TEXT: Quickstart Rules
  Introductory
  Adventure
  &
  The
  Swallower
  ofSouls
  Cosmic Fantasy Roleplaying in the Post-Historical Age
  
  The Chronicles of Future Earth: The Swallower of 
  Souls written and developed by Sarah Newton
  Cover Art by Jason Juta
  Layout and Graphic Design by Jason Juta
  Interior Art by Jason Juta and Eric Williams
  Cartography by Jason Juta, Sarah Newton
  Edited by Sarah Newton
  Art Direction by Jason Juta
  Proofing by Sarah Newton, Keith 
  R Potempa, Robert Wyatt
  Playtesting by Taylor Carroll, Daniel Chapdelaine, 
  Jerry D. Grayson, Renee Grayson, Brian Isikoff, 
  Chris McWilliam, David Moore, Erin Moore, 
  Sarah Newton, Keith R. Potempa, Hannah 
  Seage, Sophia Seage, Callie Sunflower
  Produced by Chris McWilliam and Sarah Newton
  Enquiries: info@mindjammerpress.com
  Mindjammer Press Ltd is a private limited company, 
  reg. no. 8222890. Our registered office is at 35 
  Altham Grove, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2PQ, UK.
  © 2018 Mindjammer Press Ltd. All Rights 
  Reversed. The Chronicles of Future Earth™ 
  is a trademark of Mindjammer Press Ltd. 
  ISBN (ebook): 978-1-911380-51-1
  ISBN (physical version): 978-1-911380-50-4
  Product Code: MUH042300
  Published by Mindjammer Press Ltd, 35 
  Altham Grove, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2PQ
  Distributed by Modiphius Entertainment Ltd, 
  35 Harwood Road, London SW6 4PQ
  Publicity and Promotion by Mindjammer 
  Press Ltd. For publicity and promotion details 
  contact info@mindjammerpress.com
  Fate Core System by Leonard Balsera, Brian 
  Engard, Jeremy Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson. 
  Fate™ is a trademark of Evil Hat Productions, 
  LLC. The Powered by Fate logo is © Evil Hat 
  Productions, LLC, and is used with permission. 
  The Fate Core Font is © Evil Hat Productions, 
  LLC, and is used with permission. The Four 
  Actions icons were designed by Jeremy Keller. 
  Find out more about The Chronicles of Future 
  Earth and other Mindjammer Press games 
  and fiction at www.mindjammerpress.com and 
  www.facebook.com/mindjammerpress
  DEDICATION—To Bruce Pennington, for those endless 
  skies and pastel cities, those dreams of the farthest future.
  Credits
  
  Contents
  Quickstart Rules
  • What Are The Chronicles of Future Earth? ..............4
  • Humans, Jeniri, and Esteri .....................................5
  • Pillars, Houses, and Bloodlines ................................5
  • Cosmic Fantasy ......................................................6
  • How To Play The Chronicles of Future Earth ..........7
  • How To Roll the Dice .............................................7
  • What Do Skills Do? ................................................7
  • The Bonus Cap .......................................................8
  • Difficulties .............................................................8
  • The Ladder .............................................................8
  • Interpreting the Results ..........................................9
  • Criticals and Fumbles .............................................9
  • Stunts ....................................................................9
  • Aspects ...................................................................9
  • Fate Points ...........................................................11
  • Actions .................................................................11
  • Contests ...............................................................12
  • Conflicts ...............................................................12
  • How to Heal and Recover .....................................15
  • Zones and Ranges ................................................15
  • Teamwork ...........................................................16
  • Equipment ...........................................................16
  • Zoans ..................................................................17
  • Magic ..................................................................17
  • Cantrips ..............................................................17
  • Power Stunts and Divine Magic ..........................17
  • The Gods of the Great Compact .............................18
  • Sorcery .................................................................19
  • Demons and Avatars ............................................19
  • Psionics and Mysticism .........................................20
  • Artefacts ..............................................................20
  • Extras ..................................................................20
  • The Opposition .....................................................21
  • Experience and Advancement ...............................21
  Of the Ages of the Earth......................22
  Pregenerated Characters.....................24
  The Swallower of Souls
  • Introduction to the Adventure ..............................30
  • What’s Really Going On? .....................................30
  • How to Start ........................................................30
  • The Goal of the Adventure ....................................30
  • The Structure of this Adventure ............................30
  • A Map of Glorious Kados .....................................31
  • Glorious Kados—The Eternal City .......................34 
  • The Artifex Wharves ............................................34
  • Zangazi’s .............................................................39
  • The Black Galley ...................................................42
  • The Artifex Deeps .................................................44
  • The Void Temple ...................................................49
  • Suggested Scenes ...................................................52
  • Scene One: The Abductions on the Waterfront ........52
  • Scene Two: The Stake Out at the Black Galley ........53
  • Scene Three: Investigation in the Artifex Wharves .55
  • Scene Four: Penetrating the Undercity ..................57
  • Scene Five: The Attack on the Void Temple .............57
  • Epilogue: Rewards and Advancements, and Next 
  Steps ....................................................................57
  • OGL ....................................................................59
  • Glossary ...............................................................60
  • Index ...................................................................61
  
  4
  The Swallower of SoulS
  What are the 
  ChroniCles of 
  future earth?
  The Chronicles of Future Earth is a far future cosmic fan-
  tasy roleplaying game. It’s set in our own Earth’s farthest 
  future, tens of thousands of years after the collapse of a 
  hyper-advanced civilisation, a world which has reverted 
  to the worship of powerful and mysterious gods, where 
  magic is real, non-humans live alongside humans, and 
  where mediaeval cultures now rule amid the ruins of a 
  once star-spanning technology. 
  The game centres on the Venerable Autocracy of Sa-
  kara, the greatest of the Springtide Civilisations and the 
  oldest empire on Earth. It’s situated in what’s today the 
  western half of North Africa and the Iberian peninsu-
  la—but the Earth is in the grip of an Ice Age, and the 
  coastlines and climate have changed. The Autocracy is 
  temperate for the most part, cold and windswept in its 
  farthest north, subtropical in its south. 
  Sakara is fifteen thousand years old, ruled by a god-
  like “Venerable Autocrator” who incarnates forever in a 
  line of “Avatars”, ruling unseen from a vast crystal citadel 
  in the capital of Kados. The Autocracy is decadent and 
  slumberous, lost in the observation of traditions so old 
  that everyone has forgotten why they’re there. So much 
  history has passed that no one even bothers recording it 
  any more; they believe nothing new can happen, in this 
  world of superstition, ignorance, and decay. 
  It’s a world waiting to be swept away. Ancient evils 
  are on the move again, lethal dangers which have slept 
  for millennia. A few months ago something awoke be-
  neath the city of Korudav, precipitating a huge explo-
  sion called the “Firecloud”, which killed thousands and 
  brought the city to its knees. Since then Chaos Beasts 
  have roamed the northern marches, killing and infecting 
  and turning rich farmland into hellish waste. 
  In the capital, political intrigues and ancient rival-
  ries rage, vying for petty human advantage before cosmic 
  events threatening to destroy the world. 
  A call has gone out for heroes, to stand and fight 
  against the dying of the light. The world must change. 
  Maybe you are the heroes who will do it. 
  Welcome to The Chronicles of Future Earth.
  Quickstart
  Rules
  
  5
  Quickstart rules
  Humans, Jeniri, and Esteri
  The Earth is inhabited by different intelligent species. 
  The Cousins of Man, also known as jeniri, are human-
  oid and closely related to humans. They often live within 
  human societies, and include the Virikki and P’Tek. The 
  esteri, also called the Not-Men of Earth, are inhuman, 
  even monstrous and hostile. They often live on the edges 
  of human society, or in separate enclaves. The friendlier 
  ones include the Hsun Spider Folk and the Tung Mai 
  Mantis Men.
  Pillars, Houses, and Bloodlines
  The Venerable Autocracy is obsessed with status. That 
  said, what you’re capable of often outweighs the class you 
  were born in. Your Pillar is the status you receive from 
  your occupation, and is used as a skill (see page 7) to 
  influence people and order them around. There are five 
  Pillars: the Peasant, the Legionnaire, the Guilder, the 
  Priest, and the Lord. 
  The Wounded World
  At the beginning of time, the Gods of the Great 
  Compact helped humankind fight the Helemoriad, 
  a cosmic war against the Great Hegemonist and the 
  Reaver Gods. The struggle never really ended; only 
  by carefully following the commandments of the 
  Gods has the world endured. Everyone is terrified 
  to change—but maybe the old answers aren’t enough 
  any more…
  What’s A Roleplaying Game?
  This “Quickstart” introduces The Chronicles of Fu-
  ture Earth roleplaying game. It’s a simplified ver-
  sion of the full rules in The Chronicles of Future 
  Earth core book. Because they’re compact, they as-
  sume you already know what a roleplaying game 
  is, and how it’s played. If you don’t, check out the 
  excellent learntabletoprpgs.com, and the many 
  discussions and tutorials online. 
  What Is Fate Core?
  The Fate Core System is a fantastic set of roleplaying 
  game rules published by the excellent people at Evil 
  Hat Productions, LLC. Those rules are available 
  in book form and online at www.evilhat.com and 
  FateSRD.com. 
  The Chronicles of Future Earth, like our tran-
  shuman space opera RPG Mindjammer—the Rol-
  eplaying Game, uses the Fate Core System, heavily 
  modified for “cosmic fantasy” roleplaying. You’ll no-
  tice many differences between the basic Fate Core 
  rules and those used in The Chronicles of Future 
  Earth. The main differences are:
   • The Chronicles Dice: Cosmic fantasy gam-
  ing is action-packed and danger-filled. For that 
  reason, The Chronicles of Future Earth uses 
  Chronicles Dice: roll one six-sided die, called 
  your Hero Die, and subtract a second, called your 
  Doom Die, to give a result between -5 and +5. 
  In some cases, you may roll more than one Hero 
  or Doom Die.
   • Doom: Your character’s “Doom”—your destiny, 
  fate, what the gods and the universe have in store 
  for you—is a key theme in The Chronicles of Fu-
  ture Earth. It’s an aspect, and is used in lots of 
  ways. 
   • Criticals and Fumbles: Chronicles Dice have 
  cool new results, including critical successes and 
  failures, which cause amazing events in play. 
   • The Bonus Cap: There’s a maximum bonus you 
  can add to your skill roll, equal to your skill level 
  +1. You may be awesome, but fate is fickle, and 
  there’s only so much you can do to stay her hand!
   • Builds: Builds are the way you structure and de-
  velop your character, suites of skills, stunts, aspects, 
  and other abilities which you can choose from in 
  play. Occupations are builds, as are kindreds and 
  homelands, temples and legions, and even demons 
  and avatars. 
   • Communities: Building on the Mindjammer 
  Organisations rules, communities are central to 
  The Chronicles of Future Earth. They include 
  things like temples, legions, guilds, schools of sor-
  cery, and more. 
  
  6
  The Swallower of SoulS
  On top of that, the world’s cultures have many social 
  classes, from outcasts and exiles right up to (the slightly 
  inhuman) nobles. Your social class is what’s known as a 
  scale. It works like your physical size (also a scale): for 
  every point of social class you are above a target you’re 
  interacting with, you roll +1 Doom Die (page 7) on your 
  skill roll (see page 7), but you may increase any shifts of 
  success (page 9) by adding +1 Hero Die. For every point 
  of social class you are below a target you’re interacting 
  with, you roll +1 Hero Die (page 7) on your skill roll, but 
  you must decrease any shifts of success by subtracting +1 
  Doom Die. See page 7 for more on dice rolls and skill 
  rolls. 
  Cosmic Fantasy
  “Cosmic fantasy” is the name we’ve chosen for the type of 
  fantasy you’ll play in The Chronicles of Future Earth. It’s 
  dangerous, it can start gritty and bloody, but can sweep 
  you to epic levels of play. It involves heroism, doomed 
  expeditions, and great deeds. Your opponents will be 
  monsters and demons, the arenas of your struggle may be 
  ancient cities of decaying incomprehensible technology, 
  ruins filled with deadly traps, blasted wastelands, and the 
  bizarre environments of alien worlds and dimensions. 
  A Note on Sex and Gender
  The Venerable Autocracy of Sakara has lots of social 
  hang-ups and ways in which people are prejudiced 
  against one another, but they have nothing to do 
  with sex and gender. Naturally occurring contracep-
  tive plants and sorcerous cantrips affecting fertility 
  have meant that women have controlled their bod-
  ies for longer than recorded history, so the pressures 
  which led to women’s oppression in our own histories 
  have not applied. Additionally, Judeo-Christian mo-
  rality died out many tens of millennia ago, and the 
  Autocracy has an often bewildering array of gender 
  roles and sexual identities, none of which have any 
  bearing on a person’s status or occupation. In a world 
  inhabited by aliens and evolutionarily divergent 
  hominids, where gods, sorcery, and demons are real, 
  and where Chaos gnaws at the fibres of existence, sex 
  and gender are not significant preoccupations.
  For ease of reading and comprehension, we refer to 
  players as “he” and the Chronicler (the game master) 
  as “she” in these rules. We hope that works for you. 
  
  7
  Quickstart rules
  What Do Skills Do?
   • Athletics: Used for jumping, climbing, and 
  dodging out of the way in melee and ranged 
  combat. 
   • Burglary: Used for stealing things, breaking and 
  entering, and casing the joint beforehand. 
   • Contacts: Used for finding people you know (or 
  who know people you know) and getting infor-
  mation and favours from them.
   • Craft: Used to make and repair things. 
   • Deceive: Used to con people or lead them astray.
   • Empathy: Used to work out what someone is 
  feeling. 
   • Investigate: Used to search a place and try and 
  find something, including looking things up in 
  ancient books and scrolls. 
   • Lore: Used to find out whether you know a fact. 
  It’s general knowledge, but you can also specialise. 
   • Melee Combat: Used to fight people using melee 
  weapons. You use the same skill for attacking and 
  defending.  
   • Notice: Used to spot something on the fly—an 
  ambush, a chance remark, a random detail. It’s 
  your alertness and general power of observation. 
   • Physique: How physically tough, strong, and en-
  during you are. 
   • Pillar: How prestigious your occupation is in so-
  ciety, used for influencing and taking precedence. 
  High status occupations have a lot more clout. 
  There are five Pillars: Peasant, Legionnaire, 
  Guilder, Priest, and Lord. 
   • Provoke: The “jerk” skill—how to force someone 
  to make a kneejerk reaction. It’s usually pretty 
  offensive—you’re trying to frighten someone, or 
  intimidate or browbeat them. 
   • Ranged Combat: Used to shoot missile weapons 
  at targets, including other people. You can’t usu-
  ally use this to defend yourself. 
   • Rapport: How to be charming and persuade peo-
  ple to like you and go along with what you say. 
   • Resources: How rich you are, or what access to 
  wealth you have by virtue of your occupation, 
  status, or family. You can use this skill to buy 
  things; treasure can give you a one-time bonus on 
  this skill, or you can spend it directly. 
   • Ride: Used to ride horses or other riding animals 
  such as chelothers, cambriothers, elenisors, and 
  more! 
   • Sailing: How to go from A to B in a ship or 
  boat, whether a small rowing boat or huge 
  merchantman. 
   • Security: A skill used by communities (like tem-
  ples or legions) to defend themselves. 
   • Stealth: Used to hide from people or sneak 
  around. 
   • Survival: Used to live off the land, take shelter, 
  and generally stay in a hostile environment. You 
  can specialise. 
   • Unarmed Combat: How to fight others using 
  only your natural weapons. Animals and mon-
  sters tend to have really good natural weapons. 
   • Willpower: Used to mentally resist dangers 
  and threats, including magic, other people try-
  ing to intimidate you, or terrifying situations or 
  creatures. 
  hoW to Play the 
  ChroniCles of 
  future earth
  In this section, we’ll try to showcase how the Chroni-
  cles Fate rules differ from standard Fate Core. The core 
  mechanic is straightforward: you roll dice, add modifiers, 
  and compare the total to a target number to see whether 
  you succeed or fail. The main difference between Fate 
  and other RPGs lies in its use of descriptive phrases 
  called aspects. Here’s a quick overview. 
  How to Roll the Dice
  Roll two six-sided dice: one is called the Hero Die (we 
  recommend a fiery orange-gold colour) and one is called 
  the Doom Die (we recommend a mysterious purple 
  hue…). Subtract the Doom Die from the Hero Die, giv-
  ing a result between -5 and +5. We call this rolling the 
  Chronicles dice. Sometimes you may roll more than one 
  Hero or Doom Die—see page 44 for an example. 
  When you roll the Chronicles dice, you add a modi-
  fier equal to your score in a skill. Usually this is between 
  +1 and +5. Skills include Stealth for creeping around and 
  hiding, Athletics or jumping and climbing, and so on. If 
  you don’t have a score in a skill, you usually roll as if you 
  
  8
  The Swallower of SoulS
  had a score of +0, meaning you still have a decent chance 
  of success. However, if your Chronicler decides the skill 
  is important to your roll (you’re trying to ride a rampag-
  ing chelother…) or indispensable (you’re trying to cast a 
  spell), then she may say you have a -3 unskilled penalty, 
  or disallow the roll entirely. 
  Skill rolls govern everything in the game, from fight-
  ing to casting spells, hiding and sneaking to persuading 
  or spotting hidden things. There’s a list of core skills in 
  the adjacent box, with suggested uses in examples below 
  and on the Pregenerated Character Sheets on page 24. 
  The Bonus Cap
  There are other bonuses you can add to your skill roll. 
  In particular, bonuses from aspects (page 9) are an im-
  portant part of the game. However, you may never add 
  bonuses to your roll greater than the value of the skill 
  score you’re using, plus one. If you have an Athletics skill 
  score of +1, then the highest total bonuses you may add 
  to an Athletics skill roll is +2, for a total addition of +3 
  (+1 skill, +2 bonuses). 
  When you roll Chronicles dice and add your bonus-
  es, the final number you get is called the result.
  Combining Skills
  Sometimes you have to perform two skills at exactly 
  the same time; a good example is attacking someone 
  from horseback. Your ability to ride is essential to a 
  successful attack. In such cases, roll the dice once only, 
  and lower your primary skill by 1 point. Check if 
  both skills succeed, and adjudicate accordingly. 
  Difficulties
  To see whether or not you succeed at a skill roll, compare 
  your result to a target number called a difficulty. There 
  are static and rolled difficulties: sometimes you may roll 
  against a predetermined number (perhaps predetermined 
  by the Chronicler)—a static difficulty—and sometimes 
  you may roll against the result of another dice roll—a 
  rolled difficulty. To succeed at your roll, you must get a 
  result, including all bonuses, greater than the difficulty.
  Ties
  If you roll exactly equal to the difficulty, you either 
  succeed in the task your attempting, but at a minor 
  cost to yourself, or you succeed but with a lesser ver-
  sion of what you wanted to achieve.  
  The Ladder
  The Chronicles of Future Earth uses a ladder of results to 
  measure values. These may be dice roll results, difficulties 
  you’re rolling against, or skill scores for things you’re good at.
  Ladder results have titles to help you picture their 
  magnitude. A -3 score is “Abysmal”; if you get a result 
  of -3 on a dice roll, it’s nothing to be happy about—it’s 
  an Abysmal result. If you have a skill score of +3, that’s a 
  “Good” score—you can be happy about having a skill at 
  that level. If you roll a +3 dice result, that’s a Good result.
  If you’re making a roll against a +3 difficulty, that’s a Good 
  difficulty, something harder than average to achieve.
  A default static difficulty is Average (+1) for a simple 
  task where failure is meaningful, or Fair (+2) if you’re fac-
  ing a significant risk, opposition, or peril. Static difficulties 
  can of course go higher!
  Table 1: The ladder
  Title
  Score
  Disastrous
  -5
  Appalling
  -4
  Abysmal
  -3
  Terrible
  -2
  Poor
  -1
  Mediocre
  +0
  Average
  +1
  Fair
  +2
  Good
  +3
  Great
  +4
  Superb
  +5
  Fantastic
  +6
  Epic
  +7
  Legendary
  +8
  Cosmic
  +9
  
  9
  Quickstart rules
  There are also results below -5 and above +9. You can 
  give these titles to fit your game!
  Interpreting the Results
  If the result of your roll is greater than the difficulty, then 
  you’ve succeeded at what you’re trying to do. Every point 
  in excess of the difficulty means you succeed to a great-
  er degree. Each of these excess points is called a shift, 
  and sometimes unlocks additional effects. If you beat the 
  difficulty by, say, 2 points (you roll +3 against an Aver-
  age (+1) difficulty, for example), then you’ve generated 2 
  shifts. If you beat the difficulty by 3 points or more, then 
  you’ve achieved a special success, also called a success 
  with style. Special successes can have special effects. 
  Criticals and Fumbles
  A natural dice roll result of 6 on any Hero Die and 1 
  on all of your Doom Dice (normally you just roll one of 
  each) is called a critical success. Critical successes al-
  ways succeed with at least 1 shift, and ignore any stress 
  reduction (page 16) used by your opponent, such as ar-
  mour in combat. They may also have other effects.
  A natural dice roll result of 1 on all your Hero Dice 
  and 6 on any Doom Die is a critical failure, often called 
  a fumble. You may not invoke an aspect (page 9) to re-
  roll the dice on a fumble result. A fumble is automatic 
  failure, with a maximum of 0 shifts; it also means some-
  thing bad or embarrassing happens to you, usually repre-
  sented by a situation aspect (page 10), for which the first 
  invoke is free!  
  Costly Successes
  Sometimes, a failed dice roll may mean you succeed at 
  a task, but at a terrible cost. The Chronicles of Fu-
  ture Earth core book has more information on when 
  you can bring this special rule into play.
  Stunts
  Stunts are a way to bend or break the rules mentioned 
  above. Your character usually has a handful of stunts—
  usually no more than five to begin with—which are key 
  to identifying what makes them unique. You’ll find ex-
  amples of stunts in the stat blocks in this Quickstart, and 
  of course lots more in the core book, together with rules 
  for how to make your own. 
  Aspects
  Aspects make the Fate Core System sing. An aspect is 
  a short descriptive phrase which says something impor-
  tant, usually about a character, but sometimes about a 
  location, situation, or even your campaign. We always 
  clearly identify aspects by putting them in italics. Exam-
  ples include Convenient Code of Honour, The World Is Too 
  Old To Change, and None Shall Pass!  
  Every player’s character (or “PC”) in The Chronicles 
  of Future Earth has six aspects, named Doom, Essence, 
  Shadow, Blood, Origin, and Companion. You’ll see ex-
  amples on the pregenerated character sheets on page 24. 
  You’ll also see two Game Aspects which all the PCs share. 
  Non-player characters (“NPCs”), including monsters, may 
  have some or all of these aspects, or may have others.
  All aspects work the same way. They are used for in-
  vokes and compels. 
  When an aspect looks like it’s saying something ap-
  propriate to your current situation, you can invoke it to 
  benefit from it in play. Sometimes you may have to pay a 
  fate point (page 11) to invoke an aspect, sometimes you 
  can do it for free, or by making a dice roll (see page 7). 
  When you invoke an aspect, you get one of four benefits:
  Invoking an Aspect for a Bonus
  You can get a +2 bonus on your current dice roll result 
  (but see “Critical Aspects” below).
  For example, if you were Raised in the Slums of Koru-
  dav, you can invoke that aspect for a +2 bonus on your Bur-
  glary roll to pick someone’s pockets. 
  Invoking an Aspect for a Re-Roll
  After you’ve just rolled a dismal -3 result on your Notice 
  roll to spot an ambush, you can invoke your I’ve Got a 
  Bad Feeling About This aspect to re-roll the dice. 
  Invoking an Aspect for an Effect
  You can explain how an aspect causes someone a prob-
  lem, or even performs an action in its own right. An as-
  pect used like this either makes its own dice roll with a 
  Fair (+2) bonus, or provides an obstacle equal to a Fair 
  (+2) difficulty which other characters must overcome, or 
  adds +2 to an existing difficulty. Often it’s the Chronicler 
  
  10
  The Swallower of SoulS
  Invoking and Compelling 
  Your Doom
  There’s one exception to the rules for invoking and 
  compelling aspects: your Doom aspect, which de-
  scribes the profound and mighty destiny which the 
  universe has in store for you. Whenever your Doom 
  is in play, it’s a big deal. 
  When you invoke your Doom, you don’t add +2, 
  nor do you need to pay a fate point. Instead, you incur 
  a consequence (page 13), and get a huge +4 bonus 
  on your roll. The consequences you incur are usually 
  mental in nature, representing your inner anguish 
  and turmoil, but they may be physical. They must re-
  main on your character sheet for at least the whole of 
  the next scene (page 52), even if treated (page 15). 
  The invoke must of course be in keeping with your 
  Doom—you’ll often invoke your Doom at moments 
  of great desperation!
  The Chronicler can propose a compel (see below) 
  of your Doom; in this case, you gain a +4 bonus for a 
  single use in the current or next scene, and you incur 
  a compel of great magnitude related to your Doom. 
  In this case, you don’t incur a consequence: the nature 
  of the compel itself is enough. 
  who’ll invoke an aspect this way, but not always—you 
  can do it to make your opponent’s life more difficult, too. 
  For example, you can invoke an aspect to knock down 
  Fallen Crates and Barrels which form a Fair (+2) obstacle 
  (page 11) to anyone trying to pursue you. 
  Invoking an Aspect to 
  Make a Declaration
  You can explain how the aspect has caused a minor 
  change in reality, or revealed a feature of reality you 
  hadn’t previously been aware of. 
  For example, invoking Armed to the Teeth can let you 
  declare you have a dagger stuck down your boot that you’ve 
  never mentioned before… 
  Compelling an Aspect
  When an aspect looks like it might cause you a whole 
  heap of trouble, you can decide that your character gets 
  into that trouble just as you might expect. This is called 
  compelling an aspect. 
  For example, if your character has a Bull in a China 
  Shop aspect, and you’re trying to sneak through the Hall 
  of Crystal Mirrors without the guards spotting you, then 
  you can compel that aspect to say that you go crashing 
  into the mirrors, and the guards hear you and immedi-
  ately launch into the pursuit, sounding the alarm!
  It might seem counterintuitive to agree to get your 
  character into trouble like this, but it’s part of the Fate 
  Core System and what’s known as the fate point econo-
  my. It has the following benefits:
  Perfect Invokes
  Sometimes, an aspect is exactly right for your situa-
  tion. Maybe you’re The Finest Lutist in Old Hes-
  pin, and you’re in a Hespin alehouse in front of an 
  expectant audience, and you have your favourite lute 
  in your hand.
  At such a time, you can make a perfect invoke of 
  that aspect. Spend a fate point, but don’t roll the dice: 
  instead, you gain an automatic result equal to your 
  skill score +3. 
  Situation Aspects
  It’s not only characters that have aspects—places and 
  objects can have them, too. In fact, an entire scene 
  may have an aspect, like So This Is a Tense Stand-
  Off… Aspects like this are called situation aspects, 
  because they apply to the situation you’re in. Situa-
  tion aspects are temporary—they last just as long as 
  it makes sense for them to do so, and usually no longer 
  than the current scene (page 52).
  Here’s the cool thing about situation aspects. You 
  can create them. That’s right! Using a special type 
  of action called a manoeuvre (also called a create 
  advantage roll), you can make a skill roll which 
  creates an aspect if successful. You get to name the 
  aspect yourself (your Chronicler has to agree), and 
  if you succeed you get the first invoke of that aspect 
  for free—you don’t have to pay a fate point. You can 
  even let someone else invoke an aspect (even for free!) 
  that you’ve created, “giving” them the invoke, as long 
  as you can describe how that works. 
  
