Adventure (Black and White)

8/8/2019 Adventure (Black and White)

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Visions o Essence, LLC All rights reserved.Reproduction without written permission o thepublisher is expressly orbidden, except or thepurposes o reviews. Visions o Essence and Eo-ris are licensed trademarks o Visions o EssenceLLC. All rights reserved. All characters, namesplaces, text herein are licensed copyrights by Vi-sions o Essence LLC. Te mention o or re er-ence to any company or product in these pagesis not a challenge to the trademark or copyrightconcerned.

Tis book uses the supernatural or settings,characters and themes. All supernatural ele-ments are ction and intended or entertainmentpurposes only. Reader discretion is advised.

Visit www.visionso essence.com and www.eo-risessence.com or more in ormation and otherproducts.

Table of Contents

IntroductionTe Connection Between Te woTe Essence System

General DescriptionCharacter Sheet

raits & Character AttributesPsychological raitsSkillsEnergy PointsLi e

RulesDiceChecks / Dice RollsDi culty NumberSuccess Treshold & SuccessesEssence Die

Action ChecksAuraCharacter Psychology Luck

SaeiaCombat: Physical and SocialBattlegroundPhysical DamageSocial Interaction

AdventureTe Connection Between Te wo

ProtagonistsContext Te Mission: Destroy Te IdChapter 1: Te FindingChapter 2: Te Palace o Shaballa

Chapter 3. Te Awakened PalaceChapter 4: Finality Chapter 5: Dark DawnImportant PlacesUsing Te MapsEquipment AntagonistsCharacters

Character SheetsTe End

Gods pain is our pain and it is most terrible or us. We eel it like no other creature because we are Sil.


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IntroductionWelcome to the Tird Contact o the role-playing game Eoris Essence. In order to enter this universe,

you should be willing to incarnate an inhabitant o this world. By doing so, you will assume their personality,determine their reactions, and declare their actions in accordance with a series o events that are described bya single individual called the Narrator. Everything that happens in the universe o Eoris lies in your imagina-tion. o aid you in this task, Visions o Essence created a set o game rules called the Essence System. TeSecond Contact provided a small insight into the universe o Eoris; the Tird Contact will give you a betternotion o Eoris and what this new world can do or you.

The following is needed to play this Adventure:

- Print-outs o the Character Sheets (one or each player) *

- Eight twenty-sided dice (8d20) or use the Alea Dice Roller **

- Pencils and paper

- A print-out o the maps (optional)

- We recommend that the Narrator read the Second Contact to have a better idea o what the world o Eoris

is like.* Speci c Characters have been provided or this demo. However, with the Essence System you are

able to create your own Characters by choosing rom many species provided or by creating your own species.

** You can nd the Alea Dice Roller at www.eorisessence.com under the System section.

Te Adventure that ollows is to be played with a group o ve Players: one is the Narrator and theother our take the part o Characters in the story. Te Narrators job is to read the Adventure, to share (andexplain) the rules with the other Players, to make sure that the rules are applied/ ollowed correctly, and tonarrate the events as the story evolves depending on the Characters decisions and actions. Te other ourPlayers will choose rom amongst the Characters provided and play as the Characters themselves; this meansmaking decisions as the story evolves given each Characters history, personality, background, and purposein li e. Be ore the group begins playing, the Narrator should read this booklet to understand the events thatare described, the stories o the protagonists, and the maps that are provided. We encourage each Player tomake this Adventure their own, to be inspired by the tools we provide, and to explore new dynamics withinthe storyline. Players should remember that the pillar o role-playing is to embrace an idea and make it theirown; in this case, make Eoris and the Essence System your own.


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- The Essence System -Tis is a brie explanation o the undamental rules o the Essence System: what is a Character Sheet

how to use the dice, and how to play with the Characters. Te Essence System is very complete and intuitive.It takes in to account a great deal o actors and provides a vast amount o in ormation or di erent gameplay styles and circumstances. Te ollowing is only a mere taste o its basic principles.

The Character SheetPlayers will take the role o a group o Characters that inhabit a planet named Eoris. Te Characters

and their stories have been provided. Tere are two parts or every Character: their history and their Char-acter Sheet. Te Character Sheet provided is a summarized compilation o data that describes the things/actions a Character can do and how well they can do them. Te points assigned to each Attribute or Skillrepresents the ability level or each. Te more points, the better because this determines how many dice aPlayer may roll to determine i their Character is success ul at per orming an action (see Dice Rolls or explanation). Te Character Sheets that are provided were speci cally designed or this Adventure demo andhave been adjusted to t correctly with the simpli ed set o rules o the Essence System that will be used. (Fothe complete Character Sheet o the Essence System you can go to the Players section at www.eorisessencecom.)

In the Character Sheet you will find:

1. Te Characters Physical, Mental, and Social Attributes (wheel on the le t)2. Te Characters Psychological raits (list on the right)3. Te Appearance Grid (the grid on the le t hand side)4. Te Emotional Status Grid (the grid on the right hand side)5. Te Aura Attribute (circle o dots in the centre)6. Te Characters Energy Points (small circle o dots below the Aura Attribute)7. Te Characters illustration (on the right hand side)8. Te Characters Powers (on the right hand side below the illustration)9. Te Characters Movement Skills (below the two grids)10. Te Characters Skills (below the Movement Skills)

11. Te Characters Main Attack Forms (on the right hand side below the powers and/or spells)12. Te Characters Li e Data (in the centre below the Skills) Traits

Characters have a series o raits that describe their overall abilities and characteristics. Some arerelated to what a Character inherently is, some to what they have learned, and others to their personality andpsychological pro le. Each rait has di erent levels, which determine a Characters ability, control, or powerin that speci c rait. Tese levels are represented by points or numbers, which are called Score in the Es-sence System.

Character AttributesA Characters Attributes describe their inherent raits. Tere are eleven (11) di erent Attributes:

Constitution, Strength, Dexterity, Refexes, Senses, Presence, Charisma, Mind, Spirit, Willpower, and Aura.Since Aura is a special Attribute, it occupies a special place in the Character Sheet. Te number o points orScore assigned measures a Characters level in an Attribute; the more points the better the Character is atthat Attribute. For all Characters, the dot in the centre o the Attribute wheel is always lled in because all Attributes have a minimum level o one.

Character Psychological TraitsA Characters Psychological raits determine their personality and Psychological Pro le. Tere are

seventeen (17) Psychological Impulses that describe a Characters tendency towards di erent kinds o emo-


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tions. In other words, they determine how a Character may act (or react) under di erent circumstances.Tese Impulses, however, only arise under extreme circumstances. Tink about how you would react i you were angered by someone or something. Are you always in control o yoursel ? For the most part, yes, butthere are times when your deepest Impulses arise and you lose control.

Although a Character will act (or react) in a certain way under unique circumstances given theirnatural Impulses, a Character can sometimes control themselves rom succumbing to an Impulse. When thishappens, however, they will su er Stress because a great e ort must be made to control a natural Impulse.Stress may accumulate to a point where a Character is simply unable to control their Impulses no matter how mentally strong they are.

Stress

All Characters have a Stress Number that represents a Characters tolerance to Stress. Every time aCharacter acts contrary to their Psychological Impulses they will accumulate one (1) Stress Point. When thelimit is reached, the Character will be unable to act contrary to their Impulses or a period o time (this timemust be determined by the Narrator according to the circumstances). Te Stress Limit is marked by a black line in the Stress section in each Character Sheet.

Character SkillsSkills describe things a Character has learned through practise, instinct, study, etc. Tere are many

Skills; some o them are broken down into sub-categories. Points are assigned to measure a Characters levein that Skill. Te more points the better a Character is at per orming a Skill. For the purpose o this TirdContact, Characters will only have the Skills that they will most likely use during this Adventure, but theEssence System has many more.

Energy Points (EP)Energy Points are a measure o a Characters ability to willingly increase their capacities or to activate

certain Powers and Spells. A Character can spend Energy Points to add additional dice to their Dice Poolor any given Dice Roll. In a single action, a Character may never use more Energy Points than the number

o points they have in Willpower. A Character can never have more Energy Points than the number o black

dots lled in the Energy section in their Character Sheet. (Our suggestion or this Adventure is that Energy Points are recovered at a rate o one every thirty minutes o game time, but the Narrator or the group candetermine otherwise.)

LifeAll Characters have a series o raits that establish their ability to resist physical pain, damage, or the

e ects o another Characters social actions. Te Li e section is ound at the bottom o the Character Sheetbelow the Skills.

RULESDice

Te Essence System uses 20-sided dice. An ideal set o dice or Eoris Essence (and or this Adventureis eight 20-sided dice (8d20), one o which should be o di erent colour or size because this system uses theconcept o a special die in every Dice Roll (this special die is called the Essence Die).

Dice Rolls

In the Essence System, a Player will roll a number o dice equal to their selected rait Scores. Usually,the number o dice rolled is determined by adding their Attribute and Skill Scores.

