Gaudy jewel of Vaarn’s southern badlands, the city of a thousand shaded bazaars, a thirsty, bustling morass of dusty courtyards and guild halls and artisans’ workshops. If there is something to be sold in Vaarn, then Gnomon is the place to buy it. Everything within the crumbling blue walls of the city has a price: water, food, song, love, and death.
The city’s signature landmark is the Apex of Gnomon, a towering blade of dark metal that stands in the midst of the city, casting a long shadow over the buildings that crowd around it. The Apex is a relic of the lost civilisation that preceded the Age of the Titans, and none now recall its original purpose. The wealthy make their homes upon the arcing back of the Apex; those less fortunate live in the blue dirt. The districts around the Apex are built in traditional Vaarnish style, townhouses moulded from bruise-blue clay and aged wooden beams. The city is defended by a low wall, although the wind-blown sand of a thousand generations has eroded the battlements until their defensive value is largely symbolic.
Vaarnish travellers are drawn to the city for a multitude of reasons.
• Some wish to purchase the fine goods that can be found in Gnomon’s markets. Walking through the souks, one can observe stalls selling Vaarnish carpets, trained falcons, smoked meats, lizard-skin boots, psychedelic mushrooms, finely carved violins, elegant glassware, synthetic limbs, spider-silk robes, hardy zoxen, ornate firearms, bottles of dusky champagne, fecund wheels of cheese, and luminous panes of glass, which have been scavenged from the archaic satellites that fall to Urth on summer nights.
• Some visit Gnomon because they seek an audience with officials of the New Hegemony. This august confederation claims to rule over Vaarn, although such edicts ring hollow in the deep desert, where the only law is that the strong survive. Nevertheless, the New Hegemony have conquered the southern badlands of Vaarn, and a garrison of legionaries keeps taxes flowing from Gnomon’s merchants to the distant Hegemon, May Their Name Be Sung Forever.
• Some travellers seek entertainment. The city is famed for its open-air theatres, where actors in rigid masks perform the rote and ritualised dramas of the fallen Autarchy. Gnomon is known also for chariot races, for gambling dens and opium sinks, for pillow-lined passionhouses, and for luxurious tea rooms, where those who fancy themselves wits can debate one of Gnomon’s many pontificating sophists.
• Others still approach Gnomon seeking wisdom, for the city is not only home to a thousand shaded markets, but also to a thousand philosopher’s guilds and esoteric colleges. The study of the lost wisdom of the ancients is feverishly pursued. Tech-priests, petty gurus, science mystics, and alchemists compete for patrons, prestige, and precious glimpses of the knowledge that was lost during the Great Collapse.
• Some may come to Gnomon seeking justice, for this trader’s city is also the site of the Crimson Court, an ancient fount of bloody judgement. In this roaring crucible steel-swathed and sweat-slick Advocates deliberate in the sight of Gods and beggars alike the merits of legal cases civil and criminal, and in the spray of heartsblood upon the blue sands can a contract be enforced or unmade.
This issue of Vaults of Vaarn is intended to complement and deepen the content found in the first instalment, which sketched out the world of Vaarn and described the misfits who might adventure there. Issue two provides a closer look at an urban location, which could be used by the referee in a few ways.
Firstly, the city of Gnomon could act as a home base for a party of vault-raiders. They can rest, relax, spend their ill-gotten loot, and acquire new tools or resources as their adventures demand. If the referee intends to use Gnomon in this way, it is suggested that they tone down the internal conflicts festering within the city, and make Gnomon safer than the wastelands outside its walls.
Alternatively, the city can act as a focal campaign setting in itself. In this case, the referee is advised to avail themselves of the major factions detailed in this supplement, and utilise at least one or two of them as recurring antagonists for the players. The referee should also use the generators provided to create minor factions and organisations that could help or hinder the players in their goals.
A solid foundation for a campaign could involve pitting the players against the agents of Ancamulla the Water Baron, adding the Hegemony Consul Larke xan Lonrot and the gangster Prieval Prise into the mix as potential enemies or allies. However, other permutations of hostile and helpful factions are possible. Such techniques are detailed further in the following faction pages.
Enticing a party into travelling to Gnomon should be reasonably simple. If they have uncovered a mysterious item of exotica in one of the vaults beneath Vaarn, then Gnomon is the place to have it appraised. If they are seeking an elusive NPC, then the bustling squares of Gnomon are surely home to someone who knows their whereabouts. If they wish to hire mercenaries, Gnomon is riddled with such desperate, violent wretches. If a character has had their eye put out by the claws of a ravenous lizard-lion, then Gnomon is the ideal place to locate a replacement. And so on.
Gnomon is a kaleidoscope of places, incidents, people, and organisations. The city wears many faces, and no two versions of Gnomon should be the same at different gaming tables. My vision of the city is in the end only a spark; you are invited to kindle it.
Vaarn is a dry and rain-starved country. In the trackless blue deserts, clans of Faa nomads battle over oases and ancient reservoirs. In Gnomon, the largest city in Vaarn, the need for water is even more desperate and the city’s economy is founded on water debt.
By ancient law, distribution of water in Gnomon is controlled by the Water Baron, Ancamulla. The Baron’s Aquifer machine stands at the base of the Apex, and it draws vast quantities of cool, fresh water from deep within the flesh of the Urth. Through a web of pipes and fountains, the city drinks at the Baron’s pleasure.
Access to water is administered by the Water Baron’s clerks and mercenaries. The poor drink from public fountains, while wealthier residents of Gnomon have private pipelines installed in their townhouses. All must pay the water tax, however, exchanging goods at the Baron’s banks for water debt tokens that are redeemable at public fountains. Each token is worth a day’s drinking water for one person, if they take small sips. The militiamen who man the water fountains may also exchange water for food, weapons, or other luxuries, depending on their mood. All water in Gnomon belongs to the Baron, and bringing water from outside the city walls is forbidden.
The New Hegemony claims dominion over Gnomon and taxes all commerce there; this claim is relatively recent, and conflicts with the Water Baron’s ancient rights over the city.
One might ask why the Hegemony does not bring its military might to bear on the Baron, and seize control of his Aquifer. The answer is simple: Ancamulla has a sabotage device implanted within the mechanism. If he is imprisoned or killed, this device will trigger, and the water supply for Gnomon will cease forever. The city will collapse into anarchy and destroy itself within days. The Hegemony could certainly depose the Water Baron; however, his sabotage device gives them pause. Ruling a living city that pays taxes is preferable to ruling a lifeless husk. Therefore an uneasy peace exists between the two factions. Ancamulla provides a water ration to the Hegemony’s troops and administrators free of charge, and in return is left to tyrannise the common folk of Gnomon as he sees fit.
The precise nature of the Baron’s sabotage device is left to the referee to decide. If it could be uncovered and disabled by the players, the balance of power in Gnomon would change forever.
The players must drink every day (unless they are synthetic). Make them aware of this, and punish them when they aren’t drinking. Inflicting the Deprived tag on them, which prevents them from healing lost HP, is a good start. If they go multiple days without drinking, you may impose stiffer penalties. Make it clear that the Water Baron has a monopoly on potable water in Gnomon, and that they’ll need to pay his militia with water debt tokens every day.
You decide how much a token is worth, but I suggest allowing them to trade an item slot’s worth of equipment for a single token at the Baron’s banks.
If your players are anything like mine, they will immediately start trying to find ways around this extortion. They will steal tokens, steal water from NPCs or from the Baron’s mercenaries, tap into private water pipes, or try to overthrow the Baron entirely and make water free for everyone. This is all good, as it drives conflict. Embrace it.
Gnomon is a trading hub for all of Vaarn, and therefore it is likely that the PCs will find themselves interacting with merchants during their visit. Almost anything imaginable will be for sale somewhere in Gnomon’s Great Souk, located in the Morningshade district.
Vaarn has no universally accepted currency, so interactions with shopkeepers and merchants will require the players to intuit what the seller is willing to accept in exchange for their goods.
I allow my players to make trades that seem reasonable at a glance, assuming that an item slots’ worth of goods can be exchanged for similar. The referee can use the table of approximate prices on the right to aid their judgement. If they are still uncertain whether a trade would be acceptable, they may roll d20 and refer to the table below, modifying with the PC’s EGO bonus.
| 1d20 | Merchant's Reaction |
| 1-3 | They are enraged to the point of physical violence |
| 4-8 | Time-waster, get out of their sight |
| 9-12 | They shrug and look at the sky |
| 13-15 | They want a different item instead |
| 16-19 | They’re willing to make the trade |
| 20+ | They like you enough to throw something extra in |
| Typical Price In Water Debt Tokens | |
| A Day’s Water | 1 Token |
| Sturdy Boots | 1 Token |
| Flash-bangs (5) | 1 Token |
| Mortar & Pestle | 1 Token |
| Hourglass | 1 Token |
| Tube of Omni-Glue | 1 Token |
| Flare (5) | 1 Token |
| Light Weapon (d6) | 2 Tokens |
| Motion Sensor | 2 Tokens |
| Autoglot Translator | 2 Tokens |
| Magnetic Boots | 2 Tokens |
| Hologram Projector | 2 Tokens |
| Medium Weapon (d8) | 3 Tokens |
| Light Armour (12/+2) | 3 Tokens |
| Rare Book | 4 Tokens |
| Luxury Clothes | 4 Tokens |
| Replacement Limb | 5 Tokens |
| Heavy Weapon (d10) | 5 Tokens |
| Heavy Armour (16/+6) | 6 Tokens |
| Hypergeometric Object | 15 Tokens |
| Pack Camel | 20 Tokens |
| Auto-Chariot | 50 Tokens |
| Small Wind-Barge | 150 Tokens |
| Modest Townhouse | 200 Tokens |
- Synthetic. The Baron is a golden box, the size of a heavy dictionary.
- His original brain was human; Ancamulla copied himself into a mechanical body centuries ago.
- Has attachments that allow him to see, hear, speak, and manipulate objects. He can walk, but is usually carried around on a pillow by one of his wives.
- Bored, petty, rude. Enjoys being begged for things.
- Hoards wealth inside his opulent palace, but gets little joy from it.
- The Baron Wants: to expel the Hegemony from Gnomon.
ALLY: Ancamulla is envisioned as an antagonist for the players. However, if the referee desires to make him more sympathetic, Ancamulla could be a benevolent figure, giving the water away for free. In this scenario it is Consul Lonrot who wishes to seize control of the Aquifer, thereby securing his hold over the city and perhaps winning the Hegemon’s favour. Alternatively, the Baron could be rarely seen outside the Aquifer; it turns out his own militia captains have held him hostage for years, and it is their corruption and greed that rules Gnomon. Perhaps Ancamulla is devoted to his work within the Aquifer machine, and has little idea of what is being done in his name.
VILLAIN: Hopefully a story that writes itself. Ancamulla is a wealthy, cruel monopolist who has a stranglehold on the most valuable resource in the city. As a machine, he can never experience the thirst that terrifies those under him. Show the players the Baron’s militia denying begging families a drink, smashing open barrels of illegal water, and imprisoning people for water debt. They will probably want to do something about this.
Synthetic
| HD: 3 | Armour: 24 (Ancient Warding Field) |
| Morale: 1 | Attacks: Feeble Swipe (d4) |
| Notes: Ancamulla does not expect to fight; he has mercenaries for that. If in mortal danger he will likely flee or try to bargain using his wealth. His chassis is fitted with an ancient Warding Field, which renders most kinetic attacks against his person harmless. A well-timed EMP would disrupt the warding field, reducing him to his natural Armour of 11. | |
- Rabble of thugs, cutthroats, and layabouts. Used by the Water Baron to collect debt and guard the public fountains.
- Wear the Baron’s livery: green and yellow. No standard-issue weapons or armour.
- Known for violence, extortion, and dishonesty.
- Maintain a master ‘dry list’ of water debtors; helping any of these people drink is a crime.
- Faction Base: the Baron’s Aquifer machine.
HOW TO JOIN: Present yourself at the gates of the Aquifer and demand an audition. You must fight bare-handed against a captain. Those who make a good show of the brawl will be offered a job.
