Numenera: Jade Colossus - Session 2

From last session, Draven picked up a new follower, and he potentially has an additional quest related to the discovery of the remains of a missing young woman. What twists and turns will they find in the Jade Colossus this time?

Cover Sheet

Game: Numenera (Monte Cook Games)
- Designed by Monte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, and Sean K. Reynolds
Additional Resources:
- Discovery and Destiny corebooks (Monte Cook Games)
- Jade Colossus: Ruins of the Prior Worlds campaign sourcebook (Monte Cook Games)
- Mythic GM Emulator 2e (Word Mill Games, written by Tana Pigeon)
- “Wizard Dad: Solo Cypher System Hacks” (retrieved 2024-08-28)
Notes:
- Solo play relying on the Follower rules from Numenera Destiny p. 17 modified by the Wizard Dad hack
- Using the 2d10 Fate Check method from the Mythic GM Emulator 2e

The main character is Draven (he/him), a Graceful Delve who Taps the Void. He has three followers:

Xanthia (she/her), a Rugged Glaive who Masters Defense (level 4, 12 health, 3 Armor, Sword-staff heavy weapon)
Thorn (it/its), a dritch (Jade Colossus p. 135) as a pet (level 4, 15 health, inflicts 4 damage)
Erish (she/her), an Aeon Priest who Controls Gravity (level 3, 9 health, 1 Armor, inflicts 2 damage)

It’s unclear whether Erish can be trusted, but for now she has asked the party to help her find a particular location within the Jade Colossus.

Stats

Draven’s pools start this session as: Might 9 of 13, Speed 10 of 15, and Intellect 11 of 13.

Xanthia’s health is full (12 of 12), Thorn’s health is 13 of 15, and Erish’s health is also full (9 of 9).

Mechanical Notes and Updates

I handled combat slightly incorrectly in some ways last time. In combat, attempting to dodge or block an attack is generally a Speed Defense roll, not Might. For NPCs, generally speaking, I will treat them as Trained on any roll that relates to their sentence or otherwise seems obviously part of their speciality (such as with the dritch). If it’s particularly obvious, such as Xanthia on defense, they may be Specialized (easing the task by two steps).

XP is not awarded for a GM intrusion that takes place on a natural 1, so Draven didn’t get those 2 XP last time. He thus only has 1 XP (from discovering the fate of Tharad’s daughter). I made this mistake a few times when playing in an actual campaign with friends, too!

Session Log

Chaos Factor: 3

Scene 1: Ballarad Inn

Expected Scene: Informing Kuran about the result of their search
Testing the Scene: Altered Scene (Tharad is there)

Draven and his group walk into the Ballarad Inn. It’s late in the evening, as they spent quite a bit of time in the Jade Colossus searching for midnight stones (as well as generally trying to navigate it and stay alive).

There are lots of patrons already here, enjoying the inn’s famous noodles served in white bowls. Draven doesn’t know any of them, but he makes a discreet inquiry of one of the staff about Kuran. When the large, grizzled man appears, he nods respectfully at the group and makes his way over.

What is Kuran’s appearance or demeanor at the moment? 49 Helpful

The proprietor dries his hands off with a dish towel and approaches. Draven explains quietly that they located Tharad’s daughter, but that she didn’t make it.

How does Kuran react to this news? 61 Messy

He immediately tears up, a face wracked with grief, his grief plain and loud for all to see and hear. Draven and Erish try to calm him just enough to get him out of the common room so that he can grieve in private.

This will be an Intellect task at level 2, eased by 1 step due to the assistance of an Aeon Priest, for a target of 3.
d20 = 9, success.

The two of them guide him by the elbow into his office in the back. Between his sobs, he tells them her name was Nahla. Clearly, he had some sort of special relationship with her. One of the staff comes in and tells them quietly that Tharad is in the building, although not in the main common room. Erish’s face softens slightly at this; while her Order of Truth is not known for constantly providing emotional comfort, certainly enough folks consider themselves “adherents” that they come to the Aeon Priests for guidance and wisdom in the important facets of life. Xanthia explains quietly to Kuran the circumstances under which they discovered Nahla’s fate, as well as the difficulties they had in trying to retrieve her remains. After a few minutes, Draven and Erish go to find Tharad and tell him of his daughter’s fate.