For example: I a Character is trying to hit a target with their sword, the Player should roll Dexterity (At-tribute) + Melee (Skill). I a Character has two (2) points in Dexterity and three (3) points in Melee, then


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the Player will roll a Dice Pool o ve (5) dice (5 = 2 + 3). In order to succeed in an action, a Player must rollenough Successes (sometimes one, sometimes more). Any additional Successes above the Success Tresholdimprove (or per ect) the per ormance o the action by the Character.

Difficulty Number

Be ore a Player rolls the dice, the Narrator must rst determine a Di culty Number, except or Saeia which has predetermined Di culty Numbers. Tis number determines how many Successes a Player needsto roll in order to per orm the action correctly. A Success occurs when the number rolled in a die is equal to

or higher than the Success Treshold.

Successes

Te Success Treshold is the number each die must reach or surpass in order or it to be considereda Success. Tis means that any die with a result equal to or higher than the Success Treshold number isconsidered a Success. Te standard Success Treshold is teen (15), but this number can be adjusted by Modi ers. Some raits will have a number that is know as the Success Treshold Modi er. Depending onthe value sign or this number, a Player must either add or subtract its value to 15 in order to establish thee ective Success Treshold or a speci c Dice Roll. Negative modi ers increase the probability o obtaininga Success since the threshold is lowered, while positive modi ers decrease this probability (hence, making itharder to achieve Successes).

I both the Attribute and the Skill have Success Treshold Modi ers, then the Character must usethe one that bene ts them the most. When calculating the number o Successes obtained in a roll, Playersmust remember that a result o twenty (20) on any die counts as two (2) Successes and a result o one (1)counts as minus one (-1) Success.

The Essence Die

When rolling the dice, a Player (or the whole group) must rst select one o these dice to be the Es-sence Die. Tis die should be di erent in colour, size, or should be thrown be ore or a ter all others in order

or it to be distinguished rom the rest. Te result o the Essence Die determines special events such as Criti-cal Hits, ragedies, etc. Players should bear in mind that the Essence Die is not an extra die to be rolled; itis simply a di erent or distinguishable die in their Dice Pool. Tese are ve basic consequences determinedby the Essence Die:

Tragedy: When the Essence Die rolls a 1 and the number o Successes is 0 or less (a ter subtracting all th1s), a Player will have ailed the action miserably with very un ortunate consequences. What happens exactly will be determined by the Narrator.

Un ortunate Success: When a Player achieves enough Successes but rolls a 1 on the Essence Die, the Player was able to per orm the action correctly but something un ortunate happened. What happens exactly is alsodetermined at Narrators discretion.

Extreme Success: When a Player succeeds in per orming the action and, in addition, rolls a 20 on the Es-sence Die, they will have per ormed the intended action tremendously well. What happens exactly will bedetermined by the Narrator.

Extraordinary Success: Should a Player achieve Successes on all the dice rolled or a particular action,they may add urther Successes by sequentially rolling the Essence Die until they ail to surpass the SuccesTreshold.

Energy Points: Whenever a Player rolls a 1 or a 20 on the Essence Die, they will immediately receive one(1) Energy Point.


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Action ChecksPlayers must roll the dice whenever a Character wishes to per orm an action that directly a ects the

outcome o the storyline.* Given the particular action that a Character wishes to per orm, the Narrator mustchoose the Attribute and Skill that are best related to the action wished to be per ormed. For example, i aCharacter is trying to hit a target with their sword, the most appropriate Attribute would be Dexterity andthe most appropriate Skill would be Melee.

A ter the Narrator establishes which Attribute and Skill to add together, the Player must add thenumber o points they have in the selected Attribute and Skill to determine their Dice Pool (v. gr. Dice Poolsis the number o dice a Player is allowed to roll). Te Characters that are provided in this Adventure are pro-

cient in a number o skills that are by no means comprehensive to all actions possible in the Essence System.In other words, the Skills and Attributes included in the Character Sheets in this Adventure are only a smallsample.

* Players do not need to roll the dice or actions that their Characters can easily per orm (use common sense)

Aura Some Characters in Eoris have the natural ability to manipulate the Eos (the Waves o Existence).

Tese Characters are known as emplar. A emplar can easily use Saeia to redesign the Wave o Existence.

Saiea is an extremely advanced science that might be mistaken with magic. Characters with Aura instinc-tively understand the principles o Saeia and, thus, are able to remould the Waves o Existence at will. Onthe other hand, those without Aura have to learn these principles and undergo complex procedures (i.e. SaeiaSkills) to achieve the same e ects. All the Characters that are provided in this Adventure are emplar; thus,they may inherently use Saeia.

Aura also establishes the strength and power o a Characters Li e Wave and the e ect it has on theirenvironment. It grants a Character extra sensorial perception o things that are yet to happen or events thatare yet to come. Aura grants the ability to perceive things beyond the spectrum o our natural senses. Tismeans that Aura is used to perceive everything that occurs around a Character including premonitions, ener-gies, sudden changes in the Eos, invisible things, etc.

In Eoris, Saeia is broken down into three di erent things: Saeia Patterns, which are predetermined

spells with predetermined e ects; Saeia Actions, which are magical actions declared by a Character; andSaeia Enhancing or Detrimental Patterns, which are spells that directly improve or hinder a Characters e -

ciency in their Skills and Attributes.For the purpose o this Adventure, Characters will only be able to use Saeia Patters. o per orm these

Patters (or spells), a Character must roll Aura + the speci ed Saeia Essence ound below the Pattern, whichare ound on the right hand side o the Character Sheet. Saeia Essences have names such as Ilsia, Hesthia,Isthenia, etc.

Psychology Characters must roll one die or every point they have on any speci c Psychological Impulse when

the probability o succumbing to that Impulse is high. I at least one Success is rolled, the Characters suc-cumbs to that Impulse.

For example: I a Character has to roll Wrath and obtains one Success, the Character is necessarily angered unless they choose to su er one (1) Stress Point. Characters have a maximum Stress limit; when thislimit is reached, a Character necessarily succumbs to their Psychological Impulses.

Emotional Grid

Te Emotional Grid determines a Characters overall Emotional Status. Tis is basically how they are eeling at any point in time. Te Emotional Status has a direct implication on how a Character per ormsduring speci c circumstances.


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Hope

All Characters in this Adventure begin with two (2) points in Hope. Characters can spend HopePoints to annul all negative Emotional Status Points they may have in the Emotional Status Grid. HopePoints can also be spent to move a Characters position in the Emotional Status Grid by one point towardsExalted and one point towards Secure. Hope is only recovered when the circumstances (determined by theNarrator and story) may give a Character Hope. Its e ects last or en entire Event.

Patience

All Characters in this Adventure begin an Event with the same number o Patience Points they havein Willpower. Any time their Patience is tested, they must roll Patience (i.e. Patience Check) or, to makesure they will not act impulsively, consume one Patience Point. Patience is recovered at the end o an Event or when the Narrator says so. Every time a Character looses a Patience Check, it will lose one Patience Point. I a Character loses a Patience Check, they can still remain patient as long as they accept to loose one PatiencePoint. I a Player re uses to loose a Patience Point, then their Character will lose their temper and reacts im-pulsively to the situation.

Stress

Stress represents the number o times a Character can act contrary to their Psychological Impulses.Every time a Character succumbs to a Psychological Impulse but re use to act accordingly, they will su er

one Stress Point. When a Characters accumulated Stress reaches its limit, they will necessarily succumb totheir Impulses.

Emotional Damage

Tis represents how strongly a Characters social action may a ect others.

Luck Luck determines how ortunate or un ortunate a Character is. Te Narrator must ask a Player to

roll Luck whenever the outcome o an event is best determined by this actor. Te Dice Pool or Luck is de-termined by the number a Character has under this rait. I they roll one (1) Success or more, it means theCharacter was lucky; no Successes means the Character was unlucky.

SAEIA Tere is no such thing as magic in Eoris. Instead, there is a very advanced orm o science that al-

lows a trained scientist to remould the Waves o Existence. Although this ability to redesign the Waves oExistence and create changes in the environment may be considered magic, in Eoris Saeia is a science. A Character must understand many Laws and Principles to use this science; one o the most important Prin-ciples is that everything is connected. Tis means that i you change a particular set o Waves, all nearby Waves (including yours) may also be a ected.

Since this is a preview o the Essence System, there will be no explanation on how this works. Tus,or the time being, whenever a Character per orms a Saeia Check to weave a pattern but ails, they will los

Hit Points (re er to Su ering Physical Damage or an explanation o Hit Points). Te number o Hit Pointslost equals the spells Di culty Number, which can be ound in each Character Sheet.

Tere is one kind o being that is born with the instinctive and innate ability to use Saeia withoutany previous scienti c knowledge o it. Tese beings are called emplar and they have the ability to remouldthe Waves o Existence through the power o their Aura. In other words, any Character with points in Auracan use Saeia naturally. In this Adventure, all the Characters are emplar; thus, they are all able to use thisscience naturally. Bear in mind that emplar are extremely rare.

Using Saeia:

Whenever a Character uses Saeia, the Player must read the details o the spell ound in their Character Sheet.Te ollowing in ormation will be provided or each spell:


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Name: Te name o the Pattern.Method: Te raits that must be added to establish the Dice Pool or the weaving o the Pattern.Duration: Te duration o the Patterns e ect.Di culty: Te minimum number o Successes that must be rolled in order to success ully weave the Pattern.Description: A description o the Patterns e ect.