WHAT’S EXPECTED OF MEMBERS: You will enforce the Baron’s whims, collect on outstanding debts, and guard the public fountains. You will arrest water thieves, stay alert for water smuggling rings, and guard water convoys that are sent out into the wastes to supply Hegemony estates and outposts. You will do all of this unquestioningly, and with enthusiastic brutality.
BENEFITS: You are given a yellow and green jacket to wear. You are guaranteed two meals a day and as much water as you can drink. People on the street will treat you with fearful respect. You can throw people into the Baron’s jails or petition for them to be added to the ‘dry list’. Militiamen who please the Baron may be moved to guard duty within the Aquifer itself, giving them access to the machinery.
Biological
| HD: 1 | Armour: 13 |
| Morale: 3 | Appearing: d8 |
| Attacks: Cheap Blade (d6) | |
| Notes: Swaggering bullies who will only attack if they outnumber their opponents. | |
Biological
| HD: 3 | Armour: 13 |
| Morale: 5 | Appearing: 1 |
| Attacks: Assault Laser (d8 beam) | |
| Notes: Commands a group of militiamen; will always be found guarding a public fountain. | |
- True-kin. Assigned to rule Gnomon by the distant Hegemon, Praise Their Name One Thousand Times.
- Regards the position as a punishment; hates Vaarn, hates Gnomon, wishes he were back in the Hegemony. Has been here for decades.
- Sophisticated, morose, heavy drinker. Black rages. Often hungover.
- Tall, handsome, and commanding. Dark hair, dark clothing, never sweats.
- Sarcastic, shrewd, and deeply depressed.
- Larke Wants: to be relieved of his Consulship in a manner that will allow him to retain his pride. Has no idea how this could be achieved.
ALLY: Larke can be of help to the party, if they have something to offer him. The Consul hates Ancamulla, and will be happy to provide tacit support for a group that plans to topple the Water Baron - so long as they understand that if they are caught, his name is never spoken. Completely securing Hegemony control of the Aquifer machine would be his ticket back to the Hegemon’s good graces.
VILLAIN: If the referee desires, Larke can fill the role of a primary campaign villain. Accentuate his black rages, his hatred of Gnomon and its inhabitants, and the ruthless lengths he will go to ensuring a steady flow of taxes to the Hegemon. Show his men taking a well-liked NPC prisoner over a minor violation of Hegemony law. It is recommended that you pair this portrayal of Consul Lonrot with an equally villainous Commander Loonflower, and cast the Water Baron as a sympathetic figure, who is attempting to keep control of the water supply to prevent the Hegemony from gaining an unbreakable grip over the city.
Biological
| HD: 4 | Armour: 16 (Adamant Linen Robes) |
| Morale: 2 | Attacks: Monofilament Sword (2d8) |
| Notes: Always accompanied by Lictors. Lonrot is a competent enough duelist, but will not have any interest in risking his life in battle. If cornered he will use the active camouflage rig inside his robes to become invisible and attempt to escape. | |
- The dominant Noble House in Gnomon. Transplants from the New Hegemony. Big fish in a small pond.
- Wear livery of black and purple.
- Equipped with the latest Hegemony tech.
- Will support the Fifth Legion in operations within the city. Do not police the streets, except on the Apex.
- Faction Base: the Consul’s Manse, at the peak of the Apex.
HOW TO JOIN: The Consul has many informants and supplicants. It would not be difficult for the party to join their ranks, if they have useful information. Being sworn into the service of House Lonrot is more difficult. Such an honour might be extended to individuals who greatly aided the Consul, and were willing to swear a blood oath.
WHAT’S EXPECTED OF MEMBERS: Your life belongs to House Lonrot. You will obey without question, and will defend the Lonrot family to the death. You will be asked to arrest criminals, spy on the Consul’s enemies, and oversee the collection of Hegemony taxes from Gnomon’s merchant class.
BENEFITS: You are given black and purple livery. You will eat and drink three times a day, and sleep inside the Consul’s Manse, one of the safest places in Gnomon. You are afforded all the prestige that befits an agent of the city’s governor. Household Guards, Lictors, and Hegemony soldiers will come to your aid if you are in danger.
Biological
| HD: 3 | Armour: 14 |
| Morale: 4 | Appearing: d6 |
| Attacks: Pulse Rifle (d8) | |
| Notes: Well-equipped and trained, but not as numerous as the Legionaries or the Baron’s militiamen. | |
Biological
| HD: 5 | Armour: 18 |
| Morale: 7 | Appearing: d6 |
| Attacks: Anbaric Pike (d10 electrical) | |
| Notes: When Consul Larke would take lethal damage, a Lictor can choose to die instead. | |
- True-kin. Ranking commander of the New Hegemony’s Legion in Gnomon.
- Big, forceful, jolly, energetic.
- Moustache, thinning hair, flushed face. Sunburns easily.
- Cheerfully bigoted towards all non true-kin characters. Knows lots of jokes about cacogen.
- Loves poetry. Writes bad poetry.
- Believes he’s engaged in a civilising mission. Vaarn can be tamed.
- Loonflower Wants: to keep order and ensure the Hegemony’s borders are safe.
ALLY: Commander Loonflower can be played as a jocular, reassuring presence. He is a good foil for Ancamulla, as he dislikes the Hegemony’s power being compromised by what he sees as a relic of an older Vaarn. He is very aware of the risks involved in deposing Ancamulla, but will be interested in any suggestion the PCs make that could allow this to happen. If they come up with a plausible plan to disable Ancamulla’s sabotage device inside the Aquifer, Loonflower will be eager to assist them - on the condition that control over the water supply is turned over to the New Hegemony.
VILLAIN: To make Loonflower an antagonist, heighten his bigotry against non-human characters and NPCs. He is still bluff, jovial and playful, but there is real hatred behind his jokes. His soldiers share his prejudice, and the cacogen, newbeasts, mycomorphs and synths of Gnomon are terrorised by the Hegemony’s true-kin soldiers. Loonflower could also be carrying out a campaign of extermination against the tribes of Faa nomads who live in the badlands around Gnomon. Play up the imperialist aspects of the New Hegemony, and make Loonflower the avatar of these tendencies.
Biological
| HD: 6 | Armour: 16 (Hegemony Ferro-Plate) |
| Morale: 10 | Attacks: Hegemony Sidearm (d6) |
| Notes: Unlikely to fight alone; he will be accompanied by four Hegemony Centurions. Hegemony troops will never fail Morale checks while Loonflower is alive and fighting with them. | |
- The Hegemony’s occupying military force in the city.
- Only true-kin can become legionaries, although cacogen, newbeasts, and synths serve as auxiliary soldiers.
- Easily recognised by their scarlet uniforms and Hegemony accents.
- Patrol the city streets and walls, watching for unrest.
- Rivalry between the Legion and Ancamulla’s militia, which can become violent.
- Faction Base: the Legion barracks at the Noonfort.
How To Join: You must be true-kin, and swear an oath to serve the Hegemon all your days. PCs with other ancestries may be employed as auxiliary troops, who wear dull green.
What's Expected of Members: You must obey the orders of your Centurion unquestioningly. Failure to do so will result in court martial, and likely your execution. You are expected to police Gnomon, arrest troublemakers, assist tax collectors, and defend the city from outside threats. You may be dispatched to eliminate dangerous monsters that have strayed too near to Gnomon, or to reinforce Hegemony garrisons in other parts of Vaarn.
Benefits: You are given a red uniform, standard-issue autorifle, fragmentation grenades, and a Hegemony water pass, which entitles you to a respectable ration of water every day. You will be able to count on your fellow soldiers for backup, and have free reign to bully and extort small traders.
Biological
| HD: 2 | Armour: 14 |
| Morale: 6 | Appearing: d8 |
| Attacks: Autorifle (d8) / Grenade (d10 blast, DEX save to throw back) | |
| Notes: When fought in streets of Gnomon, will call for backup every second turn, summoning another d8 Legionaries. | |
Biological
| HD: 5 | Armour: 16 |
| Morale: 8 | Appearing: 1 |
| Attacks: Autorifle (d8) + Rapier (d8) | |
| Notes: Legionaries in presence of Centurion use the Centurion’s morale score. | |
- New-Sheep. Spiritual leader of the Church of the Promised Sun.
- Grandmotherly, soft-spoken, frail.
- Believes her faith will one day lead to the rejuvenation of Urth’s dying sun. Leads long and arduous rituals to this effect.
- Dresses in the colours of the Sun That Was And Will Be: argent white and gleaming gold.
- Ambiently psychic; can always tell if someone means her harm.
- Faunia Wants: to grow her flock and live to see the coming of the Promised Sun. She would do almost anything to hasten its arrival.
ALLY: Abbess Faunia can be played as a calming, more gentle presence in Gnomon. She’s the opposite of Ancamulla and the Hegemony. They take; Faunia gives. The Church of the Promised Sun delivers charity to orphans, beggars, and the oppressed, for it is only through grace and mercy that the Sun That Is Promised will ever again light the Urth with its golden rays. Faunia has no great military power or strength of arms, but if the PCs are in her favour, they will be in the favour of anyone else in the city who worships the Promised Sun. This is no small matter, and the support of the great mass of worshippers could be a decisive factor in toppling one of the other factions.
VILLAIN: Faunia as an antagonist is still grandmotherly, soft-spoken and physically gentle. However, she is the recipient of prophetic dreams, glorious images of the Promised Sun rising bright and terrible to burn away the wickedness of the world and bring the righteous few to a gleaming salvation. Faunia must hasten the arrival of this celestial saviour, by rooting out unbelievers and burning them alive in great rapturous bonfires. This version of Faunia runs Gnomon as a theocratic police-state, probably with the support of the Water Baron or Consul Lonrot, who have been converted to her faith by the fervour of her visions.
Biological
| HD: 1 | Armour: 11 (Golden Robes) |
| Morale: 3 | Attacks: Fists (d4) |
| Notes: Faunia is no warrior, but her ambient psychic powers mean that she is impossible to surprise. If attacked, she will activate her most precious artefact: a hard-light projector that creates seven solid-state holograms of her, which will scatter in all directions. In the confusion she will attempt to escape. Note these holograms are physical objects, and can be restrained by the PCs. | |
- Religious faith. Their scripture and religious practices are focused on the renewal of Urth’s red sun.
- Dominant religion in Gnomon. Many shrines, churches, and wall frescoes dedicated to this faith.
- Recognise one another through sunburst medallions and the greeting ‘May you live to see the Promised Sun’.
- Priests wear golden robes and smiling sunburst masks.
- Prayers held at sunrise and sunset, the dead are burned on pyres.
- Faction Base: the Temple of the Promised Sun, on Gnomon’s Apex.
How To Join: Renounce all prior faiths and accept the Baptism Of Dawn.
What's Expected of Members: Regular tithes to the Church of the Promised Sun. Observance of prayers, rituals, and attendance at the Great Temple to hear Abbess Faunia speak. You may also be asked to go above and beyond for your Church when called upon. This could include protecting a Priest who is heading out into the wastes of Vaarn to spread the message of the Promised Sun, retrieving the remains of Solar Saints that have been stolen by relic thieves, or collecting the body of a church member who died in the wilderness so that their relatives may burn the corpse with proper ceremony.
Benefits: You are a respectable part of Gnomonian society. Noble Houses will allow you to enter through the front door. Church members are expected to aid fellow worshippers who are in danger or have a material need; this tenet will only stretch so far, but shopkeepers or landlords who share your faith will be likely to extend you credit or give discounts on rent.
Biological
| HD: 1 | Armour: 10 |
| Morale: 1 | Appearing: d6 |
| Attacks: Staff (d6) | |
| Notes: Carry doses of Summerbalm (heals for d8 HP). | |
Biological
| HD: 3 | Armour: 15 |
| Morale: 7 | Appearing: d10 |
| Attacks: Heavy Club (d8) | |
| Notes: Will do everything they can to avoid spilling red blood inside the Temple. | |
- New-Jackal. Smuggler and a crook; runs the underworld of Gnomon.
- Laughs a lot, unpredictable, very violent. Widely feared. Can switch from jovial to murderous and back in a heartbeat.