Is Tharad in a guest room here (unlikely)? 12, Yes.
Is he staying here alone (50/50)? 10, No.
Character Descriptor (Tharad): 94 Trained
Character Identity (Tharad): 26 Enforcer
Character Descriptor (Companion): 84 Skilled
Character Identity (Companion): 74 Professional

Another staffer shows them to the room where Tharad is staying. He’s a muscular man, not as large as Kuran but the equipment they can see suggest that he is a warrior of some kind. He answers the door wearing a robe; they can see a younger man lounging on a low cushion in a similar robe.

Erish tells him quietly of the fate of his daughter Nahla.

Does Tharad react in an unexpected way (50/50)? 13, Yes
How does he react? 37 Group 35 Fragile

The man blurts out something about her and her friends’ weakness, then composes himself. He thanks them in an oddly formal way before closing the door.

Neither of the reactions they received were what they expected. Perhaps more is going on underneath the surface than they realized.

Regardless, word will get around that Draven and Xanthia were skilled enough to find her remains, which will improve their reputation in Ballarad. Perhaps later Kuran will speak to them about the odd situation with her father.

Chaos Factor increases to 4
New Character: Tharad, Suspicious Enforcer
Removing Erish from the Character List as she has joined the party for now

Scene 2: Debriefing Erish

Expected Scene: Getting Erish’s backstory at her hideout
Testing the Scene: Expected Scene

Erish guides them back to the place she’s been hiding out.

Is she staying with another Aeon Priest (unlikely)? 3, Exceptional No

She’s avoiding the local Aeon Priest by staying in the Wreckage:

“A field of debris surrounds the Jade Colossus, thickest where it intersects the city. The Wreckage is a tumble of shattered towers, broken slabs of earth, garbage, and rusted devices. It represents the area of town that was never reclaimed and rebuilt after the emergence, though that doesn’t mean people don’t live there. In fact, it has become something of a slum. Among the debris, fragile and makeshift shelters are common. Tunnels through drifts of wreckage, crevices down to partly preserved cellars, and other unexpected areas are abundant.” (Jade Colossus p. 39)

However, they’re trying to do so fairly stealthily.

The group needs to make a Speed task to avoid being by busybodies. I’ll set the difficulty at 4, given that there are several of them, including the dritch. None of the followers are particularly stealthy, but Draven is Trained in balance and careful movement and will activate his Midnight Armor (spending 1 Speed point to do so). That reduces the difficulty to 2 altogether.
d20 = 1, GM Intrusion!

Draven takes a moment to fade into a shadowy silhouette, but someone else recognizes Erish’s priestly garb and runs over. That attracts enough attention that Chelan, a young-looking Aeon Priest who runs a workshop in Ballarad and happens to be in the area, comes over to see what’s going on.

Erish whispers, “cover for me!” and runs off between buildings. Draven and Xanthia are left trying to distract Chelan. Immediately, Draven begins to shout at Xanthia, challenging her to a duel. This is, of course, a ruse.

This is an Intellect task, because the goal is deception rather than actual fighting. It will be Difficulty 3, Demanding, but Draven is Trained in physical performing arts and Xanthia is his bodyguard, so that will ease the difficulty by two steps. Target is therefore 3.
d20 = 8, success.

The two of them put on a show of clashing their weapons, displaying tremendous footwork and poise. A crowd gathers, Chelan among them, and by the time a few larger community members show up to break up the “fight,” Erish has had time to slip away.

Once everything has calmed down a bit, the two of them hear a whisper from the shadows. Erish waits between two hastily-constructed shanties, then has them follow her down below under a large piece of synth into an underground hovel.

Character Conversations: 16 Careful
Character Motivations: 05 Approval

She starts off hesitantly, explaining that she doesn’t have much she can tell them openly. Her mentor expelled her from his service, she says, because she had discovered something within the Order of Truth that he wanted to keep secret. There’s something in the Jade Colossus that would allow her to prove her story, but they need to be careful about who they talk to. She’s not sure who she can trust.

