The Nightmare Switch

The land of Seshar is a dry desert crisscrossed with artificial waterways created in days long past. The village of Redstone lies upon one of these waterways, flourishing due to its brisk trade in stone quarried nearby and its extremely capable clave of three Aeon Priests. And then, one night, everything changed. A mysterious illness struck, and a call for aid was sent.

You are on hire on as guards to watch over the river craft piloted by a man named Deymish, on his way to Redstone to deliver medicine. Deymish doesn’t know any details about the illness there, just that he’s to deliver his shipment to the clave there, and that it is extremely urgent.

Deymish is a broad-shouldered, bearded man, about 40 years of age. He has a broad nose and bright eyes. A good-natured fellow, he tells jokes and shares in any labor he asks of another. His boat is an 18-foot (5.5 m) wooden trow with a synth sail that—even fully loaded—glides along a river seemingly effortlessly. Seshar is well-known to Deymish, with its strange, winding waterways. He knows the risks, but makes his living on his boat anyway, frequently employing a few strong arms to help with would-be raiders as well as large cargoes—or in some cases both. He pays each hired hand/guard 3 shins per day, but they get paid when he gets paid for the shipment.

When they arrive in town, Deymish asks for the PCs’ help in getting the four crates of medicine up to the clave’s tower.

"Come, friends, lift those crates, journeys end means pay day is close at hand!" You can easily manage three crates with one person at each end, or if two stronger characters wanted to each solo a crate (tough work but I won't make you roll to do it), leaving Deymish and the remaining three PCs to take the other two.

Deymish grabs the other end of the crate Karam is by. Together, it is light work.

Together, you all move away from the docks, up the main street. to the tower. You see very few people, and those you do see aren't looking around at all, simply trudging in a tired fashion.

The tower has three stories and a conical roof. It has a few shuttered windows on the upper two levels, with thick glass, about 30 inches (76 cm) across. Unlike the other buildings in Redstone, it is round, and surrounded by an equally circular wall. The tower has a diameter of about 20 feet (6 m). The wall, a bit over 70 feet (21 m).

The wall is 10 feet (3 m) high, 1 foot (.3 m) thick, and made of redstone. A locked gate of iron bars blocks the entrance (level 3 lock, level 6 iron gate).

When you get to the bars, Deymish calls out.

The guard is a tall woman with pale brown skin and short hair. She wears brigandine armor and a helmet, and carries a long spear (she has a small sword as well). "What do you want?" she asks warily, eyeing the crates.

"A delivery for the clave. The medicine they ordered." He hefts the one end of the crate as if it weren't obvious.

"Come by tomorrow," she says and returns to her chair.

Deymish protests but she doesn't listen.

It looks quiet inside. The guard in her chair seems half asleep but struggling to stay awake. There doesn't seem to be anyone else, or anything out of place.

"Come by tomorrow."

Deymish grumbles. "I suppose so. Let's take these back to the boat then you lot can look around. I'll watch the stuff today, but come by later and spell me off would you."

The guard is unmotivated to provide further information. She waves you away, and mouths the words, 'tomorrow'.

If you want to try something hard, like convincing her to give you more information, roll a d20 and tell me what you're trying to do. Also reminds me if you're Trained or Specialized in that usage.

Deymish shrugs. "I am just the delivery person. Either way, I'm not going to spend a lot of time in this town not knowing what afflicts them."

You're identify one of the buildings you've passed I the way from the ship is a tavern. After dripping the creates back at the body, and Deymish secures the freight and decides to take a nap, you wander back to the unnamed tavern.

Inside, you see a few people: the barkeep is slouched in a chair looking haggard (numerous empties are scattered on his counter; he clearly had chores he could attend to), and three young men are dutifully polishing off a third pitcher of some vermilion liquor as if they are engaged in a long, laborious process. Trudge-drinking, one might say.

The bartender gets up and pours half of a stout tankard of the same liquor. It smells pretty potent, closer to the whiskey side than the beer or wine side of the scale.

"These guys are trying to see if getting falling down dead drunk will keep the nightmare at bay. Not that it worked yesterday. Or anything else for anybody else. Nobody has gotten much sleep these past, I don't know, weeks? It's hard to keep things straight anymore."

Without interacting with people, all Raezhon will see is this universal exhaustion. Conversations are few and far between, even less so with a stranger around, although they're not obscenely suspicious.