  11
  Quickstart rules
   • You, as a player, get to influence the direction 
  your game play has just taken, with your charac-
  ter right in the spotlight. Maybe you’ve some cool 
  ideas for what to do next?
   • Whenever you compel your character, you re-
  ceive a fate point, earning back those points 
  you’ve previously spent and enabling you to 
  make more invokes. 
  The Chronicler might sometimes see moments when 
  your aspect might lead to a fun, exciting, or even amusing 
  compel, and hold up a fate point to see if you want to 
  accept it. You never have to accept a compel, but don’t 
  automatically say no—after all, you want your character 
  to have action-packed adventures, and you want those 
  fate points! Play to your character’s weaknesses as well as 
  your strengths!
  Fate Points
  Fate points are one of the key “currencies” of The Chroni-
  cles of Future Earth. You, as a player, have a certain num-
  ber, as shown on your character sheet, which you can 
  spend during play. Once you’ve spent all of them, they’re 
  gone, but you get them all back again the next time you 
  play. Your Refresh indicates your maximum number of 
  fate points, and your Fate Points section indicates your 
  current fate points remaining. 
  You use fate points for the following purposes:
   • To invoke an aspect (for whatever reason);
   • To improvise a stunt, which lets you make a sin-
  gle use of a stunt you don’t have.
  Note that you can regain fate points during play by 
  compelling an aspect (see page 10). This can even let you 
  accumulate more fate points than your Refresh; you get 
  to keep these into your next session of play.
  The Chronicler has her own pool of fate points which 
  she can spend on NPC actions and invokes of PC aspects. 
  That pool contains one fate point per PC in the scene; the 
  pool regenerates at the start of every scene.  
  Actions
  Whenever you make a skill roll, you’re actually perform-
  ing an action. There are several types of action.
  Attack Actions
  You can use some skills to try and harm an opponent. 
  Obvious candidates are Melee Combat, Ranged Com-
  bat, and Unarmed Combat, but you can also use Provoke, 
  perhaps Physique or Willpower, and even certain power 
  skills (see “Magic” on page 17).
  Usually when you attack someone, they roll to de-
  fend—see page 12. If you succeed, you inflict a number 
  of points of stress (page 13) on your opponent equal to 
  Aspects as Obstacles
  Some aspects are obstacles, and automatically make 
  certain of your actions (or someone else’s actions) hard-
  er by +2, or provide a +2 difficulty which you must 
  overcome. No fate point needs to be spent for this +2 
  modifier to apply; your Chronicler has final say.
  Characters who want to specifically invoke an 
  obstacle must still either pay a fate point or make an 
  appropriate manoeuvre to do so (page 12). For ex-
  ample, those Crates and Boxes may not provide an 
  obstacle to your pursuers unless you spend a fate point 
  or make a manoeuvre to pull them over.
  Critical Aspects
  If you’re making a manoeuvre (a create advantage 
  roll—see page 12) to create an aspect, and you roll 
  a critical success (page 9), then the aspect is a crit-
  ical aspect. A critical aspect is a kind of “super-as-
  pect”, much more powerful than normal. You give it 
  a suitably super-sounding name, and whenever you 
  invoke it, you get a massive +4 bonus instead of +2. 
  Likewise, removing a critical aspect is a Great (+4) 
  difficulty manoeuvre rather than Fair (+2). 
  For example, if you’re trying to terrify an op-
  ponent by making a Provoke manoeuvre against 
  their Willpower, and you roll a critical success, you 
  get a critical aspect—something like Terrified Out 
  of Their Wits. You can invoke that aspect for a +4 
  bonus, and remember that the first invoke is free! If 
  someone tries to calm them down (perhaps using Em-
  pathy, or some “Remove Fear”-type healing magic), 
  then their attempt faces a Great (+4) difficulty.
  
  12
  The Swallower of SoulS
  your shifts. If you roll a tie, you’ve achieved a marginal 
  hit; you don’t inflict stress, but get a +2 bonus (called a 
  boost) on your next attack action or your next action 
  (your choice). On a special success, you gain a one-use 
  +2 boost, or push your opponent back 1 zone (page 15), 
  as well as doing your normal damage. See below for more 
  on conflicts and inflicting stress.
  Defend Actions
  Defend actions are the flipside of attack actions. You take 
  them to defend yourself, or sometimes another person. 
  You can usually make defend actions against anyone at-
  tacking you, unless you’re physically prevented (maybe 
  you’re tied up or unconscious). The more defend actions 
  you take in a single exchange (a round of conflict), the 
  harder they become. See page 13 for more. 
  If you tie on a defend action, your opponent doesn’t 
  inflict stress on you, but you grant them a +1 boost on 
  their next attack action or next action. You may also 
  make a full defence in an exchange, taking no other ac-
  tions, in return for a +2 bonus on your roll.
  Manoeuvres
  Manoeuvres are also called create advantage actions. 
  Make your dice roll, and if you succeed you create a situ-
  ation aspect (page 10). If you roll a tie, the aspect lasts for 
  only one free invoke then is gone. When a dice roll looks 
  like it’s going to lead to you getting an advantage you can 
  use in a subsequent dice roll, it may be a manoeuvre.
  For example, when researching the history of Kados in an 
  Unthar temple, you make an Investigate manoeuvre, creat-
  ing a Sheaves of Notes About the Fifth Cycliad situation 
  aspect. Later on, when the high priestess quizzes you about 
  the infamous Siege of Kados Bastion, you can invoke that 
  aspect on your Lore roll to dazzle her with your knowledge!
  Don’t get too crazy with the aspects you create using 
  manoeuvres. If you want to, you can jot every single as-
  pect down, creating a huge list. In the case of Sheaves of 
  Notes About the Fifth Cycliad, that might be useful—you 
  could even write it on your character sheet as an item 
  of (probably temporary) equipment, and invoke it when 
  you need. But if you’ve just toppled those Fallen Crates 
  and Barrels behind you to throw off the pursuing guards, 
  then you might not need to write that aspect down (un-
  less you’re planning to stage a whole scene there)—just 
  factor in the Fair (+2) obstacle the guards have to over-
  come to keep chasing you, and move on. 
  Overcome Actions
  Overcome actions are kind of the “default action”. If 
  you’re not attacking someone or defending yourself, or 
  trying to create an aspect, then you’re probably rolling to 
  overcome a difficulty. Maybe you’re trying to pick a lock, 
  sneak past a guard, or outrun a pursuer. In these cases, 
  make a skill roll against a difficulty; if you roll above the 
  difficulty, you succeed at what you were trying to do. On 
  a tie, you still succeed, but at a minor cost to yourself.
  Contests
  Most actions get resolved in a single dice roll. Sometimes, 
  though, things take longer. A contest is when you’re 
  struggling over a period of time against one or more op-
  ponents or obstacles, sometimes gaining ground, some-
  times losing it, in pursuit of your goal. Contests can take 
  a couple of minutes, or they can take hours or even days. 
  In a contest, every participant makes one skill roll 
  per exchange (by default half a minute—see below). 
  The participant with the highest result wins one victory 
  point. If you roll a special or critical success, and no one 
  else does, you gain two victory points. 
  The first participant to accumulate three victory 
  points wins the contest. Contests are a great mechanic 
  for deciding the results of running races, chases, singing 
  or archery competitions, debates, and similar events. 
  Conflicts
  Conflicts happen when two or more people engage in a 
  sustained attempt to harm one another using attack and 
  defend actions. Each exchange (see below), each partic-
  ipant may make a single attack action against a target, 
  and may make defend actions against attacks against 
  them. The objective of a conflict is to inflict stress (page 
  13) and consequences (page 13) on the other party until 
  they’re defeated—what’s known as taken out (page 14).
  Conflicts occur in exchanges (often called com-
  bat rounds in other games) of somewhere around half 
  a minute. In an exchange, all participants get to take a 
  single attack, overcome, or create advantage action, and 
  as many defend actions as they require (but see “Multiple 
  Defences” below).  
  Characters in conflicts act in initiative order, deter-
  mined by their scores in key skills. If you’re making a 
  
  13
  Quickstart rules
  physical attack or other physical action, your initiative is 
  determined by your Notice skill, or by your Athletics in 
  the event of a tie; if you’re taking a magical action (using 
  a power skill—see page 19), your initiative is determined 
  by your corresponding power skill score, or by your Will-
  power skill in the event of a tie; and if you’re making a 
  mental action (for example, using Provoke to cause men-
  tal stress damage), then your initiative is determined by 
  Empathy, or Rapport or Deceive in the event of a tie.
  Actions which are tied even after a tie-breaker are 
  assumed to occur simultaneously.
  Table 2: InITIaTIve deTermInaTIon
  Type of 
  acTIon
  InITIaTIve 
  deTermIned by…
  TIe-breaker
  Physical
  Notice
  Athletics
  Magical
  Power skill
  Willpower
  Mental
  Empathy
  Rapport / Deceive
  Multiple Defences
  During an exchange, you can make one defend action 
  without penalty for every applicable attack skill you can 
  bring to bear. Any additional defend action you take in-
  curs a cumulative -2 penalty. 
  For example, if you have a single Good (+3) Melee Com-
  bat skill, then you can make one Melee Combat defend action 
  against an attacker per exchange, without penalty. If a sec-
  ond attacker attacks you, you roll your defend action against 
  that second attack with a -2 penalty (so an effective skill level 
  of only Average (+1)). 
  Ganging up on people in conflicts is extremely effec-
  tive. As many as four people can attack a single Medium 
  (+0)-sized human or human-like character. This num-
  ber is doubled for every point of difference in size. So, a 
  Large (+1) target can be attacked by up to 8 characters.
  Stress
  In a conflict you’re constantly on your toes, defending 
  yourself with your physical or mental agility, trying to 
  avoid taking a body blow which will cause you injury. 
  This initial type of damage is called taking stress. It’s 
  what happens before you really get hurt. 
  A character has four stress tracks: physical, mental, 
  social, and wealth. In this Quickstart, we focus on physi-
  cal and mental stress, although you can probably extrap-
  olate how social and wealth stress work. 
  Each stress track has two stress boxes: one which 
  can absorb 1 point of stress, and one which can absorb 
  2 points of stress. Sometimes you may also have 3-point 
  and even 4-point stress boxes. Whenever you’re hit by an 
  attack action which inflicts one or more points of stress 
  on you, you must mark off only one stress box, which 
  must be equal to or higher than the stress inflicted. If you 
  incur more stress points than your highest stress box can 
  take, then you’re taken out—defeated in combat. This 
  could even mean your character is dead!
  Consequences are how you avoid getting taken out. 
  Instead of marking off a stress box, you may incur a con-
  sequence—like a physical or mental wound. In fact, you 
  can incur more than one consequence at a time, absorb-
  ing multiple points of stress. A consequence is a special 
  type of aspect, and can be invoked and compelled; often, 
  your opponent will invoke your consequences against 
  you, taking advantage of your wounds to gain bonuses 
  and advantages (and of course the first invoke on a newly 
  created consequence / aspect is free!). Each consequence 
  you incur reduces the stress you take by a certain amount. 
  There are three types of consequence: 
   • a mild consequence, which represents things 
  like Battered and Bruised, Over-exertion, Winded 
  and Gasping, Unable to Think Straight, or perhaps 
  Attacking Multiple Targets
  Some creatures have more than one attack skill of the 
  same type. The Beast of Morbias on page 44, for ex-
  ample, has 4 Unarmed Combat skills. This means the 
  creature may attack multiple targets with a single 
  attack action. 
  Only one attack roll is made (it’s a rule of Fate 
  Core that any character may only make one action 
  roll per exchange). The creature uses its highest score 
  in the attack skill, and adds a +1 teamwork bonus 
  (page 16) for each additional instance of that attack 
  skill. The result may then be divided among multiple 
  targets up to the maximum allowed, with a min-
  imum of +1 allocated to each target. Each target is 
  considered to have sustained an attack equal to the 
  result allocated to it, and must defend against that 
  attack.
  
  14
  The Swallower of SoulS
  Minor Flesh Wounds. Taking a mild consequence 
  reduces the stress you must mark off by up to 2 
  points. 
   • A moderate consequence, which represents a 
  more enduring injury, perhaps a Bad Slash With 
  a Blade, a Sprained Ankle, Concussion, Temporary 
  Amnesia or Mental Turmoil. A moderate conse-
  quence reduces the stress you must mark off by 
  up to 4 points. 
   • A severe consequence is nasty. This is a Broken 
  Limb, or perhaps one that’s Slashed So Badly You’re 
  Losing a Lot of Blood; or it’s a significant men-
  tal trauma that’s going to leave you Stunned and 
  Shaking and Not Sure Who or Where You Are. A 
  severe consequence reduces the stress you must 
  mark off by up to 6 points.
  So how do you decide exactly what a consequence 
  represents? Well, that’s a matter for discussion between 
  player and Chronicler; usually, the person who inflicts 
  the consequence gets to suggest the consequence, and 
  then the player and Chronicler discuss whether that’s 
  reasonable. The Chronicler always has final say! (How-
  ever, see “Conceding a Conflict” below.)
  Note that, while you have separate physical and men-
  tal stress tracks, you only have 3 general consequences, 
  which represent both mental and physical injuries. This 
  means that if you’ve taken a mild consequence as a re-
  sult of a mental attack (say, an intimidation attack using 
  Provoke), you can’t then take a mild consequence from a 
  physical attack, say with a sword; you must instead use 
  your moderate or severe consequence to reduce the stress 
  you take, even if you’re just absorbing 1 point of stress. 
  You can always use a consequence to mark off fewer 
  stress points than the consequence’s maximum. 
  Taken Out
  If you’ve marked off all three of your consequences and 
  you must still take a number of stress points higher than 
  your highest stress box, then you’re taken out. Taken 
  out is bad. It means you’ve been totally defeated, and it’s 
  probably time to create a new character. 
  The exact meaning of “taken out” depends on the 
  conflict you were in when you incurred the result. If 
  you’re in a vicious melee where your monstrous opponent 
  is simply and obviously trying to kill you, then a taken 
  out result means your character is killed. If you’re taken 
  out by a sustained intimidation attack caused by Pro-
  voke, then your character is so overwhelmed as to suffer 
  mental breakdown or even insanity, and is no longer able 
  to cope with much at all—and especially not with the 
  stressful life of an adventurer!
  Surviving a Taken Out Result
  It’ll usually be obvious when a character is taken out 
  in a lethal conflict. If you’re having trouble imagin-
  ing how a character could survive a defeat, then they 
  probably haven’t. 
  On the other hand, if a character is taken out in such 
  a way that you imagine a foe would then have to dispatch 
  them in a coup de grace, then you have a decision to make. 
  If the foe is a murderous psychopath, then fair enough—
  character death it is. But, for example, in this adventure, the 
  Void Cultists would actually prefer to take characters pris-
  oner and feed them to the Swallower of Souls (see page 56). 
  If there’s a possibility of doing that, then we recommend it. 
  If the PCs can’t get themselves out of that, then at least it 
  makes for a suitably dramatic and grisly end!
  Conceding a Conflict
  There’s another way of surviving a potential taken out 
  result: conceding a conflict. This is the equivalent of 
  running away. You have to choose to concede a conflict 
  before the dice hit the table; you can’t wait until the dice 
  say you’re taken out, then choose to concede. But, if the 
  situation looks dire, you’ve taken your three consequenc-
  es and have just one stress box left, then conceding might 
  be your best choice!
  Burning Stress to 
  Improve Rolls
  Whenever you make a skill roll, you can draw upon 
  your inner reserves of energy to achieve greater results. 
  You do this by “burning stress”; you may mark of one 
  of your stress boxes, and get a bonus equal to that stress 
  box’s value. For a physical skill, you burn a physical 
  stress box; for a mental skill (including power skills), 
  you burn a mental stress box, and so on. 
  Stress can be burned in other ways, too. In particu-
  lar, sorcerers may burn stress to affect multiple targets 
  and increase the range of their spells. This is described 
  in The Chronicles of Future Earth core book.
  
  15
  Quickstart rules
  Conceding a conflict means this: the conflict ends, 
  immediately, and your opponent wins. They accomplish 
  what they set out to do, with one proviso: you, individu-
  ally, get to avoid the worst parts of your fate. You survive 
  the conflict, and retain your freedom, living to fight an-
  other day.
  Discuss what conceding actually looks like with 
  your Chronicler. In a battle, maybe you’ve been knocked 
  out and left for dead on the battlefield; you regain con-
  sciousness some time later, surrounded by the dead! Or 
  maybe you fled the Autarchal Court in shame, before the 
  Hierophant could finish you off in her scathing debate. 
  You can’t tarnish your opponent’s victory by conceding, 
  but you can mitigate your loss. In a group conflict (like 
  a melee), conceding can mean disengaging from combat 
  and fleeing, giving the field to your opponent.
  And one other thing: if you choose to concede, you 
  gain a fate point, plus one additional fate point for any 
  consequence you incurred in the same conflict. 
  How To Heal and Recover
  Because there are different types of stress track, healing 
  and recovery can mean different things. For physical stress 
  and consequences resulting from physical attacks, recovery 
  may mean first aid, bandaging, bed-rest, and even healing 
  magic. For mental stress and resulting consequences, it 
  may mean counselling, talking to a priest, quiet contem-
  plation, rest and recuperation, and again magical healing. 
  In all cases, any stress boxes you’ve marked off in 
  a conflict are cleared up before the next scene begins. 
  Stress is minor temporary damage; you might have some 
  aches and pains and some ostentatious bandages, but 
  otherwise you heal from stress fully and quickly. Remove 
  the check from any stress box and carry on.
  Consequences aren’t so simple. First, a consequence 
  needs treating. Anyone can treat a mild consequence with 
  a Lore roll against a Fair (+2) difficulty; the First Aid stunt 
  can give you a bonus to that. Moderate and Severe conse-
  quences can only be treated with the Healer stunt, and are 
  Great (+4) and Fantastic (+6) difficulty respectively. 
  Once a consequence has been treated, you may re-
  word it to reflect that fact: a Broken Leg may become a 
  Splinted Leg. After that, you must wait a certain amount 
  of time before you can remove the consequence (mean-
  ing it’s been healed). A treated mild consequence can be 
  removed at the end of the next scene; a treated mod-
  erate consequence can be removed at this point in the 
  next session; and a treated severe consequence can be 
  removed at this point in the next adventure. 
  Note that consequences caused by critical hits rep-
  resent permanent damage, however great or small that 
  may be. The consequence may be healed, but when it is 
  removed, it becomes a new Shadow Aspect on the char-
  acter’s character sheet, representing scars, limps, impaired 
  vision, busted ears, and other long-term results of injury. 
  Some wounds never wholly go away. 
  Zones and Ranges
  The Chronicles of Future Earth measures distances in 
  terms of zones. Zones vary in size depending on the scale 
  of your action and the context. The following distances are 
  typical for melee and ranged combat at human scales.
  Table 3: melee and ranged combaT ranges
  range 
  name
  commenTs
  R-1
  Hand-to-
  Hand
  0-1 metres. Grapples, knife 
  fights, animal attacks, etc. 
  R0
  Close Range
  1-2 metres. Normal melee 
  range. 
  R1
  Short Range
  3-10 metres. Extreme 
  Reach melee weapons may 
  make melee attacks at this 
  range. 
  R2
  Medium 
  Range
  10-50 metres. 
  R3
  Long Range
  51-100 metres. 
  R4
  Extreme 
  Range
  101-500 metres. 
  Magical Healing
  Magic, miracles, and even strange ancient technolo-
  gies and inhuman zoans (page 17) may all aid heal-
  ing. Usually their effect is to permit easy treatment 
  of a consequence, and usually to help it heal much 
  more quickly. Some can even remove the after-effects 
  of critical wounds. See page 28 for an example; much 
  more information is provided in The Chronicles of 
  Future Earth core book.
  
