the Carious, a large, mostly underground and underwater fortress that houses around 5,000 creatures. This place of science and experimentation is secluded, but not necessarily closed off to those who find their way to its doors.
The majority of the complex’s inhabitants are kathons, brilliant bioautomatons that constantly modify and enhance themselves, those around them, and anything else they
What “true” means is known only to the spoolwoods, for they are ancient and their original purpose is long lost. However, there is always a philethis in the background of one of the possible futures, which could be a key to the trees’ motives.
To best show the futures that the spoolwoods foretell, GMs could show images to the players instead of giving verbal descriptions. The images on page 5, 29, or 110 all feature a philethis in the background and would be good choices. Philethis, page 252 Hovering spoolwood: level 3, tasks related to telepathy, perception, and deception as level 6; whipbranch attacks do 3 points of damage; they can grab a creature and pass it along from tree to tree until they dump it back on the shore of the island
“The body is the only true lab, the perfect resource for experimentation, learning, and growth. Every element of the world is enclosed within the body, ripe for our hands and minds. It is the reason the all-knowing experimenter built us this way, so
that we might follow in his path of enlightenment and knowledge.” ~ chirog Ninaki
can get their hands and brains on. The complex is run by a cete of a hundred and one kathons, each of whom has a specific role within the group. Although most kathons are focused on their work, they also exhibit a hospitable, kind nature and are, for the most part, highly social creatures, able to interact with almost anyone.
The complex is easy to find, even from far away, because the uppermost floor (the only one above ground, and it is way above ground, rising nearly 100 feet [30 m] over the tops of the trees) is a structure made of solid light. This is where the labs are housed, each one labeled with a symbol. Light bridges extend out to the end points of the island, as well as all the way to Angmorl. A second, smaller structure rises above the water between the two islands. It is here that ceremonies, public events, and other large gatherings and festivals take place. Despite being made of light, the top floor is impossible to see into or out of without augmentation. Only the floors are transparent, allowing a view downward into whatever forest or waterscape is below.
Being experimented on and modified is such a vital part of kathon culture that they struggle to understand those who choose not to participate in this great
RYNACH HEARSAY
Glass Trappings: A creature that seems to be made of fog and smoke has been caught inside a transparent box trap. It speaks in a voice that sounds like rain on the roof, and is deathly afraid of the trap’s owner, which it believes is coming back soon to turn it into some type of medicine.
Golden Blight: A square patch of spoolwoods has recently started to turn golden, a sign that the trees are passing on to their next phase of life, allowing new spoolwoods to take their place. However, something in the area is keeping them from fully dying. The trees ask for help from all who pass by, promising beautiful dreams in return.
THE WEIRD OF RYNACH
Tangled Roots: In the wee hours of the morning, a band of yellow snakes sometimes begin to writhe together around the base of a tree. When they are finished, they slither away, leaving behind a metal device full of pipes that dissolves in the next rainstorm. Buried Treasure: Along the eastern shore of Rynach, a claw-like object that is nearly 10 feet (3 m) high and 8 feet (2 m) around protrudes from the earth. It sounds hollow when it’s banged on, but the material it’s made from is unknown and seems impenetrable.
its name. A child receives a three-part name before it is conceived—the first part is the lab where it will work throughout its life, the second is the name of its experimentation spirit animal (used only by other kathons who work on the child), and the third is the common name that everyone uses.
Kathons share the complex with a wide variety of other living things—companions, pets, livestock, plants, and wild creatures— all of which take part in experimentation and augmentation. Perhaps the most famous of these are the guins, bioenhanced, cybernetic mounts that are bred and enhanced for their long-term relationship with the kathons. These creatures take on the roles of companions, friends, mounts, protectors, and family members, living in ornate waterways inside kathon homes that provide free access to both the house and the ocean. They speak using a combination of whistles and machine language, and they travel great distances at great speeds. Most guins are created to fit and transport a specific kathon inside their mount compartment, but others can carry up to three individuals.
ANGMORL
Angmorl is the second largest of the islands in the Cays. Most of it is full of freshwater lakes, waterfalls, and tall, rocky structures called clads that are sharply chiseled and often arranged in a circular pattern around the shores of a body of water. Clads are hollow, with large trapezoidal holes at their bases, and have a number of levels that can be accessed by climbing up indents chiseled along the inside walls. The original indents are about 12 feet (4 m) apart, so most of them have additional, newer hand- and footholds to make it easier for humans to climb them. opportunity for learning and growth.
From the time they’re conceived—and sometimes even before that—kathons receive enhancements, mutations, and additions. Egg injections, neonatal brain buds, and prebirth muscle stimulants are all common, as are mechanical and biological implants and replacements, cross-species experiments, and genome alterations. The goal is never to create a certain look or even a certain type of personality; the drive is always a greater understanding.
The only two things that stay the same about a kathon through its life are its lab and
“Orlerfish are intelligent, fast, and eat flesh of any kind. They have been known to strip a human being of flesh in less time than it takes him to yell for help. At least their bite is full of a numbing poison, so you can’t feel them tearing your flesh from your . . . whatever that stuff is that’s inside your skin. I would like to
capture one and keep it as my pet. However, they keep biting me.” ~ Carl Linnal, naturalist
Guin: level 3, navigation and swimming as level 4; weapon modifications deal 4 points of damage Kathons speak a version of the Truth that sounds warmer and more melodic than it typically sounds elsewhere. They assert that it’s because the language itself was created by kathon experimenters thousands of years ago, deep within the Complex of the Carious.
and growls that can be heard throughout the area. Signs around the former king’s home proclaim that they call themselves the nex. They have gained a small number of human assistants—some who volunteered, others who were forced into service—and are likely planning to add more.
DARRAD
“Beware the blue man—you’re not allowed to remember him.”
~a popular toast in Darrad
Located inland, Darrad is a sprawling town in terms of the land it covers, but it is sparsely populated, boasting fewer than 2,000 inhabitants. Darrad has a history as a mining town, and beneath the simple structures is a complex maze of tunnels and pathways that were used to access the materials: a blue essence that was stuck between the stones and could be used to power numenera devices and machines of all sorts. Most people in the area worked for Blue Datasphere, a large mining company that collected and stored the essence, Clads are always surrounded by what
appear to be low-hanging clouds or thick mist. These clouds are actually the nests of creatures called orlerfish. Orlerfish lay streams of eggs in the ocean, creating cloudy patches that rise into the air. The eggclouds hover for months and then rain hundreds of small fish back down into the water.
VESYM
Vesym is sometimes called Dog City, for long ago it was overrun by a feral population of large canines. Once loyal companions to Zhaind, the king of Vesym, these canines, some twice the size of a human, turned on their leader while he slept and ate every last bit of him. No one knows what provoked them, or why they have since developed an odd habit of sometimes walking on their hind legs and using their dewclaws like opposable thumbs. A few of them have even learned to write, although they are unable to emulate speech.
The canines have taken over the king’s residence, sleeping in his bed, and have ruled the town as a pack, using scare-tactic snarls
Nex: level 5, intimidation and coercion as level 6; Armor 1
Addiction rates are high in Darrad, and a drink called blueminer’s blood is particularly popular. Made from a sugary red flower mixed with a bit of blue essence, it is highly addictive and hallucinogenic. It also leaves drinkers’ lips black for a few minutes after drinking.