INTO THE

VIOLET VALE
BY MONTE COOK
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3

INTO THE VIOLET VALE 6

PREGENERATED CHARACTERS 13

CREDITS
Writer/Designer
Monte Cook
Creative Director
Shanna Germain
Editor & Proofreader
Kim Mohan
Cover Artist
Kieran Yanner
Graphic Designer
Bear Weiter
Artists
Kali Fitzgerald, Lee Smith, Ben Wootten
Cartographer
Christopher West
Monte Cook Games
Editorial Team
Scott C. Bourgeois, David Wilson Brown, Eric Coates,
Gareth Hodges, Ryan Klemm,
Jeremy Land, Laura Wilkinson, George Ziets

© 2014 Monte Cook Games, LLC

Numenera and its logo are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook
Games characters and character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC.

2
 INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
The town of Sharash has been rocked in recent to find her and bring her back.
This adventure
weeks by an organized militia called the Steel Thus, the player characters enter the story.
includes
Star. This group, led by a woman named Sinter, If they bring Sinter back to Sharash alive, they page references to
seemed hell-bent on overthrowing the local get a nice reward. If they don’t, Lord Asdren will various subjects
ruler, Lord Asdren, who has a reputation for have their loved ones executed. accompanied by
being cruel, selfish, and tyrannical, even by the this symbol. These
standards of nobility. The town of 6,000 people SYNOPSIS references are to the
Numenera corebook,
lies within Cerdyn’s Pass, which cuts through The adventure begins as the characters are where you can find
the southern half of the Black Riage, between returning to Sharash. They have in tow a captive additional details
Malevich and the Ba-Adenu Forest. whom they are bringing to justice: Sinter, leader about that item,
Asdren put a price on Sinter’s head, and of the Steel Star. As they escort their prisoner place, creature,
conscripted more troops to deal with the Steel along Cerdyn’s Pass on the route back to or concept. It isn’t
necessary to look up
Star, but to no avail. The secretive group has dealt Sharash, they find an abandoned campsite. It
the referenced items
serious blows to both Asdren and Sharash by appears to have been the bivouac of some Steel in the corebook;
attacking merchant caravans, destroying crops Star members—perhaps some of those who doing so is an
and stealing cattle, and generally disrupting the remained loyal to Sinter and wanted to help her. optional way to
land, and in particular, the lord’s income. But now they’re conspicuously absent from the learn more about
It appeared as though the Steel Star might camp, even though their tents remain in place. the Ninth World and
provide additional
actually succeed, and even drummed up public The PCs become lost in the Violet Vale, a
information to your
support, until one day when Sinter’s soldiers strange place where both space and time are players.
discovered that their extremely skilled leader warped. There, they encounter the pale stalker, a
was not human. In fact, she wasn’t even a living creature that hunts them and likely chases them
creature in the normal sense of the word, but an through the valley. The most probable means
artificial construct. Feeling betrayed, misled, or of escape is through the aid of a noblewoman
simply paranoid at this revelation, the members named Lady Weiss, but she requires that they
of the Steel Star disbanded the group and kill the pale stalker for her. If the hunted can Black Riage,
dispersed. Word of this development spread to become the hunters, the PCs can escape the page 177
the people of Sharash, who (like the soldiers) Violet Vale and return to Sharash with Sinter.
Malevich, page 154
now suspected some sinister, outside force was
behind the actions of the rebel leader. Sinter, PREPARING FOR THE ADVENTURE Ba-Adenu Forest,
without an army to back her, was forced to flee First, be conversant with the Numenera rules, page 189
into the mountains to the west. and take a look at the “Introducing Players to
Lord Asdren wants Sinter apprehended. Alive. the Cypher System” document. Next, take a long
In fact, according to his own words, her capture look at the pregenerated characters that the There are six pregenerated
is even more important to him now that her true players will be using so that you’re aware of who characters at the back of
nature has been revealed. To help ensure that they are and what they can do. this adventure, beginning
on page 13.
she is brought back and placed on public trial, Become familiar with Sinter’s personality and
the nobleman has not only doubled the bounty her responses in order to portray her correctly.
on Sinter to 800 shins, but has taken more Likewise, read everything that’s in here about
drastic measures as well. Asdren had his troops the nature of the reglae and what it will be like
apprehend the family members and loved ones as the PCs shift and move through them and
of six people who had the most talent and skill the Violet Vale. Being very fluent with these