  16
  The Swallower of SoulS
  There are greater ranges than those shown above, as 
  discussed in The Chronicles of Future Earth core book.
  If you’re in a conflict, you can always move 1 zone as 
  well as taking your normal action. If you want to move more 
  than 1 zone, you must use your action for that exchange to 
  move up to a number of zones equal to your Athletics skill. 
  You only have to roll for such a movement if there’s some 
  force opposing you, such as difficult terrain, another charac-
  ter, or an obstacle (page 11). 
  Most of your actions, including most melee attacks, 
  are made at range 0 (R0), within physical reach of an 
  opponent. To attack at range 1 (R1) or great-
  er requires some kind of Ranged Combat 
  attack (for example, using a thrown 
  weapon or bow). For every zone of 
  range above R1, the difficulty of 
  your skill roll increases by +2, up 
  to its maximum allowed range. 
  Maximum ranges for ranged 
  combat weapons are shown 
  on the pregenerated character 
  sheets on page 24. 
  Some attacks are only 
  possible at Hand-to-Hand 
  (HTH) range, called “range 
  -1” (R-1). If both sides are 
  making HTH attacks, then 
  this is automatic. Otherwise, a 
  would-be HTH attack or ma-
  noeuvre to close range against 
  a R0 target faces a +2 obstacle; if 
  successful, the attacker closes to R-1 
  range. The R0 target then faces a +2 
  obstacle to their attacks, and so on. 
  Magic may also operate at range. See 
  page 19.
  Teamwork
  You may also work together with your comrades to 
  achieve tasks. This is called teamwork. 
  Working Together Using the Same Skill 
  When more than one person works together with the 
  same skill, make a single skill roll using the highest 
  applicable skill score used by the team. Then, add a +1 
  bonus to the result for every person in the team taking 
  an action to help with the same skill. 
  Helping Someone By Using 
  a Different Skill
  Sometimes you may want to shout encouragement to an 
  ally in a fight, or distract someone’s opponent just when 
  they attack. In such cases, the person helping should 
  make an appropriate manoeuvre action (page 12). On 
  a success, they create a corresponding aspect (which you 
  only need to word if it makes sense to), and pass the free 
  invoke of that aspect to the person they’re helping. 
  That’s a slightly long-winded way of saying 
  “make a manoeuvre, and give the person 
  you’re helping a +2 bonus on their roll”, 
  except of course that the invoke also 
  gives the person you’re helping the 
  option of re-rolling the dice if 
  they make a bad roll.
  equiPment 
  You can buy equipment 
  with treasure, find it on ad-
  ventures, or acquire it via a 
  Resources roll. Prices are in 
  Templars (also called Tharia, 
  abbreviated “T”). The price in 
  T is also the difficulty of the 
  Resources roll to acquire (you 
  can apply the T-value of any 
  treasure you have as a one-time 
  bonus). Round up prices to the near-
  est T for Resources roll difficulties. 
  Equipment lets you accomplish tasks 
  appropriately. It also acts as an aspect; some 
  weapons and armour have other additional aspects. You 
  can also use equipment in manoeuvres (page 12).
  For example, you need a Lockpick Set to pick locks. If 
  you’re pressed for time, you can pay a fate point to invoke that 
  item of equipment for a bonus or reroll on a Burglary skill roll 
  to pick a lock. If you have plenty of time, you can try a sepa-
  rate Burglary roll using the Lockpick Set to make a Burglary 
  manoeuvre, which would create an advantage you could then 
  invoke for free on your subsequent Burglary roll to pick the lock. 
  Stress Increases and Reductions
  Equipment can have other effects. Weapons can increase 
  the physical stress you inflict on a successful attack ac-
  
  17
  Quickstart rules
  tion, called a stress increase. Armour can reduce the 
  physical stress you suffer when someone attacks you, 
  called a stress reduction. Stress increases and reductions 
  are not affected by the bonus cap (page 8).
  Zoans
  Alagin isn’t the only thing made by the Hsun Spider 
  Folk. They also grow and shape zoans, artificial creatures 
  which replace missing limbs, eyes, ears, even providing 
  special abilities. Many warriors who lose limbs in bat-
  tle find themselves equipped with fully functional zoic 
  limbs. Some say they’re better than the originals!
  magiC
  Philosophers say magic is a science made possible by the 
  Gods. It permits the manipulation of reality in accord-
  ance with “mystical principles” like time, communication, 
  or change by fire. Some magic is improvised, some linked 
  with the worship of gods, some abstract and scholarly. 
  Magic is powerful, mysterious, and perilous to wield.  
  Cantrips
  Some people are born with a natural ability to use magic. 
  Others devote themselves to the Gods, who govern (or 
  are governed by…) the mystical principles. Such people 
  have power skills (each representing a mystical princi-
  ple), which they use to cast cantrips—magical manoeu-
  vres which can be invoked to enhance the functions of a 
  normal, non-magical skill.
  For example, a character with the Wisdom power skill 
  could cast a cantrip to provide an advantage for use when 
  healing someone using the Lore skill.
  If you have a power skill on your character sheet, you 
  can always use it in this way.
  Power Stunts and Divine Magic
  Characters deeply committed to the gods and mystical 
  principles use magic in more obvious, direct ways. Power 
  stunts are associated with power skills or the temples of 
  the gods, and are how you use power skills for actions other 
  than cantrip manoeuvres. You’ll find examples on the pre-
  generated character sheets (page 24). Characters without 
  certain power stunts sometimes spend a fate point to im-
  provise them for a single use (page 11). By default, divine 
  magic (including cantrips) affects targets in the same zone 
  (range 0). You may may affect targets a number of zones 
  away equal to your power skill score, but at a +2 difficulty 
  per additional zone of range.
  Alagin
  The Earth is old, and most of its accessible metal 
  reserves have long since been mined out. Perishable 
  metals like iron and steel are rare and expensive.
  Happily there’s a replacement. The esteri Hsun 
  Spider Folk are experts in the arts of “Growing” and 
  “Shaping”, including the production of a kind of nat-
  ural fibre glass known as alagin, and the forming of 
  it into useful tools, including weapons and armour. 
  Alagin isn’t as hard or durable as iron and steel, 
  but is malleable into fanciful shapes. Common, light-
  weight, and repairable by Hsun tinkers (there’s usu-
  ally one in every community), unless otherwise stat-
  ed, all equipment you’d normally think of as being 
  made of iron or steel is actually made of alagin.
  There is another source of metal: the mysterious 
  world of Ladabran, accessible only via planing ma-
  chine beneath the Autocrator’s Palace in Glorious 
  Kados. It’s still furiously expensive but, if you can 
  afford it, you can have yourself a priceless Ladabran 
  steel blade, or even—riches of riches!—a suit of steel 
  plate armour!
  Coinage
  There’s a range of coinage in the Autocracy, made from 
  rare metals. The silver dinar is a fingernail-sized 
  coin, a day’s pay for a labourer. 10 copper minims 
  make up a dinar; a minim buys a bottle of wine or a 
  loaf of bread. 10 silver dinars make up a silver shield, 
  a larger coin that buys a nice dagger. 10 silver shields 
  make up a templar (also called a tharius, plural 
  tharia), a small gold coin that’s the standard unit of 
  treasure in these rules. 1 templar (abbreviated 1T) 
  gives you a +1 bonus on a Resources roll.
  1 templar = 10 shields = 100 dinars = 1000 minims.
  Most people use little coinage. Resources are 
  shared by the community, based on ancient privileg-
  es and traditions. For rare travellers, coinage is one 
  fragile way of coping with the dislocation from your 
  support network.
  
  18
  The Swallower of SoulS
  The Gods of the Great Compact
  Twenty divine entities helped humankind survive the dark apocalypse of the Helemoriad. They’re still worshipped 
  today. These are their names in the Venerable Autocracy of Sakara—other realms and kindreds use other names, and 
  sometimes combine or divide gods into a different number!
  Full descriptions of the Gods, their temples, and the demons, magics, and miracles they provide, as well as the 
  Elemental Cults, the Great Hegemonist, and the Reavers, are given in The Chronicles of Future Earth core book.
  Table 4: The gods of The greaT compacT
  deITy
  mysTIcal 
  prIncIple of…
  commenTs
  deITy
  mysTIcal 
  prIncIple of…
  commenTs
  Ankadar
  Law
  Bringer of Order 
  From Chaos, Ven-
  erable Autocrator, 
  Great Springtide.
  Madiz
  Destruction
  Lord of the Iron 
  Legions, God of 
  Vengeance, the Tem-
  ple Laid Low. 
  Babisiya
  Darkness
  Crone, Night 
  Hag, the Maid of 
  Darkness.
  Minisia
  Narcissism
  The Empty Smile, 
  Goddess of Winter, 
  Ice Queen.
  Belom
  Death
  Lord of Death, 
  Decay, and Corrup-
  tion; Destroyer of 
  the Undead. 
  Nimur
  Cyclicality
  Moon Goddess, 
  Mistress of the Ebb 
  and Flow, Mother 
  Ocean.
  Belorias
  Turmoil
  Lord of Storm, 
  Turmoil, and the 
  Winds.
  Payorian
  Passion
  God of Love and 
  the Vine, Bard and 
  Archer.
  Dafur
  Change by Fire
  Lord of Flame and 
  the Fire Beneath 
  the Earth; God of 
  Earthquakes, Volca-
  noes, and the Forge.
  Pline
  Void
  The God of Empty 
  Spaces.
  Emeldias
  Growth
  She Who Springs 
  Forth From the 
  Earth, Goddess of 
  Growth, Light, and 
  the Spring. 
  Qal
  Unification of 
  Opposites
  The Two-Faced 
  God, the Light That 
  Is Darkness.
  Entos
  Animality
  The Horned God.
  Regos
  Command
  Lord of War and 
  Rule, the Conqueror.
  Eshtikar
  Fate
  Horse and Rider, 
  God of Fate.
  Staros
  Eternity
  God of the Ages, the 
  Everlasting.
  Khosht
  Realisation of 
  the Will
  The Great Architect, 
  Builder of Cities. 
  Unthar
  Time
  Chronicler and 
  Timekeeper.
  Konfu
  Wisdom
  God of Healing, 
  Master of Zofi, Lis-
  tener to the Silent 
  Song.
  Vareltias
  Communication
  God of Trade, Trav-
  eller and Mediator. 
  
  19
  Quickstart rules
  Sorcery
  Sorcery is a different form of magic, relying on codified 
  uses of the mystical principles known as spells. While 
  divine magic is improvised and based on prayers for im-
  mediate effects, a spell taps directly into a principle to 
  produce the same effect each time. See page 29 for exam-
  ples; The Chronicles of Future Earth core book provides 
  many more, as well as rules for creating your own.
  By default, sorcery affects targets in the same zone as 
  the caster (range 0). For every additional zone, the caster 
  must burn 1 point of mental stress (page 14) and incur a 
  +2 difficulty increase. Sorcery also affects 1 target, plus 1 
  additional target per 1 point of mental stress burned; see 
  “Attacking Multiple Targets” on page 13.   
  Demons and Avatars
  Priests may summon and bind demons—servitors of the 
  gods—and incarnate their god’s power by becoming an 
  avatar. Full rules are provided in The Chronicles of Future 
  Earth core book.
  Examples of demons in this Quickstart include:
   • The serapai war demon bound in Dostinor Kar-
  ja’s broadsword (page 24).
   • The sacranim time demon bound in Chenda Hi-
  gira’s sand clock (page 25).
  What Do the Power 
  Skills Do?
  There’s one power skill for every mystical principle of 
  existence, and there are at least twenty of these—one 
  for every God of the Great Compact (there are others, 
  too, belonging to the Hegemonist, the Reaver Gods, 
  and other dark and destructive powers). The following 
  list presents the power skills used in this Quickstart. 
   • Command: Used in cantrip manoeuvres to help 
  you command subordinates, impress or cow oth-
  ers, wrest control over magic or magical beings, 
  understand the tactical situation, or come across 
  as the natural leader in a situation. 
   • Communication: Helps you decipher a lan-
  guage or read an inscription, whisper words in 
  someone’s mind, or even evaluate an item. 
   • Entropy: Helps you persuade people to be idle or 
  passive, lose energy, or helps you douse fires, pull 
  down structures, or destroy things. 
   • Eternity: Helps you stop things going rotten, 
  even stop things moving or changing.
   • Narcissism: Helps you resist doing what some-
  one wants you to, or impose your will on others, 
  or even be self-sufficient in any way. It can even 
  help you feign certain behaviours that you think 
  will let you get your way.
   • Passion: Helps you become inspired, or express 
  yourself to inspire others, embolden them, and 
  help you or others resist negative emotions and 
  depression.
   • Time: Helps you move quickly, or perform ac-
  tions more quickly, or slow other people down; 
  helps you remember things you’ve seen or read 
  somewhere. 
   • Void: Helps you demoralise people, avoid becom-
  ing overcome by strong emotion, do without food 
  and drink and even sleep for a time, stand very 
  still and not be noticed. 
   • Wisdom: Helps you see and understand people 
  and things clearly, understand the wounds, dis-
  eases, and ailments someone is suffering, and plan 
  how to treat them better using your Lore skill. 
  The Time Ladder
  Time is measured in the increments shown on the 
  time ladder. Sometimes you can do things more 
  quickly or slowly, calculated by moving up or down 
  the time ladder. For example, if you perform an ac-
  tion that normally takes an exchange (“half a min-
  ute”), you could use your Time power skill to do it one 
  step more quickly on the time ladder, meaning you 
  could do it in “several seconds”. 
  Table 5: parT of The TIme ladder
  A Second
  Half an Hour
  A Few Seconds
  An Hour
  Several Seconds
  Several Hours
  Half a Minute
  Half a Day
  Several Minutes
  A Day
  Chenda Higira is a priestess of Unthar, God of 
  Time, and has an avatar representing her spiritual self 
  and devotion to her god. She can use her avatar’s abili-
  ties in a limited way (such as for a teamwork bonus) by 
  brandishing her holy symbol, but can also incarnate her 
  avatar, becoming suffused with divine power. This isn’t 
  easy: it’s a Legendary (+8) difficulty roll of her Good (+3) 
  
  20
  The Swallower of SoulS
  Time skill, so she’s going to want to invoke some aspects 
  (at least Towering Time Priestess) and maybe make some 
  ritual manoeuvres first. If she succeeds, she suffers a con-
  sequence immediately after the incarnation has ended 
  (usually at the end of the scene). 
  While incarnating her god, Chenda emanates time-
  lessness and atemporality; people stop breathing, flowers 
  wither. She gains an extra Hero Die (page 7) on her rolls, 
  and can fully use any of her avatar’s abilities. Powerful 
  priests may have other powers, depending on the god 
  they worship, including divine miracles; The Chronicles 
  of Future Earth core book provides much more detail.
  Psionics and Mysticism
  Some characters, like the jeniri Cousins of Man and 
  the esteri Not-Men of Earth, have mysterious powers of 
  mysticism and psionics. You can find examples on the 
  pregenerated character sheets for Chaibayaan Elenequ, 
  the Virikki Psionicist (page 26), and Jri-Banbak, the 
  Tiridat Master (page 27). Most psionic powers require 
  you to touch your target; each range above R-1 costs you 
  1 physical stress and a +2 increase in difficulty.
  artefaCts
  The Earth is unimaginably old, and the Springtide Civi-
  lisations are littered with ruins hiding the treasures of the 
  Ancients. Mystics and inhumans create strange devices 
  which bestow mysterious powers. These artefacts can 
  be acquired during play. Sometimes, you can even create 
  your own, or repair those found in forgotten vaults…
  The pereprae are the Devices of the Ancients, of 
  unfathomable function. The most well known are the 
  flamelances of the Autocracy’s legions and the mana-
  tines of the undercities and palaces which power them. 
  The Autarch of Korudav had a famed flyer that was re-
  cently—and famously—stolen!
  The Swallower of Souls, also known as the Void De-
  vice, is one such pereprae. See page 56.
  The Hsun Spider Folk create hsuntach, strange arte-
  facts which are half-artwork, half-living thing. The most 
  famous of these are the zoans—artificial limbs and replace-
  ment organs which form part of the Autocracy’s healing 
  arts. Gatti Goldeneye, the pregenerated character on page 
  28, has a pair of zoic eyes which give her special powers. 
  Other artefacts include the mindstones of the Pal-
  adoi (see page 26), the creates of the seagoing Ing Shu, 
  and the chaotic items of the Reaver Gods. 
  extras
  In The Chronicles of Future Earth, the term extras re-
  fers to entries on your character sheet representing enti-
  ties that have a broader independent existence. An extra 
  tracks your relationship with:
   • communities like temples, sorcerous schools, le-
  gions, fighting academies, warrior societies; 
   • creatures like henchmen, bound demons, avatars, 
  and familiars;
   • exotic items which give you access to skills, stunts, 
  and other abilities.
  The point of extras is that they’re not “finished prod-
  ucts”. Because an extra describes your relationship with 
  an entity, it follows that the entity may have other abili-
  ties you don’t yet have access to. Maybe you’re not a full 
  member of a temple; maybe you don’t understand your 
  magical staff properly; maybe you haven’t yet sacrificed 
  enough power to your bound demon. 
  
  21
  Quickstart rules
  The abilities of your extras may change over time, 
  using the advancement points you gain while adventur-
  ing, in the same way your own personal abilities (skills, 
  stunts, aspects) may change (see below). 
  the oPPosition
  In this Quickstart you’ll find statistics blocks for adversaries 
  (and sometimes allies) the PCs meet on their adventures. 
  These NPCs are created using rules similar to those for PCs.
  Minor NPCs appear in groups of multiple individ-
  uals, but only have a single stat block. When you attack 
  a Minor NPC, you’re actually attacking the entire group, 
  and any stress you inflict can take out more than one 
  individual in a single attack! For Average (+1) NPCs, for 
  example, you take out one group member for every point 
  of stress you inflict. If you inflict 3 points of stress, you 
  take out 3 members of that group. 
  Other NPCs, such as supporting NPCs and major 
  NPCs, represent individuals. They have stress tracks, and 
  may sustain one or more consequences (usually two). If 
  they can sustain 1 consequence, it’s a mild one; 2 conse-
  quences, it’s one mild and one moderate; 3 consequences, 
  it’s one of each. 
  Sometimes, NPCs aren’t even living things; a volca-
  no or a cunning trap may have a stat block. Such an NPC 
  is referred to as a hazard, and may have special rules. 
  exPerienCe and 
  advanCement
  Advancing your character is an important part of The 
  Chronicles of Future Earth. You may begin play as a 
  lowly apprentice, footsoldier, thief, or scribe; but, over 
  time, you may join a temple, advance in your legion, ac-
  complish great deeds and complete splendid quests, and 
  rise to heights of undreamed-of power. You do so by ac-
  cumulating advancement points and spending them on 
  improving your own abilities and your relationships with 
  your extras. Full rules are provided in the core book. 
  Pregenerated 
  CharaCters
  Pages 24-29 provide six pregenerated characters, show-
  casing the sort of things characters can do. Choose four 
  or five or these to play the adventure The Swallower of 
  Souls (page 30). You can play all six, but your Chronicler 
  may want to modify the adventure slightly. 
  Note that skills and stunts marked with an asterisk 
  (*) are power skills and power stunts, or are a Pillar skill.
  
  That new cycliad was the fifth of the Venerable Au-
  tocracy of Sakara, oldest of the Springtide Civilisa-
  tions. Fifteen thousand years! An unimaginable span of 
  time – so many lives to weigh on our minds as we dream. 
  The dead outnumber the living!
  There is one who has witnessed it all. One who lives still, who has 
  always lived. Our beloved God-Emperor, Ankadar, Venerable Autocrator, Lord of All. Love him and 
  fear him, for he judges the quick and the dead!
  Those days are like myth, as unchanging as mountains, but real people lived through them like you 
  and I. But what went before? What lies in the darkness before the start of Spring?
  You must prepare yourself. I wonder if your mind can comprehend what you are about to see?
  “Look around you at the 
  heavy red sun and the ruins 
  of the past. Can you hear the 
  whispered tales of the Belov-
  ed Dead? Their stories of the 
  wars with the Mantis Men, 
  those crumbling bones silent in 
  the necropolises of the cities you 
  walk every day? Your grandfa-
  ther’s grandfather’s grandfather was 
  not even a child back then, nor his par-
  ents a thought in their parents’ minds, infants 
  playing in the sand of five hundred years ago.
  Think back further to the glories of Amadorad, when the Em-
  pire’s youngest child entered its ranks. People like you and I, re-
  moved across the gulf of a thousand years.
  Before that came the years when Kados was born again in 
  stone. Those timeworn steps you climbed to this tower were once 
  new and bright, two thousand years hence, after an age of ruin!
  A millennium before, and there are forests where there are no 
  forests now, lakes where there are no lakes, towns where there are 
  no towns. Yet the cities endure, and the people within, and though 
  their clothes and words differ, they are our forefathers and Saka-
  ri like we. It is the celebration of the new cycliad, when Korudav’s 
  walls shone and Amadorad was only a dream.
  Of the
  Ages
  Earth
  of the
  
  We are distant from our present day. People strange with time 
  strut and pose in fantastic garb, speaking incomprehensible 
  words. Shining towers pierce the sky where today there is only 
  frosted rubble and endless snow. If the Tlanik Scrolls are true, 
  then Gebrahil’s Empire endured twice ten thousand years…
  Fragments are all that remain of what went before. 
  Fragments that speak of war and conquest, empire beyond 
  compare. Who can help but be enchanted by names like 
  Umbris, Pal-Goyar, the Empires of the Sea Lords and 
  the Middle Sea? Who does not shudder with dread while 
  poring over the scriptures of the Torture Empire and the 
  desecrations of the Sky Raiders? Who does not ponder 
  what were the Glories of Az Ein?
  Before Sakara comes great darkness. Generations pass in the 
  savagery of the Time of Snows which follows the Doom of 
  Nayarak. But – see! – a distant light. We are through 
  – like emerging from a cave into the light of day – and 
  Empire is with us again, Glorious Tlan with its pag-
  eantry and its thousand Wizard-Kings, ruling the 
  world in opulence beyond compare.
  Centuries heap upon centuries, with their heroes 
  and dreams, disasters and laughter. Gone and forgot-
  ten in the abyss of time.
  Yet those ruins around you, the names you choose 
  for your children, the songs they sing? Listen! Can you 
  not hear the voices of Tlan? The Deeds of Gebrahil, first 
  of the Wizard Kings, and the ill-destined Tolemiks and the 
  Doom of Nayarak which was their curse? All these are the legacies 
  of Tlan, Jewel of the World, and its downfall. Doubt not the truth!
  We tread paths close to myth and the beginning of the world. The glass is dark, yet figures still move like our own. But now 
  we come to darkness. Like the gutterings of a dying candle, the Lords of the Commonality flash briefly before us, and all is 
  fire and shadow. It is the time of the Helemoriad, the Armageddon of the Gods which forged the world anew. A hundred 
  generations, a thousand, fought and died in the void. What went before was Paradise, unknowable and unknown. The 
  Veil is before us. History begets legend, the child of myth. We can say no more.”
  —Pilogiarch Jennisa Vlathu of the House of the Umbran Coil, 
  Venerated High Priestess of the Temple of Unthar at Korudav, 2991CV
  
  Dostinor’s Abilities
  Dostinor’s reputation opens doors with his Fair (+2) Legionnaire 
  skill, and with the Average (+1) Provoke and Rapport he gets from 
  his Legion extra. He can get the legion headquarters in Kados to 
  provide him with resources. He uses his Command power skill to 
  order people around, creating advantages for them to invoke. The bound war demon in his broadsword provides teamwork bonuses from 
  its skills, gives him access to its stunts, and mentally communicates with him to give him get a bird’s eye view of a battle.
  *A power skill or stunt (page 17). **A Pillar skill (page 7).
  Dostinor Karja, the Korudav Legionnaire
  Dostinor hails from the Legion of Lord Regos, Indomitable. Born in the north 
  of Korudav province, he arrived in Kados fleeing the Devastation of Korudav. 
  He bears a Demon Sword—a serapai war demon—gifted him by the Temple of 
  Regos. An initiate of Regos as well as a legionnaire, he is warrior rather than priest. 
  In Kados, many view Regos as part of the “Bright Trinity” with Unthar and Staros, 
  but, as a Hivernian, Dostinor has little time for temple politics. 
   
  Great (+4): Melee Combat
  Good (+3): Command*, Notice
  Fair (+2): Legionnaire**, Physique, Willpower
  Average (+1)  : Contacts, Provoke, Resources, Survival
  PhysicAl stress
  MentAl stress
  stAtus stress
  WeAlth stress
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  3
  Kindred: Human  
  Homeland: Hivernium
  Occupation: Legionnaire
  Social Class: Middle (+1)
  House: The Centodimacts of Sapedra
  Age: 25 (Birth Date: 2966)
  Consequences: 3 personal + 3 social
  ê COMMUNITY: The Legion 
  of  Lord Regos, Indomitable: Average (+1) Provoke, Rapport, 
  Resources. 
  ê Bound Serapai War Demon in Alagin Broadsword: 
  Average (+1) Command*, Melee Combat, Provoke; Stunts: 
  Mindlink* (Use Command to communicate with your forces 
  in battle), See Battle* (Use Command instead of Investigate / 
  Notice to see what’s going on across the battlefield). 
  extrAs
  BUILDS: Initiate of Regos; 
  Legionnaire of Lord Regos, Indomitable.
  LANGUAGES: Low Sakaraic.
  TREASURE: 10 silver shields.
  ADVANCEMENT POINTS: 0.
  PersonAl
  WEAPON: Alagin Broadsword 
  with Bound Serapai War Demon, SI +3.
  ARMOUR: Plate Cuirass, Greaves & Vambraces, Open 
  Helm; SR -3; Difficult to Sprint, +1 Doom Die on Athletics; 
  absorbs 1 mild, 1 moderate, and 1 severe consequence before 
  falling apart.
  equiPMent
  Fate Points: 5 
  Refresh: 5
  Doom: The War That Will End the Cycliad Has Begun!
  Essence: Initiate of the Lord of War
  Shadow: Rivals of the Flame Lord
  Blood: Hivernium Must be Protected!
  Origin: When the Shakh Came We Stood Fast
  Companion: One Day I Will Return Chaibayaan the 
  Virikki to His Home
  Game Aspects: The World is Too Old to Change! 
  United by the Devastation of Korudav
  AsPects
   Battlefield Healing*: Use
   Command to remove physical stress and mild 
  consequences during battle.
   Indomitable Defence Fighting Style: As long as you don’t 
  retreat, spend 2 shifts on a successful attack to create an 
  Indomitable Defence aspect for your next defend action. On 
  a special success, you get the aspect automatically.
   Killing Stroke: 1/scene, pay 1 fate point to increase a 
  physical consequence you inflict by 1 step.
   Riposte: On a special success Melee Combat defend 
  action, immediately inflict 2-shifts of damage on your 
  opponent (armour protects).
   Sense Danger: Notice skill ignores all obstacles or impeding 
  conditions when someone/thing intends to harm you.
  Improvises (for a fate point): 
   Chelother*: Use Command on chelothers.
   Oath*: Creates an oath between two parties (each may 
  roll Willpower to resist) which lasts until broken, at which 
  point it becomes an immediate consequence which may 
  only be removed by a priest of Regos.
   Warlord*: Use Command in community actions on 
  armies.
  stunts
  skills
  
  PhysicAl stress
  MentAl stress
  stAtus stress
  WeAlth stress
  1
  2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  4
  3
  1
  2
  chenDA’s Abilities
  Chenda can speed up or slow down time for a target, which resists using Athletics or Willpower (or it’s an Average (+1) difficulty). This 
  creates a situation aspect or, for Wings of Unthar and Temporal Tarry, causes the target to lose their action roll, or even roll twice! 
   
