**Scene 1 -- Train Riot** You are all aboard a void train, a massive 3 story tall train which travels to major systems through the void, along specially designed void-gate networks. You're pulling into the station on the planet of Contagios 1, the capital of this sector, and where your knight sergeant lives. According to your records, the planet has about 1.25g's due to its massive 14,000KM size. Its mostly a water world, with an earth like atmosphere, moderate tech, and an entrenched bureaucracy who only looks out for themselves, allowing the law level to decay to 1: a heavy hand is recommended. Its primary industry was a massive starship weapons production facility, but that was bombed during the Third Republic, leading to the currently economic troubles. Over the train's loudspeaker, the conductor announces that the void gate to Contagios' is opening, and transit will begin within a minute, and final arrival at the station will be in three minutes, with doors opening in four minutes. Rushing through the gate, through the window you see the oceans of orange and red, with strange ethereal creatures leaping against the train\'s void bubble disappear through a metal ring, transforming the view out the window into that of a bustling station, a platform full of people waiting just outside the window. Thousands gathered, hoping to luck their way into a seat in the civis compartments. The crowds disappear moments later as the train passes into the secure area for aristocratic and militiroius personal, including yourselves. The platform here is much more thinly populated, a few dozen groups, mostly families, stand waiting to board to the train. The station itself is composed of a central track, with a void gate at either end of the track. On the 'port' side of the train is the boarding platform, invisible to your eyes currently. The starboard side is for departing personnel like yourselves. Both are simple concrete platforms, with a painted warning hazard area near the tracks. At the edges of which are red-marble staircases leading upwards to the surface of Contagios. Separating your fine aristocractic area from the Civis commons area is a simple chain-linked fence. The train screeches to a halt, off gasses filling the view outside your window. You make your way out from your fine, if a little small, luxury cabin into the corridor, down the hallway to the boarding gate, where your neural net has already pinged for a hover platform to be waiting. Once the three of you are on the clear, thin, rectangle it begins a quick hover descends from the third story of the train where you were to the ground level. On your journey down, you can hear from the Civis area an argument break out. Quickly more voices join the argument, ended with the firing of a pistol. The momentary silence is overwhelmed like the speakers in your armour by the roar of the crowd, intensified by numerous discharges of firearms. On the ground in front of you, you see various elites sprinting towards the stairs. On the opposite side of the fence you see the mob fleeing from the train. Out of the nearest civis door you see a head pop out, a pistol in hand, letting off several shots into the throng of Civis. You're alerted to the presence of a guard On the catwalk above, followed by an alert to your neural net: ***WARNING, RIOT AT CONTAGIOS STATION. USE OF FORCE AUTHORIZED BY STATION-CAPTAIN Hercult**.* All around you chaos spreads. The mob of civis trying to flee the rioting crowed on the other side of the train while the air is filled with the smell of gunpowder, plasma burned corpses, and the sounds of violence. What do you do? Within the crowd there are three Daemonic Aberants, two with hammers and oen with an axe, 7 Rioter-Melee and 3 rioter ranged. Stats: 1. Rioter-Melee a. Description: With ragged clothes and a simple club or dagger in hand, the rioter seems untrained in fighting b. Stats: i. HP: 21 Armour: 2 ii. Attack: Improv Weapon: -3, 1D6 2. Rioter-Ranged a. Description: Slightlyb nicer clothes, and a bit of body armour, a few rioters seem to have handguns or submachine guns b. Stats: i. HP: 27 Armour: 5 ii. Attack 1. Pistol: +3, 2D8, 25M 2. SMG: +3, 3D6+4, Auto 2, 45M 3. Daemonic Aberant a. Description: With three arms, purple, malnourished skin, and one large, dripping eye, the Daemonic aberrant exudes Abyssal energy b. Stats: i. HP: 33, Armour: 4 ii. Attack: 1. Hammer: +6, 4D10+3 2. Axe: +6, 5D8+3 See Red Notebook Train Map for more info. **Scene 2 -- Meeting the Knight** After dealing with that train riot and escaping the station. You make your way through the city streets towards the Knight-Sergeants keep. The streets are filled with the poor and destitute. You pass many beggars, starved corpses, and people offering themselves in any way to earn a few credits, some are nearly nude, others are heavily bruised, none seem happy. The shops have bars on the windows, if they have windows at all. The gloomy grey sky blocks the sun from warming the hearts of the civis here. When you reach the keep, you're brought through the dying, brown courtyard which normally would be maintained by the best florists in the Sector. Marchign your way into the Keeps Great Hall, through the massive, ancient, Aldtanium doors. The room within in a large rectange, maybe 10 meters by 40, divided into two sections by a small stream of water