Success:

I a Player rolls enough Successes, this means that the Pattern was per ormed correctly. A Character can

weave any Pattern, at any time, and as many times as desired.

Failure:

Any time a Character ails to weave a Pattern, they will immediately loose one Hit Point or every Di culty Number o the Pattern. For example, i a Character attempts to weave a Pattern with a Di culty o two (2)and ails, they will su er a damage o two (2) Hit Points.

COMBATInitiative

At certain moments in the story, it will be important to determine which Character acts rst bothin relation to their group and in relation to any opposition (other characters, circumstances, etc.). Whenthis happens, time is subdivided into Rounds which, in turn, are broken down into urns. Tus, in eachRound Characters per orm actions during their urn. A urn is the portion o time or a Character to actduring a single Round. At the beginning o every Round, all Characters involved in the event must roll Ini-tiative to determine who acts rst, second, third, etc. Te Character with the highest number o Successesacts rst, and so on. Te Initiative Dice Pool can be ound in each Character Sheet.

Initiative Boost

Any time a Player rolls an Extreme Success (i.e. a 20) with the Essence Die during an Initiative Roll,they get to act twice in that Round in their urn. Initiative Failure

Any time a Player rolls a ragedy (i.e. a 1) with the Essence Die during an Initiative Roll, their urnis cancelled and they cannot act in that Round.

MovementI Players are using a battle grid to determine movement and displacement or the Characters, they

must assume that all Characters can move a distance equivalent to the number o points that result rom theollowing calculation: [ ( errestrial Skill + Strength/2) + Modi ers]. Each square on the grid is equal to two

(2) meters. Movement does not a ect a Characters ability to act.

Physical CombatCombat works under a Versus Check dynamic: one Character attacks and the other responds with a

De ence Roll. Te attacking Character is called the Attacker and the de ending Character the De ender. TeDe ender may roll a De ence Check every time they are being attacked. An attack will be success ul whethe Attacker rolls more Successes than the De ender. I they roll the same number o Successes, the attacdeals hal damage. I the Attacker rolls ewer Successes, then it ails. Te Damage that each Character deals

ound in their Character Sheet. Te Attacker deals one extra point o Damage or every Success the Attackerrolls above the De ender. Whenever a Character is attacked, they may immediately roll a De ence Check.

Attack Dice Pool:Dexterity (Broad or Fine) + the speci c Combat Skill used


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De ence Dice Pool (Evasion):Refexes + Dodge

De ence Dice Pool (Energy Barrier):Spirit + Barrier

Parry* Dice Pool:Refexes + Parry

* A ter ailing a De ence Check, a Character may choose to Parry. Te number o Successes rolled in a ParryCheck is added to a Characters previous De ence Check. An attack is success ully parried when a Playeis able to roll more Successes than the ones rolled by the Attacker. A Character may not Parry i they donthave bracers, a shield, a weapon, or an object that allows them to do so. When a Character parries, they im-mediately sacri ce their ability to act in their ollowing urn, except or the ability to roll De ence Checks.

Projectile Weapons

When targeted by a projectile weapon, di erent de ence dynamics should be used. Since projectiles move soast, they are almost impossible to dodge or parry. For this reason, when attacking with a projectile weapon,

a single Success in the Dexterity + Long Range Check will be enough to strike the target and infict hal damage, two (2) Successes will deal ull damage, and our (4) Successes will deal double damage. Te moste ective way to avoid a long-range weapon attack is through the use o the Barrier Skill; Characters with thisSkill may block projectiles by simply rolling a Spirit + Barrier Check.

Critical Hit

I a Player achieves an Extreme Success during combat, they will generate Critical Damage (CriticalDamage = Damage x 2). Tis applies or both Social and Physical Combat.

Social Combat: (emotional alterations during Combat)Trough Social Combat, Characters have the ability (during their urn) to improve or worsen their

targets per ormance during battle. o do this, a Character must roll Mind, Charisma, or Presence + Em-pathy, Enticement, Deception or Intimidation (depending on the desired e ect). In Combat, or example,Intimidation is used to lower an opponents Dice Pool, while Empathy is used to increase an allys Dice Pool. Social Combat Dynamic:

Te Attackers Social Combat Dice Pool is determined by the sum o one o their Social Skills Scoresplus their Mind, Charisma, or Presence Attribute Score. Te De enders Social Combat Dice Pools is deter-mined by the sum o their Willpower and Con dence Scores.

I the Attacker rolls more Successes than the De ender, the Attacker deals Emotional Damage equalto their Emotional Damage number ( ound in the Character Sheet) plus any Successes rolled above the De-

enders roll. I the two Characters roll the same number o Successes, the Attacker deals only hal damag

I the Attacker rolls ewer Successes than the De ender, this means the Attacker will have ailed. When the De enders Emotional Hit Points all to zero (0) or below, they su er one Emotional In- jury. Once the Character takes this Injury, they will recover their original Emotional Hit Points but one die will be subtracted rom their Dice Pool or all Checks per ormed until the end o that Event (a Character maynever lose more than 50% o their total Dice Pool regardless o the number o Emotional Injuries su ered).Te additional Damage Points dealt above a Characters Emotional Hit Points is called Damage Overfow ( or example, i a Characters Emotional Hit Points is 10 and they su er 12 Damage Points, the Character will have an Overfow o 2 points). I there is an Overfow, the De ender will ully recover their EmotionalHit Points minus the Overfow points.


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THE BATTLEGROUND (Optional)In the les provided with this Adventure, you will nd a grid that represents the space where Charac-

ters ace each other in battle. Tis Battleground Grid may be used to represent Character displacement and/or positioning during battle. A Character the size o a human will use up one square in the grid.

The Medium Skills:

All Characters have three Medium Skills that represent their ability to move and act within a speci cmedium (i.e. land, air, or water). A Character cannot have points in the Aerial Skill i they do not have wings

to fy or unless there is a justi able reason. Having zero (0) points in a Medium Skill means that a Charactercannot move in that medium. For example, Jaaren will not be able to move when he is not using his armourbecause he has zero points in the errestrial Skill.

Movement:

A Character can only move and act one time during their urn. Te ratio at which a Charactercan move is called the Movement Score, which is equal to the sum o the ollowing Scores: Medium Skill+ Strength/2 + any Modi ers. So, or example, i a Character has two (2) points in the errestrial Skill and

our Strength Points (and assuming there are no Modi ers), they can displace by our (4) points in the grid(2 + 2 = 4) during each urn. I a Character has any Modi ers in the spaces named erra, Aqua, or Aria,this means they must add those additional points to their Movement Score. I a Character per orms no otheraction besides moving/displacing, they can add another two (2) points to their Movement Score during thatspeci c urn. Each square on the grid is equal to two (2) meters.

Attack while moving:

I a Character wishes to move, attack, and continue moving during the same action, they should addtwo (2) extra points to their Movement Score and two (2) extra Damage Points due to their inertia, but they will loose two (2) dice in their attacking Dice Pool.

Support:

When two or more Characters are next to each other, they can provide each other moral and tacticalsupport (or intimidate the attacker). Tis gives them one (1) extra die to any De ence Roll.

Round Strike: (only when in close combat (i.e. Melee or Body as a weapon) A Character can per orm a strong circular attack that allows them to reach as many targets as they

have points in the Melee or Body as a Weapon Skill. Te targets must necessarily be within the reach o theCharacter per orming a Round Strike; it is important to bear in mind that a Player must roll an Attack Roll

or each opponent/target. Tus, the opponents must Roll De ence independently. Tis type o attack willonly generate hal Damage.

RangeTe weapons range is very important during any attack. Te ollowing are examples o types o

weapons and the suggested standard range: Weapon Type RangeBody (human) 1 = 2 metresSword 1 = 2 metresSpear 2 = 4 metres Whip or Chain 3 = 6 metres

Suffering Physical DamageSu ering Damage is basically loosing Hit Points. A Character will only be able to act as long as they

have Hit Points le t. Once a Character loses all Hit Points, they are either unconscious or unable to move.


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When taking Damage, a Character can also su er Injuries. Injuries can even a ect the body in a lethal orm;a Character with too many Injuries will die. Te ollowing is an explanation on how to record Physical Dam-age.

Hit Points:Hit Points indicate how much Damage a Character can take be ore alling unconscious. A Character

will recover all their Hit Points a ter resting or a period o time determined by the Narrator (a suggestion ishal an hour).

Toughness: A Characters oughness determines the number o Hit Points they can lose in a single Round be ore

they are thrown o balance or knocked down. When this happens, two (2) Successes must be subtractedrom their next Initiative Roll. oughness also determines how much Damage a Character can take be ore

su ering an Injury.

Injuries: Whenever the number o Hit Points lost rom a single attack is either equal to or greater than a Char-

acters oughness, the Character will su er an Injury. Tis means that their body will have su ered severe

physical damage. Unlike Hit Points, Injuries are not recovered with time. Instead, a Character must actually do something or receive help to heal their Injury. Each Injury su ered prevents a Character rom recoveringa number o Hit Points equal to their oughness Number.