  Chenda may also take an action to release her sacranim time demon bound within her Sand-Clock holy symbol. Chenda’s 
  player may then use the demon to make an action roll instead of Chenda. It has 2 physical and mental stress boxes and can take 1 mild 
  and 1 moderate consequence. It also takes one exchange to rebind it into the Sand-Clock. The demon currently costs 14AP to summon; 
  as she earns more AP, Chenda could buy new abilities for it. Equally, she could use those 14AP for another extra.
  *A power skill or stunt (page 17). **A Pillar skill (page 7).
  Chenda Higira, Chronicler-Priestess of Unthar
  Chenda is a pariger—one of the Autocracy’s gentry caste—and is taller than most 
  normal humans. She’s also a Tallanid, one of the hereditary rulers of the Sakari 
  Heartlands, and is convinced she’s in charge wherever she goes. She’s a priestess of 
  Unthar, Lord of Time; in the Heartlands, that would mean Dostinor would serve 
  her, as his god and hers are part of the “Bright Trinity” with Staros, Lord of Eternity. 
  However, Dostinor is from Hivernium and doesn’t hold truck with Heartlander pol-
  iticking, which means he ignores most of Chenda’s orders, to her frustration. 
  Great (+4): Priestess**
  Good (+3): Lore, Time*
  Fair (+2): Investigate, Notice, Rapport
  Average (+1)  : Contacts, Empathy, Melee Combat, Willpower
  Kindred: Human Pariger 
  Homeland: Heartlander Tallanid
  Occupation: Priestess of Unthar
  Social Class: Noble (+3)
  House: The Chroniclers of Kanafas
  Age: 32 (Birth Date: 2959)
  Consequences: 3 personal + 3 social
  ê Avatar of Unthar: Echoes 
  From the Halls of Time; Stunt: Glimpse Past Events* (see 
  back in time one exchange, plus steps equal to shifts on 
  the time ladder, double on a special success, quadruple on a 
  critical). 
  ê Summoned Sacranim Time Demon (14AP): Bound in 
  Sand-Clock; Average (+1) Time*; Stunt: Aging Field* 
  (uses Time to inflict physical stress on target touched, or 
  every target in zone 0. Affects the caster too, although time 
  demons don’t age).
  ê COMMUNITY: The Temple of Unthar: As aspect; 
  Average (+1) Resources. 
  extrAs
  BUILDS: Avatar of Unthar; 
  Priestess of Unthar; Sacranim Demon of Time; Temple of 
  Unthar.
  LANGUAGES: Low Sakaraic.
  TREASURE: 0.
  ADVANCEMENT POINTS: 0.
  PersonAl
  WEAPON: Dagger, SI +1; 
  Aspect: Ladabran Steel; worth 5 templars.
  Sand Clock Holy Symbol: Contains the sacranim bound 
  time demon.
  Fate Points: 5 
  Refresh: 5
  Doom: Seeker of Purpose at the End of Time
  Essence: Towering Time Priestess
  Shadow: Stuck Up and Status Conscious
  Blood: Intrigues of the Bright Trinity
  Origin: Natural Rulers of the Autocracy
  Companion: Dostinor Should be Loyal to the Trinity!
  Game Aspects: The World is Too Old to Change! 
  United by the Devastation of Korudav
  AsPects
   First Aid: Treat minor
  consequences with Lore.
   Healer: Treat moderate and severe consequences with Lore.
   Rituals: +1 magic bonus per step on time ladder spent 
  preparing a power use, each costing 1 physical stress.
   Specialist Lore (History) +2 Lore bonus relating to 
  history.
   Wings of Unthar*: The target may make two action rolls 
  on their next turn, or three on a special success.
  Improvises (for a fate point):
   Temporal Tarry: The target misses their next action, or 
  next 2 actions on a special success.
  equiPMent
  stunts
  skills
  
  chAibAyAAn’s Abilities
  Chaibayaan can burn mental stress to improve his psionics rolls (page 14). He can use Voyance to investigate locations he can either see or 
  which he has visited, and use Willpower to make mental stress attacks. If necessary, for a fate point, he can use Willpower to read minds 
  and hear and speak at a distance. His skittish ornither helps him spot danger and flee from it. 
  *A power skill or stunt (page 17). **A Pillar skill (page 7).
  Chaibayaan Elenequ, the Virikki Psionicist
  Chaibayaan is a Virikki, one of “the People of the Mind”, a jeniri species of the 
  Cousins of Man. The Virikki are cerebral, with a great aesthetic sense, making them 
  fantastic scholars and philosophers, as well as leaders of trade expeditions. They 
  have natural psionic powers and, while not religious, are often associated with the 
  Communication powers of the Temple of Vareltias, Lord of Trade.
   
  Chaibayaan has come to Kados after the Devastation of Korudav. Forced 
  to flee his home in Korudav Province, he was saved from the Chaos Beasts by 
  Dostinor. Since then he’s been his ward, and has sworn himself to Dostinor’s service. 
  He rides an ornither, a beautiful four-legged horse-like bird, called Shimmerflank.
  Great (+4): Willpower
  Good (+3): High Guilder**, Lore
  Fair (+2): Investigate, Notice, Rapport
  Average (+1)  : Contacts, Empathy, Melee Combat, Ride
  Kindred: Virikki 
  Homeland: Hivernian
  Occupation: Psionicist 
  Social Class: Upper (+2)
  House: The Reflectors of Lenekar
  Age: 40 (Birth Date: 2951)
  Consequences: 3 personal + 3 social
  ê Mindstone of Communication: 
  Average (+1) Communication*; Stunt: Reflector* (+2 
  Communication bonus with other Reflectors). 
  ê “Shimmerflank” Ornither Mount: Average (+1) Notice; 
  Fair (+2) Athletics; Stunt: Sprinter (Move 2 zones for free 
  in an exchange, instead of 1.). 
  ê COMMUNITY: Guild of Reflectors: Average (+1) 
  Provoke, Resources; Stunt: Witch Hunt (Use Community 
  Provoke skill against characters).
  extrAs
  BUILDS: The Reflectors Guild; 
  Virikki; Mindstone of Communication; Shimmerflank.
  LANGUAGES: Low Sakaraic, High Sakaraic, Eletas 
  Tradetongue.
  TREASURE: 5T. 
  ADVANCEMENT POINTS: 0.
  PersonAl
  WEAPON: Singlestick, SI +0.
  ARMOUR: Doublet & Hood, SR +0.
  The Book of Hivernium: Book of Hivernian Lore.
  equiPMent
  Fate Points: 5 
  Refresh: 5 
  Doom: The Doom of Our Time Is Upon Us!
  Essence: Refugee Scholar Psionicist
  Shadow: Cold and Analytical Observer
  Blood: Worship of the Gods Is For the Unsophisticated
  Origin: The Tower of Elenequ Has Fallen to Chaos!
  Companion: I Fear Dostinor Is an Honourable Man 
  Game Aspects: The World is Too Old to Change! 
  United by the Devastation of Korudav
  AsPects
   Adapted to Cold Arid 
  Climes: +2 bonus to cope in extreme cold and aridity.
   Linguist: +1 language per level of Lore.
   Specialist Lore (Hivernium): +2 Lore bonus for questions 
  relating to Hivernium.
   PSIONICS: Awareness - Voyance: Use Investigate / 
  Notice for remote viewing.
   PSIONICS: Telepathy – Mind Blast: Use Willpower to 
  do mental stress damage.
  Improvises (for a fate point): 
   PSIONICS: Awareness - Audience: Use Investigate / 
  Notice for remote hearing.
   PSIONICS: Telepathy - Parlance: Use Provoke / Rapport 
  for remote speaking.
   PSIONICS: Telepathy – Probe: Use Willpower to read 
  thoughts.
  stunts
  skills
  PhysicAl stress
  MentAl stress
  stAtus stress
  WeAlth stress
  1
  2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  4
  4
  
  Jri-bAnbAk’s Abilities
  Jri-Banbak is a Tiridat martial artist, fighting with whirling claws 
  and bite attacks, supported by his human apprentice, Krul, who gives 
  him a teamwork bonus for initiative and when he’s using Acrobatic 
  Combat. He needs to close to HTH range to use his Acrobatic 
  Combat (page 16), and his Reach Weapon faces an obstacle (page 11) 
  when used at HTH range, or acts as an obstacle to attackers trying 
  to close to HTH range. His battle harness is studded with blades 
  and throwing stars, and his skin is like lobster shell. He can make 
  multiple attacks with his natural weapons or his halberd, although 
  the skill he uses differs. His Life Sense makes him difficult to creep 
  up on, and he can even ignore wounds!
  *A power skill or stunt (page 17). **A Pillar skill (page 7).
  Jri-Banbak the Tiridat Master
  Jri-Banbak is one of the Tung Mai Mantis Men, one of the esteri Not-Men of 
  Earth. Normally savage and violent, some strong-willed Tung Mai practise the 
  mystical martial art of Tiridat—the “Six Fold Way”—which lets them control their 
  wild instincts and become calm, disciplined fighting machines. There is—or at least 
  was until recently—an entire legion of them in the city of Korudav, sworn to serve 
  the Autarch. Jri-Banbak escaped from the Devastation of Korudav with his human 
  apprentice, Krul. He’s currently rootless, looking for other members of his legion. 
  Great (+4): Athletics
  Good (+3): Notice, Physique
  Fair (+2): Legionnaire**, Melee Combat, Provoke
  Average (+1)  : Claw Attack, Craft, Ranged Combat, Teeth 
  Attack
  Kindred: Tung Mai Mantis Man 
  Homeland: Hivernium
  Occupation: Tiridat Master 
  Social Class: Unclutched (+0)
  House: The Claw Dance Collective
  Age: 65 (adult) 
   
   
  Birth Date: 2926
  Consequences: 3 personal + 3 social
  ê Krul the Apprentice: 
  Human Physical 3, Mental 2, 1 mild + 1 moderate 
  consequence; Average (+1) Notice, Physique; Fair (+2) 
  Athletics, Stealth; Stunt: Acrobatic Combat (Use Athletics 
  to attack HTH). 
  ê COMMUNITY: Legion of Hahaggassh Bloodied of 
  Charn: Average (+1) Contacts, Resources, Fair (+2) 
  Security; Stunts: The Ties That Bind (+2 bonus to Contacts 
  manoeuvres). 
  extrAs
  BUILDS: Tung Mai Mantis
   Man, Tiridat, Legion of Hahaggassh Bloodied of Charn.
  LANGUAGES: Low Sakaraic.
  TREASURE: 4T.
  ADVANCEMENT POINTS: 0.
  PersonAl
  Fate Points: 5 
  Refresh: 5
  Doom: Battle the Chaos That Threatens the Web!
  Essence: Tiridat Master Fighting His Instincts
  Shadow: The Urge For Chaos and Blood!
  Blood: Live According to the Web of the World
  Origin: The Legion Gave Me Life and Purpose
  Companion: Dostinor Karja May Be the Anchor I Seek
  Game Aspects: The World is Too Old to Change! 
  United by the Devastation of Korudav
  AsPects
   Chitinous Skin: SR -1. 
   TIRIDAT: Acrobatic Combat: Use Athletics instead of 
  Unarmed Cbt at HTH range.
   TIRIDAT: Arrowcut: When defending vs missiles in 
  Acrobatic Combat, gain teamwork from your Melee and 
  Unarmed Cbt skills.
   TIRIDAT: The Six-Fold Way: Include all combat skills in 
  your attack roll via teamwork.
   TIRIDAT: Whirling Defence: Ignore multiple defence 
  penalties (HTH or not).
  Improvises (for a fate point): 
   BODY MASTERY: Life Sense: +2 Notice bonus to 
  identify living things in a 10-metre radius.
   BODY MASTERY: Withstand Wounds and Pain: Make 
  a Physique roll (vs the consequence difficulty) to ignore an 
  invoke of a general consequence. Doesn’t require an action.
  stunts
  skills
  WEAPON: Two-blade 
  Halberd, SI +4; Reach Weapon, Looks Lethal.
  WEAPON: Throwing Stars, SI +1; Range 1; Obsidian 
  Blades.
  ARMOUR: Chitinous Skin, SR -1.
  Battle Harness: As aspect.
  equiPMent
  PhysicAl stress
  MentAl stress
  stAtus stress
  WeAlth stress
  1
  2
  1
  2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  3
  4
  
  GAtti’s Abilities
  Although Gatti occasionally undertakes illicit activities—a spot of 
  petty thievery, fencing, and con tricks—mostly she’s about winning over audiences, charming and persuading people, and shooting them 
  with her bow if all else fails. Her zoic eyes make her stand out, but give her some cool powers. 
  *A power skill or stunt (page 17). **A Pillar skill (page 7).
  Gatti Goldeneye, the Light-Fingered Bard
  Gatti Vit-Banta is a Yurazi from the coastlands east of southern Kados, quite 
  different from the Hivernians of the North. She grew up in the lawless underworld 
  of Kados, but brought with her the joi-de-vivre of Payorian’s Harpers—the bards 
  and entertainers of the Autocracy. She isn’t a full-blown Harper—she dropped out 
  of the temple before she was ordained a priest—but is still a believer in the Way of 
  Song and Arrow. She’s always been good at telling spellbinding stories, and making 
  people relax, open up, and laugh. At least, until recently…
   
  Her most significant physical feature is her zoic eyes. She lost her own 
  eyes recently to an attack by an Eye-Biter “demon” in the Artifex Deeps, and was 
  rescued by the sorceress Heysoke Ravawi, who helped her get zoic replacements 
  from the Hsun of Genurgis Isle. She’s back here with Heysoke looking for 
  answers—and revenge. 
  Kindred: Human 
  Homeland: Yurazi
  Occupation: “Entertainer” 
  Social Class: Lower (+0)
  House: The Singers of Kayalaf
  Age: 22 (Birth Date: 2969)
  Consequences: 3 personal + 3 social
  Fate Points: 5 
  Refresh: 5
  Doom: I See the World Through Alien Eyes
  Essence: Spellbinding Storyteller
  Shadow: Tears and Anger Behind the Smile
  Blood: My Code of Honour Is My Own
  Origin: Yellow Zoic Eyes
  Companion: My Life Belongs to Heysoke Ravawi!
  Game Aspects: The World is Too Old to Change! 
  United by the Devastation of Korudav
  AsPects
    Appraise: +2 Lore bonus to
  determine the value of an item.
   Inspire Specific Emotion*: Make a Passion manoeuvre to 
  create or remove a specific emotion in a target.
   Performer: Use Rapport to affect everyone in your zone, 
  plus 1 zone per skill level above 1. 
   Specialist Lore (History) +2 Lore bonus relating to 
  history.
   Specialist Lore (Venerable Autocracy): +2 Lore bonus 
  relating to the Venerable Autocracy.
  Improvises (for a fate point): 
   Arrow Song*: Use Passion instead of Ranged Combat 
  to attack with a bow. On a special success, you may split 
  your result between 2 targets; on a critical, you may split it 
  among 3.
   Embolden*: +2 to Passion rolls to embolden people.
  stunts
  Great (+4): Rapport
  Good (+3): Guilder**, Lore
  Fair (+2): Investigate, Melee Combat, Passion*
  Average (+1): Burglary, Contacts, Empathy, Notice
  ê Zoic Eyes: +2 Investigation 
  and Notice for visual perception; infrared vision and 
  magnification. 
  ê COMMUNITY: The House of the Singers of Kayalaf: As 
  aspect; Average (+1) Contacts, Investigate, Lore, Resources. 
  extrAs
  BUILDS: Initiate of Payorian; 
  House of the Singers of Kayalaf.
  LANGUAGES: Low Sakaraic.
  TREASURE: -.
  ADVANCEMENT POINTS: 0.
  PersonAl
  WEAPON: Short Sword, SI +1.
  WEAPON: Short Bow, SI +2, Range 2.
  ARMOUR: Leather Armour, SR -1; Unprotected Head.
  Lute: High quality, +1 bonus to performances.
  equiPMent
  skills
  PhysicAl stress
  MentAl stress
  stAtus stress
  WeAlth stress
  1
  2
  1
  2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  4
  
   Banish Beyond the Veil: 
  Damage otherworldly entities. Entropy, Attack, Deny. 
  Armour does not protect.
   Chamber of Purple Shadows: Create a dimensional 
  hidey-hole. Void, Create Advantage, Create.
   Deny Gravity: Lets you levitate. Void, Create Advantage, 
  Deny.
   Dominate Undead: Use Eternity to command undead. 
  Eternity, Create Advantage, Control.
   Eyebite: Annihilates flesh just by looking. Void, Attack, 
  Destroy. Armour protects. 
   Increase Entropy: Takes all the heat out of a target. 
  Entropy, Attack, Destroy. Armour protects once only.
   Preserve Corpse: Stops a corpse from deteriorating any 
  further. Eternity, Create Advantage, Deny.
   Tourmaline Sight: Lets you use Void to see invisible 
  things. Void, Create Advantage, Detect.
  heysoke’s Abilities
  Heysoke can cast any of her 8 sorcery spells without spending fate 
  points. She can cast one spell per exchange, requiring a roll of her 
  corresponding power skill (mentioned in the spell description) for 
  the action indicated (Attack or Create Advantage), for the spell 
  effect described. If she has time, she can invoke her Grimoire of 
  Araknis Demosi for her spellcasting efforts. In principle, her spellbook may contain more spells than she knows. She may burn the stress 
  points in her magical staff for magical bonuses (page 14), and get teamwork bonuses (page 16) for her Physique and Willpower when 
  she’s holding it. She can communicate mentally with her familiar, and gets a teamwork bonus from its skills (including its Void skill).
  *A power skill or stunt (page 17). **A Pillar skill (page 7). 
  Heysoke Ravawi, the Laigasi Sorcerer
  Heysoke is from the subtropical lands of Laigas in the southern Autocracy. She has 
  travelled extensively, even to the jungles of Dark Aiforia, exploring forbidden ruins 
  corrupted by the power of Demos. 
   
  Heysoke studies perilous ancient sorceries, convinced she can keep 
  everything under control. Secretly, she’s one of the Seekers Beyond the Veil, a hidden 
  school of sorcerers obsessed with demons, other worlds, and forbidden magic. 
   
  On a recent expedition into the Artifex Deeps, she rescued Gatti from the sickly 
  embrace of the Eye-Biter demon which devoured her eyes. Now she’s back, looking for 
  the source of the demon, hoping to find magical writings to add to her knowledge. 
               Fate Points: 5   Refresh: 5
            Doom: We Must Look Into the Void To Know the Void!
  Essence: Sorceress With Wild Flashing Eyes
  Shadow: Obsessed With the Dark Magic of Demos
  Blood: A Bastion Against Evil in the East
  Origin: Scarred Forever in the Haunted Ruins of Aiforia
  Companion: Rescued Gatti From the Eye-Biter Demon
  Game Aspects: The World is Too Old to Change! 
  United by the Devastation of Korudav
  AsPects
   SPELL EFFECT 
  STUNTS: Control, Create, Deny, Destroy, Detect.
  Improvises (for a fate point): 
   Linguist: Lore roll to read / speak three languages 
  studied (see below).
  stunts
  Great (+4): Void*
  Good (+3): Guilder**, Lore
  Fair (+2): Entropy*, Eternity*, Survival
  Average (+1)  : Melee Combat, Provoke, Resources, Willpower
  ê Magical Staff: Phys 3, 
  Ment 3; Average (+1) Physique, Fair (+2) Willpower. 
  ê Wingblack, Bat Familiar: The Chittering Flight of 
  Wingblack; Average (+1) Notice, Stealth; Fair (+2) Void*. 
  ê Spellbook: The Grimoire of Araknis Demosi. 
  ê COMMUNITY – Sorcerous College of the Seekers Beyond 
  the Veil: Average (+1) Contacts. 
  extrAs
  BUILDS: Grimoire of 
  Araknis Demosi; Magical Staff; Seekers Beyond the Veil; 
  Wingblack.
  LANGUAGES: Low Sakaraic; learning High Sakaraic, 
  Nayaraki, Tlanik.
  TREASURE: 5T.
  ADVANCEMENT POINTS: 0.
  PersonAl
  skills
  WEAPON: Quarterstaff, 
  SI +1, Magical Staff.
  ARMOUR: None.
  equiPMent
  sPells
  Kindred: Human Homeland: Laigasi
  Occupation: Sorcerer 
  Social Class: Mandarin (+3)
  House: Verdigris Jungledeep
  Age: 33 (Birth Date: 2958)
  Consequences: 3 personal + 3 social
  PhysicAl stress
  MentAl stress
  stAtus stress
  WeAlth stress
  1
  2
  1
  2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  4
  3
  3
  
  The
  Swallower
  ofSouls
  Introduction to the Adventure
  People have been going missing in a lower-class waterfront district of Glori-
  ous Kados, the ancient capital of the Venerable Autocracy,  known as the Ar-
  tifex Wharves, in the shadow of the breathtaking Bridge of Ethereal Bells, 
  one of the major landmarks of the Eternal City. 
  The PCs have been drawn into these events—we’ve provided six pregen-
  erated characters so you can get playing right away. We recommend you use 
  4 or 5 of these, and have the remaining 1 or 2 characters be among those who 
  have gone missing. Perhaps one of the PCs has been attacked themselves (see 
  Gatti and Heysoke on page 28), or perhaps they have an acquaintance who 
  has gone missing (see the rest of the pregenerated characters on page 24)?
  Doing this gives you future replacement characters if there are any casu-
  alties during play. If you have six players, you can of course use all six pregen-
  erated characters. In that case, assume that one of the missing persons, Jamiss 
  Tau-Warden of the White Blades (page 53), is a comrade of Dostinor Karja. 
  What’s Really Going On
  The people who’ve gone missing have been kidnapped by a group known as 
  the Void Cult, who are planning to use them as “food” (or fuel) for a “Void 
  Device” they’re shortly to take delivery of. The device is an ancient artefact 
  which bestows great power on its user, as long as it’s fed…
  A Black Galley from the city of Typhon is bringing the Void Device. 
  The sailors of the Black Galley aren’t cultists, but they’re dastardly types. The 
  Black Galleys regularly visit Kados, their tight-lipped yet grinning mariners 
  taking on supplies and conducting secretive trades, then sailing to parts un-
  known. There are always nefarious goings-on in the Undercities, but there’s 
  something especially unwholesome about the Galleymen.
  How To Start
  If you like kicking off scenarios with a bang, maybe Heysoke and Gatti are 
  prowling along Lower Hespin Circuit in the dead of the night, while every-
  one else is holed up in Zangazi’s tavern, looking for clues to the disappear-
  ance of their comrade. See the map and descriptions on page 37 for more on 
  these places.
  An Introductory Adventure for 
  The Chronicles of Future Earth.
  