3
 two aspects of the adventure will allow you to • If Sinter is asked about the reglae, the Violet
handle the actions of the PCs in a free-form, Vale, or the pale stalker, a character who
open-ended manner, rather than a scripted one. succeeds at a difficulty 4 task can get her to
There are many ways this scenario can play out, say “There are whispered rumors, but nothing
because both Sinter and the Violet Vale itself can is ever certain. Nothing except one thing:
insert twists—particularly based on how the PCs danger lurks amid the Violet Vale.”
decide to interact with them. If at any time the PCs decide to free Sinter, she
acts in her own best interest. In other words,
SINTER if the pale stalker is attacking and the PCs let
Sinter: level 6, level 7 for Sinter is a fully aware, artificially intelligent Sinter go, she might help them fight it, or she
any feat of pure strength; automaton with the ability to look exactly like a might try to run, whichever seems the better
health 25; Armor 2 human when she wants to. Thus, most of the time choice for her.
she appears to be a smooth-skinned young lady
with long, straight, dark hair and a prominent nose THE VIOLET VALE
and jawline. She wears a utilitarian, loose-fitting The Violet Vale is a location in the mountain
jumpsuit with lots of pockets. These pockets have range known as the Black Riage, just north of
Cerdyn’s Pass, all been searched, and the PCs know she has Cerdyn’s Pass. The region is one where actions
page 177 nothing on her person. She’s been stripped of any of the distant past have rendered the walls
weapons or gear, and as the scenario begins, her between this universe and others very thin. Long
hands are tied by a length of rope that one of the ago, seed pods from another universe found
PCs can use to lead her along. (The characters their way to this region and took root in the soil
It’s very likely that might prefer to bind her completely and carry her, in an innocuous valley. They grew into plants
whoever is playing but she weighs almost 400 pounds, so that task called reglae. The reglae are the bright, almost
Reminel will be the focal would be difficult.) glowing, violet flowers that give the vale its
point of trying to interact
Sinter is far stronger and sturdier than she name. Because they hail from some other world,
with Sinter, but remember
that as an intelligent would appear. It took all the PCs, working they have ultraterrestrial properties. Specifically,
machine, Sinter is not together, to subdue her and hold her as she they bend space and time.
subject to that character’s was disarmed and bound. Since being defeated, Someone who moves through (or past,
Charm Machine power. she has become quiet, almost sullen. But she or even near) a patch of reglae might be
is still very observant, watching and listening to transported or transitioned to another place.
Charm Machine, everything that happens around her. Those who are transported in this way always
page 73 Except for the topics mentioned below, talking find themselves amid more reglae, just not
with Sinter is usually an exercise in futility. She in the location they previously occupied. In a
speaks only in whispers now, and most of her way that surpasses understanding, the reglae
responses are what seem like non-sequitur manipulate space and time, growing in multiple
The Lords of Rust and references to “the Lords of Rust and Ash,” places (and times) at once. This activity causes
Ash, if they exist, are likely although she never explains who they are. Most “glitches” in the universe, so that a creature or
some kind of composite of the time, it seems as if she is quietly praying an object standing next to where a reglae flower
mechanical intelligence in
orbit above the Earth. If
to these lords rather than replying to what grows might suddenly find itself in another
the Steel Star is indeed a someone says to her. location (spatially and/or temporally) where that
cell of the Jagged Dream, There are a few exceptions: same plant also grows, perhaps even miles (or
this entity might be tied in • If Sinter is asked about Lord Asdren, a character minutes or hours) distant.
with that group, or could who succeeds at a difficulty 3 task can get her Although the Violet Vale is indeed a physical
be simply manipulating it.
to say “The Lords of Rust and Ash, through location in the Black Riage, it’s also true that all
their tools on Earth, will punish the unjust.” locations where the reglae bloom are part of the
• If Sinter is asked about the Lords of Rust and Violet Vale. Because the nature of the plants bends
Ash, a character who succeeds at a difficulty time and space, even if a plant was somehow
3 task can get her to say “They are watching uprooted but preserved, moved, and successfully
from the heavens, and soon will bring replanted (or seeds were taken and planted
judgment upon the world.” elsewhere), that spot would technically become a
• If Sinter is asked about her Steel Star part of the Violet Vale. Thus, being transported by
organization, a character who succeeds at a the reglae is known as going into the Violet Vale.
difficulty 5 task can get her to say “A few were Moving Through the Reglae: No sensation
surprised at learning one of my secrets, but of movement or transition occurs when one is
my inner circle is still loyal. They will not allow transported by the spatial warping of the reglae.
me to fall into the hands of Lord Asdren.” Characters are just suddenly somewhere else.