which has a simple, planklike bridge over it. In the larger section, which is near the door and is about 2/3rds of the room, there are six sets of armour, void-blades lying dormient on their belt. Above each suit is an electronic portaint of the suit in action, each fighting some kind of epic duel. At the base of the stands list the Name of who the suit of armour belonged too. On the far side of the stream, there are two sets of supplies. In the right corner are seven read barrels, marked with the warning symbol that they are expolsive. In the opposite corner are a series of creates stacked on top of each other. Beyond the bridge, opposite the door you just entered is another, grand door, intowhich is carved this symbol: **draw four cirlces interconnecting with each other, and a fifth in the middle**. Within a minute of your entry, the doors opposite you swing open, and in a lumbering, tired pace out walks your Knight-Sergeant, **Kerelius.** Giving a tired small when he sees you, he welcomes you into his keep, and tells you: "My Brothers, fellow knights it is good to see you with my drained eyes. But they glad to work to see that the EOD and empress have answered my prayers. I am busy, as I'm sure you can tell, so I will be brief. A Mages-Guildsman named **Maldei** abandoned the Guild during the Third Republic. We had assumed he had died to the various mobs, but the Dean of the College here on Contatios said that several of his students recently left to go join Maldei's new cult. I beseech you to go and investigate this issue for me my Knights, it would be a great honor for me to be assisted in this task by Knights such as yourselves." Kerelius then tells the players that they must go to the University and search Maldei's room for any clues about his plans. **Scene 3 -- University Confrontation** From the Sargeants fort you're granted the use of a shuttle which then flies you over to the University Town, when you get close you're informed that all inbound traffic must stop at the Security checkpoint for inspection or else be fired upon. You touch down at the checkpoint. A squad of six troops stand outside the door, ready to fight whatever might come out. Once you lower the ramp, the Sergeant of the Squad approaches and informs you they're going to conduct a search of the shuttle. If the players fight back at all, or reference their rank, the troops call for the dean. Otherwise, the dean comes out once the shuttle has been searched. In either case, **Dean Maxmaga** comes to meet the PC's: "Oh my, I am most sorry Masters. If I had known you were coming I would have prepared a proper response! We've had an issue with several false knights coming to our university lately, so I hope you understand the precatious situation we're in. For this reason, I must ask you to present some kind of proof of who are you" Maxmaga does not want the knights to explore **Maldei**'s room, as he's afraid that if word gets out about this incident, other issues might come forward, like sexual assault, murder, illegal sacrifices, etc. Nevermind that it would hurt Maxmaga's honour and the glory of working at this university. Thus he is very hesitant to let the knights explore, and would rather work to distract them with conversation. **In the worst case, to prevent negative press about the university, Maxmaga will attempt to use his authority as a Dean of the Mages Guild over the players** **Scene 4 -- Searching Maldei's room** Eventually the Dean gives in and escorts you to the residency halls, then into the hall of the Abyss, and then up eight flights of stairs, and down a few hallways, which would leave all of you thoroughly lost if your neural net hadn't downloaded both a map of the campnus and its buildings, as well as having a breadcrumb feature, allowing you to find out way out. The room itself is small, maybe 6 by 10 meters. In one corner there is a simple bed. A desk with a few notes and books scattered about it, a small fridge with replicator/reheater above it, and in the closet there are still some clothes. To see the list of stuff in the - Under the Bed - Under the bed there is a space to hold a chest or suitcase, but it is currently empty. - The Desk -- A simple plastic desk, it is basically just a desktop and a chair. - The desk has a few different pages of notes of spells and instructions, most of which talk about *Aedificao Siba* aka creating food. The books range from: 'The deeds of Debonio' to 'Aedificao Siba Aterra' \[making food from dirt\] - One note stands out among the rest though, it is: **Give players the University Note.** - Closet - Within the closet are mostly clothes, a few mages robes, etc, but all the fine clothes seem to be gone. - Replicator - The fridge is filled with various meals, through you can't be certain what the food is, it looks fresh. - Any food made in the replicator looks like normal food, the replicators logs say that it hasn't been used in years. **University Note, High Versian:** > FINMEO CONELO TRACIVES. NABIUVUIS NELATO. V'EXTAO, MIO ADPUTRIDA > IMTELARMOFISON PAUPCIVEL DICUN. MAXCOLLEGERE SCIMAGA ETEO COLLEGEOS > EHONORE DANO MI NEGOLARA ITADAEDIFICOI HONA MIA **University Note Translation:** *I am done with this conflict against the civis. We should be helping, not hiding. To this end, I am going to the destroyed great-arms factory, where a group of poor civis are said to be. The Mages Guild and this College lack honour, giving me no glory. So I go to create my own honour.