  31
  Introductory Adventure
  Then, outside, there’s a cry of alarm: Heysoke and 
  Gatti have stumbled upon the Galleymen handing over 
  the Void Device to the Cultists, and have been attacked! 
  What does everyone do?
  You can of course come up with other ways to kick 
  off the adventure, depending on your players. Check out 
  Scene One: The Abductions on the Waterfront (page 
  52) for more. 
  The Goal of the Adventure
  It’s good to have goals in an adventure: it lets you know 
  when you’ve succeeded (or failed!). The area covered by 
  this adventure is vast, and the scenario itself is potentially 
  open-ended. For that reason, it’s good to identify some 
  attainments for the PCs which may reasonably consti-
  tute the end of the adventure. 
   • Some of the PCs are trying to find their miss-
  ing comrade(s). Finding them would constitute 
  a victory.
   • Heysoke is looking for sorcerous knowledge and 
  the mystery of the “Eye-Biter” demon (probably 
  a flay—see page 50). Encountering one or more 
  flay would answer that question.
   • Gatti is looking for revenge on whoever took 
  her eyes. Maybe it was Keleshtra, the Witch of 
  Hespin (page 50)? If so, defeating her might give 
  Gatti some closure.  
   • Everyone (not just the PCs) is trying to find out 
  who’s been kidnapping people and stop them. 
  Getting to the bottom of local Void Cult activity 
  and putting a stop to their activities in the Artifex 
  Deeps would see the PCs hailed as local heroes!
  In addition to all of the above, there are deeper mys-
  teries to uncover. In particular, the PCs may find a link 
  between the Void Temple and the mysterious source of 
  the Void Device in the far north of the Autocracy. You 
  can play The Swallower of Souls as the lead-in to the first 
  major adventure module in The Chronicles of Future 
  Earth, Wormhollow Vale. 
  The Structure of this Adventure
  Read on for an overview of the fabulous city of Kados 
  (page 34), capital of the Venerable Autocracy of Saka-
  ra, oldest city in the world and heart of the Springtide 
  Civilisations, and the arena for this adventure. We focus 
  on one of Kados’s waterfront areas, the Artifex Wharves 
  (page 34), and the colourful characters who live there—
  including in the warrens beneath its streets. Finally (page 
  What is the Void Cult?
  The worshippers of the Void say that life is pointless. 
  Human existence, and even the whole universe, is a 
  temporary aberration, a chance event which emerged 
  from the Void and which the Void will reclaim soon 
  enough. While the worshippers of Pline, one of the 
  Gods of the Great Compact, see this as a reason to 
  spend life in passive contemplation and self-abne-
  gation, the cultists of the Void instead exult in the 
  prospect of annihilation, and work actively to hasten 
  its coming.
  Some Void cultists are murderous and destructive 
  fanatics. Most, however, are selfish, or even socio-
  pathic, using the Void Cult’s network and easy access 
  to power for their own gain in this life, uncaring 
  of the fact that their actions are causing suffering 
  and will bring about the end of the world. After all, 
  they’ll be dead by then, so why should they care?
  The Void Cult, naturally enough, is outlawed 
  throughout the Venerable Autocracy, and feared 
  by right-thinking folk for the insidious way it rots 
  communities from within. That doesn’t stop it from 
  being everywhere, the gateway to the damnation of 
  the Great Hegemonist. Some say it’s more powerful 
  these days than ever. 
  So Where’s Everyone 
  Staying?
  The pregenerated characters on page 24 don’t exist 
  in a vacuum; they’ve each come to Kados for their 
  own reasons. Some may be staying with friends; 
  others may have their own tenements, others may be 
  staying in legion headquarters or temple accommo-
  dations. Let each player describe their circumstances; 
  there’s even an inn, Zangazi’s (page 39), in the Ar-
  tifex Wharves which provides rooms at reasonable 
  cost for visitors. Perhaps everyone’s staying there?
  
  necroPolis
  Kados boasts two necropolises, 
  vast and sprawling Cities of the 
  Dead, each with its own streets, 
  tomb buildings, and under-
  worlds. The Tomb Guards patrol 
  them, protecting the treasures of 
  the Beloved Dead from tomb 
  robbers, and the living from the 
  undead of Staros, Babisiya, and 
  other, darker gods.  
  isle of exiles AnD 
  AvAGlos, isle of the blinD
  It’s a woeful tradition that new Avatars 
  exile the families of previous Avatars to 
  these islands; some even blind them first. 
  Currently the islands have few inhabit-
  ants; when Enessi overthrew the False 
  Avatar fifty years ago, none of the latter’s 
  family survived to face exile. 
  locto MoonPort
  Towers hundreds of metres high sport 
  moorings at their tops, clearly for vessels. 
  Most people think they were for ancient 
  flyers, but there’s a legend that Yalamids 
  from the Green Moon used to arrive 
  on Earth here. One tower is named for 
  Rathalos the Heretic, said to be where 
  he launched his final, ill-fated attempt to 
  return to the Moon. 
  JeMbu AnD GenurGis
  The Hsun and Ing Shu have en-
  claves here; the Hsun of Genur-
  gis Isle provide the best zoans 
  (page 17) on Earth, often with 
  miraculous powers. The great 
  geoforms here may once have 
  been gigantic devices. 
  
  oriGen
  The citadel of Origen is at least as old 
  as Old Hespin, with the same aeternium 
  towers, some a kilometre tall. The Crys-
  tal Citadel at Origen’s heart, with its bi-
  zarre optical effects, is the Palace of the 
  Venerable Autocrator, from where the 
  Avatar, Enessi X.XI, rules the Empire. 
  The Rust Gardens are also worth a visit, 
  where Khosht’s Reclaimers and Unthar’s 
  Chroniclers bicker for precedence.
  kesh MountAins
  The Kesh jeniri call this mountain range 
  their home, an Imperial province with 
  its capital at High Yasif. The origin of 
  winged reptilian elenisors, of which the 
  hollow-boned Kesh field an aerial caval-
  ry legion for the Autocrator. 
  ethereAl strAit
  Marks where the Ocean of Tlan meets 
  the Simirion (or Middle) Sea. Five kilo-
  metres wide at its narrowest, it’s curdled 
  by 20 metre tides and a truly impressive 
  tidal bore. The strait is only passable dur-
  ing slack water four times a day. 
  sieGe of kADos bAstion
  This bastion held out against 
  the Chaos Beasts that besieged 
  Kados at the start of the Third 
  Cycliad. The ensuing Chaos 
  Wars freed Hivernium and led 
  to the founding of Korudav and 
  Elikan Provinces. 
  olD hesPin
  Known for its beautiful Moss 
  Districts, where buildings of 
  indestructible aeternium are 
  covered with gardens and 
  groves thousands of years old. 
  The citadel’s walls are a hun-
  dred metres tall, with modern 
  crenellations punctuated with 
  dragonels and gravity can-
  non, all said to be operational, 
  maintained by the Temple of 
  Khosht and manned by the 
  Autocracy’s legions. 
  JibArA AnD the 
  refrAction heiGhts
  The Jibaran Heliograph con-
  nects with the Virikki Mirror 
  Network. People say it receives 
  signals from Yala, the Green 
  Moon, and sends signals back—
  although no one knows who to. 
  chentA
  The spot where Kayalaf the Warrior 
  Sage led his people to safety from Far 
  Yurasha during the Time of Snows. It’s 
  a thriving precinct, proud of its Yurazi 
  traditions. 
  bAntoor GAte
  Carved in the shape of a gap-
  ing bantoor’s head, there are 
  no more of the Autocracy’s 
  six-legged reptilian beasts of 
  burden here than anywhere 
  else in the Eternal City. It’s a 
  major arrival point for over-
  land traffic from Orun and the 
  East Yurazi coasts. 
  
  34
  The Swallower of SoulS
  52), we provide a number of suggested scenes, first to in-
  troduce the events of this adventure to your player-char-
  acters, then to provide supporting material for you to 
  Chronicle your PCs’ further exporations.
  glorious Kados—
  the eternal City
  Kados is the greatest city in the world, the vast and time-
  less capital of the Venerable Autocracy of Sakara, oldest 
  of the Springtide Civilisations. It’s been here since before 
  time began: first in its twin citadels of Old Hespin and 
  Crystal Origen, and then in the “Battle Walls” which en-
  closed the city precincts north and south of the Ethereal 
  Strait during and after the Time of Snows. The city as it 
  exists today has been here for fifteen thousand years; re-
  built every Cycliad, it’s now well overdue, an ancient and 
  crumbling metropolis stretching kilometre after kilo-
  metre, with ruins, rubble-strewn pasture, and even stony 
  croplands within its walls. It’s a city centred on unfath-
  omable structures of the Ancients in its citadels, whose 
  function and purpose, even construction and materials, 
  are no longer fully understood. There are glowing stones 
  in Old Hespin which light the streets at night which not 
  even the Artificers of Khosht can explain. A city of over 
  a million souls, yet which feels empty and abandoned in 
  places. In others, humans, jeniri, and esteri teem like ants 
  over cyclopean structures.  
  Living in the city, it’s hard to feel anyone is in charge. 
  There are constables, legions, temples and factions, but 
  everything jostles chaotically. In this massive hive of hu-
  manity, no one seems really in control. 
  the artifex 
  Wharves
  The Artifex Wharves are part of Kados’s long water-
  front. An area of tenement buildings, warehouses, quays, 
  shipbuilders, taverns, suppliers, merchants, streetmarkets, 
  hawkers, food vendors, and more, its rises up the hillside 
  from the Ethereal Strait. In comparison with many of 
  Kados’s districts, it’s densely populated, but also fairly 
  lawless; a raucous, busy place, where all manner of deals 
  are done. The White Blade constables try to keep order, 
  but can’t be everywhere. 
  Hespin Circuit runs the whole outer perimeter of 
  Old Hespin, once the outside extent of the Eternal City. 
  There are streets and alleys in the Artifex Wharves, both 
  Lower Hespin Circuit and the more prestigious Upper; 
  everyone knows that behind and beneath the hill stretch 
  tunnels, part of the fabled and deadly Undercity. Around 
  here they’re called the Artifex Deeps. 
  A Note on Stat Blocks
  Not every NPC is a combat encounter, so we only 
  provide information tailored to their likely role in 
  the adventure. Sometimes this is only an aspect. You 
  can expand on this as you like.
  The stat blocks contain short rules descriptions as 
  appropriate, just enough to use in play. You’ll find a lot 
  more in The Chronicles of Future Earth core book.
  
  35
  Introductory Adventure
  City Encounters
  If your PCs explore Kados, roll Chronicles dice on the following table once every 6 hours for an encounter (or simply 
  pick one you like). You can treat the results as Fair (+2) obstacles to overcome, perhaps with a contest, or even conflicts, 
  depending on how your PCs approach them. 
  Table 6: cITy encounTers
  dIce 
  roll
  encounTer
  commenTs
  -5
  Demonic Affairs
  A demon abroad on temple business*. Are you friend or foe?
  -4
  Cultists and Templars
  Priests and holy warriors abroad on temple business*. Do they 
  have business with you?
  -3
  Holy Day!
  There’s always a temple holy day somewhere*. Do you know 
  the correct answers and observances?
  -2
  Jeniri Faux Pas, Esteri 
  Misunderstanding
  You’re faced with a weird jeniri or esteri custom (page 5). Do 
  you know how to behave?
  -1
  Social Superiors
  Now you’re in trouble! Someone from a higher Pillar (page 5) 
  than you demands obeisance. Can you do the right thing?
  +0
  Children and Other 
  Nuisances
  They can throw rocks and steal things, but you can’t do the 
  same back. Or can you? 
  +1
  Guards Looking For a 
  Bribe
  Are you going to pay up, or try and stand up to them? And is 
  anyone looking?
  +2
  Doxies and Gigolos
  Hey handsome! Hey beautiful! Let me take the cares of the 
  world off your shoulders…
  +3
  Thieves and Scoundrels
  Hey mister! Hey missus! Let me carry that heavy bag for you. 
  I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it. Now what’s that over 
  there?
  +4
  Gangs and Factions
  You’ve clearly strayed into a turf war. Are you taking sides or 
  getting the hell out of Dodge?
  +5
  Random Riot
  It’s confusing these days. Is it the end of the world? Someone 
  seems very upset—but is there anything to be upset about?
  *Pick a temple from Table 4: Gods of the Great Compact (page 18).
  At night, Lower and Upper Hespin Circuit are 
  (poorly) lit by softly glowing glass orbs hanging about 
  3 metres up. They’re maintained by the P’Tek Maggot 
  Man (a slimy wormlike humanoid) called Fetid Masma 
  (page 38), and have a damp, mouldy smell. They contain 
  luminescent fungi. 
  
  36
  The Swallower of SoulS
  City Rumours
  At some point your PCs will grill someone for information. Whether it’s persuasion with Rapport, conning with De-
  ceive, threatening with Provoke, bribing with Resources, hanging out with Contacts, or any one of a number of ingen-
  ious ways to hear what’s on the grapevine, use the following table for random tidbits and maybe even scenario hooks!
  Table 7: cITy rumours
  dIce roll
  rumour
  -5
  There was an Earth Demon in the Emeldias Temple courtyard this morning. It opened 
  its mouth to speak, but vomited a pile of golden bones. No one has been allowed in or out 
  since.
  -4
  Someone said an elenisor rider arrived in the Cloudrider Quarter saying the Seeress of 
  High Yasif had a vision of war in the East. But which East, and when?
  -3
  Apparently the Che Kwa Stone Men have been seen in the Amadorad Protectorate. Some-
  thing must have forced them down from the Kadram Mountains!
  -2
  A new planing machine has been discovered in the Artifex Deeps. Who knows what will 
  be coming through?
  -1
  The Avatar has vanished! No one has seen him for months—is the Autocracy without a 
  ruler?
  +0
  People have been going missing by the Artifex Wharves—it’s a bad business. People are 
  even saying it’s the ghost of the Witch of Hespin, risen from the ashes and come to take 
  revenge!
  +1
  The Firecloud caused by the Devastation of Korudav is coming this way. Save yourselves!
  +2
  Someone said the Devastation of Korudav was caused by a fight between a priest of Kho-
  sht and Unthar. Nothing would surprise me in these lawless times.
  +3
  Lights have been seen at the bottom of the Ethereal Strait. Are the Atalaq shark people 
  going to attack again, or is this something else?
  +4
  There was a wilderman of Ellib in Zangazi’s last night, trying to drum up support for the 
  heir of the False Avatar. The Lord of Storm is rising!
  +5
  There was a weird green flare off the side of Yala the Moon last night, and now people are 
  saying a strange steaming flyer has crashed in the Alban Grove!
  A Note on the Locations
  For reasons of space and practicality, we only pro-
  vide stats for inhabitants of the Artifex Wharves if 
  we think they’re likely to play a role in one of the ad-
  venture’s conflicts. That doesn’t mean you can’t create 
  your own; the descriptions below often suggest aspects 
  and peak skills (usually between Good (+3) and Su-
  perb (+5)), and even stunts and equipment. Extrap-
  olate these on the fly if your adventure needs them. 
  
  37
  Introductory Adventure
  1. Hantalash Fighting School: Hantalash the Sword-
  mistress is a well-spoken expert in swordplay, and 
  there’s even a “Hantalash style.” Some say she was 
  born in the Crystal Citadel. She’s a Yurazi, and treats 
  Hivernians like hicks. 
  2. Charwoe’s Grill: Charwoe will cook any meat you 
  bring her just how you like it, as long as you like it ex-
  tremely well done. It’s safe enough, and she provides 
  some excellent, if spicy, relishes.
  3. Hardtack & Oil: General supplies run by Gata Five-
  Blows, a good place for outfitting expeditions.
  4. Shayaveep the Tinker: A Hsun tinker (page 17) and 
  his speaker, Genda, who interprets his shrieks and 
  whistles into Low Sakaraic. He repairs alagin and 
  knows some shaping. He claims he was blackballed 
  by the Spider Folk on Genurgis Isle, otherwise he’d 
  be a Guild Syndic by now.  
  5. Neverask’s Pawn Shop: A discreet fence and hag-
  gler-without-compare, Neverask gives 20% of the 
  value of objects you bring him, or 25% if you succeed 
  in haggling (Superb (+5) Rapport), up to 5 templars 
  (5T) in value. Any more than that, he needs a week 
  to sell it all. He can shift large items, too, but that also 
  takes a week. His bodyguard, Benk, is always with him. 
  6. Linklighters Undercity Guides: With an access to 
  the Artifex Deeps, Linklighters provides linkboys and 
  linkgirls to light your way at night, and in the Deeps.
  7. 
  Lagalat’s Expeditious Under-
  writers: Lagalat underwrites shipping 
  expeditions and other similar busi-
  ness. He’s a Virikki, and so’s his staff.
  8. 
  Jigizli the Stitcher: Rumour 
  says Jigizli comes from the Undercity. 
  She takes pleasure in her work, and 
  has a fondness for scabs—she collects 
  them, and will offer money for a good 
  specimen. On a Fair (+2) Empathy 
  roll, you can figure out she’s a Void 
  Cult sympathiser. 
  9. 
  Ludus Pandoricon: The Pan-
  doricon is an ancient artifact that lets 
  you gamble your gifts, memories, and 
  soul. The shop has been in the same 
  place on Lower Hespin Circuit for 
  thousands of years; there are those 
  who say it caused the Siege of Kados 
  to “quell a greater evil”. The family of 
  Karngrador the Curator are its he-
  reditary caretakers; it’s a Good (+3) roll of Re-
  sources, etc, to be permitted to “play”. 
  The
  Artifex
  Wharves
  Metres
  0             15
  Gambling With the 
  Ludus Pandoricon
  The Pandoricon is an ancient mentalith mecha-
  nism—a form of pereprae (page 20). You concentrate 
  on something—one of your skills, stunts, or aspects, 
  then grip the device with both hands. You then suffer 
  a Superb (+5) mental stress attack, which you must 
  resist with Willpower. If you successfully resist, you 
  gain The Pandoricon Gift, a situation aspect which 
  you can invoke for an improvement on the skill, 
  stunt, or aspect you were thinking of. It lasts for the 
  rest of the session; on a special success or better, it lasts 
  for the rest of the adventure.
  If you fail to resist the Pandoricon’s attack, you 
  automatically suffer a mental consequence represent-
  ing bizarre knowledge—The Ludus Gift—which 
  you never had before, and which interferes with 
  your skill use (an obstacle to overcome whenever you 
  try to use that skill). Nevertheless, the Ludus Gift 
  knowledge may be bizarrely useful. Usually, the 
  Ludus Gift only disappears gradually, after a period 
  of meditation and reflection, perhaps in the company 
  of Konfu’s healers. 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  12
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  7
  8
  9
  10
  11
  loWer hesPin circuit
  stAirs uP to
  uPPer hesPin
  circuit
  the
  ethereAl strAit
  to ethereAl hoWe >
  blAck
  GAlley
  
  38
  The Swallower of SoulS
  10. Bodsolders Venturer Bodyguards: Everyone needs 
  bodyguards, and Bodsolders provides them for any 
  purpose, including visiting the Artifex Deeps. The 
  danger bonus is hefty.
  11. Shanga the Emasculator: Shanga is a gladiator ru-
  moured to be from Far Chinis, a popular if feared pit 
  fighter and a regular at the Kados Oloriads.
  12. Zangazi’s: The best and oldest tavern, inn, and 
  brothel in the Artifex Wharves, properly known as 
  the House of the Brewers of Zangazian. See page 39.
  13. Gubria’s Slophouse: Jokers say Gubria gets her 
  groceries from Fetid Masma’s; whatever the case, she 
  also a worshipper of Babisiya, Mother of Darkness 
  (page 18), which gives her something to talk about 
  with the Maggot Man.
  14. Kamadel’s Prismatic Supplies: Kamadel is ancient, 
  cantankerous, and mercurial. He’s said to be able to 
  transform anyone into a wharf rat, or to be a powerful 
  illusionist—or both!
  15. Sea Serpent Chandlery: Hendoler Stump the 
  Seadog Chandler sells some big harpoons. He never 
  talks about his missing leg, though his zoic replace-
  ment sometimes mutters in an unknown tongue. 
  16. Anklarast’s Chain Emporium: Anklarast makes 
  and sells chains and runs the black market slaving 
  operations in the Artifex Deeps—there’s a secret en-
  trance from his premises. A Fair (+2) Empathy or In-
  vestigation roll reveals he has dealings with the Void 
  Cult (he supplies them with slaves); failing the roll 
  means he sends 2 groups of 3 Void Cultists (page 51) 
  after you to capture “new stock”. 
  17. Fetid Masma’s Night Soil and Fungi: Fetid Mas-
  ma’s provides access to the Stool Pit mushroom farms 
  in the Lower Deeps, which provide the street lighting 
  (and that peculiar smell) for the Artifex Wharves, as 
  well as a doorway into the Artifex Deeps. Masma is a 
  P’Tek Maggot Man, far from home, roundly abused 
  by the locals for being “one of the enemy”. People 
  whisper he’s in league with the Galleymen (page 43), 
  but a Great (+4) Empathy roll tells you he isn’t. 
  18. Ironbound Casery and Storage House: Jimp has a 
  zoic leg from the Hsun shapers on Genurgis Isle. It isn’t 
  as good as Hendoler’s (see 15), and he limps bitterly.
  19. Forban’s Ferroviary: Forban is a Magigi red giant 
  from Hagya, one of the jeniri Cousins of Man and 
  three metres tall. He’s tight-lipped about his past, al-
  though he says he can repair anything. People whisper 
  he collects artefacts—but where would he keep them?
  20. Corioli’s Weaponsmiths: Corioli provides high 
  quality alagin blades (SI +1) to connoisseurs, and 
  charges the earth. He works closely with Shayaveep 
  the Hsun Shaper (see 4).  
  21. Harndais Plaidants: Harndais is an Ankadar Lit-
  igator, rumoured (a Good (+3) Contacts roll) to be 
  fleeing a long line of angry clients—perhaps across 
  several worlds! He’s twitchy and nervous. 
  22. Monstrous Wanderings Cartographers: Ercatis 
  the Orientated claims to have visited “the known 
  world”. He has maps to everywhere—including 
  places you’ve just made up! 
  23. Chantru the Bard: Respected and full of tales of ad-
  venturing, Chantru is a wily worshipper of Payorian 
  the Harper. He knows how to get to the Void Temple 
  in the Artifex Deeps (page 49), but he won’t tell you 
  just like that. Either pay him, or overcome his Good 
  (+3) Willpower. Maybe he’ll help a fellow Harper? 
  24. House of Veiled Deference: Courtesan couture, 
  run by Callesta Ever-Young. “How does she do it?” 
  She knows everyone, and has all kinds of visitors. 
  Her housemaster keeps a palanquin and six slaves 
  always ready to go. Local rumour (Good (+3) Lore 
  or Contacts) says she worships Minisia the Cold 
  (page 18). Make a Fair (+2) Deceive roll in conver-
  sation to throw her off your scent, or receive a visit 
  Upper Hespin 
  Circuit
  Metres
  0             15
  22
  23
  24
  25
  26
  27
  28
  29
  20
  21
  uPPer hesPin circuit
  stAirs DoWn to loWer hesPin circuit
  stAirs uP to
  WAtch street
  
  39
  Introductory Adventure
  from Brother Benveg and his Dependers (page 
  48) that night. 
  25. Upstairs at Zangazi’s: There’s a guard on the 
  door, but you can get access to the Parlour, Bar, 
  and Deep Delights from here. 
  26. Panfanna Silk Merchant: Panfanna is a fe-
  male Virikki, famed for her elaborate headwear. 
  She has contacts with all the main Virikki trader 
  houses, but needs to be impressed by your social 
  sophistication (a Great (+4) roll of your Pillar 
  skill) before she’ll introduce you.
  27. Desiccated Tenung Emporium: Darvelas the 
  Physicker, Alchemist to the Heridot of Vatar-
  gia. No one knows where Vatargia is, nor what a 
  Heridot could be. Nevertheless, you can make Re-
  sources rolls to get Darvelas to treat your wounds 
  (physical consequences). Mild consequences are 
  Fair (+2) difficulty, moderate are Great (+4), and 
  severe are Fantastic (+6). 
  28. Hollen’s Pollen Seedworks: Hollen the Herb-
  alist sells Healing Herbs for a Fair (+2) Resourc-
  es roll, which can help you on any healing 
  rolls you make. 
  29. Chantashunt’s Eternal Returns: Phi-
  losopher and guide, Chantashunt wears 
  an immensely tall hat and robes made of 
  Möbius strips. He’s a sorcerer specialis-
  ing in temporal and dimensional magics 
  (which may be of interest to Heysoke—
  see page 29).
  Zangazi’s – The House of 
  the Brewers of Zangazian
  A courtesan called Zangazi (or “the Zangazi”) has run 
  this well-known hostelry for as long as anyone can re-
  member. She’s tall, strangely beautiful, with grey skin and 
  orange eyes, like the people of the City of Skulls. She 
  wears veils and gauzy clothing of green, purple, and or-
  ange, with lots of jewellery engraved with uncanny sigils. 
  She gives off a strongly magical aura, and claims to wor-
  ship “the Seductress”. 
  No one’s quite sure if Zangazi has been the same 
  person all these years, or if her name is hereditary, or even 
  some kind of title. Some say she’s from a different world, 
  arrived via planing machine; she talks about historical 
  events as though she saw them herself, and even claims 
  to remember when the Artifex Deeps were aboveground. 
  
