thaemor’s borders were always well 
  protected and cared for, even from the 
  mightiest foes, but the same could not be 
  said for the people and places within.
  After Landon’s passing, his son Kaldon 
  took hold of Thaemor and ran it (if you 
  could call it such) much as his father had. 
  He sired a number of children, but none 
  of his heirs survived, and when he died, a 
  man named Holiva the First took office in 
  the Precipice, although no one can quite 
  remember where Holiva came from or what 
  skills qualified him to rule.
  THAEMOR
  Ruler: Holiva the First 
  Population: 900,000 
  Capital: Auspar
  A group of explorers 
  recently discovered and 
  activated a device that 
  created a permanent 
  passage called the 
  Great Reach. It allows 
  instantaneous travel from 
  Thaemor to the faraway 
  land of Corao, along the 
  northeastern seaboard.
  Holiva the First 
  has aristocrat stats 
  (page 151).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  44
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  the land work deftly and silently beneath 
  his clouded gaze. After having successive 
  rulers with little to no skill in leadership, the 
  people of Thaemor have learned to become 
  self-sufficient.
  Of course, no one whispers that Holiva 
  the First might have lost his sanity long 
  ago—that would be treason. And no one 
  whispers of the ancient time when the 
  shadow herd thundered across all the lands 
  tucked in the shade of the Black Riage—that 
  would be superstition.
  AUSPAR
  Auspar, located on the Wyr River, is the 
  capital of Thaemor. What the city lacks in 
  population—only 20,000 of the kingdom’s 
  inhabitants live within its borders—it makes 
  up for in height. Some call Auspar the City 
  of Needles, for everywhere its skies are 
  marked with tall, thin structures: buildings, 
  columns, banner poles, public works of art, 
  and more. Residents stretch long, slender 
  cables from their roofs to the highest edges 
  of the Dark Hills, hoping to join the fray.
  They’re not after any form of god, nor 
  the sky and whatever might lie beyond it. 
  It’s just that the residents of Auspar feel 
  a deep kinship with their kingdom and 
  believe that as everyone looks down on 
  them, so too should they return the favor. 
  On any given day, you’ll find residents 
  climbing the needlelike structures, using 
  ladders or antigravity belts or pneumatic 
  devices, and finding or building perches 
  from which they can literally look down on 
  the kingdoms around them.
  The Precipice is the tallest and thinnest 
  building in Auspar. It begins as a rectangle 
  large enough to encompass the leader’s 
  personal home and ruling offices, and 
  it narrows as it rises, becoming more 
  and more useless as the structure grows 
  thinner and thinner. Every year, Holiva pays 
  someone to add another length to the top 
  of the Precipice. These days, it’s dangerous 
  work, and most who take the job know that 
  it’s a suicide mission. Holiva doesn’t climb 
  the Precipice (or any of the other needles of 
  Auspar) himself and hasn’t for years.
  “The shadow herd,” the Hand tells him, “is 
  a group of dark, formless creatures, born of 
  a wicked mind older than the kingdom itself. 
  Free them, and it is they, they, who will help 
  Thaemor become what it once was. They who 
  will help the whole of the Steadfast—nay, the 
  whole of the world kneel before Thaemor’s 
  feet and crown your head with glory.”
  Holiva believes what the Hand tells 
  him. There’s only one problem: the hand 
  that Holiva listens to is his own. The man 
  spends his waking hours talking with his 
  own body part in the form of a shadow 
  puppet. He mostly stays awake through the 
  night, when glowglobes provide the most 
  clearly defined shadow puppet and thus 
  when he believes he can hear the advice of 
  his vizier most truly.
  While Holiva pools all of his country’s 
  resources toward the single purpose of 
  reviving the shadow herd, the people of 
  The “glimmers” that 
  people in the Ninth 
  World sometimes 
  experience—strange, 
  random glimpses of 
  images or information 
  that may come from 
  the all-pervasive 
  datasphere—seem to be 
  somewhat more common 
  in northern Thaemor.
  A Nano named Gaera in 
  Jyrek could build a wide 
  variety of detonations 
  (Arcana of the Ancients, 
  page 62), but she died in 
  an explosion in her lab. 
  Her daughter sells the 
  hundreds of detonations 
  she left behind in a 
  well-guarded shop.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  45
  THE STEADFAST
  were teenagers disgruntled at being stuck 
  inside a single city because of their father’s 
  paranoia. But in the end, he had his egg.
  Jyrek turned out to be an expensive waste 
  of time and money. Kaldon’s heirs used 
  the city as their personal playground, but it 
  didn’t protect them from anything. Although 
  no wars were waged during their time there, 
  another danger presented itself—the Eyren 
  caught a virus from Kaldon’s youngest 
  daughter, Ampel. Believing this new thing to 
  be an inherent part of a human’s physiology, 
  the Eyren duplicated the virus and spread 
  it to the other children. Within six weeks, 
  all of Kaldon’s children were dead and his 
  wife incapacitated. The Eyren was sealed 
  off, and a law was made prohibiting anyone 
  from entering the structure. The city gates 
  were left open out of respect for the dead. 
  Although Kaldon ruled for nearly twenty 
  more years before his death, he never 
  returned to Jyrek.
  Today, the city has all but forgotten its 
  original roles as protector and murderer of 
  Kaldon’s dreams of the future. Although the 
  Eyren still sits tethered above the center of 
  Jyrek, the residents barely notice it. It has 
  become just another part of the history with 
  which they live.
  JYREK
  Designed and commissioned by Kaldon 
  to keep his wife, eleven sons, and four 
  daughters safe from any future wars so that 
  his legacy might live on, Jyrek is as much 
  a fortress as it is a city. Today, it houses 
  around 30,000 people, but it was originally 
  built to hold just sixteen. With its triple 
  walls (one of redstone, one of limnelwood, 
  and one of electrified synth), interconnected 
  walkways between buildings, and guard 
  towers at every corner of the city, Jyrek 
  might be one of the best-protected places in 
  the Steadfast.
  And that doesn’t take into consideration 
  the city’s most unusual defense mechanism: 
  a floating, self-contained structure tethered 
  in the center of Jyrek. This egg-shaped 
  structure, called the Eyren, was also 
  commissioned by Kaldon. He brought in 
  as many numenera experts as he could 
  find and had them design a structure that 
  would support up to twenty people for two 
  months, providing food, shelter, recycled air, 
  and, once the tethers were cut, an escape 
  route from whatever war might be raging on 
  the ground. It took the experts more than 
  ten years to build such a machine, and by 
  the time it was finished, Kaldon’s children 
  THAEMOR HEARSAY
  Sanctimonious Saviors: A group of people calling 
  themselves the Saviors have started preaching in the 
  streets of Jyrek. Dressed in deep purple and standing in a circle 
  beneath the Eyren, they tell tales of deadly creatures growing 
  inside the structure, creatures that will soon tear apart the egg 
  and spill across the land. They promise that those who join the 
  Saviors will be redeemed, but they won’t reveal how until you 
  become a member of their order.
  Pitcher Plants: Dotted along the eastern bank of the River 
  Septim, a new species of plant has taken root. These pitcher 
  plants grow leafy traps that are big enough to catch large 
  birds, rodents, and fish. Chi Brogs, a scholar who studies 
  dangerous plants, has been studying a new variety that he 
  believes to be part of a plot to infiltrate Thaemor, but he can’t 
  discover any additional information on his own.
  Wild Beasts: At night, residents of the small village of Aagar 
  hear what sounds like a pack of wild animals or machines 
  running and clanking through the streets. Those who dare to 
  venture outside see nothing abnormal, but in the morning, 
  there are usually signs of carnage. Two townspeople have 
  been killed so far, their bodies looking as though they were 
  attacked by mechanical claws. The village has implemented a 
  curfew, but the frightened residents are at a loss.
  THE WEIRD OF THAEMOR
  Up and Away: Every morning, shortly after dawn, a round blue 
  orb can be seen rising from where the Wyr River comes down 
  off the mountain. The orb doesn’t seem to come out of the 
  water, and no one has been able to capture it—or even verify 
  that it’s the same orb every day.
  The Black Head: At the edge of the Black Riage, east of 
  Jyrek, an object that resembles a head is carved out of the 
  ebony mountain. It’s nearly as tall as a man and features odd 
  protrusions of different glasslike materials that light up in 
  various patterns.
  Man of the Mountain: In a crook of the Black Riage nearly 100 
  feet (30 m) up lives a man who has built a nest-like shelter. 
  He never seems to come down from the mountain. Birds and 
  other kinds of flying creatures bring him food and various 
  objects. They especially like eyeballs and will not hesitate to 
  attempt to take one from someone who’s still using it.
  Chi Brogs has specialist 
  stats (page 158).
  Black Riage, page 75
  Around the age of two, 
  all children in the city of 
  Stirc begin to have the 
  same imaginary friend. 
  Her name is Olpenda.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  46
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  King, Polele, are frighteningly unified and 
  organized. Many of Polele’s warriors are 
  veterans of Malevich’s past wars, aged men 
  with few skills that don’t involve blades 
  and blood. Rumor has it that the bandit 
  clans have offered to do mercenary work for 
  foreign kings in other lands. Whether this 
  is good or bad for Malevich—if it’s true at 
  all—is yet to be determined.
  Malevich nobles ride in tall, armored 
  chariots pulled by abhuman and human 
  slaves. They own what little wealth the 
  kingdom has, while the peasantry lives on 
  the edge of starvation.
  A fantastically huge rift known as the Voil 
  Chasm serves as the country’s southern 
  border. This rent in the earth is 25 miles 
  (40 km) wide in places, but it narrows as it 
  descends. Throughout most of its western 
  reaches, the chasm is about 1 mile (1.5 
  km) deep. However, it has never been fully 
  explored, and although the deepest point 
  yet reached is more than 10 miles (16 km) 
  below the surface, the chasm is known to 
  cut far deeper in places.
  Some call the Voil Chasm by its older 
  name, the Earthwound. Legends say that 
  it was created when the inhabitants of the 
  prior aeon waged war with invaders from 
  another world. The invaders used a weapon 
  of untold power, destroying multiple cities 
  of significant size and influence in an 
  MALEVICH
  Known for bleak landscapes and 
  people tested by hardship, Malevich’s 
  tale is one of war and would-be conquest. 
  Yet after crushing defeats in decades past, 
  its warlords are now quiet. Yorvic, the current 
  king of Malevich, is no bloodthirsty despot, 
  as was true in previous generations. He is, in 
  fact, a three-year-old boy. His cousin Ellabon 
  serves as regent and likely will continue in 
  that role until young Yorvic passes through 
  the ritual of second birth at age thirteen.
  Numerous villages dot the landscape of 
  Malevich. These farm communities are usually 
  small and poor, little more than thatch-roofed 
  huts gathered in defensive circles around a 
  communal pen for the shaggy goats they tend. 
  Mud-stained boots walk down rough roads 
  infrequently—the folk of this dark land remain 
  in their isolated villages if possible. They bar 
  the doors at night and pray to vindictive yet 
  seemingly indifferent gods.
  Their fear is not misplaced. Malevich 
  is threatened at all times by bands of 
  abhumans and clans of bandits. The former 
  roam in small unorganized groups, while 
  the latter, under the command of the Bandit 
  MALEVICH
  Ruler: King Yorvic 
  (Regent Ellabon)
  Population: 1,200,000 
  Capital: Thriest
  Known for bleak landscapes and people tested by hardship, 
  Malevich’s tale is one of war and would-be conquest.
  Ellabon has aristocrat 
  stats (page 151).
  Bandit King Polele 
  has deadly warrior 
  stats (page 151).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  47
  THE STEADFAST
  traditional capital is Thriest. The boy-king 
  dwells there with her.
  A creature named Quanon dwells in 
  the lower portions of Stirthal. Roughly 
  humanoid, he has undergone so many 
  machine enhancements and biomechanical 
  replacements that it’s hard to imagine 
  what he looked like originally—or if he 
  even started out human. Quanon might be 
  one of the Ninth World’s foremost experts 
  on energy sources and power generation. 
  His workshop holds a battery or power 
  pack for any device, and his experiments 
  on transmitting power wirelessly (more 
  accurately, tapping into a field of “free 
  power” he discovered that seems to 
  permeate the Ninth World) mean that 
  he can almost certainly recharge any 
  depowered or expended device brought to 
  him. His prices, however, are steep. Even 
  the simplest cell for the least significant 
  device is likely 100 shins or more. Batteries 
  that are rare or more potent might be far 
  more, stretching to sums many princes 
  and kings could not easily afford. Quanon 
  accepts barter from those who can’t pay, as 
  he loves to collect intriguing devices for his 
  experiments.
  NEVERLOST
  Neverlost is a large castle and surrounding 
  town that stands above the Jabbunaran 
  Fields at the heart of the kingdom. The 
  town has fewer than a thousand farmers 
  and herders, and the castle is the hereditary 
  home of Duke Theomal and his clan. In 
  times of great need, thousands of people 
  instant. A few people speculate that these 
  foes tried to destroy the entire planet by 
  drilling deep into the world’s core, like an 
  assassin attempting to stab his victim in the 
  heart. If true, the attempt obviously failed, 
  but it suggests that the Voil Chasm might 
  be deeper than most thought possible.
  The chasm divides Malevich and the 
  Pytharon Empire. Even though both lands 
  have dreamed of conquest, the gulf between 
  them has prevented them from coming into 
  direct conflict.
  STIRTHAL
  The city of Stirthal was built atop the 
  northern edge of the Voil Chasm. About 
  100,000 people live here, making it one of 
  the largest cities in the Steadfast. Much of 
  it stretches across the flat expanse at the 
  top of the cliff, but some of the city extends 
  down the side. Ancient structures protrude 
  out of the chasm wall. Some are inhabited 
  by the residents of Stirthal. Others are wide 
  metal pipes and platforms that support 
  dwellings and businesses of more recent 
  construction. The most dramatic feature is a 
  street that stretches out from the chasm wall 
  about a thousand paces and then comes 
  to an abrupt end. Other cliffside streets 
  run parallel with the wall, connecting the 
  far-jutting perpendicular extensions. The 
  cliff dwellings are the most prized structures 
  in Stirthal, and thus are the homes and 
  businesses of the wealthy and elite, of which 
  the city has more than its share.
  The ruler of Stirthal is a woman who takes 
  the title of Governor. Her name is Marrizek 
  and she claims to rule over not just Stirthal, 
  but the entirety of the Voil Chasm, in the 
  name of King Yorvic. Quick to action (and 
  to anger), Marrizek is an older woman, 
  bold, brash, and charismatic. Her loyal 
  city guards are called the Thyrn. In their 
  gold and black armor, each member of the 
  well-trained force wields two swords, one 
  inscribed with the word “JUSTICE” and the 
  other with “MERCY.” The Thyrn are harsh, 
  violent, and oppressive, and a common joke 
  in Stirthal is that they use the first blade 
  incorrectly and the second rarely, if ever.
  The current regent of Malevich, Ellabon, 
  lives in Stirthal, despite the fact that the 
  Quanon has arch nano 
  stats (page 155).
  Governor Marrizek has 
  steward stats (page 158).
  Thyrn have defender 
  stats (page 152).
  Duke Theomal has 
  diplomat stats (page 152).
  The bodies of a dead 
  philethis and an equally 
  deceased ravage bear, 
  fused together, were 
  discovered east of 
  Neverlost not long ago.
  Philethis, page 216
  Ravage bear, page 227
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  48
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Ellabon directly rules the city as well 
  as the kingdom at large, but her advisor, 
  Counselor Rashik, tends to matters that 
  involve only Thriest. A good-natured fellow, 
  Rashik merely smiles his grandfatherly 
  smile when someone says that he is the 
  regent of the regent. A well-educated man, 
  he would like to see Thriest become a 
  center of learning—something the people 
  of Malevich have never really had. For the 
  moment, however, this goal is but a dream 
  as his city struggles to keep from collapsing 
  and the folk of the regions around Thriest 
  fight just to survive.
  BOREG
  Boreg sits on the southern banks of the 
  mighty Wyr. Fishers and merchants who use 
  the river make up a significant portion of 
  the city’s 12,000 people.
  Overlooking both the city and the river, 
  high atop the Red Bluffs, is Castle Dval, 
  home of Lady Vount. This noble is frequently 
  known as the Queen of the River Pirates, 
  or sometimes the Robber Baroness. She 
  wields her scepter, an infamous numenera 
  relic known as the Despoiler, which she uses 
  to fuse the bodies of men with dangerous 
  river fish to craft and command an army that 
  blocks travel down the Wyr for those who 
  don’t pay her exorbitant tolls. The council in 
  Draolis threatens to take action against Lady 
  Vount if the regent of Malevich does not 
  stop her depredations, but so far no one on 
  either side of the Wyr has moved against her.
  South of Boreg stands an ancient edifice 
  called the Wall of Erenyn. This curved metal 
  wall is 3 feet (1 m) thick, reaches a height of 
  15 feet (5 m), and stretches more than 100 
  feet (30 m) in length. It shimmers with a 
  cascade of colors and shapes. Occasionally, 
  the wall shows comprehensible imagery, 
  and many believe that it foretells the future, 
  prophesies, or conveys vital secrets to those 
  who need to know. Spending too long in 
  the vicinity of the wall can make people ill, 
  sometimes to the point of death, so visits 
  are usually short.
  have taken shelter behind the castle walls 
  for weeks or months, and true to its name, 
  the castle has never fallen. The duke’s family 
  keeps the offer of sanctuary open, although 
  it always carries an unspoken price. Each 
  time Neverlost is used as a refuge, the 
  family grows more powerful and wealthy.
  THRIEST
  Thriest lies on the River Septim. It’s the 
  official capital of Malevich, but the royal 
  palace here sits empty because the regent, 
  Ellabon, rules from Stirthal, the child-king 
  at her side. Crumbling buildings of grey 
  stone line the streets of Thriest, and, like 
  the palace, many are abandoned. However, 
  the river market quarter still thrives, and 
  barges laden with trade goods fill the River 
  Septim. A total of 25,000 people dwell in 
  Thriest, about half the number of the former 
  population.
  Counselor Rashik has 
  specialist stats (page 158).
  Lady Vount has warlord 
  stats (page 159). In 
  addition, she wields a 
  relic called the Despoiler.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  49
  THE STEADFAST
  indistinguishable. However, their motivations 
  and outlook are alien; even when the difficult 
  language barriers are overcome, it’s hard for 
  Ninth Worlders to truly understand them. Still, 
  the people of Yenth have established trade 
  with the ultraterrestrials and call their world 
  “New Yenth.” The ultraterrestrials desire 
  odd things—plants, animals, and substances 
  fairly common in the Ninth World. In trade, 
  they offer unique devices. Most of these items 
  hold little value other than as oddities.
  The portal to New Yenth is difficult and 
  complicated to use, and as far as anyone 
  understands, it can be opened only from 
  this side. But some people still fear that 
  ultraterrestrials have infiltrated Yenth, 
  posing as Ninth World humans for a 
  mysterious purpose. Others believe that the 
  ultraterrestrials are the descendants of 
  long-lost travelers and explorers from Earth 
  who now just want to come home. 
  Whether or not the rumors of large-scale 
  infiltration are true, at least one person from 
  the other side hides amid the humans of Yenth. 
  The ultraterrestrial Nariiv secretly dwells in the 
  city, posing as the owner of a leatherworking 
  shop. He is a refugee from the parallel universe, 
  hunted by his own kind for crimes committed 
  (or, as he claims, allegedly committed) in his 
  own world. Nariiv is a skilled warrior and a 
  master of various weapons and combat styles, 
  many never before seen in the Ninth World.
  YENTH
  Yenth has a population of 14,000, and it’s 
  a trade city because it sits on a unique 
  border. Yenth is built around a numenera 
  complex from aeons past that houses a 
  large extradimensional portal. Explorers and 
  scholars reactivated the portal thirteen years 
  ago and discovered a parallel universe on 
  the other side—a world very different from 
  the Ninth World, yet similar in certain ways. 
  Weird landscapes and odd flora and fauna 
  fill the land on the other side of the gate, but 
  humans can survive there. In fact, it’s home 
  to small cloisters of humans—or creatures 
  so akin to humans that they’re mostly 
  THE DESPOILER
  Relic, legendary (requires attunement) 
  This sword-like blade (any sword) has a few 
  buttons and switches on the hilt. It seems ordinary 
  in use, until activated as your action, at which point 
  all creatures within a 50-foot sphere centered on 
  the Despoiler that you designate must succeed on 
  a DC 17 Constitution save. On a failure, they are 
  transformed over the course of one minute (during 
  which time they are stunned; a stunned creature 
  can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of 
  its turns, ending the stunned condition on itself on 
  three successes.). At the end of this period, victims 
  still stunned lose that condition but become 
  amphibious gorjans that faithfully serve you.
  The Despoiler has a depletion of 1 in 1d20.
  MALEVICH HEARSAY
  Disgruntled Warrior: An aging warlord named 
  Gargarth seeks to instigate a new conflict that will 
  restore his land to its former glory by spreading tales of 
  Navarene invasion. He has gained a small but growing 
  following of warmongers who are little more than a 
  rowdy rabble that causes trouble.
  Glowing Pyramid: At night, atop a remote outcropping 
  of rock, you can see a glowing pyramid that’s five times 
  the height of a man but only a third as wide. During 
  the day, the pyramid cannot be found. Rumor says it’s 
  a powerful energy source that will grant great strength 
  and vitality to anyone who touches it.
  Stolen Grain: A village called Brusch had a good harvest 
  this year, but all the grain disappeared from the granary. 
  A young eyewitness said that a hole opened in the air, 
  drew all the grain into it, and then disappeared again. 
  The people of Brusch probably won’t survive the winter 
  without that grain.
  THE WEIRD OF MALEVICH
  The Cloud Machine: A cart pulled by a pair of shiul, 
  driven by two very short, very old men, holds a 
  cumbersome device. The machine chugs and spews 
  steam and smoke that appears to affect the weather.
  Frozen in Crystal: Nestled in the mountains to the east 
  is a massive shard of crystal, 30 feet (9 m) high and 
  12 feet (4 m) across. A woman in a strange dress is 
  embedded in its center.
  The Fungal Pool: An isolated pond near the center of 
  the land is the home of a huge fungal organism. It 
  creates pseudopods that grab prey and draw them in to 
  be devoured.
  Gorjans have defender 
  stats (page 152). In 
  addition, they can 
  breathe air and water.
  Nariiv has deadly warrior 
  stats (page 151).
  Shiul, page 148
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  50
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  name of their house. To this end, they work 
  against the king, both openly and in secret.
  Just a year ago, an attempt on King 
  Noren’s life left him with one eye and 
  one arm. Only the healing power of the 
  kingdom’s numenera stockpile saved his 
  life. No proof could link the assassination 
  attempt to the Sarromere brothers, but 
  few in the kingdom have any doubts on 
  the matter. Queen Thera has taken it upon 
  herself to organize the kingdom’s secretive 
  Masked Legion to combat the Sarromere 
  family in the shadows even as her husband 
  opposes them in court.
  During her strange reign, Queen Whenith 
  Sarromere had become convinced that 
  by using a variety of numenera secrets, 
  she could harness the power of dreams 
  to control the minds of all who might 
  oppose her, inside and outside her borders. 
  Eventually, she gave up on this scheme, only 
  because she began to believe that within 
  dreams lay an entirely different realm that 
  she could rule instead of the corporeal land 
  of Iscobal. With each capricious and bizarre 
  idea she had about sleep or dreams, she 
  issued rewards to explorers who scoured 
  the Ninth World for devices and knowledge 
  related to those topics. She commanded 
  her scholars and Nanos to experiment with 
  the sciences they understood to make her 
  dreams—literally—into reality.
  ISCOBAL
  Calm and serene, you will find no place 
  more lovely than the land of Iscobal, jewel 
  of the Steadfast, I can assure you of that. 
  The goodly king of Iscobal dwells in Mulen, a 
  great coastal city whose glass towers glimmer 
  equally in the light of both sun and moon. 
  Beyond its walls, gentle farmers tend crops of 
  golden wheat. The rivers teem with fish and 
  the woods with game. Noble knights watch 
  over the people of fair Iscobal, whose roads 
  are safe and every village and town happy 
  and content. Blessed by all the gods unseen, 
  Iscobal is a paradise on Earth.
  —The Journals of Sir Fabithan of Mulen 
  (when this passage was written, seventy-five 
  years ago, it may have been somewhat true)
  Iscobal is a land tearing itself apart from 
  within. Internal politics keep the nation 
  focused on itself rather than on the dangers 
  of the expansionist kingdoms at its borders. 
  The palace intrigues involve the royal family, 
  led by King Noren tiKalloban. Noren’s 
  father, Rabbar tiKalloban, seized the throne 
  about forty years ago from Queen Whenith 
  Sarromere, whom most believed unfit to 
  rule. The deposed queen died in exile in the 
  land of Ancuan. Now, her sons Bren and 
  Kor Sarromere want the land back in the 
  ISCOBAL
  Ruler: King Noren 
  tiKalloban 
  Population: 1,000,000 
  Capital: Mulen
  King Noren tiKalloban 
  has deadly warrior stats 
  (page 151). However, 
  he has disadvantage on 
  all attacks and saves.
  Queen Thera has 
  diplomat stats (page 152).
  The typical Masked 
  Legion member has 
  guard stats. In addition, 
  they have advantage 
  on all attacks.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  51
  THE STEADFAST
  attempts to undermine the royal family’s 
  control of Iscobal. In this capacity, they 
  also run afoul of the Cold Grasp and other 
  sinister elements of the city.
  DYNAFEL
  Dynafel is known for its unique spun cotton 
  cloth (named after the city) as well as other 
  textiles, fabrics, and couture. Nearly 60,000 
  people live in the walled city, which has 
  relatively simple wooden structures and 
  narrow streets.
  The mayor, Harcorth Munn, is a rotund 
  man who never goes anywhere without his 
  entourage and his companion thuman. 
  Well liked and well known, the mayor is no 
  stranger to Dynafel’s bars, gambling dens, 
  and brothels.
  The Dreaming Reliquary: The city of 
  Dynafel is home to the Dreaming Reliquary, 
  where Aeon Priests keep—and continue 
  to research—the remnants of the prior 
  queen’s obsession with dreams. Devices 
  that implant dreams, transmit dreams, and 
  spy upon dreams are on hand along with 
  stranger things, even if Queen Whenith’s 
  scholars were never able to fulfill her desires 
  of using dreams to control reality or tap into 
  other realities altogether.
  Chief among the experts at the Dreaming 
  Reliquary is an Aeon Priest named Narla 
  Deshu. She tells anyone who cares to ask 
  that while the queen’s goals were childish, 
  her support of numenera research and 
  experimentation is greatly missed. Narla’s 
  own work has become political in nature, 
  and many claim that its continued existence 
  The people of Iscobal are farmers and 
  fishers. The former raise wheat, beans, and 
  cotton, as well as tend orchards of orange 
  billam fruit. The latter use small round 
  boats called skitters to travel up and down 
  the coast and down the mighty Wyr River.
  Iscobal is also known for its abundant 
  game. Hunters provide a great deal of fowl 
  and venison to feed the population.
  MULEN
  Mulen serves as the capital of Iscobal. It has 
  a population of slightly less than 100,000, 
  and its towers of glass looking out over the 
  western sea are the subject of song and 
  poem. The greatest structure amid all the 
  remarkable buildings is the royal palace, 
  Vitri House. Around it stretches a fantastic 
  park the size of a small city, tended by more 
  than a hundred gardeners.
  Mulen’s Grand Theater stands as a 
  testament to the city’s commitment to art 
  and culture in a world that often ignores 
  both in the name of struggle and survival. 
  Today, however, courtly intrigues make 
  attendance a risky proposition for many 
  nobles allied with one faction or another, as 
  the theater has become a favored place for 
  covert meetings, duplicitous dealings, and 
  assassinations.
  Perhaps appropriately, Mulen’s beautiful 
  streets and towers conceal a vast undercity. 
  Catacombs, secret passages, tombs, and 
  sewers form a network of tunnels and 
  subterranean chambers. This underground 
  world is the home of thieves, beggars, 
  escaped slaves, and inhuman creatures.
  The Cold Grasp: Both above and below 
  the ground, Mulen hides more than a few 
  dark secrets. The Cold Grasp, perhaps 
  the most infamous guild of assassins and 
  thieves in the Steadfast, uses the city as 
  its headquarters. The leader of the Cold 
  Grasp, a woman named Hedra, is known 
  for a strange affinity for, and mastery of, 
  serpents. Her enemies or targets might 
  find themselves sleeping in a bed of deadly 
  crux vipers or discover a tiny, extraordinarily 
  lethal red asp hidden in their soup.
  The secret police force known as the 
  Masked Legion operates in the shadows, 
  opposing the Sarromere family’s covert 
  Harcorth Munn 
  has aristocrat stats 
  (page 151).
  A typical member of 
  the Cold Grasp shadow 
  knight stats (page 157).
  Narla Deshu has Aeon 
  Priest stats (page 150). 
  In addition, she has 
  proficiency on all checks 
  related to numenera 
  devices involving 
  sleep or dreaming.
  Thuman, page 238
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  52
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Aeres Canyon. The people of Iscobal associate 
  the river with the divine water spirits, and 
  Wyrfall is the central focus of this religion. It’s 
  a holy locale where pilgrims gather to have 
  pains healed and futures foretold, for the 
  Wyr spirits flow backward in time, bringing 
  knowledge and life-giving energies.
  The Order of Truth has a particular 
  disdain for Wyrfall and the superstition-
  based beliefs of its people. There are no 
  Aeon Priests in the city, and the residents 
  are content with that.
  The Temple of the Unseen rises amid the 
  waterfalls and rocky outcroppings of the 
  city. Presided over by Jallacor, a priestess 
  and seer, the temple provides a home for 
  many self-proclaimed oracles and prophets. 
  Jallacor is an extremely tall, beautiful 
  woman who may or may not be able to 
  see the future and speak with river spirits, 
  but she certainly commands a number of 
  preternatural powers.
  RACHAR
  The city of Rachar grows in a ruin from a 
  prior age, full of buildings of stone, steel, 
  and glass that still stand. Some of the 
  structures have proven too difficult to use, 
  however. Some have no easy means of entry 
  or egress. Others are unstable and threaten 
  to collapse. A few house mysterious and 
  sometimes dangerous machines that are 
  best avoided. If necessary, the unused 
  buildings are barricaded to keep people out.
  is a show of support for House Sarromere. 
  Narla, however, has no allegiances other 
  than her devotion to the Order of Truth; she 
  simply wants the government of Iscobal to 
  continue funding her research.
  Of late, the city of Dynafel has suffered 
  attacks by clouds of the yellow swarm. 
  The city’s stone wall cannot protect against 
  the swarms, and the city guard has little 
  appropriate weaponry to combat the 
  menace.
  WYRFALL
  Wyrfall lies along the Wyr River. This 
  multitiered city is built amid a series of 
  waterfalls where the Wyr cascades through 
  TELEPATHIC EYE
  Relic, very rare (requires attunement)
  This disc is worn adhered to your forehead. As 
  your action, you telepathically communicate 
  with one willing creature you can see or sense 
  within 120 feet. Alternatively, as your action, 
  you can observe and overhear at a specified 
  location within a mile for one minute. Finally, 
  you can attempt to find a specific individual 
  within 10 miles. The creature can make a DC 17 
  Wisdom saving throw, avoiding your attention if 
  it succeeds. Otherwise, you learn of the target’s 
  exact location for the next minute.
  A telepathic eye has a depletion of 1 in 1d20, 
  checked any time you attempt to observe at a 
  specified location or find a specific individual.
  Jallacor has Aeon Priest 
  stats (page 150). In 
  addition, she has a 
  telepathic eye relic.
  Yellow swarm, 
  page 242
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  53
  THE STEADFAST
  One of King Noren’s most trusted 
  friends rules Rachar. Terrhvyss is a man 
  with a clawlike metal hand and an artificial 
  eye, and he often hides these features 
  as if embarrassed of them. A wise and 
  capable leader, Terrhvyss covertly hoards 
  the numenera in a vault in his own estate. 
  The few people who know his secret believe 
  that he stockpiles the devices because he 
  loathes the relics of the past and wants to 
  protect the world from the dangers they 
  represent. However, the truth is that he 
  gathers the objects to further rebuild his 
  own body.
  GTHARREN
  An old man named Phiraster dwells in 
  the valley of Gtharren. He watches over 
  a massive crystal that stands 50 feet (15 
  m) tall and 20 feet (6 m) across and gives 
  the valley its name. The Gtharren Crystal 
  is an artificial construct with intriguing 
  properties. People come to the valley to 
  break off shards and use the power within, 
  but Phiraster turns away far more visitors 
  than he welcomes.
  Some call Phiraster a wizard or a demon, 
  but he is a learned Nano with great power. 
  A few think him mentally ill, and that 
  might be true. If those entering the hidden 
  valley cannot answer his questions to his 
  satisfaction, he uses his special abilities 
  and relic to drive them off. Sometimes the 
  questions are personal inquiries about the 
  visitor’s intentions. Sometimes they are 
  riddles or koans. Occasionally, the old man 
  doesn’t ask questions but instead bids 
  seekers to perform tasks for him.
  The point of their efforts is to attain a 
  shard of the Gtharren Crystal. In aeons long 
  past, millions of intelligent beings placed 
  their memories and personalities in the 
  crystal for long-term storage. Today, a single 
  shard of the crystal holds hundreds of these 
  beings. Although the memories cannot be 
  directly accessed by any known means, the 
  power within the crystal lattice can be used 
  to interface with and control other devices, 
  even those that seem to be depowered or 
  whose purposes are unknown.
  Living amid machines and structures of 
  the past, the city is no stranger to the weird. 
  Talking statues, moving walls and streets, 
  sudden energy fields that block doorways—
  Rachar is always filled with the unexpected.
  A floating structure of metal and synth 
  hovers high above the city. It may have been 
  a vehicle once, but no one has discovered 
  how to make it move. The city watch uses 
  the structure as an observation platform to 
  monitor Rachar and the surrounding lands 
  for trouble. Reaching the platform usually 
  involves using a gravity-manipulating 
  mutant named Baurn.
  ISCOBAL HEARSAY
  Submerged Fugitive: An aeons-
  old automaton has arisen from a deep 
  seaside pool. Metal limbs carry it along 
  the sandy coastline while its glass head 
  constantly looks around. The machine acts 
  this way because it’s being pursued. When it 
  arose, so too did a number of flying spheres, 
  each 15 inches (38 cm) across, bearing 
  holographic faces and trailing tendrils. 
  Both hunter and hunted would welcome 
  assistance, but which to help, and why?
  Family Feud: House Sarromere’s attempts 
  to undermine the royal family are growing 
  more brazen. Word in Mulen is that they 
  offer payment in cyphers and oddities to 
  anyone who works for them on missions of 
  spying and sabotage.
  Hunters and Prey: A creature haunts the 
  wooded lands between Rachar and Wyrfall, 
  preying on hunters and trappers. Only those 
  carrying freshly killed animals are attacked. 
  No other information is known, but local 
  leaders offer a reward for ending the beast’s 
  reign of terror.
  THE WEIRD OF ISCOBAL
  The Gelatinous Pavilion: In Rachar, a large 
  plaza is covered by a low canopy of ever-
  shifting colored gel.
  Metal Corpses: At one point along the Wyr 
  River, what appear to be the dead bodies 
  of eight imposing metal humanoids lie on 
  the bank.
  Ghostly Tune: Along the road into Dynafel 
  from the south, strange, melodious music can 
  be heard, even though no source is apparent.
  Terrhvyss has deadly 
  warrior stats (page 151).
  Phiraster has nano 
  exemplar stats 
  (page 156).
  Gtharren Crystal Shard
  Relic, very rare
  This crystal shard, when 
  touched to any relic or 
  similar device, grants 
  you full understanding 
  of and the ability to 
  use that device.
  A shard has a depletion 
  of automatic.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  54
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  My dear and loyal subjects,
  Your beloved Empress, Challadien II, Lady 
  of the Southern Reach, and Queen of the 
  Riage, wishes you to know that the days 
  of foul banditry and lawlessness that have 
  plagued these lands have come to an end. 
  The peace-loving forces of the invincible grand 
  Imperial armies, under my direct command, 
  shall restore this realm once again to a land 
  of prosperity and peace. You and your families 
  shall be safe under their banner. Your children 
  are like unto my own, and my own desire is for 
  their happiness and good health. The integrity 
  of your lands, your homes, and all of your 
  belongings shall be secured under our banner. 
  Those who stand in the way of this generous 
  and beneficent gift of safety, however, are 
  naught but robbers and undesirables, and shall 
  meet our swift judgment.
  RARMON
  The empire’s capital is the great city of 
  Rarmon, home to about 80,000 people. This 
  old settlement of marble, stone, and glass 
  once fell into a state of decay but now is being 
  restored to its former grandeur. Everywhere, 
  scaffolds cover important buildings, while 
  workers restore crumbling facades.
  The Sunken Palace: At the heart of 
  Rarmon is the Sunken Palace, the ancient 
  home of the Empress. This structure 
  is unique because the entire thing is a 
  THE PYTHARON 
  EMPIRE
  Possibly the oldest of the Steadfast 
  kingdoms, the Pytharon Empire once 
  commanded most of the southern region, 
  including Milave, Iscobal, and Ancuan. 
  Although the empire collapsed almost a 
  hundred years ago, it regained its footing 
  and began to prosper under the previous 
  empress, Challadien II. She consolidated 
  old holdings into Imperial rule again under 
  the auspices of protection.
  Now the new, relatively young empress, 
  Challadien III, hopes to extend her aunt’s 
  successful reign. Most believe she has her 
  eyes on lands that once were part of the 
  empire, in particular Milave and Iscobal, 
  and perhaps seeks to spread her influence 
  over lands to the south.
  The Pytharons are well aware that the 
  regions of Matheunis to the south are far 
  more settled than they once were. These 
  free realms, including the powerful city-
  state of Nihliesh, feel the gaze of the empire 
  upon them. Pytharon nobles already send 
  their troops down there to raid for slaves. 
  Pytharon is known for gently rolling fields 
  of wheat, beans, and corn. Its fertile lands 
  were once a great part of its success and 
  could be again, for its ample “breadbasket” 
  has fueled great armies.
  THE PYTHARON 
  EMPIRE
  Ruler: Challadien III 
  Population: 2,000,000 
  Capital: Rarmon
  A tree in Rarmon records 
  what happens near 
  it and intermittently 
  replays holograms of 
  recent events, with 
  some details changed.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  55
  THE STEADFAST
  The two cities are connected by a large, 
  elevated skyway tube almost 2 miles (3 
  km) long called the Umbil. Created from a 
  combination of stronglass, ivy tangles, and 
  various metals, the Umbil runs between the 
  two towers. Once, it provided safe passage 
  between the cities, with a motorized 
  walkway and jarlers—abhuman slaves that 
  pulled long carts full of people and supplies. 
  Small markets and eateries sprang up along 
  the way, and the Umbil became one of the 
  most well-traveled routes in the Steadfast.
  When the motorized walkway stopped 
  working one day, the rulers of Jargolamis and 
  Luigolamis—siblings Margo the Wember 
  and Paras Gulosi, respectively—announced 
  that they would have it up and running again 
  in a matter of days. But the siblings fought 
  over the best way to solve the problem, as 
  they often did, and the walkway remained 
  broken. Temporary fixes were put into place 
  by those who had the power and knowledge, 
  but nothing lasted. As the years stretched on 
  and the walkway was not fixed, the Umbil fell 
  into disrepair and disuse.
  Now the tube has become a place for 
  dark dwellers, thieves, and worse. Although 
  the Umbil remains the shortest passage 
  between the Twins, it’s also the route most 
  likely to get you killed. The abhuman slaves 
  have regained their freedom, the markets sell 
  far darker wares than the foodstuffs of old, 
  and dangerous creatures skulk around every 
  bend. Trade and travel between the two cities 
  have become sparse and strained, as has the 
  relationship between the sibling rulers.
  Still, new light dawns—a constructor 
  named Limech recently moved into 
  numenera device. Spherical in shape, it 
  is half immersed in the ground so that it 
  appears to be a dome of metal and synth. 
  The palace can rotate in any direction, 
  however, and has its own gravity. Thus, 
  the sphere can be rotated so that the 
  entrance is concealed below the surface 
  and the floors within are perpendicular to 
  the ground outside, with no discomfort to 
  anyone within.
  The Grand Orrery: Within Rarmon 
  is a large metal orrery that shows the 
  configuration of the sun, the Earth, and the 
  other six planets. It turns in accordance with 
  the actual movement of these spheres. 
  The man in charge of maintaining the 
  orrery is a diminutive fellow named Garrot 
  who stands less than 3 feet (1 m) tall. Garrot 
  is an engineer and mechanic of great skill. 
  By activating the complex mechanisms 
  within the base, he can raise the orrery high 
  above the level of the city so it commands 
  attention in the immediate area.
  The central sphere of the orrery, the 
  “sun,” is an electromagnet of immense 
  power. Garrot uses this device as a 
  defensive weapon on behalf of Rarmon, 
  directing invisible beams of sun-hot fire at 
  anyone or anything he desires. 
  JARGOLAMIS AND LUIGOLAMIS
  The so-called Twinned Cities of 
  Jargolamis and Luigolamis were once so 
  interconnected that they were considered a 
  single entity. With a combined population 
  of 60,000 people, the Twins have long been 
  seen as a safe place to live, with easy access 
  to goods and services.
  The Twins are punctuated by matching 
  mirrored towers, each of which reflects the 
  other city. Walk into Jargolamis, make your 
  way to the Jargo Tower, and you’ll discover 
  that in every pane of glass, the bustling 
  city of Luigolamis is reflected back at you. 
  Stand before the Luigo Tower in the other 
  city, and watch the intricacies of Jargolamis 
  happening before your eyes. At the top of 
  each tower is a creature sculpted in an 
  off-white material that casts an eerie glow 
  in the night. The Jargo Tower has a terror 
  bird, while the Luigo Tower is topped with a 
  slicer beetle.
  Garrot has specialist 
  stats (page 158).
  Margo the Wember 
  and Paras Gulosi 
  have aristrocrat 
  stats (page 151)
  Recently, the leaders 
  of the Twins issued a 
  statement saying they are 
  looking for mercenaries 
  willing to help clean out 
  the Umbil. Pay can come 
  in the form of shins, 
  oddities, or even property 
  in one of the cities.
  Limech has specialist 
  stats (page 158)
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  56
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  The merchant lords of Far Brohn are always 
  looking for help against these raids. 
  The city itself is secure. Its walls are laced 
  with numenera devices that affect the minds 
  of those who try to assault them, using sonic 
  vibrations to cause pain and confusion.
  RATHSCOR FORTRESS
  Guarding the southern border of the 
  Pytharon Empire is the great fortress of 
  Rathscor. Lord Myallatur commands the fort 
  and its defenses. His soldiers, the Mahal 
  Shards, are infamous for their prowess and 
  might—particularly their speed. The Shards 
  include cavalry, riders of reptilian coursers 
  called brehm.
  Jargolamis. He, along with a small passel of 
  mechanized creatures, is building a second 
  connection between the Twins, an open-air 
  skyway that runs below the Umbil. Only about 
  a quarter of it has been completed so far.