Effects of Injuries

Injuries can also cause side e ects. A Character that is injured will not be in good shape to per ormphysical actions due to the pain or improper limb response caused by the damage to their body. o representthis during the game, a Character su ers a penalty o one (1) die to all Dice Pools related to physical action

or every Injury they have. I this reduces a Dice Pool to zero dice, then the Character is incapable o perorming any action due to the wounds.

Recovering from injuries:

A Character will only recover rom an Injury by receiving medical attention, whether magical or not.Characters with the Medicine Skill have the ability to heal Injuries. O course, the more Injuries a Characterhas su ered, the harder it will be to heal them.

Life PointsLi e Points represent how much Damage a Character can take be ore dying. In other words, Li e

Points determine the number o Injuries a Character can su er.

Recording Physical DamageAll Damage su ered by a Character is represented by a number; the higher the number, the greater

the Damage. A Player must record all Damage in the space provided at the bottom o the Character Sheet.

Damage Types (DT)Damage ypes are the main types o Damage an attack deals when it strikes a target. Tere are ve

types o Physical Damage and one kind o Mental Damage that a weapon or attack may deal. Accordingly,armour provides protection or these same types o Damage by absorbing Damage Points. It is very impor-tant or Players to speci y the types o Damage that their action might generate.

(P) Piercing Damage(S) Slash Damage


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(C) Concussive Damage(Cr) Crushing Damage(B) Burning Damage(M) Mental Damage

Armour

Armour protects a Characters body and mind rom Damage, and provides six di erent types o pro-tection (corresponding to the six Damage types). Damage is reduced by the number o points a Character has

in the corresponding area o protection. I protection exceeds the Damage taken, the Character will su ernone. Some Powers, Impulses, and Patterns may raise a Characters Armour protection. When no protectiontype is speci ed, the enhanced protection applies to all six types.

SOCIAL ENCOUNTERSSocial encounters are resolved by rolling dice whenever extreme or intense situations put a Character

in a position in which their Psychological Impulses may prevail over their mental pre erence. Tere are twodynamics: one occurs during a normal Social Encounter and the other during Physical Combat. Both dy-namics determine the e ects o a Characters actions to the emotional response o another. When a Character is trying to convince another o doing something or when a Characters actionspush someone to succumb to a Psychological Impulse:

Te Dice Pools or Social Encounters are the same as those used or Social Combat. o be success-ul at psychologically a ecting a target, an Attacker must generate Emotional Damage equal to or higher

than the De enders Emotional Resistance in a single Check. I the Attacker is success ul, the De ender muroll the Psychological Impulse that best ts the situation. I the De ender remains una ected, the Attackercan try again but their Dice Pool su ers a penalty o one (1) die in each additional try. When attempting toachieve a speci c psychological e ect, an Attacker may not roll more times than their Willpower Score andmay only attempt several times i the situation allows it.

When a Character tries to convince another about something regarding speci c areas o knowledge

(mind skills):Te attacking Character uses:Mind + (Empathy or Deception) + a speci c Mind Skill related to the topic.

De ender uses:Mind + Con dence + the same Mind Skill used by the Attacker.

Added Difficulty

When a Character tries to convince another o something unreasonable or particularly hard to be-lieve, that Character will have a penalty to their Dice Poll determined by the Narrator.

THE TWO GRIDSTere are two Grids in the Essence System that correspond to two undamental and extremely important states o a beings character. One is the Emotion Status Grid, which determines the general Emo-tional Status o a Character and how it a ects their capacity to per orm everyday tasks. Te other is the Appearance Status Grid, which determines the overall demeanour o a Character. Both grids work in thesame manner: there are two axis, one horizontal and one vertical. A Characters current state in either grid isshown by a dot that is plotted. Each axis has two opposite extremes (ex. rightened and secure). Te degree o emotional alteration is determined by how ar rom the centre the dot is (the arther rom the centre and thecloser to an extreme, the higher the degree o alteration). Tus, a Character with a dot in the centre is neutralin all aspects. Te position o a Characters dot will vary depending on various narrative and systemic actors.


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Emotion Status GridTis grid determines the Emotional State o a Character given our di erent emotional extremes

(each in a scale rom 0 to 4): Frightened, Secure, Depressed, and Exalted.

0 = (centre) Emotional neutrality. (Tis stands or a beings normal state o mind whatever it may be.)1 = Slightly altered2 = Heavily altered3 = Overtaken4 = Utterly consumed

Te Emotional State o a Character will change as it socially interacts, both with others as well as with the world around them (see Social Combat). As a Characters Emotional State changes, they will receiveeither bonuses or penalties to the actions they per orm. Nevertheless, the Emotional Grid DOES NO nec-essarily determines a Characters choice o action or eeling towards a situation. Also, it does not necessaridetermine a constant or permanent e ect. In many cases, the e ects o an Emotional State will be su eredonly in certain speci c situations. In many circumstances, penalties may turn into bonuses at Narratorsdiscretion; or example, i a Character is rightened and is trying to escape, they may run aster.

Bonuses

Exalted: A Player will receive one (1) die bonus to ALL Skill and Attribute Checks not related to Social In-teraction or each point closer to the Exalted Emotional Status.

Secure: A Players will receive one (1) die bonus on ALL Social Interaction Checks or each point closer tothe Secure Emotional Status.

Penalties

Depressed: A Players will receive one (1) die penalty on ALL Skill and Attribute Checks not related to SocialInteraction or each point closer to the Depressed Emotional Status.

Frightened: A Player will receive one (1) die penalty on ALL Social Interaction Checks or each point closerto the Frightened Emotional Status.

Appearance Status GridTe Appearance Status Grid represents the overall (conceptual) nature and demeanour o a Char-

acter. Tere are our appearance extremes: Menacing, Elegant, Rough, and Approachable. Be ore playing,a Player should de ne their Characters initial position within the grid by lling the circle in the space they believe describes their Characters appearance best. Tis will a ect the way a Character is seen by all otherbeings. As a consequence, extreme choices should bring extreme reactions.

Menacing:

Means a Character has a threatening and/or imposing appearance. For every point in Menacing,Characters will get a one (1) Dice Pool bonus to any Intimidation Check and one (1) Dice Pool penalty onany Socialize Check.

Approachable:Means a Character is seen as riendly and/or loyal and easy to relate to. For every point in Approach-

able, Characters will get a one (1) Dice Pool bonus to any Socialize Check and one (1) Dice Pool penalty onany Intimidation Check.


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- ADVENTURE -

Welcome to Eoris Essence Sample Adventure. Tis Tird Contact will allow you to experience how a Character grows and develops in a well-de ned Eoris environment. Te objective o this Adventure is togive you a sense o how li e unravels in Eoris by showing you di erent types o characters, locations, ansituations (amongst others) and how everything interacts to orm the Eoris Experience. In this Adventure,you will be a key element in the game as you take on the role o an individual within the setting. In this way,you will understand what can be done within Eoris and will get a preview o the mechanics o the EssenceSystem. Your actions will only be limited by your imagination and, o course, your Characters abilities.

o begin the Adventure, each Player should choose a Character, print the Characters CharacterSheet, and become amiliar with it. (Note: Tis Character Sheet is an abbreviated version o the actual onesin the Essence System.) Te drawings should give each Player a airly good idea o what their Character lookslike. I these drawing are not enough, however, Players can complement them in any way that seems reason-able or appropriate.

The Connection Between the TwoTere is no Good or Evil in this world; only change, creation, and destruction. Some say that in

order to con ront evil, one must, in turn, per orm evil acts. In other words, evil is a rational response to eviland, there ore, a necessary thing. Tere are some things that are unable to think; there are even some thingsthat simply ollow rules and laws, being unbound by thought and unbound to reason. Under this philoso-phy, Justice is a variable concept. In other words, there is no evil but that which we create. In this sense, Evilactions are only those that contradict our own. So, in order to understand a part o ones nature, one mustrealize that one is, in turn, evil to another and that only through this obvious connection can evil exist.Regardless o our point o view, we can say that there is no evil in this world but that which we constantlycreate to justi y our existence, giving us a sense o purpose.

- Sil Mistress o the Palace o Shaballa

Protagonists:

Kriss:He is a young warrior prince o the Empire o Eonir. He is commander o the team and a devoted olloweo the emple o Solaria.

Lynn:She is an ancient princess o the nation o Inariel and she seeks desperately to redeem her past sins.

Jaaren:He is a warrior who barely survived death a ter a battle and was le t paraplegic. Now, his body is ully coverein armour that allows him to move reely, but it has disconnected him orm the realities o li e, pain, anddeath.

Kayalun:He is a vagabond thie and mercenary who is willing to risk his li e just or the sake o un.

CONTEXT THE MISSION: DESTROY THE IDTe ollowing events occured in the enth Age o history, approximately 300 years a ter the end o

the War o the Fallen Angels and some years a ter the arrival o God to Planet Eoris. Tis Age is a time ochange, a time when the very Angels o God (the Kalei), who descended rom the heavens as escorts o Godhave slowly began to rise rom their crystal cages.

