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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MortalPlague" data-source="post: 7830299" data-attributes="member: 62721">Ingredients:Bleeding MoonLifeless DollForbidden LibraryMissing Puzzle PieceMaster of the SeasManufactured Chaos[HR][/HR]TorporA science fiction adventure[HR][/HR]Chiasmus Station; an illegal mining outpost built on a moon orbiting a barren planet.  The yield was minerals at first, but when they pierced the crust they began bringing up blood.  The startled miners found they were drilling into Czerentoag, an ancient, malevolent creature who once sailed the solar currents, leaving destruction in his wake.  The drill was rousing him from his hibernation.While sleeping, Czerentoag’s psionic electrokinesis allowed him control the android CZ-4, who began to interfere with attempts to stop the drilling.  Things became violent.  Before CZ-4 could murder them all the crew killed the generator, stole a piece from the drill, and encrypted the archives to prevent erasure.  With the crew dead Czerentoag tried to have CZ-4 re-activate the generator, but before he could, he succumbed to torpor.This adventure tracks Czerentoag’s awareness; PC actions may raise or lower it.0–Torpor (starting point)1–Dreaming: Czerentoag can puppet CZ-4.2–Stirring: Czerentoag can control simple systems; manipulating doors, triggering alarms, powering down computers.3–Rising: Czerentoag can force systems to override their safeties and break.  He can slice people in half with doors.  He can cycle and open the airlock, exposing Chiasmus station to vacuum.4–Awake: Czerentoag begins to sail through the cosmos once more.Important: The drill has a nanite coating to help pierce hard materials, but it also blocks Czerentoag from controlling it directly.ADVENTUREThe PCs are hired to investigate why Chiasmus Station went dark.Chiasmus Drilling Station has been offline for a month.  The exterior of the station, like much of the moon, is crusted in ice.  Once the PCs get through the ice they must pry open the airlock doors and force their way into the station.  The interior has a thin layer of frost on everything.POWERThe generator is easily found and activated.  The airlock doors automatically close and begin to cycle.  Heaters turn on throughout Chiasmus.  Awareness up.DRILLIn the center of the station the drill is silent, poised above a hole in the carapace.  The missing drill piece is with the crew remains at maintenance.ARCHIVESThe systems boot up fine.  PCs may attempt to decrypt the archives, but the progress is slow and difficult.  Decryption will reveal the ancient and malevolent nature of Czerentoag.  It will also reveal that severe cold can reduce his awareness.MAINTENANCEA dozen insectoid predators (hitchhiked aboard a supply shuttle) are thawing out here, put into hibernation by the cold.  They dragged the bodies of the crew here and picked their bones clean, though the blunt trauma wounds on the skulls are inconsistent with the predators’ jaws.  The missing drill piece is here.For every area the PCs investigate before this, three predators have thawed and slipped into the ventilation ducts.  There is a cache of heavy liquid nitrogen canisters stored here.CZ-4CZ-4 is a hollow android shell controlled by Czerentoag.  His cybernetic brain and motors are missing.  He will resist any attempts to examine him.Czerentoag needs the generator to remain online to keep thawing him out.  CZ-4 will stop any attempts to shut down the power.  CZ-4 will also search for the drill piece and use it to re-activate the drill.DRILLINGEvery three rounds of drilling; Awareness up.CZ-4 does not need to remain at the drill’s controls to keep it going.  He tries to prevent the PCs from shutting down the drill or the power generator.  The thawed insectoids, attracted by the noise will attack here, trying to pick off lone PCs.  Czerentoag will manipulate doors and make it difficult to help.  If Czerentoag is rising, he will try to kill the PCs.Any explosives used by the PCs will cause Awareness up.  Any extreme cold applied to the carapace will cause Awareness down.By shutting down both drill and power, and applying cold, the PCs can put Czerentoag back into hibernation.The PCs can override the drill’s safeties and force it into overdrive.  If they successfully do this, the drill can be used to bore a hole directly through Czerentoag and stop the ancient creature for good.  If Czerentoag reaches awake, this is the only way to stop him.Less heroic PCs could opt to simply escape.  While Czerentoag won’t show them any mercy, he won’t go out of his way to stop them from leaving.  The PCs will hear about horrific spacefaring accidents over the next few months which are all thanks to their failure.</blockquote>

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