  40
  The Swallower of SoulS
  i. 
  The Tavern: There are two bars—the left-hand one 
  is more for talking, the right-hand one for music, 
  debauchery, and dancing. The bartenders are em-
  ployed for their charms, business savvy, and un-
  armed combat skills. Many notables of the Artifex 
  Wharves frequent Zangazi’s, especially in the eve-
  nings: if you don’t find them at home, they’ll often 
  be here. 
  ii. 
  Nightside Bar: Don’t step in here unless you can 
  look after yourself, and only then if someone else 
  will vouch for you. It’s part of the Artifex Deeps, 
  and the watering hole for murderous ne’er-do-wells. 
  Be careful who you talk to, and don’t spill anyone’s 
  drink! If you can’t get sponsored for the Nightside 
  Bar, maybe you can arrange a meeting in one of the 
  alcoves of the Speakeasy. People like Chantashunt 
  (page 39) or Neverask (page 37) can act as go-be-
  tweens—or even Callesta Ever-Young (page 24), if 
  you can afford it.
  iii. The Speakeasy: A place for talking discreetly. A 
  couple of bouncers by the door ensure everyone 
  speaks in hushed tones. For a price, you can hire one 
  of the “alcoves” (see iv).
  iv. 
  Alcoves: Private rooms which link the Speakeasy and 
  Nightside Bar, where people from the Wharves can 
  meet those from the Deeps. They’re a no man’s land. 
  v. 
  Kitchen: A couple of slaves do the dishes, and 
  Echolly the Maestro of Mistwall prepares exot-
  ic-sounding dishes and old favourites.
  vi. 
  Office: Zangazi often “rests” in here when not 
  holding forth. 
  vii. Deep Delights: Nitence and Coldowass are the 
  Master and Mistress of Delight, and have eight 
  “Delicates” of various genders on call day and night.
  So What Are You Drinking?
  Drinks
  Try our finest Hivernian Ales and Ciders: a half or 
  quarter minim per glass, ask for specials at the bar! ~ 
  Heartlander Wine: only 1 minim a bottle. ~ Keshite 
  Frostwine: special import, 2 minims. ~ Aiforian Fire-
  amber: half a minim per shot, 5 minims per bottle, if 
  you’re tough enough! ~ Jeniri Havas: we have a huge 
  range! Ask at the bar—prices 5 minims per bottle and 
  up. ~ Amadoradi Vidaka: It’s the water of life, guar-
  anteed to keep the cold out. 5 minims for the blend, 10 
  minims for the single malts.
  Something Special
  Yurazi Pyranta Weed: 1 minim for a full pouch, or a 
  pipe for a quarter. ~ Ing Shu Chow Gum: subject to 
  availability, 1 dinar per chow. You won’t eat for a week! 
  ~ Paladoi Brilliants: assortment of mindstone shards, 
  ground fine for inhaling. It’s a full tharius, but it’ll keep 
  you going all night long!
  Two Nightside Encounters
  Formaris the Powderer
  For a single golden tharius, Formaris will pro-
  vide you with an unforgettable narcotic experience. 
  Make a Fair (+2) Physique roll for a Wildly En-
  tertaining situation aspect, or incur a Wildly Ter-
  rifying mental consequence. 
  Raniera the Haunted
  Raniera is always twitching, and claims to be sur-
  rounded by ghosts. She has an uncanny ability to 
  know what you’re thinking, and claims to be able to 
  take you “where you need to go”. Is it all just chican-
  ery, or does she indeed have the Sight?
  Zangazi’s
  ~Ground Floor~
  i
  i
  ii
  iii
  iv
  v
  vi
  vii
  Metres
  0                                10
  Door to the 
  Artifex DeePs
  
  41
  Introductory Adventure
  viii. Parlour: The dignified, refined, sophisticated, or 
  just wealthy are received here. Partake of food, 
  drink, and conversation in good company, or meet 
  requested Delicates for “assignations.”
  ix. 
  Zangazi’s Room: The door is locked, a trap on the 
  door is Great (+4) to find, and Superb (+5) Bur-
  glary to deactivate. Picking the lock is a Great (+4) 
  Burglary roll. Trying to open the door without de-
  activating the trap gets you stuck by the poisoned 
  needle; it does 2 physical stress damage, and, if the 
  stress isn’t blocked in some way, injects a paralys-
  ing venom: make a Superb (+5) Physique roll or 
  incur a Paralysed consequence. Even on a success-
  ful Physique roll, you end up with a Dead Arm and 
  Numb Lips consequence. The room is filled with 
  Zangazi’s treasures: artworks, scrolls, tapestries, 
  statuettes of often incomprehensible origin, chests 
  of coins (20T worth of cash), sumptuous clothing. 
  Peepholes in the walls and floor are a Good (+3) 
  Investigate roll to find. There’s also a bound Earth 
  Demon in the form of a squat four-armed bronze 
  statue which will noisily attack anyone entering 
  without Zangazi.
  x. 
  Zangazi’s Private Parlour: This chamber contains 
  a table and comfortable chairs. It’s used by Zangazi 
  for interviews with “special guests”.
   • xi through xiii: Used for more “boisterous” 
  assignations.
   • xiv and xix: Usually empty, well-hidden peep-
  holes allow surveillance of adjoining chambers. 
  These rooms may be pressed into service if the 
  inn gets busy (such as during festivals). 
   • xv to xviii: Used for general guests; there are sin-
  gle, double, and multiple occupancy rooms. 
  Zangazi’s
  ~Top Floor~
  Rathamon Urthai the Earth Demon
  AsPects
  Squat Four-Armed Living Bronze Statue; Packs a 
  Mountain-sized Punch; Single-Minded Earth Demon; 
  Every Move Is a Shrieking Grate of Metal; Attacks From 
  Left, Right, and Centre; Limbs Bifurcate to Envelop 
  Target Limbs.
  skills
  Great (+4) Growth*, Physique; Good (+3) Provoke, 
  Unarmed Combat; Fair (+2) Notice, Unarmed Combat; 
  Average (+1) Unarmed Combat, Willpower.
  stunts
    Earth Power: Use Growth to make Unarmed Combat 
  attacks.
    Envelop: On any round the Urthai causes a 
  consequence, the target is enveloped in its body and 
  automatically suffers a Great (+4) attack vs Mediocre (+0) 
  per exchange; armour protects on the first exchange.
    Tough As Nails: 1/session, pay a fate point to reduce 
  moderate physical consequence to mild, or erase a mild.
  equiPMent
  WEAPON: Metal Fists, SI +3.
  ARMOUR: Metal Skin , SR -3, 3 additional 
  consequences.
  tActics
  Makes multiple attacks (page 13) against up to 4 targets, 
  with a skill score of Epic (+7). A limb which envelops a 
  target may not be used for multiple attacks. 
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  MentAl stress
  1
  2
  3
  4
  1
  2
  3
  Metres
  0                                10
  Door to uPPer
  hesPin circuit
  viii
  ix
  x
  xi
  xii
  xiii
  xiv
  xv
  xvi
  xvii
  xviii
  xix
  
  42
  The Swallower of SoulS
  A
  b
  o
  r
  q
  s
  n
  M
  P
  i
  J
  k
  l
  c
  f
  G
  h
  D
  e
  The Black Galley
  The Black Galley is a large merchantman of pitch black 
  wood, with ominous grey sails marked with the ham-
  mer-and-furnace sigil of the city of Typhon. It’s obvious-
  ly guarded by one of the forbidding Galleymen (below), 
  who walks up and down its deck. For details of sneaking 
  aboard the ship, and its defences, see page 53.
  a. Aftcastle: Location of the mizzen mast and 
  rudder. 
  b. Forecastle: Location of the foremast. 
  c. Main Deck: Two sets of enormous oars and 
  a huge seat by the main mast. There are empty 
  rowlocks which look like they could hold nor-
  mal-sized oars. 
  d. Cabin: Occupied by 1 galleyman.
  e. Cabin: Occupied by 1 galleyman.
  f. Captain’s Cabin: The Captain of the Black Gal-
  ley is a huge and savage galleyman. A large table 
  holds sea charts; a Fair (+2) Investigate uncovers 
  land maps of Hivernium. Roll Good (+3) Lore to 
  decipher annotations of a route to “Wormhollow 
  Vale” in the Kadram Mountains, and a mark on 
  the map there labelled “Chantu”. 
  g. Treasure Chamber:  Lots of coins—silver and 
  copper worth in excess of 50T—as well as trade 
  wares, including unfathomable ritualistic imple-
  ments of unsettling design. There’s a white stone 
  statue of a very tall, thin human—maybe an un-
  known species of jeniri? If the Galleymen still 
  have the Void Device (see page 53), then it will 
  be stored here. 
  h. Ablutions: None of the galleymen are what you’d 
  call “well-groomed”, and this chamber boasts 
  some very nasty ticks and lice, and a chute for 
  disposing of waste directly into the sea. It stinks. 
  i. Cabin: Several galleymen have pallets here. 
  j. Store: All kinds of ship stores, including nor-
  mal-sized oars and benches. 
  k. Cabin: Again, several galleymen have pallets here. 
  l. Store: All kinds of ship stores. 
  m. Cargo Hold: Crates here contain items of glass, 
  wood, and stone, and even a number of alagin 
  weapons with edges of reclaimed metal (+1 SI 
  and a 5x cost).  
  n. Carousing: Whatever unspeakable things the 
  galleymen do to relax, they do them here. Foul 
  and unwholesome, icky with bones and bits of 
  slaves’ bodies. 
  o. Galley and Stores: Just don’t assume any of the 
  meat in here is edible. It’s a noisome hole, with 
  a noisome galleyman cook, whose slobbering ca-
  resses he bestows upon his beloved cauldron are 
  distressing to say the least. Mind that cleaver!
  p. Sleeping: The run-of-the-mill galleymen crew 
  sleep here, in pestilential hammocks. 
  q. Beast of Morbias: The galleymen do very little 
  rowing—that’s why they have the Beast of Mor-
  bias. It lives here, and crawls out on deck when 
  summoned. See below for more. 
  r. More Sleeping: As p. Any captives taken by the 
  Galleymen (see page 53) will be held here.
  s. Still More Sleeping: As p. 
  The Men of the Black Galleys
  The Men of the Black Galleys are said to be evil jeniri, 
  with inhuman blood running through their veins. They 
  are rubbery-looking, tall and pale, with purple beards, 
  fixed grins, strangely sharp teeth, and long tongues.  Their 
  faces are wider than they are long, strangely misshapen 
  beneath their turbans. There’s something strange about 
  their legs, which seem to bend too far the wrong way.
  In combat the Men of the Black Galleys wield cruel, 
  crystal daggers, hollow and filled with poison, or alagin 
  morningstars with poison-filled balls crusted with jag-
  ged crystal spikes. In extremis, they’ve even been known 
  to bite their foes with their wide, sharp-toothed maws.
  Metres
  0        5
  The Black
  Galley
  Upper
  Deck
  Main
  Deck
  Beast of 
  Morbias
  Crew Deck
  
  43
  Introductory Adventure
  The Beast of Morbias
  Deep in the hold of the Black Galley lives a bizarre beast. 
  Not all of the jeniri Cousins of Man are sentient beings, 
  and the Beasts of Morbias are one such example. They 
  are huge, bestial, loping humanoids of terrific strength, 
  with four long arms (two pairs), dragging knuckles, and 
  heavy heads, somewhere between a hairless gorilla and 
  a hunchback, although much larger: Beasts of Morbias 
  would be some 4 metres tall if they stood upright, al-
  though their hunched, knuckle-walking posture leaves 
  them at 2-3 metres.
  Man of the Black Galleys
  AsPects
  Whirling Weapons of Poison and Pain; Sinister 
  Slaughterers; Sharp-Toothed Leer; Unsettling 
  Articulations; Galleyman Crew Cooperation.
  skills
  Great (+4) Melee Combat, Provoke; Good (+3) Athletics, 
  Physique; Fair (+2) Notice, Stealth; Average (+1) Deceive, 
  Unarmed Combat.
  stunts
    Armour of Fear: Use Provoke to defend vs Melee and 
  Unarmed Combat until damaged.
    Heavy Hitter: Reduce shifts by 1 on a Melee Combat 
  special success for an additional situation aspect with free 
  invoke.
    Terrorise: Requires Armour of Fear. On a successful 
  Provoke attack, also create a Fair (+2) obstacle to target’s 
  attacks against you or attempts to enter your zone.
  equiPMent
  WEAPON: Morningstar, SI +3 +poison1, Entangling, 
  Reach Weapon.
  WEAPON: Dagger, SI +0 +poison1, HTH Weapon.
  ARMOUR: Rubbery skin and black leather studded 
  armour, SR -2.
  1 Purple Lotus Poison: Eats your flesh every exchange. 
  Make a Fair (+2) Physique roll or suffer 1 point of 
  physical stress and an Agonising Poison obstacle at the 
  end of each subsequent exchange. Once you succeed, 
  the poison loses its effectiveness, although the obstacle 
  remains for the rest of the scene. 
  tActics
  Will begin by using Terrorise to hamper attacks, and then 
  use Provoke to place a Daunted-type situation aspect on 
  the most frightened looking character before moving in 
  to attack.
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  MentAl stress
  Galleymen Minions
  AsPects
  Crew of Creeping Menace; Sudden Rush Attack.
  skills
  Good (+3) Melee Combat; Fair (+2) Provoke; Average 
  (+1) Notice (+2 teamwork).
  equiPMent
  Cutting Cutlasses, SI +2.
  tActics
  Will usually try to creep out their opponents with a 
  Provoke manoeuvre, and then invoke that to rush into 
  Melee Combat making use of their teamwork bonus.
  Group of 3 Good (+3) Minor NPCs 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  stress   
         
  1
  2
  3
  4
  1
  2
  1
  2
  1
  2
  1
  2
  
  44
  The Swallower of SoulS
  the artifex deePs
  The ground beneath the Eternal City is riddled with 
  tunnels—the legendary Undercity. The Undercity be-
  neath the Artifex Wharves is called the “Artifex Deeps”. 
  Its inhabitants are beyond the law: criminals, smugglers, 
  thieves, outlaw jeniri and esteri, cultists of chaos and 
  darkness, covens of witches. There are many levels; the 
  map below shows the “Upper Deeps”. 
  Undercities date back millennia, even tens of millen-
  nia, to mythical times. Upper levels are more recent; the 
  endless rebuilding of cities means that old buildings are 
  buried beneath new constructions. 
  The Upper Deeps are several thousand years old. 
  They’re dark and musty, yet people scuttle here and there, 
  furtive lanterns in the gloom. There are unknown and 
  forgotten architectural styles, and, where the tops of sky-
  scrapers poke above the surface, there are manatines—
  curiously carven columns, unimaginably old, which 
  legend says once conveyed uncanny energies to power 
  ancient devices. Most are cold and dead; finding a liv-
  ing manatine would be a treasure, and would probably 
  end up with the area being appropriated by one of the 
  legions, palaces, or temples. 
  The Beast of Morbias
  AsPects
  Rower of the Black Galley; Weakened in Earth’s Gravity; 
  Expert Loader and Unloader; Bestial Humanoid; Hates 
  Everything But Fears the Galleymen.
  skills
  Great (+4) Physique, Unarmed Combat; Good (+3) 
  Athletics, Provoke; Fair (+2) Notice, Unarmed Combat; 
  Average (+1) Unarmed Combat, Unarmed Combat.
  stunts
   Grab and Squeeze: If a character is hit by an Unarmed 
  Combat attack, he must roll to resist the Beast’s Physique 
  each subsequent exchange or take the difference in 
  physical stress damage. Armour will protect. 
   Root to the Spot: For a fate point, make a zone effect 
  Provoke attack. Anyone failing to resist with Willpower 
  incurs a Rooted to the Spot situation aspect and may not 
  move until it’s removed. On a special success, it’s a Great 
  (+4) difficulty to remove. Characters who are Rooted to the 
  Spot defend against physical attacks with a Mediocre (+0) 
  skill roll. They may make attacks, but Rooted to the Spot is 
  an obstacle (page 11).
   Slam: Requires Grab and Squeeze. Any character 
  already Grabbed will be slammed to the ground. Roll 
  Chronicles dice to check for a critical, but otherwise this 
  is an automatic success, doing 4 stress + 1 Hero Die of 
  damage. Armour protects (unless a critical). The character 
  is then Knocked to the Ground, but is free of the grab. 
  tActics
  Because of its Large (+1) size, the Beast of Morbias 
  rolls 1 additional Doom Die when physically attacking 
  Medium (+0) sized targets. If it hits, it rolls 1 additional 
  Hero Die and adds it to stress done. When you attack the 
  Beast, you roll 1 additional Hero Die on your attack roll, 
  but must subtract 1 Doom Die from any stress you inflict.
   
  Because of its 4 arms and 4 Unarmed Combat 
  skills, the Beast of Morbias may attack up to 4 targets, 
  rolling Epic (+7). See page 13 for more. 
   
  The Beast usually tries to use Root to the Spot 
  against all targets in a zone. It will then grab and slam 
  any targets immobilised. 
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Large (+1)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  MentAl stress
  loWer hesPin circuit (Above GrounD)
  cuthroAt
  squAre
  blooDWeinD
  to the
  voiD teMPle
  DeAthMAsk lAne
  DAGGer Alley
  DAGGer Alley
  uPPer shoutinG lAne
  Metres
  0            15
  The Artifex Deeps
  30
  31
  32
  33
  41
  41
  41
  35
  34
  6
  12
  38
  39
  40
  16
  17
  37
  36
  1
  2
  3
  4
  1
  2
  
  45
  Introductory Adventure
  30. Witchbite Corpse Disposals: A funereal-look-
  ing soul with grey skin and orange eyes, Witch-
  bite claims to worship Belom, God of the Dead. 
  A Fair (+2) Contacts roll hears the rumour that 
  he’s really a worshipper of Babisiya, or even Sta-
  ros, the Bright God, and provides corpses for 
  re-animation as temple guardians. Most people 
  give him a wide berth. 
  31. Skinstripper’s 
  Leatherwork 
  and 
  Supplies: 
  Kssh’t’tk Skinstripper is a Tung Mai Mantis Man, 
  who remains Only Just Calm And Collected as long 
  as he’s working on his elaborately tooled leather 
  goods, including harnesses and cuirasses. He has no 
  training in the arts of Tiridat, and is likely to go into 
  a berserk rage if provoked. Does haggling count as 
  provoking? There’s only one way to find out… 
  32. Void Temple House: This derelict-looking 
  dwelling is the entrance to the Void Temple (page 
  49). Two groups of 3 Fair (+2) Void Cultists (page 
  51) block access and raise the alarm if attacked. 
  33. The Deeper Inn: Threshold of the Middle 
  Deeps, this establishment of exceeding antiquity 
  is run by Mama Deep. No one knows her ances-
  try, although there are rumours. She’s huge, seven 
  feet tall, massively fat yet strong, with greenish 
  skin, a shock of blackish green hair, grey fangs, 
  and lambent yellow eyes. Some say she has P’ Tek 
  blood; others whisper there’s more than a little of 
  the Dedaloi Eater. Whatever the truth, she has a 
  raw cunning, a love of coin, trade, and numbers, 
  and an astonishing ability to hold her drink. The 
  Deeper Inn may be as old as Zangazi’s, but it’s 
  much more unsavoury, a safe-house for gangsters, 
  murderers, and bandits, held together by Mama 
  Deep’s own propensity for swinging the huge 
  maul that stands behind the bar. 
  34. Ringal’s Cutpurse Supplies: Ringal supplies 
  the Void Temple, and it’s a Fair (+2) Provoke 
  to wring its location out of him. Otherwise he 
  fobs you off with a lie and leaves to alert the 
  Void Cultists immediately after you depart. On a 
  Good (+3) Stealth roll, you can follow him right 
  to the temple. 
  35. Gedge’s Assassin Hire: Gedge seems to live 
  alone, and isn’t obviously armed. A Good (+3) 
  Deceive or Provoke roll gets him to tell you where 
  the Void Temple is; but in any case you’ll be at-
  tacked shortly after you leave by one of Gedge’s 
  assassins. 
  Gedge’s Assassin
  AsPects
  You’ll Never See It Coming; No Identifying Marks; Like 
  a Shadow; Lethal Accuracy; I Prefer to Work Alone.
  skills
  Great (+4) Ranged Combat, Stealth; Good (+3) Athletics, 
  Melee Combat; Fair (+2) Notice, Physique; Average (+1) 
  Deceive, Unarmed Combat.
  stunts
   Ambush: Use Stealth to make physical attacks as long 
  as your target is unaware of your presence; their defence is 
  considered to be Mediocre (+0). 
   Called Shot: Pay 1 fate point and declare a situation 
  aspect to inflict on a target on a successful Ranged 
  Combat attack, as well as damage.
   Killing Stroke: 1/scene, pay 1 fate point to increase a 
  physical consequence you inflict by 1 step.
   Slippery Target: In darkness / shadow, use Stealth to 
  defend vs Ranged Combat attacks at least one zone away.
   Vanish: Once per scene, spend 1 fate point to vanish 
  while in plain sight. 
  equiPMent
  WEAPON: Shortsword, SI +1 +poison1.
  WEAPON: Thrown Knife, SI +0 +poison1, Range 1.
  WEAPON: Light Crossbow, SI +3 +poison1, Range 2.
  ARMOUR: Leather Armour and Hood, SR -1.
  1: Hsunkra Venom: Make a Fair (+2) Physique roll to avoid 
  an immediate Agonising Pain consequence; even if you 
  succeed, you incur a Distracted by Pain situation aspect. 
  tActics
  Prefers to attack from a distance, from the shadows; 
  she’ll avoid melee combat. She’ll use her Called Shot 
  to strike the target in the throat or heart (depending on 
  armour), and likewise use Killing Stroke to increase the 
  severity of any consequence, including those caused by 
  the Hsunkra Venom.
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  MentAl stress
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  
  46
  The Swallower of SoulS
  Boss Drag
  AsPects
  The Dragfather; Gang Leader of the Outer Deeps; Me 
  and Mama Deep Go Way Back; Show Some Respect If 
  You Want to Keep Your Tongue; Necklace of Tongues.
  skills
  Superb (+5) Provoke, Unarmed Combat; Great (+4) 
  Contacts, Willpower; Good (+3) Physique, Resources; 
  Fair (+2) Deceive, Melee Combat; Average (+1) Burglary, 
  Notice.
  stunts
   Armour of Fear: Use Provoke to defend vs Melee and 
  Unarmed Combat until damaged.
   Ear to the Ground: Use Contacts for initiative in places 
  where you have an operating contacts network..
   Killing Stroke: 1/scene, pay 1 fate point to increase a 
  physical consequence you inflict by 1 step.
   Mind Games: Use Deceive to make mental attack 
  actions.
   Money Talks: Use Resources instead of Rapport when 
  trying to influence people.
  equiPMent
  WEAPONS: Mace, SI +2.
  ARMOUR: Lamellar Cuirass and Coif, SR -2.
  TREASURE: Nothing on self, but his holdings amount 
  to a hundred golden tharia or more.
  extrAs
  ê Necklace of Tongues: +2 Provoke bonus when instilling 
  fear and obedience.
  ê The Outer Deeps Gangs: Good (+3) Provoke, Resources; 
  Fair (+2) Burglary, Security; Average (+1) Manoeuvre, 
  Stealth.
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  MentAl stress
  Lieutenant Jord
  AsPects
  Boss Drag’s Favourite Enforcer; Blood Relative at the 
  Heart of the Mob; Knows Everyone; Your Unfriendly 
  Neighbourhood Psychopath; Doomed to Die Like a Dog.
  skills
  Great (+4) Melee Combat, Provoke; Good (+3) Contacts, 
  Physique; Fair (+2) Burglary, Unarmed Combat; Average 
  (+1) Notice, Stealth.
  stunts
   Always a Way Out: +2 manoeuvre bonus to escape from 
  a location.
   Cleave: Any spare shifts after taking out an opponent 
  constitute an attack on a second target.
   Rumourmonger: +2 manoeuvre bonus when planting 
  vicious rumours.
   Torturer: +2 Provoke attacks if you have appropriate 
  equipment.
   Tough As Nails: 1/session, pay a fate point to reduce 
  moderate physical consequence to mild, or erase a mild.
  equiPMent
  WEAPONS: Bastard Sword, SI +5.
  ARMOUR: Scale Hauberk and Open Helmet, SR -3.
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  MentAl stress
  Boss Drag’s Draggers
  AsPects
  Boss Drag’s Finest; Falling Over Themselves to Suck Up 
  to Lieutenant Jord.
  skills
  Average (+1) Melee Combat (+2 teamwork).
  equiPMent
  Scimitars and Battle Axes, SI +2; Leather Armour SR -1.
  Group of 5 Average (+1) Minor NPCs 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  stress   
         
  1
  2
  3
  4
  1
  2
  1
  2
  3
  4
  4
  1
  2
  3
  
  47
  Introductory Adventure
  36. Club, Stab, or Die Fraternity: Kutstav Drag (aka 
  “Boss Drag” or “the Dragfather”) is the leader of the 
  gangs of the Outer Deeps. Dagger Alley is his. He 
  rules through fear, loyalty, and a strange form of cha-
  risma. His “close family” are his lieutenants; beneath 
  them come the gang “captains”, then the rank and file 
  “draggers”. Boss Drag often visits Mama Deep, and 
  of course knows where the Void Temple is, but it’s a 
  Superb (+5) Resources roll for him to tell you (each 
  1T spent gets you a +1 bonus). 
  And, if you’re not sufficiently 
  menacing (make a Great (+4) 
  Provoke roll), he’ll get Lieuten-
  ant Jord and his Draggers to rob 
  you blind anyway—leaving you 
  outside on Lower Hespin Cir-
  cuit, naked and bereft…
  37. Gormilius the Dissector: If 
  you’re taken out in the Artifex 
  Deeps, you might find yourself 
  here, at Gormilius’s pleasure.
  38. Knife and Needle Pleasure 
  House: Slicewell the Inker per-
  forms sorcerous tattoos and al-
  terations. “I’m an artist, milady. 
  You have to suffer for art...”. 
  Get yourself a tattoo for 1 minor 
  consequence: Slicewell has a 
  tendency to gossip. He’ll tell you 
  that Ringal (see 34) supplies the 
  Void Temple, although he doesn’t 
  know where it is himself…  
  39. Porfiry Heldanth, Private In-
  vestigator: Porfiry is complete-
  ly white with red eyes and fangs, 
  although he doesn’t seem to be 
  an albino—he may be some un-
  known form of jeniri, though 
  he’s not saying. He wears dark 
  glasses outdoors, and usually 
  covers up in a cloak and hat. 
  He’s an excellent private inves-
  tigator, and will reveal all kinds 
  of juicy bits of info, for a price. 
  He’s unlikely to blab about the 
  Void Temple, unless it’s really 
  advantageous to him—he can’t 
  afford the heat. Porfiry may be a 
  renegade Depender—see below.
  40. Inconspicuous Consumption Enlightened In-
  terdependence Brotherhood: Also known as the 
  Brothers of Interdependence, or just The Dependers, 
  this is a cabal of the servile supporters of Benveg the 
  Imperious, a hemophage and Vampire Lord of Mini-
  sia, Goddess of Winter. If you stray in here, you’re 
  going to have to make some convincing arguments or 
  end up joining Benveg’s “stock”. 
  