* **Scene 5 -- The walk through the factory** You guys head back to your shuttle, which you then order to depart to the Factory. A quick jaunt over there later and you're outside the doors into the massive, multi-Kilometer complex, somewhere inside **Maldei** might just be. **All doors require a strength 4+ check to open** 1. The Main entry chamber in in the north, it was four exits: East, West, South East, South West. It has a large sign above the door saying "Welcome to the Contagios Weapons Lab, enjoy your workday!". 2. This room is filled with various vats of glowing green and blue liquids, a vat in the center of the room appears to have broke, create a hole in the floor (requires a DEX 6+ to get around). At the south end of the room is a staircase leading up to a door. 3. This is a large, rectangular shaft which seems to stop on this floor, and goes up to the next floor. Currently there is no car inside, but there are numerous cables hanging down from the roof 4. This is a large, rectangular shaft which goes up three floors, and down two. At the bottom of the elevator there is a bubbling green substance. 5. This seems to be some kind of science lab, various desks with beakers, flasks, and science instruments are abound in the room. Floating at various points throughout the room, slowly moving around, are balls of pure blue liquid, loosing a few particles only to regrow them from somewhere else. There are two doors in the room, both opposite you, one going west in the far south corner, the other going south in the middle of the southern wall. 6. This room has a large assembly line leading through it, there is a damaged sign outside with a warning that vaugly reads: "O2/0 \-\-\-\-\-- door closed\-\-\-\-\-- leave". The assembly line inside appears functional, once one of you steps into the room, it even begins ot move while the light goes from a pale emergency red to a strobing yellow. To the west, along the north wall, there is a door, in the south wall there is door, and in the east wall there is a door **Once all players are in the room, the door behind them closes, the strobing yellows goes strong red and an alarm begins to blare a warning: "beginning O2 deprevation treatment. Room will loose oxygen in 1 minute"** 7. This room is smaller then the last, and much more damaged. Sparking wires grant the room hints of light. When the players enter the room, they have a 1-6 chance of starting a fire. If they do, the fire prevention system kciks in, and heaven gas begins to flood from the roof. 8. The sign on this room is destroyed, inside it seems completely empty, outside there is only a button. **If the button is pressed. Then in 20 seconds the roof shoots down into the floor, crushing whatever was in the room, then the floor superheats and burns whatever was there off.** 9. When the players enter into the room, they slowly begin to float, if they try and move forward they begin to slide backwards. Up goes down. The room has three doors: West Door, East Door, and South Door. 10. The door to this room has splashes of blood outside of it. Inside the room, theres a light bit of dust, with a few piles of bones scattered about. The floor about a meter into the room seem slightly raised then the rest. **If the players step onto the center floor, then the walls will begin to move in, they take 30 seconds to reach the travellers.** 11. The chapel of the Cult 12. The Living area of the cult. Show the map! **Scene 6 -- Searching the Cult base** After stumbling through the various, decrepit factory, you find two rooms with warm, soft light glowing out of them. They are on either side a cramped hallway. There is a room to your left, and to your right. From what little you can see, the room to the left is filled with some kink of pew, whilet he room to the right seems to have a large table in it. 1. **The Armoury** -- There are three cases along the walls of this room, in the center is a crate. The Cases have glass windows. Along the left wall the case is filled with various rifles and shotguns, the middle wall has a large display of various melee weapons -- from swords to hatches to clubs -- and fially the right wall has various assault rifles and laser rifles. The crate in the middle in neartly organized boxes of ammunition. 2. **The Dinning hall**/Right Room --Walking into the large chamber, the smell of a recently cooked meal fills your nostrels through your armours sensors. In the middle is a grand dining table, with room to seat a five on each side, with total seats for 12. Close to the door you entered on the left wall there is a portable toilet, midway through that wall is a door, beyond the door, far along the left wall is a small counter and sink. Along the right wall there are four nice cots, and midway down the wall there is a door. At the table there is a large well prepared meal of various meats and vegetables, it looks delicious, each chair has a plate infront of it which has food on it. 3. **Bedroom** -- This cramped room has three rows of four bunk beds each. Each bed is perfectly made, but rather poor quality. There is a noticeable odor of boidliy functions in the air. 4. **Crypods** -- The door into this room is locked, (electronics 8+), inside there