- Addicted to opiates and amphetamines.
- Incredibly gaudy and tasteless dress sense.
- Owns the Black Lotus Club, a seedy dancehall. Often found in the back room.
- Prieval Wants: to take drugs, kill anyone who insults him, and for people to laugh at his jokes.
ALLY: Prieval is a violent maniac, but he could prove to be the lesser of two evils when contrasted with another, more powerful threat. If the party are engaged in conflict with the Water Baron, Prieval’s smugglers could be moving black-market drinking water into the city for the poor neighbourhoods. If the Hegemony are crushing the merchants with taxes, Prieval is generous with his ill-gotten wealth. Play up his roguish charm. He’ll never be a good guy, but if you squint hard enough, he could be your bad guy.
VILLAIN: Prieval is a natural fit for a villain, and can play the role easily. He’s vain, proud, extremely violent, and easily offended. Bring the players into conflict with his operation by having some smugglers show up to collect debt from an NPC halfway through an important conversation. Alternatively, if they visit a chariot race or underground gambling den, Prieval is there holding court at the VIP table with his cronies. Have him throw a drink at them and they’ll hate him forever.
Biological
| HD: 5 | Armour: 13 (Gaudy Robes) |
| Morale: See Below | Attacks: Pistol (d8) + Bite (d6) |
| Notes: If combat breaks out, the referee should roll to determine which drug Prieval is high on. Even numbers designate amphetamines; Prieval is twitchy and fast, and will always act twice before the PCs do. However, he will bug out and run as soon as the fight goes against him. Odd numbers designate opiates; Prieval is disassociating and will always attack last. However, he has no concept of the danger he is in, cannot feel pain, and will never run away. | |
- Criminals, scum. Motley crew of newbeasts.
- Favour loud, colourful clothing, gaudy weapons, and flamboyant jewellery.
- Live the fast life: chariot races, gladiator fights, card games, opium dens.
- Move goods and collect debts for Prieval.
- Top dogs in Gnomon’s underworld. If you’re trying to do something illegal, you’ll have to deal with them sooner or later.
- Faction Base: the Black Lotus nightclub, near the southern wall of Gnomon.
How To Join: Hang around the Black Lotus Club, make yourself useful to Prieval, laugh at his jokes.
What's Expected of Members: You will run menial errands, deliver threats, commit arson, collect debts, and move cargo in and out of the city. Prieval does have dealings outside the city walls, so a party who have experience adventuring in the desert might be asked to find someone who is hiding out in a remote corner of Vaarn.
Benefits: Easy access to stolen goods, safe-houses, and high-grade narcotics. Will be aided by anyone who’s in debt to the smugglers or is afraid of them. Prieval’s gang will help you kill other people, within reason (they would be reluctant to target Hegemony leaders or the Water Baron). Most importantly, the smugglers know many ways in and out of the city of Gnomon that are undetectable by the city’s guards.
Biological
| HD: 1 | Armour: 12 |
| Morale: 2 | Appearing: d12 |
| Attacks: Club (d6) | |
| Notes: The gang’s runners are lightly-armed layabouts, more used to vandalism and intimidation than pitched battle with competent adversaries. | |
Biological
| HD: 3 | Armour: 14 |
| Morale: 4 | Appearing: d6 |
| Attacks: Knife (d6) + Plasma Grenade (d8 blast) | |
| Notes: Assassination technique involves bombing targets’ homes with ancient plasma grenades. | |
- Planeywoman. She is a hypergeometric being that resembles a fractured, moving shadow.
- Immortal or close to it. Has no memory of the accident that created her.
- Lives on the walls of the Crimson Court. Watches the fights and passes judgement on the merits of cases brought.
- Her voice is cold and clear; her movements are like the flickering, jerky frames of silent films.
- Believes violence is the ultimate expression of justice.
- Nyxia Wants: to reward the righteous and punish the guilty.
ALLY: Nyxia has a harsh sense of justice, but one that the party could bend to their advantage. If the Water Baron’s men have committed some outrage, the party could challenge them in the Crimson Court. The Baron keeps fearsome Advocates on retainer, but Nyxia might persuade them to recuse themselves from the case if the player’s cause is worthy. As she does not drink, she is one of the few living in Gnomon who has no fear of Ancamulla. Defeat in the Court would not spell the end for the Baron, but it would show his militia they cannot act with impunity.
VILLAIN: Nyxia’s ‘justice’ is alien to contemporary conceptions of a legal system, and wrongly accused people end up forced to fight in her arena all the time. Have an NPC known to the players be served with a Crimson Mark, someone who is unable to afford an Advocate’s help. Nyxia will show no mercy in such situations, considering those who die in the Court to have proven themselves guilty of something.
Hypergeometric
| HD: 8 | Armour: 11 |
| Morale: 10 | Attacks: d8 CON drain |
| Notes: Nyxia cannot be injured by regular weapons or by psychic Gifts. Only hypergeometric weapons have any hope of harming her. She attacks by latching onto an opponent and draining the energy from their body. When their CON defence is reduced to 0, they are dead. | |
- Lawyer-gladiators who decide the outcome of trials in the ring.
- Gnomon’s criminal cases are decided through these trials. Defendants may fight in person or they may hire an Advocate to fight for them.
- Merchant’s contracts are sealed with the Crimson Mark, exposing contract-breakers to a challenge in the ring.
- The Advocates are skilled fighters, and will not take a case they feel is unworthy.
- Bailiffs of the Court issue summonses and enforce Nyxia’s judgements.
- Faction Base: the Crimson Court.
How To Join: Anyone can represent a claimant or defendant in the Crimson Court. A strong showing during the fight will result in others offering payment for your services. Keep winning and you’ll become known as an Advocate.
What's Expected of Members: You must abide by Nyxia’s judgements, and fight to the death when you are in the ring. If you have taken payment, you cannot then refuse to fight, and will be hunted down and killed if you do.
Benefits: A proven Advocate is a friend much sought-after in Gnomon. Merchants will be keen to make your acquaintance and curry favour, for having a powerful Advocate on their side makes cheating their customers easy. Noble Houses and Philosopher’s Guilds will also be eager to approach you, for such proud and fractious institutions are ceaselessly issuing summons emblazoned with Crimson Marks to those who have crossed them. Successful Advocates live luxurious lives.
Biological
| HD: 2 | Armour: 14 |
| Morale: 4 | Appearing: d10 |
| Attacks: Shock Baton (d6, electrical) | |
| Notes: Dressed in dark red armour and featureless shadow-helms. | |
Biological
| HD: 7 | Armour: 15 |
| Morale: 10 | Appearing: 1 |
| Attacks: Spear (d8) + Net (DEX save or your Armor drops to 9) | |
| Notes: Each Advocate uses unique fighting styles and weaponry. This stat-block should be considered a starting point. | |
- Elderly Alzabo: a fearsome extra-solar predator, which retains the memories of the human beings it devours.
- Resembles a bear with purple fur.
- Consumed so many brains that she has achieved sentience, a rare occurrence.
- Erudite, patient, hungry.
- Speaks with many different voices.
- Religious figure for a coven of worshippers.
- Jak Wants: safe, reliable supply of human corpses with interesting memories.
ALLY: Jak has little time for the Hegemony or the Church of the Promised Sun, considering both factions to be intrusions into the old order of Gnomon, something she remembers well. Any players wishing harm to those factions will find an ally in Jak and her cult of ghouls. Her extremely long memory could also prove useful; some of the personalities contained in her ancient body date back before the Great Collapse. Who knows what secret locations Jak could guide enterprising vault-raiders towards?
VILLAIN: Jak is still a monster, even if she is a very intelligent one. To make her an antagonist, play up the creepy cannibal aspect of her coven. Have the players hear sinister stories about corpses going missing before funerals, and family crypts in the Tomblands being ransacked. Maybe the Friends of Jak prefer live flesh for their feasts? A hidden society that practiced such wicked rituals would, of course, be a topic of fear and revulsion amongst the common people of Gnomon. Someone who rooted out this cabal would enjoy a favorable reputation in the city.
Biological
| HD: 6 | Armour: 15 (Thick hide) |
| Morale: 10 | Attacks: Claw (d8) + Claw (d8) |
| Notes: If both of Jak’s claws hit the same target, she will follow up with a bite attack that deals 2d6 damage, with no to-hit roll required. She will deal another automatic 2d6 damage to the target she has grabbed each turn, unless they pass a STR save to wrestle her off. | |
- Secretive cult. They have members embedded within all other factions.
- Few members, but they are fanatically dedicated to Jak.
- Robed and hooded during their rites.
- Recognise one another through certain gestures and phrases.
- Take part in cannibalistic rituals, which give them access to the memories of the dead.
- Experiencing these memories is addictive; slowly turns you into a ghoul.
- Faction Base: the tunnels beneath the Hushed Archives, an empty library in the Lantern District.
How To Join: Getting an invitation is difficult but not impossible, if you ask the right questions of the right people. Showing a sincere interest in Vaarn’s history might be the ticket.
What's Expected of Members: You will attend the gatherings called by Jak each full moon. You must follow her guidance without question, and ensure she is protected and kept secret. You will be asked to help provide cadavers for the ritual feasts.
Benefits: Taking part in Jak’s rituals will allow you to access the memories of the corpses you devour, potentially granting all kinds of useful information to the party. There is no need to interrogate a living foe when their flesh can speak just as clearly.
Biological
| HD: 1 | Armour: 12 |
| Morale: 2 | Appearing: d10 |
| Attacks: Dagger (d6) | |
| Notes: Robed and hooded when it is time to gather. They use Jak’s morale score if she is present. | |
Biological
| HD: 4 | Armour: 14 |
| Morale: 5 | Appearing: d6 |
| Attacks: Claw (d8) + Claw (d8) | |
| Notes: The advanced stages of the transformation brought about by Jak’s rituals elongate the limbs and teeth. | |
The crux of a campaign that focuses on Gnomon will be conflict between the major factions. In general, the factions are designed to have certain natural allies and natural enemies within the city.
The Water Baron’s stranglehold on the water supply allows him to intervene in all aspects of Gnomonian politics. This will naturally put him in conflict with House Lonrot and the Hegemony Legion, who represent a foreign conquering power that does not recognise his authority.
House Lonrot and the Hegemony Legion are natural allies, but canny players may find a way to set them at odds. The Consul’s desire to return to the Hegemony might set him against Loonflower.
The Church of the Promised Sun will not intervene in minor conflicts, but the Abbess would begin preaching against the Water Baron if he deprived large numbers of citizens of water, or against Lonrot if the Hegemony committed some massacre.
Prieval Prise, the Friends of Jak, and the Crimson Court are underworld or fringe factions, which exist without the consent or knowledge of the larger factions. These three groups operate in tandem with one another; Prieval supplies bodies to the Friends of Jak, the Crimson Courtiers help Prieval enforce business contracts, and so on. This is not to say there will never be violent conflict between the underworld factions; in fact it is likely there will be. However, they all share a disreputable reputation.
If the referee wishes to seed some interactions between members of the factions during a campaign in Gnomon, they may use the table below. Mirrored results may either be discarded, or treated as conflict within the faction in question. Members of the same organization need not have identical goals, after all.
| 1d20 | Member Of | Desires To | Member Of |
| 1 | Water Baron’s Militia | Abduct | Gang of Criminals |
| 2 | Philosopher's Guild | ||
| 3 | House Lonrot | Professionally Discredit | Pit Fighters |
| 4 | Urban Shrine | ||
| 5 | Fifth Hegemony Legion | Marry | Trade Cartel |
| 6 | Noble House | ||
| 7 | Church of the Promised Sun | Steal From | Crimson Court |
| 8 | |||
| 9 | Prieval's Crew | Impress | Friends of Jak |
| 10 | |||
| 11 | Friends of Jak | Arrange the Death Of | Prieval's Crew |
| 12 | |||
| 13 | Crimson Court | Collect Debt From | Church of the Promised Sun |
| 14 | |||
| 15 | Noble House | Renege on a Deal With | Fifth Hegemony Legion |
| 16 | Trade Cartel | ||
| 17 | Urban Shrine | Locate | House Lonrot |
| 18 | Pit Fighters | ||
| 19 | Philosopher's Guild | Cure the Sickness Of | Water Baron's Militia |
| 20 | Gang of Criminals |
There more than seven factions at work in a city as diverse as Gnomon. In later sections of this publication you will find generator tables that will let you create your own trade cartels, urban shrines, minor noble houses, and philosopher’s guilds, all of which can act as smaller, less powerful factions. However, if the reader desires a brief overview of some of the less mundane factions who are at work in Vaarn, and would almost certainly have an agent or two posted in Gnomon, such information can be found here.