  48
  The Swallower of SoulS
  41. Old Courtyards: These “courtyards” are under-
  ground, with ceilings of jumbled stones and compact 
  rubble. They were once outdoor spaces between build-
  ings, and still fulfil a similar function; they’re often 
  filled with refuse, or mouldering linen hung up to 
  “dry”. Anyone damaging the ceiling here is likely to 
  cause a Legendary (+8) collapse, doing physical stress 
  damage to everyone in the zone.
  Brother Benveg
  AsPects
  Ageless and Undying Hemophage; Cold Self-Obsessed 
  Intellect; Blood Hunger; The Smiling Mask With 
  Nothing Behind.
  skills
  Great (+4) Narcissism*, Provoke; Good (+3) Deceive, 
  Physique; Fair (+2) Melee Combat, Willpower; Average 
  (+1) Athletics, Notice
  stunts
   Blood Healing*: Use Narcissism instead of Melee 
  Combat at HTH range to drink a victim’s blood, 
  transforming damage done to them into healing done to 
  you. The target must be unresisting.
   Hand of Minisia*: Cause frost damage on touch, using 
  Narcissism to inflict physical stress damage.
   Imitate Emotion*: Use Narcissism instead of Rapport 
  to emote convincingly.
   Mirror Self*: Creates a Mirror Image of yourself. It’s 
  illusory—a trick of the light—but very distracting. It’s not 
  in the mind.
   Regenerate*: Regenerate 1 physical stress box per 
  exchange, starting with the lowest. Other consequences 
  heal one step more rapidly.
   Steal Skill*: Use Narcissism to steal another’s skill, 
  resisted by Willpower. Gain the skill as a situation aspect, 
  with the owner losing access. Lasts 1 scene, or 1 session on 
  a special success, or permanently on a critical!
  equiPMent
  WEAPONS: Rapier, SI +2; Fast and Flashy.
  ARMOUR: Lamellar Cuirass, SR-2; Unprotected Head.
  EQUIPMENT: Silver Mask (worth 2T).
  TREASURE: 15 shields.
  heMoPhAGe flAW
  Lose physical stress box per day you don’t consume 
  human blood. 
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  MentAl stress
  The Dependers
  AsPects
  Followers of Brother Benveg; Feed On Me, My Master!
  skills
  Average (+1) Melee Combat, Provoke (+2 teamwork)
  equiPMent
  Blades & Cudgels, SI +1; Leather Armour, SR-1.
  Treasure: 1D6 dinars each.
  Group of 5 Average (+1) Minor NPCs 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  stress   
         
  The Rest of the Deeps
  The Kados undercity goes on forever…including 
  downwards. Below the Artifex Deeps are the Mid-
  dle Deeps, linking to the city’s cloaca (drainage sew-
  ers), and the extremely perilous Lower Deeps or “the 
  Deeper”, mostly collapsed and filled with inaccessible 
  places rich with unplundered treasures, nightmare 
  denizens, and treacherous traps. 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  1
  2
  3
  
  49
  Introductory Adventure
  The Void Temple
  The Void Temple is part of the Middle Deeps, a group of 
  chambers occupied by the Void Cultists. Some live else-
  where in the Deeps or the Wharves above, some spend 
  their days here. Their presence is a loosely-guarded se-
  cret, and their guards watch out for intruders from the 
  Middle and Lower Deeps as well as from the Artifex 
  Deeps above.
  For possible action here, see Scene Five: The Attack 
  on the Void Temple on page 57. 
  i. 
  Common Chamber: Day-to-day cult business 
  is conducted here, among tables and benches. 
  There’s always at least one guard at the bottom 
  of the stairs. 
  ii. 
  Dormitory Chamber: Several bunks in grim 
  living quarters. In the northeastern corner, a 
  still-functioning manatine (page 20) runs from 
  ground to ceiling.
  iii. The Witching Chamber: Keleshtra the Void 
  Priestess, the Witch of Hespin, lives here. Sup-
  posed dead in a fire in the Wharves a year ago, 
  she hasn’t shown herself since. Scrolls and papers 
  mostly in Low Sakaraic are sickening prayers 
  and sermons to the Glory of Annihilation, but a 
  thorough search turns up unctuous correspond-
  ence with “A Devotee Beneath the Wall of Gim-
  merling Guard”. A Great (+4) Lore roll (going to 
  the library of a temple, sorcerous school, or other 
  private sage would help…) reveals this may refer 
  to Gimmergar Fortress at the head of Wormhol-
  low Vale, in the Kadram Mountains in the Au-
  tocracy’s farthest north, on the borders with the 
  endless wastes. Using the papers, a Good (+3) 
  Contacts roll identifies Void Cult supporters and 
  sympathisers in the local community, including 
  Jigizli the Stitcher (page 37) and Anklarast the 
  Slaver (page 38). The Void Cult’s treasury is here: 
  70 silver dinars and about 250 copper minims in 
  a small (and locked) wooden chest. 
  iv. 
  The Unholy of Unholies: This chamber is divid-
  ed into two zones. The first is at the back, where 
  the bas-relief statue of a distorted, humanoid fig-
  ure with a distended gaping maw in the shape of 
  a near-perfect circle decorates the wall (think of 
  Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”—a Fair (+2) Lore 
  roll can identify this as a representation of Lord 
  Vile, the Eternal Hunger—see overleaf). Before 
  it is a low altar. If the Void Cult doesn’t yet have 
  the Void Device, this altar will be bare, and Lord 
  Vile’s maw will be a featureless patch of wall. 
  Otherwise, the Void Device will be on the altar, 
  the zone will be affected by its zone of cold (page 
  56), and the circular maw will be a patch of black 
  nothingness—the body of a flay (void elemental) 
  under Keleshtra’s command. The chamber’s sec-
  ond zone is the half closest to the entrance, where 
  cultists assemble; it’s out of range of the Void De-
  vice’s cold aura (though not of any ranged attacks 
  from the altar, including those of flay and the de-
  vice itself). 
  v. 
  Slave Pen: Half a dozen captives, plus any PCs or 
  their acquaintances who have gone missing (page 
  30). Four captives are slaves from Anklarast; one 
  is a passer-by kidnapped off the street; the sixth 
  is Jamiss Tau-Warden of the White Blades (page 
  53). They’re alternately afraid, panicked, and frus-
  trated. PCs who’ve been taken out (page 14) dur-
  ing this adventure without being killed may also 
  regain consciousness here, ready to be fed to the 
  Swallower of Souls…
  Metres
  0          5
  i
  ii
  iii
  iv
  v
  The Void
  Temple
  
  50
  The Swallower of SoulS
  Lord Vile, The 
  Eternal Hunger
  “Prince of the Elemental Void”, Lord Vile is depicted 
  as a twisted, screaming man, or a mindless, ravening 
  flay (void elemental). He is no god, offers no phi-
  losophy, no powers in exchange for worship; but is 
  regarded as the progenitor of all the flay, glorified by 
  the Void Cult for his powers of annihilation.
  Stats for the Void Cult
  You can use these stats throughout the adventure 
  where appropriate. See Suggested Scenes (page 52) 
  for ideas.
  Flay, Void Elemental
  AsPects
  Black Flapping Patch of Nothingness; Distorted 
  Reflection of Another Dimension; Smothering Attack; 
  Incomprehensible Movement; Mindless.
  skills
  Great (+4) Void*; Good (+3) Athletics, Physique; Fair 
  (+2) Provoke, Stealth; Average (+1) Deceive, Notice.
  stunts
   Annihilating Touch: Use Void instead of Unarmed 
  Combat to attack, eating away flesh and causing 
  permanent consequences—but damage affects the flay, too!
   Eat Weapons and Armour: Physical weapons and 
  armour lose -1 SI / SR every time they touch a flay, 
  including defending with Melee Combat (not Athletics); 
  an item with SI/SR below 0 is destroyed. Unarmed 
  Combat attacks suffer stress equal to that inflicted, with 
  permanent consequences (see Annihilating Touch).
   Fusion: Two Medium (+0)-sized flay may fuse to form 
  one Large (+1)-sized flay, which gains +1 Hero Die on 
  stress damage done, but incurs +1 Doom Die on attack 
  rolls against Medium (+0) targets. Attacks on a Large 
  (+1) Flay receive +1 Hero Die, but any stress damage 
  inflicted is reduced by 1 Doom Die. 
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  Keleshtra the Void Priestess, 
  the Witch of Hespin
  AsPects
   They Left Me For Dead—Now They’ll Know My 
  Vengeance! Hideous Burns; Eat or Be Eaten; Unholy 
  Bride of Lord Vile; Swathed in Noxious Robes; To Hell 
  With Tomorrow!
  skills
  Great (+4) Provoke, Void*; Good (+3) Notice, Willpower; 
  Fair (+2) Deceive, Lore; Average (+1) Athletics, Resources.
  stunts
   Armour of Fear: Use Provoke to defend vs Melee and 
  Unarmed Combat until damaged.
   Breath of Annihilation: Requires Withering Touch. 
  Use Void instead of Ranged Combat to do physical stress 
  damage. Armour protects, but is destroyed in the process.
   Command Flay: Use Void to command a Void 
  Elemental.
   Fortress of the Will: +2 Willpower bonus to defend vs 
  Provoke and Willpower damage / control attacks.
   Sap Will*: Use Void to inflict mental stress damage, 
  causing the victim to lose the will to resist, becoming 
  passive and lethargic.
   Withering Touch*: Use Void instead of Unarmed 
  Combat to cause physical stress damage at touch. Armour 
  protects only to block; if any damage at all gets through, 
  damage is done as if the target was wearing no armour.
  extrAs
  ê The Void Device: Keleshtra can attack with a Fantastic 
  (+6) Void skill to drain life (physical stress) at a distance, 
  and summon flay by feeding a character or slave into the 
  device (see page 56). 
  equiPMent
  WEAPONS: Black Staff, SI +1.
  ARMOUR: Voluminous Robes, SR -1.
  tActics
  Keleshtra stays in the background,  using the Void Device 
  (page 56) and getting everyone else to do her dirty work. 
  If someone approaches Keleshtra to attack her, she may 
  use Sap Will to render them impassive and them feed 
  them into the Void Device. 
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  MentAl stress
  1
  2
  4
  1
  2
  3
  1
  2
  3
  4
  
  51
  Introductory Adventure
  Zineworn the Holy Void Warrior
  AsPects
  Set It On Fire And Watch It All Burn; The Ecstasy of 
  Slaughter; I Am the Angel of Annihilation; None Of 
  This Is Real; Death and Destruction For My Lord Vile!
  skills
  Great (+4) Melee Combat, Provoke; Good (+3) Notice, 
  Physique; Fair (+2) Survival, Void*; Average (+1) 
  Contacts, Deceive.
  stunts
   Armour of Fear: Use Provoke to defend vs Melee and 
  Unarmed Combat until damaged.
   Cleave: Any spare shifts after taking out an opponent 
  constitute an attack on a second target.
   Riposte: On a special success Melee Combat defend 
  action, immediately inflict 2 stress damage on your 
  opponent (armour protects).
   Terrorise: Requires Armour of Fear. On a successful 
  Provoke attack action, create a Fair (+2) obstacle to any 
  attacks against you or attempts to enter your zone. 
   Undercity Environment: +2 Survival bonus in the 
  undercity environment.
  extrAs
  ê Elemental Armour (Bound Flay): Stunt: Eat Weapons 
  (physical weapons lose -1 SI every time they touch the 
  elemental armour; a weapon with SI below 0 is destroyed. 
  Unarmed Combat attacks suffer stress equal to that inflicted, 
  with permanent consequences (see Annihilating Touch))
  equiPMent
  WEAPONS: Great Sword, SI +6, Reach Weapon, Two-
  Handed, Slow and Heavy.
  ARMOUR: Chain Hauberk, SR -3, 1 mild consequence; 
  Heavy and Noisy.
  tActics
  He takes an exchange before combat to cast a Withering 
  Blade advantage on his great sword using Void. The first 
  invoke is free. He’ll also take advantage of his expert 
  knowledge of the undercity environment to perform 
  Survival manoeuvres to give his side advantages in combat.
  Supporting NPC 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  Consequences: 1 mild + 1 moderate
  PhysicAl stress 
   
         
  MentAl stress
  1
  2
  3
  4
  1
  2
  Void Cultists
  AsPects
  The Faces of People Who Pull the Wings Off Flies; 
  Heedless of Tomorrow; We Like Orders!
  skills
   Fair (+2) Melee Combat; Average (+1) Notice, Provoke 
  (+2 teamwork).
  equiPMent
  Shortswords and Axes, SI +1; Bits of Partial Armour, SR -1.
  Group of 3 Fair (+2) Minor NPCs 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  stress   
         
  1
  1
  1
  
  52
  The Swallower of SoulS
  suggested sCenes
  This section contains five suggested scenes and an ep-
  ilogue for playing The Swallower of Souls. Your players 
  may have other ideas! Suggested situation aspects are 
  marked in italics.
  Scene One: The Abductions 
  on the Waterfront
  Situation Aspects: Black as Pitch; Swirling Mists; Creaks 
  and Groans of Wood and Rigging.
  The adventure begins with a violent attempt by the 
  Galleymen of the Black Galley (page 43) to abduct some 
  locals from the waterfront of the Artifex Wharves in the 
  dead of night. The PCs either happen upon this in media 
  res, or investigate after the fact. See page 30 for more on 
  how to involve the PCs.  
  In Media Res
  The abduction attempt takes place just north of Zan-
  gazi’s Inn (page 39), on the Lower Hespin Circuit wa-
  terfront in the dead of night. The PCs are either in the 
  street or in Zangazi’s, or hear the commotion in the dis-
  tance. They’re either attacked directly, potential victims 
  of abduction themselves, or choose to get involved. 
  In this conflict, several Men of the Black Galleys 
  (page 43) are attacking either the PCs, or a number of 
  locals, with a view to abducting them for delivery to the 
  Void Cultists in Scene Two (below). If the PCs are taken 
  out or concede, they’ll be taken captive and delivered to 
  the Cultists for sacrifice in Scene Five!
  The Opposition
  If the PCs get involved in the abduction attempt, figure 
  the encounter starts at Medium Range, about 15 me-
  tres apart (2 zones distance). There are two Men of the 
  Black Galleys, plus one group of three Good (+3) Gal-
  leymen Minions for every PC above two (so, four PCs 
  means two Men of the Black Galleys and two groups of 
  minions). 
  If the Galleymen are outclassed, they will scatter and 
  eventually regroup at the Black Galley. It’s a Fair (+2) 
  Lore or Contacts roll to identify the Galleymen, or a Fair 
  (+2) Survival roll to track them back to the ship.
  After the Fact
  The PCs may decide to do nothing about the abduction 
  attempt, or you may decide they only hear about it after-
  wards, and arrive at the Artifex Wharves to investigate. 
  In either case, the abduction attempt ends with two more 
  locals missing and a lot of frightened people. 
  Checking out the scene and interviewing witnesses 
  will prove difficult; people are scared. It’s a Great (+4) 
  Investigate roll to get a description of the Men of the 
  Black Galleys (see page 43), and then either a Fair (+2) 
  Lore or Contacts roll, or a Fair (+2) roll of Provoke or 
  Rapport (do you intimidate the witness, or persuade?) to 
  link the description to the Black Galley currently at dock 
  (see page 43). If the PCs fail all these rolls, they’ll have 
  to start a more general investigation—see Scene Three. 
  Where Do We Go From Here?
  After the events of this scene, the PCs can:
   • Track the Galleymen back to Scene Two: The 
  Stake Out at the Black Galley (see below)
  What’s a Scene?
  A scene is a core concept of adventure building in The 
  Chronicles of Future Earth. It’s neither a strict 
  unit of time, nor a fixed physical location, but it’s nev-
  ertheless an important element in the game. You re-
  gain lost stress after the end of a scene, many magical 
  effects and situation aspects last for a scene, and so on. 
  Instinctively, you’ll know what a scene is from 
  watching movies and reading novels, stories, and 
  comic books. A scene is usually a part of your story in 
  which the characters are:
   • Exploring a location;
   • Trying to resolve a single, specific issue;
   • Trying to do the above in a discrete amount of time.
  Sometimes a scene may be broadly defined—“We 
  spend the evening talking to patrons in Zangazi’s 
  bar”. Sometimes it’s tightly defined—“You’re in the 
  Unholy of Unholies of the Void Temple and the Witch 
  of Hespin attacks—what do you do?”
  In this section, we’ve identified five suggested 
  scenes for the adventure. Your game may well vary! 
  You can join scenes together, or separate them out into 
  more than one. Use this section as a guideline rather 
  than a constraint.
  
  53
  Introductory Adventure
   • Start asking around the neighbourhood for in-
  formation. See Scene Three: Investigation in the 
  Artifex Wharves (page 54).
  Scene Two: The Stake-
  Out at the Black Galley
  Situation Aspects: Atmosphere of Creeping Menace; Un-
  wholesome Stench; Shadows Out the Corner of Your Eye.
  It’s likely the PCs will end up at the Black Galley, 
  looking for leads following the abductions or attacks. 
  There are a couple of dozen galleymen here; perhaps 
  six groups of 3 minor NPCs (page 21) and half a dozen 
  Men of the Black Galleys supporting NPCs (page 43), 
  including the captain. 
  Confronting the Galleymen
  The PCs may go up against the Galleymen in broad day-
  light, perhaps using their status to accuse the Galleymen 
  openly, or at least demanding to inspect their ship.
  This rapidly descends into a shouting match—a 
  mental confict where the Galleymen attempt to frighten 
  off the PCs using their Provoke skills. The PCs in turn 
  may attack back with their own Provoke, and may make 
  manoeuvres with their Pillar skills (page 7) or get team-
  work bonuses from legion or temple extras to represent 
  the force of law or authority on their side. If they re-
  sort to physical force, the Galleymen defend themselves. 
  Note that if they haven’t already circumvented the White 
  Blades (the waterfront constables—see below), then this 
  may be a good time to compel  the Public Disturbance-type 
  aspect they’ve doubtless created to have them appear!
  Winning the intimidation conflict forces the Gal-
  leymen to back down in spectacular fashion—they utterly 
  go to pieces, howling with fear or rage, tearing at their 
  hair, gnashing their teeth, even dashing off madly into the 
  night or throwing themselves into the sea. The PCs have 
  free rein to inspect the Black Galley and find whatever is 
  hidden there...
  The Opposition
  Figure the opposition in this case to be two Men of the 
  Black Galleys and two groups of three Good (+3) Gal-
  leymen minions (see page 43).
  What If the PCs 
  Kill Everyone?
  Although the fight on the Black Galley is tough 
  enough for the cultists to escape with the Void De-
  vice, enterprising PCs (and players!) may be lucky 
  and wipe out the opposition, ending up with the 
  Void Device in their possession. This changes the ad-
  venture dynamic, but that’s fine—this kind of thing 
  happens a lot in Fate! Here’s how it goes.
   • The PCs may experiment with the Void Device: 
  see page 56. This will probably go horribly wrong, 
  and could unleashing of one or more flay or even 
  destroy the Artifex Wharves!
   • The Void Cultists will try and get the Void Device 
  back. One group of 3 cultists will attack the PCs 
  on the first night; two on the second; and then 
  Keleshtra and Zineworn and at least two groups 
  of cultists on the third, possibly with Benveg and 
  the Dependers in tow. 
   • If the PCs track the Void Cultists to the Void Tem-
  ple before the cultists can retrieve the Void Device, 
  the encounter will be substantially easier. Well 
  done to the PCs for developing a good strategy!
   • The question of what to do with the Void De-
  vice is an open one. At the least, it should open 
  doors to some influential people in the Autocra-
  cy’s chaotic and byzantine hierarchy—perhaps 
  including patrons for missions against the cult 
  elsewhere (see the upcoming Wormhollow Vale 
  adventure for ideas). 
  The White Blades
  AsPects
   I Don’t Think They Killed Themselves, Sir; We Can Do 
  This the Easy Way or the Hard Way; More Competent 
  Than They Look
  skills
  Good (+3) Melee Combat; Fair (+2) Notice, Provoke; 
  Average (+1) Contacts, Investigate, Willpower (+2 
  teamwork). 
  equiPMent
  Halberd, SI +4, Reach Weapon, Two-Handed; Plate Cuirass 
  and Open Helmet, SR -3, Difficult to Sprint. 
  Group of 3 Good (+3) Minor NPCs 
  Size: Medium (+0)
  stress   
         
  1
  2
  1
  2
  1
  2
  
  54
  The Swallower of SoulS
  Sneaking Aboard the Ship
  The PCs may instead sneak aboard the Black Galley to 
  find out more about the Galleymen.  
  Sneaking up to the Black Galley is a Fair (+2) Stealth 
  roll by night, Great (+4) by day. For a fate point, a PC 
  can improvise the “Follow My Lead” stunt, which allows 
  their Stealth roll to include one additional person per 
  point of Stealth skill. On a failure, the PCs will encoun-
  ter a local patrol of the White Blades, the city constables 
  (named for their lacquered alagin blades). These aren’t 
  opponents to fight (not ideally, anyway), but rather to 
  persuade, talk round, or perhaps even bribe or threaten, 
  pulling rank, using your Pillar skill, and so on.
  Run the White Blades as a contest; if the PCs win, the 
  constables leave them alone. If the White Blades win, then 
  the PCs are shamed (give them a social consequence!) and 
  must back down from the galley (for now, at least). 
  One of the White Blades’ comrades-in-arms, Jamiss 
  Tau-Warden, is among those missing from the Wharves. 
  One of the PCs may know this (Fair (+2) Lore or Con-
  tacts), or it may come up in conversation. This fact may 
  even be a declaration (page 10) made by one of the play-
  ers for a fate point. 
  The PCs can carry on stealthing around once they’re 
  on board the ship. Every zone entered (every new room 
  or area) requires a new roll. On a failure, a Galleyman 
  sentry spots them, and they must silence him before he 
  can act and raise the alarm. Once the alarm is raised, 
  another exchange will pass, and then one Man of the 
  Black Galleys and 1 group of 3 Galleymen minions will 
  arrive every other exchange (exchange 3, 5, 6, etc), ready 
  to pursue the PCs (a contest of Athletics). 
  If the PCs enter the zone with the Beast of Mor-
  bias (page 44), it raises the alarm at the end of the first 
  exchange. At this point, everyone should probably flee...
  The Stake-Out
  Perhaps the most sensible (not necessarily the most like-
  ly...) tactic is for the PCs to set a watch over the comings 
  and goings at the Black Galley. At some point in the 
  next day or two, there’s going to be a meeting in the dead 
  of night, when the Galleymen rendezvous with cultists 
  from the Void Temple (page 49) to hand over a myste-
  rious crate containing an artefact called the Void Device 
  (page 56). They’ll hand over any captives they’ve abduct-
  ed at the same time. 
  The stake-out is a contest of the PCs’ Stealth vs the 
  Fair (+2) Notice of the Galleymen sentries. They’ll need 
  to accumulate 3 victory points to successfully remain 
  hidden for the duration; if the Galleymen win the con-
  test, they’ll spot the PCs and attack, and the rendezvous 
  won’t happen (see Scene Three: Investigation in the Ar-
  tifex Wharves, instead). 
  Eventually, in the dead of night, the Void Cultists 
  arrive. The Galleymen appear on deck bearing a mys-
  terious crate supported on two poles, which they hand 
  over to two Void Cultists. Even in the darkness, a Fair 
  (+2) Notice roll sees the crate is blackened; close up, it 
  emanates an aura of cold. If Heysoke is in the party (see 
  page 29), then let her make a Void manoeuvre to give a 
  +2 bonus to familiar’s Average (+1) Notice skill, to de-
  termine that the crate is emitting a powerful aura of the 
  terrifying Void—there is something highly dangerous 
  inside, and something no self-respecting hero would see 
  in enemy hands!
  It’s up to the PCs what they do—they may interrupt 
  the proceedings violently, or let the deal go ahead and try 
  and follow the Void Cultists. 
  The Stake-Out Opposition
  The PCs are facing the following 12 individuals:
   • 3 Men of the Black Galleys (see page 43 for stats).
   • Two groups of 3 Void Cultists (see page 51 for 
  stats) who fight.
   • One group of 3 Void Cultists who carry away the 
  Void Device, and who only fight if reached and 
  attacked (their goal is to escape the PCs with the 
  device). 
  It requires 2 individuals to carry the crate. The op-
  position will form an obstacle (page 11) with a diffi-
  culty equal to the number of defenders (so +10 to begin 
  with!) to keep the PCs from the escaping Void Device. A 
  character who does not attack in an exchange may try to 
  overcome the obstacle and get to the Void Device crate 
  bearers. The Void Cultists always attack someone trying 
  to push through the obstacle. 
  The Cultists and Galleymen try to fend off the PCs 
  while a group of Cultists escape into the Artifex Deeps 
  with the crate. This takes 3 exchanges; on the 4th ex-
  change, figure that the third group of cultists has gone, 
  taking the crate with them. While the Galleymen will 
  flee before dying, the remaining Cultists will defend the 
  Void Device with their lives.
  The Void Device is described in Scene Five: The At-
  tack on the Void Temple (page 57).
  