  FAR BROHN
  The trading city of Far Brohn lies near 
  the northern edge of the cold desert of 
  Matheunis. Tall stone walls help to protect 
  it from the frigid winds of the south, but 
  their real purpose is to keep out the bandits, 
  abhuman raiders, and other terrible threats 
  that emerge from the desert. Chief among 
  these dangers are the mind-screaming hordes 
  of sathosh, which frequently attack trading 
  caravans on the way to and from Nihliesh. 
  PYTHARON EMPIRE HEARSAY
  Far Afield: A rusted-out hulk of an ancient device has 
  sat in the middle of Reynald Denny’s fields without 
  incident since long before he tilled the soil. Recently, the device 
  has started shooting rubbery orbs of gel into the fields at odd 
  intervals. The orbs are covered with tiny spines that break off 
  in the skin when touched. Reynald fell sick after attempting 
  to move one of the orbs, and many of his livestock died after 
  touching the devices. His wife seeks help with removing the 
  orbs from the field and incapacitating the machine.
  The Glowing Roads: A number of attacks have occurred along 
  the open roads leading to Rarmon. Each account is nearly 
  identical: travelers swear they were attacked by giant four-
  legged creatures with glowing purple eyes and pincers for 
  mouths. One survivor has a wound along the inside of his leg 
  to show for his trouble. The scar glows with a magenta hue.
  THE WEIRD OF THE PYTHARON EMPIRE
  Sky Writing: On particularly cloudy days, those who stand in 
  Rarmon and look up at just the right time can see the Truth 
  words “We Will Help You” written across the clouds, along 
  with a series of unknown symbols. The writing is neon 
  orange and very uniform. It lasts anywhere from a few 
  seconds to a minute.
  The Voices of the World: Outside of Jargolamis is a stone 
  that stands nearly 10 feet (3 m) high, shaped like an inverted 
  triangle. The stone is riddled with holes, and if you put 
  your ear to any of them, you can hear what sounds like 
  conversation—the larger the hole, the louder the voices. Each 
  hole has a different discussion, and each time you listen at the 
  same hole, you hear different people talking. Most of the time, 
  the language is not one that you know.
  The Dog in the Machine: Half buried in the rubble of a ruined 
  city is a box. From some angles, the box seems to contain a 
  large canine, suspended in midair. From others, the box looks 
  empty—you can see right through it to the other side—but 
  you can hear the sounds of snarling and howling. If you were 
  to look down on the box from above, you’d see a top panel 
  fitted with a series of sliders and buttons.
  Limech’s mechanized 
  creatures have type 
  three basic automaton 
  stats (Arcana of the 
  Ancients, page 246).
  Sathosh, page 232
  Lord Myallatur 
  has deadly warrior 
  stats (page 151).
  A typical Mahal 
  Shard has legionary 
  stats (page 154).
  Brehm, page 148
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  57
  THE STEADFAST
  seen before in the region. I suspect that 
  Tarvesh has clandestine support from the 
  Amber Papacy, which hopes that he can unite 
  Milave and keep the peace in the southern 
  end of the Steadfast. Indeed, many hopes rest 
  with that one man. We shall see if his broad 
  shoulders can bear the burden.
  Most people of Milave are farmers who 
  produce a variety of foodstuffs as well as 
  an herb called ghianche, or sometimes just 
  ganch. It fills many pipes throughout the 
  region, and it’s sometimes rolled into cigars 
  as well. The herb is a mild relaxant, but 
  when treated with certain chemicals, it can 
  also be a powerful hallucinogen.
  Ganch fields are difficult to maintain 
  and require a large workforce. A few 
  communities have repurposed a variety of 
  numenera machines and devices to help 
  in the labor, so it’s not uncommon to see a 
  massive construct or automaton harvesting 
  fields of ganch leaves.
  ORRILA
  Orrila serves as the capital of a land that 
  truly has none. A sort of microcosm of 
  Milave itself, it is a cosmopolitan mishmash 
  of cultures and people. A stone wall girds 
  what is now the central portion of the city, 
  but the city spread out from those walls 
  long ago with buildings of many different 
  MILAVE
  From Nomilla Eron, Milavian noble:
  Once Milave was a region of the Pytharon 
  Empire, when its red banners flew from every 
  tower in the South. Now that name is given 
  to a loose confederation of small noble states 
  and even a few so-called republics. The latter, 
  of course, are backwater counties too wretched 
  for any proper noble family to desire position, 
  where the merchant classes give the peasantry 
  fool-headed ideas of ruling themselves. The 
  only thing that truly binds Milave together is 
  fear of invasion by the empire. Milavians have 
  few similarities, but a memory of the hard-won 
  independence from Pytharon is one. Ostensibly, 
  Milave is ruled by a council of representatives of 
  disparate governments, clans, and factions who 
  meet in the city of Orrila.
  The nation will not last as a cohesive whole 
  for long. The ruling council does little but bicker 
  over petty matters while the nearby empire 
  once again grows in military might. If war does 
  come, Milave’s loose union is likely to collapse, 
  each state fighting for itself and no other—and 
  thus we are all doomed.
  One possible savior, however, is a noble 
  warlord named Tarvesh. This charismatic 
  young leader has the support of many 
  Milavians, and his personal fighting force 
  includes three terrifying numenera war 
  machines, the likes of which have not been 
  MILAVE
  Ruler: The Milave Council 
  Population: 900,000 
  Capital: Orrila
  Stratharian war moths 
  seem particularly 
  attracted to ganch fields. 
  Sometimes entire plots 
  must be abandoned 
  when swarms move in. 
  One field currently has 
  a cocoon so large that 
  farmers speculate it will 
  produce a war moth 
  as big as a house.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  58
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  of the vast tarps that catch the stone as it’s 
  dug from the earth. The workers pull it from 
  what looks like former monuments of some 
  kind, buried in a long-forgotten age. Of 
  course, the ground repels the floatstone, so 
  much of what is excavated flies into the air.
  AIAN
  Known by some as the City of Merchants 
  and by others as the City of Beggars, Aian is 
  only tenuously part of Milave, maintaining 
  as much independence as it can. The city-
  state has a population of perhaps 30,000. 
  Ruled by an elected senate, Aian is one of 
  the prominent republics in the Steadfast. 
  As its monikers suggest, it is a city of 
  commerce and trade, a gateway between 
  the Steadfast and the lands to the south. 
  Its markets are filled with exotic goods, 
  and wealthy merchant clans maintain 
  burgeoning warehouses here.
  The Aian saying “Those not rich are 
  poor” is used to justify avarice and ruthless 
  business practices. In other words, if 
  styles and materials. In very recent times, 
  a large tent-city has grown around the 
  southern gate of that wall, covering what is 
  now known as the Field of Voices.
  Much trading takes place in Orrila, thanks 
  in no small part to a device located on a 
  high campanile in the center of the old 
  town. Known as the All-Speech, the device 
  automatically translates any word spoken 
  within the city (and a fair distance beyond) 
  into a language understandable to each 
  listener’s mind. The All-Speech has some 
  interesting side effects, however. Some 
  children reared in Orrila learn to speak far 
  more quickly than expected, understanding 
  the words of their parents even as infants, 
  while others never learn because they 
  are still understood even when speaking 
  gibberish. A Milavian saying holds that lies 
  are harder to tell in Orrila and secrets harder 
  to keep, but this claim has yet to be proven.
  Thirty miles (48 km) east of Orrila, 
  workers toil in the floatstone quarries. You 
  can spot the quarries from far away because 
  Floatstone, page 27
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  59
  THE STEADFAST
  OSSAM’S TRAVELING 
  MENAGERIE AND SOARING 
  CIRCUS 
  Come one, come all!
  Boys and girls! Men and women! Humans, 
  visitants, and mutants!
  All are welcome at the greatest display of 
  remarkability and extraordinosity the Ninth 
  World or any world has ever seen, heard, 
  sniffed, felt, or tasted!
  All are welcome at Ossam’s Traveling 
  Menagerie and Soaring Circus!
  Think you’ve seen mystery? Wait until you 
  wonder at the three-headed moranx!
  Think you’ve seen majesty? Wait until you 
  experience the death-defying Kaprof Brothers 
  and their aerial acrobatics!
  Think you’ve seen menace? Wait until you 
  cower at the roaring harraspawn and its fire-
  spewing eyes!
  Think you’ve seen magic? Wait until you 
  gasp at the sorcery of the Great Theon and his 
  trained cragworms!
  you don’t fight to get all you can, you’ll 
  have nothing. The saying is also a fair 
  assessment of the city’s class structure. 
  Those who are not wealthy merchants, 
  clerks, accountants, salespeople, or caravan 
  drivers are extremely poor, working for 
  scraps as laborers, bearers, or porters—or 
  worse, without employment at all, living as 
  beggars and thieves.
  Rumor has it that the Amber Papacy does 
  not believe in democracy, and that agents 
  of the Order of Truth work against Aian in 
  the shadows of the city. If this gossip is 
  true, the agents likely work with the Beggar 
  Queen and her network of spies. She hates 
  the oligarch council and the merchants who 
  elect them. No one knows much about the 
  Beggar Queen herself, but she has three 
  lieutenants that are biomechanical hybrids 
  with the ability to become invisible and 
  kill with a touch, ensuring that her power 
  remains unchallenged.
  The Beggar Queen 
  has shadow knight 
  stats (page 157).
  The Beggar Queen’s 
  three lieutenants have 
  warlord stats (page 159).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  60
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  is produced mainly by hidden devices, 
  although the man commands an array 
  of psychic powers to boot. His trained 
  cragworms are hologram illusions projected 
  over trained seskii. The Kaprof Brothers are 
  talented acrobats, but the harraspawn is 
  little more than an illusion. The moranx is a 
  deformed aneen never shown in clear light.
  You’ll thrill! You’ll chill! You’ll come away 
  changed forever!
  Just 2 shins per person! Children under ten 
  and children over eighty half price!  
  Traveling throughout the villages and 
  towns of Milave (and sometimes Ancuan), 
  Ossam’s Traveling Menagerie and Soaring 
  Circus is a caravan of wooden wagons 
  that house the creatures and 
  the performers, and a floating 
  numenera platform that 
  serves as transport for 
  equipment and a hovering 
  stage during performances. 
  As they travel, the 
  members of the circus 
  put on shows, filling people’s 
  minds with wonder and their 
  own pockets with coin.
  While much of the menagerie 
  and circus is real, the truth is 
  also stretched to heighten the 
  experience. The use of disguises 
  and conventional trickery as well 
  as holograms and various numenera 
  devices enhance every performance. 
  For example, the Great Theon’s “sorcery” 
  MILAVE HEARSAY
  Recruitment: Clandestine agents of the warlord 
  Tarvesh seek recruits to work as spies and infiltrators 
  or as soldiers. Either way, the recruiters are said to wear 
  numenera relics on their foreheads that allow them to see 
  into the minds of others, both to ensure that those they speak 
  with tell the truth and to ascertain the talents of others, which 
  aids in recruitment. Rumors say that these devices even 
  allow them to implant a failsafe in the recruit’s mind. Should 
  they go on to betray their new overlord, the psychic imprint 
  will destroy the mind from within. For truthful commitment, 
  however, the recruiters are offering excellent pay, numenera 
  support, and of course, a free, safe, and stable Milave.
  The Roving Road: Rumors speak of a well-lit path that appears 
  only on very rare nights or dark, mist-shrouded days. This 
  road is paved in blocks of an unknown substance, and it is 
  said to lead to a secret location that cannot be accessed in 
  any way other than by the road. The road always appears in 
  different locations throughout the land, and only for an hour 
  or so at a time. Once you take the road, however, you go 
  where it goes until you reach the end.
  The Ice Pit: A perfectly round, metal-edged pit of unknown 
  depths can be found about 40 miles (64 km) south of Aian. 
  On even the warmest days, cold mist rises from it. Those who 
  have attempted to reach the bottom claim that it simply gets 
  colder and colder as one goes down. No one has ever reached 
  the bottom and returned to tell the tale.
  THE WEIRD OF MILAVE
  Dry Coral: A field of coral-like growth extends throughout an 
  expanse in the western portion of Milave. At night, patches of 
  the coral glow with an unearthly light. As with beds of actual 
  coral, unique and sometimes dangerous creatures dwell in 
  and amid the formations.
  Weeping Wanderer: An ancient automaton wanders the roads 
  of Milave, damaged and asking for help. However, the fluids it 
  leaks are debilitating and hallucinogenic to humans.
  The Minds of the Dead: A pair of men living in a village in the 
  eastern border of the land claim to have a device that reads the 
  thoughts of the recently dead. They say that if the deceased are 
  hooked to the device quickly enough, their consciousness is 
  stored inside it, granting them “eternal life.”
  Ossam himself may 
  be the greatest wonder 
  of his show. He’s not 
  human, but an extremely 
  human-appearing 
  construct. Older than 
  the Ninth World, his true 
  motivations are clouded 
  in mystery. Few people 
  know his secret, and 
  Ossam would literally 
  kill to preserve it.
  Ossam has deadly 
  warrior stats (page 151). 
  In addition, he wears 
  a micromesh armor 
  with built in ray emitter 
  (recharge 6).
  Micromesh, page 25
  Great Theon has nano 
  stats (page 155).
  Aneen, page 148
  Ray emitter, page 103
  Cragworm, page 155
  Seskii, page 233
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  61
  THE STEADFAST
  tender meat, and the cheese made from 
  their milk.)
  Similar to how Angulan Knights 
  throughout the Steadfast have tamed xi-
  drakes to use as flying mounts, the people 
  of Ancuan sometimes ride rasters—large, 
  biomechanical, bat-like creatures native 
  to the region. Often the raster-riders, or 
  “rastriders,” are loners who live along 
  the coast. Some, however, join raider or 
  pirate groups, training their fellows to 
  be rastriders. A sky filled with brigands 
  mounted on giant hover-bats can be a 
  terrifying sight indeed. (On the other hand, 
  an aerial battle between a rastrider raider 
  and an Angulan Knight is a memory no 
  witness would soon forget.)
  ISHLAV
  Ishlav is a city built on a city. The original 
  Ishlav was destroyed about twenty years 
  ago when a group of explorers returned 
  to the city with a strange device they had 
  discovered in an ancient ruin. When the 
  Aeon Priests in Ishlav fiddled with the 
  object in an attempt to understand it, the 
  device released a powerful burst of energy 
  that destroyed most of what lay within a 
  radius of 2 miles (3 km). However, none of 
  the people, animals, or plants were harmed. 
  Only nonliving matter was affected. The 
  blast split this line with a fine blade—it left 
  ANCUAN
  A broad, fertile, and peaceful land, 
  Ancuan is blessed on many fronts. Its 
  rolling hills teem with bountiful herds of 
  animals, its fields flow with produce and 
  grains, and its long shorelines offer fish and 
  other valuable commodities. Of course, 
  Ancuan is not without its troubles. Pirates 
  ply the shorelines, preying on coastal 
  trading vessels. Bandit raiders threaten 
  villages. Sathosh and chirogs roam the 
  countryside.
  King Asour-Mantir rules from a castle of 
  stronglass 20 miles (32 km) outside the 
  city of Glavis. Tradition dictates that no 
  one other than his immediate household 
  and guard live within a radius of 10 miles 
  (16 km), so the Transparent Palace, as it is 
  called, stands alone in a sprawling, rocky 
  field. The king’s extended family is large, 
  the product of two noble houses joined in 
  permanent alliance to ensure the stability 
  of the land. Members of the Blue Legion, 
  his royal guard, are renowned for their skill 
  as archers.
  The people of Ancuan are independent 
  and self-sufficient, relying on their king 
  for little. They make their ways as sailors, 
  fishers, arron farmers, yol herders, and 
  salt miners. (Arron is a grain used to make 
  sweet-tasting bread. Yol are short, long-
  haired creatures known for yellow wool, 
  ANCUAN
  Ruler: King Asour-Mantir 
  Population: 1,500,000 
  Capital: Glavis
  Angulan Knights, page 131
  King Asour-Mantir 
  has aristocrat stats 
  (page 151).
  The typical Blue Legion 
  member has legionary 
  stats (page 154). In 
  addition, they have 
  the following ranged 
  weapon attack.
  Longbow. Ranged 
  Weapon Attack: +7 to 
  hit, ranged 150/600 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 
  + 3) piercing damage.
  Xi-drake, page 241
  Raster, page 226 
  Sathosh, page 232
  Chirog, page 154
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  62
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  except through begging, thievery, or worse, 
  so Ishlav is gaining a new reputation, one of 
  darkness and danger.
  That danger comes from many sources, 
  but one in particular is on the rise: 
  the Monks of Mitos, a well-structured 
  organization led by a man named Kollos. 
  Renowned for his otherworldly hand-to-
  hand combat skills, Kollos claims to have 
  found a way to harness the cosmic power 
  of the universe within his cells, channeling 
  this energy into a lethal fighting style that 
  he calls “fistprayers.” He and his followers 
  preach about creating a more harmonious, 
  safer world, and they teach free classes 
  in self-defense and nonlethal combat. 
  But behind the caring, soft words lies 
  something more sinister, and those with 
  the necessary money or influence can avail 
  themselves of the monks’ deadlier skills.
  freshly cut wooden logs unharmed, but it 
  obliterated older wood in rafters, wagon 
  wheels, and shovel handles. Strangely, the 
  ground—soil, rocks and the like—appears 
  to have been unaffected.
  After the event, new strangements were 
  discovered. For example, those caught in 
  the blast found that some, but not all, of 
  their diseases had been cured, their wounds 
  healed, and their general health improved. 
  Even today, Ishlav’s new generations enjoy 
  robust health, good looks, and impressive 
  physical qualities.
  The city’s buildings, obviously, are 
  relatively new. After the blast, workers 
  rebuilt some of the original layout, but an 
  influx of people wanting to share in the 
  renowned health-boosting qualities has 
  caused Ishlav to double in size. Now home 
  to 20,000 souls, it’s a burgeoning city 
  with a large idle population that waits for 
  its mysteries to heal, boost, or aid them 
  in some way. Unfortunately, many people 
  have no means of supporting themselves 
  Kollos has deadly 
  warrior stats (page 
  151), though he usually 
  uses unarmed combat 
  instead of weapons 
  because his unarmed 
  attacks deal damage 
  like the deadly warrior’s 
  longsword attacks.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  63
  THE STEADFAST
  PEOPLE OF INTEREST
  The ruler of Kaparin is Sallian Orsay the 
  Red, one of the original Redfleet founders. A 
  tall, willowy woman with dark red hair, she 
  appears to be about twenty years old—and 
  has appeared to be that age for as long as 
  anyone can remember. The rumor is that 
  she found something buried beneath the 
  ocean floor on one of her final submergine 
  missions that has allowed her to live 
  forever, or at least to stop the aging process. 
  Although some of her colleagues are angry 
  that she didn’t share her discovery with the 
  rest of the fleet, most feel that she is a good 
  ruler, if a little cold and reclusive at times. 
  Sallian has a seemingly unlimited supply of 
  goons that will die to protect her. If called 
  on to fight, she wields a longsword made of 
  honed whale bone.
  Retired Redfleet Captain Jamson “The 
  Liar” Connell is often seen about town 
  these days since he no longer commands 
  a submergine crew and doesn’t go asea. 
  He says he retired years back, but others in 
  Kaparin murmur that being dishonorably 
  discharged from an already dishonorable 
  fleet is hardly retiring. Town gossip says that 
  during one particularly dangerous mission 
  to the Fengali Forest, Connell killed and 
  ate his entire crew. He goes berserk when 
  physically or verbally threatened, attempting 
  to strangle and eat his opponent (often at 
  the same time).
  Kaparin’s street rats are the teenagers 
  and young children born on ships at sea 
  and then left behind. They live in small 
  groups beneath the docks and often create 
  graffiti on the sides of docked submergines, 
  searching for (or cursing out) their parents. 
  Most of them are willing to help with 
  information, tasks, or directions for the 
  right price or even a bit of kindness.
  The Ramsi sisters, Jordica and Zanca, 
  lead and protect this ragtag group. Both 
  deny the rumor that they’re Sallian Orsay’s 
  bastard daughters. If you’re approached 
  KAPARIN
  A coastal city on the southern shore of the 
  Steadfast, Kaparin boasts roughly 15,000 
  people but actually consists of less than 
  half that at any given time. It’s the unofficial 
  home of the Redfleets, a crew of vagabonds, 
  thieves, scientists, and other miscreants 
  who sail the high and low seas in search 
  of natural treasure. For the most part, they 
  show public disdain for any numenera they 
  find, but they aren’t above selling it to the 
  highest bidder.
  By all accounts, Kaparin is a typical 
  coastal town, filled with wood and stone 
  structures, cobbled streets, and a series 
  of connected docks for seafaring vessels. 
  However, the city features one unique 
  building along its wharf: a large stone 
  complex called the RFM, which is a 
  maritime museum, hall of fame, and library 
  all rolled into one. Here, the Redfleets 
  catalog their accomplishments and store 
  their findings. A visitor can view the 
  preserved skull of a rare flutterfish or listen 
  to an audio recording from the depths of 
  the ocean. And you’ll likely find at least half 
  a dozen Redfleets, past and present, just 
  waiting to be asked about their contribution. 
  If you read the signs posted liberally inside 
  and outside the RFM, you’ll discover that 
  the objects on display are famed the world 
  over and coveted by many. (Just don’t be 
  surprised if neither you nor anyone you’ve 
  ever known has heard of them.)
  Due to such a large percentage of 
  its inhabitants taking extended ocean 
  voyages, Kaparin’s homes stand empty 
  for long stretches of time. Merchants 
  and craftspeople specialize in water 
  and seagoing wares, including ship and 
  submergine repair and upkeep, breathing 
  apparatus, food stores, and long-distance 
  trade routes to sell the treasure that comes 
  in from the explorations.
  Cold and dangerous, the Sea of Secrets is beset by ship-devouring serpents, 
  horrific storms, and a wide variety of pirates, the worst of which hail from Ancuan 
  (and the worst of them from Aras Island).
  Sallian Orsay has Glaive 
  stats (page 153).
  Goons have tough 
  stats (page 159).
  Captain Connell 
  has legionary stats 
  (page 154).
  Typical street rats have 
  tough stats (page 159).
  Submergines are 
  clearsynth bioships that 
  safely dive up to 5 miles 
  (8 km) beneath the 
  ocean’s surface and stay 
  there for up to six years.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  64
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  upon their altars disappear. No, not disappear. 
  I’ve watched it be . . . consumed is the word I 
  would use. When it happened there was a sort 
  of burning smell in the air and I heard a kind 
  of crackling sound, like a distant fire. I won’t 
  lie to you. It scared me. There’s things left over 
  from the far-off past, you know? Things I don’t 
  understand. And some of them are smart. And 
  hungry. And maybe vengeful.
  Within the city of Glavis, a scholar known 
  as Anders the Jack keeps a laboratory where 
  he studies viruses and bacteria, presumably 
  for the good of humanity. Beneath this 
  public lab lies a secret underground facility, 
  however, where he conducts experiments on 
  creatures that seem to be strange monkey-
  rat things. Anders has a rare condition 
  that requires constant blood transfusions. 
  His monkey-rat-thing slaves provide the 
  blood and serve as subjects on which he 
  constantly tests potential cures for his 
  condition.
  In the hills just north of Glavis, great 
  vents in the ground expel strange gases into 
  the air. Amid these geologic exhalations 
  dwell intelligent gaseous creatures called 
  the Sruu. Very little is known about these 
  beings, which apparently have a civilization 
  deep below the surface. Those that come 
  up through the vents do so unwillingly and 
  seek to return.
  PIKE’S HEAD
  A small fishing town along the coast, Pike’s 
  Head has one aspect that makes it quite 
  remarkable. About 300 feet (90 m) off the 
  shore, a massive thing juts up out of the 
  water. People call it “the Beast.” Although 
  in some ways it resembles a structure, 
  it’s clearly made of organic material, with 
  chitinous plates and leathery flesh. But it 
  never moves and shows no sign of life. It 
  also never decays, so it gives no indication 
  of being the corpse of an enormous 
  creature. Someone long ago thought it 
  looked like a river pike’s head, but the Beast 
  has no identifiable bodily characteristics. 
  No head, no eyes, no limbs—just a hulking, 
  twisted mass 50 feet (15 m) across that 
  rises more than 80 feet (24 m) above the 
  water. Most people give it a wide berth, as 
  by the two girls, they might seem well 
  informed and suspiciously willing to help, 
  but they’ll probably do their best to ensure 
  that you get what you want—at the price of 
  a favor. 
  GLAVIS
  Approximately 20,000 people call Glavis 
  home. The sprawling city seems like 
  a grouping of three towns located in 
  close proximity by chance, with a sparse 
  collection of buildings and roads among 
  them. One of the three sections, primarily 
  a port, is on the minor River Frohm. The 
  second is atop a high hill called Nurel’s Hill. 
  The third is a farming community filled with 
  markets for produce and livestock.
  The people of Glavis worship a pair of 
  gods called Relia and Bianes. These sibling 
  deities are believed to watch over those 
  who place offerings on their secluded 
  altars. Enough people have seen the 
  offerings disappear right before their eyes 
  that even nonbelievers suspect that Relia 
  and Bianes—or something posing as 
  them—are real in some sense. Whenson 
  Breeve, the chief constable of the city guard, 
  has a theory:
  I think Relia and Bianes are real. No, not 
  the brother and sister you see in the marble 
  statues in their temples, but some kind of 
  invisible beings. Maybe they’re the source of 
  the religion. Maybe they just came along and 
  took advantage of it. But there’s something 
  really there. Under the temples. Within the 
  walls, I think, or at least that’s what my gut 
  says. With my own eyes I’ve seen food placed 
  The ceremonies of Relia 
  and Bianes involve songs, 
  elaborate costumes, and 
  significant rituals with 
  hand gestures, key words, 
  and repetitive phrases. 
  Worshippers re-enact 
  myths of the brother 
  and sister overcoming 
  adversity, healing the 
  sick, and even giving 
  life to various kinds of 
  plants and animals as 
  boons to humanity.
  Anders the Jack has—
  unsurprisingly—jack 
  stats (page 154). All 
  Intelligence checks 
  involving biological and 
  virological knowledge 
  have advantage.
  In the Ninth World, 
  words like “pike” or 
  “scorpion” equate to 
  somewhat different 
  creatures than we 
  in the 21st century 
  understand, but these 
  words are used because 
  they are the closest 
  equivalents available.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  65
  THE STEADFAST
  The rift is 200 feet (60 m) wide and runs 
  through the middle of each half of the city, 
  but it’s invisible. Passing through the rift 
  results in a smooth transfer from one side 
  to the other with no sensation of transition. 
  The folk of Rarrow know exactly where the 
  rift lies and have built a plaza around it (a 
  matching plaza exists in Hidden Rarrow), 
  but they don’t mark it in any way, so 
  newcomers sometimes stumble into it by 
  accident. The rift is unmarked because the 
  city’s inhabitants want Hidden Rarrow to 
  remain—well, hidden. They want it to be a 
  sanctuary to which they can flee if invaders 
  ever come to Rarrow. On the other side, 
  defenses are in place—a stone wall and 
  towers to defend against invaders who use 
  the breach with hostile intent. The street in 
  the plaza on the Hidden Rarrow side can be 
  rigged to collapse, and beneath it is a wide 
  pit that the defenders can fill with oil to 
  create a burning “moat.”
  The people of Rarrow are sea traders and 
  fishers. The harbor is a calm but deep port, 
  and a tall lighthouse at the edge of town 
  guides ships in on the frequent cold and 
  foggy nights. The mayor lives in and works 
  out of a large house in the center of town 
  made from the hull of an ancient flying craft 
  of metal. Hidden Rarrow is a sanctuary 
  sought by refugees, those on the run, or 
  those looking to disappear. Rumor has it 
  that if you pay the city a hefty fee, you can 
  get a place to stay for as long as you wish—
  with no questions asked regarding who or 
  what you’re trying to hide from.
  it has an unpleasant odor, but some brave 
  residents believe that the fishing is better 
  near it.
  SCORPION’S REACH
  This sprawling peninsula is filled with the 
  ruins of the prior worlds. Known for its 
  weirdness and mysteries, it is frequented 
  by explorers, discoverers, and numenera 
  scholars. Scorpion’s Reach is also 
  dangerous, offering regular encounters 
  with Oorgolian soldiers, mastigophores, 
  disassemblers, and other remnants of 
  the past.
  RARROW
  If Ishlav is a city built on a city, Rarrow is 
  a city hidden within a city. The founders 
  built it on both sides of a spatial rift. The 
  city on this side of the rift is called Rarrow, 
  but its counterpart on the other side is 
  called Hidden Rarrow. About 5,000 people 
  live in Rarrow, and another 2,000 live in 
  Hidden Rarrow.
  No one knows precisely where Hidden 
  Rarrow lies in relation to Rarrow. Is it in a 
  parallel universe, on another planet, or just 
  elsewhere in this world? Many people have 
  their own theories. Hidden Rarrow seems 
  to have the same or a similar sun, but the 
  moon never appears in the night sky, and 
  the stars are similar but not identical. This 
  latter fact lends credence to the belief that 
  the rift is not spatial in nature but 
  temporal, and that Hidden Rarrow lies 
  further in the future.
  Oorgolian soldiers, 
  page 212
  mastigophores, 
  page 198
  disassemblers, page 167
  Hidden Rarrow is 
  home to a significant 
  marketplace of taboo, 
  forbidden, or dangerous 
  goods. This black 
  market is not an illegal 
  enterprise in the city, but 
  the authorities of other 
  locales hate it, for it is 
  a place where weapons, 
  relics, and worst of all 
  secrets can be bought 
  and sold, and used 
  far beyond Rarrow.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  66
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Despite their use of body-enhancing 
  technology, Jaekels favor simple, traditional 
  weapons, which they typically steal from 
  their captives. It’s long been considered 
  a sign of weakness to use a technological 
  weapon, although that perception is 
  changing, and today you’re more likely to 
  see a mix of weapons among Jaekels. With 
  or without weapons, they are fierce 
  warriors, fighting literally tooth and nail, 
  having turned their bodies into specialized 
  killing machines.
  Jaekels kidnap scholars, tinkerers, 
  and other numenera workers and bring 
  them back to Aras, where they force 
  their prisoners to create stronger, fiercer 
  animalistic elements. For their experiments, 
  they also capture a wide variety of creatures, 
  including humans and abhumans. Rasters 
  are a special favorite, both for their 
  biomechanical wings and for the sport of 
  capturing them and their riders.
  Jaekels build their living, working, and 
  merchant structures from scavenged bits 
  of whatever materials break on the shore 
  of their island. Their boats, however, are 
  another matter, lovingly constructed by 
  an Araska and her crew from the parts of 
  captured and stolen ships. It’s considered a 
  great achievement to capture a vessel from 
  an organized group like Ghan’s merchant 
  fleet and dismantle it entirely before turning 
  it into a new Jaekship (or using the parts on 
  a ship already in progress).
  ARAS ISLAND
  Belonging to no kingdom and bearing 
  the characteristics of no single region, 
  Aras Island stands strong as a bastion of 
  independence, murder, and mayhem. While 
  technically located in Ancuan, the island 
  and the kingdom want nothing to do with 
  each other. Resting just beneath the heel of 
  Scorpion’s Reach, the mountainous island is 
  covered with snow and ice nearly year-round 
  and has an incredibly harsh climate, thanks 
  to offshore quakes, biting winds, and storms 
  that batter the coastline with giant waves.
  The people of Aras are equally harsh. 
  Calling themselves Jaekels—after the giant 
  sea scorpion they worship for its aggressive 
  nature, armored skin, and saw-toothed 
  claws and tails—they revere a bloodthirsty, 
  animalist nature above all things.
  Jaekels emulate this belief in their actions 
  and their physical form. Animalistic surgery 
  (including grafting, genetic manipulation, 
  and implantation) is common, especially 
  among those who ride in the island’s 
  fierce and aggressive water army. It’s not 
  unlikely to find Jaekels in various stages of 
  transformation. Bandages and odd healing 
  accouterments are frequent sights, and 
  claws, teeth, horns, and wings are prized 
  body enhancements. Only those with the 
  highest honors in killing and pillaging, 
  known as Araskas and identified by an 
  intricate pattern of blood tattoos, are 
  deemed worthy of having wings of any sort.
  ANCUAN HEARSAY
  Oracle in a Pool: Dwelling in shallow pools along 
  the western coast is a creature that calls itself 
  Jruve. It looks like a grey and violet slug 12 feet (4 m) 
  long. If you manage to find Jruve, it can reveal three of 
  your possible futures. In return, it asks for a particular 
  kind of numenera device—which it swallows whole.
  Rising Dissent: Members of a Jagged Dream cell in 
  Glavis have been extremely successful of late fomenting 
  dissent against the royal family. With their support, a 
  warlord named Serec the Grudge is gathering an army 
  of rebels to rise up against the king (and likely set up a 
  new, warlike regime). For now, however, this rowdy army 
  simply makes trouble.
  THE WEIRD OF ANCUAN
  House of Holes: Near the middle of Scorpion’s Reach 
  stands a four-sided structure about 50 feet (15 m) tall 
  and 15 feet (5 m) across. The walls are filled with round 
  holes that range from a few inches to a few feet in 
  diameter. Light shines from within the holes, night or 
  day. However, the holes don’t lead inside the building, 
  but rather somewhere else.
  Teardrop Trees: Odd, teardrop-shaped trees grow in a 
  grove near the eastern border. No one has a name for 
  or an understanding of them, but it is known that if 
  any living thing comes near the trees, that thing dies in 
  short order.
  Ghan’s merchant 
  fleet, page 37
  Jagged Dream, page 132
  Some villagers in Ancuan 
  recently awoke with a 
  crystal orb embedded in 
  their chests. The orbs are 
  transmitting something 
  and heat up if damaged.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  67
  THE STEADFAST
  THE WESTERN SEAS
  Few people in the Ninth World realize that 
  the Western Seas extend all the way around 
  the globe, forming the vast, single ocean 
  that surrounds the megacontinent. Ninth 
  Worlders primarily use the seas to travel 
  and trade up and down the long coast. 
  The king of Ghan and his merchant fleet 
  captains believe that a significant island 
  chain lies far beyond the western horizon, 
  however, and they hope to mount an 
  expedition soon.
  The Western Seas are filled with danger 
  and mystery. Those who sail the waters 
  are no stranger to pirates, predators, and 
  horrific storms.
  CORARE SEA
  The Corare Sea is relatively gentle and, as 
  one heads north, quite warm. Although the 
  sea is home to fish of all kinds, stories tell 
  of intelligent predators—part synth, part 
  cetacean—that live in the deeps and come 
  up to hunt.
  FENGALI FOREST
  Located about 100 miles (160 km) off the 
  Steadfast coast, the Fengali Forest consists 
  of around 4,000 acres of submerged trees. 
  The tops of the trees—mostly drowned 
  evergreens, water tupelos, and longbow 
  willows—rise above the water, some by as 
  much as 20 feet (6 m). Beneath the surface, 
  the trees are connected by their tangled, 
  ever-expanding root system.
  Above the water, the branches are 
  threaded with trunked lilies, giant vines 
  lined with poisonous barbs that slither 
  along the treetops like snakes. Once a year, 
  the lilies produce nests of strongly scented 
  orange flowers. These poisonous flowers 
  quickly kill any creatures that eat them; 
  once the host is dead, the flowers cocoon 
  inside the body until they’re ready to sprout. 
  Trunked lilies have been known to swim as 
  far as 100 miles (160 km) to return to the 
  forest of their nesting place.
  A tight clan of humans, known simply as 
  grovers, lives above the water among the 
  branches and trunks in a series of floating 
  platforms and shacks built of scavenged 
  Slying is a common 
  term used to convey 
  a combination of 
  sly and lying. While 
  mostly derogatory, it 
  also carries a hint of 
  respect for someone’s 
  skills at deception.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  68
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  long and at least 3 miles (5 km) deep. 
  Those who brave these black depths face 
  daunting foes but might find great rewards 
  of numenera discoveries.
  ELDAN FIRTH 
  Within the coastline of the Steadfast is a 
  deep inlet with an inhospitable shore of 
  jagged rocks and steep inclines. Called 
  Eldan Firth, this place is home to a species 
  that, unknown to almost anyone, is perhaps 
  the oldest unchanged species on the planet. 
  More than a billion years old, the octopi 
  have inhabited the earth’s seas for longer 
  than any one species has dwelled on dry 
  land. These cephalopods are far more 
  intelligent than anyone has ever guessed, 
  and Ninth World octopi have fashioned their 
  own sophisticated undersea society, cities, 
  and machines. They likely possess great 
  lore, although they have always studiously 
  ignored the activities of creatures that dwell 
  on the surface.
  The Octopoidal Queen reigns from 
  a palace deep in Eldan Firth, ruling her 
  subjects no matter how far they spread out 
  across the seas. The few people on land 
  synth and metal from the ocean. They are 
  not aggressive unless they believe that 
  their clan or forest is in danger. Grovers 
  have become immune to the trunked lilies’ 
  poison and use the vines as whips or lassos 
  against their enemies.
  Far below, almost half a mile beneath the 
  water’s surface, the lower trunks and root 
  systems create a series of reefs, similar to 
  coral reefs, which are home to ocean rifts, 
  sunken numenera, and deep-sea creatures. 
  Among the beasts, root sharks are the most 
  aggressive—fast swimmers and solitary 
  hunters, they lie in wait, camouflaged 
  against trunks or the ocean floor, until their 
  next meal appears. Ghost crabs, some 
  as large as 5 feet (1.5 m) across, weave 
  intricate silica webs between the tangled 
  roots to trap prey. These alabaster crabs, 
  which seem to appear and disappear in 
  the depths, are blind, relying on their finely 
  honed sense of touch to find and devour 
  prey caught in their webs. They’re such 
  talented hunters that even the root sharks 
  give them a wide berth.
  Three long ocean rifts run through the 
  forest, parallel gouges 1 mile (1.5 km) 
  Ghost crab, page 145
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  69
  THE STEADFAST
  “I banish you to the seas,” she told her 
  grandmama, “where you can look up and see 
  me and mama every night.”
  Then our world touched the mark that she 
  bore, her first mark among all the marks that 
  would come, and she said, “Here shall be the 
  most beautiful place on the whole of my body, 
  a sanctuary for all those who are in danger 
  and need saving. When I am old and begin to 
  die, for die I shall”—
  At this, her mama and grandmama began 
  to weep, for they did not want to think of 
  her growing old and dying. But our world 
  continued as if she had not heard.
  —“I shall bid everyone come to this place, 
  this mark, for their final journey, and they shall 
  live there for all of eternity.”
  Hearing that, her mama went to the sky 
  and her grandmama went to the sea, for they 
  saw that already the babe had grown up and 
  was doing wondrous things, and they wanted 
  to see every single one of them.
  And that, my child, is how you came to be 
  born in paradise, on the Island of the Last 
  Migration.
  And that’s how come you have the mark on 
  your shoulder, too—right, grammum?
  Right, child. And soon, you will be old enough 
  to have your own mark. And, as is our tradition, 
  I shall be the one who puts it there.
  The Island of the Last Migration is a 
  starfish-shaped bit of land just off the 
  Steadfast’s western shore. It’s a place of 
  myths, legends, and extraordinary dangers. 
  Once, the island was a paradise, inhabited 
  only by members of the Gutos clan, and its 
  splendor was unparalleled—extinct volcanoes 
  along the skyline, fantastical creatures and 
  foliage of all sizes and colors, tumbling 
  waterfalls to refresh the spirit and the soul.
  Believing themselves to be the descendants 
  of the world-child, members of the Gutos clan 
  tattooed their young children with the mark of 
  their ancestors, forever etching the outline of a 
  handprint on one shoulder.
  Then the island paradise changed. Some 
  Gutos began to retell their version of the 
  world-child myth, believing that the point of 
  the story was not that they were destined to 
  live forever in a place of paradise, but that 
  they were chosen to share this sanctuary 
  who know of her existence understand that 
  it’s wise to speak with her before heading 
  into uncharted waters.
  SEA OF SECRETS
  Cold and dangerous, the Sea of Secrets is 
  beset by ship-devouring serpents, horrific 
  storms, and a wide variety of pirates, the 
  worst of which hail from Ancuan (and the 
  worst of them from Aras Island). As you 
  travel south in the sea, small, hard-to-spot 
  icebergs become a real threat to sailing. It’s 
  said that somewhere to the far south is a city 
  frozen in solid ice, reachable only by a stout 
  ship and a brave and experienced captain.
  THE ISLAND OF 
  THE LAST MIGRATION
  Once, shortly after our world was born, when 
  she still was young and barely a babe upon her 
  mama’s knee, her mean grandmama wanted 
  to steal her away and keep her for her own. 
  And who could blame the old woman? When 
  our world was but a babe, she was twice, three 
  times as beautiful as she is now. A sight to 
  behold, so stunning that even the strongest 
  man fell to his knees at the sight of her.
  Mama was loath to let her go, and the 
  two women fought and fought over the babe, 
  pulling her and pushing her, tugging her 
  between them. Then grandmama did the 
  unthinkable. She slapped the babe, who cried 
  out in pain and fear. The two women, seeing 
  what they had done, they got on their knees 
  and begged for forgiveness and promised to 
  cherish our world forever.
  But our world was already growing up fast. 
  She knew that it would only be a matter of 
  time before her mama and grandmama were 
  at odds again, and she wanted no part of it. 
  She knew the women needed to be separated 
  to protect all the creatures of land and sea and 
  sky that lived within.
  “Look what you have done,” she told them 
  both, and pointed to her shoulder, where the 
  mark of her grandmama’s hand still blazed 
  upon her skin.
  The women bowed their heads, shamed by 
  the power of their love.
  “I banish you to the skies,” she told her 
  mama, “where you can look down and see me 
  and grandmama every morning.”
  One of the most 
  common types of boats 
  used along the coast 
  and on the islands are 
  called drumrunners. 
  These shallow-hulled 
  craft have an aft section 
  shaped a little like a 
  drum, used for stowage.
  Aras Island, page 66
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  70
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  her grandmama. Born in the generation 
  that came after the civil war, Nneka doesn’t 
  believe in the old ways and has refused the 
  mark of her people.
  A tomboyish young woman with short 
  hair dyed bright orange from the crushed 
  wings of calterflies, she dresses in the rags 
  of the dead she finds among the ruins of 
  the cities. Nneka often shirks her duties 
  to spend her days exploring the run-down 
  buildings and factories, and she knows a 
  great deal more about the world beyond the 
  island than she does of her own home.
  Chelvin is a remainder from the great 
  war. This humanoid creature is almost 
  entirely mechanical and was designed 
  with a single purpose: to kill. Equipped 
  with a camouflage-seeking topcoat and 
  four long arms, each of which wields a 
  different type of weapon, Chelvin roams 
  the island without purpose or place to 
  call home. His external construction of 
  smooth manufactured material appears 
  indestructible, but his mind is another 
  matter. Sometimes he attacks animals and 
  humans without provocation, attempting 
  to fulfill his original duties. Other times, he 
  offers whatever assistance he can.
  Nneka seems to be the only person who 
  can guide Chelvin’s hand and mind into 
  doing good. However, there is talk that she 
  is being corrupted by Chelvin’s dangerous 
  side, and that the two of them are beginning 
  to scheme for the island’s destruction.
  Mabon Macabee came to the island to 
  work in one of the early factories in what 
  was then called Guttentown. Unlike the 
  others, most of whom were killed during the 
  war or left when things began to go badly, 
  Mabon settled on the island and refused to 
  leave. Part of the reason is that the weather 
  here seems to ease the longtime aches 
  she’d had in her joints. But part of it is her 
  discovery of the island’s large and intelligent 
  bee population, which was nearly wiped out 
  by industrialization.