Self-knowledge and spiritual purity are achieved not through enlightenment, but through a slow and patient process of endarkenment. There are other powers in this grand and mysterious cosmos that require no sun to thrive; should the residents of Urth not therefore seek to follow their example? There are other sources of illumination than the red and ailing star that squats, bloated and weak like a sated tick, in the high-vaulted sable vastness of the heavens: we speak of course of the interior illumination that comes when one has renounced all prosaic and urthly sights. We seek those who do not fear the coming death of the sun and the blackness it will herald; those rare, strong minds that can be opened to celestial messages that emanate from the most distant and lightless of spheres.
Not all the blind beggars who sit at the corners of streets in Gnomon are sightless, as the compassionate might suppose, due to misfortune. Some chose the dark.
Artificers, hell-raisers, masters of necrotech. The Lectors of the College search Vaarn’s vaults for anything to deepen their research into the preservation and re-animation of human corpses. The College itself lies far to the south, but regular expeditions are mounted into Vaarn’s interior to seek out new leads on the location of Titan-era cloning facilities and biotech labs. Indigo Lectors are hardly an unknown sight in Gnomon, attended to by their mute, perfumed Indigo Servitors.
A party of vault-raiders who found an item of exotica that could repair human cells, or had knowledge of a location where such technology might exist, would quickly attract the attention of the Indigo College. The Lectors pay well, demand much, and have little tolerance of failure.
The great machine suzerains of Urth are long-dead, their ego-engines scrubbed clean by weaponised logicphages. The quiet and colossal ruin of their final thoughts is sealed beneath Vaarn in decaying lattices of memory-crystal; their memories entombed within miles of neural network-shunts that lie, cold and shattered, in bunkers beneath the mountains.
True devotion, however, can never die, and the machine gods still have worshippers. Synths and humans alike wish that the Age of Titans might come again. They wish that the citizens of Urth might once more travel the stars, guided by HYPERION’s golden lantern; wish that justice might again be done by THEMIS; wish that GAEA would once again administer to the sick and that patient METIS would map the roiling paths of the future.
The Titans are dead, they say, but what mankind’s arts once birthed, mankind’s arts could restore again. Titan cults, devoted to untangling these sacred mysteries, are found throughout Vaarn. It would be strange if none within Gnomon’s walls wished to see the Titans rise once more.
The north-western district of Gnomon, shaded by the Apex when the sun rises in the morning. The Morningshade district is industrious and prosperous, home to striving merchants. The primary landmark in this district is the Great Souk of Gnomon, the vast open-air market that operates from sunrise to sunset.
Sights in the Morningshade:
- Gangs of labourers carrying cargo from the wind-barge docks to the west.
- A cafe, with caged birds singing outside.
- A merchant’s auto-cart, overflowing with ripe produce.
- A Priest of the Promised Sun, leading an outdoor sermon for prosperous devotees.
The north-eastern district of Gnomon, shaded by the Apex when the sun descends towards the western horizon. The Eveningshade district is home to the Night Souk, authorised to trade between the hours of sunset and sunrise. Due to the peace and quiet by day, the Eveningshade District is preferred by Gnomon’s artisans and craftsmen. By night the streets come alive, with music played from balconies and basement bars thronged with celebrants.
Sights in the Eveningshade:
- A traditional Vaarnish street band, practising in a courtyard.
- A synth-surgeon, fixing an android’s arm.
- A funeral procession for a deceased artisan.
- Elderly newbeasts play dominoes beneath a leafless tree.
The south-western district of Gnomon, unshaded by the Apex. The Lantern District is the oldest in the city, the most crooked and decrepit and distended with secrets. The primary landmark is the Hushed Archives, a ruin that was once a library and is now a cobwebbed shell, left with each door open by ancient custom. This district is the home of Philosopher’s Guilds and theatrical companies, a district of fulminating prophets and sophist clowns. Poets wander the indigo streets at twilight, looking up to the heavens at the hard glints of ancient orbital habitats that trace esoteric geometries in the windy dusk.
Sights in the Lantern District:
- An open air debate between two schools of Neo-Neo-Relativists.
- A dealer of rare books, smoking hookah on their porch.
- A sacrificial procession, heading to one of the neighbourhood shrines.
- A rehearsal for a play; they are miming out the famous death of an Autarch.
The south-eastern district of Gnomon, unshaded by the Apex. The Red Quarter is pugnacious and seedy, home to strutting mercenaries and pompous prizefighters. Here the visitor can find gladiator pits, boxing arenas, chariot racing, and passion-houses by the score. The distinctive landmark of the Red Quarter is the Crimson Court, the home of Nyxia and her Advocates.
Sights in the Red Quarter:
- Graffiti praising one gladiator and cursing another.
- A beggar without legs, trundling on a cart.
- A curb-side game of chance, where knives may be drawn at any moment.
- A patrol of Hegemony soldiers, jeered at by gutter-dwellers.
The great curve of dark metal that looms hundreds of feet over Gnomon, perhaps the wreck of some forgotten engine that has been swallowed by the blue sands and by time. The home of Gnomon’s rich and powerful. Notable buildings upon the Apex include the Consul’s Manse, and the Temple of the Promised Sun.
Sights upon the Apex:
- A patrol of the Consul’s Lictors, anbaric pikes crackling with purple energy.
- A messenger in golden robes, carrying a decree from Abbess Faunia.
- A line of supplicants outside the gates of the Water Baron’s mansion.
- Condemned criminals; gaolers lead them to the Plunge to be thrown to their deaths.
- A carriage of highborn ladies of Gnomon, on their way to view a hanging garden.
To the south of Gnomon lie the Tomblands. Ancient customs forbade the burial of the dead within the walls of the city, and thus the southern road leading from Gnomon is lined with windowless abodes to accomodate those silent ancestors. This charnel-district extends for some distance beyond sight of Gnomon’s walls; Vaarn is old and the dead outnumber the living.
Criminals and others who find themselves unwelcome in the city proper make squalid homes amongst the bones. Groups of bandits haunt the ruins, and there are rumours of more dangerous creatures still that have crept in from the blue wastelands and make their lair amidst monoliths and unsealed crypts.
Common Sights in the Tomblands:
- Robbers lounge amidst devil-grass, cooking on an open fire.
- Pthalo-jackals, cautiously hunting.
- A Harlequin Serpent, sunning itself upon a fallen monument.
- A pair of Jak’s ghouls, posing as mourners.
- The Noonfort - a bastion of solid stone that protects the northern gates of Gnomon. Currently occupied by the Fifth Hegemony Legion. If the Hegemony arrest the party, they will take them here.
- The Docks - a rumpus of ropes and timber, where teams of dockhands unload the wind-barges that berth amongst the towers ringing Gnomon’s western wall.
- Nomad Camp - the Faa nomads do not sleep in houses with four walls and in any case they are banned from the city after dark by Hegemony decree. Clans that are visiting Gnomon to trade will be camped at the Eastern Gate of the city.
- The Water Baron’s Aquifer - Ancamulla’s mysterious water-pumping machine can be found at the base of the Apex, protected by high walls and watchful guards. The Aquifer complex is easily recognisable by its fluted yellow and green towers.
| 1d20 | Group | Location | Source of Conflict |
| 1 | Pickpockets | Sunbaked Street | Duel Within Group |
| 2 | Street Sweepers | Shaded Street | Duel With Other Group |
| 3 | Beggars | Dingy Alleyway | Brawl Within Group |
| 4 | Water Baron’s Militia | Shabby Courtyard | Brawl With Other Group |
| 5 | Hegemony Patrol | Opulent Courtyard | Lust |
| 6 | Hegemony Tax Collectors | Gambling House | Betrayal |
| 7 | Street Magician and Crowd | Tavern | Gambling Debts |
| 8 | Buskers | Outdoor Market | Drunkenness |
| 9 | Curbside Gamblers | Public Fountain | Drug Psychosis |
| 10 | Faa Nomads | Seedy Passion House | Theft |
| 11 | Priest of the Promised Sun | Upmarket Passion House | Parasitic Crystals |
| 12 | Junk Peddler | Crowded Street | Dangerous Pet |
| 13 | Rowdy Apprentices | Deserted Street | Misfired Weapon |
| 14 | Off-Duty Actors | Derelict House | Rogue Goats |
| 15 | Off-Duty Gladiators | Near Fighting Pits | Religious Dispute |
| 16 | Off-Duty Soldiers | Near Chariot Tracks | Street Gambling |
| 17 | Courtesans | Artisan Street | Urban Baboons |
| 18 | Bounty Hunters | Wealthy Street | Bigotry |
| 19 | Water Debt Collectors | Small Shrine | Stampeding Packbeast |
| 20 | Titan Cultists | Large Shrine | Upturned Wagon |
| 1d20 | Originally | And Then | Now |
| 1 | Cybernetics Surgery | Destroyed by Fire | Abandoned Shell |
| 2 | House of Healing | Scribe’s House | Hegemony Barracks |
| 3 | Jeweller’s Shop | Orphanage | Gambling Den |
| 4 | Courthouse | Beggar’s Flophouse | Passion-House |
| 5 | Slaughterhouse | Expensive Townhouse | Tea Rooms |
| 6 | Spicer's Storehouse | Rowdy Tavern | Martial-Arts School |
| 7 | Occultist's Abode | Slave Barracks | Philosopher’s Guildhall |
| 8 | Church of the Promised Sun | Farrier’s Workshop | Quiet Tavern |
| 9 | Cobbler's Workshop | Hydroponic Garden | Gladiator’s Barracks |
| 10 | Bath House | Nunnery | Cheap Boardinghouse |
| 11 | Leatherworker's Abode | Distillery | Expensive Boardinghouse |
| 12 | Schoolhouse | Alchemist’s Abode | Prison |
| 13 | Prison | Weapon Dealer’s Abode | Music Hall |
| 14 | Architects’ Guildhall | Shrine to the Titans | Puppet Theatre |
| 15 | Sawmill | Dry-Goods Store | Fighting Pit |
| 16 | Maskmaker's Workshop | Grocer’s Shop | Bakery |
| 17 | Matchmaker's Abode | Butcher’s Shop | Pet Shop |
| 18 | Shrine to Amun-Oh | Owned by a Madman | Glassmaker’s Workshop |
| 19 | Library | Armourer’s Forge | Florist’s Shop |
| 20 | Fortification | Astrologer’s Tower | Coffee House |
| 1d20 | Structure | Notable Ornamentation | Reputation |
| 1 | Opulent | Heavy Brass Lantern | Cursed or Haunted |
| 2 | Crowded | Monkeys in Cages Outside | Unfashionable |
| 3 | Shabby | Birds in Cages Outside | Fashionable |
| 4 | Vine-Coated | Painted Sigil of an Eye | Trustworthy |
| 5 | Graffiti-Coated | Painted Sigil of a Sunburst | Disreputable |
| 6 | Filthy | Painted Sigil of a Moon | Disliked |
| 7 | Lantern-Hung | Purple Shutters | Dangerous |
| 8 | Bat-Infested | Orange Shutters | Safe |
| 9 | Sunbleached | Yellow Shutters | Dull |
| 10 | Half-Collapsed | Large Golden Door-handle | Rowdy |
| 11 | Threatening | Lemon-tree Outside | Cheap |
| 12 | Crooked | Orange-tree Outside | Expensive |
| 13 | Towering | Large Cactus Outside | Shunned |
| 14 | Small | Automatic Doors | Well-Liked |
| 15 | Cramped | Flags Hang from Each Window | Unpopular |
| 16 | Decrepit | Sign Shaped Like Astrolabe | Stolen Goods Available |
| 17 | Sand-scoured | Sign Shaped Like Sword | Owner a Cheat |
| 18 | Ill-Omened | Sign Shaped Like Fish | Owner in Debt |
| 19 | Beautiful | Sign Shaped Like Cat | Always Hear Gossip |
| 20 | Freshly Painted | Sign Shaped Like Star | Best of the Best |
| 1d20 | Name | Manner | Flavour |
| 1 | Aakarma | Unkempt | Rabid Fan of Odd Sport |
| 2 | Umatri | Suave | Laughs at Own Jokes |
| 3 | Summine | Tired | Goods Comically Low Quality |
| 4 | Ratian | Disfigured | Carried Around by Their Sons |
| 5 | Strinch | Fierce | Curses the Hegemony |
| 6 | Meadshark | Mild | Curses the Water Baron |
| 7 | Khatri | Sleazy | Curses Consul Lonrot |
| 8 | Dungbird | Gaudy | Looking for Investors |
| 9 | Attle | Sullen | Weird Feud with Other Merchant |
| 10 | Izberel | Over-friendly | Gleeful Gossip |
| 11 | Olovo | Suspicious | In Debt to Prieval Prise |
| 12 | Goodson | Talkative | Obvious Scam Artist |
| 13 | Fordonn | Mute | Religious Maniac |
| 14 | Leves | Sickly | Extremely Bigoted |
| 15 | Ancia | Agitated | Obsessive Haggler |
| 16 | Griddles | Dirty | Trying to Marry off Their Aunt |
| 17 | Luxie | Lecherous | Assisted by Sullen Child |
| 18 | Jacquen | Drunken | Stingy and Cheap |
| 19 | Obritt | Helpful | Knows all the Best Night-Spots |
| 20 | Zavitsy | Kindly | Sells the Best Goods in Gnomon |
| 1d20 | Store Appearance | Store Location | They Sell |
| 1 | Crooked | Crossroads | Armour |
| 2 | Lantern-Strewn | Basement | Fungus |
| 3 | Elegant | By Public Park | Jewellery |
| 4 | Airy | Near Water Baron’s Fountain | Olives |
| 5 | Literally a Barrel | Under Lemon Tree | Roast Chickens |
| 6 | Crowded | By Cactus Garden | Roast Monkeys |
| 7 | Inviting | Pleasant Avenue | Swords |
| 8 | Half-Burned | Near Slaughterhouse | Coffee Beans |
| 9 | Filthy | Near Tavern | Beer |
| 10 | Neat | Above Another Store | Silk Robes |
| 11 | Sprawling | Near Fighting Pits | Carpets |
| 12 | Compact | Above a Restaurant | Pottery |
| 13 | Smoky | Inside Apartment Block | Trained Lizards |
| 14 | Overladen | Through Secret Door | Leather |
| 15 | Ornate | Back of a Cart | Biotech |
| 16 | Nondescript | Base of Astronomy Tower | Books |
| 17 | Unmissable | Beside Chariot Tracks | Memory Crystals |
| 18 | Greasy | Inside Attic | Furniture |
| 19 | Somber | A Roof Garden | Sandworm Skins |
| 20 | Colourful | Under Footbridge | Poetry |
Should the party wish to engage the services of hired swords, Gnomon’s taverns and courtyards have no end of scoundrels and layabouts who seek a day’s dishonest work. Roll d20 to discern who is available. Sample stats are given below; feel free to modify them as needed.