If you want to two something less general, you could do so and attempt a roll. Perception, interrogation, medicine, or psychology, perhaps? Your call as to the approach.

The man says he can't explain, none of them can. Somebody described it best as being like an unrelenting storm of disconnected meaningless images and sounds with no way to understand any part of it.

They grunt and one pushes his mug to you, leaning back. He's clearly deeply inebriated, they all are, but too tired to be obnoxious about it.

"To oblivion!" One toasts, and the other mumbles something, taking a swig of his own.

Karam heard the story told in broken rambling drunkenese. A few weeks ago, a worker in the quarry fell asleep and had the nightmare. Later, his family told him they had it as well. By the next day, the whole town has had it, everyone, and anytime they sleep, it keeps them from getting any real rest. It doesn't get any easier, either. Each time is as bad as the first.

"Him? Uhh, it was Oranith Quay." (hic)

You've been told to try the tower tomorrow. You have food in the boat, and it looks like the town is mostly shut down, so getting food here might be a chore.

You've been told (and assumed shared with those who didn't hear it directly) about the nightmare plague that had eviscerated the towns productivity.

So, who is going to sleep that night?

When Rohim falls asleep, to the others he appears immediately to be in distress. He groans and cries out, then wakes after a few minutes even if you don't wake him purposefully.

Do you want to try again Rohim?

Or seeing this, does anyone else want to try?

Rohim falls asleep more easily, but his eyes can be seen immediately darting around, telling observers that he is dreaming.

Nim falls asleep and seems to rest without outward sign of distress.

In the interest of expediting the discovery, Rohim's successful use of his mental resistances block some of the nightmare, but his sleep will be nonetheless incomplete. Nim's pills will protect your sleep from the Nightmare. He has 24 in total so they won't last long of everyone doth partake.

1 xp to each of Rohim and Nim for puzzling out some of the parameter of the nightmare.

As we move to the next morning, who uses a pill, who attempts unprotected sleep, and who goes without any sleep?

Regardless of whether you try and sleep (and suffer the nightmare) or stay awake all night, you're not rested the next morning. Nim alone had taken one of his oddity pills and feels rested.

Rohim draws one of his dream images, a faceted dome.

It is now morning. What do you do?

Nim doesn't see the drawing of the dome as being particularly dangerous to him.

Dragging your crates back up the hill, the guard, who looks even more haggard, says only the same thing to your query. "Come back tomorrow." Deymish protests, with many arm gestures and grand claims as to how important his time is, and the medicine they requested. "Medicine! Even you might benefit once the priests start handing it out!"

The guard grows angry, her embarrasment and rage competing, but her rage winning. She bellows for you all to shove off, while fingering her weapon.

You move the crates to the side, and Deymish quietly offers, "She's hiding something. Any of you good at sneaking into towers?"

What's the plan?

Nim attempts to deceive the guard into believing the group has explicit orders from a higher authority to enter and deliver the goods immediately. If anything it is at least a chance to distract the guard while Rohim tries to find another way in.

Rohim finds that the wall is too tall to climb without support and there isn't another way in. It is 10 feet high and a foot thick. From the far side, you could climb over it if you had crates or something to climb, and it would be far enough away that she wouldn't easily hear you.

Nim successfully distracts the guard. She's not cooperative, and the more you press the harder she resists letting you in. But she does pay attention to Nim enough that Rohim can do something.

Jay10 you can try something else if you want.

The guard hesitantly takes the pill through the gate bars and then return and lays back in her chair. A few moments later, she's asleep.

Gate is still locked.

From the opposite side of the tower, To him can't see the guard or the gate, but he sees nothing else. There is a wide ring-shaped garden of exotic plants around the tower. There doesn't appear to be anyone who can see him from where he is at.

Want to try again at a higher difficulty?

Nim can give it one more shot then we'll call the time of death on this plan.

Just before admitting defeat, Nim picks the lock.

You can enter the grounds easily now. There is a door near where the guard is, and none visible from the back.

As he gets a few feet along the path into the inner area around the tower, there is a pulse of greenish light from the tower. It fills the area inside the wall up to about ten feet high and then is gone.

Aduan feels suddenly exhausted and needs to make a level 4 Intellect Defense roll.

Aduan fights off the effects, staggers but remains awake.

Nim's lockpicks are fine, just a little bent, and Aduan is inside the tower grounds. Not much you can do from outside.

The light flashes green again, exactly as before.

Nim and Alduan both need to make level 4 Intellect Defense checks.