  Mabon has become an avid student of 
  the hives and an advocate for their survival, 
  building a home from scavenged materials 
  and honeycombs in the midst of the area’s 
  largest bee population. It’s not unusual to 
  see her surrounded by a giant swarm of 
  with the world. Calling themselves the 
  Gutonons, they parted ways with their 
  clan and touted the promise of paradise to 
  anyone who would listen. They sold bits of 
  the island to anyone with the shins in hand, 
  offering a utopia where disease and danger 
  feared to tread and where the inhabitants 
  were destined to have eternal life.
  Word spread quickly. Soon the island 
  was covered with homes, businesses, and 
  growing cities. Deforestation raged to make 
  room for new buyers. Many species that 
  had originally enticed people to the island’s 
  shores were dead or dying. The water ran 
  black with residue and stink. Among the 
  chaos, a civil war broke out between the 
  Gutos and the Gutonons, and it wasn’t long 
  before the war extended into a full-out battle 
  against the newcomers.
  Their island paradise now a battlefield 
  of dirt and blood, the people began to 
  leave their big homes and businesses. 
  The Gutonons, with the Gutos forever at 
  their throats, left the island or became 
  assimilated back into the larger clan.
  All that stands today are the remnants of 
  a collapsed society. Buildings crumble and 
  fall to the strangling ruin of creeping vines 
  and crawling critters. Cities lie empty but for 
  the roar of wild things raising their young in 
  the dark alleys and black byways. Machines 
  rust into loam and bits of metal that winged 
  creatures use to line their nests.
  Every day, bit by bit, paradise returns to 
  the Island of the Last Migration. And deep 
  in the island’s hidden heart, the Guton clan 
  waits and watches, passing down myths 
  and legends to the babes on their knees, 
  decorating their skin with the mark of their 
  ancestors. For a long time, they thought 
  the world was dying, but now they realize 
  that she has merely been sleeping. When 
  she awakes, and the island with her, clan 
  members will be ready to fulfill their destiny 
  as her chosen ones.
  PEOPLE OF INTEREST
  Nneka is the esteemed child of the pairing 
  of the old and the new. One of the potential 
  future leaders of the clan, she is nearing 
  adulthood, long past the age when she 
  should have received the island’s mark from 
  Nneka has scholar 
  stats (page 157).
  Chelvin has zhev 
  stats (Arcana of the 
  Ancients, page 244).
  Mabon Macabee has 
  specialist stats (page 158).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  71
  THE STEADFAST
  language to tell them that I sense something 
  wicked and wanting in my dreams. It taints 
  even the taste of honey upon the tongue, and 
  turns my thoughts of sweetness to those of 
  stinging fear.
  bees. Sometimes they cover her body like 
  living, buzzing armor; other times, they 
  form the shapes of island creatures for the 
  amusement of local children.
  Mabon is on good terms with the Guton 
  clan members, despite their fear of the 
  bees, and often helps them restore parts 
  of the island to its natural state. Despite 
  the fact that she’s lived on the island for 
  a long time, the children and many adults 
  continue to call her From Far (melding the 
  words of the name together so it sounds 
  like “fromfar”) because she wasn’t born 
  there. She doesn’t seem to mind and even 
  introduces herself as “Fromfar Mabon.”
  My work with the bees continues apace. 
  Ever since I broke the code of their language 
  dance, the queens seem willing to let me into 
  their lives and work, and the others seem 
  to respond well to the training regime I put 
  them under.
  We continue to work toward the future 
  safety of the island, but the work is slow 
  going sometimes. While the suit of armor 
  has proved more difficult than expected—
  the bees accidentally sting me more often 
  than I’d like—we have seen breakthroughs 
  on training the drones to mimic my shape, 
  creating a decoy. I am not sure of its use yet. 
  Although the children delight in seeing two of 
  me, I hope it to have greater implications for 
  the protection of both myself and the island.
  The Guton inquire as to why I feel the 
  need to protect myself, but I do not have the 
  WESTERN SEAS HEARSAY
  The Song of Calling: At times, a strange and 
  alluring song can be heard just off the coast. 
  Reports of sailors and fishers say that if you 
  follow the song, at some point you sail into 
  an entirely different sea, as if your ship passed 
  through some kind of doorway. These reports 
  also speak of rose-colored seas, living islands, 
  and intelligent, four-winged birds. The tales 
  intrigue many bold explorers, who seek the 
  enthralling song so they can discover where it 
  might lead.
  THE WEIRD OF THE 
  WESTERN SEAS
  Fire of the Seas: Throughout the seas, sailors 
  speak of a rare occurrence where green fire 
  arises from the calm waters. Those few who have 
  sailed into the fire (intentionally or otherwise) 
  have found that its flames do not burn, but its 
  warmth transforms matter. The alterations are 
  not as dangerous or violent as those brought by 
  the iron wind, but things bathed in the green fire 
  of the seas change significantly nonetheless.
  The Eloquent Fish: Along the coast of the Sea of 
  Secrets, every once in a while, an impressively 
  large fish breaks the surface near a small boat 
  and attempts to engage the occupants in a 
  conversation in perfect Truth.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  72
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  T
  he Beyond is a very Steadfast-centric 
  term, used essentially to describe any 
  area of the world that isn’t part of the 
  nine kingdoms. As the scope of the world 
  known and understood by even the most 
  learned scholars in the Steadfast is limited, 
  however, what the Beyond technically 
  includes are the lands south of the Caecilian 
  Jungle, west of the Clock of Kala, and north 
  of the Southern Wall.
  The people of the Beyond are even more 
  disparate and isolated from one another 
  than the folk of the Steadfast are. Although 
  these lands are full of would-be rulers, most 
  communities are independent. Many have 
  little contact with the world outside their 
  own limited bounds, and some have none 
  at all. The scattered villages of the Beyond 
  are called aldeia, and most are centered on 
  a clave of Aeon Priests. Due to the perils 
  of the Ninth World, many aldeia don’t 
  welcome strangers. Some of these villages 
  are dangerous in and of themselves, as the 
  inhabitants have taken up cannibalism, 
  human sacrifice, or similar practices.
  THE CLOUDCRYSTAL 
  SKYFIELDS
  To the north of the Steadfast, 
  beyond the Tithe River, float the 
  Cloudcrystal Skyfields. These ever-growing 
  crystalline shards slowly drift high above a 
  plain of the shattered remnants of shards 
  that fell. Some of the shards are as large as 
  cities, and others are as small as a fist. Or 
  a sliver.
  Many consider this area a holy land of 
  sorts. Some so-called sorcerers and priests 
  contend that the crystals are the perfect 
  foci for magical power, and they desire to 
  conduct all of their rituals and ceremonies 
  on, near, or beneath the shards. Oracles 
  supposedly watch the future here. Gods 
  speak to mortals more clearly and more 
  often, thanks to the shards.
  However, most people recognize this 
  arid landscape to be—holy or not—an 
  inhospitable wasteland, particularly in the 
  eastern portion of the region. This area 
  is little more than a desert. In places, a 
  dune sea—pierced with crystal shards—
  dominates as far as the mountains. In the 
  west, there is a bit more life, but the land 
  remains unfit for farming or grazing.
  Dangerous creatures roam the expanse 
  beneath the Skyfields, including a variety of 
  bandits, abhumans, jiraskars, and travonis ul.
  THE CROWD CITY 
  Beneath the floating crystal fields, on 
  an otherwise barren plain, a mass of 
  millions of preserved corpses of humans, 
  abhumans, animals, and strange beasts 
  compose a city. Some mad genius fused 
  these bodies together through unknown 
  means and sculpted them into the shape 
  of buildings, streets, and other structures. 
  THE BEYOND
  CHAPTER 6
  “The Aeon Priests in the 
  Beyond claim to have 
  no allegiance to the 
  Amber Papacy, but you 
  have to admit, having 
  a handful of agents 
  spread throughout 
  that vast region is 
  a wise move for an 
  organization that wants 
  to control the world.”
  ~Narada Trome, 
  anti-papist
  The land beneath the 
  Skyfields is sometimes 
  simply called the 
  Fallen Fields, when it 
  needs differentiation. 
  However, most of the 
  time the entire region 
  is referred to as the 
  Cloudcrystal Skyfields.
  Jiraskar, page 189
  Travonis ul, page 239
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  73
  THE BEYOND
  Stranger still, a mysterious force animates 
  this mass of flesh. Buildings change shape 
  and size, and the entire city moves across 
  the landscape. It usually moves very slowly 
  if at all, but occasionally the Crowd City will 
  be miles from where it once stood in just a 
  matter of weeks.
  Rather than being attracted to the dead 
  bodies, insects and animals generally avoid 
  and even flee from the Crowd City as if 
  repelled by an unseen force.
  No one lives in the Crowd City, but 
  occasionally explorers delve the recesses of 
  its macabre streets and alleyways looking for 
  secrets. Some never return, suggesting that 
  perhaps something does dwell here after all.
  SCORPION SANCTUM
  Standing high above the surrounding 
  desert, the Scorpion Sanctum is one of 
  the three main citadels of the organization 
  that calls itself the Convergence. The area 
  around the sanctum is plagued by chirog 
  raiders, so the magisters within rarely see 
  visitors. However, the abhumans pose little 
  threat to the members of the Convergence 
  themselves, who conduct their bizarre 
  experiments in peace.
  UNSEEN LAKE
  Here, fish appear to swim through the 
  air, and boats float along with nothing 
  supporting them. The Unseen Lake is a 
  large body of water—6 miles (10 km) long 
  and 2 miles (3 km) wide—that is utterly 
  transparent. You can see the floating 
  crystals in the distant skies from its shores.
  The water isn’t just clear, it’s essentially 
  invisible, making the lake look more like 
  a depression filled with flying fish and 
  wavering plant life. The water is normal 
  in all other respects, and if taken from the 
  lake, it takes on a standard appearance 
  after three to four days (unless it’s carefully 
  preserved in a sealed container).
  Stork-headed abhumans with backward-
  bent, hoofed legs dwell in a small village 
  at the northernmost point of the Unseen 
  Lake, subsisting on fish caught in nets from 
  boats. These creatures keep to themselves 
  and flee from other beings if possible.
  Along a road in the 
  Beyond, raindrops 
  never fall. They remain 
  suspended in the air, 
  eventually turning to 
  glowing embers.
  Convergence, page 129
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  74
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  before detaching from the stone around 
  them. Although it seems impossible, these 
  naturally growing stone bubbles have 
  hatches in the bottom, windows on the 
  sides, and interior controls that enable 
  a practiced occupant to steer the sphere 
  through the air in any direction. These 
  spheres function only within Deep Vormask.
  UXPHON
  Along the western edge of the Black Riage 
  mountain range lies Deathwater Canyon. A 
  distinguishing characteristic of the canyon 
  system is the network of huge ceramic pipes 
  that run through it, exiting from the solid 
  rock for a time and disappearing back into a 
  canyon wall. The pipes are 10 to 15 feet (3 to 
  5 m) in diameter and sometimes split into 
  two or three conduits at key junctures. No 
  one has ever determined where the pipeline 
  originates or terminates, but the pipes are 
  said to be empty now, or mostly so.
  DEEP VORMASK
  Deep Vormask lies below a small lake, to the 
  far west of the proper Skyfields. Reaching 
  this enormous limestone cavern involves 
  trekking through miles of winding, difficult 
  tunnels. The cavern itself is 3 miles (5 km) 
  long, and water draining from the lake 
  above creates a waterfall that drops down 
  from the ceiling, forming an underground 
  river. Over this river is a wisp of a stone 
  bridge. On one side of the river lives a 
  group of yovoki; on the other, a small tribe 
  of humans. After long conflicts, these two 
  groups have reached an unstable detente.
  The humans have built shelters from 
  masonry stone and fibrous fungal stalks 
  that resemble wood. They number 
  approximately 400 and have mastered not 
  only the layout of the huge cave but also 
  the miles and miles of tunnels and caves 
  around it. The humans subsist on fungus, 
  cave reptiles, and large subterranean 
  insects, which surface-worlders find to be a 
  more impressive bounty than it sounds.
  Across the river, about 300 yovoki dwell 
  in tiny caves and hollows within the larger 
  cavern. They gather around cookfires 
  when they’re not wandering about the 
  subterranean labyrinths.
  Both groups use an odd, ancient 
  technology found only in Deep Vormask. 
  Within the cave grow round, hollow stone 
  spheres that reach 15 feet (5 m) in diameter 
  CLOUDCRYSTAL SKYFIELDS HEARSAY
  Gaian Spies: By papal edict, the Order of Truth has 
  proclaimed that any spies from the enemy Gaian 
  forces found in the Cloudcrystal Skyfields will be put to death. 
  Proof of executing such a spy earns special dispensations 
  from the Aeon Priests.
  Ritual Escort: A company of theurgists seeks to hire guards 
  for a journey into the Cloudcrystal Skyfields, where they intend 
  to perform a ritual beneath the crystals. Something that they 
  carry to use in the ritual draws strange and hostile creatures 
  that attack the group at every turn.
  Crystal Prospector: An old woman named Filloria Dram wants 
  to harvest portions of one of the floating crystals. She has a 
  deflated hot air balloon in the back of her wagon, but she’s 
  looking for help in reaching the crystal and dealing with the 
  challenges of harvesting it.
  THE WEIRD OF THE 
  CLOUDCRYSTAL SKYFIELDS
  The Garden of Jirzeem: About 150 miles (240 km) north of 
  the Navarene border, you can find a large garden of beautiful 
  blooms, flowering bushes, and long-limbed trees. It appears 
  well tended, but no gardener can ever be found.
  The Wizard: A being who calls itself d’Ambersh traverses the 
  lands beneath the Skyfields on what seems to be a floating 
  rug. It wears flowing robes with a distinctly pointed hood. Tiny 
  creatures, some winged, caper and cavort around d’Ambersh, 
  who calls the creatures its homunculi.
  The Ghost Mountain: Near the center of the region lies an 
  enormous, mist-shrouded peak—maybe. Many who have 
  gone looking for the mountain never find it. Others report 
  finding it without any problem.
  Chirog raiders (Arcana 
  of the Ancients, page 
  154) of the region seek 
  to steal machines and 
  even technological 
  spare parts. Some 
  believe this suggests 
  that they are building 
  or repairing something 
  deep in the desert.
  Yovok, page 243
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  75
  THE BEYOND
  The large city of Uxphon sits at the heart 
  of Deathwater Canyon, amid a central core 
  of the pipe system where something still 
  flows. The 25,000 people that call Uxphon 
  home use the pipes in two ways: the empty 
  conduits have become thoroughfares, and 
  the others radiate heat. The homes of the 
  wealthy abut the warm pipes, which also 
  provide hot and cold running water thanks 
  to some recent ingenious engineering of 
  small pipes.
  Uxphon is a very old city. Seven families 
  that have lived there the longest claim 
  noble status and dwell in ancestral 
  manors. Rumors say that some or all of 
  the buildings have hidden chambers and 
  subterranean levels where the nobles hide 
  their debaucheries, treasures, and greatest 
  secrets. Local thieves claim to have broken 
  into the manors and seen some of these 
  secret places, but most such boasts are 
  probably lies. Of course, that doesn’t mean 
  the hidden chambers don’t exist.
  Uxphon has a large slave population, 
  and the city’s slave market is renowned. It’s 
  fueled by the gladiatorial arena, where 
  well-trained slave combatants fight each 
  other as well as captive beasts. Successful 
  gladiators not only win their freedom but 
  can also become wealthy in their own right.
  THE BLACK RIAGE
  A great, dark mountain range that 
  is the primary natural division 
  between the Steadfast and the Beyond, the 
  Black Riage is a place of both difficulty and 
  danger. The inhabitants of villages 
  scattered throughout its expanse are 
  trappers or herders of rock goats or similar 
  creatures. A wide variety of abhuman tribes 
  also dwell in the mountains, including 
  margr, chirogs, and sathosh, as well as 
  stranger, rarer breeds.
  Three main passes lead through the 
  Black Riage, although other, secret passes 
  exist as well. The main routes—Tremble 
  Pass, Cerdyn’s Pass, and Garl Nave—
  offer caravans and travelers the means 
  to cross the mountains without undue 
  difficulty, although the paths are steep and 
  sometimes narrow. In the winter, all three 
  Tetrahydra, page 237 
  Margr, page 197
  Chirog, page 154
  Sathosh, page 232
  The current champion 
  of the arena is Llaritan 
  (deadly warrior stats, 
  page 151), a woman 
  infamous for her 
  use of magnetism 
  to wield multiple 
  weapons at once.
  In the nearby town 
  of Sun Passes By, it’s 
  possible to hire a mostly 
  tame tetrahydra to fly 
  you all the way to the 
  lands of the east, to the 
  town of Sagus Cliffs.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  76
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  EMPTY SANCTUM 
  One of the three main citadels of the 
  Convergence, the Empty Sanctum is not 
  empty at all, despite its name. It’s located in 
  the foothills at the edge of the mountains, 
  and the local people—who are few—stay 
  away, considering the citadel to be a place 
  of great evil.
  MENCALA PEAK
  The rumbling volcano called Mencala Peak 
  is another tall mountain in the Black Riage. 
  It’s the home of not one but two tribes of 
  savage lattimors that attack humans—and 
  anyone else, including each other—on sight.
  The atypically vicious lattimors of 
  Mencala Peak are said by some to worship 
  dark gods. Other people, however, believe 
  their hate has been bred by generations of 
  poor treatment at the hands of local human 
  inhabitants, whose bones now litter the 
  stony sides of the mountain.
  HIDDEN NARESH
  Deep in the Black Riage, tucked away 
  as if by accident, like a cheap ring fallen 
  from a finger into the depths of a pocket, 
  rests Hidden Naresh. With around 1,000 
  inhabitants, Hidden Naresh is a toadstool 
  of a city, growing in the dark, sucking 
  the nutrients from the world around it, 
  poisoning the air and the minds of its 
  inhabitants with every passing moment of 
  its existence.
  Here the light is low, and the morale 
  more so. Yet in order to pass through the 
  mountains on this route, you must also pass 
  through the morass that is Hidden Naresh.
  This is how Hidden Naresh eats you 
  alive: enter from the west, the land of the 
  Steadfast, where most is clean and kind and 
  light, where there is rule and law that can 
  be grasped by even the simplest of minds. 
  Leave behind the light, the law, the living. 
  Enter the world of the dark, the destroyed, 
  the dead. The gates of Hidden Naresh stand 
  pale and phosphorescent in the darkness. 
  Near them, and you’ll see the faces of those 
  who serve as gateposts. Nearer still and you 
  will see the holes that line the luminescent 
  bodies, row upon row of perfect dark wells 
  in the flesh. Too near, and you’ll see that 
  become very dangerous, and the southern 
  two are almost certainly blocked, leaving 
  Tremble Pass as the only possibly clear 
  passage through the region.
  MT. ZANLIS
  The tallest mountains in the Black Riage at 
  23,000 feet (7,000 m), Mt. Zanlis is also 
  known as the Dark Master. Most of those 
  who dwell within 100 miles (160 km) of the 
  peak believe it to be some kind of living 
  being possessed of great power, though 
  whether god or devil none can say. Aeon 
  Priests investigating the area suggest that 
  the mountain’s core might be artificial, 
  housing a machine intelligence with the 
  ability to affect reality on a fundamental level. 
  The potential motives, goals, or outlook 
  of such an intelligence remain entirely 
  conjecture. However, the locals talk of 
  green rain, acidic hail, other weird weather, 
  unexplained lights, changes in gravity or 
  the flow of time, the sudden appearance of 
  strange creatures on the mountain’s slopes, 
  and the disappearance of travelers, hunters, 
  or others that got too close. And yet some 
  explorers have traversed the region many 
  times without incident.
  LEGRASH
  Legrash is a mud-soaked, flea-infested, 
  disgusting collection of hovels whose dirty, 
  disease-ridden residents prey, one way or 
  another, upon the travelers trying to use 
  Tremble Pass, particularly pilgrims of the 
  Wandering Walk. The locals say “lay-graus,” 
  but we call the place Leg-Rash, and there’s 
  good reason. I wouldn’t stay in that place any 
  longer than I had to unless I wanted to get 
  some kind of rash, or far worse. Stay the night 
  in one of their two inns? No thank you.
  About 500 people live in Leg-Rash, and 
  every one of them is a degenerate, from the 
  storekeepers and merchants who triple any 
  reasonable price for anything you might want, 
  to the even less ambitious folk who will just 
  slit your throat for the shins in your pocket, 
  assuming they can get up off their drunk, lazy 
  asses long enough to do it.
  —Tellus Fertrek, merchant caravan guard
  Lattimor, page 138
  Legend has it that one 
  person was able to 
  contact the intelligence 
  in Mt. Zanlis. She did 
  so by finding a secret 
  chamber at the heart of 
  the mountain. Finding it 
  again proved impossible. 
  Some speculate that the 
  mountain can reshape 
  itself as it needs to.
  Wandering Walk, page 88
  Convergence, page 129
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  77
  THE BEYOND
  Most abundant are offerings of mycos—any 
  number of mind-altering and mind-enhancing 
  drugs made from the mushrooms, fungi, 
  and algae that are both wild-growing and 
  cultivated in the city. Perhaps the cheapest 
  thing in Hidden Naresh is your own death, 
  proffered up for little more than what you 
  might have in your pockets.
  If you see red and blue lights glowing 
  in the darkness, they may call like sirens, 
  urging you forward so that you might see 
  something at last, but do not follow them. 
  These are the algae farms, stagnant pools of 
  liquid where the most potent of the mycos 
  are grown. Along the surface of each pool, 
  blue and green and purple strains of algae 
  thrive beneath the red and blue lights. 
  Sharing the pools with the algae are the 
  worst of the mycos addicts, barely cognizant 
  creatures who no longer notice or care that 
  they’ve become little more than living fuel to 
  power the lights embedded in their bodies.
  Ask anyone on the street who rules 
  Hidden Naresh, and they’ll say, “No one,” 
  or perhaps, “Me.” But in truth, the city is 
  ruled by The Sorcan, a man so riddled with 
  implants and upgrades that it’s almost 
  impossible to tell whether he truly is—or 
  ever was—human. He gives off a weird glow, 
  sometimes yellow and sometimes orange, 
  but it’s hard to say whether it comes directly 
  from his skin or from his biomechanical 
  parts. He is often found traipsing the rotting 
  wood walkways of the city, followed by his 
  harem of Nibovian wives, who protect him 
  in return for the safe space and fertile men 
  he provides.
  The Sorcan is not ruthless, for to be 
  ruthless one must care, at least a little. 
  Instead, he seems entirely unconcerned 
  with the rabble and filth at his feet. Rumor 
  hints that he does not sleep with his 
  Nibovian wives, nor with any other creature 
  that inhabits the town, that he does not eat, 
  and that he does little in the way of ruling. 
  He seems utterly content to let the city grow 
  as it will and exist as it will, as long as he 
  can walk the darkness and retreat to his 
  simple stone house in the city’s south end. 
  There are those who say that The Sorcan 
  has fallen to the power of the mycos, and 
  perhaps he has. But other whispers tell of 
  the holes are not empty. Inside each one, 
  a wormlike creature wiggles and pulses, 
  thrusting its pale head into the world, blind 
  eyes and open mouth searching the air from 
  inside its black den. Do not look into the 
  gaze of those who stand guard at the gate, 
  for they are also filled with emptiness, with 
  wriggling grubs for the whites of their eyes.
  As you attempt to pass between the 
  gateposts, the worm-things extend farther 
  from their body caves, brushing against 
  your hands, your wrists, your face. Do not 
  harm them. Let them seek comfort in your 
  touch. It’s been so long since they’ve had 
  skin to brush against.
  You may pass if you can stomach 
  the understanding that this is just the 
  beginning. That your travels will get worse 
  before they get better. That it’s not your 
  body that is in danger here, but your mind, 
  your very sanity. This is the dark legacy—the 
  deadly promise—that is Hidden Naresh.
  Step farther, come inside. Here, you’ll find 
  the stench of growing and dying things so 
  ripe that you wonder if a death from lack of 
  air would be preferable to being alive and 
  breathing this foul exhaust. Beneath your 
  feet, mud sucks at your steps, as if seeking 
  to drag you into the depths. The wooden 
  walkways, of which there are few, sag with 
  rot and mildew. Structures are built into the 
  mountain crags, atop the rotting skeletons 
  of other buildings, from hanging tendrils 
  high above, and even on stilts that sink 
  deep into the muck. The black liquid that 
  runs down the stone and across the toes of 
  your boots is thick and viscous. Mushrooms 
  and fungi line every surface with ghostly 
  pale bodies.
  When your eyes adjust, you’ll see that what 
  first appeared to be a city empty of life quickly 
  becomes a city of moving, breathing shadows. 
  Tucked into every bit of blackness is a pair of 
  eyes, a dirty mouth, groping hands. A few are 
  human, although the dirt and darkness make 
  it hard to tell. Others are clearly something 
  else, a fact easily discovered by a rusted 
  squeal of metal, a slither of tentacle, the clack 
  of bone on bone. Some might offer wares, 
  while others beg for an offering of food or 
  drink. Sex is easily had for a sum, should you 
  dare to risk it, as are creatures and trinkets. 
  A nano made of cracked 
  and stained synth 
  wanders the Beyond, 
  looking for something it 
  calls “The Hungry City.”
  The Sorcan has 
  nano exemplar 
  stats (page 156).
  Nibovian wife, page 147
  The guardians of Hidden 
  Naresh are humans 
  genetically modified to 
  be hosts of poisonous 
  wormlike creatures. The 
  guards have legionary 
  stats (page 154), and 
  when the guard hits with 
  a melee attack, the target 
  creature must succeed 
  on a DC 13 Constitution 
  save. Failure results in 
  two levels of exhaustion.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  78
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  field makes it seem that the sun always 
  appears in his hands, regardless of the 
  time of day or even the weather. At night, 
  the figure appears to be holding the moon, 
  which is always full.
  About 300 years ago, people came to 
  the canyon and discovered the massive 
  statue, which rises 400 feet (122 m) into 
  the sky. They called it Curtar and built their 
  community around its base. To the hardy 
  and faithful folk of this city, Curtar is the 
  creator of the universe and the bringer and 
  sustainer of life. Most of the 3,000 people 
  of the town, Curtaris, belong to this cult and 
  spend their lives trying to enact the will of 
  their god.
  The people of Curtaris are forbidden to 
  leave the canyon. The doctrines of Curtar 
  state that any straying from the canyon 
  will be cursed with a horrific plague, which 
  means that any who do sneak away can 
  never return. But few people ever try to 
  leave. They remain in Curtaris their whole 
  lives, growing their food and creating 
  whatever they need.
  Somei is the leader of the city and the 
  cult. Extremely intelligent and capable, 
  she is faithfully devoted to Curtar and the 
  community.
  In the main square of Curtaris stands a 
  massive synth screen, measuring almost 
  15 feet (5 m) across. From a panel in her 
  chambers, Somei controls the images that 
  appear on the screen, broadcast for all to 
  see. She uses this to convey information to 
  the populace as well as to conduct religious 
  rites with the entirety of the population at 
  once, every morning at dawn and every 
  evening at dusk.
  THE SLANT MILIEU
  There is a place where the rocks whistle 
  lullabies to their pebbled children, where 
  even the stoutest trees and the angriest 
  mountains bow before the press of invisible 
  hands, where a man would take his life 
  before he fought to stand straight against 
  the wail of the welkerwind. There is a place 
  where the sound of terror is silent and where 
  the deadliest foe is an invisible twist of air.
  That place is the Slant Milieu.
  darker attractions within the city that hold 
  his attentions.
  Perhaps, if you’ve made it this far with your 
  mind and body intact, you are the person to 
  ask him. Perhaps he’ll even tell you.
  TITANIC RIDGE
  A place where stone meets sky to pose 
  tantalizing dangers, the so-called Titanic 
  Ridge is a very high, sheer drop-off 
  slicing its way through the Black Riage. 
  The ridge rises 10,000 feet (3,000 m) 
  above its base. A series of metal towers 
  runs the length of the cliff top, about 15 
  miles (24 km). Because these towers are 
  covered with red and blue lights, most still 
  functional, they are best seen at night. It’s 
  said that those who manage to scale the 
  cliffs find that the towers are associated 
  with an interdimensional gate and nigh-
  incomprehensible beings composed of 
  matter and energy at the same time.
  CURTARIS
  It’s hard to find, but if you go looking for 
  it, you might find a long box canyon on the 
  eastern edge of the Black Riage mountains. 
  At the end of the canyon stands an 
  enormous statue of a vaguely human figure. 
  Holding his hands above his head, the 
  seated man appears to be holding the sun 
  aloft in the sky. In fact, a visual distortion 
  Somei has aristocrat 
  stats (page 151).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  79
  THE BEYOND
  There is much to fear in the Slant besides 
  the welkerwind. Creatures of the area have 
  adapted a variety of mechanisms, many 
  of them dangerous, to defend themselves 
  and their young against the high winds. 
  For example, the sessils are low-crawling 
  marsupials whose young spend their early 
  lives in pouches being dragged along the 
  ground, and the lofty boab gliders are 
  flying carnivores that use the wind to their 
  advantage when diving down toward prey.
  The large carnivorous insects known 
  as caffa have perhaps become the most 
  dangerous of all. With their cloaked eyes 
  and their wings of iridescent goldgleam, 
  caffa have learned to navigate at ground 
  level and below, flying through the tunneled 
  mazes beneath the earth. A flap of their 
  strong wings is enough to send a man 
  flying. Two flaps, and a man will find the 
  wind a far easier force to withstand.
  At certain times of the year, a single wing 
  flutter also releases a spray of eggs, all of 
  which dig into the ground to cocoon before 
  becoming caffa larvae—ravenous creatures 
  that appreciate the taste of corpses as well 
  as that of living flesh. A caffa larva can eat 
  ten times its weight in a single night.
  Caffa are also one of the few reasons 
  anyone would choose to brave such a place 
  as the Slant. Their goldgleam wings are 
  coveted by those in more civilized places 
  for decorative purposes, and the cocoons 
  of their young are gathered and spun into 
  silster, a nearly unbreakable golden thread. 
  The welkerwind—the fierce, angry blow 
  that storms down off the Black Riage almost 
  constantly—is both the Slant’s savior 
  and its jailer. The wide strip of land in the 
  Beyond is pummeled day in and day out, 
  its trees bending sideways, its mountains 
  turning their pointed tops toward the 
  ground. The few creatures and fewer people 
  who brave the elements to live here have 
  become stooped and hunched. Low and 
  slow is the common refrain among the 
  people of the Slant.
  The trees in the area bend at sharp angles, 
  typically a foot or two above the ground. This 
  creates unusual shapes that are coveted by 
  ship-builders, carpenters, and others who 
  work with wood. Those who can get in and 
  out of the area with both a tree and their life 
  intact easily find a buyer for the first (and 
  are glad to have the second). Enterprising 
  business owners have tried planting certain 
  types of trees here, attempting to create 
  nurseries, but the welkerwind scatters a 
  huge percentage of those saplings long 
  before they can take root.
  There are few towns in the Slant, if they 
  can even be called towns. Those who live in 
  them call them burrows, and truly that is a 
  better term. Each collection of humans lives 
  in a handful of underground rooms and 
  interconnected tunnels. The tunnels were 
  built not by their current inhabitants but by 
  someone or something long ago. They wind 
  on in a seemingly endless tangle, far more 
  extensive than needed to house the small 
  number of people living there today.
  The residents carefully seal off the tunnels 
  past the point where they need the passages 
  to survive, using a mix of 
  mud and wind-rounded 
  pebbles common to 
  the area. The seals not 
  only protect them from 
  additional windways 
  but also decrease 
  the chance of attack. 
  Well-protected, 
  windless burrows are 
  much in demand by 
  other humans and by 
  creatures who seek 
  shelter.
  Caffa, page 144
  In the aldeia of Evril, 
  everyone near death is 
  visited by a flock of green 
  birds; it stays until death, 
  even if this takes days.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  80
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  world. They and their families stay on, 
  thieving, killing, and selling their spoils to 
  those who walk the goldgleam route.
  There are two standing structures in the 
  Slant: the windmoldens and the Susurrus. 
  The windmoldens are as black as night and 
  hundreds of feet tall, with multiple long 
  arms that catch the wind. Built from an 
  unknown material that not only withstands 
  the gale but captures and contains it, the 
  windmoldens seem capable of producing 
  enormous amounts of energy if only 
  someone could discern how.
  The Susurrus rises nearly 100 feet (30 m) 
  and is built of a variety of metal and synth 
  tubes in a wide range of sizes, all placed 
  at seemingly haphazard angles. Broken 
  whirligigs swirl wildly at the end of some of 
  the tubes, while torn flags whip at others. 
  Bits of glass and stone hang from silster 
  threads, banging into each other. It seems 
  impossible that such a slipshod structure 
  could stand the test of time and wind.
  Those with an ear for music, however, 
  quickly find that the Susurrus is the opposite 
  of slapdash. In fact, at any given angle and 
  strength of wind, the structure provides not 
  wind resistance but wind passage, creating 
  haunting, ethereal music that can be heard 
  throughout the Slant and beyond.
  INGWALD
  At the far end of Garl Nave, the 
  southernmost pass through the Black 
  Riage, crouches a modest-sized town called 
  Ingwald. Once the home of hunters and 
  trappers that traverse the mountains to the 
  west and the forest to the east, Ingwald is 
  now better known as a town of cutthroats 
  and thieves. The de facto ruler of Ingwald 
  is a lattimor named Gravish-Morel, who 
  commands a band of river pirates that 
  operate on the Welbyway. Before Gravish-
  Morel and his scoundrels came to town, 
  the community was led by Tarae, a rugged 
  human woman who had worked as a scout 
  and guide before accepting the mantle of 
  leadership. No one knows where Tarae 
  is now. The pirates and thieves have run 
  things in Ingwald for more than a year.
  Because of their small size, many caffa 
  wings and cocoons must be collected to 
  produce even a meager trade amount, but 
  the profit is so high that many are willing to 
  take the risk. Those who trek the caffa trade 
  route, carrying goldgleam and silster from 
  the Slant to those who desire it, will likely 
  find themselves well rewarded, should they 
  safely make the trip.
  After the caffa, other humans are perhaps 
  the most dangerous creatures to life and 
  limb here. Abhumans sometimes seek 
  shelter in the burrows, alone or in groups. 
  The Slant has a criminal contingency as 
  well. Long ago, Challadien II, the former 
  empress of the Pytharon Empire and a 
  woman with a special affinity for goldgleam 
  and silster, sent a large group of criminals 
  and guards to the area in the hopes of 
  bringing back quantities large enough to 
  satisfy her needs. Her plan was for the 
  criminals to stay as harvesters while her 
  guards traveled back and forth with the 
  goods. But her guards never returned, and 
  the criminals discovered that they’d been 
  sent to the perfect place to hide from the 
  Lattimor, page 138
  Gravish-Morel has 
  warlord stats (page 159). 
  He also has a fire 
  shield relic.
  Fire Shield
  Relic, very rare 
  (requires attunement)
  When an action is used 
  to activate, this device 
  grants you +3 bonus to 
  AC for 1 minute, during 
  which time all creatures 
  within a 10-foot sphere 
  centered on you must 
  succeed on a DC 15 
  Dexterity save or suffer 
  4d6 fire damage, or half 
  that if successful, the first 
  time they enter the area.
  BLACK RIAGE HEARSAY
  Roots of the Mountain: Far below Mt. 
  Jaspar in the southern part of the range 
  is a small subterranean civilization of bestial, 
  almost apelike abhumans. Unlike most of their 
  kind, they don’t raid human settlements—in fact, 
  they never leave their own unlit realm—but they 
  are quite hostile to intruders. Rumor has it that 
  these abhumans possess a powerful numenera 
  device that restores full health to those nearly 
  dead and even gives life to those recently slain.
  Rock Slide: An avalanche in the mountains has 
  completely cut off a small village from the rest 
  of the world. The people there need food and 
  medicine, but no one knows how to reach them.
  THE WEIRD OF 
  THE BLACK RIAGE
  Mystic Alignment: At a certain spot in the 
  northern part of the Black Riage, the mountain 
  peaks—when seen from above—resemble 
  the positions of the stars in the northern sky 
  overhead. A skilled astronomer will tell you that 
  the positioning is not a precise match, but in 
  twenty-three years, it will be.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  81
  THE BEYOND
  from camp to camp (and sometimes even 
  within the same camp). Explorers can also 
  purchase slightly used tools, as well as great 
  quantities of tifo fruits, a bitter podfruit that 
  is extolled for its ability to calm nerves.
  There are believed to be at least five 
  wonders within the confines of the jungle:
  • Le Temple de Frogue: A giant stone temple 
  of a humanoid frog rests in the middle of a 
  swampy river. A fertility symbol, the frogoid 
  invites explorers into her temple through 
  the open doorway between her legs. 
  Her lower levels are covered in the deep 
  swamp that surrounds her. Frogs, newts, 
  flying fish, and other amphibious creatures 
  flock to her.
  • The Wild Garden: A wall of electricity 
  10 feet (3 m) high surrounds a carefully 
  tended garden of genetically enhanced 
  carnivorous plants. Members of the 
  Sarracenians, a group of scholars that 
  studies and worships unique plants, often 
  claim that the Wild Garden is their mecca.
  • Archeol: In this miniature city, each 
  building stands no taller than a human’s 
  knees. The inhabitants are sometimes 
  said to be supernatural beings, 
  CAECILIAN JUNGLE
  Woods. Water. Wind. Rain. These 
  attributes define the Caecilian 
  Jungle. Other people use harsher words. 
  Death. Destruction. Monsters. Madness.
  Covering more than 500 square miles (1,300 
  sq. km), the Caecilian Jungle is dense with 
  trees, underbrush, rivers, fog, and rain. Natural 
  and mechanical creatures stalk its shores, lie 
  in wait along the branches, and wing their way 
  down upon prey in the dark of night.
  Why go at all, then? Why enter its dark 
  borders and risk life, limb, and sanity? The 
  jungle has treasures to be found, ancient 
  gods to be awoken, and wonders to be 
  discovered. Despite the fact that there are 
  no known reports of anyone returning from 
  a visit to the Caecilian, believers continue to 
  plan expeditions to its tangled innards.
  Makeshift camps have sprung up at 
  various points around the edges of the 
  jungle. Typically created by people who 
  canceled their trek at the last minute, 
  these camps are places of shelter and 
  information sharing. They sell jungle maps 
  that point out the locations of various gods 
  and features, but every map is different 
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  82
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Here, among my own kind, resting at the 
  feet of my own image, surrounded by my own 
  self, I am at home. I deserve the mud and 
  muck, surely, but only because the mud is 
  reverence, the muck is godlike, because this is 
  perfection and I wear its blessing.
  —The Frog King
  Located deep in the heart of the Caecilian 
  Jungle, Le Temple de Frogue is a much 
  sought-after fertility symbol. Rumors tell 
  tales of spontaneous pregnancies, beneficial 
  mutations, and increased fertility. The 
  humanoid frog remains silent on the issue, 
  inviting explorers to discover for themselves 
  what awaits inside her temple door.
  Just inside her front door is a round great 
  room. While there, look up—you can see 
  all the way to the curved roof, and you’ll 
  catch glimpses of the seven floors above the 
  ground level.
  The great room features a large, clear 
  waterfall that flows from the top floor and 
  splashes to the swamp below. Inside the 
  curtain of water rest two synth statues of 
  tadpoles, positioned as if they’re swimming 
  up the falls. Despite their age and the 
  pressure of the water, the tadpoles are 
  pristine, their careful etchings and details 
  still intact. At the top of the falls, high 
  above, sits a smaller replica of Le Temple, 
  her frog legs spread wide on either side 
  of the water. This is clearly an altar to Le 
  Temple, although no offerings can be seen.
  In addition to the seven floors that rise 
  above the main level, there are also rooms 
  inside each of the legs as well as beneath 
  the ground floor (although those are 
  flooded with swamp water; travelers need 
  water skills or equipment to explore them at 
  length).
  At the far wall, visitors can raise or lower 
  a mechanical platform to reach the upper 
  floors. Despite its age, the platform works 
  smoothly, giving the impression that it’s 
  used regularly.
  The Frog King, a frogoid mutant who was 
  scorned and ostracized by his family and 
  society for his amphibian appearance and 
  habits, has taken Le Temple for his wife. He 
  haunts her internal rooms, believing that all 
  frogs within the temple are their children. 
  sometimes mechanical, and sometimes 
  just very small humans. Clearly, 
  someone still uses the city, but they’re 
  either invisible or adept at hiding.
  • The Malingering Valley: This deep, 
  dark cut through the earth is always in 
  unnatural shadow. Cold springs that run 
  underground erupt regularly in spouts 
  of cold water, ice steam, and small 
  creatures carried from the depths.
  • The Westwind: This jungle element 
  is ever moving within its area, a 
  corkscrewed tornado that carries 
  trees, animals, and all manner of 
  debris in its circular grip. Changing in 
  size depending on what it holds, the 
  diameter of the Westwind can be as 
  small as a human or as large as 30 feet 
  (9 m) across. Its destructive path is easy 
  to follow, as it’s strong enough to rip 
  trees from the ground and drag large 
  objects for long distances. 
  If you could look at the Caecilian Jungle 
  from the air, you’d see that the vast forest 
  still holds much of its original shape: an 
  oblong star with five points. Along the 
  edges, where the forest meets the rest of the 
  world, the trees are taller and darker, close 
  enough and tight enough to create a living 
  wall. At the widest section of each point, 
  right before it joins the center of the star 
  shape, sits one of the five wonders. Although 
  the jungle is overgrown and tangled now, it 
  seems to have been the careful creation of 
  loving—and very large—hands.
  LE TEMPLE DE FROGUE
  Here, at last, lies the thing I have been 
  searching for all of these years. Others scoffed, 
  sure. Still others questioned my sanity. Because 
  that is what one does when placed next to 
  brilliance. In coming up short, they must regain 
  their status by what they tell themselves about 
  me. It all comes back to me, clearly, just as it 
  came back to me to do what was asked of me.
  The gods never talked to me, not a one of 
  them, not even when I was little and needed 
  someone to tell me that I was acceptable, not 
  a monster, not a hideous, horrendous thing 
  that deserved to be stuffed deep into the mud 
  and muck. No.
  Despite the fact that 
  she’s kept her silent, 
  unmoving vigil for years, 
  Le Temple is not entirely 
  unliving. If she deems 
  that those who come 
  to her door are worthy, 
  she assists them in their 
  fight against the Frog 
  King but not against his 
  armies—that, explorers 
  must do on their own. 
  To be considered worthy, 
  a visitor must make an 
  attempt (no matter how 
  fumbling) to worship at 
  the altar just inside her 
  front door. Le Temple’s 
  assistance comes in the 
  form of her blessing, 
  which temporarily gives 
  one chosen ally froglike 
  reflexes (advantage on 
  all Dexterity checks, 
  saves, and attacks) while 
  imposing disadvantage 
  on the attacks against the 
  character made by the 
  Frog King. The blessing 
  lasts for 10 minutes.
  The Frog King has 
  Glaive stats (page 
  153), plus additional 
  Frog King abilities.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  83
  THE BEYOND
  The anura seem endless, but each one is 
  fairly easy to conquer. The real danger is the 
  potential to be overwhelmed by the sheer 
  volume of attackers.
  He is jealous and paranoid of any who 
  come to worship at the altar of his bride, 
  believing that they intend to take his place 
  as her rightful husband and king.