After some more discussion, Draven realizes that she is, in fact, seeking the Eye of Transcendence. He and Xanthia want to find it for their own careers, but they’re not sure how compatible that is with taking her to it. But if she knows where it is now, that could be helpful to them.

Ultimately, of course, they reach an agreement. They’ll go with her to find it, but after she gets whatever she needs from it, they get to take it to the Heritors of the Colossus, their own employers.

This seems agreeable to her. They’ll head back into the Colossus tomorrow.

Recovery Rolls (1 hour and 10 hours each): 2d6+2 = 9 points, allocated such that he now has 13 Might, 14 Speed, 11 Intellect

Draven awakes feeling nearly fully refreshed, and the others are all ready to go. They’ll head back to the Midnight Gate.

Chaos Factor increases to 5 (due to the GM Intrusion)
Combine two threads into one: “Accompany Erish to find the Eye of Transcendence”
Add a new entry to the Characters List: Heritors of the Colossus (faction)
Add a new entry to the Characters List: Chelan, Young Aeon Priest

Scene 3: Returning to the Jade Colossus

Expected Scene: Entering the Vestibule via the Midnight Gate
Testing the Scene: Expected Scene

Early in the morning, they return to the Midnight Gate. Gavaran takes their payment and lets them through.

Note that I’m not really tracking individual shins here. It’s not really what I enjoy in Numenera, though if they end up wanting something expensive, I’ll find a way to make it interesting.

Do they encounter anyone or anything else here (likely)? 10, No

They’ll head through the Vestibule and into the Colossus proper via Wranna’s Way. They cross the bridge where the laak colony lairs beneath.

Climbing up to Wranna’s Way from here will be a Difficult (level 4) Speed task. Draven is Trained in balance and careful movement, easing the task by one step. He will also spend a level of effort (costing 2 Speed points counting his Edge) to reduce the difficulty by another step to level 2, for a target of 6.
d20 = 8, success.

It takes them time and arduous effort, but they make it up to the egg chamber.

Is Nahla’s body still there (very unlikely)? 12, Yes.
Is anyone or anything else active here (50/50)? 13, Yes.
Is this a creature (likely) or explorers? 6, Explorers
How many explorers are there? 1d6+1 = 2
What are their identities? d10 x2 = 6, 4 Explorers (not Nanos or Aeon Priests)
What is their situation? 54 One explorer has been secretly killing off others in the group for their own reasons. The explorers say that when they entered the structure, they had double their current number.
Character Appearance: 86 Stocky, 60 Muscular

Two explorers are resting here, and surprisingly Nahla’s body is still wrapped up nearby. A short and stocky man squats together with a large and well-muscled woman. Both seem well-equipped and armed, but their faces reflect pain and shock.

Draven asks if they are okay, and the pair tell them that someone has been hunting them in the corridors of the Colossus. He points the way out.

Does he or Erish detect anything amiss with them? This will be an Intellect task at level 5 (Challenging), eased by 2 steps due to his training in Perception and hers as a Priest. That reduces the task to level 3, for a target of 9.
d20 = 2, failure.

The two thank them for the guidance and head off.

But what about Nahla’s body? While they want to discover the Eye of Transcendence, they can’t just leave her here. Instead, they’ll work together to take her back out to the Midnight Gate. They no longer have the Travel Bubble, so this will require a good bit of work to carry her remains.

I decide this is a Might task. It feels like a “typical task requiring focus, but most people can usually do this” for a level 2 (Standard) difficulty. However, Xanthia’s help eases that by one step to make this Level 1 (Simple). The target is 3.
d20 = 7, success.

After several hours of careful maneuvering in mostly silence (out of respect for their solemn task), they find their way back out. Gavaran raises an eyebrow, recognizing the nature of their burden, but raises the gates.

Erish explains that, given the circumstances, she had better lay low and heads back into the Wreckage. The others can meet her later.

Chaos Factor decreases to 4

Scene 4: Returning Nahla’s Body

Expected Scene: Returning Nahla’s body to Tharad
Testing the Scene: Expected Scene

Draven and Xanthia make their way to the Ballarad Inn, which isn’t far at all from the Gate. They decide not to carry her body into the inn; rather, Xanthia will stay with the body in a small alcove behind the building. Draven will go in and find Tharad, as the next of kin.