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 INTO THE VIOLET VALE

They can attempt to reorient themselves by

using distant landmarks and the position of
the sun (or the stars at night) to get a general
idea of where their new location lies. This is a
difficulty 4 task (Daylen’s training in navigation
decreases the difficulty of this task by one step).
Throughout the course of this scenario, the
characters move (or rather, are moved) generally
north until they figure a way out.
Generally, no transition occurs while someone
is standing still, but there’s no guarantee. The
GM is free to be capricious with the flowers’
ability to transport characters.
The reglae are predictable in only one way:
allied characters that want to stay together will
stay together. Why this is so remains a mystery.
Perhaps reglae are empathic and are motivated
by an appreciation for affiliation.
Because a shift can move characters through
time as well as space, most individuals will notice
that obvious time-based signs change—the sun
is in one place in the sky one instant, and another GM Intrusion
the next. Suddenly, it’s evening or night. Each of Suggestion: A single
these time shifts never encompasses more than a character suddenly shifts
in time, disappearing
few hours, in either direction.
but then reappearing a
It is possible for the PCs to spot a group of few rounds—or a few
people in the distance also making their way minutes—later.
through the valley. This group, in fact, is the
characters themselves, displaced in time. They
catch only brief glimpses before one or the other
group disappears, transported again in space
or in time. Whether the PCs are seeing a past or
a future version of themselves is impossible to
know. Interacting with themselves is outside the
scope of this scenario.
Troubleshooting: If the players take very
deliberate actions to try to get separated in
the Violet Vale, and thus move to different
locations (or times) via the reglae, so be it. Lone
characters get hopelessly lost after a series of
transitions. Eventually, however, the characters
can find each other and reunite. However, they
discover that while they’ve been apart, different
amounts of time have passed. For one character
or group of characters, only a minute or so
has passed since they separated from the rest.
Another may have wandered for an hour. For still
another, almost ten hours have passed.
If a character takes an action, for example,
that won’t allow her to go with her companions,
such as Hawmett using the power to Hover
above the rest, that character may quickly
become isolated from the others. Allow
Hawmett to quickly follow behind and “catch
up” if that’s what the player desires. Otherwise,
the character is lost for a while.

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 INTO THE VIOLET VALE

BEGINNING THE SCENARIO easily seen due to the trees, rocks, and brush,
Go over the rules of the game very briefly. This but one of the PCs is sharp-eyed enough to spot
review should take no more than ten or twenty it. From a distance, it’s easy to see that the place
minutes. features a burned-out campfire and two synth
Give the players a chance to get acquainted tents.
with their characters, and with each other.
After they have done so, find out if there are SEARCHING THE CAMPSITE
any special precautions the PCs will take while If the characters investigate, they find the place
escorting Sinter back to Sharash. They might ask abandoned. The fire is out, but it’s not difficult
about tying her feet and carrying her, searching to tell that those who made it just let it die
her one last time for hidden weapons, or using rather than putting it out. In fact, the camp
some ability or cypher to more closely watch looks as if its occupants departed hastily. The
over her. They might also try to question her on campsite was apparently occupied by as many
a variety of topics. This is all fine as long as it as five people: two in each tent, and one in a
doesn’t take more than ten minutes or so. bedroll off to the side.
Noticeable in and around the camp are a
THE ABANDONED CAMP few bright violet flowers that no one is likely
Once all the decisions are made, the action to recognize. The task difficulty is 8, so even
starts when the PCs are on the road through Daylen, with that character’s botany training,
Cerdyn’s Pass, headed back to Sharash. It is probably doesn’t know what they are. However,
late summer, and the weather is still warm. This that character’s not knowing is itself somewhat
mountain pass is heavily wooded, and much significant. These flowers are known as reglae
of it follows a river called the Winding Wash. (see below).
(Daylen will know
the name of the
river and the fact
that it frequently
floods in the
spring, because
that character
has geography
knowledge.) The
pass is fairly wide,
but the road is little
more than a path
wending through
thick growth and
rocky outcroppings.
As they travel,
they spot a
campsite not far off
the road. It’s not

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 INTO THE VIOLET VALE

More Careful Searching: In one tent, the the footprint of a very large unknown creature,
Frigid wall
PCs can find two bedrolls, a backpack full of perhaps as tall as 12 feet and massive.
projector, page
gear (the standard stuff—rope, spikes, and so A search of the area where the trail ends can 286
forth), and a cypher, which is a level 5 frigid wall turn up two well-hidden items of interest. A
projector. character who succeeds at a difficulty 3 task Ray emitter,
Another large pack is full of food and water. finds two cyphers, although only one still page 293
Laid carefully atop one bedroll is a stack of functions. The functioning cypher is a level 6
loose papers gathered inside the outer binding ray emitter that fires a blast of intense cold. The
of a book. Many of the sheets of paper are used cypher is an injector that once contained a
blank; others have notes and journal-style Speed Edge boost.
entries written on them. These notes seem The Trail: Those who look for it find a trail
to be a shallow set of personal observations, that leads north from the site of the battle, The story of the campsite
filled with petty jealousy and resentment over through woods and somewhat rough terrain. is as follows. Steel Star
minor slights. It takes only a small amount of If the PCs examine it closely, Satha, who is agents still loyal to Sinter
examination to recognize that they are written by trained in tracking, won’t need to make a roll were looking for her
and made camp here
a member of the Steel Star who participated in to know that the trail was made by a running
on the night before the
some of that group’s attacks upon Lord Asdren human. Here and there, however, another of the PCs arrived. Because
and his holdings. It also betrays a fanatical and gigantic, bestial footprints can be found. If they the campsite is amid a
perhaps slightly sexual fascination with Sinter. are examined in close detail, a character might patch of reglae, the pale
Only the last page with some unfinished notes notice that while these prints are similar to the stalker showed up and
has information of real value, however. It reads: one near the campsite, they appear to have been devoured four of those in
the camp quickly, and the
creature grew larger. One
member of the group ran,
followed by the stalker,
and both disappeared
into the Violet Vale. The
agent now hides near the
Empty Pit.

For a visual at the table,

print out the note and
hand it out to the players
to read for themselves.