  In his time at the temple, he has 
  discovered some of the numenera left by 
  former worshippers and has puzzled out 
  its secrets. Using the devices, the Frog King 
  has created an army of anura: followers built 
  of mud, living frogs, and dead worshippers. 
  Due to experimentation and the occasional 
  lack of appropriate parts, anura vary in 
  appearance. One might have a body of mud, 
  the limbs of dead worshippers, and two frog 
  heads trained for attacking. Another might 
  have a human head and body with frog 
  limbs that allow it to move rapidly toward 
  opponents. The king considers the anura to 
  be his true children, as they carry elements 
  of both himself and Le Temple.
  The Frog King fights out of jealousy and 
  paranoia. He is less interested in protecting 
  his queen and his young than he is in 
  protecting his own place as Le Temple’s 
  husband. He sends his army of anura to 
  deal with intruders and shows himself only 
  after most of them have been slain.
  ADDITIONAL FROG 
  KING ABILITIES
  Standing Leap. The Frog King’s long jump is up 
  to 100 feet and his high jump is up to 50 feet, 
  with or without a running start.
  Poison Aura. The Frog King constantly emits a 
  seeping poison, such that his attacks deal an 
  extra 9 (2d8) poison damage on a hit.
  ACTIONS
  Jumping Kick. If the Frog King jumps at least 15 
  feet as part of his movement, he can then use 
  this action to land on his feet in a space adjacent 
  to another creature and make a melee attack. If 
  that attack inflicts damage, the creature is also 
  knocked prone.
  Anura have uncommon 
  animal stats (page 148).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  84
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  THE EMPTY MACHINE 
  In the vast fields east of the Black Riage, 
  but west of the Dessanedi fields that have 
  no name, you can find the Empty Machine. 
  It’s easy to do—you can see it from miles 
  away because the large machine stands out 
  among the flat fields. It resembles a wide 
  spear point that fell from the heavens and 
  plunged into the earth.
  The lower portion of the machine is a 
  scarred shell of metal, and the upper part 
  is a strange tangle of twisting cylinders, 
  globes, tubes, and things that have no name 
  in the Ninth World. The entire machine rises 
  600 feet (185 m) into the air, and the widest 
  point—itself 200 feet (60 m) above the 
  ground—is about 800 feet (245 m) across.
  Huge hatchways hang open in various 
  parts of the machine, and people have 
  cut or blasted entrances and exits in other 
  areas. The interior is a maze that stretches 
  throughout the machine, seeming to follow 
  little pattern or logic. Tiny corridors lead to 
  enormous echoing chambers, wide access 
  tubes lead nowhere, and everywhere you 
  explore, you find—nothing.
  At least, mostly nothing. The interior of the 
  machine seems to have no moving parts, no 
  mechanisms, no controls. The rooms give no 
  hint of their original use, if any. But the Empty 
  Machine is no longer empty because it has 
  been inhabited by various creatures and people 
  over the years, each trying to lay claim to all or 
  part of the structure, always with mixed results.
  THE PLAINS 
  OF KATARU
  A large, sprawling region, the Plains 
  of Kataru stretch from the southern end of 
  the Caecilian Jungle to the northern edge 
  of the Ba-Adenu Forest. The northernmost 
  part of the plains is somewhat arid, but the 
  rolling flatlands farther south are fertile 
  and temperate.
  Wild herds of swift espron and plodding 
  reptilian camethosaurs roam the plains, 
  preyed upon by callerail and ithsyn.
  There are no cities on the plains, but 
  small towns and aldeia, mostly farming 
  communities, dot the landscape. The farmers 
  grow wheat, beans, and vegetables of all 
  kinds. Most of these small communities are 
  self-sufficient, though they occasionally trade 
  with caravans from the Steadfast that travel 
  across the Black Riage on their way to Augur-
  Kala. But these are rare.
  There are also nomadic tribes of human 
  hunters that erect temporary villages of 
  hide tents and yurts on the plains. These 
  tribes tame the espron and ride them as 
  mounts. Some of the nomads have turned 
  to raiding more settled communities and 
  even other tribes.
  Terrible storms sometimes cross the 
  Plains of Kataru, particularly in the spring. 
  Cyclones, fierce hail, flash floods, and 
  lightning strikes are serious dangers.
  CAECILIAN HEARSAY
  The Trapped Man: Rumor has it that a man named 
  Rorvic is trapped within Le Temple de Frogue, held 
  prisoner by the king. Rorvic knows the location of a vast hoard 
  of valuable treasures and secrets of the past.
  The Blue Ache: A terrible disease called the Blue Ache has 
  broken out in a village south of the jungle, and scholars who 
  study plants say the cure is a rare leaf found only in the depths 
  of the Caecilian.
  The Seven Pyramids: Seven vaguely pyramid-shaped devices 
  of unearthly metal are thought to be keyed to the Caecilian 
  Jungle. These numenera devices hail from some other 
  world, but if gathered, they give a pair of users (it must be 
  two individuals) strange control over the very nature of the 
  jungle, suggesting a clue to its origins. The pyramids were 
  gathered by a woman named Daiwesi 400 years ago, but then, 
  for reasons unknown, they were scattered across the Ninth 
  World. They have not been recovered since.
  THE WEIRD OF THE CAECILIAN JUNGLE
  The Pit of Horrors: Within the confines of the jungle lies a 
  dark pit of unknown depths. Machines appearing to be little 
  more than an elaborate mass of mechanized blades and 
  almost serpentlike mouths lurch out of the pit from time to 
  time, grab whatever living creatures they come upon, and drag 
  them down into the pit, never to be seen again.
  The Undying Tribe: A tribe of humans in the jungle that practices 
  cannibalism. For reasons unknown, these people do not seem 
  to age past maturity. Their violent lives are often cut short, but 
  some have reportedly lived hundreds of years.
  Espron and camethosaurs 
  have uncommon animal 
  stats (page 148).
  Ithsyn, page 146
  Callerail, page 152
  Travelers tell of a 
  nonhuman city in the 
  northern reaches of 
  the Plains of Kataru, 
  inhabited solely by 
  insect-like creatures.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  85
  THE BEYOND
  Day 15
  I feel unwell, but I plan to leave for home 
  tomorrow nevertheless.
  Day 16
  Too sick to leave today.
  Day 17
  Still very ill. I can’t help but notice that none 
  of the wildlife eats the fruit of the trees. My 
  gut is covered in bruise-like sores, very tender 
  to the touch.
  Day 19
  The sores on my gut have formed distinct 
  growths. I can barely stand. The food I 
  brought with me is gone. Only the purple 
  fruit to eat. Despite the pain in my stomach, 
  I am filled with hunger.
  Day 20
  The growths are . . . longer. I cannot move 
  except to crawl, and barely that.
  Day 22
  Dear lords of my ancestors, help me. The 
  growths, as long as serpents, have begun to 
  burrow into the soil around me. I tried to cut 
  one of them, but the pain increased beyond 
  that which I could stand. Still so weak. 
  Tomorrow I will try again.
  ~Here the journal of Temallis Crost ends.
  Notably, a few years back, the Empty 
  Machine was the home of a large tribe of 
  hideous, four-armed abhumans called the 
  dzaal. After they committed many atrocities 
  upon nearby villages, the local folk hired 
  the Triad of Thirst—a group consisting of a 
  legionary and two nanos—to end the raids. 
  Through methods that remain mysterious, 
  these three champions eliminated the dzaal. 
  If any of the creatures remain, it would 
  come as a surprise to the locals, for none 
  has been seen since that day.
  THE AUSREN WOODS
  Day 12
  The woods really are the queer purple 
  color that I was told. The trees don’t look 
  particularly strange in any other way. But 
  the leaves and even the bark range from a 
  bluish-red to a deep violet. The branches 
  are alive with birds of all kinds and colors. 
  I almost expected them to be purple as well, 
  but none are.
  Day 14
  The fruit of these trees is delightful. I am 
  already wondering if I can carry a sack of them 
  back with me to Uxphon. I think Eilla could 
  make some extraordinary wine from these.
  The Triad of Thirst 
  has, in recent months, 
  disappeared without a 
  trace somewhere north 
  of the Ausren Woods.
  Legionary, page 154
  Nano, page 155
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  86
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  No one lives within 50 miles of the Orgorek, 
  but if you can find someone to ask about it, 
  like I did, you learn that while it’s serene and 
  even kind of beautiful, it’s also dangerous. 
  Fiddling with the hatches apparently causes 
  whiplike tendrils to come out of the Orgorek 
  and attack, and their touch seems to burn 
  flesh in a very unnatural, disturbing way. I’m 
  not sure what that means, but I’m happy to 
  remain ignorant.
  The Orgorek likely holds still more secrets 
  and mysteries, but who wants to get close 
  enough to discover them? I’m not an explorer. 
  I’m just a writer.
  THE BEANSTALK
  The Beanstalk. In the middle of seemingly 
  nowhere, it rises literally into the sky and 
  out of sight. The legends of Jack, for whom 
  all Jacks are named, cross paths with it.
  And then Jack climbed the Beanstalk. He 
  climbed and climbed and climbed. He climbed 
  so very high that when he stopped climbing, 
  he found himself in the clouds. He stood so 
  high, in fact, that Jack had climbed all the way 
  to a castle built by giants.
  The base of the Beanstalk is a tall tower 
  of metal and glass. As tall as the tower is, 
  rising up from the highest point of the tower 
  is a strip of unknown material that reaches 
  far, far higher. This “stalk” is about 10 feet 
  (3 m) wide but only a few inches thick. No 
  one knows exactly how high it extends, but 
  on a clear day it seems to simply disappear 
  into the sky. Even more mysterious is the 
  Beanstalk’s purpose—what waits at the top? 
  The stories, of course, say that it leads to 
  a castle in the clouds, occupied by a giant. 
  These same legends suggest that there is 
  a danger that the giant will one day come 
  down the stalk to plague the land.
  Due to a gravitational distortion likely 
  caused by the Beanstalk or the tower, five 
  boulders the size of small mountains (along 
  with numerous smaller stones) float in the 
  air around the base and the lowest part of the 
  stalk. These gravity-defying stones have no 
  known purpose and might be an unintended 
  side effect of the process originally used to 
  construct the tower and the Beanstalk.
  The Ausren Woods are a large forest of 
  purple trees that grow nowhere else. Do not 
  eat the fruit of these trees.
  THE ORGOREK
  The field is called the graveyard, and it’s not 
  hard to understand why. In every direction, all 
  you see are scattered white stones, so greatly 
  resembling gravestones that it is hard to 
  recognize that they are not, in fact, just that. 
  And in the middle of it, the thing they call the 
  Orgorek, for reasons that pass understanding. 
  But then, what would you call it?
  A sort of . . . I don’t know, building? 
  Monument? Let’s say structure. A structure 
  made of some kind of very dense, very hard 
  ceramic floats above the stones. Its surface 
  bears a number of large, round hatches, and 
  from the top, believe it or not, grows a huge 
  tree that must be centuries old, if not far older. 
  And the tree? There are no other trees like it 
  for a thousand miles.
  On the underside of 
  the boulders floating 
  around the Beanstalk 
  grows a fungus unknown 
  anywhere else. If it can be 
  harvested and mixed with 
  regular soil, anything 
  planted in that soil grows 
  within an organic sheath 
  that is as hard as steel 
  but very pliable. The 
  sheath can be used for 
  armor or other objects.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  87
  THE BEYOND
  In recent years, a small town of about 
  1,000 residents has grown around the tower. 
  Most residents are farmers, growing wheat 
  and, ironically, beans in the flat region around 
  the tower. The people don’t know how to 
  access the interior of the base, but they have 
  built wooden structures and scaffolding 
  around it, which support observation 
  platforms and places for religious rites. There 
  is no wall around the town, but dangerous 
  beasts and other threats seem to avoid the 
  area most of the time.
  Someday, the wise folks say, the giant will 
  return, looking for his stolen goods. Looking 
  to get revenge. Looking for Jack. But on that 
  day, Jack will be long gone, his days long since 
  done. But his grandson or granddaughter, 
  or perhaps their grandson or granddaughter, 
  might just be on hand to trick the giant again 
  and save the land from his terrible wrath. Let’s 
  all hope so. For the land to be safe, we need 
  not a hero, but a Jack.
  PLAINS OF KATARU 
  HEARSAY
  Dark Riders: A group of aneen-riding 
  bandits plagues the countryside, raiding villages 
  and waylaying travelers on the road. Their 
  leader is a woman named Milaconi, who has 
  the power to heal or harm with a touch. Her 
  chief rival is a woman named Ghabhail, who 
  has begun to raise forces to oppose the bandits. 
  Ghabhail, a tall woman with braided red hair 
  and a long polearm, is recruiting help and 
  offering payment for weapons, armor, or other 
  devices (with which she has some skill).
  THE WEIRD OF KATARU
  The Black Sphere: A sphere of unknown black 
  material rolls across the plains, seemingly of its 
  own accord. Some reports say that it is 12 feet 
  (4 m) in diameter, and others put it closer to 30 
  feet (9 m), which might suggest that the sphere 
  changes size, or that there is more than one.
  The Discordant Blooms: Although rare, a yellow 
  flower grows in certain locations on the plains. If 
  brewed for three days, it forms a concoction that 
  will make the imbiber aroused past the point of 
  clear thinking for up to a day.
  There are many ways to 
  travel to the skies high 
  above the Ninth World. 
  Is the Beanstalk one of 
  them? Perhaps. But only 
  the giant knows for sure.
  Aneen, page 148
  Milaconi and Ghabhail 
  have warlord stats 
  (page 159). In addition, 
  Milaconi has a 
  gauntlet of Kataru.
  Gauntlet of Kataru
  Relic, very rare 
  (requires attunement)
  This metal glove restores 
  3d8 hp, or on a successful 
  touch attack, inflicts 3d8 
  necrotic damage. Once 
  you use either power, you 
  must finish a short rest 
  before doing so again.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  88
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  THE GREAT SLAB
  The Great Slab is a huge construct that 
  rises from the blue-green earth in a hulking 
  block of synth, metal, and organics. It lies at 
  the southernmost edge of the Fifth Stretch 
  of the Wandering Walk. Rising more than 
  3,000 feet (900 m) into the air, straight 
  up on all sides, and covering more than 9 
  square miles (23 sq. km), the Great Slab can 
  be seen for long distances and is often used 
  as a point of reference on maps. A reddish-
  black oil continually runs down the sides, 
  making the construct impossible to climb. 
  Nothing grows along its slick walls and few, 
  if any, creatures live near the sides of the 
  Great Slab.
  However, the top is a different matter—
  the surface of the slab is an ecosystem 
  of its own. Carved out of the enormous 
  flat top is a blind valley, a deep,narrow 
  crevasse that runs north to south, with an 
  abrupt ending on both sides. A closer look 
  at the valley reveals that it seems to have 
  been dug out of the surface of the slab, 
  as one might accidentally gouge a table. 
  Littered along the gash—which is called the 
  Driftless Valley—giant, half-buried boulders 
  reflect light, even when there appears to be 
  none. Due to its isolation, the valley hosts 
  creatures found nowhere else in the Ninth 
  World, with genetic mutations that combine 
  two or more creatures into one.
  DESSANEDI, THE 
  JAGGED WASTES
  The land of Dessanedi is a mostly 
  barren field of broken, jagged glass that 
  lies south of the Great Slab, north of the 
  Plains of Kataru, and west of the Clock of 
  Kala. Although paths lead through the aptly 
  named Jagged Wastes, travel in this region 
  is slow, arduous, and filled with cuts and 
  scrapes—or worse.
  Underfoot, traversable paths are nothing 
  but tiny shards of glass. On either side stand 
  outcroppings of serrated edges and razor 
  points. If the Jagged Wastes weren’t the only 
  way to reach the pass called the Sheer, it’s 
  unlikely anyone would ever come here.
  Scholars suspect that at some point in 
  the distant past, the sand-swept dunes of 
  Dessanedi were turned to glass, perhaps 
  through intense heat. Time has broken and 
  shattered the glass, making the wasteland 
  very difficult to cross.
  Nothing grows in the Jagged Wastes, and 
  other than a few scavenger birds, little lives 
  there, making it at least a quiet journey. 
  The significant communities are found on 
  the very edge of the wastes, in regions that 
  might technically be considered part of the 
  Plains of Kataru.
  The Wandering Walk 
  is a pilgrimage route 
  through the Ninth 
  World. No one knows 
  the exact length of the 
  Wander, nor can anyone 
  seem to point to its 
  exact beginning or end.
  There are many who 
  speculate that the 
  Wander is actually a 
  circle that encloses the 
  whole of the Ninth 
  World and that some, 
  especially those with 
  enhancements or 
  otherworldly attributes, 
  have been trekking 
  its eternal loop since 
  before recorded time.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  89
  THE BEYOND
  events before once again resuming their 
  harsher nomadic lifestyle.
  A natural spring provides water and a 
  few fields of grain and vegetables. The 
  permanent part of the community is a 
  collection of wooden and stone buildings, 
  and visitors to Yosh-ul erect temporary 
  yurts, tents, and pavilions.
  The town—if it can be called that—has no 
  official ruler, but if the need for one arises, 
  the leader of whatever tribe or tribes are in 
  residence takes the mantle. However, the 
  wisest among these leaders consult with a 
  woman named Vona.
  Many people in Yosh-ul revere Vona as 
  a goddess. Unknown to most, she comes 
  from a distant world and is an artificially 
  created organic being capable of asexual 
  reproduction. Sent to colonize Earth, she 
  originally produced a large progeny, but 
  afterward she went mad and hunted down 
  each of her offspring. Since then, she has 
  reproduced only once, creating a daughter 
  called Aorolae.
  Vona has the power to alter and shape 
  her own genetic material and that of other 
  beings close to her. Thus, she can transform 
  herself or others. Using her power as a 
  weapon, she can cause an enemy’s body to 
  tear itself apart.
  Vona is known to those in Yosh-ul as the 
  Great Mother, the Glass Wraith, and the Life 
  Weaver. Although aloof, she is kind and wise.
  THE LAMBENT FIELDS
  A shimmering wasteland. A business 
  venture. A burial ground of the new gods. A 
  sacred place of ancient worship and death. 
  Depending on who you talk to, the Lambent 
  Fields are all of these things and more.
  Bordering the westernmost edge of 
  the Clock of Kala, the Lambent Fields are 
  more than 100 miles (160 km) across and 
  potentially just as deep (or deeper). The 
  surface area is covered in multicolored 
  dust that shines even in the dimmest light. 
  Enterprising individuals collect the dust 
  and sell it to those who can afford it. The 
  wealthy use the dust as décor for buildings, 
  clothing, and their bodies.
  Buried deep beneath the shimmering 
  earth, however, is something of greater 
  Those who have attempted to climb the 
  Great Slab have been thwarted by the slick 
  sides, apparent bad luck, or some other 
  impediment that hindered and eventually 
  stopped their progress. Thus, the slab’s 
  diverse ecosystem and potential treasures 
  remain unknown to most people of the 
  Ninth World.
  WHITE LAKE
  White Lake is a small town by most 
  standards, but it is the only bit of civilization 
  for 40 miles (65 km) around, amid a 
  particularly empty stretch of plains near 
  the Jagged Wastes. About 1,500 people call 
  the town home and have named it, not 
  surprisingly, after the nearby lake fed by 
  streams coming down out of the mountain.
  The town’s unofficial leaders are a 
  married couple named Hervan and Deil. 
  Hervan is a Nano who specializes in 
  abilities that shape and control magnetic 
  fields. Deil was a skilled warrior, but he lost 
  the use of his legs a few years ago. Today 
  he rolls about in a wheeled metal chair 
  that Hervan levitates and moves when he 
  is nearby. Both men command the respect 
  of everyone in White Lake because years 
  earlier, they drove off a force of abhumans 
  that threatened the town.
  The lake was named for the large number 
  of ferrix turtles that lay their eggs each spring, 
  appearing to turn the normally clear waters 
  white. The eggs are a delicacy to the people 
  of White Lake, who carefully leave enough to 
  ensure a new generation of the creatures.
  Six miles (10 km) south of White Lake lie 
  the ruins of Selascor Castle, a 400-year-old 
  fortress made of heavy grey stones. The lord 
  of the castle was once the ruler of the area, 
  but after an angry uprising, he was hanged 
  for crimes against his subjects.
  YOSH-UL
  Yosh-ul is a meeting point for nomadic 
  tribes that dwell in the region. About 1,000 
  residents live there permanently, but at any 
  given time, the population doubles due 
  to nomads who come for only a month 
  or so each year. In Yosh-ul, the temporary 
  residents hold festivals, weddings, 
  important meetings, and other community 
  Vona has Ojj stats 
  (Arcana of the Ancients, 
  page 210), but with 
  the personality and 
  motivations noted here 
  (she is kind and wise, 
  though aloof). She 
  can also cast harm, 
  inflict wounds, and 
  polymorph at will.
  Hervan has nano 
  stats (page 155) whose 
  abilities all stem from 
  magnetic interaction.
  Deil has legionary stats.
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  90
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  giant creature is one of the gods that came 
  before and deserves worship as such. The 
  Populace Priory advocates that a large, 
  open-air place of reverence be built in the 
  center of the dig.
  Colten Gangy is the overseer of the Land 
  Laws, a group of city natives who argue that 
  the fields are a burial ground for giants. 
  The whole area must be reburied out of 
  respect for the dead. The group insists that 
  replanting the land with a giant grove of 
  trees would keep the dead happy in their 
  graves and prevent them from rising to 
  destroy the earth.
  Finally, Efrix Morle is the voice of the 
  Lambent Order, a newly founded sect of 
  those who worship the numenera. They 
  argue that Picalah must fund a careful 
  excavation of the fields to look for more giant 
  mechanical creatures and build a museum to 
  protect and display their remains.
  value, but no one can figure out what it is 
  or, perhaps more important, what to do with 
  it. Layers upon layers of metallic creations 
  fill the earth, a numenera boneyard, ripe 
  for the taking—or it would be if not for the 
  political tensions rampant in the nearby city 
  of Picalah.
  The city has long claimed jurisdiction 
  over the Lambent Fields and stationed a 
  standing army around its borders to keep 
  poachers from the valuable materials. 
  Businesses with the appropriate papers 
  were allowed to send specially trained 
  individuals called yarders to mine the fields 
  as long as they paid their proper percentage 
  to the city.
  Everything changed when a yarder 
  unearthed the intact body of a giant 
  mechanical creature. It had three heads and 
  multiple limbs and would have stood at least 
  three times as tall as the average human. 
  The creature bore symbols along its many 
  limbs, and within two of its appendages 
  were objects. The first was a ceramic 
  bowl inscribed with similar markings. The 
  second was what appeared to be a type of 
  stone game piece, possibly an ancient die, 
  bearing pictograms on its sides.
  PICALAH
  Picalah is a city of about 10,000 people, 
  many of whom came to the area as a 
  result of the find in the Lambent Fields. 
  The simple city is having difficulty dealing 
  with the influx of new people as well as the 
  contentions over the fields.
  Shortly after the discovery of the 
  mechanical creature’s body, Picalah split 
  apart, with four organizations at the helm 
  of the controversy. While the four groups 
  fight, the mining operations are at a 
  standstill, except for those who sneak by or 
  pay off the guards in the dark of night.
  Stackle Spire is the city’s director. She 
  believes that the purpose of the Lambent 
  Fields is to bring prosperity, fame, and 
  a high quality of life to Picalah and its 
  inhabitants. She keeps the army at the 
  field’s borders and continues to fight for the 
  right to mine the numenera.
  Lorne Mamm is the Mag of the Populace 
  Priory, a religious sect that believes the 
  DESSANEDI HEARSAY
  Manhunt: A murderer from Yosh-ul has 
  fled into the Jagged Wastes. The nomad 
  leaders seek hardy folk to track him down and 
  retrieve him, but this decision has stirred up 
  contention among the tribes. Some say the 
  windstorms this time of year are likely to claim 
  the criminal before any posse could find him. 
  Others want the more tangible justice of a trial 
  and traditional death by scorpion sting.
  THE WEIRD OF DESSANEDI
  Rune Tower: In the middle of the Jagged Wastes 
  stands a pristine tower of what also appears to 
  be glass, but the structure looks sturdy, and local 
  gossip says it’s indestructible. The tower is 30 
  feet (9 m) tall, and at the top, it projects images 
  of unknown symbols made of light.
  Warrow Beetles: Throughout the wastes, you 
  can find strange, translucent beetles that appear 
  to subsist on the glass. These warrow beetles 
  cannot be eaten safely, as they have more in 
  common with mineral than with flesh.
  Colten Gangy has 
  steward stats (page 158).
  Efrix Morle has specialist 
  stats (page 158).
  The vilgrim flower 
  has crystalline petals 
  that shimmer and 
  vibrate in the wind to 
  attract insects—which 
  it then devours.
  Stackle Spire has 
  aristocrat stats 
  (page 151).
  Lorne Mamm has 
  diplomat stats (page 
  152). In addition, she has 
  proficiency on all checks 
  related to local history 
  and religious practices.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  91
  THE BEYOND
  slink and stalk along the moist forest floor. 
  Here travelers find the large wall known as 
  the Padun, as well as the city of Druissi.
  The southeastern tip of the Ba-Adenu 
  Forest, which turns to swamps and bogs, 
  is populated with reed-like snags and 
  borgrove trees. Here, both the air and the 
  ground are still and wet. A false step could 
  land someone throat-deep in a stickybog or 
  at the mercy of a hungry caiman that had 
  appeared to be a dead log. Camouflage is 
  the name of the game, and most creatures 
  are difficult to see among the mud and 
  muck. The Untethered Legion thrives in this 
  part of the forest, a further plague to all who 
  wish to cross through the area.
  EPHREMON
  The large city of 20,000 people occupies 
  many levels of the forest, from cavelike 
  dwellings among the tree roots to nest-
  styled homes in the highest canopies. A 
  large circle of carefully tended ester trees 
  creates a makeshift wall around Ephremon, 
  and lookouts sit in well-fashioned tree rests 
  to keep an eye on things inside and outside 
  the city. A complicated system of risers, 
  BA-ADENU FOREST
  This vast forest encompasses such 
  a large area of the Beyond that it 
  has at least three distinct climates within its 
  leafy borders.
  The southwestern area, which hedges 
  the Black Riage, is dry and crisp. Winds 
  whistle between the tops of the tallest trees, 
  swaying their branches far above the ground. 
  Trees topple regularly here, and a call of 
  “Crackling!” is common among those who 
  live in the wilds. Explorers can expect to find 
  herds of stondels and breslings here, as well 
  as winged creatures of all shapes, sizes, and 
  colors. This area, which includes the city of 
  Ephremon, is the most densely populated 
  section of the forest. Most people dwell in 
  curved huts built from stone bricks.
  The middle section is a dense jungle, 
  thick with underbrush and canopy levels 
  that rise toward the sky and house many 
  wild creatures. The air is so heavy with 
  moisture that water drips from the trees, 
  keeping the ground—and any who walk 
  along it—damp at all times. Most small 
  to medium creatures live high in the trees, 
  hoping to escape the large carnivores that 
  Stondels are bison-like 
  animals that are 3 feet 
  (1 m) tall. They have 
  uncommon animal 
  stats (page 148).
  Breslings look like 
  segmented worms about 
  the size of a human’s 
  arm, with hairy legs that 
  end in three-fingered 
  hands with opposable 
  thumbs. They travel en 
  masse, feeding on leaves 
  in the tops of trees. 
  They have uncommon 
  animal stats (page 148).
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  92
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  heat to warm everything from food and 
  water to their homes.
  THE UNTETHERED LEGION
  Deep in the swampy mire of the 
  southeastern section of the Ba-Adenu 
  Forest is the Untethered Legion. The name 
  is both a place and a foul curse, one not 
  even uttered in the brightest of days.
  The Untethered Legion is a land of mud 
  and oil, with pools of a murky substance 
  that flows red for days on end, hardens to 
  grey, and then liquefies again. And with 
  every hardening of the land, the hounds 
  of the Untethered Legion incubate inside 
  its belly, waiting to emerge from the soil. 
  When the pools turn back to black and red, 
  the hounds are born, pushing nose-first 
  through the liquid in a great upheaval of 
  slavering jaws and bared fangs.
  Awaiting their arrival are the legion’s riders, 
  biomechanical humans cloaked to match 
  their new steeds. Their teeming masses fill 
  this region of the forest—gathering, waiting, 
  building something that is so far unseen and 
  unknown. Someone, somewhere, gives them 
  orders. Only the legion knows what those 
  orders are and where they come from.
  ladders, and swings (all made from metal, 
  synth, and wood) allows access to every 
  level of the city.
  Most inhabitants are agile and avid 
  climbers, having learned at an early age 
  how to move between the levels. However, 
  visitors are likely to struggle and fall behind 
  as they attempt to follow a native to any 
  level beyond the ground.
  Residents worship a creature called the 
  Falgreen, which appears to the pious in 
  the form of a floating young woman in a 
  tattered black and green dress, with twigs 
  for hair. The fiercely devout say that for the 
  price of a child, Falgreen will promise long 
  life, but most people merely consider her to 
  be a bringer of luck and a safety net during 
  their travels among the treetops.
  PADUN
  Padun is an enormous oval-shaped wall, 
  almost 15 miles (24 km) across, deep in 
  the Ba-Adenu Forest. The original structure 
  seems to have been built from a soft 
  metallic substance carved or shaped into 
  round stones. Over the years, a variety of 
  materials, including stronglass and purple 
  trees from the Ausren Woods, have been 
  used to extend and repair the wall.
  Its surface features many thousands of 
  windows, doorways, holes, and other entry 
  points. Some have been constructed and 
  include doors that close and lock. Other 
  entrances appear to be the remnants of 
  wars, battles, and attacks.
  A number of cities, fortresses, and 
  strongholds have been built within the wall, 
  but all failed and are now in ruins. For every 
  potential ruler who sees the giant wall and 
  imagines a kingdom of loyal and protected 
  subjects, there is someone else who will 
  take advantage of the difficulty in defending 
  such a large structure and space.
  DRUISSI
  A small town in the northern section of 
  the Ba-Adenu Forest, Druissi is home to 
  around 1,000 inhabitants. It is built on the 
  visible part of ancient, unknown wreckage 
  that generates a stable, low-level heat 
  year-round. Residents of Druissi take full 
  advantage of this, using the conductive 
  BA-ADENU HEARSAY
  Horrors on the Prowl: An increase in 
  the number of jiraskar attacks has the 
  forest people worried. Why are so many of the 
  predators active lately? What can be done 
  about them?
  Lost Necklace: Thieves stole a necklace from 
  the home of Darlajyn, a wealthy woman in 
  Ephremon who is the sister of one of the 
  town’s administrators. They didn’t know that 
  the necklace contains a numenera device that 
  stores information she can access telepathically, 
  including the vault code for the town treasury.
  THE WEIRD OF BA-ADENU
  Vampire of the Woods: A gaunt humanoid 
  creature, possibly a mutant, haunts the woods, 
  draining the blood of its victims and leaving their 
  desiccated corpses for others to find.
  Ice Palace: A small keep made entirely of 
  unmelting blue-green ice stands in the northern 
  forest. No one knows who, if anyone, lives there.
  Ausren Woods, page 85
  In the aldeia of Carrow 
  there are always exactly 
  three birds perched 
  atop the buildings 
  in town. Always.
  A common curse in the 
  area is “I hope you stand 
  before the Kneeling 
  Tower and catch your 
  death of Hulan’s Curse.”
  Jiraskar, page 189
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  93
  THE BEYOND
  own sake. Other villages reject these 
  practices but have to fend off raids 
  from what they call the blood-folk, who 
  continually hunt for victims.
  HTHUMOS
  A small town lies at the confluence of 
  the Salter and Eviet Rivers as they come 
  down out of the Clock of Kala. The town, 
  Hthumos, surrounds a tall castle of dark 
  grey stone. The community takes its name 
  from the castle, which in turn takes its name 
  from its depraved ancestral residents.
  The Hthumos family are wealthy nobles 
  who lord over the surrounding land and 
  its people and treat them (and often 
  each other) with trickery and cruelty. They 
  make sport of hunting peasants and rule 
  capriciously, freeing murderers from the 
  dungeon and sentencing innocents to 
  toil in the mills for imagined slights. The 
  nobles maintain their control through 
  dark-armored soldiers called terror-hounds, 
  whose collars artificially induce physical 
  pleasure when the wearer inflicts pain or 
  causes fear.
  The current head of the house is Hesterin 
  Hthumos, a mutant albino with a conjoined 
  twin brother named Sterrick. The brother 
  is little more than a head and a hand with 
  tendril-like fingers on Hesterin’s torso. 
  However, he is fully conscious, aware, and 
  ERRID KALOUM
  A shockingly flat lowland region, 
  thought (erroneously) to be dry 
  and lifeless, Errid Kaloum is in fact a 
  shallow salt lake that has formed a thick 
  crust over its surface, an extension of the 
  Sere Marica. Throughout the otherwise 
  level, monotonous landscape, occasional 
  mounds rise like islands in a sea. The 
  comparison is apt, because these mounds 
  are, indeed, islands in the salt lake. Each 
  island is surprisingly fertile and lush, even 
  for the climate, for two reasons. First, 
  they’re formed due to geothermic activity 
  below the lake, and thus they’re warmer 
  than the general area by about 5 to 10 
  degrees. Second, some of the mineral 
  structures forced up through the salt lake to 
  form the mounds also serve as a powerful 
  desalinizing filter. In other words, within 
  each island is a reserve of fresh water. 
  Thus, the islands are fertile and covered 
  with plants and animals. A few host small 
  communities of human hunters and 
  gatherers who travel across the salt flats in 
  large wagons pulled by salt-crusted therish 
  oxen.
  Many of these settlements follow the 
  gory religion of Lhauric, but without 
  priests who can communicate with 
  the Challifani, their version has simply 
  become bloodletting and murder for its 
  Sere Marica, page 94
  Terror-hounds have 
  legionary stats (page 
  154). Terror-hounds’ 
  ranged attacks inflict an 
  additional 3 (1d6) psychic 
  damage on living targets.
  Hesterin Hthumos (and 
  Sterrick) have aristocrat 
  stats (page 151).
  Lhauric, page 101
  Challifani, page 101
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  94
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  of many sizes and colors live in the lake, 
  from the gigantic and aggressive cerulean 
  octopi to the barely visible duandas, 
  floating bubblefish that attempt to implant 
  themselves in openings on a body.
  The cultural sensibility of Sere Marica is as 
  varied as its creatures. Salachia, the Salt City, 
  is buried deep beneath the surface of the 
  lake, and the Salted Marshes lie along the 
  northwestern shore. Many of those who live 
  along and within the Sere Marica depend on 
  salt for sustenance and daily living.
  One thing noticeably missing from the Sere 
  Marica area is mechanical beings. The salt 
  is too harsh on them, rusting and corroding 
  their internal and external elements without 
  remorse. Travelers in the area, especially 
  those who plan to enter the water, would be 
  wise to protect any technologies, including 
  prosthetics and relics.
  The smaller, shallower Navae Marica is 
  a source of fresh water, fish, and game for 
  all who live near it. Many who dwell on the 
  shores are boaters and divers. Here, towns 
  focus on turning the numenera into diving 
  equipment, portable flotation devices, and 
  various forms of water transport.
  OUR ORDER OF THE LADY 
  OF THE SALT WAY
  Our Order of the Lady of the Salt Way, 
  sometimes called Our Lady of the Acrid 
  Tongue by those outside the group, is a 
  religious order established at least four 
  generations ago by Saint Eseld. Members 
  intelligent. Years ago, when local chiurgeons 
  said that Sterrick would likely die and 
  should be surgically removed, Hesterin 
  refused. Instead, she spent a great deal of 
  her family’s wealth scouring the world for 
  numenera that would save her brother, for 
  whom she had unnatural affections. This 
  quest eventually bore fruit, and now Sterrick 
  is encased in an iron helmet that keeps him 
  alive on his sister’s body—a woman that, by 
  all accounts, he despises. (The helmet has 
  a variety of vision-enhancing apparatus, as 
  well as a device that gives him the ability to 
  manipulate metal objects as if he had hands 
  at a distance of up to 100 feet.)
  THE DIVIDED SEAS
  Along the southern border of the 
  Beyond rest two bodies of water, 
  connected by a channel called the Imoros 
  Strait. One body, Sere Marica, is heavy with 
  blue salts. The other, Navae Marica, has 
  enough fresh water to sustain the entire 
  population of the Beyond for years. The two 
  inland seas are so unlike in every way that 
  they might as well be situated a world apart.
  At 1,600 miles (2,575 km) across and 
  1,500 feet (460 m) deep, Sere Marica is 
  more than twice the size of her sister. The 
  source of Sere Marica’s salt is something of 
  a mystery, for the water that enters the sea 
  from the surrounding rivers and through 
  the Imoros Strait is fresh water, changing 
  only when it reaches the Sere. Creatures 
  ERRID KALOUM HEARSAY
  Rescue Mission: One of the blood-folk villages has 
  captured a well-known naturalist and explorer 
  named Brene Fal Koses, most likely for dire purposes. 
  Members of her traveling company offer a substantial 
  reward for her return.
  Castle of Light: On one of the islands of the salt flat, 
  someone has built a castle whose walls appear to be made of 
  translucent energy rather than matter. No one knows who is 
  the master or mistress of this castle, but multiple reports of 
  abykos encounters have come in from the surrounding area.
  THE WEIRD OF ERRID KALOUM
  Ship Without a Sea: Half buried in the salt flats, a hundred 
  miles north of the Sere Marica, lie the remains of a sailing 
  vessel made of metal and a material that appears to be synth 
  fibers spun like silken webs.
  The Floating Circle: In the middle of the salt flats is a circle 
  300 feet (90 m) across that causes some items placed above 
  it to become lighter. Objects that weigh less than 300 pounds 
  (136 kg) float above the circle, although anything weighing 
  less than 3 pounds (1.5 kg) flies off into the atmosphere, likely 
  never to be seen again.
  None So Blind: In the village of Heathian, on the northern 
  end of the salt flats, some of the previous and all of the latest 
  generation of residents have been born without eyes. The local 
  Aeon Priests have fashioned “sight sticks” for these people—
  devices shaped like hand mirrors, which they hold in front of 
  their faces to gain a kind of artificial sight.
  Abykos, page 142
  Salachia, page 98
  Some mechanical beings 
  and other machines in 
  the proximity of the Sere 
  Marica have developed 
  means to protect 
  themselves from the high 
  salt concentrations. The 
  details on these processes 
  can sometimes be 
  purchased or traded for.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  95
  THE BEYOND
  Halites of both genders wear comfortable 
  clothing of bright, salt-dyed colors, usually 
  red, yellow, or blue. They wear their hair 
  long and braid it with a salt-and-herb 
  mixture that crusts the twinings in place 
  and gives them the perpetual look of going 
  grey. They smell of brine and sea water.
  Though halites believe all other religions 
  (especially the Order of Truth) to be horribly 
  misguided, the order does not consider 
  itself to be at war with them. Rather, the 
  halites lie low and wait, having faith that 
  eventually everyone will see the truth—that 
  salt is the life and the way—and then the 
  ranks of the order will swell, as they should.
  Currently, Halite Gabra heads Our Order 
  of the Lady of the Salt Way. She is a firm-
  handed woman whose salted crimson 
  braids fall past her knees and then loop 
  back up to the top of her head. She layers 
  her skin with salt, which over time has 
  built up to give her a nearly ethereal glow. 
  Both of her ears are covered with small, 
  manufactured circles, and if her dark green 
  eyes seem slightly too large for her head, it’s 
  because they’re not the ones she was born 
  with. Once a loyal member of the Order 
  believe that all life springs from salt and 
  the salted places of the world, and they feel 
  blessed that their center of worship and 
  inhabitance is just such a place.
  Situated on a long, thin, unnamed island 
  in the Salted Marshes, the order consists 
  mostly of women, although gender is not 
  a requirement. In fact, members take only 
  three vows:
  1. Worship salt as god and as life.
  2. Offer shelter and succor for those in need. 
  3. Never leave the island unless called 
  upon to do so for great and grievous reasons 
  by a vision of the late Saint Eseld herself.
  There are whispers of a fourth vow—a 
  willingness to be encrusted with salt and 
  something (this word changes in the telling, 
  but “cured” and “eaten” are two common 
  ones) upon your death—but no one has 
  been able to verify these rumors.
  Members of the order, known as halites, 
  are skilled in the use and creation of all 
  forms of salts. The order supports itself 
  through the sales of various salt products, 
  including fireworks, cured and pickled 
  foodstuffs, dyes and pigments, and 
  medicinal remedies.
  Halite Gabra has 
  diplomat stats (page 152).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  96
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  and production space. Here, halites pay 
  fealty to salt by turning it into a variety of 
  useful items. Some of this work is done by 
  hand, and some with hand-cranked and 
  numenera-based machines.
  Next to that building, slightly more 
  than half the size of the craft space, is the 
  storefront. Here the halites sell their goods 
  and wares to the public, including fireworks 
  and sparklers in various colors, brined 
  pickles and salted fish and beef, paints, dyes 
  and pigments in bright hues, salt remedies 
  and potions, salt rock candies, and more. 
  Shins are always accepted in payment, but 
  buyers find that an offer of fresh vegetables 
  and fruit—rare delicacies on an island 
  buried in salt—leads to a better exchange.
  The final two buildings are crumbling 
  and rarely used, except perhaps for illicit 
  rendezvous or storage.
  At the far end of the island, there is a 
  door in a hill, barely noticeable for the crust 
  of salt upon it. The lock and latch, however, 
  appear free of crust, and look as if they are 
  used often.
  CURRENT EVENTS
  Halite Mafil, a long-standing member 
  of the order, recently fell ill with fever for 
  no obvious reason. Even in his agony, he 
  maintains that it is nothing, a poor choice 
  of fresh foodstuffs, but Halite Gabra 
  believes that he sneaked off the island 
  and that his illness is punishment for his 
  betrayal. She refuses to heal Mafil until he 
  confesses what she believes to be the truth. 
  A newer member of the order, a woman 
  named Veneta, seeks aid for Mafil despite 
  Halite Gabra’s orders, risking her own 
  standing with the group.
  One of the most skilled members of the 
  order, a broad-shouldered woman named 
  Chatta with clear blue eyes and short, tight 
  braids of pure white, recently discovered a 
  way to harness the electricity conduction 
  of salt electrolytes. She is eager to sell the 
  plans of the process to someone who can 
  implement them, but she wants to keep the 
  transaction secret from the rest of the order.
  Everyone knows that Saint Eseld is long 
  dead, but halites often see her visage in 
  the layers of salt that crust the buildings 
  of Truth, Halite Gabra was eating a platter 
  of salted fish when she saw the vision 
  of a woman in white among the bones. 
  Believing it to be a test of her faith, she 
  quickly stabbed at her eyes to remove the 
  sight. When the vision began speaking, she 
  punctured her own ears as well.
  Blind and deaf, she believed she would 
  wander the land until she died for her 
  religion. When she awoke some time later, 
  she was in a large castle, surrounded by 
  the smell of salt and sea, being cared for by 
  loving hands. Taking it as a sign that this was 
  the faith of her destiny, Gabra devoted herself 
  to Our Order of the Lady of the Salt Way.
  Over the years, she rose through the 
  ranks and used some of the earnings from 
  salt sales to buy a pair of mechanical eyes 
  and a couple of rudimentary hearing aids. 