Has Tharad left the Inn (unlikely)? 6, No
What is Tharad’s demeanor at this point? 51 Hopeless
Is Kuran present (very unlikely)? 12, Yes

Draven finds Tharad down in the common room. Kuran is behind the bar, staring daggers at the older man. This is a particularly awkward situation for Draven, but he sits with Tharad and carefully explains that they have, in fact, retrieved the body of his daughter. They could take it wherever he likes, or simply turn it over to his care.

Does Kuran overhear this conversation (50/50)? 12, Yes
Does he intervene (very likely)? 10, No (I’ll assume “not right now” at least)

Tharad’s face betrays total hopelessness, the face of a man in despair. He waves a hand and indicates to leave it there; he’ll figure out what to do with it later. Draven nods, but there’s no way he will simply leave human remains.

After a few moments, he stands and walks over to Kuran. A few folks are gathered around the huge man, giving him support and comfort. Draven clears his throat and quietly tells them that they were able to recover Nahla safely, and they’d like to ensure that she is properly cared for.

Does Kuran agree to take charge of her body (likely)? 5, No
Was he her lover (50/50)? 13, Yes
Will one of the others agree to take responsibility for her (50/50)? 6, No

Kuran is unable to speak but shakes his head sadly. He can’t stand to see her in this state.

At this point, Draven is at a loss. He won’t simply leave her body here, as her father seems to want. The only community member he has any sort of trust in is, paradoxically, Gavaran. He’ll ask the gatekeeper who should be able to take care of these sorts of things.

Chaos Factor increases to 5
Update thread to “Why are Nahla’s father and lover unwilling to take charge of her body?”

Scene 5: Putting Nahla to Rest

Expected Scene: Getting guidance from Gavaran on what to do with Nahla’s body
Testing the Scene: Expected Scene

After quickly explaining what’s going on to Xanthia, Draven heads back to the Midnight Gate. Gavaran is not entirely surprised by his recounting of the situation, as it’s quite literally her business to know what happens with people going in and out through “her” gate into the Colossus.

She tells him that there are a few possibilities: the nearby Aeon Priest, Chelan, might be able to help, but in reality he works as something more like a Wright, building and repairing devices. The Salvation Council is (at least in theory) the local government, but they’re mostly focused on preventing relic theft, as they’re closely aligned with the Jade Protectors.

In reality, the best solution is for her to talk to some of Tharad’s friends and neighbors. Sometimes, institutions fail us, but communities can be much more than that.

This will take some time, so she closes the Gate. Draven waits with Xanthia for a while, keeping vigil over Nahla’s body, before some of the woman’s neighbors come take charge of her remains. They’ll see to it that she is properly put to rest.

All of that has been a lot for today, so while it’s really not very late, this seems like a time to go get some drinks somewhere and ponder their own mortality.

Chaos Factor decreases to 4
Close the thread “Why are Nahla’s father and lover unwilling to take charge of her body?”
Remove Tharad from the Character List

Wrapping Up

I didn’t expect this session to focus so much on dealing with the results of a hearsay entry from the sourcebook, but I think it does point up the flexibility of Numenera and the Mythic GME. I’ll award 1 XP to Draven for the recovery and proper handover of Nahla’s body, which ultimately gains him a bit of a reputation in Ballarad as a reliable community member (even if he belongs to an organization that many people don’t trust).

The next session will focus on finding a route to the Eye of Transcendence. That may actually require several expeditions. Once they find it and resolve whatever happens with it, that will likely be the end of this campaign (or at least this arc).

Appendix

Known locations include Ballarad and the main establishments within it, as listed in the Jade Colossus sourcebook.

Within the Jade Colossus, they have encountered the Vestibule, Wranna’s Way, and the Egg Chamber.

The lists below reflect the state of the game at the end of the session:

Character List

Gavaran, Keeper of the Midnight Gate
Kuran Bluelake, Innkeeper at the Ballarad Inn
Heritors of the Colossus (faction)
Chelan, Young Aeon Priest

Thread List

Accompany Erish to find the Eye of Transcendence

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