A ter 300 years o wars and confict, the nations o Ystaria suddenly stopped battling each other out


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o solemn respect to God and her descent to Planet Eoris. Te tensions that lingered, however, have slowly begun to evolve. Cold wars have re-emerged and now an era o politics, treason, and obscurity has begun. And yet, another secret danger lurks in the darkness o history. Fate is cruel or the people o Eoris shall nda greater, better reason to destroy everything they have created. Te advent o war shall rise rom the very essence o what de nes us and we shall prove ourselves to one another. But not yet.

At this time, we still live in the ake harmony that the politicians o our lands have instilled becauseo her arrival. We currently deal with demons we understand, and with hatred and pain we can sense. Westill know where to place our blades and who our enemies are. But, or how long?

The Xylen

All beings in the universe that are not God, Angels, or deities are called Xylen. Eorisian (humans),dogs, bears, bacteria, and all other species o the universe are Xylen.

The Sil

Te Sil are direct descendents o the Four Children o God and are considered the most important Angels in existence. Tey belong to one o the our primordial bloodlines o the direct descendents o Godand, thus, have a special connection to her and the universe. However, in all their grace and mythologicalsplendour, they resemble Eorisien (humans) in most aspects and have lived as members o society and citizenso the nations since the dawn o time. In act, they were rulers o the ancient nations and they helped orgthe civilizations o we know today.

Creation and destruction are the two ambivalent orms o nature that intertwine to create change,evolution, and li e. Te Sil are aligned to the Essence o Creation and they are symbols o Prosperity andBeauty. Teir very essence, their energy, and their existence allow them to eed everything they see and touch with a subtle, almost invisible, aura o li e and creation. Many believe them to be deities, and many wor-ship them or consider them special creatures. In the very Essence o Creation, however, there is a darknessall too common to us. Tis darkness is the Essence o Destruction and it is latent within every Sil. Should aSil succumb to this, their aura would change to be in tune with the Sanctity o Destruction. A Sil that hasundergone this change is know as Id.

The Id

Te Id are Sil who once lived as regular members o society, but who, at some point, lost their con-nection to li e and were driven towards the very Essence o Destruction: destruction o the body, the mind,and the soul. Tey live in anger and they hate everything that exists or it is their drive and necessity to endall. Tey hide rom an outside world they can no longer comprehend, but still manage to live in calmness,maintaining their grace ul and noble ways. Tey understand the Essence o the world in a way ew ever willand, as a consequence, they have deep emotional and rational justi cations or their actions. Teir souls aredriven by desire and their inner most primitive and undamental passions are their most important concerns. And so, they live with the constant necessity to obtain what they want regardless o the cost.

Obsessed with power, the Id have been known to gain impressive control o Saeia through cruel andobscure sacri ces. Teir very auras absorb the li e o everything they come close to and store this li e and

power within them. Consequently, beings that live near them age aster, become ill, develop various cancer-like conditions, and reach death very ast. All this happens even i the Id has no intention o causing harmIn act, being an Id is not always a choice, its sometimes a curse. An Id must not be allowed to live or many will su er and ade under the fames o their ever growing power. Tere ore, the Scian emplar o the CerianFoundation hunt the Id in an attempt to destroy them be ore they become an unstoppable threat.

Cerian Foundation

In the universe o Eoris there is one true God and one true religion aligned to the Cerian Founda-tion. Tis Foundation is the universes largest and most power ul religious organisation. It is con ormed by twenty- our di erent branches called Emblems. Each Emblem has a di erent philosophical considerationo reality, God, and existence. Although in some cases these Emblems deny each others philosophy, they


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coexist in unity and relative harmony. Te ambiguity o opposing one another and coexisting within a singleorganization is all a part o the institutions natural and undamental structure. According to the Cerian, thecon rontation o di erent ideological positions regarding God and existence shall eventually lead them to theunderlying principle o existence: the ruth. Tis interactive structure o religion and philosophy embracesall considerations o what her spiritual or scienti c her nature is, allowing almost every individual to have aplace within the Cerian Foundation. Tus, this Foundation encourages its members to gather and discussvarious aspects o reality and to nd new ways to understand existence.

Te organisation is so power ul that the members o the Emblems were given the holy duty to protectthe worldorder by travelling to the con nes o the universe to divulge the voice o their Emblems. Tosecharged with this duty are known as Scian emplar. Since many wars have persisted throughout, most Scian

emplar have become warriors that seek to ul l their Emblems ultimate goal. Although the Cerian Foun-dations in general seeks to protect li e, a ew have no consideration regarding li e and may even seek to enit as part o their philosophy. Te Scian emplar are chosen rom amongst the people because o a specialpower they have: the ability to instinctively use Saeia through the power o their Auras. During the enth Age, the Scian emplar were one o the most respected institution in the universe in terms o spirituality,diplomacy, and war.

The Scian Templar

Te Scian emplar are members o the Cerian Foundation and, consequently, belong to one o thetwenty- our di erent Emblems. Tey have been trained in the art o tactics and combat in order to ace thedi erent threats that may endanger the people o Eoris, its nations, and the nations o deep space. Since they are devoted ollowers o the Cerian Foundations doctrine, they are more interested in knowledge and phi-losophy than they are in power. In the eyes o the general public, their Divine Duty is to protect and serve allli e. In this Adventure, three o these Scian emplar (the Characters) have been given the mission to searchand destroy an Id. Te three emplar have been trained to accomplish this di cult task, but they know they must hurry or the Id they hunt may gain a power they cannot overcome.

CHAPTER ONE: THE FINDINGSummary: A group o three emplar rom di erent Emblems and di erent nations have been as-

sembled to stop a new threat: the rise o an Id, a Sil that has been turned into a demon. Hence, the emplarmust travel to the Palace o Shaballa ound in the once orgotten land o Haaren in the nation o Ceres tond the Id and destroy it. Kriss, the leader o the team, travels to the nation o Kay to encounter an oldriend named Kayalun to convince him to join him in the destruction o the Id. Kriss strongly believes in hisriends talents and so he ventures into the chaotic city o Kaiko in the nation o Kay. Tere, in a temple, hends his old riend and convinces him. ogether they travel upon Krisss airship to the land o Ceres.

At the same time, Jaaren, a power ul Scian emplar o Eonir, waits patiently in the house o an am-bassador who has o ered his help in the matter. Tere, Jaaren meets Lynn, a noble princess rom the nationo Inariel. Teir nations have endured a long history o war and hatred. Tus, Jaaren is unable to tolerate amember o Inariel marching with him to battle. Te situation turns violent when he discovers that Lynn notonly belongs to a nation he distrusts but is also something else, something he ears: a Kiel, a Dragon o theVoid. Tese Dragons are aligned to the Essence o Destruction and common servants to the Id.

During the con rontation, the truth o their past sins is revealed. Silence is all that remains. Althoughriendship between them is impossible at this time, they will have to collaborate as allies in the mission to

destroy the Id or this demon threatens both o them. Later, Kriss, and Kayalun arrive and meet Jaaren andLynn in the village o Haaren. Tere, the group gathers and moves towards the Palace o Shaballa to ace theId and accomplish their mission. And so, begins their quest.

EVENT ONE: GUILTY Te story begins with Kriss, a Cypher commander o the Empire o Eonir and a emplar o Solaria,

who received orders rom his Emblems headquarters. Summoned by his leader, Kriss son o Ardaraan, de


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scendant o the architects o the Great ower, and Commander o Eonir, travelled rom the Red Moon toul l his holy mission as a emplar o Solaria. His blade is needed in the Aia, the sur ace o Planet Eoris, an

so, he travels swi tly to the land o Ceres to unite with two others like him. However, prior to his arrival hemust visit the desert lands o Kay or his mission is one o great importance but also o great danger and hbelieves only a warrior rom Kay has the skill to aid them in their mission.

Kriss travels onboard a fying vessel o the Emblem to the desert lands o Kay. Tere, in a nomad city*called Kaiko, he looks or a warrior named Kayalun, whose assistance will be important in the mission tocome. Tey had met a year ago in a battle in the northeast where a tragic event marked their lives. Believinghe can nd Kayalun, Kriss visits a residence o meditation or monks.

Kriss, however, has a hard time nding Kayalun. He can either look around or ask the monks or in-ormation, but they are meditating and it is considered an insult to disturb them. Kriss has two options: I he

chooses to ask a monk, this person will rise in anger. In order to calm the monk down, Kriss must roll a suc-cess ul Charisma + Empathy Check with a Di culty Number equal to the monks Emotional Resistance. I Kriss is success ul in his Charisma + Empathy Check, the monk is pleased with his presence. Otherwise, theNarrator must roll a Wrath Psychological Impulse Check or the monk. I the Narrator rolls no Successes,the monk will remain calm. I at least one Success is rolled, the monk will be o ended by Kriss presence.

Monk: Emotional Resistance = 7, Wrath = 2

Failure: I the monk is not calmed, Kriss will have to pay or his o ence by spending our hours meditating with the monks. O course, Kriss can choose not to do this, but his sense o duty is strong and as a Com-mander o Eonir he eels he must not damage the image o his glorious nation. Tus, in order to ignore themonks petition, the player must roll a Duty Check and have no Successes.