| 1d20 | Name | Description | Flavour |
| 1 | Bellino Fester | Bloated True-kin | No Indoor Voice |
| 2 | Vigenoa Callant | Scaly Cacogen | Gluttonous and Stupid |
| 3 | Demeter Blue | Muscular New-Peacock | Hates Alermo White |
| 4 | Alermo White | Burly New-Swan | Loves Demeter Blue |
| 5 | Marsalessa | One-Armed Cacogen | Hard of Hearing |
| 6 | Mooncalf | Synth, Luminous Head | Suicidally Brave |
| 7 | Catanza | Energetic New-Hound | Tuneless Singing |
| 8 | Pescand Junta | Sharp-toothed Cacogen | Always Spitting |
| 9 | ‘Shoulder’ | Towering True-kin | Lots of Boils |
| 10 | Anders Blackfruit | Talkative New-Gibbon | Hidden Infection |
| 11 | ‘Clever’ Claure | Round Green Synth | Annoying Pedant |
| 12 | Mariel | Squat Purple Mycomorph | Lecherous Maniac |
| 13 | Freide | Red-haired True-kin | Spy for the Consul |
| 14 | Pretty Sophe | Dead-eyed New-Shark | Incredibly Vain |
| 15 | Lydier Onetooth | Ancient Cacogen | Terrible Shot |
| 16 | Almondseed | Two-headed Cacogen | Very Gullible |
| 17 | Arles Morrow | Bombastic Mycomorph | Opium Addict |
| 18 | ‘Lucky’ Patrine | Nervous New-Locust | Huge Gambling Debt |
| 19 | Reina Lurk | Beautiful ‘True-kin’ | Amnesiac Android |
| 20 | Parvash Redhand | Clever, Reliable New-Fox | Secretly Worships Azathoth |
Biological
| HD: 1 | Armour: 12 |
| Morale: 2 | Appearing: 1 |
| Attacks: Crude Weapon (d6) | |
| Notes: Will work for meals and water. | |
Biological
| HD: 3 | Armour: 14 |
| Morale: 5 | Appearing: 1 |
| Attacks: Well-Kept Weapon (d8) | |
| Notes: Will demand a retainer of two water tokens per day, plus a share of any valuables or Exotica the party finds. | |
The Noble Houses of Gnomon trace their ancestries to the reign of the Autarchs, with land-holdings that have been maintained for millennia. These families are decadent, lethargic, insular, greedy, suspicious of outsiders, contemptuous of those who work for a living, and seethingly jealous of the growing power of the merchant class. Many nobles have never set foot outside the decaying complex of mansions that encrusts the Apex. Within the cloistered walls of their homes, they set themselves to infighting, treachery, and the pursuit of frivolous obsessions.
| d20 | NPC A | Source of Conflict | NPC B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patriarch | Envy (Property) | Patriarch of a Rival House |
| 2 | Envy (Success) | ||
| 3 | Matriarch | Love (Forbidden) | Matriarch of a Rival House |
| 4 | Love (Unrequited) | ||
| 5 | Eldest Child, Heir Apparent | Love (Triangle) | Heir of a Rival House |
| 6 | Debt (Gambling) | ||
| 7 | Second Child, Rival of the Heir | Debt (Water) | Artist, Hired to Paint the Family’s Portrait |
| 8 | Debt (Hegemony Taxes) | ||
| 9 | Estranged Child, Disinherited | Theft | Clone of the Patriarch |
| 10 | Idle Gossip | ||
| 11 | Reckless Child, Injured in a Duel | Adultery | Disgraced Uncle |
| 12 | Conspiracy | ||
| 13 | Softhearted, Naive Child | Gluttony | Head of the Servants |
| 14 | Mistaken Identity | ||
| 15 | Cruel and Capricious Child | Wild, Baseless Accusations | The Cook |
| 16 | Obscure Matters of Etiquette | ||
| 17 | Dull Child, Promised to the Clergy | An Impostor | Captain of the Guards |
| 18 | Dispute Over Inheritance | ||
| 19 | Youngest Child, Coddled Favourite | Blackmail | Master of Hounds |
| 20 | Murder |
| d20 | House Sigil | Ancestral Heirloom | The Family Shame |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ibis | Stuffed Racing Bird | Ancestor Once Rebuked By the Autarch |
| 2 | Oryx | Hypergeometric Sword | |
| 3 | Falling Star | Alzabo Pelt | Sold off Lands To Pay Gambling Debt |
| 4 | Crescent Moon | Hologram Projector | |
| 5 | Full Moon | Extra-Solar Poetry Scroll | Estranged Child Married to Someone Unsuitable |
| 6 | Sorrowful Sun | Biomechanical Armour | |
| 7 | Wrathful Sun | Broken Lance | Widely Known That Patriarch’s Children Are Not His |
| 8 | Bell | Ancient Hover-Bike | |
| 9 | Twin Swords | Elaborate Helmet | Ancestor Once Showed Cowardice in Battle |
| 10 | Huntsman’s Axe | Defunct Spacecraft | |
| 11 | Desert Lion | Arcane Virus Bomb | Ancestor Rumoured To Have a Hidden Mutation |
| 12 | Zebra | Masterwork Combat Laser | |
| 13 | Scorpion | Synthetic War Horse | Swindled Out of Some Great Prize Long Ago |
| 14 | Wise Ape | Fancy Antigravity Boots | |
| 15 | Falcon | Cloaking Device | Ancestor Was a Traitor To the Autarch |
| 16 | Autarch’s Head | Brooding Portrait | |
| 17 | Crowned Skull | Beautiful Urn | Ancestor Cursed By an Oracle |
| 18 | Baying Hound | Priceless Rug | |
| 19 | Sandworm | Glowering Statue | Came off Second-Best in Elaborate Blood Feud With Rival Nobles |
| 20 | Hourglass | Android Butler |
| d20 | Family Reputation | Frivolous Pass-Time | Devoted Patrons Of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vengeful | Gardening | Consul Lonrot’s Garden Parties |
| 2 | Untrustworthy | Bird Racing | |
| 3 | Greedy | Lizard Racing | An Avant-Garde Artist |
| 4 | Sleazy | Breeding Bats | |
| 5 | Vain | Ritualised Theatre | Seedy Gambling Den |
| 6 | Louche | Ritualised Dance | |
| 7 | Wrathful | Ritualised Combat | The Crimson Court |
| 8 | Sour | Origami | |
| 9 | Jealous | Obscure Board Game | The Black Lotus Club |
| 10 | Gossips | Target Shooting | |
| 11 | Dangerous | Poetry | Temple of the Promised Sun |
| 12 | Melancholy | Study of Extinct Language | |
| 13 | Rude | Drug Abuse | A Philosopher’s Guild |
| 14 | Decadent | Heavy Drinking | |
| 15 | Obsessive | Private Gladiator Fights | Public Executions |
| 16 | Proud | Beekeeping | |
| 17 | Swindlers | Portraiture | An Urban Shrine |
| 18 | Glum | Astronomy | |
| 19 | Odd | Seances | Longtooth Jak’s Dinners |
| 20 | Secretive | Music |
There is lucrative business to be done in Gnomon, and great wealth arouses great passions in those who envy it. Successful merchants have deemed it prudent and profitable to band together into professional fraternities that safeguard each member and provide an insurance policy in case of losses or disputes. Outsiders may complain about shady dealings, price fixing, tax fraud, and violent extortion, but these cartels have a firm hold over much of the market, and it would take more than the sour gossip of the unsuccessful to dislodge their grasp.