The other tent has two bedrolls, still more made by a larger, heavier creature, maybe 15 or
food, and a steel bracelet bearing the symbol of 16 feet tall. Astute observers realize that at no
the group: a seven-pointed star. time—not when PCs were at the camp, nor on Only the search that
this trail—have they seen any signs of a creature reveals the cyphers at the
THE STRUGGLE of that size passing through the woods. scene of the fight requires
Searchers also find, off to one side of the Eventually, the tracks of the running human a die roll—and the
PCs can make that roll
campsite, signs of a struggle. Most obviously, a abruptly stop, and no more of the large only if they state they’re
crossbow bolt is stuck firmly into a tree trunk, creature’s tracks can be found either. searching. The characters
but the area also features broken branches, should find or spot all
trampled plants, and a few blood splatters. RETURNING TO THE ROAD the other evidence if they
There are no corpses, but a bit of torn, bloody Once the PCs are done with the camp and state that they’re looking.
In other words, these are
cloth lies amid the leaves on the ground, as the trail, they likely want to head back to the
routine tasks, assuming
does a simple iron dagger. The glaives in the road. They quickly realize, however, that’s not the characters are really
group will realize that the fight here was very possible. Even if they’re still in the campsite, not trying and spending some
brief. A depression in the soil appears to be far from where they left the road, they can no time and attention.

7
 longer find the way back or even see the road at that time is shifting as well as location. Then it’s
all. Very shortly thereafter, they won’t be able to time to spring a GM intrusion.
find the campsite either. They’ve already entered
the Violet Vale. GM INTRUSION: THE SHRILL BLOOMS
As they explore the Violet Vale, the PCs see a
Time Control: The players might exhibit a bush with bright yellow flowers amid all the
desire to dawdle at the campsite. They might purple. If they investigate, the yellow blooms
also spend a lot of time worrying too much puff a bit of pollen and spores into the face and
about Sinter. If the PCs are getting bogged other exposed flesh of one character. The player
down, try to keep things moving. By using of that character needs to decide what to do. If
the transitions caused by the reglae, you can she does not come up with a quick, ingenious
control how long the PCs occupy the campsite way of cleaning all of it off herself immediately,
area before they simply aren’t there anymore. she must make a difficulty 5 Might defense
There should still be three hours of playing roll. On a success, she merely breaks out into a
time left (out of the four hours allotted) when minor rash. On a failure, the rash quickly turns
the characters leave the camp or realize that to bulbous sores that burst open, painfully.
they can’t get back to the road. When one bursts, it does not release blood or
pus, but a single shrill and surprisingly loud
Troubleshooting: If the PCs split up, so that note. At first this sound is produced a dozen
only some enter the campsite (and thus the times in fairly quick succession, but then the
Violet Vale) and the others stay on the road, shrill tone diminishes to just once a minute, and
tell those who remain on the road that their then once every few minutes, and finally only a
companions eventually disappear. If the others few notes each hour at random times. The effect
go to investigate, they will join up with the first continues for a full day, which means that at
group, and all will be in the Vale together. any given time—most noticeably if the PCs are
If the PCs choose to ignore the campsite and trying to be quiet—a high-pitched note will erupt
Steel Star Agent: level 3; stay on the road, they are attacked by agents from the character.
Armor 1; armed with of the Steel Star who wait in ambush along the There are more shrill blooms in the valley, but
crossbows and swords road closer to Sharash—just as the notes in the wise PCs will steer well clear. If they don’t, they’ll
tent described. There are eight of these agents, experience the same effect (but receive no XP
and they very likely attack with surprise. In the since it’s no longer a GM intrusion).
Surprise, ensuing battle, Sinter gets free (a GM intrusion
page 95 that enables her to slip or break her bonds THE PALE STALKER
would be appropriate). She and her agents then The pale stalker is an ultraterrestrial creature
Pale Stalker When It First flee. If the PCs pursue them, Sinter and the that has only recently come to the Violet Vale. It
Spots the PCs: level 7, others run away from Sharash and right into the hunts creatures amid the reglae, but for it the
level 5 for Speed defense Violet Vale, very likely getting both groups lost whole experience is bewildering and frustrating.
due to size; health 40;
amid the reglae. This is very likely because plant life does not
Armor 1; long movement
If this development occurs, the PCs will have exist for the pale stalker. It passes through trees,
to try to apprehend Sinter, defeat her agents, undergrowth, and foliage as if they were smoke.
and deal with all the consequences of being It also can see through plants as if they are not
trapped in the Vale (see below). there (because to the stalker, they are not), so
hiding is difficult.
TRAPPED IN THE VALE Even though the pale stalker is not aware
Once the PCs are in the grip of the Violet Vale, of the existence of the reglae, being unable
they can try anything they want to navigate it to see them or touch them, it nevertheless is
deliberately, but no matter what, they move only subject to the spatial and temporal warping
at the (seemingly random) whim of the reglae. that they create. So the stalker—who is not
Allow the characters a chance to wander, and particularly intelligent in the first place—has no
to realize that not only are they displaced, but real opportunity to understand what is going
they keep shifting to different locations. One on when shifts occur. It is a frustrated, hungry
moment a mountain is close, the next much hunter.
closer. A minute later, and it’s much farther The stalker does not eat its victims so much
away. Allow the PCs to start to get the idea that as it absorbs them after they are dead, having
the shifts seem mostly based on movement. been slashed by its claws or trampled by its feet.
And perhaps they might even start to get an idea When it first appears, the characters can see