  55
  Introductory Adventure
  If the PCs don’t get involved, the scene ends with the 
  crate and any captives delivered to the Void Cultists, who 
  disappear into the Artifex Deeps (page 44) to the Void 
  Temple (page 49). If they realise they’re being followed, 
  they quickly recruit help once in the Deeps: see Scene 
  Four: Penetrating the Undercity (page 57). 
  Things to Find in the Galley
   • On a Fair (+2) Investigation roll, the PCs find 
  signs that at least one of the missing people was 
  on the ship at some point.  
   • Annotations on the sea charts and land maps in 
  the Captain’s Cabin (area f) lead to Wormhollow 
  Vale (page 42). 
  Where Do We Go From Here?
   • Track the Void Cultists to Scene Four: Pene-
  trating the Undercity (page 57) or even directly 
  to Scene Five: The Attack on the Void Temple 
  (page 57). 
   • Maybe see Jigizli the Void Cult contact: see 
  Scene 3: Investigation in the Artifex Wharves. 
   • Maybe check out Zangazi’s (page 39) if the trail 
  goes cold. 
  Scene Three: Investigation 
  in the Artifex Wharves
  Situation Aspects: Everyone’s Afraid of Something; No-
  body Talks About the Witch; You’re Not From Around Here.
  Depending on how much momentum the PCs 
  have in their investigation, it’s likely they’ll want to in-
  vestigate the aboveground Artifex Wharves—even if 
  it’s only to check out Zangazi’s and get into the Artifex 
  Deeps. 
  Finding a Lead
  The personalities in the Artifex Wharves have lots to 
  say about recent events, and many have links to the Void 
  Cult. Depending on the direction the PCs take, people 
  can be encountered at their workplace, after hours in 
  Zangazi’s, or even on the street. The PCs should gradu-
  ally find out information such as:
   • There’s a group of ne’er-do-wells operating in the 
  neighbourhood, worse than the usual gangsters. 
   • Some people say they’re part of an evil cult, ded-
  icated to the Reavers or the Great Hegemonist.
  
  56
  The Swallower of SoulS
   • Some say they’re followers of the old Witch of 
  Hespin, killed in a blaze in tunnels beneath the 
  city—the Artifex Deeps—a year ago. 
   • Eventually the PCs should realise that all paths 
  lead to the Artifex Deeps. 
  Where Do We Go From Here?
   • The PCs will have realised they need to go into 
  the Artifex Deeps. See Scene Four: Penetrating 
  the Undercity.  
  The Void Device—The 
  Swallower of Souls
  The PCs probably encounter the Swallower of Souls 
  here, although they may have come into contact with 
  it in Scene One: The Abductions on the Water-
  front (page 52). It’s a Helemor mechanism, tens of 
  thousands of years old, a terrifying and lethal combi-
  nation of technology and sorcery. It’s so dangerous to 
  even touch that it’s transported in a blackened wood-
  en crate.
  The Void Device is a silver apparatus, an open 
  framework of struts and supports of square and tu-
  bular cross-section (60cm x 45cm x 45cm), with a 
  25cm-diameter globe of the blackest night at its cen-
  tre. The globe emits a black “steam” which seems to 
  bend light and distort reality. The apparatus ema-
  nates the most terrible cold. 
  Powers of the Void Device
   • Drain Life At a Distance: The device uses its 
  Superb (+5) Void skill to sap energy from a single 
  target up to 1 zone away, doing physical stress 
  damage, resisted by Physique or an appropriate 
  stunt, zoan, or power skill. Armour offers no 
  protection. 
   • Aura of Cold: At the end of every exchange, any 
  living thing in the same zone suffers a Superb 
  (+5) Void cold attack, resisted with Void, Phy-
  sique, or Athletics (the latter means you leap out 
  of range). Armour protects against cold damage. 
  When the crate is closed, the attack isn’t effective 
  (although you can still feel the cold). 
   • Swallow Soul: Anyone touching the black globe 
  at the heart of the device must resist Superb (+5) 
  Void with their own Void skill or be immediately 
  taken out. If they survive, they gain a Void skill at 
  Average (+1) and a Void aspect (something like 
  Touched By the Frozen Song of the Cosmic 
  Void). If they’re taken out, their shrieking body is 
  swallowed by a black flapping shape which then 
  detaches itself from the device as a Medium (+0)-
  sized flay—a Void Elemental!
  Cultists may take the Void Device as an extra. 
  What To Do With 
  the Void Device
  A Superb (+5) Lore roll links the Void Device with 
  the recent Devastation of Korudav and the ancient 
  Bright Death of Larum (perhaps invoking the Unit-
  ed by the Devastation of Korudav game aspect). 
  In other words, it’s not something the PCs should be 
  fiddling with!  
  The PCs can destroy the device. All they have to 
  do is destroy the framework containing the sphere of 
  black energy at its heart. The moment the sphere rolls 
  from its mount and touches the ground, it sets off an 
  implosion which sucks in all matter in a 500-metre 
  radius, destroying the Artifex Wharves and leaving 
  a deep crater which rapidly fills up with water from 
  the Ethereal Strait (Kados has a new lagoon!). 
  Assuming the PCs don’t do that, the Temple of 
  Khosht would be very interested to take a look at the 
  Void Device. After all, it’s a pereprae, a device of the 
  ancients, and worthy of research! At the same time, 
  if the Temple of Unthar got wind of it, they’d recom-
  mend it being nailed back up in its crate and locked 
  away in the Viridian Temple archives in a perma-
  nent Chronoabdication field. Some things just can’t 
  be handled. 
  Both temples would provide the PCs with a 
  Community aspect if they donated the Void Device. 
  Then, of course, there are the legions. And the Crys-
  tal Citadel would surely be interested in having such 
  a powerful artefact. You can trust the Avatar—as-
  suming you can find him!
  
  57
  Introductory Adventure
  Scene Four: Penetrating 
  the Undercity
  Situation Aspects: There’s a Whole City Underground; 
  Distant Cries and Leaping Shadows; Doors and Alleys 
  Everywhere.
  “Scene Four” is probably more than one scene: it’s part 
  city adventure and part classic dungeon crawl, the explo-
  ration of the Kados’s lawless undercity and its desperate 
  inhabitants. Let the players search the tunnels and chew 
  on the scenery until they find a lead or the Void Cultists 
  attack!
  The Artifex Deeps are a weird “community”, ancient, 
  vicious, deadly—but not without a certain morbidly cyn-
  ical humour. Life here is cheap, but not without fire.
  Finding a Lead
  By this point the PCs probably know they’re hunting a 
  band of cultists hidden beneath the Artifex Wharves. The 
  community in the Deeps may surprise them! Eventually, 
  they may realise that they’re looking for a temple. They 
  may wonder what was in that strange cold crate. They may 
  also wonder who’s leading the cultists—and if the Witch 
  of Hespin did in fact die last year. 
  Sending in the Ninjas
  Various conflict encounters are possible in the Artifex 
  Deeps, each a scene in its own right. The PCs may en-
  counter Brother Benveg and his Dependers, Boss Drag 
  and his minions, and of course the Void Cultists. 
  Where Do We Go From Here?
   • At some point the PCs should either happen 
  upon, be led to, or figure out the location of, the 
  Void Temple (page 49). It’s even possible to get 
  taken out (page 14) and wake up a prisoner there!
  Scene Five: The Attack 
  on the Void Temple
  Situation Aspects: Murderous Cultists, Cornered Rats; 
  Disconcerting Howls; Returned From the Dead?
  This may be more than one scene, or a single cli-
  mactic conflict to end the adventure. The PCs discover 
  the Void Temple and battle against the cultists and the 
  nefarious Witch of Hespin. If they haven’t already, they 
  discover the Void Device, the “Swallower of Souls”, a 
  weirdly living semi-sorcerous mechanism that uses the 
  souls of living intelligent beings as power. 
  The Void Temple defenders are:
   •
  Keleshtra, the Witch of Hespin (page 50), attack-
  ing using the device’s Drain Life power, or feeding 
  slaves to the Device and summoning flay (page 50);
   • Zineworn, the Holy Warrior of the Void (page 51);
   • 1 group of 3 Fair (+2) cultists for each PC;
   • one flay per exchange that Keleshtra is able to 
  feed a soul into the Void Device (see below).
  Assuming a party of 5 PCs, this means seventeen or more 
  defenders: Keleshtra, Zineworn, 5 groups of 3 cultists, 
  and a variable number of flay. Zineworn and the cultists 
  will be an obstacle to anyone trying to push through to 
  Keleshtra, with a difficulty equal to their total number.  
  Who Is the Boss Fight Actually With?
  The opposition the PCs face depends on how stealthy 
  they’ve been. Sensible attackers don’t announce their 
  arrival. If warned, the Void Cultists muster every single 
  defender to meet the PCs, with all of the available slaves 
  (page 49) herded into the Unholy of Unholies to feed 
  the Void Device and pump out flay. If the PCs are smart, 
  stealthy, and lucky, they’ll sneak in, bumping off sentries 
  and avoiding an all-out battle until as late as possible.
  Play the encounter by ear, and ensure the PCs’ choic-
  es and actions have consequences. If the party is stupid 
  and ill-prepared, this encounter can kill in horrible ways. 
  If they’re smart, let them end up facing Keleshtra and the 
  Void Device, a handful of cultists, and one or two flay. 
  It’s the final climactic scene. It’s okay if everyone dies 
  horribly. Have fun!
  ePilogue: reWards 
  and advanCements, 
  and next stePs
  The events of The Swallower of Souls are at an end. Did 
  your players succeed? Did they survive?
  Normally in a game of The Chronicles of Future 
  Earth, at this point you’d hand out advancement points, 
  which your players can use to improve their character’s 
  abilities. Sometimes you’ll do this after every session of 
  
  58
  The Swallower of SoulS
  play; characters can improve their skills, add new ones, 
  learn new magics and abilities, and even unlock new 
  powers for their magical items, artefacts, and bound de-
  mons. In time, they’ll rise to become movers and shakers 
  of the Springtide Civilisations. What will they do with 
  that power? The world cries out for Heroes—will they 
  answer the call? 
  This introductory adventure has dropped a few hints 
  along the way of adventures to come. You can design 
  your own right now, using the information provided in 
  this Quickstart; there are maps, rules, and ideas which 
  you can explore further. Also, we’re providing a continu-
  ation of events begun here in our first adventure for The 
  Chronicles of Future Earth, Wormhollow Vale, a massive 
  campaign on the Autocracy’s wild northern frontier. You 
  can play it standalone, or you can take your characters 
  from The Swallower of Souls, as they find the rot they have 
  uncovered goes deep within…
  CheCK out “the 
  ChroniCles of 
  future earth” 
  Core BooK!
  We hope you’ve enjoyed reading and playing this Quick-
  start, and the taste it’s given you of The Chronicles of Fu-
  ture Earth—Cosmic Fantasy Roleplaying in the Post-His-
  torical Age. You can find out more about the game and 
  its line of supplements, play aids, and adventures at www.
  mindjammerpress.com, including the fantastic full-col-
  our hardback core book, which features:
   • Complete game rules based on the Fate Core 
  System, tailored for cosmic fantasy roleplaying;
   • Kindreds and homelands for human, jeniri, and 
  esteri characters in the lands of the Springtide 
  Civilisations;
   • Maps and gazetteer of the Springtide Civilisations, 
  focusing on the Venerable Autocracy of Sakara;
   • Rules for magic, divine powers, sorcery, demons, 
  and avatars, including writeups of all the Gods of 
  the Great Compact;
   • Secrets and mysteries, including the earth-shat-
  tering powers of the Great Hegemonist and the 
  Reaver Gods;
   • Histories and prehistories of the world of Future 
  Earth, including the mysteries of its origins;
   • Rules and descriptions for the mystical arts of 
  Tiridat and Hsuntach, the Paladoi Mindstones, 
  and the mysterious artefacts of the Ancients;
   • Rules for the mind-bending worlds and dimensions 
  found through the fabulous Planing Machines;
   • A bestiary of creatures found in the Earth of the 
  Post-Historical Age;
   • Rules and suggestions for playing in the 
  “Post-Historical Age” of Earth’s far future, in-
  cluding how to bring its themes and tropes to life 
  at your table;
   • And much, much more!
  As well as the core book, we’re also proposing:
   • Chronicles Dice and Tokens;
   • Sourcebooks detailing the Venerable Autocracy 
  and the other lands of the Springtide Civilisations;
   • A series of independent yet linked scenarios, 
  which join together into an epic campaign! 
  Please join us—the world cries out for Heroes!
  Welcome to The Chronicles of Future Earth!
  
  The OGL
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  4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, 
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  Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written 
  permission from the Contributor to do so. 
  12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the 
  terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content 
  due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not 
  Use any Open Game Material so affected. 
  13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to com-
  ply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of be-
  coming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of 
  this License. 
  14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforcea-
  ble, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it 
  enforceable. 
  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  Fate Core System and Fate Accelerated Edition © 2013 by Evil Hat Produc-
  tions, LLC. Developed, authored, and edited by Leonard Balsera, Brian En-
  gard, Jeremy Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson, Clark Valentine, Amanda 
  Valentine, Fred Hicks, and Rob Donoghue. 
  Fate System Toolkit © 2013 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Developed, au-
  thored, and edited by Robert Donoghue, Brian Engard, Brennan Taylor, Mike 
  Olson, Mark Diaz Truman, Fred Hicks, and Matthew Gandy.
  Mindjammer — The Roleplaying Game © 2014 by Mindjammer Press Limit-
  ed. Developed, authored, and edited by Sarah Newton.
  The Swallower of Souls and The Chronicles of Future Earth—Cosmic Fantasy 
  Roleplaying in the Post-historical Age © 2018 by Mindjammer Press Limited. 
  Developed, authored, and edited by Sarah Newton.
  In accordance with the Open Game License Section 8 “Identification” the 
  following is designated Open Game Content and Product Identity: 
  OPEN GAME CONTENT 
  All new rules elements in the section entitled How To Play The Chronicles of 
  Future Earth (page 7 to 21). 
  PRODUCT IDENTITY 
  The following parts of this document are designated as Product Identity and 
  hence excluded from the designation of Open Game Content: all artwork, 
  logos, symbols, designs, depictions, illustrations, maps and cartography, like-
  nesses, and other graphics, unless specifically identified as Open Game Con-
  tent; any elements of the Chronicles of Future Earth setting, including but 
  not limited to capitalised names, temple, legion, and god names, characters, 
  historic events, organisations and communities; any and all stories, storylines, 
  plots, thematic elements, documents within the game worlds, quotes from 
  characters or documents, and dialogue; all kindred, homeland, and occupation 
  names and descriptions; all descriptions of demons, avatars, artefacts, zoans, 
  and other extras; all gazetteer entries.
  
  a short 
  glossary
  Aiforia: A hot, tropical province in 
  the south of the Autocracy.
  Alagin: A material like natural fi-
  bre-glass grown by the alien Hsun. 
  Used instead of metal throughout the 
  Springtide Civilisations.
  Beyond the Veil: Generic term for 
  any place “not of this world”. Demons 
  hail from beyond the Veil, and the 
  Great Hegemonist is banished there. 
  Chelother: A toothed, clawed rela-
  tive of the horse, often used as a battle 
  steed by Autocracy legionnaires. 
  Cousins of Man, the: See Jeniri.
  Devastation of Korudav, The: The 
  recent destruction of a large part of 
  the precincts of the city of Korudav, 
  which has caused chaos in Hivernium 
  and panic throughout the Autocracy.
  Doom of Nayarak: The magical ca-
  tastrophe which destroyed the Empire 
  of Tlan and precipitated the Time of 
  Snows.
  Elemental Cults: Primitive wor-
  ship of the seven elements of Sakari 
  cosmology and their elementals. 
  Empire of Tlan: The Empire of the 
  Wizard Kings which preceded the 
  Time of Snows.
  Esteri: The often very exotic non-hu-
  man species of the Earth, who often 
  live outside the boundaries of human 
  lands. Also called the Not-Men of 
  Earth.
  Firecloud, The: The explosion of 
  Akemenek Precinct which caused the 
  Devastation of Korudav. 
  Flyer: A vehicle of the ancients: a me-
  tallic, teardrop-like artefact capable 
  of flying through the air.  
  Gods of the Great Compact, 
  The: The twenty divine beings who 
  cooporated with humankind to de-
  feat the Great Hegemonist. Wor-
  shipped throughout the Springtide 
  Civilisations. 
  Great Compact, The: The cosmic 
  agreement by which the Gods and hu-
  mankind united to defeat the Great 
  Hegemonist and preserve the universe. 
  Great Hegemonist, The: A terrify-
  ing deity of eternal oppression which 
  brought the universe to its knees during 
  the Armageddon of the Gods. 
  Helemor: A mythical Jeniri species of 
  evil servitors of the Great Hegemonist. 
  They are said still to exist beyond the Veil.
  Helemoriad, The: The great religious 
  text of the Springtide Civilisations, 
  which tells of the war against the Great 
  Hegemonist and his ultimate defeat.
  Hivernium: A peninsula of Yurasha 
  and northernmost part of the Venerable 
  Autocracy, it has cold winters and cool 
  summers. Location of Elikan and Ko-
  rudav provinces. 
  Hsun: An Esteri species, experts in the 
  art of Hsuntach. Also called Spiderfolk.
  Hsuntach: Living organic equipment 
  grown by the Hsun. Includes alagin 
  and zoans.
  Jeniri: The many humanoid species 
  which share the Earth with human-
  kind. Also called The Cousins  of Man.
  Ladabran: A world accessible via the 
  planing machine beneath the Autocra-
  tor’s palace in Kados, source of much of 
  the world’s steel. 
  Magigi: A Jeniri species of red skinned 
  giants. 
  Manatine: A power conduit of the an-
  cients, proximity to which can recharge 
  exhausted artefacts. Most manatines no 
  longer function.
  Not-Men of Earth: See Esteri.
  Ornither: A four-legged birdlike 
  mount, often used by the Virikki.
  Planing Machine: A miraculous arti-
  fact of the ancients which permits trav-
  el to other worlds. 
  Reaver Gods, The: The array of night-
  marish destroyer deities unleashed upon 
  the cosmos by the Great Hegemonist 
  following the Armageddon of the Gods. 
  Shakh: A common term for the Chaos 
  Beasts of Yurasha. There are many 
  types.
  Spider Folk: See Hsun.
  Stuyvos: A bleak airless world acces-
  sible via the planing machine beneath 
  the Autocrator’s palace, homeworld of 
  the Stuyvosian Guard.  
  Terchus Plain: Location of the deci-
  sive battle of the Armageddon of the 
  Gods which saw the defeat of the Great 
  Hegemonist. It’s unknown if this is a 
  physical place, a concept, or even anoth-
  er dimension.
  Tharion: The sacred market of Thar, an 
  aspect of Vareltian, God of Trade. 
  Tharius: The formal name of the high 
  denomination gold coin used in the Au-
  tocracy, commonly called a “templar”.  
  Time of Snows, The: The early part of 
  the current ice age, when the northern 
  civilisations were frozen beneath gla-
  ciers and huge migrations took place.
  Undercity: The extensive and often in-
  habited and lawless tunnels which lie 
  beneath most of the great cities of the 
  Springtide Civilisations.
  Venerable Autocracy, The: Oldest and 
  largest of the Springtide Civilisations, 
  also called the Empire of Sakara or the 
  Sakari Empire. 
  Virikki: A Jeniri species of savants, 
  psionicists, and traders. They have dry, 
  almost reptilian blue skin. 
  Void: One of the seven elements of 
  Sakari cosmology, representing annihi-
  lation and non-being. 
  Void Cult: An endemic rot within 
  Sakari society, a cult of witches and 
  despicable acts exalting the Great He-
  gemonist and the Reaver Gods. 
  Zoans: Replacement limbs and organs 
  grown by the alien Hsun. Their abili-
  ties may exceed human norms. 
  Zoic Science: Another name for 
  Hsuntach.
  
  index
  Actions ..................................................... 11
  Alagin ....................................................... 17 
  Artefacts ................................................... 20 
  Aspects ........................................................9 
  Attack Actions ........................................ 11
  Attacking Multiple Targets .................. 13 
  Bonus Cap, The .........................................8
  Burning Stress to Improve Rolls ......... 14 
  Cantrips ................................................... 17 
  City Encounters ..................................... 35
  City Rumours ......................................... 36
  Coinage .................................................... 17 
  Combining Skills ......................................8
  Compelling ............................................. 10
  Conceding a Conflict ............................ 14 
  Conflicts .................................................. 12 
  Contests ................................................... 12 
  Cosmic Fantasy .........................................6 
  Costly Successes ........................................9 
  Criticals and Fumbles ...............................9 
  Critical Aspects ...................................... 11
  Declarations ............................................ 10 
  Defend Actions ...................................... 12 
  Demons and Avatars ............................. 19 
  Difficulties ..................................................8 
  Doom ....................................................... 10 
  Equipment  .............................................. 16 
  Experience and Advancement .......21, 56
  Extras ........................................................ 20 
  Fate Points ............................................... 11 
  Gods of the Great Compact, The ....... 18 
  Healing and Recovery ........................... 15 
  How to Play ................................................7
  How to Roll the Dice ...............................7
  Humans, Jeniri, and Esteri ......................5
  Initiative  .................................................. 13 
  Interpreting the Results ...........................9 
  Invoking  .....................................................9 
  Ladder, The .................................................8 
  Lord Vile, The Eternal Hunger ........... 50 
  Magical Healing ..................................... 15 
  Manoeuvres ............................................. 12 
  Multiple Defences .................................. 13 
  Obstacles .................................................. 11 
  Opposition .............................................. 21 
  Overcome Actions ................................. 12 
  Pillars, Houses, and Bloodlines ..............5
  Power Skills ............................................. 19
  Power Stunts and Divine Magic ......... 17 
  Pregenerated Characters ....................... 21
  Psionics and Mysticism ......................... 20 
  Sex and Gender .........................................6
  Scenes ....................................................... 52 
  Scene One: 
    The Abductions on the Waterfront .. 52
  Scene Two: 
    The Stake Out at the Black Galley .... 53
  Scene Three: 
    Investigation in the Artifex Wharves 55
  Scene Four: 
    Penetrating the Undercity .................. 57
  Scene Five: 
    The Attack on the Void Temple ........ 57
  Situation Aspects ................................... 10 
  Skills .............................................................7
  Sorcery ...................................................... 19 
  Stress ......................................................... 13
  Stress Increases and Reductions .......... 16 
  Stunts ...........................................................9 
  Surviving a Taken Out Result ............. 14 
  Taken Out ............................................... 14 
  Teamwork ................................................ 16 
  Ties ...............................................................8
  Time Ladder ........................................... 19 
  Void Cult, The ........................................ 31 
  Void Device, The .................................... 56 
  Zoans ........................................................ 17 
  Zones and Ranges .................................. 15
  Locations
  Artifex Deeps, The ................................. 44
  Black Galley, The .................................... 42
  Glorious Kados—The Eternal City .... 34
  Ludus Pandoricon, The ......................... 37 
  Void Temple, The ................................... 49
  Zangazi’s ................................................... 39
  Creatures
  Beast of Morbias, The......................43, 44 
  Flay, Void Elemental .............................. 50 
  Rathamon Urthai the Earth Demon . 41
  Personalities
  Boss Drag ................................................. 46 
  Boss Drag’s Draggers ............................. 46
  Brother Benveg ....................................... 48 
  Dependers, The ....................................... 48 
  Formaris the Powderer .......................... 40
  Galleymen Minions ............................... 43 
  Gedge’s Assassin ..................................... 45 
  Keleshtra the Void Priestess, 
    the Witch of Hespin............................ 50
  Lieutenant Jord....................................... 46 
  Men of the Black Galleys ................42, 43
  Raniera the Haunted ............................. 40
  Void Cultists .....................................50, 51 
  White Blades, The .................................. 53
  Zineworn the Holy Void Warrior ....... 51
  Tables
  Table 1: The Ladder ..................................8
  Table 2: Initiative Determination ....... 13
  Table 3: Melee and Ranged 
    Combat Ranges .................................... 15
  Table 4: The Gods of the 
    Great Compact ..................................... 18
  Table 5: Part of the Time Ladder ....... 19
  Table 6: City Encounters ...................... 35
  Table 7: City Rumours.......................... 36
  
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  ISBN: 978-1-911380-50-4
  SKU: MUH042300
  Cover illustration: Jason Juta
  Cosmic Fantasy Roleplaying in the Post-Historical Age
  In the last centuries of the Fifth Cycliad, a great malaise began to 
  descend on the lands of humankind. The great civilisations of the 
  Earth, which for aeons had seemed on the verge of slumber, now 
  finally began to rot from within. From the edges of the world, the 
  ever-present enemies drew close, their hungry claws poised to tear 
  apart the delicate flesh of a fruit a hundred millennia in the rip-
  ening. And all around, a cry arose for Heroes, to stand against 
  the dying of the light, and save the world from the sins of its past.
  The Swallower of Souls is the Quickstart Rules and In-
  troductory Adventure for the The Chronicles of Future 
  Earth, the brand new cosmic fantasy roleplaying game 
  from Mindjammer Press. Set in the far, far future of 
  our planet Earth, it’s a game of sorcery and demons, of 
  fallen civilisations and ancient technologies, of mon-
  sters and mysteries and mind-shattering dimensions. 
  This Quickstart provides everything you need to play 
  - a modified version of the Fate Core rules, specially 
  tailored for cosmic fantasy roleplaying, six pregenerat-
  ed characters, and an action-packed adventure in the 
  Eternal City of Kados, spanning one or two sessions 
  of play. 
  Some said it was the end of days. Some said it was only the be-
  ginning. These adventures tell the history of that time yet to come. 
  These are the Chronicles of Future Earth...
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/FATE (fudge) [multi]/Mindjammer - Fate/MUH042300 - Chronicles of Future Earth - The Swallower of Souls Quickstart v3.pdf