| d20 | NPC A | Source of Conflict | NPC B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Head of the Cartel | Envy (Property) | Head of a Rival Cartel |
| 2 | Envy (Success) | ||
| 3 | The Head’s Trusted Advisor | Love (Forbidden) | Scion of a Rival Cartel |
| 4 | Love (Unrequited) | ||
| 5 | Sour, Cautious Merchant | Love (Triangle) | The Cartel’s Major Debt-holder |
| 6 | Debt (Gambling) | ||
| 7 | Reckless, Dashing Merchant | Debt (Water) | The Cartel’s Major Creditor |
| 8 | Debt (Hegemony Taxes) | ||
| 9 | Foolish Merchant | Robbery | Delinquent Debtor |
| 10 | Gossip | ||
| 11 | The Treasurer | Adultery | Crooked Customs Agent |
| 12 | Conspiracy | ||
| 13 | Elderly, Respected Merchant | Gluttony | Hegemony Tax Collector |
| 14 | Mistaken Identity | ||
| 15 | Young, Hungry Merchant | Wild, Baseless Accusations | Major Supplier |
| 16 | Anonymous Letters | ||
| 17 | Clever, Sly Clerk | Poisoning | Major Buyer |
| 18 | Embezzlement | ||
| 19 | Greedy, Corrupt Clerk | Blackmail | Difficult but Necessary Customer |
| 20 | Murder |
| d20 | Name (A) | Name (B) | Name (C) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benevolent | Association Of | the Five Wheels |
| 2 | Auspicious | Pious Tradesmen | |
| 3 | Felicitous | Brotherhood Of | the White Lotus |
| 4 | Propitious | Sober Merchants | |
| 5 | Bountiful | Consortium Of | the Ebon Shepherd |
| 6 | Generous | Thrifty Companions | |
| 7 | Amiable | Syndicate Of | Honest Friends |
| 8 | Congenial | the Fatted Calf | |
| 9 | Cordial | Confederation Of | Charitable Mercers |
| 10 | Gracious | Enterprising Fellows | |
| 11 | Cautious | Union Of | Resourceful Traders |
| 12 | Amicable | Generous Vendors | |
| 13 | Concordant | Order Of | the Lucky Heron |
| 14 | Harmonious | the Golden Bough | |
| 15 | Courteous | League Of | Prosperous Dealers |
| 16 | Unanimous | Respectable Neighbours | |
| 17 | Consolidated | Society Of | Equitable Brokers |
| 18 | Affiliated | Candid Vendors | |
| 19 | Common | Company Of | Even-Handed Gentlemen |
| 20 | Reciprocal | the Bountiful Urn |
| d20 | Monopoly On | Shady Dealings | They Want |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wine | Bribery | Outstanding Debts Collected From a Noble House |
| 2 | Chocolate | ||
| 3 | Carpets | Arson | Outstanding Debts Collected From an Urban Shrine |
| 4 | Honey | ||
| 5 | Olives | Smuggling | Outstanding Debts Collected From a Philosopher’s Guild |
| 6 | Cheese | ||
| 7 | Bread | Water Theft | A Business Rival to Disappear |
| 8 | Paper | ||
| 9 | Salt | Insurance Fraud | A Hegemony Tax Collector to Disappear |
| 10 | Camels | ||
| 11 | Sacred Puppets | Price Fixing | To Hire Guards For a Lucrative Trade Caravan |
| 12 | Hats | ||
| 13 | Boots | Shoddy Goods | To Find Out Who Burned One of Their Warehouses Down |
| 14 | Knives | ||
| 15 | Synth Parts | Intimidation | A Rival Cartel’s Warehouse Burned Down |
| 16 | Beer | ||
| 17 | Spices | Tax Evasion | A Rival Cartel’s Treasurer Kidnapped |
| 18 | Tea | ||
| 19 | Coffee | Murder | To Have a Rival Cartel’s Trade Caravan Robbed |
| 20 | Tobacco |
The Church of the Promised Sun is not the only faith followed in Gnomon. Traders have brought more than the sand in their boots and the cargo in their saddle-bags to the city of shaded markets; their creeds have been carried with them, and there are a plethora of gods, demigods, quantum daemons, fungal sages, and void-saints worshipped at shrines throughout the city. Some of these sanctums are tended by hundreds of priests and acolytes, but most are smaller affairs, that boast only a handful of curates and worshippers. They are sacred all the same.
| d20 | NPC A | Source of Conflict | NPC B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shrine Keeper | Envy (Property) | Widower, Who Often Visits to Worship |
| 2 | Envy (Success) | ||
| 3 | The Shrine Keeper’s Adopted Child | Love (Forbidden) | Dull, Devout Worshipper |
| 4 | Love (Unrequited) | ||
| 5 | The Shrine Keeper’s Wayward Child | Love (Triangle) | Ex-Priest, Whose Faith Deserted Them |
| 6 | Debt (Gambling) | ||
| 7 | Young Oracle, Who Has Visions | Debt (Water) | Scion of a Noble House |
| 8 | Debt (Hegemony Taxes) | ||
| 9 | Drunken, Lazy Priest | Robbery | Mystic, Who Performs Intense Physical Feats to Prove Devotion |
| 10 | Gossip | ||
| 11 | The Master of Sacrifices | Adultery | One Time Worshipper, Who Now Professes Another Faith |
| 12 | Conspiracy | ||
| 13 | Elderly, Blind Mystic | Gluttony | An Exorcist |
| 14 | Mistaken Identity | ||
| 15 | Devout and Fanatical Priest | Wild, Baseless Accusations | Candlemaker, Who Supplies the Sacred Candles |
| 16 | Anonymous Letters | ||
| 17 | The Keeper of a Sacred Animal | Demonic Possession | Ancient Oracle, Who No Longer Sees the Path |
| 18 | Heresey | ||
| 19 | Slave, Who Sweeps the Grounds | Blackmail | Beggar, Who Visits Once A Day For A Meal |
| 20 | Murder |
| d20 | God Aspect (A) | God Aspect (B) | Holy Relic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiger | Old Man | Saint’s Finger |
| 2 | Hippo | Honey Badger | Preserved Head |
| 3 | Warrior | Horse | Golden Cup |
| 4 | Child | Sandworm | Ancient Coins |
| 5 | Bee | Synth | Eternal Flame |
| 6 | Locust | Fungus | Mysterious Box |
| 7 | Shark | Crystal | Sacred Flower |
| 8 | Cockerel | Crown | Golden Scythe |
| 9 | Hawk | Ibis | Musical Instrument |
| 10 | Owl | Wolf | Manifold Crystal |
| 11 | Mother | Serpent | Arcane Machinery |
| 12 | Blacksmith | Egg | Unexploded Bomb |
| 13 | Scorpion | Fire | Preserved Heart |
| 14 | Spider | Wind | Immortal Animal |
| 15 | Crone | Storm | Sacred Beehive |
| 16 | Antelope | Sword | Beautiful Robes |
| 17 | Jackal | Hammer | Illuminated Texts |
| 18 | Sun | Spacefarer | Carved Figurine |
| 19 | Moon | Lantern | Black Throne |
| 20 | Star | Goat | Intricate Head-crest |
| d20 | Domain (A) | Domain (B) | Accepts Sacrifice Of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travel | Mystery | Songbirds |
| 2 | Marriage | Memories | White Goats |
| 3 | Destruction | War | Bulls |
| 4 | Childbirth | Sun | Cows |
| 5 | Mutation | Moon | Sheep |
| 6 | Business | Foreknowledge | Black Goats |
| 7 | Order | Fungus | Sandworms |
| 8 | Disorder | Visual Art | Dogs |
| 9 | Music | Poetry | Cockerels |
| 10 | Dance | Justice | Antelope |
| 11 | Wine | Crime | Camels |
| 12 | Silence | Assassins | Jackals |
| 13 | Wind | Livestock | Tortoises |
| 14 | Rain | Weaponry | Cats |
| 15 | Despair | Serpents | Beetles |
| 16 | Death | Oasis | Memories |
| 17 | Wisdom | Wild Beasts | Scorpions |
| 18 | Men | Jealousy | Specific Body Parts |
| 19 | Women | Generosity | Synths |
| 20 | Synths | Good Fortune | Humans |
There is nothing that clears the mind after a day of work like the sight of a stranger’s blood on freshly-raked sand, and the city is alive at night with the roars of the spectators and the cries of the fallen.
| d20 | NPC A | Source of Conflict | NPC B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owner of the Pit | Envy (Property) | Narcotics Seller, Who Supplies the Gladiators |
| 2 | Envy (Success) | ||
| 3 | Owner’s Spouse | Love (Forbidden) | Ticket Tout, Who Works the Street Outside |
| 4 | Love (Unrequited) | ||
| 5 | Owner's Son or Daughter | Love (Triangle) | Servant, Who Rakes the Sand Between Fights |
| 6 | Debt (Gambling) | ||
| 7 | Champion Gladiator | Debt (Water) | Masseuse, Who Treats the Fighters |
| 8 | Debt (Hegemony Taxes) | ||
| 9 | Retired Champion, Now a Trainer | Robbery | Wealthy Patron, Who Pays To Spend the Night With Champions |
| 10 | Gossip | ||
| 11 | Rival to the Champion | Adultery | Obsessive Fan of One Fighter |
| 12 | Conspiracy | ||
| 13 | Green Gladiator, As Yet Unblooded | Gluttony | Bloodthirsty Spectator |
| 14 | Mistaken Identity | ||
| 15 | Ageing Gladiator, Past Their Prime | Wild, Baseless Accusations | Gambler, Who Bets on the Fights |
| 16 | Addiction (Drink) | ||
| 17 | Unpopular Gladiator, Known For Extreme Sadism | Addiction (Narcotics) | Healer, Who Treats Wounded Fighters |
| 18 | Match Fixing | ||
| 19 | Retired Gladiator, Kept Employed Out Of Sentiment | Blackmail | Owner of a Rival Pit |
| 20 | Murder |
| d20 | Gladiator Name (A) | Gladiator Name (B) | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morgo | The Butcher | Gaunt |
| 2 | Agrippa | The Red | Jovial |
| 3 | Gugri | The Sweetheart | Burn Scars |
| 4 | Raiche | Bonecrusher | Face Tattoos |
| 5 | Zakarpino | The Hammer | Glum |
| 6 | Kharye | The Sly | Brawny |
| 7 | Fennik | The Poet | Corpulent |
| 8 | Calmar | The Unblooded | Dirty |
| 9 | Borondorin | The Mute | Missing Limb |
| 10 | Pavgory | The Strangler | Missing Eye |
| 11 | Hallpox | Ironskull | Black Teeth |
| 12 | Bereth | The Gentle | Golden Teeth |
| 13 | Lenna | The Preacher | Outrageous Haircut |
| 14 | Rainadder | The Fool | Totally Hairless |
| 15 | Yelaspezia | The Lucky | Frighteningly Happy |
| 16 | Diamo | The Merciful | Glowering |
| 17 | Lismus | The Cheat | Intense |
| 18 | Verekholm | Earthshaker | Scholarly |
| 19 | Palatar | Blacktooth | Elderly |
| 20 | Helmonia | The Golden | Beautiful |
| d20 | Signature Weapon | Outlandish Armour | They Want |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bare Fists | Fights Naked | Information on the Training Methods of a Rival |
| 2 | Esoteric Martial Art | Mystical Tattoos | |
| 3 | Razor Whip | Dried Snake Skin | Prophecies Relating to the Manner of their Death |
| 4 | Net and Spear | Rusted Iron | |
| 5 | Vibro-Axe | Iridescent Chainmail | A Rival Gladiator Sabotaged |
| 6 | Flex-Glass Knife | Hardened Tree-Bark | |
| 7 | Bladed Shield | Symbiotic Psuedoflesh | A Rival Gladiator Discredited |
| 8 | Searing Gauntlets | Plates of Crimson Enamel | |
| 9 | Gelatinous Parasite | Encrusted with Teeth | Someone to Bet Big On Them |
| 10 | Carnivorous Plant | Encrusted with Vines | |
| 11 | Oar From Ancient Boat | Hardened Fungus | Someone to Bet Big Against Them |
| 12 | Sandworm Tooth | Plates of Bone | |
| 13 | Gilded Spear | Covered in Spikes | Legendary Weapon, Believed Lost in Vaarn’s Vaults |
| 14 | Crystal Great-sword | Engraved with Void-Psalms | |
| 15 | Shock Trident | Black Glass | A Rare, Potent Drug |
| 16 | Venomous Mace | Beautiful Extra-Solar Silk | |
| 17 | Heavy Chain | Nanoweave Shirt | An Introduction to Nyxia, the Wall Shadow |
| 18 | Lethal Poem | Crystalline Lattice | |
| 19 | Plasma Scimitar | Ancient Spacesuit | To Win Their Freedom |
| 20 | Sacred Flamberge | Solid Gold |
The Great Collapse scoured the wisdom of the ancients from the surface of the Urth. Only shards of their discoveries remain, but the merest glimpses of what once was are enough to compel some to dedicate their lives to a desperate search for those squandered truths.