I Kriss decides to comply with the monks petition, they both will meditate or some time. And, iKriss is able to meditate or our hours, the monk will be really glad have met him and will o er his uncon-ditional help. However, Kriss must roll a Willpower Check in order to resist our hours o continuous medita-tion, something he has never done be ore. I he rolls at least one Success, the monk will give him a gi t: Sigo Foresight (see Equipment).

Success: I the monk is calmed, he will be glad to be meeting the Eonirian commander and will tell him where Kayalun can be ound.

Kriss chooses to find Kayalun by himself:

I Kriss does not ask the monks and chooses to look or Kayalun by himsel , he must roll an AuraCheck, which is the easiest way he has to nd someone he knows. He will spend one hour searching in vain

or every ailed Aura Check against Kayalun. Seeking to neglect his duties as an inhabitant o the templeKayalun requently quietens his Aura in an attempt to remain undetected. For this reason, both Players mustroll a Versus Aura Check and the Player with the highest number o Successes wins. In the case o a tie, theymust continue to roll until one o them wins. Kriss eventually nds Kayalun resting under the shade o atree that lies close to the edge o the moving city. Kayalun immediately recognizes Kriss or they had beenmembers o the same unit in the special mission that drastically changed their lives.

Read this out loud:

More than two years ago, Loren, a nation northeast o Kay, was accused o corruption and heresy.Te bureaucrats that governed Loren had lost their power to the military reign o a dictator who was assem-bling a secret army. Soldiers o Eonir made their way through the capital o Loren to dissolve the dictatorspower by murdering her and seizing control o the Royal Palace. Te operation was organized by the Empireo Eonir and executed by our Elite Cyphers (warriors), three were rom Eonir and one was a hired specialis

rom Kay.

* Te nomad cities o Kay move about on the backs o large colossi.


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You two remember all this or you were part o this assault team. You were the only ones to survivethe raid and your success gave you a prestigious reputation, one that you both deserve and regret. Te eventso that night still reverberate in your souls. You know that the spirit o war was unleashed when you mur-dered the loved dictator. Tis started a national wave o riots and civil chaos that justi ed the invasion o Loren by Eonir. An event so devastating that more than two million lives were lost a ter a year o con rontations.

Tis was exactly what a secret society o power ul Nobles in Loren had wanted. Tey had planned touse the insurrection to justi y the invasion. Ten, by using the very lives o those who perished in the confict,they could eed the core engines o the Arie Aions** to create what they believed would be an indestructiblarmy. Te nation o Eonir had been deceived by this insurrection and the menace o a nation with such apower ul army should never have been set lose. Te angered Empire destroyed the entire nation o Loren,leaving nothing but a barren, rozen land. More than 30 million died in that war. You remember every sec-ond o it with great pain in your hearts.

(Stop reading out loud and let the Players interact/talk or a while.)

Eventually, Kriss should speak to Kayalun o the mission in Ceres. He should explain the situationand convince him to participate. I Kayalun re uses, Kriss may try to convince him by rolling: Charisma

or Mind + Entice or Empathy (depending on how Kriss is trying to convince him). Charisma i Kriss is at-tempting to be riend Kayalun or make him eel or what is to happen i he does not participate; Entice iKriss is trying to persuade Kayalun through other means, such as appealing to Kayaluns pride. In order to besuccess ul, Kriss must generate Emotional Damage equal to or higher than Kayaluns Emotional Resistancein a single roll.

I Kriss is success ul, Kayalun must roll a Check on a speci ed Psychological Impulse depending othe situation (in this case, Duty, Justice, or even Kindness or Valour); the Narrator must decide which Psy-chological Impulse depending on the method used by Kriss to convince Kayalun. I Kayalun rolls at least oneSuccess, he is driven to ollow that Psychological Impulse; hence, agreeing to accompany Kriss. I Kayalurolls no Successes, Krisss actions are ruitless. Kriss may try once or every Willpower Point he has, but h will have one (1) die penalty in his Dice Pool or every ailed Check. I Kriss is de nitely unable to convincKayalun, he can rely on the Law o Kay, something that Kayalun may not re use (see below).

The Law of Kay

In Kay, to impose ones will over another, one must invoke the Law o Kay, under which two indi-viduals ght or supremacy. Te victor is entitled to impose their will. In order to invoke the Law, one mustsimply speak the name o the Kayens King: Kannon.

I Kayalun is determined not to go, Kriss will have to use this Law or he knows Kayalun would nevere use. Be sure to let Kriss know o this Law be ore he nds Kayalun. Kayalun may also decide invoke thLaw at any moment and, although Kriss may re use since he is not a citizen o Kay, Kriss must rst roll aPride Check. I at least one Success is rolled by Kriss, he will want to ght. Nevertheless, i Kriss is de eatehe would lose his title as the leader o the emplar during this mission or he would have to serve the will oKayalun. I Kriss wishes to resist this, the Player must roll a Duty Check with a penalty equal to his PrideScore; otherwise, Kriss and Kayalun will have no alternative but to ace each other in combat.

** Arie Aions are large and power ul bodies made o a material known as Universal Matter. Tese are ex-tremely power ul vehicles. Te nature o the Arie Aions allows the pilot to instinctively use very power ulSaeia. Te strong, swi t, and almost indestructible body o the Arie Aions is made rom the vanishing li e waves o those who pass away. For this reason, creating and using Arie Aions is strictly orbidden by thCouncil o Atara and the nations o Eoris.


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Physical Combat:

Kriss and Kayalun ace each other to determine leadership. Te battle is not supposed to be lethal,so, i a warrior is close to death, they must roll a Valour Check to continue ghting. In any case, the other warrior must roll a Kindness Check be ore continuing. I Kriss wins, Kayalun ollows him. I Kayalun winhe becomes the leader and travels to the palace with Kriss as a member o the team. However, Kayalun mustroll a Pride Check to see i he really wishes to keep the title o leader since he does not want to be anyonesleader. I he rolls no Successes, he would be inclined to give the title back to Kriss. I he rolls at least one Success, he would be inclined to keep the title. Eventually, both warriors should be travelling to Ceres and thePalace o Shaballa.End of first event.

EVENT TWO: ANCIENT SINIn the village o Haaren, a emplar o Neiu named Jaaren is trying to rest while waiting or the other

members o the team to arrive. He resides in the house o an ambassador who has o ered his help in thematter. For days he has been meditating and training in silence or he still considers himsel a murderer and wishes to redeem himsel , to be orgiven, and to orget, but nightmares still accompany him every nightTese nightmares bring back the memories o his actions (see Jaarens story). Restless, he leaves the house to

nd com ort in the shadows o the orest and the light o the Blue Moon. Upon his return to the ambassa-

dors house, he nds that a new member o the team has arrived: Lynn, a noble princess o Inariel.During the wars o the Rebirth and up to this day, Inariel has been Eonirs greatest enemy or the

people o Eonir consider the citizens o Inariel traitors o the universal order. Likewise, Lynn and the citizeno her beauti ul nation have been unable to tolerate the rough and brutal ways o Eonir. As enemies, they have orever con ronted their cultures, military powers, social orders, and noble lineages.

Lynn and Jaarens eyes meet. But, while Lynn can control hersel easily and orget the crimes perpe-trated by Eonir to the members o her nation, Jaaren is more susceptible to Anger. Tus, he must roll a WrathCheck and roll no Successes in order to remain calm. I he rolls at least one Success, he will succumb to hisanger.

Let the players interact or a while regardless o the result. I Jaaren is angered and the situation becomes tense, he must roll a Patience Check to see i he is able to control himsel or i he will resort to insultor violence. In any case, Lynn can always try to calm him down. o do this, she must roll Mind, Charismaor Presence + Empathy with a Di culty Number equal to Jaarens points in Emotional Resistance. I she issuccess ul, Jaaren will have to roll a Wrath Check again. In the unlikely event that Jaaren rolls no Successes,he will calm down and they may interact or a while under peace ul terms.

I or some reason Lynn happens to mention that she was once a Kiel or i Jaaren is success ul at a Awareness + Aura Check to realize this, Jaaren must roll a Wrath Check again, but this time with a bonuso 2 dice (since this would be something that would really anger him). I at least one Success is rolled, thenin his ignorance, he is in uriated believing that Lynn is nothing but a traitor or spy or there is no way a Kielcan be anything but a servant o the Id. I this happens, a Physical Encounter may occur. Since both wereonce cold-blooded warriors, they are now extremely cautious o whom they kill and or what reason or the

want to mend their ways. For this reason, i either come close to dealing a nal blow, they must roll a Kind-ness Check. I at least one Success is rolled, then that person will restrain themselves rom dealing the deadlyattack. I , however, one o the Characters does try to kill the other in a nal blow, the Narrator should stopthem by narrating a fashback o who they once were, a vision o their past sins.