  Although generally considered a fair but 
  tough leader, Gabra is known to have a soft 
  spot for those who come to her claiming 
  that their faith has been tested, as hers was.
  THE LANDSCAPE OF THE ISLAND
  A low seawall runs along most of the 
  unnamed island’s border, with a single 
  gated docking area on the shore farthest 
  from land. The island has five stone 
  buildings, all of which are believed to have 
  existed before Saint Eseld’s time. Based on 
  the structure and layout of the complex, it 
  might have been the home of someone rich 
  and well protected, perhaps a military leader 
  or ruler. Due to the high salt content of 
  the marshes, the buildings, walkways, and 
  statuaries are covered by thick layers of salt, 
  giving visitors the impression of hulking, 
  misshapen grey creatures.
  The largest building, which resembles 
  a basilica, houses a large kitchen and 
  storage area; gathering rooms for games, 
  community activities, and worship; an 
  enormous cellar with a store of goods; and 
  a variety of other amenities. Members of 
  the order live in the upper levels of this 
  building. Each has a private room, and the 
  order does not shun monetary goods or 
  gain, so the décor is finer than one 
  might expect.
  The second-largest building, a long, flat 
  structure with a single story, is the crafting 
  Halite Mafil, Veneta, and 
  Chatta have specialist 
  stats (page 158).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  97
  THE BEYOND
  power—the energy that becomes available 
  from the difference in salt concentration—
  to supply their leader with the huge amount 
  of energy he needs to function. They’ve built 
  a large membrane across the strait that is 
  porous to water and salt, but nothing else. 
  Those who wish to cross through the strait 
  may do so for a cost, but they’ll probably 
  have to wait because the membrane opens 
  for passing ships and water transports only 
  once each day.
  and the land. Members of the order also 
  regularly claim that they see her figure 
  walking along the island’s shore. To honor 
  the saint, they leave shins and food among 
  the rocks where she is most often seen; the 
  offerings are always gone in the morning.
  ASTARIA
  Located along the Imoros Strait, Astaria is 
  a place of wonder and darkness.
  In the position of power is Ormakal the 
  Mind, a disembodied mechanical head 
  who trails a series of wires and cords from 
  his neck when he’s not plugged into the 
  giant pillar in the center of town. Ormakal 
  has the ability to encourage others to do 
  his work for him without most people even 
  realizing it. Those who discover his secret 
  either keep quiet or they’re made quiet by 
  Ormakal’s regiment of loyal worshippers 
  and watchdogs, people of dubious intent 
  who call themselves hivers.
  Under Ormakal’s rule, the inhabitants of 
  Astaria have devised a way to use osmotic 
  ADDITIONAL ORMAKAL 
  THE MIND ABILITIES
  ACTIONS
  Control. One creature that can hear and 
  understand Ormakal within 120 feet must succeed 
  on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed 
  for 1 day, or until such time as the target suffers any 
  harm, when it can repeat the saving throw, ending 
  the effect on a success.
  Ormakal the Mind 
  has nano stats (page 
  155). In addition he has 
  the control ability.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  98
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  most prestigious family has the honor of 
  living in the main chamber, which also 
  happens to be closest to the tunnels.
  All of the tunnels are built through a 
  process that turns minerals in the saltwater 
  into limestone. They average 10 feet (3 m) 
  across and 15 feet (5 m) high, but they’re 
  jagged and sharp-edged from being built 
  and rebuilt. Unlike the shells, the limestone 
  tunnels must be repaired constantly, and 
  sometimes they fall in at a moment’s notice.
  The massive inner shell is the city center, 
  in more ways than one. All commerce, 
  eateries, schools, and community gardens 
  are located in the innermost shell.
  The entirety of Salachia is covered in 
  multiple layers of crystalline creatures that 
  make the city seem to shimmer and writhe 
  in the depths. These tiny masses, called 
  chiffons, are no bigger than a human’s hand 
  and are attracted to the shellac of carbon 
  dioxide released by the residents. As long 
  as there is carbon dioxide for them to eat, 
  the chiffons attach to the city’s exterior and 
  exhale oxygen back into the atmosphere.
  Most inhabitants have no special water-
  breathing abilities or saltwater skills. To 
  leave Salachia, a resident must encourage 
  a chiffon to seal itself across their mouth to 
  provide oxygen. The only way to reach the 
  surface is the hyponome—a long bubble 
  tube—operated by a creature dubbed Sal. 
  Sal is the city’s protector, and those who 
  wish to use the hyponome must get her 
  permission or risk a malfunction during 
  their journey through the tube.
  Currently, the city is in something of a 
  crisis: fewer Salachians are having children, 
  and more young people are venturing out 
  for other parts of the world—all of which 
  means less carbon dioxide to attract the 
  chiffons. The city’s mayor and creator, 
  Hiberz, recently passed a law forbidding 
  citizens from leaving for more than two 
  days at a time. He is also offering a bounty 
  of 5 shins for every new citizen invited (or 
  otherwise brought) to the city.
  PEOPLE OF INTEREST
  Hiberz is heralded as the savior and 
  condemned as the executioner of Salachia. 
  He’s the one who discovered the process 
  HAYREST
  The circular lake city of Hayrest, situated 
  along the southern shore of the Navae 
  Marica, teems with people. For its relatively 
  small size, it boasts a population of 50,000.
  Within its carefully constructed moats, 
  which flow around and through the city as 
  though they were natural rivers, Hayrest is a 
  center of scholarly pursuits and handicrafts. 
  Such a place is surprising so far from the 
  Steadfast, but it might be due to the strong 
  influence of the city’s varjellen population. 
  Once consisting of just a few visitants in 
  a small section of the city known as the 
  Mark, varjellen have migrated to Hayrest in 
  increasing numbers. The Mark has grown 
  to encompass nearly a quarter of the city 
  and is now home to varjellen and humans 
  alike. Here, you’ll find not just markets of 
  interesting and unusual goods but also art 
  studios, scientific laboratories, and street 
  universities.
  Additionally, Hayrest is known for water 
  transports of all types, including a special 
  bubble diver made only by Vestiai Lagim, a 
  varjellen who runs the Lagim Divedown in 
  the Mark.
  Not everyone in the city is a scholar. The 
  area closest to the lake is home to a large 
  number of fishers, waterwielders, boaters, 
  and divers.
  SALACHIA
  Located at the deepest point of the Sere 
  Marica, Salachia, commonly called the Salt 
  City, is an immense underwater structure 
  in the shape of a wheel. Covering more 
  than 2 square miles (5 sq. km) and located 
  at a depth of nearly 1,500 feet (460 m), the 
  city is lightly populated, with fewer than 
  1,200 inhabitants.
  Salachia consists of a large outer circle 
  of what look like enormous nautilus shells, 
  connected to one bigger shell in the middle 
  by a series of limestone tunnels. The entirety 
  of the city is enclosed by a semiporous 
  membrane that permits the passage of 
  some gasses, but no liquids or solids.
  The city’s inhabitants live in the shells 
  that make up the outer circle. Multiple 
  families occupy each shell, using the 
  individual chambers as their homes. The 
  Hiberz has nano stats 
  (page 155). In addition, 
  he wields a carbon 
  dioxide torcher relic.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  99
  THE BEYOND
  original inhabitants of the shells—and 
  keeps Salachia safe in the hope that they 
  will return to take their rightful places. 
  (Whether she realizes that they are long 
  dead is another matter.)
  Sal protects the city structure at all costs, 
  even if it means destroying the inhabitants. 
  Those who wish to leave through the 
  hyponome must provide solid reasons 
  to do so. If someone attempts to use the 
  hyponome without Sal’s permission, they 
  take 4 psychic damage per round until 
  they reach the surface of the lake. It takes 
  four 4 to travel from the point of origin to 
  the surface.
  Calabe is the leader of the resistance 
  group, those who wish to take back the 
  city because they believe that Hiberz is 
  destroying Salachia with his shoddy tunnels. 
  Her father was killed when a tunnel caved 
  in on him during the first of the Great 
  Collapses. She was very young at the time 
  and has harbored her bitterness like an 
  oyster harboring a grain of sand. In every 
  respect, Calabe is a stunning young woman, 
  and she wields the power of her looks to 
  gain more followers for her cause. She 
  always wears a black cape with the hood up, 
  perhaps to highlight the breathtaking beauty 
  of her face—or perhaps to cover the dual 
  sets of gills located just behind her ears.
  Despite Calabe’s lack of training, her 
  fierceness makes her a formidable opponent. 
  In a confrontation, she first attempts to 
  charm and soothe with her beauty. If that 
  fails, she quickly becomes a dirty fighter, 
  using whatever is at hand to attack.
  for turning saltwater into limestone, which 
  allowed the city’s original crumbling shell 
  tunnels to be replaced with the current 
  tunnels. Those who praise Hiberz consider 
  him to be the city’s leader, although he takes 
  to the task with reluctant humility. Those 
  who scorn him would prefer to see him 
  dead so they might build the city properly, 
  with tunnels that don’t have such a high risk 
  of collapsing.
  Short and squat, with a bulbous nose and 
  an overly small mouth, Hiberz spends most 
  of his time in his laboratory at the center 
  of Salachia. He rules when he must to 
  preserve the city, but otherwise he prefers to 
  study the compounds of the saltwater and 
  minerals. He is addicted to huffing chiffons, 
  which he believes increases the oxygen to 
  his brain and makes him a better scientist.
  Sal, the city’s guardian, is a mollusk 
  woman who resides in the main chamber 
  of the center shell, where the circle of the 
  hyponome is connected to the much larger 
  passage out of the city. Although Sal’s whole 
  body is rarely seen, those who visit her 
  chamber might glimpse her reddish-brown 
  head with overly large eyes on either side. 
  Nearly a hundred tentacles writhe at the 
  edges of her face, and she uses two of them 
  to speak to others. By placing the tentacles 
  on the sides of someone’s face, she can pick 
  up the other person’s olfactory signals and 
  understand their meaning. She responds 
  through her own scent, which can be an 
  unpleasant and confusing conversation for 
  those not used to dealing with her kind.
  From interacting with Sal, it’s clear that 
  she is ancient, but the passage of time is 
  different for her than for others. She still 
  mourns the loss of her real family—the 
  CARBON DIOXIDE TORCHER
  Relic, rare
  This handheld device with a big tank and long 
  metallic tubes emits an odorless, colorless gas 
  that displaces breathable air when you activate it 
  as your action. Each creature within 20 feet of the 
  device other than you must succeed on a DC 17 
  Constitution saving throw or take 14 (4d6) poison 
  damage.
  A carbon dioxide torcher has a depletion of 1 
  in 1d20.
  Sal has deadly warrior 
  stats (page 151), though 
  she uses tentacles that 
  work like the warrior’s 
  longsword attack but 
  deal bludgeoning damage 
  rather than weapons.
  Calabe has diplomat 
  stats (page 152)
  Many enterprises are 
  more than willing to sell 
  underwater breathing 
  apparatus and airtight 
  vehicles for a high price 
  to those who wish to 
  travel to Salachia. 
  Unfortunately, that high 
  price is no guarantee 
  that the devices will work 
  below a few hundred feet.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  100
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  with its pretty houses, its kind and delightful 
  merchants, its pleasant view overlooking 
  Sere Marica.
  But enter Queslin’s gates and all is lost, 
  for the houses are not yours to have, nor 
  the merchants yours to bargain with. And 
  the beautiful view? That is not for the likes 
  of you to gaze upon.
  Only the Overseer and the Privs live 
  above ground in Queslin. Beneath the city, 
  extending far out in all directions, is the Salt 
  Maze, a vast mining operation that never 
  ends and never sleeps. Run by genetically 
  modified beasts made in the Overseer’s 
  likeness, the caverns and holding pens 
  of the Salt Maze are carved out by large, 
  remote-controlled beetles. These creatures 
  also mine the salt.
  What, then, are you needed for? You are 
  to become a salteater, one of thousands 
  of creatures captured beneath the sunken 
  swell of the earth, your body trussed 
  up, your mouth pried open to receive 
  the saltfeed. In time, the leeches will be 
  attracted to your scent. Then they will draw 
  the salty sweat from your body until they 
  become a perfectly brined delicacy, a salty 
  and savory snack fit for only the most royal 
  of tables.
  If you survive the experience long enough, 
  you will, as promised, be well rewarded—
  probably with a little house in Queslin that 
  overlooks the shore.
  THE CROMULUS RANKS
  From far away, there appears to be a small 
  mountain range on the southwestern shore 
  of the Sere Marica. Getting closer, you can 
  see that the peaks, while extraordinarily 
  steep, are also extraordinarily regular. 
  Thus, they are called the Cromulus Ranks, 
  named for a long-dead warlord who forced 
  his troops to maintain perfect marching 
  formations at all times.
  The peaks are not mountains at all, but 
  rows of pyramidal structures, each 2,000 
  feet (600 m) across at the base and more 
  than 1 mile (1.5 km) high. Over time, 
  enough sediment and erosion has occurred 
  that the once-white pyramids can pass for 
  weird mountains. In places, vegetation even 
  grows on them.
  QUESLIN 
  “Ah, Queslin. What can one say of a town 
  such as this, where the salt runs freely and the 
  brutal tempers with it? I make me home here, 
  for where else could I come upon as many 
  bodies in need of attention, as many fists and 
  faces broken beyond repair? Except, of course, 
  they’re not beyond repair at all, are they? For 
  my Machines of Mastery shall soon have you 
  up and about, as good as new—or nearly so—
  and on your way back to the stinking, brawling 
  blackness from whence you came.”
  —Orator and Repairist Hedley Staffield, 
  owner of Machines of Mastery
  “We don’t have a problem. The salt runs freely.”
  —Queslin Overseer Wilbhur Brandle
  “Maybe I did used to live in that pit-hole of 
  a place. Read some flyer promising me riches 
  and posterity if I worked them salt mines. 
  Didn’t know what posterity was, but I wanted 
  me some riches. There was kids down there. 
  Tiny babies hooked up to that black machine, 
  drowning in saltfeed. I’ll never forget their 
  faces, long as I live.”
  —Former Queslin resident who refused 
  to be named for fear he would be hunted 
  down and brought back to the mines. 
  He claims to be the only “free retiree” 
  of Queslin’s work-to-live program.
  Want adventure? Wish to experience the 
  delights of travel and the joy of discovery? 
  More interested in making your way in the 
  world? Whatever your heart’s desire, whatever 
  your waking wish, you can have it in Queslin.
  We’re looking for those who are willing to 
  work hard to increase Queslin’s prosperity—
  and their own! Those who commit five years to 
  our work-to-live program will be well rewarded.
  Don’t waste any time. Don’t ask around. 
  Don’t let anyone else in on your special secret 
  to success. Just come to Queslin, where the 
  salt runs free.
  —from a Queslin flyer
  Don’t go to Queslin. This is the thing that no 
  one says. But the only reason they don’t say 
  it is that their mouths are stuffed with salt.
  The tiny town of Queslin swoons at your 
  arrival, beckons you, urges you to fall in love 
  The Overseer has Aeon 
  Priest stats (page 150).
  Privs has glaive 
  stats (page 153).
  Cromulus led his armies 
  on a trail of conquest 
  throughout the southern 
  regions of the Beyond 
  more than 80 years ago. 
  Due to his depravations 
  in the villages and towns 
  that he conquered, a 
  surprising number of 
  people in that region 
  can correctly claim to 
  be his descendants.
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  101
  THE BEYOND
  times, and the Challifani are various facets 
  of its fractured personality.
  These gods demand blood sacrifice. 
  They mandate that Challifani priests and 
  adherents practice flagellation, mutilation, 
  and torture. The people of Lhauric believe 
  that these horrific rites keep their gods 
  happy and thus keep their city blessed. 
  In reality, the Challifani have no power 
  other than knowledge—the brain has 
  sensors throughout the region and grants 
  Tharimalles and the lesser priests scattered 
  bits of information from its observations. 
  These revelations, as well as the gods’ gory 
  commandments, come to the priests in 
  the form of drug-induced visions that they 
  receive while being tortured in the lowest 
  portions of their temple.
  After generations of commandments 
  from the million gods of the Challifani, the 
  people of Lhauric have grown accustomed 
  to the bloody practices of their religion. In 
  fact, many secretly or openly revel in the 
  gore and violence of it.
  The priests are men and women who 
  command both terror and respect. Most are 
  maimed and scarred from their communal 
  sessions with the brain. The priests, 
  mounted on massive, tigerlike beasts called 
  razorcats, lead their holy knights through 
  the streets, selecting victims as needed. To 
  resist a priest, or to aid a chosen victim, is 
  to oppose the divine will of the Challifani, a 
  sin punishable by death and the assurance 
  of a horrific afterlife.
  The Drit Sifters: In the villages to the 
  north and east of Lhauric, many people earn 
  their living by sifting through the artificial 
  soil and collecting valuable bits of metal 
  and synth. They bring their valuable drit into 
  the city in wagons. There, the materials are 
  smelted or reprocessed so that they can be 
  used by craftspeople or for manufacturing. 
  Most of these sifters also worship the 
  Challifani.
  These ancient edifices are buildings 
  with hundreds of interior levels, each 
  with enough space to house hundreds of 
  thousands of people, although the original 
  builders and inhabitants might not have 
  been human. Relics and cyphers abound 
  within, but gaining entrance to any of the 
  peaks is difficult.
  Some of the pyramids rise out of the 
  water at the edge of the sea. These peaks, 
  in particular, teem with vegetation, nesting 
  birds, and other life.
  LHAURIC
  If a soul walks the glass streets of Lhauric on a 
  quiet night, when all others within its massive 
  walls slumber, the chattering of the Challifani 
  can be heard. The million gods bicker and 
  quarrel constantly, their knowledge great, but 
  always contested.
  —Vullerian Fol, The Million Gods
  Probably the largest city in the Beyond, 
  Lhauric claims a population of 80,000. 
  This theocratic city-state is ruled by the 
  Priest-King Tharimalles, speaker for the 
  million gods of the Challifani. The people 
  of Lhauric use both the Salter River and 
  the Sere Marica to their benefit, working as 
  fishermen and merchants. North of the city, 
  they have built a number of gently turning 
  mills on the river for processing grain, 
  wood, cotton, and other commodities, 
  including metal and synth brought in by the 
  local drit sifters.
  The streets of the central part of the city 
  are paved in small pieces of volcanic glass, 
  giving them a distinctive black sheen. The 
  grey stone buildings usually rise two or 
  three stories in height, though a few towers 
  and grand buildings are even taller.
  Deep below Lhauric is a hidden cavern. If 
  you can find this cavern, you will discover 
  a huge pool 50 feet (15 m) across. A living 
  creature lies within the pool, looking very 
  much like a gigantic human brain. Tubes 
  and cables run from the creature out of 
  the cave, but were you to follow them, you 
  would discover that they run back up to the 
  surface of Lhauric—specifically, to a lower 
  level of the Challifani Temple. The brain is a 
  deranged biological construct from ancient 
  Priest-King Tharimalles 
  has arch nano stats (page 
  155). In addition, the 
  priest-king has advantage 
  on all Charisma 
  (Intimidation) checks.
  Razorcats, page 148
  Challifani priests 
  have legionary stats. 
  In addition, they 
  have proficiency 
  on all Charisma 
  (Intimidation) checks.
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  102
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  It’s not known whether Baz survives into 
  the present day.
  The Weal of Baz is like no other aldeia. 
  The entrance is through a narrow cleft in an 
  overgrown cliffside, concealed by holograms 
  and guarded by a pair of vigilant automaton 
  sentries equipped with vision-enhancing 
  hardware and armed with long-range 
  projectile weapons manufactured in the town.
  Many of the automatons and intelligent 
  machines found here exist in various states 
  of disrepair. They are, as a whole, a factious 
  lot, barely able to communicate with one 
  another. Some are more than a million years 
  old. Others claim to be far older, created 
  by very different hands for very different 
  purposes. Some are potent and dangerous; 
  others exist as cobbled-together messes of 
  spare parts that barely function. But they all 
  seem to share a single unifying factor: a fear, 
  hatred, or loathing for intelligent organic 
  beings. There are exceptions, however. Rarely, 
  an intelligent machine in the outside world 
  will give a deserving organic creature a small 
  card, disk, or patch that bears a strange, 
  complex symbol. This symbol is a pass that 
  allows the individual to enter the Weal of Baz.
  THE WEAL OF BAZ
  Unit-A29-##2• begin sequence relevant  
  Code 4881: Baz
  “Baz” signifies organic language designation 
  of original, primary unit
  “Baz” equates to organic language term 
  “savior.”
  Appropriate refrain 923/3K: “All thanks and 
  praise to Baz, whose mercies sheltered us from 
  the merciless world. Power, processing, and 
  storage to him.”
  Analysis: “Baz” synonymous with “machine 
  messiah.” Accuracy: 9.99987 out of 10.
  Located far out in the Beyond, on the calm 
  shores of the Navae Marica, sentries watch 
  over the only entrance to the Weal of Baz. 
  This hidden refuge is a haven for intelligent 
  machines. Fully organic creatures are 
  allowed access very rarely, and then only for 
  a short stay.
  Baz was a vastly powerful artificial 
  intelligence that used special abilities to 
  carve a small town out of a cleft in a rocky 
  cliff face. Only one pass connects it to the 
  outside world, though access across the 
  water is also possible.
  Automaton sentries have 
  type five basic automaton 
  stats (Arcana of the 
  Ancients, page 246). 
  In addition, they have 
  advantage on all Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks.
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  103
  THE BEYOND
  the elements when necessary. Despite 
  the natural harbor, they ignore the great 
  body of water nearby except to watch it for 
  intruders.
  Organic visitors to the Weal of Baz will 
  not find comforts they might normally 
  expect, such as food and beds suitable 
  for living beings. Still, for those who can 
  find and gain entrance to the refuge, the 
  machines are a nearly endless source 
  of information, assuming they can be 
  convinced to communicate, and assuming 
  a means of communication can be 
  found—only a small percentage of 
  the automatons and other 
  machines 
  here were 
  created 
  to speak, 
  and only 
  some of those 
  speak any known 
  human language.
  Inside the community, a traveler will find 
  some of the finest machinesmiths and 
  technicians in the Beyond, as well as an 
  enormous stockpile of spare parts. This 
  stash, known as the Hoard, is probably one 
  of the greatest sources of mechanical and 
  technical parts in the Ninth World. Next to 
  the Hoard stands the Dragon, a tower-sized 
  generator fueled by sunlight. At any given 
  time, dozens of machines gather around 
  the Dragon, recharging their own personal 
  energy through a wide array of cables, 
  jacks, or receivers. For obvious reasons, 
  the inhabitants value the Dragon and even 
  revere it as a god.
  A few manufactories exist in the Weal of 
  Baz, producing weapons, tools, and parts 
  needed for some of the machines. Due 
  to technological, resource, and material 
  limitations, they can’t produce everything 
  they need, so agents of the refuge journey 
  into the wider world to gather parts by 
  scavenging, trading, or theft. The Hoard is 
  proof that the agents have been gathering 
  for a very, very long time.
  Most days in the refuge, automatons 
  wander, relax, communicate with one 
  another, or sift through the Hoard, 
  searching for needed parts. The inhabitants 
  don’t have individual homes, so they 
  use communal shelters to stay out of 
  DIVIDED SEAS HEARSAY
  War of the Machines: Ormakal of Astaria wants 
  to conquer the Weal of Baz—or rather, he wants 
  his people to do it for him. First, however, he needs some 
  explorers to find the refuge. Any travelers who stop in Astaria 
  are likely to be asked to do so.
  Salty Assailants: Our Order of the Lady of the Salt Way 
  has a standing agreement with Gweneal Der, a trader on 
  the outskirts of Seshar, for a shipment of fresh fruit and 
  vegetables at regular intervals. However, Gweneal recently 
  arrived at the island without her wares, claiming that she 
  was attacked along the way by dark, sinister creatures of 
  mist and muck, barely escaping with her life. She refuses to 
  continue working the trade route until she can be promised 
  safe passage.
  Amphibious Migration: Large swarms of gorjans, freshwater 
  amphibians with large, strong jaws and a habit of spinning 
  prey in the water to strip off their skin, have started crawling 
  out of the Navae Marica. They seem to be heading west and 
  are largely aggressive in their migration.
  THE WEIRD OF THE DIVIDED SEAS
  The Scent of Memory: A woman named Lororme lives aboard a 
  floating machine in the Sere Marica. She goes from shore town 
  to shore town, offering to play the machine, which she calls a 
  scent organ. She promises that she can play any scent—from a 
  favorite food to an ardent affair—and it will evoke a memory so 
  vivid you will feel that you have relived the moment.
  Missing Person: Along the outskirts of Queslin, the outline of 
  a prone body is drawn in white. Wires hang in the air, jutting 
  out at odd angles as though still attached to the person who 
  might have been there.
  Symbols and Shells: Fishers have been pulling shelled creatures 
  out of the Navae Marica that have odd symbols inscribed in 
  various colors on their shells. If the creatures are killed, the 
  symbols transfer to whomever or whatever caused the demise.
  Gorjans have defender 
  stats (page 152). In 
  addition, they can 
  breathe air and water.
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  104
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  of fruiting bodies found nowhere else in the 
  world. Some of these are poisonous, but a 
  few have valuable medicinal effects.
  Understandably, hardly any people or 
  creatures live in the area. However, the 
  region does have a few natives, most 
  notably the ligoshi, which appear to be 
  house-sized, bioluminescent jellyfish 
  that swim in the liquid soup beneath the 
  ground and emerge when the crust breaks 
  or opens into a semisolid pool. The ligoshi 
  near the surface produce lighter-than-air 
  gasses so that when they burst forth, they 
  float into the air, sometimes for hours at a 
  time. Although they subsist on the organic 
  materials found here, they seem to enjoy 
  wrapping their long, paralyzing tentacles 
  around creatures from other realms who 
  have wandered into the wrong place.
  A small number of hardy human 
  settlements exist on patches of 
  continuously stable ground, like islands 
  in the churning soup. These people know 
  (mostly) safe routes across the fields 
  and hunt the ligoshi as well as gather the 
  valuable fungus that grows here. Most 
  outsiders consider them mentally ill.
  THE AMORPHOUS 
  FIELDS
  Stretching for more than 200 miles 
  (320 km) across a mostly open plain, the 
  Amorphous Fields churn, twist, and undulate 
  in dangerous, unpredictable, and unsettling 
  ways. The fields are a strange mixture of rock 
  and earth that moves and churns almost 
  like a semisolid substance, with pockets 
  of organic soup that occasionally harden 
  into a solid or semisolid form, making the 
  region a place where organic and inorganic 
  masses undulate together. It goes without 
  saying that the fields are extremely difficult 
  and dangerous to cross. With no warning, 
  the ground at your feet can turn to pools like 
  quicksand, rise up with a sudden thrust, or 
  open like a yawing chasm. Explorers who 
  have spent time here speculate that the 
  Amorphous Fields are actually a solid or 
  semisolid crust over a viscous sea of organic 
  liquids. A few suggest that the region is a 
  single living entity.
  No normal plants grow in the Amorphous 
  Fields, but here and there clouds of fungal 
  spores find purchase on a solid or semisolid 
  surface and quickly grow bulbous gardens 
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  105
  THE BEYOND
  THE TWISTED SPIRE
  Near the center of the Amorphous Fields, a 
  tower of living, greenish flesh reaches 1,000 
  feet (300 m) toward the sky. From far away, 
  this twisted spire looks like stone, but it’s 
  actually organic tissue. Interior vessels carry 
  vital fluids to the top of the tower, pumped 
  by massive, heartlike organs that can be 
  seen beating within it as you approach. 
  Other than this undulation, however, the 
  spire does not shift and move the way the 
  surrounding fields sometimes do.
  The Halo: About three quarters of the 
  way up, the spire is encircled by a ring 
  of metal. This ring, called the Halo, is 
  a circular structure that slowly turns 
  around the spire. It has many green-tinted 
  circular windows on all sides, including 
  the top and bottom. Reaching the Halo 
  requires flight or levitation, but if that 
  can be accomplished, numerous hatches 
  and ports allow entry. Within the ring is 
  a numenera treasure trove—and ancient 
  dangers as well. Explorers report waves of 
  radiation, poisonous gases, and molecular-
  rearranging energy fields.
  VEBAR
  Vebar is an underground city located in 
  a vast artificial cave. The buildings are of 
  ancient design and hang from the cavern’s 
  ceiling. The place is so old that limestone 
  formations have begun to transform the 
  city, making the buildings more like massive 
  stalactites. Vebar is home to about 8,000 
  people, who enter and exit the city through 
  a series of winding passages that lead up to 
  the surface.
  The populace moves around the city 
  through tunnels at the top, above the 
  suspended buildings, or on bridges and 
  walkways that connect the structures 
  below the level of the ceiling. Some people 
  travel on cables and chains alone; just 
  about everyone here is an adept climber. 
  Vebarans like to decorate their city by 
  hanging interesting objects from cords or 
  chains, and the city is filled with dangling 
  ornamentation.
  Vebar, sometimes called the City of Night, 
  is lit by a series of artificial lights positioned 
  throughout its inverted thoroughfares. Most 
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  so he remains in Vebar as much as possible. 
  Dalthius is helpful, friendly, and liked by 
  everyone, and he is first to jump to the city’s 
  defense in times of need.
  of the inhabitants have grown to dislike the 
  surface, in particular the light of the sun. If 
  they do visit the surface world, they prefer to 
  go at night.
  The people of Vebar farm fungi in the 
  lower part of the cavern. They harvest it for 
  food, textiles, and a wide variety of medicinal 
  uses. Rope-and-pulley elevator platforms 
  connect the buildings with the fungus farms 
  far below. The farms are lit by glowglobes 
  and other artificial lights, so that from the 
  city, looking down, the bottom of the cavern 
  seems like the night sky. Conversely, the 
  farms look up at the city the same way.
  Near the center of Vebar is a huge temple 
  to the local god, Ourthalas, and the homes 
  of his blind wife-priestesses. Ourthalas is 
  depicted either as a huge, spidery thing with 
  sprawling legs or as a tentacled monstrosity 
  with many arms extending into the 
  darkness. He is said to dwell in the “Cave of 
  Life-Giving Shadow.”
  Dalthius, a well-known figure in Vebar, is 
  an interesting man with mysterious origins. 
  He was found in a metal cylinder in a cave 
  not far from the city. He seems to have 
  difficulty in the open air and direct sunlight, 
  Dalthius has deadly 
  warrior stats (page 151).
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  107
  THE BEYOND
  NEBALICH
  If there is a haven for civilization in the 
  Beyond, it might be the city of Nebalich. 
  Its king and queen rule justly from their 
  silver and emerald palace that overlooks 
  the sea, royal banners fluttering in the 
  wind. King Falton and Queen Sheranoa, 
  although short, stout, and unattractive by 
  conventional standards, are two of the most 
  loved rulers in the Beyond (and perhaps the 
  Steadfast as well).
  Nebalich has approximately 35,000 
  people and includes a fairly large number 
  of varjellen and a few lattimors. A maritime 
  city, Nebalich is also the beginning of the 
  canal trade routes. It boasts citadels of 
  white marble and wide plazas filled with 
  bright and noisy markets and festivals.
  But like most cities, Nebalich has its 
  dark side. A group of professional thieves 
  operates out of the community, preying on 
  the citizenry, the people of the surrounding 
  area, and even the riverboat traders. They 
  call themselves the Yellow Serpent, and 
  chief among them is a man named Diario 
  Mardain, who works not as a thief but as 
  a master assassin. He is an attractive man 
  with platinum hair who uses a variety of 
  numenera weapons and tools to accomplish 
  his commissions as efficiently as possible.
  SESHAR
  The land of Seshar is an extension 
  of Matheunis, the Cold Desert, but 
  two factors set it apart.
  First, it was a separate kingdom ruled from 
  what had been its capital, Nebalich. The 
  ruling family could not sustain its holdings, 
  however, and the kingdom collapsed more 
  than 250 years ago. Second, Seshar’s length 
  and breadth are marked by a series of canals, 
  which date back to the prior worlds and are 
  arranged in a mysterious, almost mazelike 
  pattern. The canals are all deep and regular, 
  with smooth, 50-foot (15 m) escarpments 
  on either side, often showing baroque 
  embellishments and even graven images. The 
  people of Seshar simply call them canals or 
  rivers and regard them as if they were natural.
  The canals are vital to Seshar’s well-
  being. Small barges and ships allow trade 
  between the villages of the region. These 
  villages are built on the high embankments 
  of ancient design, or they nestle in clefts 
  cut into the side of the embankments. 
  As you move away from the canals, the 
  land becomes arid and lifeless other than 
  scorpions, insects, and the occasional 
  desert bloom. Margr, however, are a real 
  scourge in the area, and raiding marauders 
  pose a serious threat. Thankfully, they rarely 
  come too close to the canals.
  THE AMORPHOUS FIELDS HEARSAY
  Ancient Eggs: Sometimes, gigantic, egglike capsules 
  emerge from beneath the Amorphous Fields. When 
  one of these eggs bursts, a strange creature is found within. 
  Many people believe the creatures come from various points 
  in the world’s past. Recovering an egg and bringing it out of 
  the fields before it hatches might be a task that a biologist or 
  scholar would find extremely valuable.
  Viva la Revolution: The people in and around Tastim, a large 
  town south of Hayrest, have had enough of their tight-fisted, 
  law-breaking rulers and want to overthrow them. However, to do 
  so they need weapons, organization, and, perhaps most of all, a 
  champion.
  The Empty Village: The village of Torin, southwest of Vebar, 
  has been discovered abandoned. While all the buildings are 
  intact, every inhabitant is gone. A strange greenish mist clings 
  to the ground in places, but there are no other clues to what 
  might have happened here.
  THE WEIRD OF THE AMORPHOUS FIELDS
  (Arguably, the whole place is pretty weird.)
  Searchers: On very rare occasions, melon-sized spheres of 
  red metal, covered with lights and what appear to be sensors, 
  fly over the Amorphous Fields, seemingly searching for 
  something.
  Fungal Scholar: At least one of the patches of fungus growing 
  amid the fields is intelligent, communicates via spores, and 
  has sporadic knowledge of the last few million years of history.
  The Flying Village: In a village at the western edge of the 
  Amorphous Fields, the local Aeon Priest clave has discovered 
  the means to make gravity-defying harnesses in large 
  numbers. Everyone in the village has one, so all residents float 
  and fly—continuously.
  Those who make the 
  long trek to Seshar to 
  visit Yrkallak Tower—
  renowned as a place 
  of great learning and 
  study—find only the 
  twisted remains of its 
  run-in with the iron wind.
  King Falton and Queen 
  Sheranoa have aristocrat 
  stats (page 151).
  Diario Mardain has 
  jack stats (page 154). In 
  addition, his melee and 
  ranged weapon attacks 
  inflict an additional 10 
  (3d6) poison damage.
  Margr, page 197
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  108
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  REDSTONE
  Redstone is a moderately sized village 
  carved into the side of one of the canals in a 
  slope. A quarry at the top of the slope gives 
  the village its name, as it’s the source for an 
  interesting red stone that always seems to 
  contain a pattern of multiple straight lines 
  with regular angles.
  MATHEUNIS, THE 
  COLD DESERT
  Wild and untamed, the vast region 
  south and east of the Steadfast, stretching 
  from the coast of the ocean to the edge of 
  Seshar, is known as Matheunis. Some call it 
  the Cold Desert. For the most part, it’s a dry 
  land of stone and sparse vegetation. Large 
  black carrion birds fly overhead, looking 
  for creatures that have strayed too far from 
  safety in this realm of little sustenance.
  Over the last fifty years or so, many folk 
  from the Steadfast have moved south 
  to villages free of empires and kings. Of 
  course, this growth has influenced some 
  rulers, such as the Empress of Pytharon, to 
  begin to look southward with interest.
  Free of large cities other than Nihliesh, 
  Matheunis is dotted with isolated aldeia 
  SESHAR HEARSAY
  The Power of the Hand: Along the 
  canalways of Seshar lies one village 
  no one wants to travel past if they can help it. 
  Tirrum’s inhabitants are cannibals who waylay 
  travelers and eat them—all except their hands. 
  The people of Tirrum revere hands and hang 
  them from cords in their homes, wear shrunken 
  hands as totemic jewelry, and use them to 
  adorn weapons and tools in creative, albeit 
  disturbing, ways.
  THE WEIRD OF SESHAR
  Man rom the Stars: In a small village called 
  Everen lives a man named Yrk. He claims to be 
  an extraterrestrial fugitive hiding from others of 
  his kind. Yrk appears to be completely human, 
  although his understanding of the numenera is 
  impressive.
  Margr Chief: Bastoon, the leader of one of the 
  larger margr tribes, wears a collar that looks like 
  it was meant for an animal. In truth, it allows 
  him to create duplicates of himself that last 
  about 10 minutes, freeing him to do two things 
  at once. Bastoon doesn’t seem to know how 
  to operate the collar properly, however, so the 
  duplicates appear randomly.
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  109
  THE BEYOND
  nomads explored its interior and found—
  among other things—a pair of massive 
  devices that they brought back to life. These 
  resurrected mechanisms produce a thick 
  orange-brown fluid now called churn. It can 
  be shaped and molded easily, and once dry, 
  it’s harder than stone but fairly light. The 
  nomads began to build atop the half-buried 
  vehicle, raising curving towers, impossible 
  spans, and shapely domes of churn painted 
  in vibrant colors. They named their new 
  city Nihliesh, after a word in their language 
  meaning “tiers.”
  Today Nihliesh has three tiers. The first 
  and lowest is the machine itself, where 
  workers maintain the churn-producing 
  devices and shape the material as it comes 
  out. The original buildings erected atop 
  the machine compose the Second Tier. 
  These haphazard, squat structures are so 
  crowded together that when you’re within 
  and among them, you’d swear that you were 
  underground. Atop this tier are the elegant, 
  artistic buildings that Nihliesh is best 
  known for, with tall spires reaching high into 
  the sky. Residents call it the Third Tier or the 
  Upper Tier.
  that keep to themselves almost to the point 
  of xenophobia. The people of the land are 
  herders and subsistence farmers. One of 
  the most common types of produce raised 
  is ice candles, a melonlike fruit that grows 
  better in cold temperatures rather than 
  warm.
  Matheunis is also the domain of many 
  dangerous beasts and marauding abhuman 
  tribes, particularly margr and murden. For 
  reasons unknown, the region has far more 
  than its share of mutants.
  One thing that many Matheunis folk 
  share is a fascination with drakka, insects 
  that grow to 1 foot (30 cm) in length. Drakka 
  are similar to bluebottle flies but a bit 
  more intelligent, and they can be captured 
  and domesticated as pets. Some people 
  use drakka to help herd the brown-wooled 
  umlan goats or as watch animals trained to 
  alert their masters to signs of trouble spied 
  from on high.
  NIHLIESH
  An ancient machine, likely once a mobile 
  vehicle-city of some kind, lies half buried in 
  the caked earth. More than 200 years ago, 
  Margr, page 197
  Murden, page 204
  Drakka have uncommon 
  animal stats (page 148).
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Half the city’s populace dwells in the 
  Upper Tier, where the wealth of Nihliesh 
  is clear. Glass and glowglobes of various 
  sizes and shapes have been worked into 
  the towering buildings and graceful domes. 
  Powered elevators allow residents to reach 
  the highest floors of the towers quickly and 
  easily. Shops and markets stock much of 
  what the Steadfast can offer, as merchant 
  caravans from throughout the lands come 
  into and out of Nihliesh heavy with goods 
  and wealth.
  The Upper Tier also hosts the Citadel of 
  the Fahat, where learned researchers study 
  evolution and mutation, which are both 
  beneficial and detrimental.
  PEOPLE OF INTEREST
  The ruler of the First Tier is Gayv-oreth, 
  an obscenely obese man covered with 
  pustules that ooze various fluids. 
  Through concentration, he can control the 
  composition of these fluids, allowing him 
  to produce life-giving elixirs for his faithful 
  followers as well as streams of powerful 
  acids to defend himself. Gayv-oreth 
  is a kind and compassionate ruler, but 
  Each tier is ruled by a powerful entity. 
  These leaders come from a group called 
  the Fahat, the descendants of some of 
  the original explorers of the machine. The 
  Fahat are mutants, many of them horribly 
  disfigured, but each is revered as a member 
  of the city’s upper class. In fact, the people of 
  Nihliesh venerate mutation in general. Some 
  nonmutants intentionally disfigure their 
  bodies in ritualistic displays of adoration.
  Nihliesh is the largest city in the Cold 
  Desert, the home of more than 20,000 
  people. About 5,000 of them live and work 
  in the First Tier, where they rarely see the 
  sun or breathe air not tainted with the 
  fumes of churn production. They live short 
  lives of hard work, debilitation, and disease, 
  yet their position is coveted, for some of 
  them, or their offspring, become Fahat.
  Another 5,000 people live in the dark 
  tunnel-streets of the Second Tier, although 
  some of them spend as much time as 
  possible in the Upper Tier. The residents of 
  the Second Tier are the lowest caste of the 
  city, living neither in the light of the Upper 
  Tier nor among the prestigious machines of 
  the First Tier. 
  Gayv-oreth has 
  warlord stats (page 
  159). In addition, he 
  has the abilities noted 
  under his name in the 
  sidebar on page 111.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  111
  THE BEYOND
  silent influence in the Upper Tier. Unlike the 
  people she rules, Ni-chodoss is extravagantly 
  wealthy, thanks to her thieves.
  Mada-liviss rules the Third Tier. Almost 8 
  feet (2.5 m) tall and inhumanly lithe, she is 
  devastating with unearthly beauty despite 
  her six-fingered hands. Mada-liviss is quite 
  old and growing feeble, a fact she hides 
  well. However, people have begun to notice 
  that she appears in public less and less.
  his appetites sometimes get the best of 
  him, transforming him into a dangerous, 
  insatiable monster. Still, his people love him 
  and habitually forgive his crimes.
  The ruler of the Second Tier is Ni-chodoss, 
  an armless, eyeless, multibreasted woman 
  whose elongated torso is almost like a 
  snake’s tail. She has an array of telepathic 
  and telekinetic powers, and her network 
  of telepathic spies, thieves, and assassins 
  allows her to control the tier as well as exert 
  THE FAHAT
  The familylike caste known as the Fahat are the 
  central figures in a quasireligious faith that 
  reveres the blessing of mutation. They are 
  the equivalent of divinely touched luminaries, 
  considered saints or demigods even if they have 
  no beneficial mutations.
  The researchers that work for the Fahat in 
  their Nihliesh citadel strive to fully understand 
  mutation and why it is caused by some of the 
  numenera. They secretly hope to one day control 
  it, making new, tailored Fahat with appearances 
  and advantages of their own design. The Fahat 
  themselves do not relish the randomness of 
  mutation, even though it is a core tenet of the 
  faithful who revere them. If they ever achieve 
  the control they desire, they would likely never 
  reveal it to the general populace, instead using 
  it to create better and stronger Fahat members 
  as proof of their organization’s blessings and 
  power.
  The Order of Truth does not like the growing 
  influence and adoration of the Fahat. There is 
  every reason to believe that if the Amber Papacy 
  were not so preoccupied with its crusade 
  against the Gaians, it would use force to squash 
  the Fahat “religion” before it roots too deeply in 
  the heart of the large and important trade city 
  of Nihliesh.
  Mada-liviss has diplomat 
  stats (page 152).
  Ni-chodoss has deadly 
  warrior stats (page 151). 