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 INTO THE VIOLET VALE

evidence of the Steel Star agents having been CHASE THROUGH THE FLOWERS
incorporated into the stalker’s mass. A contorted The PCs might very well lead the pale stalker
human face projects from its midsection. A on a (less than) merry chase through the valley.
few fingers dangle from its shoulder. The vague One moment, the creature is close enough for
outline of an arm bulges from its thigh. them to feel its hot breath; the next, they are
The first encounter with the pale stalker (not 1,000 feet (305 m) away and behind the beast.
counting finding its large tracks here and there) When it finally looks around and spots them
should be at a distance. It is a towering figure again, they’ve shifted once more and the stalker
13–15 feet tall, hungrily searching for prey. It is nowhere in sight. But this respite lasts for
disappears before it gets too close. only five minutes, until it lumbers into view over
Only later does it reappear close enough the crest of a nearby wooded hill and the chase
to the characters that it might spot them. is on again.
Remember that foliage and trees do not conceal This might go on for a while, with the stalker
the characters from this predator. Only hiding getting to make an attack or two against a
behind large rocks or other similar objects character before the reglae transition moves
would suffice. As soon as it spots them, it the PCs to at least temporary safety. Better yet,
comes for them. And it is very powerful. the chase should be one that starts and stops,
Fortunately for the PCs, the reglae make it fairly as the shifts grant the characters 15 minutes
easy for them to run and be transported far here or an hour there when the pale stalker is
away. nowhere nearby.

THE EMPTY PIT

After wandering for a while, the PCs come upon
Time Control: There needs to be at least two
a perfectly round shaft descending down into
hours left in the allotted scenario time at the
the darkness. No plants grow around the edge
point where the PCs first encounter the pale
for about 3 feet (1 m) or so. The pit is 30 feet (9
stalker. Hopefully, there’s more.
m) across and 80 feet (24 m) deep. No leaves

9
 or dirt have accumulated in the pit—the metal many suns and moons in the sky, there are
sides are free of rust and corrosion, and the colors that are out of place and others that
bottom is clean. the dreamer has no name for. And everywhere
The PCs might decide that the pit is a good are strange violet plants, some of which sing
place to rest. In fact, the reglae will cause no strange, unintelligible songs. Upon awakening,
shifts on anyone in or at the very edge of the the character must succeed at an Intellect
pit, and the pale stalker does not come here. defense roll or suffer 2 points of Intellect
However, there are two factors here that will damage (ignores Armor) from these weird
come into play if the PCs find and explore the dreams.
pit.
1. The Steel Star agent who escaped the THE TOWER OF LADY WEISS
stalker back at the campsite the previous day This tall, ivory spire rises above the woods, five
Grodon, Steel Star Agent: now hides near the pit. His name is Grodon and times the height of the tallest nearby tree. It’s
level 3; Armor 1; armed he is, in fact, the person who wrote the long- likely that the PCs spot the tower from different
with crossbow and sword winded journals in the tent. He is utterly taken vantages (thanks to the shifts induced by the
with Sinter and will do anything for her. This reglae) before they are able to reach it. Those
means that if he gets the chance, he’s going to who succeed at a roll to determine their relative
try to rescue her. location realize that they are now more than 20
Grodon is exhausted, hungry, and frightened. miles north of the pass—almost the same as
He is slight, and his head seems almost too the distance back to Sharash from where they
large for his body. His clothes are torn and bear first found the campsite.
violet stains from traipsing through the vale for The tower is filled with laboratories and
a day or more. workshops brimming with numenera and
2. Anyone who sleeps in the pit has strange half-finished projects that involve biological
dreams of other worlds almost beyond the monstrosities that incorporate both organic and
comprehension of the dreamer. There are too inorganic parts, usually in unintuitive ways.