| d20 | NPC A | Source of Conflict | NPC B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haughty, Proud Philosopher | Envy (Property) | Former Student, Who Has Renounced the Guild |
| 2 | Envy (Success) | ||
| 3 | Kind and Naive Philosopher | Love (Forbidden) | Ageing Philosopher, Respected But Now Bereft of Their Wits |
| 4 | Love (Unrequited) | ||
| 5 | Accomplished, Respected Philosopher | Love (Triangle) | The Head of a Rival Guild |
| 6 | Debt (Gambling) | ||
| 7 | Loathed, Rude Philosopher | Debt (Water) | The Wealthy Parent of a Student |
| 8 | Debt (Hegemony Taxes) | ||
| 9 | Philosopher, Driven Mad By Their Research | Robbery | Spouse of A Philosopher |
| 10 | Gossip | ||
| 11 | Talented, Arrogant Student | Adultery | Former Student, Who Broke the Guild’s Code |
| 12 | Conspiracy | ||
| 13 | Stupid, Wealthy Student | Gluttony | Former Student, Who Founded Rival Guild |
| 14 | Mistaken Identity | ||
| 15 | Dull, but Cheerful Student | Theft of Rare Manuscripts | Rough Adventurer, Who Provides the Guild With Scavenged Technology |
| 16 | Addiction (Drink) | ||
| 17 | Visiting Translator or Other Expert | Addiction (Narcotics) | Rich, Idle Noble, Who Fancies Themselves A Thinker |
| 18 | Violation of the Guild’s Code | ||
| 19 | Synth, Who Assists With Experiments | Blackmail | Psychic, Who Channels Unearthly Powers for the Philosophers |
| 20 | Murder |
| d20 | Guild Name (A) | Guild Name (B) | Guild Name (C) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benevolent | Order Of | The Golden Twins |
| 2 | Hermetic | Brotherhood Of | The Alabaster Hound |
| 3 | Esoteric | Sisterhood Of | Learned Masters |
| 4 | Philanthropic | College Of | Quiet Brethren |
| 5 | Learned | Association Of | The Auspicious Owl |
| 6 | Arcane | Lyceum Of | Somber Scholars |
| 7 | Recondite | Institute Of | Theoretical Harmony |
| 8 | Sagacious | Organisation Of | Star-Blessed Unity |
| 9 | Orphic | School Of | Revealed Wisdom |
| 10 | Wise | Guild Of | The Purple Tower |
| 11 | Rational | League Of | The Red Lectern |
| 12 | Gnostic | Federation Of | The Black Stork |
| 13 | Apt | Society Of | Querulous Investigation |
| 14 | Astute | Union Of | Theoretical Surveyors |
| 15 | Sophic | Partnership Of | Harmonious Students |
| 16 | Brilliant | Gathering Of | Humble Philosophers |
| 17 | Watchful | Family Of | Solipsist Lectors |
| 18 | Judicious | Fraternity Of | Ceaseless Scrutiny |
| 19 | Cordial | Fellowship Of | Beneficent Inquiry |
| 20 | Auspicious | Syndicate Of | Remorseless Discovery |
| d20 | They Study | Guild Custom | They Want To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology | Only Wear White | Upend the Governing Powers of Gnomon |
| 2 | Geology | Only Wear Crimson | |
| 3 | Poetry | Only Men Allowed to Join | Discredit a Rival Guild |
| 4 | Hypergeometry | Only Women Allowed to Join | |
| 5 | Telepathy | Only Synths Allowed to Join | Obtain Item of Exotica; Currently Possessed By Rival Guild |
| 6 | Cloning | Only Mycomorphs Allowed to Join | |
| 7 | Gene-sculpting | Must Remove Body-part to Join | Obtain Item of Exotica; Believed Lost Somewhere in Vaarn |
| 8 | History of Vaarn | All Members Are ‘Married’ | |
| 9 | Quantum Physics | Fast Between Dawn and Dusk | Obtain Item of Exotica; Currently Possessed By a Noble House |
| 10 | Fungus | Take Vow of Silence | |
| 11 | Xenolinguistics | Renounce All Worldly Goods | Send a Message to a Guildmember Elsewhere in Vaarn |
| 12 | Rhetoric | Revere an Unintelligible Text | |
| 13 | Astronomy | Members Wear Masks | Obtain Live Specimen of a Rare Monster |
| 14 | Divination | Members Renounce Their Birth Name | |
| 15 | Mathematics | Members Ritually Scarred | Find a Way of Paying Off the Guild’s Ruinous Debts |
| 16 | Alchemy | Members Ritually Tattooed | |
| 17 | Synthetic Psychology | Members Never Speak to Outsiders | Finance an Expedition to Some Remote and Dangerous Location in Vaarn |
| 18 | Telekinesis | Take Vow of Chastity | |
| 19 | Music | Take Vow of Promiscuity | Discover Who Is Leaking Guild Secrets to Rivals |
| 20 | Mind Control | Ritualised Feud With Rival Guild |
Those who cannot buy and sell must either steal or starve. Little wonder that there are many in the city of shaded markets who choose the mantle of the thief.
| d20 | NPC A | Source of Conflict | NPC B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gang Leader | Envy (Property) | Retired Master Thief |
| 2 | Envy (Success) | ||
| 3 | Brutal Enforcer | Love (Forbidden) | Art Forger |
| 4 | Love (Unrequited) | ||
| 5 | Young, Naïve Orphan | Love (Triangle) | Crooked Customs Agent |
| 6 | Debt (Gambling) | ||
| 7 | Quick-fingered Pickpocket | Debt (Water) | Owner of a Safe House |
| 8 | Debt (To Prieval Prise) | ||
| 9 | Fence of Stolen Goods | Robbery | Head of Rival Gang |
| 10 | Gossip | ||
| 11 | Charming Conartist | Adultery | Killer for Hire |
| 12 | Conspiracy | ||
| 13 | Aged, Cynical Burglar | Gluttony | Owner of a Passion-House |
| 14 | Mistaken Identity | ||
| 15 | Cunning Forger | A Risky Plan | Gambling House Owner |
| 16 | Addiction (Drink) | ||
| 17 | Petty Smuggler | Addiction (Narcotics) | Street Musician |
| 18 | Snitching | ||
| 19 | Sharp-eyed Lookout | Blackmail | Owner of an Orphanage |
| 20 | Murder |
| d20 | Gang Name (A) | Gang Name (B) | Their Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Street | Mob | Soft-Spoken Psycho |
| 2 | Mossy Boot | Crew | |
| 3 | Graveyard Shift | Rascals | Cheerful and Cunning |
| 4 | Flaming Horse | Gang | |
| 5 | Big Skull | Crew | Hulking Brute |
| 6 | Jade Scorpion | Company | |
| 7 | Knucklebone | Outlaws | Synthetic Brain Inside Unlikely Object |
| 8 | Wild Rooster | Raiders | |
| 9 | Shrieking | Madmen | Actual Child |
| 10 | Ghost Panther | Ring | |
| 11 | Pink Flamingo | Squad | Wears a Weird Mask |
| 12 | Red Tooth | Outfit | |
| 13 | Howling Crab | Troupe | Parasite Inside Other Gang Member |
| 14 | Daggerhead | Posse | |
| 15 | Milkshake | Cabal | Blind Psychic |
| 16 | Rattlesnake | Bandits | |
| 17 | Smiling Demon | Clowns | Creepy Old Woman |
| 18 | Left Handed | Rustlers | |
| 19 | Lucky Domino | Sneaks | Scion of Minor Noble House |
| 20 | Harlequin | Wretches |
| d20 | Their Methods | Who Have They Wronged? | Hideout Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confidence Tricksters | Merchant | Dingy Tavern |
| 2 | Livestock Rustlers | Widow | The Sewers |
| 3 | Silent Burglars | Camel Jockey | Burnt-out House |
| 4 | Violent Burglars | Card Sharp | Empty Tomb |
| 5 | Protection Racket | Drunken Highborn Boy | Nondescript Tent |
| 6 | Child Pickpockets | Butcher | Inside a Dead Tree |
| 7 | Muggers | Alchemist | Derelict Auto-chariot |
| 8 | Rigged Card Game | Poet | Under a Bridge |
| 9 | Rigged Boxing Match | Blind Miser | Disreputable Barbershop |
| 10 | Smugglers | Monkey Breeder | A Florist |
| 11 | Forged Artwork | Jeweller | Empty Warehouse |
| 12 | False Debt Collectors | Puppet Maker | Ramshackle Apartment |
| 13 | Kidnappers | Merchant’s Clerk | Backroom of a Casino |
| 14 | Sell Dud Technology | Clowns | Music Hall |
| 15 | Street Prostitution | Pet Shop | Puppet Theatre |
| 16 | Loan Sharking | Nomad Trading Party | Abandoned Shrine |
| 17 | Professional Arsonists | Water Baron’s Militia | Chess Cafe |
| 18 | Grave Robbers | Hegemony Soldiers | Gladiator Pit |
| 19 | Assassins | Courtesan | Opulent Dining Club |
| 20 | Psychic Blackmailers | Another Criminal Gang | Household of a Noble Family |
The Water Baron may have a monopoly on fresh water, but he does not have one on booze. Gnomon is awash with alcohol and drugs, brought from the four corners of Vaarn and beyond. In the tavern, Gnomonians from all walks of life gather to forget the day’s troubles, meet friends old and new, and get drawn into petty conflicts with heavily-armed, drunken strangers.