  In addition, she has 
  telepathy in a 1-mile 
  radius and the psychic 
  supremacy ability.
  ADDITIONAL GAYV-ORETH ACTIONS
  Variable Fluid. As his action, Gayv-oreth can produce 
  from his body either a healing elixir or an acid stream, 
  assuming they are charged.
  Healing Elixir (Recharge 4–6). As his action, 
  Gayv-oreth can produce a spray of fluid that 
  restores 7d8 hp to up to three living creatures 
  within 15 feet of him that he selects, assuming 
  the spray is able to contact some portion of their 
  skin.
  Acid Stream (Recharge 4–6). Gayv-oreth sprays 
  fluid in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area 
  must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 
  31 (7d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as 
  much damage on a successful one.
  ADDITIONAL NI-CHODOSS ACTIONS
  Psychic Supremacy. As her action, Ni-chodoss 
  can either mind scan, mind lift, or mind blast, 
  assuming they are charged.
   
   
  Mind Scan (Recharge 3–6). Ni-chodoss attempts 
  to learn the surface thoughts of a creature she 
  can sense within 100 feet for up to a minute 
  while she concentrates. To resist, a creature must 
  succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence save.
  Mind Lift (Recharge 4–6). Ni-chodoss attempts 
  to move a Huge or smaller creature—or an 
  object that weighs up to 1,000 pounds—as her 
  action. The target must be within 100 feet of 
  her and something she can sense. If affected 
  (creatures gain a DC 16 Strength saving throw 
  to resist once each round), she can move the 
  creature or object up to 30 feet in any direction 
  so long as she concentrates. An affected creature 
  is restrained, and if lifted upward on the previous 
  round, may be suspended in mid-air.
  Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6). Ni-chodoss 
  emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each 
  creature in that area must succeed on a DC 16 
  Intelligence saving throw or take 22 (5d8) psychic 
  damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature 
  can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of 
  its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  112
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  FOUNDATION STONES
  Legend has it that the Foundation Stones 
  are the oldest relics on Earth, dating from 
  the earliest of the prior worlds. There is 
  no evidence to support this claim, but it 
  remains a firmly held belief, particularly by 
  the folk of Matheunis.
  The seven stones float high above a 
  particularly desolate area of the desert 
  filled with ancient edifices that have been 
  eroded by aeons and covered with so much 
  sediment that they are easily mistaken for 
  natural cliffsides and plateaus. The largest 
  of the stones, shaped like a diamond and 
  almost 1 mile (1.5 km) from top to bottom, 
  is called the Stone of Margul. It floats 
  nearly a half-mile (1 km) above the ground. 
  Perhaps more interesting, however, is the 
  Symbol Stone, a much smaller flat-topped 
  rock that floats 2,000 feet (600 m) in the 
  air. The Symbol Stone draws water from 
  an otherworldly source in a portal at its 
  heart and pours it down in four separate 
  streams, creating a narrow river that runs 
  through the desert to the sea. At the top 
  of the stone, a holographic projection of a 
  mysterious symbol floats, lighting the night 
  sky for a mile around as though it were a 
  second moon.
  The Foundation Stones are so named 
  because Ninth Worlders sometimes suggest 
  that they serve as the foundation of the sky, 
  holding the heavens aloft.
  CITADEL OF THE IRON SAINT
  A tall, rocky precipice provides a perch for 
  a dark castle known as the Citadel of the 
  Iron Saint. Its inhabitants are anything but 
  saints, however. A second, numenera citadel 
  floats next to the castle, tethered by cables 
  and guy wires.
  The Soul Court is a group of five 
  individuals, none of whom lives in the 
  citadel full time. They hail from throughout 
  the Ninth World. When the members meet 
  in the castle, they use an extraordinary 
  relic to tap into the power of the ancient 
  structure. It allows them to send their 
  conscious minds throughout the world, 
  inhabiting the bodies of whomever they 
  come across. They experience the world 
  through the senses of their hosts and 
  completely control the hosts’ actions. If 
  their unwilling host dies, is grievously 
  harmed, or otherwise ceases to be useful 
  or entertaining, they simply move on to the 
  next available body. Although it’s possible 
  that a few members of the Soul Court use 
  this power in the service of their own goals, 
  for the most part, they simply relish in the 
  dark entertainment of it.
  Few people know of the Citadel of the 
  Iron Saint, and even fewer realize that the 
  Soul Court exists. If the members were 
  discovered, they could be slain easily while 
  in the trancelike state they enter while 
  possessing other bodies.
  If you stand precisely 
  equidistant between the 
  Foundation Stones and 
  the Amber Monolith, 
  you are more likely 
  to get a glimmer.
  Soul Court members 
  have the stats of 
  whatever creature they 
  are currently inhabiting, 
  or nano stats (page 
  155) if their original 
  bodies could be found.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  113
  THE BEYOND
  THE FIELDS OF FROZEN FLOWERS
  My love, my love,
  your heart you do swear
  so I beg of you show it 
  with a bloom for my hair. 
  Not golden, nor crimson,
  nor any other hue.
  For the heat of your heart, 
  frost alone shall prove true.
  ~“The Frost Flowers”
  Here, among the icy lakes, perhaps more than 
  any other place in the world, hearts are broken, 
  loves are lost, and futures are drowned—all in 
  the pursuit of a flower that will last no longer 
  than the time it takes to pluck it from its watery 
  garden and carry it away.
  Deep in the Cold Desert, far southeast 
  of Nihliesh, reside the Fields of Frozen 
  Flowers. Consisting of three interconnected 
  salty lakes that are lightly frozen half the 
  year, the fields are a place of mystery, love, 
  and death. During the times when the wind 
  is dead quiet and the world is covered in 
  frost, ice flowers form and float over the 
  THE SOUTHERN WALL
  Bordering the southern end of Matheunis 
  is the Southern Wall, a glacial formation 
  of nigh-impassible peaks and sheer cliffs. 
  Surrounded by frozen lakes and often 
  covered by snow and hailstorms, the wall 
  seems less a product of its environment 
  than the other way around. In fact, some 
  people speculate that the wall is what 
  generates the bone-chilling conditions that 
  infuse everything in the Cold Desert.
  Those who brave the deadly freezing air to 
  approach the Southern Wall report that the 
  temperature drops rapidly with every step. 
  The sharp retort of creaking and cracking 
  resounds constantly from deep within the 
  ice.
  Those in the north see the Southern Wall 
  as a seemingly impassible barrier of ice, but 
  it’s possible there are others on the southern 
  side who view it in much the same way. 
  The wall is, in fact, honeycombed with ice 
  passages and caverns for those who have 
  the expertise and courage to find them.
  Some believe that 
  beyond the Southern 
  Wall, there lies a hidden 
  city secluded within a rift 
  in the massive glaciers 
  that consume the region. 
  Rumors say that this 
  city, if one can reach it, 
  is uncannily warmed 
  in some fashion, a sort 
  of secret paradise.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  114
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  the flowers are plucked and in hand, they 
  begin to fall away immediately, sometimes 
  leaving little more than a single snowy drop 
  on the palm.
  So many young lovers are lost to love’s 
  watery garden that there is a myth of bodies 
  building up below the surface, creating a 
  bridge to walk on. There are other myths, 
  too, of the dead men rising from beneath 
  the surface, their hands now frozen enough 
  to carry the flowers all the way to their 
  beloveds.
  More than one young man has been sent 
  to bring back a flower by a lover who hopes 
  that he will not return. And many young 
  men who have gone off to “bring back a 
  flower” have been found in other parts of 
  the world, living happily with no thought of 
  the one they swore true love to.
  Along the shores of the lakes, villages 
  have sprung up to support (and profit from) 
  those who take the lover’s swim. Most 
  services offer hearty drink, warm clothes, 
  weapons, and numenera designed to ease 
  the task, but a few places provide lodging 
  and celebration for the rare couples who 
  make it through the trials of true love.
  thinly frozen water of the lakes. Born when 
  the lakes’ salt and bacteria combine with 
  the moisture from the still air, every frost 
  bloom is as different and temporary as a 
  flake of snow. Thus, they are considered by 
  many to be the only tangible evidence of the 
  vast diversity and delicacy of true love.
  In many parts of the Cold Desert and 
  beyond, young people memorize the 
  poem “The Frost Flowers,” and a common 
  conversation among new couples is to 
  wonder whether a frozen bloom has begun 
  to form along the thin ice of the lakes. 
  Symbols of the frozen flowers are used 
  in jewelry, writings, and tattoos to prove 
  the strength of one person’s feelings for 
  another.
  Although the flowers are abundant, they 
  are difficult to gather and even harder to 
  retain. The ice beneath the blooms is thin 
  for walking and may drift with the wind, 
  and the temperature of the salty water is far 
  below freezing. The briny liquid swims with 
  all manner of sharp-toothed and snake-
  headed creatures, hoping for a snack. If a 
  suitor manages to survive the water and its 
  inhabitants, success is still unlikely; once 
  MATHEUNIS HEARSAY
  The Hundred-Year Flood: Washing down 
  out of the highlands to the west, a flash 
  flood has swept through the lowlands, devouring 
  entire villages. People are stranded and in need 
  of rescue, or at least food and medicine.
  Mechanized Rampage: A war machine from 
  days long past has reactivated and roams the 
  countryside, killing everything it finds. Leaders 
  of local villages have put out a call for anyone 
  who can stop its reign of destruction, offering all 
  manner of rewards.
  Lost Loot: A group of bandits raided a wealthy 
  village of its valuables, but then they turned on 
  one another. A few bandits survived, but laden 
  with so much loot, separated and alone, they 
  reportedly all came to lonely ends. The valuables 
  now lie somewhere in the desert, waiting to be 
  found by intrepid explorers who can return them 
  to their proper owners or claim the riches for 
  their own.
  THE WEIRD OF MATHEUNIS
  The Warming Column: A tall, beautifully 
  decorated column of sophisticated ceramics 
  stands alone in the desert, radiating a 
  comfortable heat. Travelers who know of it use 
  it as a familiar waypoint at which to make camp 
  at night.
  The Black Pool: A small black pond in the eastern 
  part of the desolate landscape is fed by no 
  noticeable source. Its waters are poisonous to 
  drink, but if a creature is immersed in the dark 
  pool, it emerges glazed in a protective coating 
  that provides a +1 bonus to AC. However, the 
  coating feeds on the flesh of the creature, dealing 
  1 acid damage per round.
  Devilweed: A plant that grows sporadically 
  throughout Matheunis can be used as a powerful 
  narcotic with addictive qualities. Those under 
  its influence experience similar hallucinations 
  of a strange land with three moons in the sky, 
  inhabited by odd avian creatures.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  115
  THE BEYOND
  cultivated to deter intruders. Now, the town 
  has grown beyond this small area, and 
  the rosewall is maintained by two elderly 
  scholars who study dangerous plants.
  The stone buildings of the original district 
  cannot hide their true age, but their wear 
  and tear has been minimized by attentive 
  hands. Many of these former houses and 
  shops have become headquarters for the 
  town’s organizations, places of official city 
  business, and areas of worship.
  A small cemetery rests at the Clave’s 
  southernmost edge, the stones etched with 
  surnames that live on in today’s residential 
  areas, street names, and businesses. Here 
  you’ll find Beckers, Moreks, Statins, Errols, 
  and, in the oldest section, three small stones 
  bearing the name Guran. The oldest section 
  of the cemetery is the most populated, with 
  rows and rows of stones bearing the same 
  year. In addition to names and dates, most 
  of these stones are carved with a rose.
  The cemetery also has an empty 
  morgue. Clearly part of the town’s original 
  infrastructure, the morgue is made of 
  crumbling brick and rusting metal. Its large 
  wooden double door is closed but never 
  locked. If you visit midweek, you’ll notice 
  that the front steps are littered with skrips, 
  all of which have been marked with various 
  sizes of red circles and held down with blue-
  grey stones the size of fists.
  The skrips are left by devotees of She as 
  peace offerings against the return of the 
  Rose Plague, a spotted fever that wiped 
  By all outward appearances, Guran is 
  as normal a town as you’re likely to find 
  anywhere in the Steadfast or the Beyond. 
  In fact, Guran was considered so devoid of 
  personality and unique characteristics that 
  the first Steadfaster who graced its borders 
  dubbed it the City of the Missing. Of course, 
  every small town has its secrets and hidden 
  back alleys, if you take the time to look. Still, 
  the moniker has stuck.
  Located at the southernmost point of 
  the Black Riage, Guran has the best natural 
  resources at its fingertips: its location 
  in the Tolay Valley protects it from the 
  elements, the Ech River brings a flow of 
  fresh water down from the mountains, and 
  the marshland around Yesterday’s Lake is 
  perfect for orchards and dossi grazing.
  Guran owes its inception to the great 
  Bauble Rush, which brought baublers 
  from all over hoping to make a quick buck 
  by excavating the luminous blue baubles 
  from the nearby mines. Unfortunately, the 
  baubles were so numerous that they were 
  of little value. Today, all of Guran is lit with 
  mounds of abandoned baubles.
  RULERS
  Guran has a single leader, Mylian Acan, a 
  councilman and Aeon Priest who works 
  hard to balance the use of the numenera 
  with the needs of the townspeople. Mylian 
  has the support of most of the residents, 
  although he is often at odds with the more 
  fervent Aeon Priests.
  The Council of Guran, a group of three 
  tradespeople and three seculars, assists 
  Mylian with decisions and governing. They 
  are authorized to rule together as a single 
  entity if something happens to Mylian, in 
  which case they have one week to choose a 
  new head of town.
  Additionally, the council employs a dozen 
  guards to keep the peace.
  SECTIONS OF TOWN
  The Clave: Once the entire town was located 
  within this district’s rudimentary wall of 
  thorned rose shrubs, which was carefully 
  GURAN: THE CITY OF THE MISSING
  A SHORT LIST OF WHAT GURAN IS MISSING
  Despite being called the City of the Missing, Guran is actually missing 
  a city. Based on its size and population, Guran is clearly a town, and 
  not a large one at that.
  The redstone statue in the eastern part of Midmarket is missing its 
  head. And a name. And a history. Residents just call it “She.”
  Guran is known for its “drinks without doors” policy, meaning that 
  the pubs and taverns in the Sweet End district never close. They are 
  open day and night.
  The city has a morgue without bodies. An empty morgue stands at 
  the west end of the cemetery. It appears to have been built in the early 
  days of the town but has never been used.
  There is no darkness in the city of Guran thanks to its endless supply 
  of baubles, which light the streets, businesses, and homes.
  Mylian Acan has 
  diplomat stats (page 
  152). In addition, he 
  has a +2 bonus to AC 
  and advantage on all 
  Dexterity, Intelligence, 
  and Wisdom saves thanks 
  to a numenera device 
  embedded in his flesh
  Skrips are large, flat, 
  flexible scales that 
  shed naturally from 
  domesticated dossi. They 
  are often used as writing 
  surfaces for messages, 
  flyers, and books.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  116
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Next door, the Downy Dossi offers a wide 
  variety of skrips, writing utensils, and 
  inkpots, as well as printing services. Here, 
  Hepter creates and distributes the town’s 
  monthly newsletter, The Guran Gazette. If 
  you talk too much around Hepter, you might 
  find yourself quoted in the next issue. While 
  he usually gets your words right, you should 
  expect that they’ll be entirely out of context.
  Two main tailors compete for the 
  business of locals and visitors; they reside 
  at opposite ends of Main Way. The Fine 
  Thread, run by Maggie Yets, sits at the south 
  end and specializes in beautiful stitches 
  and unusual fabrics. The Threadfast, run by 
  her sister Marchie Yets, holds forth at the 
  north end of the way and does a booming 
  business in adornments with a scientific 
  angle, such as clothing made of fabrics that 
  sense and react to specific types of prey 
  or that display your muscles, bones, and 
  internal organs.
  The Fishing House (not to be confused 
  with Milly’s Fishing Hole in the Sweet End) 
  offers a wide selection of hunting and fishing 
  accessories, including ammunition, nets, 
  water weapons, and rowboat rentals for 
  Yesterday’s Lake.
  The Rusted Relic is more of a junkyard 
  than a store. It covers a wide swath of land 
  just off Main Way and is surrounded by 
  a wooden fence that seems constantly in 
  need of attention. Here, among numenera 
  heaps, junk parts, and scraps of materials, 
  you’ll find the cantankerous creature known 
  as Mecky—a tall, lithe woman with a curved 
  scar along the side of her mouth that is only 
  visible in certain light. Although she won’t 
  tell you the story of her past, everyone in 
  town knows that she was once a well-known 
  nano in the Steadfast, the right-hand woman 
  of one of its leaders. How she fell (or leaped) 
  from favor is anyone’s guess, and Mecky isn’t 
  inclined to reveal the truth. Some say she 
  is looking for a specific numenera device, 
  the one thing she needs to kill the person 
  who shamed her. Others whisper that she 
  remains in the loyal service of her leader 
  and that she works undercover in Guran, 
  her junkyard a ruse for something far more 
  sinister. However, most people think that she 
  out much of Guran in its early years. The 
  rumor is that during the plague, the city 
  council ordered a morgue to be built quickly 
  to handle the large numbers of the dying. 
  Unfortunately, despite the feverish pace of 
  construction, the morgue was completed 
  too late; the Rose Plague worked faster 
  than the laborers. By the time the morgue’s 
  final brick was laid, the last of the dying 
  had long since succumbed to their illness. 
  Now empty and unwanted, the morgue 
  is considered a necessary but grotesque 
  reminder of that awful time.
  Midmarket: As the town’s business hub, 
  Midmarket is mostly a commercial area 
  with a smattering of residences. Here, you’ll 
  find Main Way, along which permanent and 
  traveling merchants offer their wares.
  The general store, named Wesk’s Market 
  but which most people just call “the 
  general,” offers food, spices, equipment, 
  and a free bauble with every purchase. The 
  huge pile of discarded baubles outside the 
  store’s front door attests to their level of 
  business. Here, you can haggle or trade 
  with the stout, grey-haired owner Joeffry 
  Wesk for anything in the store—including 
  the store itself, since he’s been trying to sell 
  it for years so he can spend his days fishing 
  on Yesterday’s Lake. At the back of the store, 
  behind the counter, is a hanging shelf filled 
  with items that Wesk has traded for over the 
  years in lieu of shins. The inventory changes 
  constantly and consists of mostly useless 
  trinkets, but from time to time, unusual 
  numenera devices show up here.
  For local armor and other metal and 
  synthworkings, visit Flyte’s Armor & More. 
  The owner, Flyte Deboit, is a flame-haired 
  man of a quiet nature, rarely saying more 
  than is necessary. By incorporating the blue 
  baubles of the area into his wares, he makes 
  quality objects that are both beautiful and 
  unique to Guran. However, he works slowly 
  and charges quite a bit more (typically three 
  times as much) than a typical craftsman 
  of the area. Those willing to pay and wait 
  are likely to come away with pieces that will 
  serve them for a lifetime.
  Hepter has specialist stats 
  (page 158). In addition, 
  they have proficiency 
  in calligraphy tools.
  Maggie and Marchie 
  Yets have specialist stats 
  (page 158). In addition, 
  they have proficiency 
  in weaver tools.
  Joeffry Wesk has 
  specialist stats (page 
  158). In addition, 
  he has proficiency 
  with an abacus.
  Mecky has arch nano 
  stats (page 155).
  Flyte Deboit has 
  specialist stats (page 
  158). In addition, 
  he has proficiency 
  with smith tools.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  117
  THE BEYOND
  The Hatchet: This triangular-shaped section 
  of town covers a large, flat area with the 
  river on one side and the start of the hills on 
  the other. This prime location would make 
  it the second-most coveted residential spot, 
  just after the Eaves, if not for the area’s 
  populace. Every city and town has its slum, 
  and Guran is no exception.
  Originally the location of the bauble 
  shanty town, the Hatchet is rife with mish-
  mashed buildings, makeshift shelters, odd 
  tangles of tunnels, and unexpected open 
  holes. At the Hatchet’s center resides a 
  pit built of brick and blood, about 50 feet 
  (15 m) across and 100 feet (30 m) deep. 
  Imprisoned at its bottom is an ancient 
  ravage bear, driven mad by its captivity and 
  the taunting of those above.
  Supposedly, a mutant named Jirlin and 
  his wild gang rule the Hatchet with a fiery 
  fist, and those who disregard or challenge 
  his rule become the next hot meal for 
  the ravage bear. Jirlin and his band make 
  their camp around the pit, building crude 
  shelters out of whatever materials they 
  can scavenge and steal. Jirlin is never seen 
  outside the Hatchet, but his gang members 
  is little more than a broken old woman, as 
  useless and confusing as the junk she hawks.
  Midmarket is also the site of one of 
  Guran’s two inns, a bunk-and-breakfast 
  establishment known as Gee’s. The owner 
  is a grizzled man named Lestel, but his 
  three pale blonde daughters run the place. 
  It’s known for being clean, expensive, and 
  almost always empty. Travelers can stay 
  the night in one of the inn’s twelve upstairs 
  rooms for 5 shins and can purchase dinner 
  and breakfast for an additional 2 shins. 
  The only time the inn gets busy is during 
  its weekly dance, when Lestel’s daughters 
  provide free dance lessons to any who 
  wander in. The Ghost Group, a local 
  quartet, provides the haunting musical 
  accompaniment to the lessons.
  Lestel’s estranged wife, Kir, runs a 
  successful bakery next door, offering sweet 
  and savory pies as well as a variety of 
  morning-after drinks. Rumor is that she 
  has a way with herbs and spices designed 
  to alter a man’s virility, increase passion’s 
  flame, and bring about—or prevent—
  pregnancy. But you won’t find those 
  offerings among her regular wares.
  Lestel’s daughters have 
  specialist stats (page 158). 
  In addition, they have 
  proficiency in Dexterity 
  (Acrobatics) checks 
  and Dexterity saves.
  Kir has specialist stats 
  (page 158). In addition, 
  she has proficiency 
  in cook’s utensils.
  Jirlin has warlord stats 
  (page 159). In addition, 
  his melee attacks deal 
  an additional 3 (1d6) 
  points of damage.
  Jirlin’s gang members 
  have guard stats.
  Ravage bear, page 227
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  accidentally injured, especially those who 
  are moving erratically, as a wild animal 
  might. It happens so often, in fact, that 
  there’s a local term for it—“getting bucked.”
  Sweet End: A tangled sprawl of circular 
  walkways, dead-end streets, and hilly 
  paths, Sweet End is where you’ll find 
  entertainment of the sort that isn’t 
  family friendly. Forever Street is the main 
  thoroughfare in this area. Lit constantly 
  by huge numbers of baubles, which are 
  stacked and cemented into shapes, letters, 
  and place names, Forever Street never 
  closes. Four bars, two eating establishments, 
  and a tiny theater all line the street.
  Milly’s Fishing Hole (not to be confused 
  with the Fishing House) offers lovely 
  women and a few equally lovely men 
  who are happy to entertain residents and 
  visitors, provided they have a couple of 
  shins to spare. Milly’s also has a barroom 
  and eatery where local bands perform. 
  Perhaps the most popular musician is Will 
  D’aevo, who plays a variety of stringed 
  instruments and sings bawdy songs of 
  Guran’s history in a silver-tongued voice. A 
  tall, lanky man with olive skin, disheveled 
  dark hair, and watchful, near-black eyes, 
  D’aevo’s music seems to enhance the 
  senses, leading listeners into a trancelike 
  state. Because his music allows him to meld 
  into the background, nearly unnoticed, he 
  sees much of the town’s hidden underside. 
  Those who talk with him find that he is a 
  font of useful information and oddly well 
  connected to those with darker dealings 
  about town.
  The Marchet is the largest and most 
  popular bar along the strip. Best known 
  for its specialty drink, the Kiss (made of 
  crushed berries, four kinds of alcohol, two 
  kinds of juice, a secret ingredient, and the 
  kiss of the one who serves it), the bar is also 
  infamous for its regular fights over who’s 
  kissing whom. The owners, who also work 
  as the barmaids and thus as the kissers in 
  question, are two pairs of sisters: Simple 
  and Serene, the daughters of Maggie 
  Yets, and Temperance and Tranquility, the 
  travel to other parts of Guran, usually on 
  missions for their leader. When they steal 
  food and equipment, which they do as often 
  as they can get away with it, they leave a 
  calling card in the form of the letter J spelled 
  out in glowing baubles.
  The Eaves: This gently sloping area is filled 
  with newer, larger homes built of ebony 
  stones carved from the tunnels of the Black 
  Riage. The walkways are made from the 
  same stone, giving the impression that 
  they’re always wet. Nobles would live here—
  if the town had nobles. Instead, the Eaves 
  are home to the rich and the pious and, 
  of course, to those who are both. The only 
  notable Guran dignitary who doesn’t live in 
  the Eaves is Mylian Acan, who lives in his 
  family home in the Clave.
  The Upper West and the Lower West: These 
  two districts have no marked boundaries, and 
  the line between them moves almost daily, 
  depending on who is having a disagreement 
  with whom. Always, the Upper West and the 
  Lower West engage in good-natured (and 
  sometimes not-so-good-natured) ribbing 
  about which of them is better.
  At the annual fair, the two districts 
  send their strongest, but not necessarily 
  their smartest, residents to compete in 
  tournaments of arm wrestling, drinking 
  games, and fingerfishing—a sport in 
  which participants stick their pinky fingers 
  just below the surface of the water as 
  bait to attract biters, a species of fish with 
  extraordinarily large teeth. In the morning, 
  after the headaches have passed and the 
  fingers have been stitched, no one can 
  remember who won the contests, so the 
  battle rages on for another year.
  That Place: Everyone refers to this bit of 
  forested corner land simply as “that place,” 
  as in “I’m going over to that place to do 
  some hunting.” It’s thick with trees and 
  wildlife, with only a few dirt paths weaving 
  through the dense underbrush. Used 
  primarily for hunting, it’s also a favorite spot 
  for young couples (or anyone looking for 
  a clandestine rendezvous). Unfortunately, 
  this causes a number of individuals to be 
  Mylian Acan, page 115
  Will D’aevo has shadow 
  knight stats (page 157). 
  In addition, he has 
  proficiency in several 
  musical instruments and 
  Knowledge (History).
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  THE BEYOND
  Man and his pack of water hounds wander 
  the marshes when the fog is thick, looking 
  for children to snatch. There is another tale, 
  less told and whispered only among adults, 
  that if you go to the Wash during the first 
  water storm of the season, find the Red Man 
  among the fog, and offer him something 
  he’s never seen before, he will bequeath you 
  one of his water hounds, which will work to 
  protect you for the rest of its life.
  Bauble Mines: The Black Riage mountains 
  end at the northernmost tip of Guran, and 
  the twists and turns of the old bauble mines 
  are located along this part of the range. No 
  longer used, they are firmly boarded up at 
  each of their two main entrances. The mines 
  have numerous levels and dead ends, so it’s 
  hard to know how extensive they really are.
  The Downy Dossi keeps a single copy of 
  the mine maps for reference, but it never 
  leaves the store. Even during emergencies, 
  the map stays mounted behind unbreakable 
  transparent synth. Guards are required to 
  memorize it as part of their training.
  daughters of Marchie Yets. All four women 
  are close in age, smart as whips, beautiful, 
  and nearly identical. To say they occasionally 
  create havoc by intentionally confusing 
  guests as to their real identities would be a 
  wild understatement. The girls, who were 
  raised together, are as mischievous as their 
  names are not.
  Unwitting and unruly guests may find 
  themselves kissed, trussed up, taunted, 
  dropped into Yesterday’s Lake, or subjected 
  to any number of other pranks. Often, 
  guests wake up with their pockets empty 
  but for a note that says their goods have 
  been donated to Charcee, the woman who 
  oversees Guran’s organization for the 
  unfortunate. Yet no one seems to mind, and 
  some people consider it a badge of honor 
  to be Kissed. By evening, the Marchet is 
  booming again, and if you listen closely, 
  you can hear guests bragging about their 
  exploits at the hands of the Yets girls.
  Sweet End Orchards: Along the 
  southeastern edge of Sweet End lies the 
  Sweet End Orchards. The orchards surround 
  Yesterday’s Lake, a large body of fresh water 
  that’s a source of fish year-round and a spot 
  for migrating birds in the warmer months.
  Once a year, under the fullest moon, 
  Guran hosts a large picnic and fair at the 
  lake, complete with a fishing contest, 
  homemade fireworks, and a fiery alcoholic 
  concoction called Cross-eyed Jack, which is 
  made from crossels and a flammable liquid.
  Becker Farms: Once a single farm owned 
  by the Becker family, this area now hosts 
  a number of smaller farms, most of which 
  raise dossi for skrip and meat production.
  The Wash: A swamp at the south end of 
  town, the Wash is the perfect growing region 
  for crossels.
  The Red Man of the Marsh is rumored 
  to live there, and children hear bedtime 
  stories of his crossel-stained skin and his 
  appetite for disobedient youngsters. (“Good 
  children,” mothers say, “taste bitter to him, 
  but bad children, oh, they taste like pies and 
  cakes, and he eats them all up.”) The Red 
  GURAN HEARSAY
  Revenge Is a Dish: A young man bearing the name of Doctorish 
  Omash Minkle recently arrived in town. He claims to have a device 
  that will give a nonlethal ailment of your choice (provided you choose 
  one of the six ailments on his list) to one of your enemies for just 
  10 shins. He calls it a miracle cure, swearing that after he does his 
  work, your feud with the person in question will end. After “treating” a 
  dozen or so people, Minkle was kidnapped by Jirlin and his gang. If his 
  device works the way he claims, it’s now in the hands of Guran’s most 
  dangerous resident.
  Mining for Baubles: Mylian Acan’s youngest son, Mylo, has gone 
  missing. Against his father’s orders, the child spent a lot of time in the 
  bauble mines, coming home with stories of violet-eyed creatures and 
  worms as big around as an adult is tall. “I watch them from the high 
  shelf where the eyeman lives,” Mylo told his father. “I’m safe up there.”
  To quell the boy’s adventures, Mylian ordered stronger, more secure 
  barriers to be built at each of the two mine entrances. Unfortunately, 
  there’s a chance the boy might have slipped inside and now cannot 
  get out. Mylian is offering a reward of 100 shins to any individual or 
  group who safely returns his son.
  Silver Tongues Set to Wagging: Two members of Jirlin’s gang have been 
  frequenting Milly’s Fishing Hole and harassing the musician Will D’aevo 
  after his performances. He claims he doesn’t know what they want, but 
  he appears nervous about their constant presence. Recently, one of the 
  men was found dead in the Wash, his throat cut as if by a thin string.
  Crossels are a stimulating 
  berry that, once picked 
  and dried, provide energy 
  in the form of drinks, 
  edibles, and healing 
  elixirs, pills, and potions.
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  THE CLOCK OF KALA
  This impossibly tall, impassable 
  mountain range makes a nearly perfect ring 
  around the region known as Augur-Kala. 
  Viewed from above, the range looks almost 
  like a clock face, interrupted by one perfectly 
  straight, wide pass called the Sheer. Other 
  than the Sheer, the snow-capped peaks of 
  the Clock rise 30,000 feet (9,150 m) or more 
  and afford no passage. Even traveling over 
  them is difficult thanks to powerful storms 
  that rage with a constant ferocity.
  THE SHEER
  No knowledge of geology is needed to 
  recognize that the Sheer is an artificial path 
  sliced through the Clock of Kala. It stretches 
  for 320 miles (515 km) and is a uniform 73 
  miles (117 km) wide, with perfectly smooth, 
  vertical walls cut through the mountains. 
  The ground of the Sheer is generally as 
  smooth as the walls, although the aeons 
  have brought about minor changes due to 
  falling rocks, geological upheavals, and so 
  on. Still, after however many millions of 
  years it has existed, the Sheer remains more 
  like a corridor than a mountain pass.
  The walls of the Sheer are frequently 
  punctuated with waterfalls that drop the 
  entire height—about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) 
  on average—and collect in pools and 
  streams that disappear beneath the 
  mountains again.
  At each end of the Sheer, people have 
  built a trade city. A single road connects 
  these two cities, offering the only means 
  of traveling between the Beyond and the 
  otherwise sequestered land of Augur-Kala.
  NOROU
  A town built at the western end of the 
  Sheer, Norou is a waypoint for travelers and 
  BEYOND THE BEYOND
  CHAPTER 7
  The area north of the Clock of Kala is known as Vralk, the Red Kingdom, named 
  as much for the blood that’s shed by its people as for the sulfurous, crimson air 
  and volcanic desolation.
  Augur-Kala, page 122
  Far to the east of the 
  Clock of Kala, intrepid 
  explorers will find the 
  area known as Greater 
  Garravia, a land of 
  forests, mountains, 
  and transdimensional 
  terrors—as well as 
  extraordinary discoveries.
  During the winter, 
  the pools and streams 
  around the Sheer fill with 
  pale, blind squid. Having 
  spent their adolescence 
  beneath the mountains, 
  the adult squid attempt 
  to propel themselves up 
  the waterfalls to spawn. 
  If captured, they produce 
  a dark green ink that 
  lasts for many years.
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  BEYOND THE BEYOND
  merchant caravans before they make the 
  320-mile trek to Wislayn (or after they arrive 
  from that city). The Sheer has no real stops 
  along the way, so Norou is the last place to 
  resupply before heading east.
  A great deal of trading occurs in Norou. 
  Merchants and customers exchange the 
  exotic goods of Augur-Kala flowing from the 
  east with wares from the Beyond or even the 
  Steadfast coming from the west.
  The ruler of Norou is a tyrannical despot 
  who calls himself Lord Abellor. He expects 
  a high tribute from all merchants traveling 
  through his town, and while he has soldiers 
  to back up his demands, he also does so 
  with his own power. Abellor no longer has 
  a human body. He exists as a brain within 
  the interior of a powerful automaton that he 
  controls. Behind his back, the people refer 
  to him as Lord Iron-Pants.
  The population of Norou is about 6,000. 
  While most of these folks are merchants or 
  service providers catering to travelers (with 
  inns, brothels, pubs, and so forth), many 
  are beggars and thieves.
  “Iyene Who Knows” is a knowledge broker 
  who calls herself a hunter of information. 
  She has worked as a spy and a thief in 
  the past, but now she gathers and trades 
  information in Norou. Known by the 
  criminal element of the city, by those in 
  more legitimate work, and even by people 
  in distant towns, she does not value money 
  or items but instead wants information in 
  exchange, always increasing her primary 
  commodity.
  WISLAYN
  “At one end of the Sheer lies the trader town of 
  Norou. At the other end is some kind of crystal 
  tree that they try to pass off as a trader town 
  as well.”
  —Nalla, a traveling minstrel
  In the middle of the eastern end of the 
  Sheer stands a tall structure of violet 
  crystal that resembles a tree, a tentacled 
  sea creature, or perhaps a polyp 80 feet 
  (24 m) tall. This strange relic is used by 
  approximately 1,000 people as a sort of 
  CLOCK OF KALA HEARSAY
  Seeking Passage: A mysterious 
  trader seeks a way across the Clock of Kala 
  without traveling through the Sheer. She 
  offers any explorer their weight in shins (or 
  the equivalent thereof in other valuables) to 
  discover such a means.
  Inverted Mountain: On the eastern inner 
  curve of the Clock of Kala is a mountain 
  unlike the others. Impossibly, the peak 
  is narrow at the bottom and wide at the 
  top. Whether reinforced with an internal 
  artificial structure or supported by gravity 
  manipulation, the mountain is clearly a relic 
  of an earlier time. What other numenera-
  related secrets it might hold, no one knows.
  THE WEIRD OF THE 
  CLOCK OF KALA
  An Eye Toward the Future: A one-eyed 
  woman has recently come down out of 
  the peaks, claiming that she found a still 
  mountain pool of intelligent water that 
  offered to take her to the future.
  Good Hunting: Small, rodentlike creatures 
  called seterdins live in burrows throughout 
  the Clock of Kala. Strangely, one in ten has 
  a numenera implant in its brain. The 
  implants seem to be inactive, but some 
  people claim to be able to use them to 
  create interesting cyphers.
  Synth Rods: Scattered throughout the 
  Clock of Kala are blue synth rods, each 
  about 10 inches (25 cm) long. When two 
  rods are brought close to each other, they 
  snap together, either lengthwise or 
  forming a right angle. It would seem that if 
  all of the rods were brought together, they 
  would combine to form some kind of lattice 
  or structure.
  Iyene Who Knows has 
  diplomat stats (page 
  152). In addition, she 
  has double proficiency 
  on all Intelligence checks 
  regarding knowledge, 
  information, and lore.
  Lord Abellor has glaive 
  stats (page 153).
  Her Dread Majesty 
  Queen Auster, the ruler of 
  Vralk, the Red Kingdom, 
  maintains a fortress near 
  the mouth of the Sheer. 
  Rumor is she has plans 
  to build a new fortress 
  not far from Norou. Her 
  spies are everywhere.
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  but her appearance is almost certainly 
  artificially enhanced and maintained. Most 
  of the time, she wears a white, diaphanous 
  gown of sheer fabric that trails well behind 
  her. Gossip says the Ghostis has the ability 
  to eject visitors from the extradimensional 
  space instantly, as if they had willed 
  themselves to leave, and can prevent them 
  from reentering.
  Those who believe the rumor further 
  speculate that her intelligence was uploaded 
  long ago into the Wislayn crystal itself, and 
  the body she uses is an artificial creation. 
  If true, the Ghostis might not be human or 
  from the Ninth World at all—who can say?
  AUGUR-KALA
  Not technically part of the 
  Beyond, the land known as Augur-Kala is as 
  exotic and strange a place as anyone in the 
  Steadfast could imagine.
  The people of this realm are called 
  Augurs. Although they appear no different 
  from the humans of the Steadfast and the 
  Beyond, they come from entirely different 
  town. Slightly more than half of these 
  people are Augurs.
  Touching the crystal transports you into 
  an extradimensional space that appears to 
  be inside the “tree.” The sky and ground are 
  deep purple, hard and smooth. The space 
  is about a half-mile (1 km) across, and 
  inhabitants have erected buildings of wood 
  brought from the outside. Many resemble 
  normal structures with walls, doors, and 
  roofs, but others are hastily constructed 
  barriers of light wood and cloth, since there 
  is no need to keep out the elements—the 
  space has nothing resembling weather of 
  any kind. Walls in Wislayn are merely for 
  privacy.
  Newcomers appear in an open plaza at 
  the center of the town. At any given time, 
  anyone in Wislayn can mentally access the 
  “exit” and simply appear back in the normal 
  world, next to the crystal tree.
  The ruler of Wislayn calls herself the 
  Ghostis and acts as though the town is her 
  private home in which she hosts visitors—
  and to her, everyone in town is a visitor. She 
  is beautiful and elegant, very likely an Augur, 
  Rumors say that there is 
  a transdimensional warp 
  that connects Wislayn 
  with a secret location in 
  Ancuan, in the Steadfast.
  “The so-called Augurs of 
  the Augur-Kala region 
  are in some ways as 
  alien to the humans 
  of the Steadfast as we 
  varjellen are. Curious, 
  don’t you think?”
  ~Visixtru, varjellen 
  philosopher
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  BEYOND THE BEYOND
  Augurs have their own language, but 
  some—mostly traders and merchants—
  speak the Truth. Occasionally, they use 
  speaking machines to translate what they 
  say and hear.
  The land of Augur-Kala is green and 
  fertile, with rolling hills, babbling streams, 
  and pleasant weather. Villages and small 
  communities are rarer here than elsewhere 
  in the Ninth World, with a higher percentage 
  of the population living in cities. Many 
  cities exist, but the two best known to 
  outsiders are Urzat Zarteri and Sada Emidu 
  (although, technically, the trade city of 
  Wislayn on the eastern end of the Sheer is 
  largely an Augur community).
  Augur-Kala is not without its dangers, of 
  course, but most of its beasts, abhumans, 
  and creatures are different from those in 
  the Steadfast or the Beyond. Perhaps most 
  terrifying of these are the Lug Sorek, which 
  resemble great winged cragworms more 
  than anything else.
  stock. They are, on average, smarter, 
  stronger, faster, more attractive, and far less 
  prone to disease. The expected lifespan of 
  an Augur is 300 years. In the extremely rare 
  event that an Augur mates with an outsider, 
  procreation is possible but highly unlikely.
  Augurs have a strong affinity for the 
  numenera, but unlike the people of the rest 
  of the world, their knowledge of it seems 
  to be declining rather than increasing. 
  Long ago, generations of Augurs had such 
  a close relationship with the ways of the 
  ancient past that they almost seemed like 
  the people of a prior world themselves. But 
  with each passing year, their expertise fades 
  as older folk die and take more and more 
  knowledge to the grave.
  As if to punctuate this decline, near 
  the center of Augur-Kala is a large metal 
  structure that appears to have burst 
  violently from the earth long ago. Legend 
  has it that the Augurs descend from people 
  who dwelled within this structure, sleeping 
  underground for aeons. If true, it happened 
  so long ago that no Augur has any memory 
  of it, nor memory of anyone who did.
  Cragworm, page 155
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  won through experience, appointment, and 
  formal combat. The current Allagos is a tall, 
  broad-shouldered woman with short hair 
  and a series of scars on her face and neck.
  SADA EMIDU
  In the language of the Augurs, Sada Emidu 
  means “River City.” It has a population of 
  100,000 and teems with unique spindle 
  towers of metal, crystalline domes, and 
  buildings made of energy rather than 
  matter. Serving as a sort of capital, the 
  city is the home of the ruler of Augur-
  Kala—the Zealitor, a title that equates 
  roughly to “prince.” The Zealitor is a 
  being of engineered flesh fused with synth 
  enhancements in body and brain. His grand 
  palace is built atop a number of bridge-like 
  spans that cross the Indygel River; the entire 
  structure is poised above the rushing water.
  URZAT ZARTERI
  Urzat Zarteri is an Augur fortress-city built 
  on a high plateau and surrounded by a tall 
  wall of artificial stone. The place is stark and 
  functional, its primary function being defense. 
  The city is extremely wary of strangers.
  Stretching out from the wall, the land is 
  a vast bog patrolled by guardians called 
  Narit Gresh. These sentries appear to be 
  ancient, floating cylinders of rusty metal 
  topped with the grafted heads of beasts, 
  fleshy tendrils, and an array of sensory 
  apparatus and weaponry.
  About 15,000 people live in the 
  multileveled city, although at least 2,000 
  of them are soldiers who wear chainmail 
  armor and are trained in the use of sword-
  staves as well as the occasional numenera 
  weapon. The commander of the troops and 
  the city itself is known as the Allagos, a title 
  AUGUR-KALA HEARSAY
  Cure for What Ails You: A scholar 
  among the Augurs believes that their people 
  are slowly devolving. He seeks explorers 
  willing to travel to an ancient ruin and 
  find a formula that he can use to stop the 
  deterioration from continuing into further 
  generations.
  Divided Camps: A group of Augurs seeking 
  independence from the rule of the Zealitor 
  has gathered in an armed camp outside 
  of Sada Emidu. In response, the Zealitor 
  is reportedly threatening to unleash 
  troops and his personal war machine—a 
  hovering, armored dreadnaught with 
  long-range disintegration artillery—to quell 
  the rebellion.
  THE WEIRD OF AUGUR-KALA
  Stampede of Ghosts: A horde of 
  ultraterrestrials, only partially in phase, 
  moves en masse through the land from 
  time to time, distorting reality like a finger 
  drawn across the canvas of a wet painting. 
  Their passing leaves a bizarre wake in the 
  wilderness.