10
 INTO THE VIOLET VALE

is female. She has a sword and a shield. Her

Time Control: The PCs should find themselves helmet is a metal cylinder with no features (no
at the tower with at least an hour and a half eye holes or any other openings) and taller than Frin: level 6, level 7 for
left in the play session. it seemingly needs to be. This is Frin, and anyone attacks and defense;
who removes her helm would find that rather than health 26; Armor 3
BRUTE GUARDS having a normal head, she has a large red crystal
Two bestial humanoids wearing no clothing and that floats above where her neck would be.
carrying no weapons or gear stand guard near Neither of the children speaks unless spoken to.
the entrance to the tower. These crude beings
look like devolved humans, except that they have NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE NOBILITY
neither eyes nor nose, the result of experiments Lady Weiss controls the easiest means to leave
from years earlier. A dozen more of these brutes the Violet Vale, and won’t hesitate to point this Brute: level 3, level 2
are inside the tower. out. The PCs are probably highly motivated to for any task requiring
The brutes do not permit anyone to enter. simply leave at this point, and will be interested reasoning; damage 4
Before their refusal to admit the characters leads in her means of egress. Lady Weiss would never
to conflict, the door to the tower opens, and its just do a kindness or a favor for people of lesser
mistress comes out to address and assess the bearing than she, however. They’re going to have
PCs. to give her something in return. Bargaining with
Lady Weiss is difficult at first because she won’t Lady Weiss: level 5, level
LADY WEISS recognize the PCs as being worthy of talking to. 7 when dealing with,
Lady Weiss is almost as She’ll speak about them to resisting the effects of,
brilliant as she believes her children as if the PCs or using the numenera.
herself to be, but that If the PCs engage in combat are not there, referring to Possesses an artifact
still makes her one of the them as new test subjects that gives her 3 points of
with Lady Weiss and her Armor from a magnetic
greatest experts in the for her to experiment upon.
children, things have gone force field at all times but
numenera in the entire Ultimately, after a bit prevents her from wearing
region. Unfortunately, she drastically wrong. of (very likely frustrating) metal armor (depletion 1
is also a sociopath who back-and-forth, Lady Weiss in 1d20, check each day).
does not recognize the reveals that there is only
vast majority of other living beings as having one thing the PCs can do for her. She wants the One offer might convince
Lady Weiss to remove
any value or even sapience. Thus, she behaves pale stalker killed.
the PCs from the Violet
utterly without morals or conscience in her The creature is a relatively new arrival to the Vale without dealing
treatment of others. valley, and it’s causing her trouble by eating— with the pale stalker,
Regal in her bearing, Lady Weiss is tall, thin, and absorbing—some of her creations. Neither and that is providing
and almost distractingly angular in her features. Lady Weiss nor her children will aid in the her with a character in
She never looks anyone in the eye, and often endeavor, and no amount of persuasion will exchange for her help.
This individual can be a
seems bored, as if everything that happens to change that stance. Lady Weiss insists that the
self-sacrificing PC, but it
her has happened before. Her gown likely is PCs earn their reward on their own. could also be Sinter. If the
worth more than the possessions of all the PCs If they’ve already killed it, then . . . hurray! If PCs are willing to subvert
put together. they can offer proof somehow, she will take them their mission by handing
“You stand in the presence of Lady Weiss, to a room high in her tower and allow them to over their prisoner,
mistress of the Violet Vale,” she announces leave. If not, however, it looks like they’re going to they can get home. In
fact, by employing this
imperiously. “Why do you violate her lands with have to hunt it down. Thankfully, Frin can offer a questionable tactic, it’s
your presence?” better idea. possible to get through
She suggests that they lay a trap for it, using this entire scenario
THE CHILDREN one character as bait with the others hiding without any combat.
In the middle of her (probably brief) conversation nearby until the creature strikes. If the PCs
with the PCs, Lady Weiss is joined by two of her haven’t figured it out yet, she will reveal that the Meriod: level 6. Can
creations, which she refers to as her children. stalker cannot touch or see living plants. speak with telepathy
One, wearing only a kilt, is clearly male. He is If the PCs are polite to her throughout their and read the thoughts of
muscular and holds a small device in one hand. exchange, and one asks Frin for help and others within short range.
Most noticeably, he has a series of tall, metal succeeds at a difficulty 5 interaction, she will Possesses an artifact
that knocks a living
antennae and cone-shaped arrays atop his agree to help, and then she leaves them. She target within short range
shoulders rather than a head. This is Meriod, returns a short time later and surreptitiously unconscious for 1d10+10
and he has telepathic powers. gives them some cyphers from Lady Weiss’s minutes (depletion 1 in
The other figure, clad head to toe in plate armor, storerooms. Beyond this, she won’t aid the 1d10).

11
 characters in the actual confrontation with the CONCLUDING THE ADVENTURE
pale stalker.
Remember that players can SINTER’S LAST GAMBIT
spend 1 XP to reroll, and AMBUSHING THE PALE STALKER Sinter has been waiting and watching
since this is a one-shot, no
The PCs have time to make a plan and take throughout most of this scenario, listening to
one will want to save any
XP. So expect lots of rerolls, whatever precautions they want for hunting or and observing the PCs. If she is aware of how
particularly in this final ambushing the pale stalker. Lord Asdren has coerced the characters into
battle. If she is asked, Sinter says she will help finding and returning her, she makes the PCs
the PCs fight the stalker. But during the fight, an offer. “Do not return me to the hands of that
she will attempt to hide a weapon—even a wicked oppressor,” she says, “and I will help
makeshift weapon—on her person to help her you in recovering your loved ones safely and in
escape once the group is free of the Violet Vale. getting just revenge against he whom the Lords
It might take a few hours, but eventually the PCs of Rust and Ash would see extinguished.”
find the pale stalker—or rather, it finds them. The Ultimately, for the purposes of this one-shot
ensuing fight will be a very difficult one, most likely. adventure, it doesn’t matter what the PCs
If the PCs are well equipped and it seems like choose, but allowing them to take a moment
the players are up for a real challenge, the stalker is and decide as a group what they want to do next
even larger than the last time they saw it up close. is a nice way to wrap things up.
Now it inflicts +1 damage and has +8 health.