Note:Lynn per ormed a background check on all the team members (except on Kayalun) be ore accepting

this mission. Tus, she knows the stories o all Character except Kayaluns. Although Kayaluns homelandis an independent nation, all nations o the Realm o Mia (Kay, Inariel, and Inaoris) o er allegiance to allnobles, regardless o the nation they belong to. Since Kayalun is a commoner o Kay, he must obey the orderso Lynn, a noble his Realm.


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During or be ore the ght, Lynn can use Jaarens history in her avour. I at any point she mentions Jaarens story, his Emotional Status will be automatically moved two spaces towards the Depressed extremein the Emotional Status Grid. Tis will give Jaaren a two (2) dice penalty to his Dice Pool or all actions untilhe recovers his original Emotional Status (at Narrators discretion).

I this happens, both characters must roll an Emotional Barrier check to see i they are a ected by thesituation and the remembrance o their past. I no Successes are rolled, it means both remember their pastsins and begin to eel really sad about it. At this point, Lynns Emotional Status will also be automatically moved two spaces towards the Depressed extreme in the Emotional Grid. Tis will also imply a two (2) DicePool penalty.

I no ght occurs, both simply come to terms with their situation and spend the night waiting or theother members o the team to arrive. At dawn, Jaaren and Lynns Emotional Status will be back to normal.

End of Event two.

CHAPTER 2: THE PALACE OF SHABALLA

Summary: Te team gathers at the house o the Ambassador in the village o Haaran. It is an ancient housemade o petri ed wood and stone. Te house is decorated with dozens o small antique marble statues, mosto which represent creatures o di erent natures in the company o men and women. Te large halls androoms are well suited to accommodate over twenty guests. In the courtyard, a large garden decorates thehangar where Kriss and Kayaluns airship landed. Te house is three stories high and has over orty rooms,including two kitchens, an auditorium, a library, and a large studio where a round table rests in ront o alarge window that overlooks the village.

In this special studio, the our meet to plan their incursion into the Palace o Shaballa. A ter someplanning and preparations, the group begins their journey through the village and towards the palace. Asthey walk through the village, they realize that something is wrong or the streets are mostly empty, the vil-lagers are silent, and the children seem rightened. A mild mist lls the silent streets. Tey now understandHaarens sorrow.

A group o villagers suddenly approach them to speak o a terrible illness that has engul ed theimountain. According to them, the spirit o their mountain is withering due to a atal, incurable wound. Since

the Lady o their village has orever locked hersel away re using to cure the wound, the spirit will surely dTe party realizes that the power o the Id has spread throughout these lands instilling a ate o dissolutionupon the mountain. Upon realizing this, they hurry towards the Palace to prepare or a battle they all silently

ear.Rushing through the green orest pathway and dea ened by the roaring chant o the nearby cataract,

the team is suddenly ambushed by a group o our strange creatures hal men and hal metal, bearing heavswords that move uriously towards them. A ter a erce con rontation, the team notices that the bodies othese creatures are not natural; it seemed as i something had deranged them and turned their bodies into what they were.

Te team nally arrives at the palace to be welcomed by two armoured soldiers who grace ully greetthem and lead them into the vast palace. Inside, the team meets Arae, a beauti ul and elegant woman who welcomes them o ering shelter and ood or the night. Her kind words and gentle demeanour are not entirely soothing, or the emplar can sense something is not right. Yet, they are worn-out rom the previous battle.Nevertheless, both Arae and the emplar can sense what is to come. Foreseeing treason, the palaces alarm isactivated and the emplar hastily begin to move towards the master bedroom where the Id rests.

EVENT ONE: VILLAGE OF HAARENTe Characters meet at the house o the Ambassador in the village o Haaren. Let the Characters

interact or some time and then interrupt them by telling Kriss that time is running out and that they shouldget on the move.


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When they start their journey, read this out loud:

Te Village o Haaren once was a residence o peace and prosperity where wealthy amilies livedpeace ully or over twenty years in luxurious houses and fourishing gardens. oday, Haaren is a placemarked by silence. Te once crowded stone streets lay empty and only the vestiges o children games remainin the parks. Autum leaves adorn the streets and the water alls that encircle the village spread their dew throughout. Te Light o the White Ring (the Eoris sun) shines brightly through the leaves and the morningmist seems like shadows o moving winds in the distance. As you advance through the village, you noticehow the changing winds seem somewhat obscure. Tose o you who believe in omens eel uneasy. You eelas i some unexplainable orces are gathering here.(Stop reading out loud.)

As the group advances through the village, the ew people that still remain interrupt their chores tosee them pass and to bow their heads in a sign o noble respect.

Have all Players roll a Senses + Empathy Check. Tose who roll at least one Success notice a strangesadness in the villagers.

If the Players wish to inquire about their sorrow, then Read this out load:

As you approach one o the villagers, others come closer and soon you nd yourselves surrounded by a crowd. Tey are not being rude or aggressive in any way. Instead, they seem humble and sad. Tey seem

eager to speak but apparently unwilling to break the silence o their village. At the moment you open yourmouth to speak, one o them interrupts you. He is a man o great stature and gentle manners. He bows as hespeaks and with a strong and hurried voice he says, In the name o Haaren we welcome you to our village with grace ulness and gratitude, but also with great pain and humility. Te other villagers bow as well and,in silence, all wait or your response.(Stop reading out loud.)

Te villagers explain that their Lord and Lady, the Masters o the Palace, have orgotten about theirholy chore to periodically heal the Animal Spirit named Ishequevaria who is bound to the li e o the moun-tain. Tis creature bears an incurable wound that would cause him to perish were he not to be blessed by theSils Breath o Li e once every thirty days. Te death o this creature would make the mountain a desert ormany years.

Te orests have begun to wither and die; the rivers and water alls have dead sh that have allen preyto an illness that is starting to reach the village; and harvests are rotting under dark and heavy clouds thatcarry storms o lightning and re. In order to save the mountain, the Animal Spirit must be saved. However,no villager has the courage or the ability to aid such a creature. Tey believe that this creature resides withinthe Palace o Shaballa.

Te Villagers (as a group) roll Charisma (2) + Empathy (2) + Bonus (2) (this Bonus is due to theirpiti ul situation). Tis means the Villagers have a Dice Pool o six (6) dice. Teir Emotional Damage is ve(5).

Te villagers (through the Narrator) will roll the above Social Interaction Check or every Characterin an attempt to generate Emotional Damage. I they surpass a Characters Emotional Resistance, then thatCharacter must roll a Patience Check. Any Character that ails the Patience Check will impatiently advancetowards the palace without any consideration or their own sa ety. Also, the Characters that ail will su

er a 50% penalty to their Dice Pool in any Senses + Awareness Checks during the remainder o this eventand during the next event because they eel the need to accomplish their mission with haste. However, i aCharacter rolls no Successes in the Patience Check but still wishes to remain patient, they can consume oneo their Patience Points. (Patience Points are recovered at Narrators discretion.)

End of first event.


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EVENT TWO: THE DARK FIGURE: AN AMBUSH

If the Characters continue to the Palace read this out loud:

As you exit the village, you notice a colossal cataract that adorns the pathway to the palace. On yourle t, you can see a deep precipice that ends on a blue lake and, to your right, you can see a deep green ores with penetrating, beaming lights. You can also perceive a wooden ence that rames the stone path that leadsdirectly to the Palace o Shaballa. Tis ortress was built during the Fourth Age and it is a witness o timeand creation in the continent o Ceres.(Stop reading out loud.)

As the players advance, let them interact. Lynn, or example, can use the in ormation in the Charac-ter Pro les to begin interesting discussions. I there is little discussion, simply describe the path as they movethrough the mountain and into a place where the storming sound o a river can be heard.

Have all Players roll Senses + Awareness. Tose who roll at least one Success will notice a dark gurethat looks at them in the distance o the moss- lled orest. Te gure simply watches them silently withoutmoving. As they continue walking, the emplar suddenly encounter a group o heavily-armed warriors rush-ing out o the orest and into the passage-way in an attempt to ambush them. Have all Players roll a Senses + Awareness Check again. Tose who succeed will notice the coming oes and may decide to roll an InitiativeCheck. Tose who ail this Check will be caught unaware and may not act in the rst Round.

War Tactics: Players may roll a Mind + War actics Check to prevent the armoured warriors rom achievinga success ul ambush. However, only Characters that were success ul at both Senses + Awareness Checks maattempt to do this. Te suggested Di culty Number or this Check is three (3). For every two (2) Successesabove this Di culty Number, a Player will be able to act during an entire Round while the armoured soldierscannot act. I a Player accomplishes this level o success in their War actics Check, it means that they useda strategy that completely annulled the movements and actions o the opponents. Te other Players must rolla Mind + Dexterity Check to determine i they understood the war tactic strategy. I they are not success ulat this Check, they will only act when the opponents do.