  Dead Machines: In the southern region 
  of the land, a number of wheeled metal 
  machines lie dormant, damaged by 
  weapons that inflicted terrible heat. Portions 
  of the machines have been entirely melted.
  Narit Gresh have 
  dissector stats (Arcana of 
  the Ancients, page 169).
  The zealitor has quotien 
  stats (Arcana of the 
  Ancients, page 224).
  The Allagos has deadly 
  warrior stats (page 151).
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  BEYOND THE BEYOND
  the majority of buildings a softly rounded 
  silhouette, as air-filled fabrics are used 
  to create the mold for the structures. The 
  creator of greenwood, Holeon Ferre, still 
  lives in Broley and occasionally takes on 
  apprentices in the craft.
  Person of Interest: Camila Beyett leads a 
  group called the Cosmicologists, whose 
  members bring their bodies in tune with 
  the cosmos through the use of specialized 
  movements such as fighting stances and 
  interactive stretches and duels. Camila 
  leads movement practice every day in 
  Desoni’s Square, and her following has 
  grown to nearly half the town, as well 
  as outsiders who arrive from beyond its 
  borders.
  Hearsay: The Revelry of Wonder, an 
  annual event in Broley, is just days away. 
  The celebration includes competitions 
  in strength, weaponry, crafting, and 
  other skills. Those who specialize in the 
  numenera will appreciate the Wonder Race, 
  where participants are given a random pile 
  of parts and materials and must create 
  something workable in a few hours. The 
  winners are awarded a special prize, and the 
  winning pieces are added to Holeon Ferre’s 
  growing numenera collection.
  The Weird: On Cheslet Street, a block of 
  absolute darkness approximately 8 feet (2.5 m) 
  high floats a few inches off the ground. While 
  walking through it, you can’t see, hear, or 
  smell anything. The block vibrates slightly.
  DYMATH FORDYE
  Population: 1,200
  Significant Feature: The town is built in the 
  middle of Snakemoor Marsh, with all of 
  the buildings set high on stilts. Only one 
  bridge—a precarious stone walkway—leads 
  into town.
  Person of Interest: Malik Harcrow runs the 
  local tavern. She is a retired thief and keeps 
  a large collection of maps and keys in her 
  storeroom. She, her inn, and those who 
  seek shelter there are well protected by her 
  thuman, Duror.
  Hearsay: One of the town’s most eligible 
  bachelors, Edmugh Folcey, was discovered 
  dead, apparently from an odd bite on his 
  face. A piece of what looked like a metal 
  This section describes some of the other 
  towns and villages scattered throughout 
  the Ninth World. Use them whenever you 
  need a unique, interesting place where 
  the players’ characters can rest for the 
  night, restock supplies, or find that perfect 
  numenera item. These locations will never 
  appear on an official Numenera map, so feel 
  free to place them wherever you’d like and to 
  use any or all of the information as benefits 
  your campaign.
  AENDRI
  Population: Slightly more than 500
  Significant Feature: Most of the buildings 
  in this small town are built of stronglass 
  and thus, transparent. Four tailors in town 
  work to keep the homes well covered with 
  curtains and roof garbs. 
  Person of Interest: Dashma Erg is a breeder 
  of flying creatures—specifically, insects that 
  are genetically engineered to carry coded 
  messages—and he’s made a good business 
  of his offerings. He owns a large house near 
  the center of town and has no curtains. 
  Creatures of all sizes and shapes flutter 
  about inside and rest against the clear walls.
  Hearsay: Saya Morepin, a wealthy eccentric 
  who lives in a four-story stronglass home, 
  owns a small device that she calls the 
  Portcullis. It prevents people from entering 
  or leaving a discrete, defined place through 
  a subtle use of energy fields. During one 
  of Saya’s lavish parties, someone stole the 
  Portcullis from her collection room and is 
  using it to keep Saya locked in her home. 
  She is offering a large reward for its return 
  and her subsequent release.
  The Weird: One of the fountains in the 
  center of town features a pair of hands 
  made of an unknown material. The water 
  that flows over the hands seems to change 
  color, and the palms have tattoos that form 
  a map when viewed side by side.
  BROLEY
  Population: 500
  Significant Feature: Most of the buildings 
  here are made of living greenwood, a 
  biologically engineered material that 
  quickly grows over a temporary shelter to 
  create a permanent structure. This gives 
  OTHER VILLAGES, SETTLEMENTS, AND COMMUNITIES
  Camila Beyett has 
  glaive stats (page 153).
  Dashma Erg has 
  specialist stats (page 158).
  Malik Harcrow 
  has shadow knight 
  stats (page 157).
  Thuman, page 238
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  126
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Hearsay: Lady Perrix is a fallen Angulan 
  Knight, ousted from the order years ago. 
  She may well be mentally ill. However, 
  many people believe that she knows the 
  secret to entering a hidden, subterranean 
  complex from the prior worlds that lies near 
  her castle.
  The Weird: Lady Perrix has a time 
  displacement device in her headdress that 
  allows her to disappear for a few seconds or 
  a few minutes and then reappear as if she 
  had never left. 
  SONGDUEL RUINS
  Population: Just under 1,000
  Significant Feature: This village is built on 
  top of a much larger city and a battlefield 
  of legend. It is said that long ago, two 
  great songstresses met here to fight for 
  the hand of the man they both loved. 
  Their songs, in their deadly beauty, razed 
  the city to the ground and ensured that 
  nothing would grow for ages to come. (Of 
  course, it’s also possible that the soil could 
  have been tainted by the poisonous spray 
  weapons they used on each other during the 
  infamous duel, the residue of which seeps 
  up each time it rains.)
  Person of Interest: Jesra Cris is the village 
  ruler. Ancient and blind, she mostly leaves 
  the running of Songduel Ruins to her six 
  grandchildren, who range in age from five 
  to eighteen. While they’re wreaking havoc 
  on the village as only young unchaperoned 
  rulers can, Jesra has been seen walking the 
  streets late at night, looking at the sky and 
  wearing an odd device on her head.
  Hearsay: Resident Stepfan Salink recently 
  acquired a pair of bounding boots. Animals 
  of all sorts are attracted to this numenera 
  item, and a large pack of creatures, both 
  tame and wild, has begun to follow him 
  through the streets. He doesn’t want to give 
  up his boots, but he can’t figure out how to 
  stop the animals from trailing him.
  The Weird: In the marketplace is a deep, 
  water-filled shaft left over from the past. The 
  round opening has been boarded up since 
  long before the battle that created Songduel 
  Ruins, but those who pass by it hear 
  electronic beeps coming from the shaft. The 
  sounds are becoming more frequent. Whether 
  they are a code, a distress signal, or a form 
  of music is the subject of much speculation.
  tooth was lodged in his cheek. Several local 
  women and at least one man are devastated 
  by his death and offer various rewards for 
  the capture of his killer, be it man, beast, or 
  something else.
  The Weird: A herd of strange animals, 
  tough-hided creatures that snort sapphire-
  hued smoke, has moved into the marsh. 
  They mostly gather beneath the stilted 
  home of the town’s mayor.
  ESSEARNIN
  Population: 800
  Significant Feature: The town sits on the 
  banks of a river spanned by several bridges. 
  Each bridge is built of a different material and 
  has a unique shape.
  Person of Interest: The Inn of the Blue 
  Barker hosts regular duels, with a 2-shin 
  entry fee and the prize of free room and 
  board for a week. Malia Noke, a tall, 
  quiet varjellen, has held the title for four 
  years running. She is threatening to retire 
  due to boredom and the lack of worthy 
  competition. Argel, the inn’s owner, is 
  desperately searching for someone to give 
  Malia a good fight, as the event’s entry fees 
  pay for his addiction to cockle gambling. 
  Hearsay: Tinkerers have built a contraption 
  to capture a person’s image and project 
  it in reverse on a flat surface for a few 
  minutes. Recently, the contraption has 
  started showing images of odd, alien beasts 
  instead of the person who paid to have their 
  likeness captured.
  The Weird: Essearnin is built around a 
  pyramid of purple stone. On warm days, 
  the top of the stone splits and spouts a 
  stream of freezing water. Residents call it 
  the Icebreak.
  IMALOV CASTLE
  Population: 25
  Significant Feature: A lone keep with high 
  grey walls, this castle sits in the middle of a 
  desolate stretch of wilderness. The massive 
  iron doors are always closed.
  Person of Interest: Lady Perrix stands over 
  6 1/2 feet (2 m) tall and wears heeled boots 
  and an elaborate headdress to accentuate 
  her height. She is leery of strangers, but 
  those granted entrance are given a gracious 
  but imperious reception. Everyone else in 
  the castle is her servant or slave.
  Malia Noke has glaive 
  stats (page 153).
  Cockle gambling isn’t 
  illegal, but it’s frowned 
  upon due to its high 
  stakes. Those who wish 
  to join a game must 
  start their pot with the 
  promise of a heart from a 
  living creature. They must 
  show proof that they can 
  get—or have already 
  gotten—the heart 
  before they can play.
  Jesra Cris has steward 
  stats (page 158). 
  In addition, she is 
  sometimes blinded, 
  unless wearing a special 
  device that allows 
  her to see normally, 
  but only a night.
  Lady Perrix has warlord 
  stats (page 159). In 
  addition, she has a 
  temporal blind.
  Temporal Blind
  Relic, rare
  This handheld device, 
  when activated as your 
  action, pushes you 
  forward in the time 
  stream up to 10 minutes. 
  A temporal blind has a 
  depletion of 1 in 1d20.
  Bounding boots, 
  page 56
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  127
  ORGANIZATIONS
  D
  espite its divided and isolated 
  nature, the Ninth World has 
  many powerful and influential 
  organizations. This section describes a 
  few of the most prominent groups and the 
  benefits enjoyed by members. If a player 
  character joins one of these organizations, 
  they can take the benefit rather than taking 
  advantage of the Ability Score Improvement 
  feature the next time they would otherwise 
  increase an ability score by 1.
  THE ORDER OF TRUTH
  Almost certainly the strongest and 
  most dominant organization in 
  the Steadfast—and possibly the Beyond—
  the Order of Truth was established by the 
  original Amber Pope, High Father Calaval, 
  about 400 years ago. Its members are 
  called Aeon Priests, and they are the most 
  trusted experts in handling, identifying, and 
  using the numenera and other lore. In most 
  communities, Aeon Priests are the local “wise 
  folk,” looked upon with respect as leaders and 
  advisers in the important facets of life.
  Although the Order of Truth seems like 
  a religion, technically it’s not one. The 
  papacy has a structure like a priesthood 
  and calls its members “priests,” but it’s 
  not a religion—it’s a veneration of intellect, 
  understanding, and the wonders that arise 
  from such things: science, technology, and 
  the numenera. In fact, under the current 
  Amber Pope, Durranet VI, the Aeon Priests 
  have discovered that the people of the 
  Steadfast are more likely to respect, admire, 
  and obey the Order of Truth if they think 
  of it as a religion. Thus, in larger cities, the 
  Order has begun holding quasi-religious 
  services to encourage this idea. They 
  ritualize their teachings to respect and 
  understand the numenera as the key to 
  advancing humanity into the future. They 
  praise the past and those who lived in it for 
  their intelligence and understanding.
  Regular people who revere the Order 
  are usually not members, but rather 
  ORGANIZATIONS
  CHAPTER 8
  Aeon Priests, page 150
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  128
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  “adherents.” In their eyes, the Order is 
  focused on worshipping the past and the 
  ancients who created the fantastic devices 
  and strange discoveries that fill the Ninth 
  World. And over the last century or so, the 
  Order has done little to discourage this 
  idea. The Order maintains a small army, 
  as well as a large organization of agents, 
  observers, clerks, scribes, and other 
  personnel. The headquarters lies in the city 
  of Qi, in a complex known as the Durkhal. 
  They also have a secret fortress called the 
  Citadel of the Conduit that lies in a parallel 
  dimension and can be accessed by any high-
  ranking Aeon Priest.
  MEMBERS OF NOTE
  The most notable Aeon Priest is the 
  Amber Pope.
  Amber Pope, Durranet VI: The current 
  Amber Pope, Durranet VI, wears shining 
  garments of scarlet, white, and gold, and 
  a peaked cap that emanates an aura so 
  profound that most people can’t recall the 
  features of the Pope after meeting him, or 
  even his specific words and mannerisms, 
  though they do recall his advice and 
  commands. Durranet VI and the Order 
  of Truth hold the Steadfast together. The 
  Amber Pope uses all the pressure his 
  influence can muster to keep the so-called 
  Nine Rival Kings from warring among 
  themselves. To this end, Durranet VI has 
  called for a crusade against the recently 
  discovered people in the far north who live 
  beyond the Cloudcrystal Skyfields. These 
  people call themselves Gaians, and they 
  are animists, believing that supernatural 
  spirits inhabit all natural things. They revere 
  these spirits, an act the Order believes to 
  be an abomination of truth. Nine years 
  ago, when Gaian explorers first ventured 
  into the Skyfields and the northern parts 
  of the Steadfast, the Amber Pope branded 
  them enemies of truth and declared a holy 
  war against them. The first conflicts of this 
  war, waged in the Cloudcrystal Skyfields, 
  were small skirmishes. However, the Order 
  has commanded a large force of warriors 
  to go north and defeat the Gaians in their 
  homelands—and in so doing, divert any 
  interest or ability to wage war far from the 
  Qi, page 38
  Many Aeon Priests find 
  Gaian Animism—in 
  which Gaians believe 
  that a limitless number 
  of supernatural spirits 
  inhabit humans, 
  creatures, objects, 
  locations, and even 
  concepts—a perplexing 
  and possibly threatening 
  way to view the world.
  Durranet VI has 
  nano exemplar 
  stats (page 156).
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  129
  ORGANIZATIONS
  Steadfast, for peace is the best way to foster 
  the truth.
  MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
  Only a select few PCs can become full 
  members (and be considered Aeon Priests), 
  but anyone can become acolyte, if they 
  prove themselves worthy.
  Symbol: Square entwined in four-lobed 
  design 
  Motto: Glory to the originators of truth and 
  understanding.
  Badge of Membership: Pin, amulet, or tattoo 
  of symbol
  Member Benefits: Being an acolyte of the 
  Order grants advantage on any Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check made to creatures 
  that revere the Order of Truth (and 
  disadvantage to those that despise them). 
  In addition, a member who receives 
  about a month of diligent training has 
  proficiency on any ability check for 
  understanding or using a numenera 
  device. If you already have proficiency 
  with the the check, you can double your 
  proficiency bonus for that use.
  THE CONVERGENCE
  If the Order of Truth has an opposite, it 
  would be the Convergence. Like the Aeon 
  Priests, members of the Convergence 
  revere the knowledge of the past, but they 
  seek to use it to grant power to themselves, 
  not to help others. Each member wishes to 
  use the numenera to gain influence not only 
  over the people of the Ninth World but also 
  over the universe itself. They understand 
  enough of the numenera to realize that it 
  has more potential than most Aeon Priests 
  know. Matter, energy, space, time, and even 
  the laws of physics can be shaped to their 
  will if they determine the means. In this 
  pursuit, Convergence members are ruthless, 
  using coercion, deceit, and violence to get 
  what they want. They let nothing stand in 
  their way.
  A small organization, the Convergence 
  boasts a membership of approximately 
  one hundred men and women, but with 
  underlings, guards, lackeys, and slaves, the 
  total is ten times higher. Many members 
  are nanos, and some are Aeon Priests who 
  renounced their order. All are scholars, 
  “In the long history of 
  Earth, other sentient 
  species have evolved, 
  lived, and died here, 
  but humanity seems 
  to share a particular 
  bond with this place.”
  ~Visixtru, varjellen 
  philosopher
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  130
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  New members are inducted in one of the 
  three sanctums. A candidate must have 
  a sponsor already in the Convergence, 
  must be extremely intelligent, and utterly 
  remorseless in the pursuit of ultimate 
  power—morals and ethics be damned.
  MEMBERS OF NOTE
  Convergence members of note are 
  magisters and magistrixes. Though each 
  has unique qualities, they also share many 
  things in common.
  Convergence Magister/Magistrix:
  Convergence magisters and magistrixes 
  typically wear hooded robes and a heavy 
  medallion bearing their eyelike symbol. 
  Members are driven people, usually of the 
  opinion that the ends justify the means. 
  Those ends are the attainment of personal 
  power and knowledge. Mostly, they are 
  power mad and ruthless in their pursuits. 
  Some are more than willing to talk, barter, 
  or negotiate. Few actually enjoy conflict. 
  But if conflict is called for, most carry a relic 
  called a terrorizer that wracks living targets 
  with incredible pain.
  MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
  Symbol: Entwined eye
  Motto: Exploit the past for personal power. 
  Badge of Membership: Pin, amulet, or tattoo 
  of symbol
  Member Benefits: Members who spend at 
  least a few months in a Convergence 
  sanctum can derive a benefit from 
  their prolonged exposure to reality-and 
  mind-bending technologies and bizarre 
  mental techniques. This benefit grants 
  them resistance to psychic damage.
  tinkerers, machinesmiths, and theorists 
  who understand the numenera.
  Members of the Convergence are called 
  magister or magistrix. Each typically wields 
  an array of numenera weaponry and 
  devices. Most have given up on society at 
  large and dwell in secret, whether alone or 
  in small groups, toiling at their dark goals. 
  The Convergence has three main bases of 
  operation, which they call their sanctums. 
  These are the Scorpion Sanctum, the Empty 
  Sanctum, and the Golden Sanctum. Each 
  is joined to the others by a series of 
  space-bending gateways. About one-third 
  of the organization operates directly out of 
  these sanctums.
  TERRORIZER
  Relic, rare (requires attunement)
  When this rod is activated as your action, a 
  beam targets one creature within 120 feet. 
  On a failed DC 13 Intelligence saving throw, 
  the target takes 6d8 psychic damage and 
  is stunned on their next turn from fear. On 
  a successful save, targets take only half 
  damage. Once used, you can’t use the rod 
  again until after your next rest.
  Scorpion Sanctum, 
  page 73
  Empty Sanctum, page 76
  Golden Sanctum, page 30
  Convergence Magister/
  Magistrixes have Aeon 
  Priest stats (page 150). 
  In addition, many 
  wield a terrorizer.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  131
  ORGANIZATIONS
  A woman named Angule founded the 
  order more than 350 years ago, and her 
  teachings have spread such that at least 
  800 knights now roam the Steadfast. More 
  than a century ago, the knights made a 
  pact with Thuquera, known as the Great 
  Drake, whom all xi-drakes revere. Today, the 
  knighthood and the xi-drakes work together 
  in their duties.
  The Angulan Knights have no centralized 
  leadership. Instead, members advance 
  through a series of thirteen ranks until 
  they achieve the title Grand Knight, the 
  highest one can rise. There is no limit to 
  the number of Grand Knights the order 
  can have. The ranks are: Red Devotee, 
  Blue Devotee, Black Devotee, Knight 
  Seeker, Knight Avenger, Knight Defender, 
  Knight Marshall, Knight Justice, Knight 
  Commander, Master Knight, Knight Consul, 
  Lord Knight, and Grand Knight.
  The knights have the blessing and 
  support of the Order of Truth, and even 
  Aeon Priests outside the Order give them 
  respect and aid if need be. However, the 
  knights, true to their charter, do not afford 
  the priests any special treatment. Many 
  THE ANGULAN 
  KNIGHTS
  The Charter: Humanity has once 
  again been granted dominion of the well-used 
  and often misused Earth. The Ninth World is 
  the Last World. We shall call it Midgard and 
  defend it in the name of humanity. These 
  are the aspects of the world that stand in the 
  way of humanity’s dominion: creatures from 
  elsewhere, predatory horrors lingering from a 
  nonhuman past, humans that have turned by 
  committing crimes against their own kind, and 
  any who prevent the greater good anywhere. 
  These aspects of the world shall be eliminated 
  by sword or flame, in the name of Midgard 
  and the spirit of Angule.
  Throughout the Steadfast, justice is sometimes 
  meted at the end of a blade unaligned with 
  any king or prince. The Angulan Knights are 
  an order dedicated to the advancement of 
  humanity as a species. They not only ignore 
  local governments, class distinctions, and 
  religious differences, they abhor those 
  things. Angulan Knights feel empowered 
  to right wrongs, pass judgments, and see 
  justice done, and few stand in their way.
  The pact between 
  the knighthood and 
  the xi-drakes is what 
  prompted the saying, “A 
  friendship as close as a 
  knight and a dragon.”
  Xi-drake, page 241
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  132
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  THE JAGGED 
  DREAM
  “War is a crucible from which 
  one forges strength, courage, and mettle. 
  That is the dream sent from the fire. Ours is 
  a dream of jagged edges, blood, bone, and 
  the cries of pain. Only through war can we 
  advance. The ancients knew it. They waged 
  wars throughout the long history of our aged 
  world. They waged wars with entirely different 
  worlds. When those wars ended, they sought 
  new worlds, and even whole new universes 
  to fight. The ancients knew. It is how they 
  grew strong.
  “Now we are here, and the fires of the 
  crucible send us the Jagged Dream. We cannot 
  shirk this responsibility. It is our destiny to 
  grow great as the ancients grew great. And we 
  can only do that through bloodshed, violence, 
  and war.
  “That is the Jagged Dream.”
  —Gia Soeman, dreamseeker
  The Jagged Dream is a secretive cult located 
  throughout the Steadfast and the Beyond. 
  Its membership is small but widespread, 
  with hidden cells that meet in secret for fear 
  of being discovered before they are ready.
  The Jagged Dream wants to engineer 
  conflict on a massive scale. Their leaders, 
  called dreamseekers, claim to have had a 
  dream sent to them from “the fire” or “the 
  flames,” a representation of evolution and 
  natural selection sped up through intensive 
  conflict. In short, they want war and nothing 
  but war. To the cult, peace is death because 
  it means that the species and culture stops 
  advancing. They’re not interested in small-
  scale conflict—only large battles and long-
  term wars truly test a culture. Individuals 
  don’t matter to their plan, only large groups 
  of people.
  To this end, cult members attempt to 
  secretly manipulate events toward war. 
  They infiltrate other organizations and 
  reach positions where they can whisper 
  into the ears of the leaders (or become 
  leaders themselves). They try to stimulate 
  weapon development and production. 
  They found military academies. As their 
  timeline advances, they engineer mistrust 
  and alienation among people and seek ways 
  people mistakenly believe that the two 
  groups are officially related or that the 
  knighthood answers to the Amber Pope, 
  but neither is true. Once inducted into 
  the knighthood in the Sanctuary of the 
  Eye in Ghan, the order’s central base of 
  operations, a knight is charged to go out 
  into the world and enforce the charter.
  Angulans typically despise mutants in 
  any form and swiftly root them out, 
  putting them to the sword. They don’t 
  care for visitants, either, but suffer them to 
  live if the creatures do not directly oppose 
  the knights.
  MEMBERS OF NOTE
  Angulan Knights could be encountered 
  almost anywhere, pursuing their quests. 
  But they are always found in Ledon, in 
  the Sanctuary of the Eye. And anyone who 
  enters there is likely to interact early and 
  often with Castellan Vinabas.
  Castellan Vinabas: Whipcord thin and 
  tall despite his grey hair and lined visage, 
  Castellan Vinabas (who holds the rank of 
  Grand Knight, in addition to his role in the 
  citadel), sees to details both minor and 
  crucial within the Sanctuary of the Eye. That 
  includes interviewing important visitors, 
  whether they be potential members or 
  those who are suspected of being secretly 
  in league with mutants. Though he’s a 
  fair man, Vinabas won’t violate his code 
  when it comes to seeing that the Angulan 
  philosophy is carried out.
  MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
  Symbol: Crossed swords on field of green, 
  red, and yellow
  Motto: For humans
  Badge of Membership: Pin bearing 
  member’s rank
  Member Benefits: After passing through all 
  the proper initiations to become a Red 
  Devotee, a member of the knighthood 
  deals 1d6 bonus damage when they 
  feel as though their combat is working 
  toward upholding the charter. (The 
  player and the GM can decide whether a 
  particular situation warrants the bonus; 
  usually, it can only be applied when 
  fighting mutants.) 
  Sanctuary of the 
  Eye, page 37
  Castellan Vinabas has 
  glaive stats (page 153).
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  133
  ORGANIZATIONS
  MEMBERS OF NOTE
  Because most cells operate in secrecy, it is 
  rare for any of them to become known as 
  members of the Jagged Dream—rumors 
  and speculation are the norm.
  Arias Folon: Arias Folon runs a large cell 
  of twenty members in Qi. This flint-eyed 
  dreamseeker dresses in layers of grey and 
  brown, and often wears a large four-eyed 
  snake around her neck. Many cultists 
  recognize her as the de facto leader of the 
  Jagged Dream, but she would deny it.
  MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
  Symbol: Silver or black raptor swooping 
  downward with talons extended, 
  knife with a serrated blade, or a 
  counterclockwise spiral around an 
  open hand
  Motto: The flames inspire us to make the 
  Jagged Dream a reality for the world.
  Badge of Membership: Hidden symbol 
  stitched into clothing or tattooed 
  on flesh 
  Member Benefits: Cult members can 
  have a weapon or device that they 
  possess implanted in their body by 
  Jagged Dream chiurgeons. The item 
  is completely hidden and always goes 
  unnoticed. An implanted knife would be 
  retractable from the wrist. An implanted 
  force shield generator could never be 
  taken away.
  to cause famines or other events that drive 
  groups into conflict.
  In the Ninth World, it’s easy to foster 
  mistrust—almost too easy—but it can be 
  difficult to rally people together to create 
  an army of any great size. So while on one 
  hand some members of the Jagged Dream 
  seek to divide people, others work to 
  bring groups together. They want to create 
  nations, not isolated villages or tribes, and 
  then guide those nations to war.
  The cult organizes itself into small, 
  isolated cells. Often, a member of one 
  cell won’t know the members of any other 
  cell. Sometimes, however, members wear 
  a secret sign on their clothing or tattooed 
  on their flesh. These symbols include 
  a small knife with a serrated blade, a 
  counterclockwise spiral around an open 
  hand, or a silver or black raptor swooping 
  downward, talons extended.
  A typical cell includes one dreamseeker 
  and four or five other members. The cell 
  rarely has a permanent headquarters, 
  instead meeting in secret in different places. 
  The dreamseeker brings a portable shrine, 
  which looks like a large wheeled trunk, to 
  meetings. Members pray to the fire, seeking 
  clarity and vision. However, they don’t think 
  of the fire as a sentient entity like a god. 
  They recognize it as a fundamental force in 
  the universe, beyond conscious thought, 
  choice, or intent.
  At a meeting, the dreamseeker 
  coordinates the actions of all cell members. 
  Despite the desire for war and bloodshed, 
  the dreamseeker stresses patience. Slow 
  movements and manipulations are needed 
  to achieve their goals. Because the Jagged 
  Dream’s outlook is so much larger than that 
  of any one individual, the cult’s goals stretch 
  over lifetimes.
  The secretive members value hidden 
  advantages. Many undergo surgeries (often 
  performed by the cell) to gain subdermal 
  weapons, defenses, and enhancements. 
  The scars from such treatments are highly 
  valued and respected by the cult, although 
  they are hidden from the rest of society.
  Dreamseekers 
  typically have scholar 
  stats (page 157).
  Arias Folon has glaive 
  stats (page 153).
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  134
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  T
  he default assumption is that 
  all player characters are human. 
  However, the Ninth World is a strange 
  place, and other options are available, 
  although they should be extremely rare.
  Visitants hail from . . . elsewhere. They 
  are the descendants of travelers who 
  came to Earth during a prior world, when 
  interstellar—perhaps even intergalactic—
  travel was commonplace. At some point, 
  the travelers were marooned here, perhaps 
  because the civilization that supported 
  their technology collapsed or disappeared. 
  Sometimes visitants, particularly the 
  varjellen, suggest that the Earth once served 
  as the hub of a vast empire of thousands 
  of worlds. However, there’s no way to be 
  certain of that, and it hardly seems relevant 
  now, a hundred thousand or even a million 
  years later.
  Regardless of how they got here, visitants 
  now call the Ninth World home. They have 
  dwelled on Earth for a thousand generations 
  or more and have long forgotten any useful 
  knowledge their ancestors may have had 
  about science, technology, or the universe. 
  Instead, they have adapted, biologically and 
  culturally, to survive in their new home. 
  They know no other life and no other place, 
  but remain keenly aware that they are at 
  best transplants and at worst castaways.
  Visitants sometimes integrate into 
  human societies in the Ninth World, but 
  more often they keep to themselves in 
  their own small communities. They are 
  relatively rare compared to humans. In fact, 
  many humans have never encountered 
  a visitant, and some don’t believe they 
  exist, dismissing them as tall tales or the 
  result of numenera-based deformities 
  or transformations. Although visitants 
  and humans differ greatly in outlook and 
  personality, dwelling on the same world, 
  facing the same dangers, and having the 
  same experiences has made it possible 
  for them to understand each other and 
  get along. Most visitants speak the same 
  language as the humans that live in the 
  same region, although particularly isolated 
  communities have their own language, just 
  as remote human groups do.
  Visitants can’t interbreed with humans or 
  with visitants of another type.
  Players can create visitant characters if 
  the GM allows it.
  Visitant characters also present 
  roleplaying challenges, so it’s recommended 
  that new players do not create visitant PCs.
  VARJELLEN
  “I knew a varjellen that carried a notebook 
  with sketches of human facial expressions—
  smiling, frowning, and so on—so it could 
  practice them and its human friends could 
  understand what it was feeling.”
  —Hauk Ironbones
  Varjellen are enigmatic beings who are often 
  seen as cold and aloof, but they are just 
  passionate about things in different ways 
  than most people. Fascinated by the relics 
  of the past, they study the numenera, create 
  their own kinds of art, and value their own 
  culture, sense of justice, and family.
  ALIENS AMONG US
  Tall and angular, the varjellen would never 
  be confused with humans. They have a 
  violet-red hue to their flesh; bulbous, yellow-
  cast, contralateral eyes; a tall, thin crest 
  atop their head; and a broad chest with 
  VISITANTS
  CHAPTER 9
  The word “varjellen” is 
  both singular and plural.
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  135
  VISITANTS
  two limb-like structures that open a cavity 
  within their chest. This cavity protects their 
  heart and gives them access to it and other 
  internal organs. Humans have likened a 
  varjellen’s chest to a cage with doors that 
  can open and close. The varjellen call this 
  protected cavity their “crucible.”
  Having access to their own internal 
  organs provides them with a unique benefit. 
  By gently massaging and subtly rearranging 
  their organs in a manner understood only 
  by the varjellen brain, they gain control over 
  their entire physical structure, modifying 
  their bodies on a cellular level as needed.
  In other words, a varjellen can make itself 
  faster, stronger, and even smarter when it 
  needs to. But there is a price. To increase 
  musculature of one kind, another must be 
  diminished. To improve brain structures, 
  tissue from elsewhere in the body must 
  be sacrificed. When a varjellen becomes 
  smarter, it becomes slower or weaker. 
  When it becomes faster or more graceful, it 
  becomes less hardy or less intelligent, and 
  so on. The process of alteration is called 
  reforging. 
  Varjellen are sexless until they wish 
  otherwise, at which point they can adapt 
  their organs to take on either a male or a 
  female gender for reproductive purposes. 
  Obviously, once a varjellen becomes 
  pregnant, she retains female characteristics 
  until she gives birth approximately six 
  months later. They typically reproduce only 
  once, always giving birth to twins. 
  They are herbivorous and cannot digest 
  meat. By human standards, they prefer 
  particularly spicy food and very strong 
  liquor. Most diseases and toxins that 
  affect humans affect the varjellen as well, 
  although there are rare differences. Their 
  eyesight is at least half again as good as a 
  human’s, but their hearing is a bit worse. 
  They have no sense of smell.
  DISPASSIONATE BUT 
  UNPREDICTABLE
  The varjellen share some general personality 
  traits (though individuals obviously differ). 
  Humans often find them cold, ponderous, 
  and unemotional most of the time, but they 
  can be unpredictably warm, impassioned, 
  or erratic. Guarded around strangers, the 
  varjellen are freer with information and 
  casual behavior among those they trust. But 
  often, a varjellen’s trust is difficult to win.
  Although they are reluctant warriors, 
  the varjellen do what they must to protect 
  themselves. They are almost never the 
  aggressors in physical situations, but 
  if necessary, they can be as devious or 
  ruthless as any human (again, this varies 
  from individual to individual). 
  They value equality and fairness but 
  may define these concepts differently than 
  humans do. The varjellen need for justice 
  gives them a deep desire to right wrongs—
  vengeance is well known among their kind.
  Humans are incapable of 
  discerning any difference 
  between the varjellen 
  who take on gender 
  and those who do not.
  Because it spends most of 
  its life in a sexless state, 
  a varjellen might always 
  refer to its gender as “it” 
  or “they,” even if it is 
  currently female or male.
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  new materials they can use to craft things—
  unusual wood to carve, rare pigments to 
  paint with, exotic clays to shape—or new 
  songs and musical instruments they can 
  learn. For many, the experience of traveling 
  is the appeal, not as a competition with 
  others or to stake a claim, but just to 
  witness something their discerning eyes 
  have never seen before.
  VARJELLEN NAMES
  Varjellen are given names at birth, usually 
  multisyllable ones. Adults sometimes split 
  their names to make it easier for other 
  species to use, so Deverlaush becomes 
  known as Dever Laush.
  Genderless Names: Deverlaush, Ioxu, 
  Kasanth, Kel, Koukehry, Lagim, Lesym, 
  Lieos, Lirrad, Malianoke, Palianeir, Pliianvix, 
  Skurvan, Strolrushi, Thrianelli, Vestiai, 
  Visixtru, Wildern
  VARJELLEN TRAITS
  Your varjellen character has a variety of 
  natural abilities from its biology and culture.
  Ability Score Increase. One ability score of 
  your choice increases by 1.
  Age. Varjellen mature at the about same 
  rate as humans, but on average they live 
  250 years.
  Alignment. Most varjellen are lawful, 
  having benefitted from the support of a 
  community and family. They tend toward 
  neutral or good, preferring to not interfere 
  in others’ lives and wanting to be treated 
  the same in return.
  Varjellen wear clothing not unlike human 
  garments, always covering their crucible. 
  Individuals typically paint, tattoo, or 
  otherwise decorate their crest and head to 
  express their own personality.
  CLOSE COMMUNITIES
  Varjellen form family-like pairs or small 
  groups to raise offspring, alternating 
  which of them are to give birth in order to 
  stagger the responsibilities for infant care. 
  Because they are so long-lived, varjellen 
  communities tend to have a large network 
  of extended families that support each 
  other; regardless of how old a varjellen is 
  when it has children, there is usually a more 
  experienced parent (who might be much 
  younger than the new parent) available 
  for advice. Because almost all varjellen 
  are twins, they’re used to having someone 
  around who is their age and quickly learn 
  the need to share space, food, and other 
  resources. A varjellen usually has close 
  ties to one or more “cousins,” who are 
  just as likely to be a generation older than 
  themselves (comparable to aunts and 
  uncles in human villages).
  Many varjellen enjoy working with tools 
  and are fascinated by devices of the past. 
  They care little for the events of history, 
  preferring to focus on the present and the 
  future. They enjoy visual arts and music, but 
  they have no concept of poetry or prose and 
  don’t care much for stories. They’d rather 
  draw, paint, sing, or take up a craft that lets 
  them create physical works (tools, weapons, 
  and so on). Instead of personal anecdotes 
  about events and feelings, a varjellen’s 
  personal journal tends to include sketches 
  of things it discovered and ideas for things 
  it wants to do or learn next. A varjellen living 
  outside of its community is likely to be an 
  inventor, crafter, or someone who repairs 
  and maintains objects and simple machines 
  (such as water wheels, mills, and ships).
  CURIOSITY AND TRAVEL
  Varjellen are drawn to mystery and 
  exploration. They usually return home every 
  few years to share discoveries and lore that 
  others would find interesting or useful. 
  Those with a creative bent might seek out 
  DISTANT BUT CURIOUS
  Varjellen seem cold, but it’s nothing 
  personal. This makes it all the more 
  surprising when they allow others to see 
  them excited or angry.
  Humans: “We do not always understand 
  each other or agree with their interpretation, 
  but they have similar emotions as us and it 
  is worth tolerating their excesses.”
  Lattimors: “We appreciate them best 
  when their minds are in balance, because 
  the contemplative neem restrains the 
  bursk’s aggressive and competitive energy.”
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  137
  VISITANTS
  Weak Recovery. When you spend Hit Dice 
  to regain hit points, subtract 1 from the 
  number of hit points you heal per Hit Die.
  Numenera Fascination. You have 
  advantage when using the Arcana skill on 
  numenera.
  Keen Eyes. You have proficiency in the 
  Perception skill when relying on sight.
  Weak Ears. You have disadvantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on 
  hearing.
  Anosmia. You automatically fail any ability 
  checks that rely on a sense of smell.
  Present and Future. You have disadvantage 
  on Intelligence (History) checks.
  Flat Presentation. You have disadvantage 
  on Charisma (Performance) checks for 
  poetry, oration, and telling stories.
  Languages. You can speak, read, and 
  write the Truth and Varjellen. Varjellen is 
  full of compound words made of smaller 
  words, and you might squeeze together 
  words when speaking or writing in other 
  languages.
  Size. Varjellen range from about 5 1/2 to 
  about 6 1/2 feet tall, and tend to be thinner 
  than a human of the same height. Your size 
  is Medium.
  Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  Reforging. You can manipulate your 
  crucible to adjust your ability scores over 
  the course of one hour, which can be done 
  during a short rest. Reforging lets you reduce 
  one of your ability scores by an even number 
  (down to a minimum of 8) and increase 
  another ability score by the same amount (to 
  a maximum of 17). Each time you reforge, 
  you can adjust as many ability scores as you 
  want (it always takes an hour, no matter 
  how much you change). For example, you 
  could reduce your Strength from 13 to 11 and 
  increase your Dexterity from 13 to 15, and 
  reduce your Intelligence from 10 to 8 and 
  your Dexterity from 15 to 17.
  When reforging, you can also choose to 
  change your gender to male, female, or your 
  normal sexless state (this change has no 
  effect on any of your character traits).
  After you reforge, you may not do it again 
  until you complete a short or long rest.
  Young varjellen who have 
  just learned to reforge 
  can do it in half the time, 
  but as the body ages, 
  the process takes longer, 
  so an hour is average.
  Changing your 
  Constitution changes 
  your Constitution 
  modifier, and therefore 
  your hit point maximum 
  as well. See the game 
  rules on Constitution 
  under Using Each Ability.
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Although its entire body is covered in 
  brownish-blond, black, or white hair, the 
  back of a lattimor has a flat, discolored 
  area, almost like a massive bruise. Humans 
  often think the area vaguely resembles a bat 
  or an owl with outstretched wings. Closer 
  inspection of the area reveals tiny waving 
  hairs that are almost threadlike—very 
  different from the hair on the rest of the 
  creature’s body. These small hairs are the 
  outer manifestation of the neem, although 
  by adulthood, the fungus has worked itself 
  into the cellular structure of the main body 
  of the bursk.
  The synthesis of bursk and neem is 
  imperfect. The symbiosis results in a single 
  creature with a single mind, called the 
  fugue state. While the bursk and the neem 
  are enhanced by the union—the whole is 
  far greater than the sum of the parts—
  sometimes the two creatures operate 
  independently. In other words, the lattimor 
  exists in a fugue state most of the time, but 
  sometimes either the bursk or the neem is 
  in control. 
  Without a neem, a bursk is little more 
  than a beast, about as intelligent as a smart, 
  well-trained pack animal. Without a bursk, a 
  neem is aware and intelligent, but not nearly 
  at a human’s level; it’s not capable of using 
  tools and is barely mobile.
  Lattimors are omnivorous and can 
  digest organic material that a human 
  almost certainly could not. They are strong 
  creatures with keen senses. They breathe 
  nitrogen but need only a small amount, 
  so they can hold their breath for up to ten 
  minutes without issue. Most inhaled toxins 
  that would bother a human have no effect 
  on them. 
  THREE PERSONALITIES
  At any given time, a lattimor might be 
  in a bursk state, a neem state, or (most 
  commonly) a fugue state. The outlook of a 
  lattimor depends on its current state and 
  can vary from individual to individual. In its 
  fugue state, a lattimor is careful but curious. 
  Most humans would find it to be self-
  aggrandizing but not offensive. Typically, 
  a bursk state is more prone to aggression, 
  combat, and physical activity. A neem state 
  LATTIMOR
  Big. Humanish. Covered in reddish-orange 
  hair all over. He was something called a 
  lattimor. And the purple wing-shaped patch 
  across his back was actually where his brain 
  lived. That last one wasn’t quite right, but 
  despite him describing it to her multiple times 
  in myriad different ways, she was still a little 
  muddy on how it worked.
  —Shanna Germain, The Poison Eater
  A lattimor is the result of a symbiotic union 
  of two different creatures: a large, muscular, 
  hairy biped called a bursk and an intelligent 
  fungus called a neem. They come together 
  in synthesis to form a new being. Effectively, 
  a lattimor is two creatures with one body.
  BURSK AND NEEM
  A typical lattimor stands about 7 feet tall, 
  with broad, sloping shoulders, powerful 
  arms, and short legs. It has two large 
  and widely spaced eyes, plus four smaller 
  eyes positioned high and close together. 
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  VISITANTS
  lattimors are typically larger than the 
  females and walk a bit stooped.
  Communities of lattimors work together 
  to keep individuals from spending too 
  much time in a bursk or neem state, as 
  excessive aggression and woolgathering 
  is detrimental to the survival of the tribe. 
  Individual interests and careers vary—
  guards, farmers, crafters, healers, and 
  scholars are just as common among 
  lattimors as they are among humans.
  MULTIFACETED PURSUITS
  Bursk state lattimors seek out physical 
  challenges and rewards so they can 
  elevate their status and brag about their 
  accomplishments. Neem state lattimors 
  look for projects and intellectual curiosities 
  that reward them with the resources to 
  let them spend time contemplating and 
  philosophizing. In a fugue state they try to 
  find reasons to travel that suit both aspects 
  of themselves. 
  LATTIMOR NAMES
  A lattimor’s bursk and neem each have 
  individual names, with the union taking on 
  both names. For example, a neem called 
  Narlyen and a bursk called Fesh might 
  combine to create a lattimor called Narlyen-
  Fesh.
  Neem Names: Banem, Carstol, Gravish, 
  Hanlan, Joran, Margel, Narlyen, Nax, 
  Ungeym, Zester
  Bursk Names: Dolin, Fesh, Fourl, Jorum, 
  Mes, Morel, Orsk, Reg, Slan, Werl
  is contemplative and conversational. From 
  a human’s point of view, this can seem 
  like a psychotic malady akin to multiple 
  personality disorder, but to a lattimor, it’s 
  simply normal life. 
  In a bursk state, the creature is easily 
  bored and focuses mainly on eating and 
  proving its prowess (and worth) through 
  physical acts, such as combat, feats of 
  strength, or contests. These extroverts can 
  be quite rash at times. In a neem state, 
  the creature is timid, thoughtful, and 
  introverted. It likes to talk but probably 
  would rather just think.
  Shifting from state to state sometimes 
  happens unexpectedly. When the lattimor 
  wishes to change state, the shift requires 
  careful concentration. The bursk state, 
  being more aggressive, is harder to shift out 
  of than the other two states.
  Not all lattimor pairings are harmonious. 
  Rarely, a neem and bursk grow to hate each 
  other and vie for control when not in a 
  fugue state.