GM INTRUSION: PARTIAL ABSORPTION EXPERIENCE POINTS

In the middle of the battle, when the pale The PCs earn 2 XP for simply getting out of
stalker hits a character, it also grabs that PC the Violet Vale. They earn 2 XP if they deal
and begins to absorb him. The stalker gains 5 with Sinter in a conclusive, satisfying, and
points of health, and the character becomes appropriate way. In other words, if they care
half embedded within the creature’s mass. This only about the reward and their loved ones,
experience deals 3 points of damage to the PC, returning her to Lord Asdren is the way to go.
and 3 more points of damage each subsequent If she convinces them that Lord Asdren should
round (ignores Armor). If the partially absorbed be overthrown and they decide to help her, that
character targets the stalker with an attack, the works too. Allowing her to escape if that isn’t
difficulty of the attack is decreased by two steps. their intent, however, results in no award.
However, any random piece of equipment the
PC wants to use other than what he had in his
hand when absorbed has a 50/50 chance of also
being absorbed inside the stalker.
The character can attempt to pull himself free
from the stalker’s form, which is a difficulty 6
task. On a success, both the PC and the stalker
suffer 8 points of damage.

THE EXIT
If the PCs are successful in killing the pale
stalker, Lady Weiss does not thank them. She
merely says, “Well, then. Let’s get you out of
here.” She leads them to a room high in her
tower that holds a large device that includes
dozens of glass panes of various sizes. When
the device is active, these panes shift and move,
allowing the device to take advantage of the
reglae’s spatial warping. If used correctly, the
device produces a glass pane the size of a small
door that allows instantaneous travel to any
location at the edge of the Violet Vale, clear of
the effects of the reglae.
The device is level 8 for purposes of
identifying or correctly using it.

12
 2 2 1
Jumping
X 2
Magnetic ray emitter (level 6)
Climbing X
18 Force screen projector (level 5)

1

16
1
14



Social interaction X
Perception X

Clothing
Brigandine armor
Mace

2
Razor ring
Explorer’s pack
Practiced With Light and Medium Weapons
Pack of light tools and spare parts
Flex Skill
Bash (1 Might point)
Influential Contact
*Needs Special Healing
18
3
Experienced Adventurer (one level of Effort
Necklace that, when worn, temporarily
adds minor effect)
turns your hair grey
Interface
Mace 4
Inability: Lore or Knowledge
Inability: Resisting Mental Attacks Razor Ring -1 2
 You remember little of your past,
which has always seemed strange to you.
Benthre
You are secretive about your partially
mechanical nature and use your natural Charming
charm to convince others that you are
nothing more than you appear. Thus, your
jack
components are hidden from everyone
Fuses Flesh and Steel
except ____________ (choose a PC), who
recently discovered your secret.
Your group’s current mission to explore
the wilderness was instigated by you. You
fancy yourself the group’s leader.
 2 2 1
Swimming X 2
Fire detonation (level 5)

11 Might rejuvenator (level 6)



14
Speed Defense X 1
Initiative X 17

1


Geography X
Botany X
Astronomy X
Navigation X
Clothing
Leather jerkin
Bow / 12 arrows

2
Forearm blade
Battleaxe (blade made of stronglass)
Practiced With Light and Medium Weapons
Explorer’s pack
Flex Skill
Pack of light tools
Pierce (1 Speed point)
Two books of maps
Ice Armor (1 Intellect point)
Frost Touch (1 Intellect point)
8
1 (2)
Push (2 Intellect points)
A synth box that shows a new image of a
Inability: Charm, persuasion, or etiquette
place in the Ninth World every couple of
Bow 4 days
Forearm Blade -1 2
Battleaxe 4
 The only place you’d rather be than
a library is a tavern, drinking with your
Daylen
friends, most of whom are glaives and
warriors. Long ago, one of these friends Learned
gave you a strange device to study, and
after you accidentally activated it, you
jack
found you had the ability to lower the
Wears a Sheen of Ice
temperature of the air around you so
dramatically that it covered your body in
ice. You can even extend this protective
coating to ____________ (choose a PC)
whenever they are close to you. You have
no idea why it won’t work on others.
When that PC was about to go on a
mission exploring the wilderness, you
convinced them to let you come along.
 2 2 1
Swimming X 2
Detonation (web, level 6)
Skill With Attacks X
13 Eagleseye (level 4)