are 6 cryopods, two along each wall. The two on the left wall are empty, the middle two have bodies in them, but according to the vital readout they are dead, the right two have still living people in them. **One person is max, the other is an alive but headless body. The players seem to have vague memories of max's character, they seem to think they had seen him somewhere before** 5. **Prayer Hall/Left Room** -- This large chamber has two rows of three desk/pews, each of which has four corpses slumped over in them. A rotting, dead smell overtakes the room. At the end of the room is a raised platform, on the right hand side of which is a chalkboard, and the left there is a simple desk and chair. On the desk is a lesson plan which says: **The Teachings of MalFantasia**. **On the chalkboard is the Prayer of Malfantasia** 6. **The Office --** Inside this room is the **four circles connecting to eachother with a fifth in the middle** drawn on the floor. In the center circle is head, with an aldminum channeling pole in the area between each circle, and a drained crystal in each. Beyond these things, the room is empty. Prayer of Malfantasia: V'EXTO VICANDAO HABMANDATUIS EQUITURS VESIDO ETO VIDO VERO DAMALFANTASI. **Scene 7 -- Abyssal Hounds Attack!** **After the players leave the office**, they hear a sound outside, a hellish wailing. If they did not close the door into the Prayer hall, then through the door they can see three creatures: With four legs, scruffy and splotchy sickly green fur, their flaky skin a pale orange colour, and their eyes glowing aldminum orange. (They roll an 8+ to notice the players, if they do, the leader howls and the creatures move in, otherwise the animals first go and explore the Food room). The eyes on the head open, and it lets out an airless shriek, before attempting to hop after the players. **Once the Abyssal-Hounds attack, the corpses in the room shoot to life, unstoppable zombies they can only be killed by taking the headless body out of the cryo tube and letting it die.** Stats: a. Hound \*4 a. Hits: 80, Armour 15 b. Attack: i. Bite: +3, 4D10+2, Melee, Stun ii. Scratch: +3, 5D8+2, Melee iii. Abyssal call: +5, 3D12, 20M b. Zombies \* 24 a. Hits: 50, Armour: 0 b. Attack: +2, 3D6. c. Will come after the players even as its dismembered. **Scene 8 -- Go to tell the Knight What Happened** In the wake of your attack, you return to the Knight Sergeant, both to introduce the knight that you found, and to tell the knight of what you've learned. He is eager to listen to you and meets you once again in the Great Hall to listen to you. At this time, tell max you wish to speak to him in private: tell him that his character is beginning to remember this place, and he definitely recognizes this man as being someone who was a threat, and the one who locked him in the cryotube. The Sergeant wants to make sure the players don't know what has happened and try and convince them that max is evil. When he realises that the players have figured it out, or are close to do so, he calls in the attack. During the attack, he is trying to kill max. **Scene 9 -- The Knights keep comes under attack** In the middle of your conversation, an explosion rocks the building, followed by the sounds of gunfire outside. Through your neural nets you're informed of a largescale attack on the landing keep. Losses are mounting quickly and a group has gotten within he walls, and are approaching the great chamber now. About a dozen enemies in all. 8 with void axes and 4 assault rifles 1. Melee \* 8 a. HP: 45, Armour: 25 b. Attack: +3, 4D6+1, Void (VoidAxe) 2. Ranged \* 4 a. HP: 40, Armour 30 b. Attack: +3, 4D8+3, Auto 5 During the Fight, the Knight Sargeant will be trying to get Max killed, and will attempt to attack him if he has a chance. **Scene 10 -- The Knight Betrays the players** Either because they're pushed back, or because they saw the knight trying to kill max, the player enter the Knights private chamber. Inisde the Sargeant tells the players: "I Am Maldei, I was disgusted with the Mages guild so I left on my own. I tried to appeal to the Knight, (gestures to max) but it didn't work, he didn't listen. So I took things under my own hands. Me and my new master: MALFANTASIA who will make me Emperor so that I may heal the Empire! **Scene 11 -- Maldei Attacks the players** At this time, the Knight sprouts two extra arms, each of which takes up a void blade, as well as a pair of wings which he uses to begin to float off the ground. As well, the suits of armour that were in the Great Hall come to life, activating their void blades and making their way to the Knights room to defend him. Stats: a. Maldei a. HP:85 Armour:25 Psi:25 b. Attacks: i. Void Blade (Two Attacks): +5, 6D12, Void. c. Spells: Free Form (Exitium) 5 i. **Exitium Mutare Hominum** - Mutate his knights (3 PSi, DC 8) ii. **Exitium Putridus Molior Apocalypsia** - Destroy something and everything around it (4 Psi, DC 9) iii. **Exitium Aedificate Vis Candor Contagiosis** - Create hellfire (5 PSi, DC 10) iv. **Exitium Mandatum Mens Immensa** - Create false dreams/images in an area, (6 Psi, DC 9) b. Suit of Armour \* 6 a. HP: 45, Armour 30 b. Attack: +4, 6D12+2, Void. (Void Blade) **Scene 12 -- Victory!** Having defeated Maldei, the planet seems secure from Malfantasia's influence, the cult stopped, and its rightful knight instated!