Aduan falls to his knees, and then falls asleep.

Nim falls asleep as well, slowly crumpling to the ground.

Rohim can reach their feet and slip a knot around so they can be pulled to safety.

They're easily woken at that time. Of course, they are startled and out of sorts after the nightmares.

Just like before, when you get within fifteen feet of the tower, there is a flash, and Rohim feels the urge to sleep. (Intellect Defense vs level 4 please). Being blinded does not seem to help.

The guard is asleep in her chair outside that fifteen foot trigger zone. Checking her, you find her lunch, dried veggies and meat, her brigandine armor and a helmet, and carries a long spear (she has a small sword as well). In a pocket, she has a small key (it does not fit the gate).

In the interest of moving this forward a bit, why doesn't everyone make a Perception check to see if they can see what might be happening. This will be quite difficult, but certainly possible. If you use Scan, that will be an asset to the roll.

Rohim almost passes out from the attack, but maintains his footing. Does he want to move closer and see what happens?

I'll accept that danger sense makes sense here. With that Nim makes the difficulty 6 test, and thinks he sees where the operating lever trigger is on the side of the tower.

Rohim makes it to the lever and flicks it to the other position.

Testing the trap does reveal that it seems to be deactivated, at least at the moment.

Of course, it's not quite so easy. The door to the tower is locked, although one of you has not quite broken lockpicks. The tower walls also look climbable, if you know what your are doing, and prefer to enter by way of an upper window.

Yes, everybody is awake. Except the guard who is sleeping like she hasn't slept in a few weeks.

Nim fails to pick the lock. You could use the key found on the guard.

Inside, the entire level of the tower is a single room. It is unfurnished, and currently holds a number of wooden crates, filled with various supplies. It is lit by glowing panels on the ceiling 15 feet (4.6 m) above. An iron staircase runs up to Level 2.

On the wall is a metal panel with glass screens and various controls.

Aduan's scan reveals to him only base line numenera, objects rather than effects.

You've opened the door. I have posted the first floor layout above.

You betcha. Difficulty 4

Nim studies the screens carefully.

Aduan senses no magic at play in the tower. There may be some cyphers lying about, and the garden outside is numenera of a kind, but you've already sensed that.

On the wall is a metal panel with glass screens and various controls. It is a difficulty 4 task to figure out and use the following functions:
1. Turn the lights in the tower on or off.
2. Deactivate or activate the defense mechanism outside the tower.
3. Communicate via audio with the other two levels of the tower.

Second Floor
This is the laboratory for the clave. In it, there are a number of different experiments in the works involving chemicals, mechanical devices and batteries, and stranger things

A notebook kept by one of the priests is open on a table here amid a number of chemicals and tools for working with chemicals detailing a number of different attempts at creating a cure for the malady plaguing the town.

Stairs continue up to a third floor.

This is the living quarters for the individuals in the clave. There are three beds here, along with other comfortable furnishings. It is obvious to anyone that no one has been here for a few days. Old food sits on plates on a table next to half-full mugs of cold, stale coffee.

Amid the personal belongings of one of the priests, you find a journal started months ago by a man named Xarmun.

Nim finds three cyphers on the table.

Roll three Intellect checks to identify.

One is a small amount of level 4 powder that, if consumed or inhaled, restores 1d6+2 Speed.

Another is an injector with a level 3 serum that grants a creature the ability to resist a poison or disease as if the task were 2 levels lower for 28 hours.

The last is a bit of level 5 liquid in a tube that will put the imbiber to sleep for 1 hour.

It is either 2 or 3, depending on your Type. For nanos such as Nim, it is 3 (written on your sheet).

Rohim has a hard time and gets little information from the exhausted town folk, but the faceted done is well known and eventually he gets a rough direction to head. He also understands that it's an all day journey.

THE DESERT

The desert beyond the village is extremely flat and dry. Large beetle-like insects crawl across cracked earth, scuttling for shade beneath sagebrush and the occasional large rock.

You could probably loot most of that from the tower if you're so inclined.

It's about eight hours march across the dry desert to reach the dome, but it is easy to find. It glitters and glistens in the sun during the day so that it can be seen for many miles. It is also exactly the same as the dome that was dreamed about and drawn later.

Near the dome, there are obvious signs of a fight -- churned dirt, bits of dried blood, a broken spear, some torn robes, and so forth. The robes are clearly the same as the Aeon Priest robes you would have seen examples of within the tower.