Encounter:

Armoured warriorsNumber o opponents: 3

Results:- Any Character that su ers one or more Injuries will be seriously hurt and will need medical attention.- For every Injury su ered, a Character must move their Appearance Status by two (2) points/levels towardsthe Rough state.- Te armoured creatures bear nothing but used metal and skin. Not even their swords can be separated

rom their hands.End of event 2

EVENT THREE: THE PALACE OF SHABALLA A ter the battle is over, all Characters should presumably continue towards the Palace. I they return

to the village or aid, they will receive help but they will have to wait or two days or each Injury to heaSo, i a Character su ered two Injuries, they will only recover our days a ter the medical treatment. Let thdays pass whilst explaining the cold and silent situation o the dying mountain. Te ambassador that o eredhis house also pre-paid all services the emplar might need in the village so orget about prices and money. Also, a ter one day o rest, all Characters may recover their original Appearance Status.

Appearance:

In the Essence System, like in real li e, a Characters general appearance can change, whether willing


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or unwillingly. Te Appearance Status Grid is used to represent a Characters current general appearance.o change a Characters appearance, a Player must roll a Presence + Appearance Skill Check; i success u

the Player may change the current position in the grid by one dot/space in only one direction. In the Rough-Elegant axis, the Di culty Number or this type o Check is determined by the ollowing ormula: 2 + thenumber o dots between the Rough extreme and the Players desired position on that axis. In the Menacing- Approachable axis, the Di culty Number is determined by the ollowing ormula: 2 + the number o dotsbetween the Characters current position and the desired position on that axis.

Characters may, or example, use their skills to improve the way they look be ore entering the palace Auxiliary items may provide bonuses when trying to change their appearance. In becoming more elegant,

or example, elements such as a comb, a shower, soap, and per ume can imply a Bonus in the Dice Pool atNarrators discretion.

Read this out loud:

Te path that leads to the palace eventually leads you to a wide river that ends in an imposing water-all. Te great Palace o Shaballa resides above this river and water all. A portion o it is submerged under th

sur ace o the river whilst its three solemn and magni cent foors reach high into the sky. A sign in ront oyou reads in Ceresian Le taaroun virth (which means Entrance o the Earth). Te huge palace entranceis made o a white crystal-like rock. wo elegant and well-armoured soldiers approach and kneel grace ully to welcome you. Tey then lead you into a vast hall where two ancient, ruined statues lie. Tey retreat silently to leave you alone or a while. From this hall, you notice how small streams o river water are channelledthrough the halls o the palace. Imbued by means o Saeia, the water is given colour and light so that theentire hall is veiled by a silent, eerie green tone.(Stop reading out loud.)

A ter a short period o time, the Characters should begin to wonder what is going on, why they wereexpected, and why they have not been greeted by a proper palace escort.

- I the Characters wait in the hall, the guards return a ter a ew minutes to close the large stone doors. Ten,they simply wait and stand silently, one at each side o the closed doors. Be ore the Characters can begin tospeak to the guards, a woman enters the hall.

- I the Characters decide to continue walking through the halls they will notice the elaborate carvings onthe beauti ul palace walls. Te carvings illustrate the story o an old hunter who seeks death at the hands o the animals that he had or so long hunted or ood. Because o their nature, the animals are incapable oharming him, until eventually the hunter meets his end in the jaws o a bear.

In the hall, they again encounter the two guards who bow once more, but this time they are escortinga woman. Te woman bows gently to the Characters and with a very so t, yet penetrating voice she welcomesthem to the palace. At rst, she speaks in her language but quickly changes to the common tongue so thateveryone can understand: Kal um neygh Haaren verst icht nirr Arae... (interrupts) Welcome to Haarens

vigil, the Palace o Shaballa, my name is Arae.

AraeArae is a tall and slender woman whose body is covered by a long and nely-elaborate red and black

dress. Tis dress is adorned by silver and black crystal petals that emit a particular ringing sound as shemoves. A nely-cra ted silver sword hangs rom her waist. She appears to be no more than 20 years old, buher sparkling eyes speak o more winters past. Her eyes glow vibrantly and her seemingly ethereal hair sometimes lets subtle gusts o electricity fow through her body.

She is a beauti ul woman with strong and penetrating eyes. Her very presence intimidates the guards who silently wait beside her and, yet, she is alluring and captivating to the visitors. Attention is drawn rom


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her beauty only by the act that she belongs to a very rare race o Eorisian. Nevertheless, behind all thatbeauty and those strong eyes, sadness spreads as a whisper through her soul. All Characters know that thisspecies does not live or long because the re in their veins consumes their souls; thus, ending their li e astthan any other type o Eorisian. Her end is surely close, perhaps no more than a year away.

Arae welcomes the Characters and o ers them something to drink and eat. I the Characters accepther o ering they are taken to the closest dining hall, but, i they re use, then Arae begins to walk towards thepalace interior. In this case, i the Characters ollow her, she inquires about the nature o their visit as theyall move towards a garden. Te guards ollow closely behind. However, i the Characters do not ollow her,she will stop and, with a slightly enticing voice and gesture, ask i everything is alright. Te men in the party must roll a Lust Check. I they roll at least one Success, then they gladly go with her with no regard or those who wish to stay behind. I they wish to control their Impulse, the Characters will su er one point o Stress*.

I the group is divided, Arae betrays both groups and each one is attacked.

If the Characters still refuse to move:

Let the Characters speak with her or a while. I they in orm her o their true purpose o their visishe retreats leaving her guards to protect her and sounds a general alarm. I the Characters are more diplo-matic, she o ers to go with them to the dining hall and speak o important matters. Tere, Arae plans toencounter 2 other guards and dispose o the emplar. All male Characters will have to roll a Lust Check. Teones that roll at least one Success ollow her or su er one point o Stress*. What is going on:

In addition to being the Guardian Mistress o the Palace and the head servant o the Sil, Arae is alsoone o the ew who knows her masters secret. She knows why the emplar are here and wants to preventthem rom reaching the second foor o the palace where her master resides. Although the guards sense some-thing is not right, they are completely ignorant o what is going on. Tey are loyal servants to their lady and will do what they are told without questioning.

Arae needs to get rid o the emplar as silently and as quickly as possible or, i her new master, theId, senses their presence he could be angered and the entire palace and its inhabitants would swi tly eel his wrath. Tere ore, her plan is to take them to a dining hall where she can o er them ood and drink. In this way, it will be easier to attack them because her soldiers will be able to catch them o guard.

I she is unable to take them to the dining hall, she will try to o er them to stay the night and thenuse silent powers to destroy them during sleep. I the emplar do not want to spend the night, she will haveno other choice than to sound a general alarm and try to dispose o them right where they stand.

If the Templar do not follow her to the dining room, read this out loud:

I notice you are tired. I could have the servants prepare a room or you to spend the night and rest. My master would gladly meet you or dinner, but she has very recently given birth and she is still weak. Please accept myo er or it is impossible or her to see you today.(Stop reading out loud.)

I the Characters wish to rest, they may spend the remainder o the day looking around and visit-ing di erent parts o the palace. Te Characters will eventually notice that the access to the second foor isheavily guarded. I at any point they act in any manner that appears suspicious, Arae will notice this andsend guards to nd them. I this happens, the Characters can either re use to ollow the guards orders (goto Option A1) or comply with the orders given by the guards (go to Option A2).

* Remember: i a Character has more Stress Points than Willpower Points, they will necessarily act accordingto their Psychological Impulses.


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Option A1:As soon as the Characters re use to ollow the orders, the guards surround the Players and order them

to wait or their commander to come. I the Characters decide to move, a battle between the two groupsbegins. I the Characters decide to wait patiently, Arae will arrive to in orm the guards that the commanderis not coming and that the masters orders are to hastily dispose o the intruders. Te guards respond withelegant and gentle words insisting that the Scian emplar are never intruders, but symbols o God in this

orsaken land. Arae gazes deeply into their eyes and starts to retreat. Te guards turn to the Characters andregret ully unsheathe their swords as they get ready to attack.

Read this out loud:

You can see the shame and sorrow in the eyes o the our guards that surround you. Bittersweet vic-tory awaits them i the outcome o a battle against a emplar group were ever to be success ul. You can senstheir regret in having reported your wrongdoings, not because they ear death, but because they lament at-tacking the very messengers o the Cerian Foundation.(Stop reading out loud.)

Encounter

Soldiers o Shaballa Number o Opponent: 4 to 6

At the end o this battle, the entire palace is put on alert. When this happens, the emplar know thatthe palace will orce ully de end itsel and that they are now in grave danger. THE CHAPTER ENDS HERE. GO TO CHAPTER 3.

Option A2Te Characters are given a place to sleep depending on their current Appearance Status: i they

managed to reach the palace in optimum conditions, they are given a place to sleep on the second foor; i ,however, they are Rough or close to being Rough, they will sleep on the rst foor. During sleep, they areall caught up in a shared nightmare.

Appearance Status and the place where they sleep:

First Floor Guest rooms: I at least one o the Characters has an Appearance Status o one (1) point towards the Elegant Extreme, they will all sleep on the rst foor.

Second Floor Important Guest Accommodation: I at least one o the Characters has an AppearanceStatus o two (2) points towards the Elegant Extreme, they will all sleep on the second foor.

Second Floor Guest o Honour Accommodation: I at least one o the Characters has an AppearanceStatus o three (3) or more points towards the Elegant extreme, they will all sleep on the second foor andthe servants will provide them with ood and re r

Documents

Adventure (Black and White)