1

14
Running X 2
13

1


Numenera X


Clothing
Chainmail hauberk
Broadsword

2
Shield
Explorer’s pack
Practiced in Armor
Practiced With All Weapons
Thrust (1 Might point)
Trained Without Armor
Sense “magic”
5
2
Hedge Magic (1 Intellect point)
A pen-sized oddity that tells the weight of
Hover (1 Intellect point)
whatever you point it at (within short range)
Successive Attack (2 Speed points)
Broadsword 4 A sealed glass cube that contains a small
Inability: Charm, persuasion, or deception
insect that remains alive despite not
having air, food, or water
A tiny awl that inflicts no pain when it
pierces flesh
 The early part of your life was spent
on the streets, where you fell in with the
Hawmett
wrong crowd, and you eventually ended
up in prison. While there, you met a Mystical/Mechanical
woman who claimed to be a mystic—
she taught you some of the secrets of
glaive
“magic.” You are a firm believer in the
Controls Gravity
occult, and you trust that your power over
gravity comes from these esoteric arts.
You joined with your current group
of companions because the omens
were favorable. However, soon after
joining with them, you accidentally sent
___________ (choose one PC) hurtling
up into the air after a mishap with your
powers. (The PC can choose how they
react to this event.)
 2 2 1
3
Density nodule (level 4)

11 Gas bomb (fear, level 5)


Image projector (level 6)
11

25

2


Numenera X
Resist mental X
Focus or concentration X
Using All Esoteries X
Clothing
Rapier
Two books on the numenera

2
Practiced With Light Weapons
Onslaught (1 Intellect point)
Ward
Flash (4 Intellect points)
Inability: Puzzles, problems, lore,
8
1
memorization
A crystalline, stellated dodecahedron
that changes color based on how much
Rapier 2 numenera is nearby (more numenera
Onslaught 4/2 makes it redder)
 You were the apprentice of the
infamous nano known as Binthus and,
Leve
like all his apprentices, you now bear his
mark on your brow. He taught you not Strong-Willed
only skills but also compassion, and so
your great intellect is tempered with a
nano
drive to help others. That’s what brought
Wields Power With Precision
you into your current situation, using your
powers to watch over your friends.
To aid in that, you’ve placed a special
ward over _______ (choose a PC) that
makes her immune to your esoteries,
unless she wants to be affected.
 2 2 1
3
Instant servant (level 4)

7 Magnetic attack drill (level 5)



16
Balance X 1
Speed Defense X 17
Physical Performing Arts X
1
Woodworking X

Numenera X
Electrical machine tasks X


Clothing
Punching dagger
Book on the numenera

2
Bag of small tools
Practiced With Light Weapons
Push (2 Intellect points)
Scan (2 Intellect points)
Distant Activation (1 Intellect point)
Coaxing Power (2 Intellect points)
4
0
Charm Machine (2 Intellect points)
Metal wristband that smells strongly of
Stasis (3 Intellect points)
sugar
Punching Dagger 1 step 2
 You bear a number of subtle devices
and components implanted in your flesh
Reminel
which provide your esoteric powers.
These were given to you in the hidden Graceful
temple of Prov, an obscure machine god.
nano
You are on a mission to explore a
Talks to Machines
section of the wilderness unknown to you
because ___________(choose a PC) said
some things that make you believe you’ll
find something of significance to Prov.
That same person seems to have a
terrible relationship with machines—or at
least the machines that you communicate
with. If she is next to a machine that you
interact with in a friendly manner, that
machine is treated in all ways as being
one level lower than normal (unless doing
so benefits you or her, in which case the
level does not change).
 2 2 1
Climbing
X 2
Might rejuvenator (patch, level 7)
Skill With Attacks X
17 Shock nodule (level 5)

1

14
2
9




Lies and Trickery X
Assessing Danger X
Resist mental X
Tracking X
Clothing

Beastskin armor
Dagger

2
Heavy crossbow / 12 bolts
Sword-staff
Practiced in Armor
Explorer’s pack
Practiced With All Weapons
Compass
Pierce (1 Speed point)
Bash (1 Might point)
Reload (1 Speed point)
5
2
Weapon Defense
A tiny stuffed seskii doll that growls when
Inability: Lore, knowledge, and understanding
you kiss it
Dagger -1 2
Heavy Crossbow 6
Sword-staff 7
 You spent many years working as a
constable, protecting a large community.
Satha
When you discovered that your superior
was corrupt, you quit in disgust and fell Clever
on hard times. You are now in need of
money, so when you heard a number of
glaive
explorers were heading off into the wilds,
Masters Weaponry
you joined in the hopes that it would be
profitable.
Although you are new to this group, you
have noticed that __________ (choose
one PC) shows great potential for use
of the sword-staff. You are qualified and
willing to teach her, but she might not be
interested.
 NUMENERA GLIMMERS
Numenera Glimmers are inexpensive PDF-only products that allow us to respond to fans’
desires for new material on the fly and let us delve deeper into the Ninth World, covering
unusual and specialized topics that might not find a home in a larger publication.

Whether you’re looking for new adventures and character options, Ninth World lore and
culture, a cache of numenera devices, or just something a little weird, the datasphere has
got you covered.

Vortex Cypher Collection 1 In Strange Aeons: Beyond All Worlds

Lovecraftian Numenera

Injecting the Weird Love and Sex in the Artifacts & Oddities Taking the Narrative by
Ninth World Collection 1 the Tail: GM Intrusions
& Special Effects

All Numenera Glimmers are also available on DriveThruRPG.