| d20 | NPC A | Source of Conflict | NPC B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Owner | Envy (Property) | Well-Liked but Foolish Regular |
| 2 | Envy (Success) | ||
| 3 | Owner’s Spouse | Love (Forbidden) | Widely Loathed Regular |
| 4 | Love (Unrequited) | ||
| 5 | Owner's Reckless Child | Love (Triangle) | Regular, Who Spends Too Much |
| 6 | Debt (Gambling) | ||
| 7 | Owner’s Favoured Child | Debt (Water) | Brewer, Who Supplies the Tavern |
| 8 | Debt (Hegemony Taxes) | ||
| 9 | Bartender | Robbery | Local Thug |
| 10 | Gossip | ||
| 11 | Bouncer | Adultery | Wealthy but Miserly Regular |
| 12 | Conspiracy | ||
| 13 | Pot Scrubber | Gluttony | Courtesan, Who Does Business In the Tavern |
| 14 | Mistaken Identity | ||
| 15 | Cook | Wild, Baseless Accusations | Beggar, Who Sits Outside |
| 16 | Addiction (Drink) | ||
| 17 | Hired Musician | Addiction (Narcotics) | Priest, Who Likes to Drink |
| 18 | Rude Drunken Behaviour | ||
| 19 | Dancer | Blackmail | Owner of a Rival Tavern |
| 20 | Murder |
| d20 | Tavern Name (A) | Tavern Name (B) | Tavern Name (C) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Jolly | Sandworm | Hotel |
| 2 | The Miserable | Alzabo | |
| 3 | The Cat and | Jackal | Inn |
| 4 | The Fighting | Zebra | |
| 5 | The Dancing | Bull | Bar |
| 6 | The Golden | Boar | |
| 7 | The Red | Cockerel | Club |
| 8 | The Black | Scorpion | |
| 9 | The Dead | Cactus | Tavern |
| 10 | The Peach and | Dog | |
| 11 | The Thirsty | Egg | Lounge |
| 12 | The Lonely | Goat | |
| 13 | The Furious | Camel | Saloon |
| 14 | The Noble | Autarch | |
| 15 | The Drunken | Fool | Taproom |
| 16 | The Bell and | Crone | |
| 17 | The Lily and | Child | Retreat |
| 18 | The Pale | Soldier | |
| 19 | The Sacred | Nomad | Cantina |
| 20 | The Lucky | Priest |
| d20 | Serves (x2) | Entertainment (x2) | Other Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheap Beer | Bad Musicians | All Windows Shot Out |
| 2 | Cheap Wine | Bad Dancers | Hole in Ceiling |
| 3 | Opium | Chess | Infested with Baboons |
| 4 | Psychedelic Mushrooms | Gambling (Dice) | Infested with Rats |
| 5 | Tea | Gambling (Cards) | Elaborate Chandelier |
| 6 | Coffee | Gambling (Scorpion Fights) | Pre-Collapse Jukebox |
| 7 | Hookah | Poetry Performances | Toilets Overflowing |
| 8 | Cigars | Karaoke | Bartender Has Odd Pet |
| 9 | Amphetamines | Large Fishtank | Free-Flying Birds |
| 10 | Olives and Cheese | Passable Musicians | Rough Clientele |
| 11 | Tapas | Passable Dancers | Artsy Clientele |
| 12 | Smoked Meats | Dominoes | Rooms for Rent Upstairs |
| 13 | Shellfish | Backroom Russian Roulette | Rumoured Secret Passage |
| 14 | Flavoured Ice | Backroom Boxing Ring | Hegemony Soldiers Drink Here |
| 15 | Salted Grubs | Dancing Bear | Water Baron’s Men Drink Here |
| 16 | Sweet Buns | Dartboard | Prieval’s Gang Drink Here |
| 17 | Hearty Stews | Pool Tables | Nobility Drink Here |
| 18 | Expensive Wine | Excellent Dancers | Weird Signature Drink |
| 19 | Expensive Beer | Excellent Musicians | Entirely Underground |
| 20 | Hegemony Whiskey | Seating Opposite Gallows | Hologram Bartender |
| d20 | Ancestry | Gender | Body | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | True-kin | Male | Tall | Craves Drug |
| 2 | Short | Craves Drink | ||
| 3 | Frail | Religious Mania | ||
| 4 | Muscular | Seeks Revenge | ||
| 5 | Fat | Pay Off Debt | ||
| 6 | Cacogen | Thin | Pilgrimage | |
| 7 | Skeletal | Escaped Slave | ||
| 8 | Hunched | Fleeing the Law | ||
| 9 | Female | Lopsided | Collect Debt | |
| 10 | Lithe | Craves Fame | ||
| 11 | Newbeast | Gnarled | Craves Wealth | |
| 12 | Squat | Craves Knowledge | ||
| 13 | Bloated | Missing Family | ||
| 14 | Gangly | Missing Friend | ||
| 15 | Child-like | Hates a Rival | ||
| 16 | Synth | Tanned | Unrequited Love | |
| 17 | Androgynous | Gigantic | Forbidden Love | |
| 18 | Wiry | Craves Power | ||
| 19 | Mycomorph | Nonbinary | Stout | Create Art |
| 20 | Injured | Carnal Lust |
| d20 | Voice | Attire | Demeanour | Faction Allegiance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breathy | Rags | Abrasive | Noble House |
| 2 | Shrill | Animal Skins | Arrogant | Trade Cartel |
| 3 | Deep | Rough Tunic | Assertive | Philosopher’s Guild |
| 4 | Sonorous | Nomad’s Attire | Charismatic | Gang of Criminals |
| 5 | Mumbles | Worker’s Attire | Daring | The Water Baron |
| 6 | Spits | Herdsman’s Attire | Decadent | |
| 7 | Sing-song | Slave Clothing | Eloquent | House Lonrot |
| 8 | Drawls | Merchant’s Livery | Extravagant | |
| 9 | Raspy | Shabby Attire | Hedonistic | Fifth Hegemony Legion |
| 10 | Whispers | Colourful Attire | Impulsive | |
| 11 | Hasty | Priest’s Robes | Irritable | Friends of Jak |
| 12 | Weird Laugh | Clerk’s Uniform | Melancholy | |
| 13 | Monotone | Hegemony Garb | Paranoid | Prieval’s Crew |
| 14 | Jovial | Soldier’s Clothing | Quiet | |
| 15 | Sinister | Flamboyant Attire | Religious | Church of the Promised Sun |
| 16 | Husky | Musician’s Attire | Romantic | |
| 17 | Smoky | Veiled Attire | Scholarly | Crimson Court |
| 18 | Smooth | Sinister Attire | Stern | |
| 19 | Gravelly | Philosopher’s Robe | Vain | Split Loyalties (Roll x2 Factions) |
| 20 | Never Speaks | Expensive Clothing | Volatile |
| Common Names | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adria | Eschilia | Kavinder | Obert | Sourhow |
| Ajishir | Flammer | Kiddaw | Oromiel | Suffe |
| Alaith | Fokin | Kimov | Ostamir | Touronisi |
| Anchat | Fundil | Kouri | Othonous | Trimona |
| Ashali | Galad | Leechpie | Pantperch | Turlan |
| Bellas | Gandil | Lemmaith | Pastan | Twitchpike |
| Blake | Gartsnake | Leves | Phaniel | Ulfgan |
| Bluelady | Giouri | Limnos | Pieta | Ullsnake |
| Brant | Gorlas | Liquiem | Pranbir | Unukat |
| Breeze | Grapple | Listheap | Pulchib | Vardotas |
| Butter | Greyknott | Longue | Rainwrig | Virinum |
| Calmir | Hadriel | Maiam | Rattlemell | Voussa |
| Cassi | Hallencrag | Maraki | Riverhow | Whipman |
| Catscree | Harptree | Mathos | Romseed | Windir |
| Celeg | Hezen | Megal | Safos | Xiambia |
| Cherren | Histle | Meisa | Salaios | Xidao |
| Crowinder | Homite | Mendar | Sallowfell | Yemell |
| Dabia | Hyssos | Michess | Sanger | Yondersoul |
| Dollyn | Idriel | Muskmallos | Saskat | Zevenon |
| Dyland | Illhead | Narth | Sertdeat | Zwiede |
| Highborn Family Names | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ul-Adramen | xan Abeontin | xan Cupieta | xan Gallifax | xan Selabolares |
| ul-Aleph | xan Aequn | xan Danian | xan Geffjuno | xan Sheth |
| ul-Behennat | xan Aeter | xan Decimaniel | xan Gorian | xan Spestus |
| ul-Borthemin | xan Africhar | xan Deventuru | xan Gusalemus | xan Tacitiestus |
| ul-Demonetas | xan Anakios | xan Devertumus | xan Herius | xan Theodorax |
| ul-Eishee | xan Andronos | xan Dimax | xan Hermina | xan Usolyn |
| ul-Rahasil | xan Asuras | xan Dominus | xan Herus | xan Valerita |
| ul-Summanes | xan Austmanela | xan Fabulian | xan Isaacrina | xan Vanitas |
| ul-Ukoba | xan Baphael | xan Favonikos | xan Jikinian | xan Veparcas |
| ul-Ulthman | xan Baraclius | xan Ferrinus | xan Joannin | xan Zimine |
| Careers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alchemist | Butcher | Exorcist | Maskmaker | Ropemaker |
| Apothecary | Card Cheat | Falconer | Mason | Scullion |
| Architect | Carpenter | Farrier | Mercenary | Sculptor |
| Armourer | Cartwright | Felt-maker | Midwife | Slave (Domestic) |
| Astrologer | Chandler | Gambler | Miner | Slave (Military) |
| Bag-maker | Charcoal Burner | Gladiator | Minstrel | Shepherd |
| Baker | Charioteer | Glassblower | Miracle Healer | Sin Eater |
| Bandit | Cheesemaker | Goatherd | Monk (Temple) | Stonecutter |
| Banker | Chirurgeon | Goldsmith | Monk (Beggar) | Storyteller |
| Barber | Clerk | Gravedigger | Needlemaker | Swineherd |
| Basketmaker | Clockmaker | Hangman | Pack Handler | Tailor |
| Bastard Farmer | Clone Catcher | Herbalist | Painter | Tanner |
| Belt-maker | Cobbler | Hunter | Parchment-maker | Tax Collector |
| Blacksmith | Cook | Illustrator | Preacher | Thatcher |
| Bookbinder | Con Artist | Inquisitor | Plasterer | Thug |
| Brassworker | Cutpurse | Jailer | Poet | Trumpeter |
| Brewer | Drunkard | Jeweller | Porter | Watermonger |
| Bridlemaker | Dyer | Leadworker | Potter | Wet Nurse |
| Broommaker | Embroiderer | Leatherworker | Prostitute | Woodcarver |
| Bureaucrat | Engineer | Locksmith | Rag Gatherer | Woolwinder |
| d20 | NPC A | Desires To | NPC B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silk Merchant | Abduct | Priest of the Promised Sun |
| 2 | Water Debt Clerk | Water Baron’s Guard | |
| 3 | Musician | Professionally Discredit | Corrupt Scribe |
| 4 | Mosaic Artist | Astronomer | |
| 5 | Hired Poet | Marry | Silversmith |
| 6 | Barber Surgeon | Jeweller | |
| 7 | Synth Expert | Steal From | Carpet Merchant |
| 8 | Gladiator | Luckless Charioteer | |
| 9 | Natural Philosopher | Impress | Rare Book Dealer |
| 10 | Alchemist | Opium Farmer | |
| 11 | Fungusmonger | Arrange the Death Of | Fortune Teller |
| 12 | Dancer | Travelling Singer | |
| 13 | Street Sweeper | Collect Debt From | Hired Killer |
| 14 | Cartel Enforcer | Fraudulent Psychic | |
| 15 | Goat Herder | Renege on a Deal With | Nomad Leader |
| 16 | Olive Oil Seller | Hegemony Soldier | |
| 17 | Highborn Layabout | Locate | Hegemony Tax Collector |
| 18 | Famous Duelist | Bounty Hunter | |
| 19 | Caravan Guard | Cure the Sickness Of | Retired Boxer |
| 20 | Wind-Barge Dockworker | Wealthy Widow |
No city stands still, and certainly no city as chaotic and vibrant as Gnomon. If the players leave town for a while and come back, here are some things that might have changed while they were gone.
- An Inspector Calls. The distant Hegemon, May Their Reign Last One Thousand Years, is displeased with the tax flow from Gnomon, and feels a firmer hand is needed. A cabal of Hegemony Inquisitors have arrived, and they have established a new branch of the House of Questions atop the Apex of Gnomon. Even Consul Lonrot and Commander Loonflower are not immune to the attention of the Hegemon’s Inquisition. The white-robed Brides of Truth walk through the city like ghosts, followed by groups of mute, black-robed Grooms, their dangling proboscises itching to suck the lies out of someone’s skull. People are vanishing from their homes at night. Nobody knows who may be an informant. And what exactly is the Grand Inquisitor doing, up there in his windowless tower?
- Rain Will Come. How much longer must the good people of Gnomon suffer under the Water Baron’s yoke? How many more outrages must they endure? A new voice promises liberation from the Baron’s rule. This preacher stirs the populace with their tales: myths of free water for all, falling from the Vaarnish sky as it did long ago. They call this preacher the Rainmaker. Mobs of their followers gather in the public squares, wailing and lamenting and imploring the sky to bless them. The great and good of Gnomon are, understandably, less than keen on this preacher riling up the masses. Someone really ought to do something about that fanatic.
- The Legions Return. The Hegemon, May Their Blade Cut Down the Unforgiven, has urgent need of all their Legions in the heartlands of the Hegemony. Nobody’s quite sure when the soldiers will come back. House Lonrot are left in charge of the city, with only their modest household guard to enforce the Consul’s will. If anyone was ever going to make a play for Gnomonian independence, this is their chance.
- Language Plague. A reckless vault-raider brought some awful relic of the Age of Titans into the city, and a rapidly spreading language virus is threatening the populace. The disease compels sufferers to endlessly repeat a strange mantra, and all those who hear the words of the chant run risk of infection themselves. Citizens have stuffed their ears with wax and are ringing every bell they can find to drown out the chants of the infected. The Hegemony Legion struggles to keep order as the Philosopher’s Guilds compete to find a cure.
- Great Fire. Nobody is sure how it started, but a fire is either currently raging or has devastated a great swathe of the city’s crowded townhouses. Choose one of the NPCs the party has grown closest to during the course of the campaign: they have either lost their home or are in imminent danger of doing so. How did the fire start? Was it deliberate? The streets are surely full of gossip.
- Gathering of the Nomads. The disparate clans of the Faa nomads have gathered outside the walls of Gnomon for their once in a decade Great Moot. A tent-metropolis has appeared overnight, dwarfing the aged, rigid construct of stone that calls itself Gnomon. The streets throng with the roaming people of Vaarn’s endless deserts. Toasts are drunk, marriages between clans are arranged, ritual duels end with both participants dead in the ring, and the souks are filled with the bounty of the deepest azure sands.