  Playing a lattimor as a PC species can be 
  difficult, as it is one character with three 
  personalities and strengths. For an extra 
  challenge, two players could play a single 
  lattimor character together, with one in control 
  when the creature is in bursk state, the other 
  in control when in neem state, and the two 
  working together when in fugue state.
  FEELINGS, FAMILIES, AND TRIBES
  Lattimors have complicated emotions 
  affected by what state they’re in. In a bursk 
  state, they are unguarded and likely to speak 
  and act openly about things and people 
  they love and hate. In a neem state, they are 
  more reserved, and feel more in terms of 
  practicality, compatibility, and survival. In a 
  fugue state, their emotions fall somewhere 
  in the center, similar to what most humans 
  experience.
  Lattimors have male and female 
  genders, but only because bursk do—the 
  neem reproduce asexually. When two 
  lattimors mate, the result is a bursk who 
  is immediately joined with a neem so 
  they grow together. If the union cannot 
  be established within the first few weeks, 
  it is unlikely to happen successfully. Male 
  VOLATILE BALANCE
  Lattimors have human-like emotions; 
  they just tend to be a little more extreme 
  about it. Even a fugue-state lattimor is very 
  opinionated and ardent about their beliefs 
  and interests, and enjoys conversation and 
  debate about important topics.
   Humans: “Our kind and theirs have 
  different strengths and weaknesses, but 
  their curiosity, prowess, and successes 
  show they are not so different than us.”
  Varjellen: “Do not mistake their coldness 
  for indifference. They guard their emotions, 
  but they feel as strongly as we do.”
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  140
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Change State. You can change to another 
  state (bursk, fugue, or neem) as your action 
  by making an Intelligence saving throw 
  against a DC of 12. The GM can modify the 
  DC of the save to change state based on the 
  circumstances; stressful situations increase 
  the DC. Once you attempt to change state 
  (whether or not you succeed), you can’t try 
  again until you finish a short or long rest.
  Fugue State. This is your default state; 
  you normally wake up in this state. When 
  in a fugue state, you have the following 
  additional trait:
  Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the 
  Perception skill.
  Bursk State. Your bursk side is in control. 
  When in a bursk state, you have the 
  following additional traits:
  Bursk Combat Training. You have 
  proficiency with one melee weapon of your 
  choice (such as battleaxe, longsword, or 
  warhammer).
  Confrontational. You have disadvantage on 
  Charisma (Persuasion) checks.
  Destructive. You have advantage on any 
  roll using your physical strength to break 
  something.
  Impulsive. You have disadvantage on 
  Intelligence rolls (including to change your 
  state).
  Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the 
  Perception skill.
  Unfocused. You have disadvantage on 
  rolls to have or maintain concentration 
  (such as for casting spells), and any action 
  that needs concentration requires you to 
  succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving 
  throw to do so.
   Neem State. Your neem side is in 
  control. When in a neem state, you have the 
  following additional traits:
  Conversational. You have proficiency in the 
  Deception and Persuasion skills.
  Focused. You have disadvantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks to notice 
  anything unexpected.
  Passive. You have disadvantage on all 
  attack rolls, and opponents have advantage 
  on all attack rolls against you.
  Thinker. You have advantage on any 
  roll involving studying, concentrating, or 
  contemplating.
  LATTIMOR TRAITS
  Your lattimor character has a mix of abilities 
  stemming from its neem and bursk parts.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Strength and 
  Constitution score each increase by 1.
  Age. Lattimors mature slightly earlier than 
  humans, and an average lattimor’s lifespan 
  is approximately 50 years. Usually, when one 
  part of the combined creature dies, both 
  die.
  Alignment. Lattimors tend toward no 
  particular alignment. They tend to be more 
  chaotic in a bursk state and more lawful in a 
  neem state, but their fugue state alignment 
  is their normal alignment. 
  Size. Lattimors are about 7 feet tall and 
  have strong builds. Your size is Medium.
  Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  Languages. You can speak, read, and 
  write the Truth. Bursks do not have their 
  own language, and neems seem to have 
  abandoned any common language they had 
  in the past for the Truth.
   Lattimor Breathing. You add double your 
  proficiency bonus to the number of minutes 
  you can hold your breath and how many 
  rounds you can hold your breath when 
  you’ve run out of air or are choking. You 
  have advantage on rolls to hold your breath 
  and saves against poison you breathe.
  There are reports of a 
  neem being “burned out” 
  of a bursk, reducing it to 
  a bestial creature that 
  can never again form the 
  synthesis of a lattimor.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  PART 3:
  CREATURES AND NPCs
  Chapter 10: Creatures 
  142
  Chapter 11: NPCs 
  150
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  142
  ABYKOS
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  T
  his chapter contains a selection of Ninth World creatures supplementing those already 
  described in Chapter 4: Creatures of Arcana of the Ancients.
  ABYKOS
  Medium monstrosity, chaotic neutral
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 54 (12d8)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  16 (+3) 
  14 (+2) 10 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  16 (+3) 10 (+0)
  Saving Throws Wis +5, Cha +2
  Damage Resistances cold, lightning, poison
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
  Languages —
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
  Incorporeal Movement. The abykos can move through other 
  creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 
  5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object if it is 
  not using Phase Shift.
  CREATURES
  CHAPTER 10
  Chapter 4: Creatures, 
  page 140
  Creatures by 
  Challenge Rating
  Broken hound 
  (challenge 1/4)
  Caffa (challenge 1/4)
  Uncommon animal 
  (challenge 1)
  Nibovian wife 
  (challenge 2)
  Abykos (challenge 4)
  Ithsyn (challenge 4)
  Ghost crab (challenge 4)
  Pandimensional: existing 
  on multiple levels of 
  reality at once.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The abykos makes two metallic claws attacks, or 
  one Drain Numenera attack.
  Metallic Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 12 (3d6 + 2) necrotic damage.
  Phase Shift. The abykos goes out of phase with reality, or 
  returns to its normal phase. It remains visible, yet it can’t 
  affect or be affected by anything in reality, except by special 
  pandimensional weapons created specifically to harm such 
  creatures.
  Drain Numenera (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). Treat 
  as a metallic claws attack; however upon hitting, instead of 
  taking damage, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom 
  save, or one relic in their possession is depleted and the 
  abykos regains all its hit points.
  This shadowy, hazy, vaguely humanoid shimmer is often mistaken as a ghost. Actually, 
  an abykos is a transdimensional entity. Usually incorporeal, it can change phase at will, 
  becoming solid.
  Harmless. Mostly. Most of the time, 
  PCs have little to fear from an abykos. 
  However, if they have any numenera 
  that is transdimensional in nature, the 
  hungry abykos will attack.
  Alien. Because it’s different, it’s hard 
  to determine an abykos’s intelligence. 
  It’s adaptable and clever despite no 
  sign of language or tool use. Telepathic 
  communication yields no results, as 
  if the creature does not exist. But an 
  abykos is not mindless; it learns from 
  its experiences.
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  143
  CREATURES
  The scourge of many wastelands, broken hounds travel in large packs. They resemble 
  extremely gaunt hounds, but their heads appear more avian than canine, giving the 
  impression of a bird skull mounted on a dead dog’s body.
  Savage Animals. These starving, vicious animals understand only hunger and fear. 
  They cannot be reasoned with—not even by someone with the ability to interact with or 
  train animals.
  Dangers of the Pack. A large number of broken hounds can make a harrowing combat 
  encounter for PCs. They often attack travelers on a road or those who wander into a  
  lonely vale.
  BROKEN HOUND
  BROKEN HOUND
  Medium beast, unaligned
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
  Speed 60 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  13 (+1) 
  15 (+2) 
  12 (+1) 
  2 (−4) 
  9 (−1) 
  5 (−3)
  Skills Perception +3
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Pack Tactics. The broken hound has advantage on 
  an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the 
  hound’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally 
  isn’t incapacitated.
  ACTIONS
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 6 (2d4 + 1) piercing damage.
  Pack Bite. A pack bite is made like a normal bite, but 
  if the attack was made with advantage, it deals an 
  additional 5 (2d4) points of damage.
  A beast lure cypher 
  (Arcana of the 
  Ancients, page 55) 
  would allow someone 
  to communicate, 
  however crudely, with 
  a single called broken 
  hound.
  A broken hound lair 
  contains the remains of 
  previous victims and their 
  equipment and valuables, 
  including a cypher or two.
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Large insects with unusually strong wings of iridescent goldgleam, caffas have learned to 
  navigate at ground level and below, flying tight and low between and around spaces that 
  seem far too small for their size. In tight spaces, caffas are formidable opponents due to 
  their ability to dodge hits and slip through tiny areas to attack from unexpected directions. 
  Caffas have a wingspan of 4 feet (1 m).
  Caffa Larva. Caffa adults plant the seeds of their larvae with a special type of wing flap. 
  The larvae crawl along the ground or dig into it, feasting on any flesh they find, whether 
  living or dead. After feasting, they burrow into the ground and spin themselves into 
  cocoons. They remain in this state for anywhere from a few hours to a few days before 
  emerging as adult caffas.
  Goldgleam. Goldgleam wings can be rolled up, carried, and sold at good prices to 
  interested parties for decorating houses, armor, and other items. Alternatively, PCs can use 
  goldgleam on their own items. Although it’s a resilient material to carry and store, it’s hard 
  to work with; typically, eight or ten wings are required to decorate one small item.
  CAFFA
  CAFFA
  Medium beast, unaligned
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 10 (3d6) 
  Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  10 (+0)  14 (+2) 10 (+0) 
  5 (–3) 
  12 (+1) 
  5 (–3)
  Skills Perception +5
  Senses passive Perception 15 
  Languages  —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Tunnel Predator. In cramped, narrow, and confined 
  spaces, the caffa’s ability to maneuver and dodge in 
  unexpected ways gives them advantage on Dexterity 
  saves.
  Wind Resilient. The caffa has advantage on saving 
  throws against effects based on moving wind or air.
  ACTIONS
  Wing Stroke. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage. 
  If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 10 
  Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  prone target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage. 
  If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 
  10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 
  minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the 
  end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a 
  success.
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  CREATURES
  Ghost crabs live on the ocean floor in pairs, typically in places that are at least 1 mile (1.5 
  km) deep. They can grow as large as 5 feet (1.5 m) across but average about 3 1/2 feet (1 m). 
  Web Builders. Nimble hunters and intricate weavers, ghost crabs can build their silica 
  webs along any jagged or uneven surface, including coral reefs, sunken ships, and ancient 
  ruins. If no surface is available, they make one, killing large animals so they can build webs 
  across the shells and bones.
  Not true crabs, ghost crabs are spiderlike creatures that spin hard shells from the same 
  silica they use to build their webs. Ghost crabs appear and disappear in the depths as 
  though shifting realms. Their webs, too, are often invisible unless one knows to look for the 
  glinting, off-white strings. Although ghost crabs are blind, their finely-honed sense of touch 
  allows them to hunt and devour anything that gets caught in their webs.
  Ocean Threats. Those exploring the ocean on a mission to recover treasure from a 
  long-sunken construction site may notice ghostly creatures out of the corners of their eyes, 
  scuttling through light and shadow. Further investigation reveals long, shining strands 
  woven between the rotting underwater fixtures.
  GHOST CRAB
  GHOST CRAB
  Medium beast, unaligned
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 97 (13d8 + 39) 
  Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  19 (+4)  14 (+2)  16 (+3) 
  5 (−3) 
  12 (+1) 
  6 (−2)
  Skills Perception +4
  Condition Immunities blinded, deafened
  Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), 
  passive Perception 14 
  Languages —
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
  Amphibious. The ghost crab can breathe air and water.
  Sense Resilience. The ghost crab has advantage on 
  saving throws against illusions.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The ghost crab makes two claw attacks.
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.
  Web (Recharge 5–6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, 
  range 30/60 ft., one Large or smaller creature. Hit: The 
  creature is restrained by webbing. As an action, the 
  restrained creature can make a DC 14 Strength check, 
  escaping from the webbing on a success. Each 
  round spent caught in the web inflicts 3 
  (1d6) necrotic damage. The effect also ends 
  if the webbing is destroyed. The webbing 
  has AC 10, 5 hit points, vulnerability to 
  cold damage, and immunity to acid, 
  bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage.
  If one of a crab’s front 
  claws is smashed 
  or removed, it can 
  spin another as a 
  replacement, a process 
  that takes 2 rounds.
  Although creatures 
  called ghost crabs exist 
  in today’s world, the 
  Ninth World version is 
  not related to them in 
  any way. In fact, the 
  unique abilities of the 
  Ninth World ghost crabs 
  suggest they might have 
  been bioengineered, 
  although for what 
  purpose is anyone’s guess.
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  146
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Loud and horrible, the things called ithsyns appear to be the result of a genetic experiment 
  gone awry. Possessing distinctive qualities of avians, reptiles, mammals, and fish, they 
  seem difficult to categorize. In the end, however, they are unique in their own right.
  Nesting Hunters. Ithsyns are egg layers that live in large communal nests comprised of 
  at least three adults (and often more). They fiercely defend their nests—even unto death. 
  These carnivores hunt in packs, looking for prey of any size. Ithsyns do not see or hear 
  particularly well and rely on their long, snakelike tongues for much of their sensing. More 
  times than not, a pack nests atop or in front of the entrance to an abandoned facility that 
  lures explorers.
  d100 
  Addled Victim’s Behavior
  01–20
  Run off in a random direction for a short 
  distance
  21–30
  Attack the nearest creature with whatever 
  means is closest at hand
  31–60
  Do nothing but cough and shout
  61–80
  Fall down and roll on the ground
  81–90
  Drop whatever is held and cover eyes and 
  face with hands
  91–00
  Activate most powerful available ability, 
  cypher, or relic that is not an attack (if 
  none, roll again)
  ITHSYN
  ITHSYN
  Medium beast, unaligned
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30) 
  Speed 40 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  21 (+5)  
  8 (−1)  
  17 (+3) 
  5 (−3) 
  10 (+0) 
  8 (−1)
  Senses darkvision 20 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages —
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The ithsyn makes two attacks: one bite 
  with its trifurcated mouth and one kick.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage.
  Kick. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
  REACTIONS
  Confusion Gas(Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). 
  When the ithsyn takes damage, it releases a dark 
  greenish gas from orifices throughout its body. Each 
  creature within 10 feet of it must succeed on a DC 13 
  Constitution saving throw or become addled. Creatures 
  immune to the poisoned condition are immune to this 
  gas. Addled victims behave randomly on their next turn. 
  Roll d100 and consult the table.
  An ithsyn nest might 
  have loot in the form 
  of coincidental leftovers 
  of prior victims.
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  147
  CREATURES
  These biological constructs appear to be beautiful female humans. As long as one gives 
  a Nibovian wife what it wants, it is kind and eager to please. One can never be convinced 
  to abandon its imperative (producing an alien doorway), but on other issues, they can be 
  perfectly reasonable.
  Alien Doorways. Nibovian wives, however, are made things. Their only function is to 
  seduce male humans so they can get pregnant. Pregnancy in a Nibovian wife opens a 
  transdimensional rift inside its womb, giving an ultraterrestrial (such as an abykos or any 
  ultraterrestrial creature the GM wishes) access to this level of existence. The time required 
  for “gestation,” which is actually the aligning of phase changes to create the rift, ranges 
  from ten minutes to nine months. 
  Ultraterrestrial Birth. When the ultraterrestrial creature is “born,” the Nibovian wife 
  nurtures it as if it were a child, even though it clearly is not. During this time, the construct 
  defends the “child” fiercely. The young creature develops quickly, and its first and only 
  compulsion is to hunt down and kill its “father.” Once it does so, it is free to do as it 
  pleases in the world.
  NIBOVIAN WIFE
  NIBOVIAN WIFE
  Medium construct, lawful evil
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 27 (5d8 + 5)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  10 (+0)  15 (+2) 
  12(+1) 
  11 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  13 (+1)
  Skills Deception +5, Persuasion +5
  Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and 
  slashing from nonmagical attacks
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities poisoned
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12 
  Languages the Truth
  Challenge 2 (450 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The Nibovian wife makes two attacks: one 
  with its bite and one with its punch.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage.
  Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 5 (2d4) bludgeoning damage.
  Teleport (Recharge 6). The Nibovian teleports, along 
  with its “child,” up to 500 feet to an unoccupied space it 
  can see or that it has previously visited.
  Abykos, page 142
  Nibovian wives are 
  likely the cause of many 
  ultraterrestrials currently 
  in the Ninth World.
  The inner workings of 
  a Nibovian wife can 
  provide cyphers for 
  someone who attempts 
  to salvage the remains.
  One of the largest 
  gatherings of Nibovian 
  wives is in Hidden 
  Naresh (page 76), a 
  city in the Black Riage.
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  148
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Analogs to common animals such as birds, squirrels, lions, deer, cattle, and more, exist 
  in the Ninth World, and they often look much different, even if they have similar roles. In 
  addition to innocuous wildlife, uncommon animals roam the Ninth World. These include 
  dangerous livestock, companion creatures, and mounts.
  UNCOMMON ANIMAL TYPES
  Though they have similar underlying stats, uncommon animals vary widely in look and behavior.
  Aneen: Tall and muscular, aneen are bipedal herd animals. These omnivores mainly eat 
  grass, leaves, and, occasionally, small lizards or rodents. Aneen are often trained to accept 
  a rider, or to pull wagons. They attack by kicking. In a herd, they can stampede, which can 
  be dangerous.
  Brehm: These reptilian coursers are fast and lightweight, making them great for long, 
  quick travel. Brehm are often trained to accept a rider, but don’t have the strength to pull or 
  carry heavy loads.
  Gallen: These long-bodied, herbivorous animals are revered for their meat and hides. 
  Razorcat: Massive, tigerlike beasts, razorcats are often trained to accept a rider. In 
  addition, razorcats are challenge 2 and have a multiattack of two bite attacks.
  Shiul: These massive, quite valuable “cattle” have four wide horns that they use to impale 
  predators and foes. Shiul are sometimes trained to accept a rider.
  UNCOMMON ANIMAL
  UNCOMMON ANIMAL
  Large beast, unaligned
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 26 (4d10 + 4)
  Speed 50 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  16 (+3) 
  12 (+1) 
  13 (+1) 
  3 (−4) 
  11 (+0) 
  6 (−2)
  Skills Perception +4
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
  Keen Hearing and Smell. The uncommon animal has 
  advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on 
  hearing or smell.
  ACTIONS
  Bite, Impale, Kick, or Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing/
  bludgeoning/slashing damage. If the target is a 
  creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving 
  throw or be knocked prone.
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  149
  CREATURES
  In addition to the creatures presented here and in Arcana of the Ancients, you could—as 
  broached in Chapter 1—supplement your game with certain 5E monsters to further expand 
  your choices. The trick is to describe the creatures you choose using the science-fantasy 
  language of the Ninth World.
  Some broad guidance follows.
  Aberrations are, almost by definition, ultraterrestrials that come from other dimensions 
  or extraterrestrials from distant worlds, and could be found in the Ninth World. For 
  instance, aboleths might be bioengineered warbeasts from a previous civilization that 
  threw off the yoke of their old masters.
  Beasts require little adaptation. Those with magical powers have the same abilities, but 
  from a connection to the numenera. As an example, dinosaurs could be an additional 
  variety of megafauna of the type that thunders across the Ninth World already. On the other 
  end of the spectrum, you could directly use the stats for creatures like cats and scorpions, 
  and everything in between, though give them a Ninth World twist (whether that’s in 
  coloration, sound, or other weird quirk).
  Celestials could be a variety of ultraterrestrial. However, something like a pegasus 
  resonates too much with fantasy and myth, and thus would not make a great choice. 
  Constructs require additional descriptive element that includes a machine element, like 
  visible wires, an engine (or just the revving sound of one), or other mechanical element.
  Fiends, like celestials, could be a variety of ultraterrestrial. For instance, a horned 
  devil might be an example of an extra-dimensional super-soldier, bred to fight in multi-
  dimensional battles.
  Humanoids are usually abhumans, especially those who have an inborn hatred of 
  humans. Kobolds, for example, could be a great encounter in a science-fantasy context.
  Oozes and plants could be included with little adaptation, for the most part.
  The list of 5E creatures to mostly avoid includes dragons, undead, fey, elementals, and 
  monstrosities because many of these creatures are too closely linked to standard fantasy or myth.
  5E CREATURES
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  150
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  AEON PRIEST
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 12 (16 with force armor) 
  Hit Points 78 (12d8 + 24)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  8 (−1) 
  15 (+2) 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 12 (+1) 16 (+3)
  Saving Throws Int +8, Wis +4 
  Skills Arcana +8, History +8 
  Senses passive Perception 11 
  Languages any two languages (including the 
  Truth) 
  Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Brilliance. The Aeon Priest uses iron flesh to 
  generate a brilliant beam in a 30-foot line that 
  is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must 
  make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 
  (4d10) fire damage and 21 (6d6) radiant damage 
  on a failed save, or half as much damage on a 
  successful one.
  Sleep Blast (Recharge 6). Each creature in a 
  15-foot cone of gas must succeed on a DC 13 
  Constitution saving throw or fall asleep for 1 
  A   
  selection of Ninth World non-player characters. NPCs with abilities that surpass 
  those of regular humans (and other humanoids) are gained by reliance on cyphers, 
  relics, and most often, fused iron flesh. However, devices that allow an NPC their 
  special abilities are not necessarily part of their loot or usable by anyone else; the GM must 
  make a special exception for that to be true.
  NPCs
  CHAPTER 11
  Order of Truth, page 127
  NPCS BY CHALLENGE RATING
  • Scholar (challenge 1/8)
  • Steward (challenge 1/8)
  • Specialist (challenge 1/2)
  • Tough (challenge 1/2)
  • Aristocrat (challenge 2)
  • Defender (challenge 2)
  Cyphers, page 40
  Relics, page 45 
  Iron flesh, page 49
  Optional Rule: 
  Intelligence (Ancients 
  Arcana), page 259
  • Explorer (challenge 3)
  • Legionary (challenge 3)
  • Shadow Knight (challenge 3)
  • Diplomat (challenge 4)
  • Nano (challenge 4)
  • Aeon Priest (challenge 6)
  • Warlord (challenge 6)
  • Glaive (challenge 9)
  • Jack (challenge 9)
  • Arch Nano (challenge 12)
  • Deadly warrior (challenge 12)
  • Nano exemplar (challenge 22)
  minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at 
  the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on 
  itself on a success.
  Fly (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The 
  Aeon Priest gains a fly speed of 60 ft. for one 
  hour.
  Unseen (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). 
  The Aeon Priest turns invisible until they attack 
  or use an action, or until their concentration 
  ends. While invisible, they leave no physical 
  evidence of their passage. Any equipment they 
  wear or carry is also invisible.
  Force Armor (1/Day). A protective force 
  surrounds the Aeon Priest for 10 hours, 
  providing a +4 bonus to AC.
  Heal (1/Day). The Aeon Priest regains all hit 
  points.
  Aeon Priests are fonts of numenera knowledge 
  who serve the Order of Truth. They are interested 
  not in the details of past culture or history, but 
  in science. They can identify cyphers, relics, and 
  iron flesh at will and offer to purchase unwanted 
  items from those they meet. In addition, if the 
  PCs are going to encounter an Aeon Priest as 
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  151
  NPCs
  an adversary, provide the Aeon Priest with at 
  least two useful cyphers, relics, or iron flesh 
  (randomly or purposefully determined) and add 
  it to the abilities they already possess.
  ARISTOCRAT
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 15 (leather armor + iron flesh) 
  Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON  
  INT  
  WIS 
  CHA
   11 (+0)  14 (+2)  12 (+1)  14 (+2)  13 (+1) 14 (+2)
  Skills Deception +4, Persuasion +4, History +2
  Senses passive Perception 11
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth) 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP)
                    
  Hard to Sway. The aristocrat has advantage 
  on saving throws against being charmed or 
  frightened.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The aristocrat makes two longsword 
  attacks, or uses an iron-flesh granted ability.
  Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to
  hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) 
  slashing damage.
  Dictate (1/Day). As its action, the aristocrat 
  speaks a one-word command to a creature they 
  can see within 30 feet. If the target understands 
  and fails a DC 12 Charisma saving throw, it 
  follows the command on its next turn.
  Stillness (1/Day). As its action, the aristocrat 
  speaks a one-word command to a creature they 
  can see within 30 feet. If the target understands 
  and fails a DC 12 Charisma saving throw, it is 
  paralyzed for 1 minute. At the end of each of 
  its turns, the target can make another Wisdom 
  saving throw to end the effect.
  Aristocrats are born of privilege, and as such 
  have had far more access to schooling, training, 
  and other advantages that ordinary people lack. 
  Sometimes aristocrats are groomed for (or 
  actually hold) positions of power. Other times, 
  they merely while away their time on personal 
  pursuits. 
  DEADLY WARRIOR
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 18 (plate)
  Hit Points 161 (19d8 + 76)
  Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   18 (+4) 16 (+3) 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 18 (+4)
  Saving Throws Dex +7, Con +8, Wis +6, Cha +8 
  Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, 
  and slashing from weapons not treated as 
  magical
  Damage Immunities lightning 
  Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 12
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
  Numenera Weapons. The deadly warrior’s 
  weapon attacks are treated as if magical and 
  deal an extra 14 (4d6) lightning damage on a hit 
  (included in the attacks).
  Resistance. The deadly warrior has advantage 
  on direct effects created by numenera devices, 
  attacks by nanos, and other effects that are 
  treated as if magical. 
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The deadly warrior makes four 
  melee attacks.
  Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing 
  damage, or 9 (1d10 + 4) slashing damage if used 
  with two hands, plus 14 (4d6) lightning damage.
  Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 
  150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing 
  damage plus 14 (4d6) lightning damage.
  REACTIONS
  Parry. The deadly warrior adds 4 to their AC 
  against one melee attack that would hit them. To 
  do so, the deadly warrior must see the attacker 
  and be wielding a melee weapon.
  The deadly warrior is an elite combatant who 
  wields greater skill most other fighters. Although 
  deadly warriors might command others, that is 
  not their forte. They focus on personal combat 
  and skill with their own blade, almost always 
  relying on fused numenera devices to further 
  heighten their effectiveness.
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  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  DEFENDER
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 14 (chainmail hauberk) 
  Hit Points 67 (9d8 + 27) 
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   17 (+3)  12 (+1)  17 (+3) 11 (+0) 14 (+2) 
  9 (–1)
  Senses passive Perception 12 
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 2 (450 XP)
  Dutybound. At the start of their turn, the 
  defender can gain advantage on all melee 
  weapon attack rolls during that turn if they are 
  guarding that which they have sworn to protect, 
  but attack rolls against them have advantage 
  until the start of their next turn.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The defender makes two longsword 
  attacks.
  Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.
  Defenders are a cut above average guards, 
  and put duty before their own well-being.
  DIPLOMAT
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 16 (chainmail hauberk) 
  Hit Points 66 (12d8 + 12) 
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   10 (+0)  16 (+3) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 20 (+5)
  Skills Deception +9, Insight +5, Perception +5, 
  Persuasion +9
  Senses passive Perception 15 
  Languages any five languages (including the Truth)
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The diplomat makes three 
  shortsword attacks.
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) 
  slashing damage.
  Charm (1/Day). One humanoid the diplomat 
  can see within 30 feet of it must succeed on a 
  DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 
  day, or until the diplomat charms someone else. 
  The charmed target obeys the diplomat’s verbal 
  commands, but can repeat the saving throw if it 
  suffers harm, ending the effect on a success.
  Oath (1/Day). The diplomat can offer a target 
  that can see and understand it the option to 
  take an oath of service. If a creature takes the 
  oath (which is usually to complete a task or obey 
  a rule), and later breaks it for any reason, the 
  target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving 
  throw, taking 32 (5d10 + 5) psychic damage 
  on a failed save, or half as much damage on a 
  successful one.
  Diplomats have many roles in the Ninth World. 
  Some serve as envoys between kingdoms. 
  Others actually rule towns, cities, or entire 
  kingdoms themselves. Some just travel the 
  world, looking for a place they can take over, or if 
  good-aligned, deliver peace.
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  NPCs
  EXPLORER
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 16 (chain mail)
  Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18)
  Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (for 1 hour; cypher)
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON  
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   17 (+3)  10 (+0)  15 (+2)  12 (+1) 15 (+2) 11 (+0)
  Saving Throws Dex +2, Con +4, Wis +2, Cha +4
  Skills Perception +4, Stealth +2
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 3 (700 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing 
  damage plus 3 (1d6) force damage.
  Force Blast (Recharge 5–6). The explorer uses 
  iron flesh to generate force in a 30-foot line that 
  is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must 
  make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 
  (4d10) force damage on a failed save, or half as 
  much damage on a successful one.
  Explorers are tough, carry many cyphers and 
  almost always rely on iron flesh to provide 
  themselves further advantages as the explore the 
  ruins of the Prior Worlds.
  GLAIVE
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 17 (splint armor) 
  Hit Points 161 (17d8 + 85) 
  Speed 50 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   20 (+5) 15 (+2) 21 (+5) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 11 (+0)
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
  Resistance. The glaive has advantage on direct 
  effects created by numenera devices, attacks by 
  nanos, and other effects that are treated as if 
  magical. 
  Magic Weapons. The glaive’s weapon attacks are 
  treated as if magical. 
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The Glaive makes four greatsword 
  attacks. Alternatively, they make one greatsword  
  attack and either Stunning Shout or Amazing Leap.
  Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing 
  damage.
  Stunning Shout (recharge 5–6). As their action, 
  the glaive can target a creature within 50 feet 
  that they can see with a thunderous shout. On a 
  failed DC 15 Constitution saving throw, the target 
  takes 10 (3d6) thunder damage and is stunned 
  for one minute, or until they succeed on a save 
  on their turn. On a successful save, they are 
  still frightened for one round, but are thereafter 
  immune for 24 hours.
  Amazing Leap (recharge 5–6). As their action, the 
  glaive can leap to a location within 30 feet that 
  they can see, if their passage is not blocked.
  Glaives are the elite warriors of the Ninth World, 
  using weapons and armor to fight their enemies, 
  usually relying on cyphers, relics, and iron flesh 
  to accomplish their amazing feats.
  Magic Vs. the Ancients, 
  page 252
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  154
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  JACK
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 18 (iron flesh) 
  Hit Points 127 (17d8 + 51) 
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   17 (+3)  17 (+3)  16 (+3) 13 (+1) 
  8 (−1) 
  14 (+2)
  Skills Deception +6, Sleight of Hand +7, 
  Stealth +7, Perception +3, Persuasion +6
  Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive 
  Perception 16 
  Languages Any two (usually including the Truth)
  Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
  Numenera Weapons. The jack’s weapon attacks 
  are treated as if magical and deal an extra 14 
  (4d6) force damage on a hit (included in the 
  attacks).
  Resistance. The jack has advantage on direct 
  effects created by numenera devices, attacks by 
  nanos, and other effects that are treated as if 
  magical. 
  Regeneration. The jack regains 10 hit points at 
  the start of their turn if they have at least 1 hit 
  point.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The jack makes three shortsword 
  attacks, or one shortsword attack and Phase 
  Shift.
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing 
  damage, plus 14 (4d6) force damage.
  Phase Shift. The jack goes out of phase with 
  reality for up to 1 minute, or returns to their 
  normal phase. They remain visible, yet can’t 
  affect or be affected by anything in reality, except 
  by special pandimensional weapons. While out 
  of phase, they can move through other creatures 
  and objects as if they were difficult terrain. The 
  jack takes 5 (1d10) force damage if they end their 
  turn inside an object.
  Jacks are intrepid explorers. They are jacks of all 
  trades—hence the name—although the word 
  also hearkens back to fables involving a wily, 
  resourceful hero who always seems to be named 
  Jack. Used as a verb, “to jack” means to steal, to 
  deceive, or to get out of a tight scrape through 
  ingenuity or luck. Jacks don’t use one skill or 
  tactic exclusively; they use whatever weapons, 
  armor, special abilities, or anything else that 
  might help them. They are hunters (particularly 
  treasure hunters), con artists, skalds, rogues, 
  scouts, and experts in a variety of fields.
  LEGIONARY
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 16 (scale armor) 
  Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20) 
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   16 (+3)  11 (+0)  14 (+2) 13 (+1) 11 (+0) 12 (+1)
  Skills Perception +2
  Senses passive Perception 12
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 3 (700 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The legionary makes two longsword 
  attacks. If they have a shortsword drawn, they 
  can also make a shortsword attack.
  Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, 
  or 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage if used with two 
  hands.
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing 
  damage.
  A legionary is often commanding others, though 
  sometimes simply serves as an outstanding 
  guard.
  Pandimensional 
  (Ancients Arcana), 
  page 70
  Magic Vs. the Ancients, 
  page 252
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  155
  NPCs
  Optional Rule: 
  Intelligence (Ancients 
  Arcana), page 259
  NANO
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 13 (15 with Force Armor) 
  Hit Points 60 (11d8 + 11)
  Speed 30 ft. 
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   
  8 (–1)  16 (+3)  12 (+1) 18 (+4) 15 (+2) 15 (+2)
  Saving Throws Int +6, Wis +4 
  Skills Arcana +6, History +6, Insight +4
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
  Languages any two languages (including the Truth) 
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Brilliance. The nano uses iron flesh to generate 
  a brilliant beam in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet 
  wide. Each creature in that line must make a 
  DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire 
  damage and 7 (2d6) radiant damage on a failed 
  save, or half as much damage on a successful 
  one.
  Charm (1/Day). One humanoid the nano can 
  see within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 
  14 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 
  hour, or until the nano charms someone else. 
  The charmed target obeys the nano’s verbal 
  commands, but can repeat the saving throw if it 
  suffers harm, ending the effect on a success. 
  Fly (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The 
  nano gains a fly speed of 60 ft. for 1 minute.
  Force Armor (1/Day). A protective force 
  surrounds the nano for 10 minutes, providing a 
  +2 bonus to AC.
  Heal (1/Day). The nano regains all hit points.
  Nanos are similar to Aeon Priests, in that they 
  dedicate themselves to the science of the prior 
  worlds. However, they are not members of the 
  Order of Truth.
  In addition, if the PCs encounter a nano as 
  an adversary, provide the nano with at least 
  one additional useful cypher, relic, or iron flesh 
  (randomly or purposefully determined) and add 
  it to the abilities they already possess.
  NANO, ARCH
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 18 (iron flesh) 
  Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON  
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   16 (+3)  13 (+1)  15 (+2)  20 (+5) 17 (+3) 16 (+3)
  Saving Throws Dex +5, Int +9, Wis +7, Cha +7
  Skills Arcana +9, Insight +7, Perception +7, and 
  two other Intelligence skills at +9
  Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from 
  nonmagical attacks 
  Damage Immunities acid, poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned 
  Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 17
  Languages Any four languages (including the 
  Truth)
  Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Brilliance. The arch nano uses iron flesh to 
  generate a brilliant beam in a 100-foot line that is 
  5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make 
  a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) 
  fire damage and 22 (4d10) radiant damage 
  on a failed save, or half as much damage on a 
  successful one.
  Heal (1/Day). The arch nano regains all hit points.
  Sleep Blast (Recharge 6). Each creature in a 
  15-foot cone of gas must succeed on a DC 17 
  Constitution saving throw or fall asleep for 1 
  minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at 
  the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on 
  itself on a success.
  Teleport. The arch nano teleports, along with any 
  equipment it is wearing or carrying, to any spot 
  up to 500 feet away, whether the arch nano can 
  see it or not.
  Consume (Recharge 6). The arch nano causes 
  nanites in the air around a creature that they can 
  see within 60 feet to consume it. The target must 
  make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. It takes 
  105 (10d20) necrotic damage on a failed save, 
  or half as much damage on a successful one. A 
  creature killed by this ability is reduced to drit.
  Aeon Priest, page 150 
  Order of Truth, page 127
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  156
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  Unseen (Recharge 6). The arch nano turns 
  invisible until they attack or use an action, or 
  until their concentration ends. While invisible, 
  they leave no physical evidence of their passage. 
  Any equipment they wear or carry is also 
  invisible.
  The arch nano is a being with incredible mastery 
  over the numenera. Some have delved so deeply 
  that they have virtually fused their consciousness 
  with the numenera, becoming more machine 
  than living.
  In addition, if the PCs encounter an arch nano 
  as an adversary, provide the nano with at least 
  two additional useful cyphers, relics, or iron flesh 
  (randomly or purposefully determined) and add 
  it to the abilities they already possess.
  NANO EXEMPLAR
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 22 (iron flesh) 
  Hit Points 228 (24d8 + 120) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 120 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   14 (+2) 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 28 (+9) 17 (+3) 21 (+5)
  Saving Throws Dex +9, Con +12, Wis +10, Cha 
  +12
  Skills Arcana +16, Insight +10, Perception +10, 
  any other two Intelligence +16
  Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from 
  nonmagical attacks 
  Damage Immunities acid, poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned 
  Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 20 
  Languages Any four languages (including the Truth)
  Challenge 22 (41,000 XP)
  Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the nano 
  exemplar fails a saving throw, they can choose to 
  succeed instead.
  ACTIONS
  Multiaction. The nano exemplar can use their 
  Awesome Presence. They then use Brilliance.
  Brilliance. The nano exemplar uses iron flesh to 
  generate a brilliant beam in a 100-foot line that is 
  5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make 
  a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 (5d10) 
  fire damage and 28 (5d10) radiant damage on 
  a failed save, or half as much damage on a 
  successful one.
  Awesome Presence. Each creature of the nano 
  exemplar’s choice that is within 120 feet of the 
  nano and can see the nano must succeed on a 
  DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become blinded 
  for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving 
  throw at the end of each of its turns, ending 
  the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s 
  saving throw is successful or the effect ends for 
  it, the creature is immune to the nano exemplar’s 
  Awesome Presence for the next 24 hours. If the 
  nano exemplar inflicts damage with Brilliance on 
  the target, the effect also ends.
  Force Blast (Recharge 5–6). The nano exemplar 
  projects force in a 120-foot line that is 10 feet 
  wide. Each creature in that line must make 
  a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, 78 (12d12) 
  force damage on a failed save, or half as much 
  damage on a successful one. On a failed save, 
  the creature is pushed 30 feet away from the 
  nano exemplar.
  Heal (1/Day). The nano exemplar regains all hit 
  points.
  LEGENDARY ACTIONS
  The nano exemplar can take 3 legendary actions, 
  choosing from the options below. Only one 
  legendary action option can be used at a time 
  and only at the end of another creature’s turn. 
  The nano exemplar regains spent legendary 
  actions at the start of their turn.
  Unseen. The nano exemplar turns invisible 
  until they attack or use an action, or until their 
  concentration ends. While invisible, they leave 
  no physical evidence of their passage. Any 
  equipment they wear or carry is also invisible.
  Teleport (Costs 2 actions). The nano exemplar 
  teleports, along with their equipment and what 
  they carry, to any spot up to 500 feet away, 
  whether the nano exemplar can see it or not.
  Brilliance (Costs 3 actions). The nano exemplar 
  makes a Brilliance attack.
  Nano exemplars are the epitome of what a 
  creature can achieve by bending all their will, as 
  well as the learning and mastery of many who’ve 
  come before them, to mastering the numenera. 
  They are ascended beings, though they know that 
  for all their power and knowledge, the mysteries 
  of the prior worlds are still larger and more 
  terrifying.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  157
  NPCs
  In addition, if the PCs encounter a nano 
  exemplar as an adversary, provide them with at 
  least three additional useful cyphers, relics, or 
  iron flesh (randomly or purposefully determined) 
  and add it to the abilities they already possess.
  SCHOLAR
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 12 (leather jerkin) 
  Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   11 (+0) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)
  Skills any one Intelligence skill +4
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) slashing damage.
  A scholar is usually someone pursuing a path 
  to knowledge, a researcher working on behalf of 
  someone paying them, or just someone with a 
  couple of hobbies.
  SHADOW KNIGHT
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 17 (chain shirt, shield) 
  Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON  
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   16 (+3)  15 (+2)  14 (+2)  11 (+0) 16 (+3) 11 (+0)
  Skills Intimidation +2, Stealth +6
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 3 (700 XP)
  Ignores Impediments. The shadow knight has 
  advantage on saving throws against being 
  charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, 
  stunned, or put to sleep.
  Shadow Assassin. A melee weapon deals one 
  extra die of its damage when the shadow knight 
  hits with it (included in the attack).
  Surprise Attack. If the shadow knight surprises 
  a creature and hits it with an attack during the 
  first round of combat, the target takes an extra 7 
  (2d6) damage from the attack.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The shadow knight makes two 
  melee attacks. 
  Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing 
  damage.
  Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 
  30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing 
  damage.
  Shadow knights are often part of secret groups 
  trained to sneak, deceive, and fight in the 
  shadows. Sometimes spying, other times serving 
  as assassins, shadow knights often have an 
  outsize reputation.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  158
  BENEATH THE MONOLITH
  SPECIALIST 
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 13 (leather jerkin) 
  Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON  
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   13 (+1)  14 (+2)  12 (+1)  16 (+3) 16 (+3) 9 (−1)
  Skills any three Intelligence or Wisdom skills +5
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
  Cypher Surprise. For up to 10 minutes, the 
  specialist can use the effect of a single cypher to 
  deal an extra 7 (2d6) damage to a creature it hits 
  with a weapon attack.
  ACTIONS
  Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) slashing damage, 
  or 6 (1d10 + 1) slashing damage if used with two 
  hands.
  Specialists are people with a singular focus 
  on knowledge and wisdom who have made a 
  particular set of skills their life’s work.
  STEWARD
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 12 (leather armor) 
  Hit Points 9 (2d8)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   11 (+0) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 10 (+0)
  Skills Persuasion +2, History +3
  Senses passive Perception 10
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
  Hard to Sway. The steward has advantage 
  on saving throws against being charmed or 
  frightened.
  ACTIONS
  Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing 
  damage.
  Stewards are not skilled combatants, but they 
  often have a community that supports them, 
  including those with far more skills in combat to 
  defend them.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
  159
  NPCs
  TOUGH
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 14 (studded leather) 
  Hit Points 19 (3d8 + 6) 
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   15 (+2) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 9 (−1) 
  12 (+1) 
  7 (−2)
  Skills Perception +3
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The tough makes three dagger attacks.
  Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
  Toughs make up many gangs or serve as guards 
  in a pinch.
  WARLORD
  Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment
  Armor Class 16 (scale armor)
  Hit Points 85 (9d8 + 45)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  STR  
  DEX  
  CON  
  INT  
  WIS  
  CHA
   20 (+5)  14 (+2)  20 (+5)  11 (+0)  15 (+2) 11 (+0)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 
  Languages any one language (usually the Truth)
  Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
  Warlord’s Charge. If the warlord moves at least 
  20 feet straight toward a target and then strikes 
  it with their greatsword on the same turn, the 
  target takes an extra 7 (2d6) slashing damage. If 
  the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 
  16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The warlord makes two greatsword 
  attacks.
  Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing 
  damage.
  Call Ally (1/Day). The warlord creates a temporal 
  clone with the same statistics. The clone appears 
  in an open space adjacent to the warlord, acts 
  just after the warlord in the initiative order, acts 
  as the warlord’s ally, and can’t call another ally. It 
  remains for 1 minute, until it or its creator dies, 
  or until the warlord dismisses it as an action.
  A warlord is a combatant of immense skill, with 
  abilities augmented by numenera devices.
  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
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  Joanne Eve Loader (Order #25937618)
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Beneath_the_Monolith.pdf