You also notice that a large group (some on foot, some mounted) came to this spot from the east and moved westward.

A Perception check may reveal more information.

There are strange symbols around the fight scene, crudely etched into the dry dust.

Nim also determines that the attackers were a margr band, who caught the priests outside the dome, charged in and attacked. Then, after the battle was done, continued west, but only after the superstitious abhumans put down the strange symbols as magical wards.

Aduan senses no numenera in the area.

The dome is 20 feet (6 m) high and 130 feet (39.6 m) across, made of triangular faces of white crystal that are cool to the touch. There is no obvious door.

Rohim finds no seams that would indicate some way in.

Raezhon only sees the Aeon Priests tracks headed straight for the dome, before the tracks are messed up with the tracks from the larger group.

Correction/clarification: The Aeon Priests went to the dome, entered, and came out which is when they were accosted by margr. You can tell where they entered, but not how.

No, Raezhon can't.

In the interim of decisions being made Nim decides to give a look around for any other clues the might lead to opening the entrance.

Contrary to all expectations, Nim and Raezhon both discover that to enter the dome, you need to place your hand on any part of the wall of the dome, and think about how much you want to pass through, at which point a door forms in front of you.

After numerous questionable attempts at breaking through the seemingly impenetrable surface, (including kicking it, asking nicely and whispering sweet nothings) Nim defeatedly leans on the dome and screams frustratedly towards the heavens "I JUST WANNA GET INSIDE THIS STUPID THING! IS THAT SO MUCH TO.." however at that very moment the domed structure seems to react and an entrance appears. Huh.. well then... I really am more clever than I look haha... he thinks to himself foolishly triumphant.

What I posted for Rhaezon earlier

Inside the Dome: The air is cool and moist, and somehow there are thriving green potted plants giving the whole place fresh air. Most of the interior, however, is filled by a maze of machinery. Spinning turbines, rotating dishes, and banks of control panels and interface stations. The floor is made of multicolored ceramic tiles.

There is also a panel in the side of one of the large machines that has been removed, exposing a cylindrical space where something obviously gets "plugged in" and affixed to some wires, cables, and conduits. Rhaezon has a cylinder that obviously fits into that space, along with various wires and prongs that would allow it to be connected to the larger mechanism, but just as obvious is the fact that the cylinder has burned out from the inside. It is blackened and partially melted.

Nim with the help of anyone else taking a careful look around find:

• A level 7 cypher that looks like a pair of metal goggles (it needs a new strap). The wearer learns the level of whatever she looks at once they are activated. Activation lasts 1 hour.

• A level 6 cypher that looks a little like a glass wand with a copper tip. When activated, any one metal object level 6 or lower touched by the copper tip instantly disintegrates. The object can be up to the size of a human, but if it is larger, it does not work.

• A level 2 cypher that sprays out a thick viscous liquid. Within the liquid are incredibly fast-acting microscopic repair units that mend a break or tear in an object (or fuse two disparate objects held together).

• An oddity that resembles a toy doll made of synth, but the doll is of a creature that looks like nothing anyone’s seen before, with a large number of asymmetrical limbs, all different sizes, a long neck, and a four-eyed head.

Unfortunately, you do not find a replacement part for the cylinder that burned out. You do discern that the last people to enter had clearly been interested in that. Whatever brought the Aeon Priests here, and had them leave the dome later, remains a mystery. You did also find their spare clothing and food packs, indicating they had planned on returning.

Rohim determines that the part is likely broken beyond repair, and charging it won't help.

You know that the Aeon Priests were likely taken by the margr band. Those tracks would be easy to follow.

Ready to chase the margr horde?

The Margr MaraudersYou follow the obvious trail left by the margr. After a few hours, you find the scene of butchery and cooking, and more remnants from Aeon Priest clothing, but no gear. The signs are not very old.

You close the distance after another day of walking, enough to make out a dozen or so of the creatures, some mounted on aneen.

There are 11 margr and their very large leader. The group has four aneen, but they use them as pack animals, not mounts.The abhumans make their way with no particular hurry, so even though they have a considerable lead, you can catch up with them.

When they stop and make camp, the margr set up a perimeter patrol of one individual who circles around the camp, and another who stays awake on watch in the camp near the resting aneen. The remaining margr sleep. A blanket with odd objects is laid out near the sleeping leader in the middle.

Getting to long distance will be easy once it gets dark, which is imminent.

You're fairly certain there are no prisoners with them.